The few of them exchanged glances, all feeling somewhat inexplicably awkward.
It was Cheng Fangqiu who broke the silence first. “And this is?”
Zhou Yingchen had just arrived and had been around the machinery factory every day. When did he get to know such a spirited young woman? How come she didn’t know about it?
“Let me introduce, this is my junior from the same school.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu’s eyes widened suddenly. A junior? Could this be the female lead from the book? Thinking this, her smile instantly brightened, but it froze just as quickly, not even lasting three seconds.
“Her name is Deng Qingwan, we met on the train.”
Deng Qingwan? That’s not right, the female lead in the book should be named Ling Zhi, because it sounds like ‘lingzhi’ (a type of mushroom), so she remembered it very clearly.
Looking at the unconcealed admiration in Zhou Yingchen’s eyes and the faint smile at the corner of his mouth, Cheng Fangqiu was petrified on the spot. Where exactly did things go wrong? The book didn’t mention that the male lead had feelings for any other girl before falling for the female lead.
Even the name Deng Qingwan never appeared in the book.
After much thought, Cheng Fangqiu could only conclude that her own appearance had caused the plot to change.
In the book, Zhou Yinghuai and the original host were forced to marry at a completely different time, and they never held a wedding banquet. Moreover, the Zhou family deeply detested the original host’s actions and would never have sent someone to visit the couple, so Zhou Yingchen should have been in Beijing at this time, not in Rongzhou.
If that were the case, he wouldn’t have met Deng Qingwan on the train to Rongzhou…
One misstep leads to many, and many things have inadvertently and coincidentally changed.
“Qiuqiu?”
Cheng Fangqiu suddenly snapped back to reality and saw the other three looking at her with some confusion. She forced a smile, “I was thinking how coincidental it is.”
Just as she finished speaking, He Songhan, having recovered, chased over and successfully drew the attention of the others, so no one paid attention to Cheng Fangqiu’s earlier anomaly.
Seeing this, Cheng Fangqiu slowly let out a sigh of relief, trying to focus and not let herself lose composure again.
She didn’t want to alter the life trajectories of others because of herself, but since things had already happened, she couldn’t turn back time, could she?
It must be said that there is a destined arrangement in the unseen.
But even so, she still felt very uncomfortable, her gaze involuntarily falling on Zhou Yingchen, who was subtly shielding Deng Qingwan, his eyes deep, clearly in a protective stance.
Would he end up with Deng Qingwan? What about the female lead, Ling Zhi?
If Zhou Yingchen and Ling Zhi were truly a match made in heaven as described in the book, how could Zhou Yingchen develop feelings for Deng Qingwan after just two meetings?
The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t help but rub her temples, her face turning somewhat pale.
“Qiuqiu, are you okay?” Xu Qiqi supported Cheng Fangqiu’s arm, her brows slightly furrowed.
“I’m fine, just a bit hot.” Cheng Fangqiu smiled at Xu Qiqi, not wanting her to worry, but Xu Qiqi wasn’t completely reassured and started fanning her with her hand, “It is a bit hot inside the mall, should we go out and wait for your brother-in-law?”
“Let’s wait for him together.” She wanted to stay and observe a bit more.
“Alright.”
Over there, He Songhan was still pestering Deng Qingwan, coaxing her softly, playing the victim with past affections, half-threatening and half-scaring, using every trick in the book, but Deng Qingwan remained unyielding, determined to break off the engagement.
As more and more people gathered, He Songhan also felt embarrassed. Moreover, his relationship with Li Chundan wasn’t innocent. If they were recognized by someone familiar and reported to their workplace, it would be another troublesome matter.
So, he could only grit his teeth and utter harsh words, saying that Deng Qingwan would regret it one day.
“Get lost.” Deng Qingwan stepped forward, pretending to give He Songhan another shoulder throw, which scared him into retreating repeatedly, almost losing his balance and falling, causing quite a spectacle for the onlookers.
