Chapter 38

In the brigade, after the harvest is completed, they have to wait for the grain to dry before they can deliver the public grain. After handing in the public grain, what remains is divided among the team members according to their work points from the previous year. The brigade leader's family, which includes eight laborers, naturally receives a significant portion of the grain.

However, due to the previous assistance and promotion from Linxi, along with Su Qianqian's provocative actions, the villagers, who were already somewhat dissatisfied, became even more resentful, and this dissatisfaction fell upon the brigade leader.

"The brigade leader's family is different; look at their grain, it's much more than ours…" One woman started the complaint, saying that her own family would be well-suited to be the brigade leader—hardworking and capable, with family roots in the village.

If this escalated, who knows who could still hold that position?

"Everyone, don't be envious; every member of the brigade leader's family is skilled and can earn full work points. Who wouldn't be jealous of Fei Ying for finding such a good daughter-in-law?" Although it was framed as envy, there was an underlying sarcasm.

How could everyone get full work points? Even her son might not be able to earn full points, no matter how hard he worked!

Do they really think getting full work points is easy? It's just that the brigade leader's 'record keeper' is being biased, definitely keeping a secret record.

Huang Yeying didn't quite understand the insinuation in their words and thought they were genuinely envious, feeling quite proud. "It's all because of how well they were taught in their family. Joining our Su family is a blessing for us."

The other daughters-in-law also smiled; receiving praise from their mother-in-law was indeed not easy.

The brigade leader originally intended for his son to carry the grain home, but upon hearing their subtly sarcastic remarks, he thought they were merely envious of their family's larger workforce.

But then someone suddenly spoke up, "The brigade leader's family gets full work points every day; it's truly unbelievable!"

"Exactly, I saw Fei Ying returning home in the afternoon for a long time and then coming back to work. How could he possibly earn full work points?"

"Are we villagers supposed to be fools?"

"Su brigade leader, being the brigade leader, you really show no fairness at all. All the good high-point jobs go to your family, how are we supposed to accept that?"

After the grain was distributed, they began to confront the brigade leader, especially targeting Su Qianqian. After all, she had done such a malicious thing; the blame should fall on her father, the brigade leader.

"Su Qianqian only did that because that boy from the Li family wouldn't marry her; she deliberately reported to the Red Armbands. What a terrible person!"

"What a vicious heart! Who would dare to provoke her? Isn't she just relying on her father being the brigade leader?"

"How can he still be the brigade leader? Every year, he assigns good jobs to his family and leaves us with the heavy work. We've tolerated this for so many years."

Jiang Manzhu, along with Li Linxi and Xiao Bei, was also in line waiting for the grain distribution. They hadn't worked this year, but they still had work points from the previous year.

With Li Lindong, Liu Jumei, and Li Linxi's full work points, along with Jiang Manzhu's 2 points of grain, it was just a matter of timing; together, they would be able to support the three of them.

Originally planning to leave after receiving their grain, Jiang Manzhu stopped to watch the commotion as it grew louder.

Li Linxi noticed Jiang Manzhu's eagerness to watch the drama and asked her to keep an eye on the remaining grain while he carried some bags back.

As for Xiao Bei, he could also take a small bag home; there were only two men in their family, and the younger one should contribute his share.

Xiao Bei wasn't unhappy; on the contrary, he felt proud of being trusted and thought he had grown up, ready to take responsibility for things at home.

Seeing Xiao Bei bouncing with joy, Jiang Manzhu felt a bit suspicious, "Be careful, be careful, don't drop the grain. If you break the sweet potatoes, they can't be kept for long."

Their family didn't just have fine rice; they also had sweet potatoes, peanuts, and corn, depending on how everyone cooked at home.

"I know," Xiao Bei responded to the reminder without being upset. Compared to bouncing around, he became more steady as he walked, afraid of accidentally dropping the sweet potatoes.

These were to last until next year; if they couldn't be eaten for long, they would end up hungry.

If they broke, he would feel even more distressed. Despite Xiao Bei's young mental age, he understood the seriousness of hunger.

Jiang Manzhu didn't care how they carried things back; as a weaker woman, she couldn't possibly carry such heavy loads herself.

While watching the commotion, she noticed some female intellectuals from the same work point struggling to carry their grain back, needing others to help keep an eye on the remaining bags.

Yes, those remaining bags! Even though they were female intellectuals, they worked impressively hard, with one particularly capable person who could earn full work points.

The village women liked her very much and even imagined marrying their sons to that female intellectual—she was diligent, capable, and educated, someone who could teach their grandchildren in the future.

