He had gone to the Cheng family’s house early in the morning, only to find that she wasn’t home. After asking her aunt, he learned that she and her cousin had gone to town. Initially, he had wanted to go into the county to find her but worried that he wouldn’t be able to track her down. So instead, he had been waiting at the village entrance all this time. Finally, his patience had paid off—he had managed to catch her!
“Waiting for me? Why?” Cheng Fangqiu frowned, searching her memory, but she couldn’t recall any unfinished business between them.
“I…”
Li Jianping subconsciously took half a step forward, but in the next second, a large hand grabbed his collar. Before he could react, his entire world spun, and with a heavy thud, he was slammed onto the ground, landing on his back. Stars danced before his eyes, and he winced in pain, baring his teeth.
“Molesting women in broad daylight? You can explain yourself at the Public Security Bureau.”
Zhou Yinghuai’s face was utterly frigid, and the hostility in his gaze was vicious, as if he wanted nothing more than to tear Li Jianping apart.
When their eyes met, Li Jianping’s heart thudded in fear. That oppressive aura made him speechless for several long moments.
Zhou Yinghuai had no interest in what he was thinking. Without hesitation, he twisted Li Jianping’s arm behind his back, locking it in place. Then, exerting force, he lifted him straight off the ground, preparing to first drag him to the village office before sending him to the authorities.
“Wait, wait, wait! How am I molesting anyone?!”
Li Jianping finally snapped out of his daze. Upon hearing that he was about to be sent to the police, he panicked and began struggling desperately, trying to break free from Zhou Yinghuai’s grip. However, despite being of similar height, no matter how much he resisted, he simply couldn’t escape.
What the hell did this guy eat growing up? How is he this strong?!
As the misunderstanding snowballed, Cheng Fangqiu finally recovered from the shock of Zhou Yinghuai’s swift and fluid takedown. She quickly stepped forward and spoke up, “He’s from our village. He didn’t do anything to us.”
Since it was her words, Zhou Yinghuai chose to believe them. However, he still didn’t release Li Jianping. Instead, his sharp gaze swept over Cheng Fangqiu from head to toe, ensuring there were no signs of distress. Only then did the stone in his heart settle, though he still couldn’t help but ask, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Cheng Fangqiu shook her head, then gestured toward the now-red-faced Li Jianping. “Let him go already.”
Zhou Yinghuai’s tightly furrowed brows finally loosened a little. He shot a glance at Li Jianping, whose face was contorted from pain, and after a brief hesitation, slowly released his grip. As a gesture of goodwill, he even reached out to help him up—but the moment his hand got close, Li Jianping recoiled several steps back, as if he had seen a demon.
“Don’t touch me!”
His expression was one of absolute terror, treating Zhou Yinghuai as though he were the King of Hell himself.
Zhou Yinghuai remained expressionless, his tone sincere as he said, “Apologies. If you need to go to the clinic, I can cover the medical expenses.”
Given the circumstances, anyone would have misunderstood the situation. Zhou Yinghuai didn’t regret his actions, but if he had injured someone, he would take responsibility accordingly.
Hearing this, Li Jianping’s mouth twitched. Although his entire body ached, he knew he hadn’t suffered any real injuries. If Cheng Fangqiu weren’t here, he would have definitely tried to scam this arrogant brat for compensation. But with the woman he liked standing right in front of him, he had to maintain his image.
So, Li Jianping straightened his back and pretended to be unfazed. “With your measly skills, you think you can hurt me?”
Zhou Yinghuai raised an eyebrow, remaining silent.
Cheng Fangqiu also raised an eyebrow. Are you sure about that?
Cheng Xiaohua, who had been quietly observing from the side, couldn’t help but mutter, “Your legs are shaking, though…” Just looking at him made her feel the pain on his behalf. But if he wanted to put on a brave front, that was his business.
Li Jianping’s face burned with embarrassment. He hurriedly cut her off, turning back to Cheng Fangqiu. “Qiuqiu, I really have something to discuss with you. I’ve been waiting here all day.”
“What is it?” His urgency didn’t seem fake, which piqued Cheng Fangqiu’s curiosity. She didn’t even bother correcting his overly familiar way of addressing her. However, in the next second, as soon as Li Jianping uttered his next words, she nearly coughed up blood from anger.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yinghuai’s expression darkened entirely. His fingers, which had just relaxed at his sides, clenched into fists again, the joints audibly cracking. Clearly, he hadn’t hit hard enough earlier—how else could someone spout such utter nonsense?
Because what Li Jianping had just said was:
“Qiuqiu, marry me!”
Such an absurd statement could probably only come from someone as thoughtless as Li Jianping.
Leaving aside the fact that this was an era of conservatism where marriage was traditionally arranged by both families, making his direct proposal completely inappropriate, they weren’t even particularly close. Where did he get the audacity to say something like this in front of so many people?
And worst of all—he said it right in front of Zhou Yinghuai! If this led to any misunderstandings between her and Zhou Yinghuai, she wouldn’t be able to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River!
“What nonsense are you talking about?!” Cheng Fangqiu was so furious that her chest rose and fell sharply, her voice even trembling with anger. As she swept her gaze around, she noticed that several villagers had already gathered to watch the commotion.
When it came to reputation, women were always at a disadvantage. If word got out, people would say she was a flirt, while Li Jianping would likely get away with just a casual remark about being “a little too bold.”
She had been in such a good mood coming back from town, and now, thanks to Li Jianping, it was all ruined! What had she done to deserve this misfortune?!