“Don’t get cocky.” He Songhan’s face turned red with anger, pointing at Deng Qingwan, and finally at Zhou Yingchen, “Pretty boy, I’ll remember you.”
After saying that, he took Li Chundan and pushed through the crowd to run away.
“…” Zhou Yingchen frowned; it seemed like the second time someone had called him a pretty boy. What kind of judgment did these people have?
“Sorry.” Deng Qingwan apologized sincerely again. She really didn’t mean to involve Zhou Yingchen, but He Songhan, being blind, was convinced they had something going on, which was truly exasperating.
“How about I treat you to a meal? As an apology, and sister-in-law and Qiqi can join too.”
Zhou Yingchen looked at Cheng Fangqiu, obviously waiting for her decision.
Cheng Fangqiu, currently troubled, just wanted to go home and lie down to think things over, having no appetite for food. So, she pretended not to see the expectation in Zhou Yingchen’s eyes and directly declined, “I won’t join. I’m feeling a bit unwell and want to go home first.”
“Ah? Do you need to go to the hospital?” Deng Qingwan, without suspicion, asked with concern.
Cheng Fangqiu shook her head, “It’s just my stomach…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but there’s an unspoken understanding between women. Deng Qingwan realized belatedly and didn’t press further.
They parted ways at the department store.
Zhou Yingchen didn’t ride his bicycle, so he took Cheng Fangqiu’s bicycle to ride her back.
Once home, Cheng Fangqiu locked herself in her room, not even coming out for dinner. She lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling, feeling very conflicted. After sighing countless times, she finally came to a realization.
She couldn’t get stuck in a dilemma, thinking that the original plot of the book was the right path. Otherwise, she should have followed the original host’s path, and where would that have led her?
It was precisely because she didn’t agree with the so-called plot that she could live her current comfortable life.
Similarly, although Zhou Yingchen was the male lead in the book, he was no longer just cold text but a living person. As long as he’s human, he would have his own independent thoughts. He could like whoever he wanted, and no one could interfere.
Even if he didn’t follow the plot and didn’t end up with Ling Zhi, the female lead destined in the book, no one had the right to blame him.
Since he coincidentally met Deng Qingwan first and developed feelings for her, there was nothing to be done. Sometimes, fate is just that bizarre and wonderful.
Moreover, to put it bluntly, these two might not even end up together, because no one knows what might happen along the way; variables always exist.
What if Zhou Yingchen changes his mind after meeting Ling Zhi back in Beijing? Who could say for sure?
In any case, she would pretend not to know anything and not interfere, which would be respect for everyone involved.
After clearing her thoughts, Cheng Fangqiu felt much more relaxed. With the burden off her mind, she felt hungry. She had only eaten lunch and drank a bottle of soda, nothing else, and couldn’t hold on any longer.
So, she got up, opened the bedroom door, and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Earlier, at dinner time, Zhou Yingchen had asked if she wanted to eat together, but she declined, citing a stomachache. She figured he had made enough for two, so there should be some left.
Walking into the living room, Zhou Yingchen was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper. He had left early in the morning and hadn’t had time to read it, so now was a good time to kill time. Seeing Cheng Fangqiu come out, he quickly put down the newspaper and asked with concern, “Sister-in-law, are you feeling better?”
“I’m fine now.” Due to lying, Cheng Fangqiu’s expression was slightly unnatural, but luckily, she was looking down, and Zhou Yingchen didn’t notice. He asked, “Do you want something to eat? My brother will be off work soon. How about I make you two bowls of tomato noodle soup? The dough is already prepared.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu looked out the window and realized it was already dark. Earlier, in the bedroom with the curtains closed, she hadn’t noticed how late it had gotten. “Thank you, then,” she said.
Zhou Yingchen smiled and got up to go to the kitchen, while Cheng Fangqiu sat down on the sofa and flipped through the newspaper. The pages were filled with dense, small black text. The dim lighting in the room, combined with her hunger, made her feel dizzy. She decided to put the newspaper back and stopped reading.