Unfortunately, that female intellectual was too clueless and didn't have any interest in their sons!

Even if Jiang Manzhu had heard of this, she believed everyone had their own fate. How to live their lives was a matter of personal choice and freedom.

Over there, the argument was still ongoing, especially from a few families aiming to compete with the brigade leader, who were quite dissatisfied with the current situation. After a period of busy harvesting and planting, things would be relatively calm and relaxed.

Of course, it didn't mean they wouldn't have to work at all; it was just that the pace wouldn't be as rushed.

Choosing a brigade leader was quite important. Someone had already sent a message to the commune, reporting the brigade leader for using his power for personal gain and calling for a new election.

Su Qianqian, the malicious daughter, was naturally a focal point. The people from the commune felt that the brigade leader was not doing well; he couldn't even manage his family and allowed all the good things to benefit them.

It was one thing to help his family, but it was too obvious, and the higher-ups wouldn't protect him.

Especially a daughter who could maliciously report out of unrequited love showed she was just relying on her father's power, indicating a poor family reputation.

Furthermore, the public grain delivered was always less than that of other production brigades, leading the commune to have complaints; otherwise, how could they ignore it?

The next day, after the brigade leader visited the commune, he returned home with a dark face and called a meeting, announcing the need to re-elect a brigade leader.

The Su family had discussed this matter at the dinner table the previous night, and they hadn't anticipated that the villagers would have such a strong opinion against them. If there were complaints, they could have discussed it earlier.

Now it had blown up into such a big deal, and so aggressively, making Brigade Leader Su feel very annoyed.

"It's all Qianqian's fault. If it weren't for her causing trouble, the villagers wouldn't be so dissatisfied," Su Qianqian's sister-in-law angrily blamed her sister-in-law, saying that the spark for the villagers' unrest was indeed Qianqian.

Everyone was a bit guilty about whether they could earn full work points, but since they had done it this way for the past few years, who would suspect it was their own fault?

After so long without any issues, no matter how guilty they felt, they wouldn't blame themselves; instead, they just dragged Su Qianqian into it.

As long as there was someone to blame, it had nothing to do with them.

Su Qianqian was usually quite arrogant at home, never giving any face to her three sisters-in-law. Sometimes, she even stirred up trouble behind their backs, inciting their mother-in-law to scold them.

Even in her second life, Su Qianqian, still resentful about being kicked out by her three sisters-in-law and her brother in her previous life, wouldn't be humble and try to appease them.

Besides, Su Qianqian's only thought after her rebirth was to marry Li Linxi and enjoy a life of comfort in the future.

Who knew that nothing went as she wished, and she didn't understand why heaven let her be reborn? Everything she had planned went awry.

"Exactly! That Li boy didn't do anything wrong. The villagers must think she did it on purpose. They don't even know why… and now the whole village knows."

"What if they really do decide to re-elect the village leader? Qianqian has really gone too far this time, and it's dragging Dad down with her."

The other two daughters-in-law quickly spoke up, frowning. They knew that having their father-in-law as the village leader came with many hidden benefits.

The three sons were still quite fond of their sister Su Qianqian, mainly because no matter how much trouble she caused, it never affected their brothers directly.

Later on, Su Qianqian's antics didn't cause them any worry or drag them into trouble, so in their hearts, Su Qianqian was still the same sister they knew.

Just… as always, she was spoiled and had somewhat picky tastes in men, but at the same time… she didn't do so well.

As she caused trouble, her reputation went down the drain, and as it got worse, everyone became used to it since she was already married off.

As for their mother's occasional admonitions, they didn't take them to heart, nor did they realize that the child in Su Qianqian's belly wasn't Luo Liangce's.

But now, because of her troubles, the whole village was dissatisfied with their father and the village leader, wanting to oust him, making them finally realize how harmful Su Qianqian's arrogance really was!!!

"Mom, we can't spoil Qianqian anymore. What if… what will happen to our family in the future?" The three sons, always influenced by their wives, had previously kept quiet, but now their dissatisfaction bubbled to the surface.

"Wasn't Dad there at the time? Why didn't he stop that dead girl Qianqian from making such a scene? Her thoughts have spread throughout the entire production team."

They also vaguely blamed their father for allowing Su Qianqian to make a fuss while he was present.

Of course, they also blamed their mother for spoiling Qianqian too much. Didn't the old women in the village say that spoiling a girl this way was useless?

Not only was it useless, but it also caused trouble.

"Alright, stop arguing." Team Leader Su was also quite annoyed. He truly hadn't realized how dissatisfied so many villagers were with him; he might have noticed before but just didn't pay attention.

