Chapter 62: Resuming the College Entrance Examination

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Resuming the College Entrance Examination

Looking at the pale hand extended toward her, Deng Yuyuan still hesitated.

In this era, shaking hands between men and women wasn’t common, and the man’s gaze looked as if he wanted to devour her alive...

Meng Deyin didn’t give her much time to waver. Seeing her standing still, the impatient man could no longer maintain his gentlemanly veneer. He strode toward her, encroaching on her personal space like a ravenous wolf. His large hands clamped around her waist, slowly tightening until Deng Yuyuan was entirely embedded in his embrace.

He acted just like a travel-worn husband who had finally returned home to see his cherished little wife.

Deng Yuyuan widened her slightly upturned almond eyes in shock. At a glance, she spotted Zhang Ci Hao standing in the doorway, holding a basket in his hand.

He looked as though he couldn’t suppress his anger—and indeed, he could no longer hold back his fury. He dropped the basket, threw a vicious punch at Meng Deyin, and forcefully separated the two.

Deng Yuyuan was completely unharmed, while half of Meng Deyin’s face instantly bruised blue.

The onlookers drew in a collective sharp breath.

Deng Yuyuan forced her trembling fingers to still, comforting herself, "It’s fine. It’s just a minor incident. I can keep this under control." She really wanted to unleash her true strength and give them both a good punch! Her innocence! Her good reputation!

Swallowing her frustration, Deng Yuyuan jogged over to shut the door, then roared, "Stop! If you want to fight, take it outside! Neither of you is allowed to step foot in the Knowledge Youth Institute ever again!"

This move seemed ineffective, but it actually carried a high chance of success. The two men actually stopped.

Deng Yuyuan covered her face. "Do you two want me to drown in the villagers’ gossip? After a scene like this today, how am I supposed to live in Dazhang Village? I might as well just die and end it all!"

Her acting was so melodramatic that Zhao Erdong and Tian Tian immediately rushed forward to hold back the Deng Yuyuan who was threatening to throw herself into the well, terrified that if they were a second too late, she wouldn’t be able to back down gracefully. Deng Yuyuan’s theatrics had successfully brought the situation under control.

CRACK CRACK.

The sound echoing in her mind almost made Deng Yuyuan break character. "Can you stop cracking those damn sunflower seeds in my head?!"

"...You knew?"

Deng Yuyuan hadn’t known at first. She just thought the system was malfunctioning. However, during the New Year, she had consumed too much drama. The AI customer service’s voice in her head had synchronized eerily with the highly realistic sound of cracking sunflower seeds. Even an idiot would know what she was doing. What is done in the dark will eventually be brought to light. The formula was wrong, but the conclusion was correct.

By the time the two men’s emotions stabilized, Deng Yuyuan’s expression was so awful that she looked one step away from dropping dead on the spot.

"I will absolutely, never marry a man who ruins my reputation and stirs up trouble," Deng Yuyuan said, her gaze sweeping over the two men who were still trading sharp glares. "If I can no longer stay in Dazhang Village, I will return home. The authorities have just allowed me to go back anyway."

Both men’s pupils contracted and trembled simultaneously. "Where is your home?" Meng Deyin asked.

"I’ll go seek refuge with my aunt who just returned from studying abroad. Maybe I’ll travel around with her," Deng Yuyuan replied, giving an answer that left them highly dissatisfied. Regardless, she had promptly smothered the potential sparks of war. "Before Tuantuan turns five, I won’t consider any romantic relationships. If you make things difficult for me, I’ll choose to stay far away."

She didn’t make her words too absolute, afraid of backing them into a corner and driving them to desperate measures. She knew she would be taking the college entrance exams and leaving in two years anyway.

"I’m sorry. I was too impulsive," Zhang Ci Hao was the first to lower his head and apologize. His breaths trembled violently, as if Deng Yuyuan’s words had cut him to the quick. He seemed to be walking on a tightrope, and his voice choked up several times over those few short words out of a fear of rejection. "Can you forgive me?"

He looked like a dejected large dog that had just been scolded by its owner.

"Of course I can," Deng Yuyuan answered in her heart.

Behind Zhang Ci Hao, Meng Deyin glared at him with a dark, ruthless gaze.

Deng Yuyuan rubbed her temples, regretting for the second time that she hadn’t just arranged a childhood betrothal for Tuantuan. She had provoked an incredibly dangerous madman.

Two years later.

"The college entrance exams have been reinstated!" The Knowledge Youth Institute was in an uproar of excitement, everyone holding Meng Deyin’s letter from home and screaming in thrill.

Meng Deyin sat alone in a corner, entirely out of place with the rest of the crowd. He simply frowned and asked Zhao Erdong, "Aren’t you going to find Deng Yuyuan and notify her?"

Zhao Erdong really wanted to roll her eyes at the very culprit who had made it impossible for Deng Yuyuan to return home, but the massive power disparity forced her to bow her head. "Yuanyuan is missing. You’ve searched for her too, but no one can find her." She didn’t know where his intense paranoia came from, always assuming that they secretly knew Deng Yuyuan’s whereabouts behind his back.

"Sister Er Dong, I’m going to contact my family right now to buy the study materials," Tian Tian said. Over the past two years, she had matured significantly. "I figure the village chief will come notify us in a little while, or maybe in a few days. I’ll have Mr. Lin run over to the village chief’s house to give him a heads-up first. We’ll also need to adjust our workload. We can earn fewer work points, but we must set aside time to review."

"The higher-ups also said that the educated youths can return to their hometowns! The official notice will come later, but it should be around this time," someone chimed in. The crowd’s joy was impossible to contain. They had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel!

Tuantuan squatted in the courtyard, following behind a chicken’s butt to feel for eggs. She couldn’t truly grasp the adults’ excitement. Hearing Uncle Meng’s question, she just looked up at the sky. The baby sun was already very, very close to the ground. Mommy would be back soon.

The little chickens worked very hard today too, laying a whole two eggs! Not afraid of getting dirty or tired, Tuantuan picked up the two eggs, stepped onto her little stool, and climbed up to the sink. She washed off the chicken poop and dirt. Just as she was about to run back inside to put them away, a knock echoed from the door.

It was too noisy inside the room, so no one heard it. Tuantuan immediately acted as a messenger, calling for an adult to come out and open the door.

Unfortunately, the person who arrived wasn’t Mommy, but Mr. Zhang Ci Hao.

The air fell silent for a moment. Meng Deyin stood up and returned to his room.

Carrying a familiar bamboo basket on his back, Zhang Ci Hao waved at Tuantuan. "Come here, Tuantuan," he said, squatting down. He tilted the bamboo basket slightly in her direction so she could see the lively, soon-to-be-dead fish and shrimp thrashing about inside, yet keeping them from jumping out. "Your mommy caught these today. After catching them, she went to town to buy some seasonings. She rode my bicycle, so she’ll be back very soon."

Tuantuan peeked at the fish and shrimp, then ran over, PITTER-PATTER, holding her little basin to catch some water. Zhang Ci Hao hurriedly reached out to help her hold it steady, then poured the catch inside. Tuantuan’s tiny figure squatting by the small basin looked so adorable that she successfully captivated all the adults around her.

"This basin is too shallow. I’m afraid they might jump out," a male educated youth remarked.

Tuantuan reached out a chubby little hand to poke back a fish that popped its head out, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Don’t be afraid! Tuantuan is watching them!"

"Then Tuantuan better not get scared to tears by a jumping fish and fall on her bottom."

Tuantuan dropped down with a PLOP, spreading her legs wide to sit on the ground. "I won’t fall."