When the noodle soup was halfway done, Zhou Yinghuai returned.
“You’re back?” Cheng Fangqiu stood up from the sofa and took a couple of steps forward. Zhou Yinghuai changed into his slippers, casually placed his briefcase on the coffee table, and then wrapped his arm around her waist, stealing a kiss on her cheek. Instantly, he felt much of his fatigue dissipate.
Cheng Fangqiu was startled by his sudden move, and the spot where he kissed her felt warm. She quickly pushed him away, instinctively glancing toward the kitchen, and scolded him with a mix of annoyance and affection, “What are you doing?”
“He didn’t see,” Zhou Yinghuai said with a slight smile, escaping to the kitchen before she could get truly flustered.
“Rogue.”
Cheng Fangqiu pretended to wipe the spot where he had kissed her, her delicate eyes tinged with a faint blush. Before she could lower her hand, Zhou Yinghuai, who had just entered the kitchen, came back out. This time, his large hand directly covered her lower abdomen, his usually cool voice now filled with urgency and concern.
“Zhou Yingchen said you had a stomachache at the department store earlier today? How are you feeling now?”
Cheng Fangqiu shook her head. It seemed lying wasn’t a good idea, as one lie could lead to a chain reaction requiring countless more lies to cover up.
After confirming she was truly fine, Zhou Yinghuai sighed in relief. Then, as if remembering something, he added, “After this busy period is over, how about we go for a health checkup?”
She initially wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but after seeing the worry in his eyes, she nodded. A health checkup could only be beneficial, even if it cost a bit more money.
Right now, money was the least of their concerns.
“Let’s schedule it after the wedding banquet. I also want to take my parents and younger brother for a full checkup.”
In rural areas, such conditions were unheard of. Struggling with basic food and clothing, going to the hospital for an expensive checkup was out of the question.
Now that she was in charge of the family’s finances, she naturally wanted to arrange checkups for her family. After all, nothing was more important than health. If there were any issues, early detection and treatment were crucial.
“Alright, we’ll go together then,” Zhou Yinghuai agreed without hesitation, even recommending the hospital where he had his last checkup.
After a brief conversation, Cheng Fangqiu sighed and asked, “When are we going to pick them up? I miss them.”
This was the first time since arriving in this world that she had been away from her parents and younger brother for so long. It was impossible not to miss them.
Her honest, doting father who adored his wife and daughter, her gentle and understanding beautiful mother, her mischievous but incredibly thoughtful younger brother…
“We’ll go next Friday,” Zhou Yinghuai said, tenderly stroking her hair.
This was the time they had agreed upon earlier. Cheng Fangqiu nodded, then urged Zhou Yinghuai to go help in the kitchen. After finishing a comforting bowl of tomato noodle soup, the three of them took advantage of the time before bed to install a simple peephole on the door.
It was quite straightforward: they drilled a hole in a suitable spot on the door and then covered it from the inside with a small wooden board. Since it was designed with a mechanism, the small board couldn’t be opened from the outside, ensuring complete safety.
With this added security measure, they could now see who was outside without opening the door, greatly enhancing their safety.
The week passed quickly. Cheng Fangqiu and Xu Qiqi took on two more orders, and life at the photo studio continued as usual. However, word had somehow spread that the Hongmeng Photo Studio had hired a stunningly beautiful young female photographer. Every day, many people came just to catch a glimpse of her, as if she were a celebrity.
Fortunately, while they came to look, they didn’t cause any trouble. So, Cheng Fangqiu simply ignored them. As long as it didn’t affect her work, it was fine. After all, the attention she had received in her past life was far more intense than this.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yinghuai gradually made it through the busiest period, and the technical department began to return to normal.
Everything was moving in a positive direction, and on Friday, they set off on the journey back to their village.