Didn't he think that as the village leader, he was well-liked by the villagers? Didn't his three sons and their wives work hard in the fields?

With Team Leader Su's annoyed reprimand, everyone closed their mouths and focused on eating, but the atmosphere at the dinner table was quite heavy.

Next, due to the election of the village leader, the village was in a state of tension and anticipation, especially among those who wanted to be elected; they were extremely busy trying to win people over.

Meanwhile, school was starting, and Jiang Manzhu and Li Linxi had to go to class.

Little Bei was also proudly entering the second grade. Because Jiang Manzhu's teaching was quite good, Little Bei had achieved good results in the first-grade final exams.

The family of three was busy and didn't have time to consider running for village leader; even if others tried to win them over, they were simply too occupied.

However, every household had the right to vote, and the Li family had two laborers; how could they not be courted?

Originally, it was planned that each household would only have one voting qualification, but if that were the case, wouldn't the educated youth points have more voters than the villagers?

That wouldn't work. The village leader must be elected by the villagers.

The rules were debated several times before being finalized. Team Leader Su's expression wasn't very pleasant; he was also trying to win people over… after all, they hadn't said he couldn't be re-elected.

Jiang Manzhu was quite irritated by their frequent visits, "So annoying, Linxi! They keep coming over; are they ever going to let us rest?"

This meant she hadn't had a peaceful environment to study in recently and could only stay at school to read and learn in the teacher's office even when there were no classes.

However, she couldn't possibly stay at school overnight, could she?

After school, she would go home, take a shower, and have dinner. Just before dark, those wanting to run for village leader would come to visit again.

On her way to and from work, she occasionally bumped into a few aunties discussing how someone from their family would do well as village leader.

So annoying! Did they have no one else to bother? Did they think everyone was already convinced they should be elected?

"The election time is coming soon; they won't bother you for long," Li Linxi comforted her. They didn't come every day; it was just that they rotated visits, making it seem frequent.

Li Linxi's gentle reassurance didn't ease Jiang Manzhu's irritation, and with a hint of complaint, she said, "But it will take a long time! I don't know how they have so much free time; it feels like the whole family is involved."

"After all, not everyone can be indifferent. There are quite a few benefits to becoming village leader," Li Linxi understood this and also knew their family's situation, so he felt it unnecessary to get involved.

"Hmph! With so many families in the village, they must be causing a ruckus!" Jiang Manzhu puffed her cheeks, "Next time someone comes, you just take care of them; I don't need to get involved; our family listens to you."

Jiang Manzhu liked chatting and playing with people, but she wasn't interested in this type of conversation. As for who became the village leader, she felt it didn't matter much.

"However, shouldn't we choose someone who isn't too harsh and strict?" Jiang Manzhu suddenly thought about her upcoming college entrance examination next year. If the village leader was a strict one, they might not offer any help.

On the contrary, they might feel that they were delaying farming work, so…

"Yeah, you're right." Li Linxi agreed with Jiang Manzhu and began analyzing the characters of those competing for the village leader position.

Listening to his analysis, Jiang Manzhu was surprised to find that Li Linxi had quite a knack for reading people!

Since Jiang Manzhu usually hadn't seen them arguing, perhaps they expended all their energy in the fields and only heard gossip about their family from other aunties.

Moreover, when out and about, most people would appear friendly and greet each other, not deliberately putting on a cold face towards others unless there was a serious feud between families.

"You really know them well. Is this just a man's intuition?" Jiang Manzhu asked curiously, or perhaps it was a special talent men have for reading people?

Hearing the phrase 'man's intuition,' Li Linxi lifted his eyelids and looked at her with an inscrutable expression, slowly responding, "What do you think?"

"How would I know? I just listen to you; I don't know them at all," Jiang Manzhu was afraid of becoming the deciding vote and picking someone who would harm the villagers.

Thinking of this, Jiang Manzhu felt a bit proud and lifted her chin, "Looks like I'm still quite kind; I'm afraid of picking a bad guy."

"Mm." Li Linxi didn't chastise her for using the term 'bad guy' too casually, instead choosing to indulge her as he watched her little proud face.

Unbeknownst to Jiang Manzhu, she happily continued discussing this topic, "I think being a teacher suits me well; my students are obedient, and their exam scores are good, which shows that my teaching level is quite high. Do you think I should become a teacher in the future?"

Jiang Manzhu was only thinking about getting into university, but choosing a major also mattered for her future career, which she hadn't really considered.

"Aren't you already a teacher?" Li Linan seemed to not understand her point and looked at her with a hint of confusion.