“I’m not talking nonsense, I’m serious!” Li Jianping insisted, his emotions running high. “Qiuqiu, I’ve liked you for a long time! I can work, I earn full work points every year, and last year I even won a model worker award. Even if you don’t want to work, I can support you!”
As he spoke, he eagerly rolled up his sleeves, flexing his arm to show off his muscle tone.
Faced with such a hardcore confession, Cheng Fangqiu instead calmed down. Her expression remained indifferent, her tone flat and emotionless.
“Stop calling me that. I don’t like you, and I don’t need you to support me. It’s getting late—you should go home.”
With that, she grabbed Cheng Xiaohua and turned to leave with Zhou Yinghuai.
Seeing that she was about to walk away, Li Jianping panicked and blurted out, “So you’re really going to marry that Jia guy? He’s a scumbag! Don’t be fooled, Qiuqiu! Even if you’ve already agreed, you can still go back on your word!”
“If you’re going to get married, you’d be better off marrying me—I’ll definitely make you happy!”
Now, this was getting ridiculous. First, there was Li Jianping, and now there was some “Jia guy.” Plus, standing right next to her was Zhou Yinghuai, who had been guarding her this whole time. This whole situation was becoming incredibly complicated.
But if it was about Cheng Fangqiu, it wasn’t all that surprising—ever since she was young, she had never lacked men chasing after her.
The onlookers had their ears perked up, eager to catch every single word.
“What Jia guy? I don’t even know anyone with that surname—”
Cheng Fangqiu instinctively refuted him, but as she spoke, a vague memory flashed in her mind.
Wait.
Could it be that Aunt Li had mentioned introducing her to a potential match who happened to have the surname Jia? But she had clearly rejected the proposal back then.
Had there been some kind of misunderstanding? Was that why Li Jianping had come running to her now, thinking he still had a chance?
As Cheng Fangqiu was piecing things together, Zhou Yinghuai stood completely still, his gaze locked onto her. He was studying every subtle reaction of hers, and he didn’t miss a single flicker of expression.
So she did know this Jia guy.
And she had considered marriage.
The air around them seemed to freeze.
The heavy silence was only broken by the sound of Zhou Yinghuai’s breathing, which had grown heavier, as if he were suppressing something about to explode.
But after just a few breaths, Zhou Yinghuai calmed down. His face remained expressionless, but the sharpness in his gaze softened slightly. Based on her temperament, there was no way Cheng Fangqiu would be the type to flirt around. There must be some hidden circumstances behind all this.
He couldn’t just jump to conclusions based on a few words. That wouldn’t be fair.
Sure enough, in the next second, Cheng Fangqiu let out a cold laugh and spoke, “Where did you hear that I was going to marry that Jia guy? Who’s been spreading nonsense and slandering my reputation? I’ll report this to the village secretary and demand justice.”
Just as these words fell, Li Lifen rushed over, and the first thing she heard nearly made her faint on the spot. She immediately lunged forward and slapped Li Jianping twice. “You brat! Did you drink horse piss and lose your sense of direction? What nonsense are you spouting here?!”
After scolding him, she twisted his ear and lowered her voice, furious. “Are you trying to ruin me?!”
Earlier, Li Lifen had been washing clothes at home when a neighbor came running, telling her that Li Jianping was making a scene at the village entrance—and had even proposed to Cheng Fangqiu in front of everyone!
Li Jianping might not care about shame, but the Li family still did!
Her older brother and sister-in-law had never agreed to let Li Jianping marry Cheng Fangqiu. And now, this fool had gone and acted first, thinking they’d agree later? His wings had really hardened! Where did he even get the audacity?
Fortunately, her brother and sister-in-law were working in the private plots and weren’t home yet. Otherwise, they would have already chased Li Jianping back with sticks!
Although she felt the urge to do the same, he was still her nephew, someone she had watched grow up. She couldn’t bring herself to be that ruthless—especially since this involved Cheng Fangqiu.
After weighing the situation, she had rushed over, but the moment she arrived, she heard that line from Cheng Fangqiu.
In an instant, she pieced everything together.
The Jia family.
Yesterday morning, the Jia family had come to see her again, unable to hold back any longer. They had even increased the matchmaker’s red packet. The sight of money had blinded her for a moment, and she had made an empty promise, guaranteeing that the marriage would go through. She had even lied, saying the Cheng family had already agreed.
But the moment she sent the Jia family away, regret hit her. Because later that day, Ding Ximei had personally come to find her and firmly rejected the marriage.
But that red packet was a huge sum of money! She couldn’t let it go so easily. So, she had been planning to test Ding Ximei’s attitude one more time.
Yet before she could even make a move, Li Jianping had dropped this bomb on her!
This damn brat had definitely eavesdropped on their conversation yesterday!
This matter couldn’t be allowed to escalate any further! If it spread throughout the village, offending the Jia and Cheng families would be the least of her problems—who would trust her to arrange marriages in the future?!
Realizing this, Li Lifen broke out in a cold sweat. She deeply regretted agreeing to act as a matchmaker for the Jia family in exchange for that red packet. She also cursed herself for not being more careful, allowing Li Jianping to overhear everything.
Her fingers clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Just as she was about to explain, Cheng Fangqiu let out a sneer.
“Auntie, you’re the one who shouldn’t be talking nonsense. I think he’s perfectly sober—does he look like someone who’s been drinking to you?”
Even if he had been drinking, he still had to take responsibility for what he said!
Seeing Li Lifen’s panicked expression, Cheng Fangqiu immediately knew she had something to do with this.