"Ah… right, I am now," Jiang Manzhu nodded and began to reflect on her suitability for being a teacher. However, she realized she didn't actually like it very much.

She wanted to try other jobs, especially since they were at the forefront of reform; university students were still being assigned jobs.

"Let's go for the highest university!"

"I'll strive to study hard; what if I get a chance in the future?" Jiang Manzhu hinted at Li Linxi again. "You should do the same; opportunities are for those who are prepared. When the chance comes, you'll be ready to ride the wave."

Jiang Manzhu's hint made Li Linxi look at her again, his eyes sparkling with complex emotions that Jiang Manzhu couldn't interpret.

"Do you really think so?" Li Linxi chuckled lightly. Did she really think he was that exceptional?

"Of course! You're smart and capable; that's why you can't waste your talents. Who knows when an opportunity might just fall from the sky?"

Even if she didn't go to university, going into business would also require brains, so who knows when it might come in handy?

Perhaps flattered by her praise, Li Linxi slightly curled his lips, looking quite charming. "You're right."

Jiang Manzhu was surprised. So, the dragon-hero male lead could also be narcissistic? She thought she was just being polite.

"Have your own opinions; don't just say I'm right." Jiang Manzhu meant to suggest to Li Linxi not to agree with her just because she praised him, but he misunderstood her intentions.

As the day for reelecting the team leader drew near, Jiang Manzhu could sense the atmosphere in the village growing more anxious each day, even without participating.

Finally, the day arrived, and it was a day off.

Around the time work was supposed to start, everyone gathered at the location of the previous meeting. There was a podium and a blackboard for tallying the votes.

Most of the villagers came, and children joined in for fun. The youth were either uninterested or just watching; the candidates were already gathered near the podium.

Jiang Manzhu and her friends also arrived and brought small stools to wait. "It's really hot today; the sun is so strong…"

Jiang Manzhu was getting a bit impatient. She couldn't stand the heat, and her expression showed her annoyance as she complained to Li Linxi.

Li Linxi glanced at the trees far from the open space, where not many people were gathered in the shade. Everyone else was trying to get as close to the podium as possible.

"How about we go under the trees? After all, we're only here to vote; once everyone goes to the ballot box, we can just relax," Li Linxi suggested.

Jiang Manzhu turned to look at the tall trees, which were a bit far away but still visible. If they used a loudspeaker, they could hear what was being said.

"You're right," Jiang Manzhu agreed and was the first to move her stool back. She wasn't sure how long the speeches would last but knew she was about to melt in the heat.

Once under the shade, she felt a noticeable coolness and let out a long sigh, complaining to Li Linxi, "Why didn't we come here earlier? The sun is out now; it's so hot!"

"It's just like the time you go to class; it's about the same. Today's just a bit hotter," Li Linxi remarked, saying it was no different from usual. She was only feeling irritable because they had been waiting outside for so long.

Jiang Manzhu pretended not to hear Li Linxi's words. How could it be the same? She usually left home by seven in the morning for class, and now it was almost eight or nine.

"You must be blind; with this sun and temperature, how can it be the same?" After rolling her eyes, Jiang Manzhu decided to ignore the not-so-pleasant Li Linxi and started chatting with Xiao Bei.

Li Linxi didn't feel neglected by her coldness and stood there gazing into the distance, contemplating business ideas for making money.

On the stage, the candidates were passionately giving their speeches, not caring if anyone wanted to listen; they would rather just speak for themselves.

So…

As it neared noon, the candidates reluctantly finished their speeches and began the voting process.

Everyone initially sat at the bottom of the stage, but as the sun became hotter, they were not foolish; they quickly moved to the shade.

Those who couldn't find shade were thinking of running home, but they also wanted to know immediately who would become the new team leader.

In reality, apart from the candidates themselves, most villagers had their minds made up.

Even though the candidates pulled votes with fancy talk before the election, how could short-term benefits compare to decades ahead?

The team leader position was in charge of the entire production team's operations, allocation, etc. If it were someone like Team Leader Su, wouldn't that be a disaster?

So, while they agreed publicly, behind the scenes… they still knew who to vote for.

They worried that some people might not think the same way, as there were always fools who could only see immediate benefits without planning for the long term.

"Hey! Liuzi, what are you doing? Why are you taking your clothes off in front of so many young girls? Are you being a pervert?" A middle-aged woman suddenly shouted, attracting everyone's attention.

"Pah! My child is still here!" she said, and everyone turned to see her husband fanning himself bare-chested while wearing a straw hat.

"What's the big deal? You're overreacting! Hurry and vote; we're about to melt!" The old man shot her a glare and yelled toward the people on stage.

"Yeah, stop the speeches! We all know who you are; you're all from the village!" another man echoed, annoyed after initially feeling nervous and eager; their speeches had become too long-winded.

The last candidate on stage heard the crowd's complaints and sensed their dissatisfaction, feeling quite upset inside.

It felt as if they were being disrespected and bullied. If he became the team leader, he wouldn't let them off the hook.

As the men went on about taking their clothes off, Li Linxi frowned, occasionally glancing toward Jiang Manzhu.

It seemed he was checking if Jiang Manzhu noticed them, and his eyes carried a dark intensity that he didn't voice.

His dark, sharp gaze swept over them, then he slowly spoke to Jiang Manzhu, "After the voting, let's head back. If you're uncomfortable, you can go back first, and I'll cast your vote."

Jiang Manzhu looked at the young men taking off their shirts and showing off their muscles from years of hard labor. Not bad, actually.

However, she casually glanced at them, then pretended to be shy and turned her gaze away. Hearing Li Linxi's words, she suddenly looked up, "You want me to go back and cook?"

Li Linxi: …

Why did Jiang Manzhu always misinterpret his intentions?

"No, it's just hot. Since you can't stand the heat, you should rest first. You can take Xiao Bei with you…" Surrounding them were many villagers, and Li Linxi spoke in a calm and composed manner.

The others merely glanced over and didn't pry further, especially not into their conversation because… it was time to vote.

One by one, they queued up, ready to stuff the written ballots into the box. Worried that the candidates would recognize their handwriting, they all used pages from their exercise books.

The handwriting was written by the village secretary on the pages, and villagers would tick who they wanted.

After all… not everyone could read or write, especially the older generation.

They couldn't even be bothered to go to literacy classes, thinking reading and writing were for the young. But everyone deserved a chance to participate in the voting process, in case someone didn't want to share their choice.

The only one who ended up exhausted was the village secretary. Oh… no, it should be said that it was the party secretary of the production team, who had written for several days until his hand felt sore.

The candidates stood on stage nervously, watching as a few respected elders who were not running counted the votes.

Finally, Dog Fu was selected as the new team leader, much to the disappointment and anger of the other candidates.

Why him??

Only Dog Fu's family was thrilled, especially his mother, who was grinning ear to ear and telling others how Dog Fu would treat every member of the production team fairly and justly.

Jiang Manzhu and Li Linxi had already left. Damn, on such a hot day, it felt like they had wasted a morning here, getting sunburned without any benefit.

"Next time, don't bother inviting me to something like this again," Jiang Manzhu said, feeling irritated and sweaty, directly expressing her displeasure to Li Linxi.

If she had known, she wouldn't have gone.

"Yesterday you were all excited, and this morning you left the house in high spirits." So, it wasn't us who asked you to go; you went on your own.

After hearing the underlying meaning in Li Linxi's words, Jiang Manzhu's expression soured.

She shot him another glare, feeling frustrated. Her damp hair framed her delicate face, and her watery eyes glared at him, making Li Linxi fall silent.

No matter how much Jiang Manzhu nagged him, "Aren't I just curious? Really, who knew it would take so long?"

"Now that the holiday is half gone, I'm both tired and hot. When I go back, I still have to cook, make dishes, and pick vegetables from the garden. In this blazing sun, the vegetables are already shriveled."

"Let's make porridge for lunch. I suddenly want to eat salty pickled vegetables. Next time, let's dry some radishes. I think they would go well with porridge."

"Mm." No matter what Jiang Manzhu said, Li Linxi just responded with that, appearing obedient, which only made Jiang Manzhu more annoyed.

Is he deliberately brushing me off?

Xiao Bei watched as his brother was scolded by his sister-in-law, lowering his head and unable to speak. He suddenly felt that this scene looked somewhat familiar.

But for a moment, Xiao Bei couldn't remember where he had seen it before; it seemed like his mother scolding him… oh, right, just like how mom scolded him.

So it turns out… his sister-in-law wants to be his brother's mother??

Xiao Bei nodded as if he understood, and just then, an old man walked by. The old woman was displeased with the results of today's election and was nagging the old man, especially after realizing he voted differently from her, leading to a verbal assault.

When they returned home, Jiang Manzhu was making porridge while Li Linxi prepared to go to the pantry to get the salty pickled vegetables that his mother had pickled last year.

"Those small taros can be dried too. Not the fragrant ones, just regular taros. When it's time to peel them and dry them, they'll be particularly tasty." Jiang Manzhu thought this year's small taros could be preserved in another way, bringing a new flavor.

"Mm." Li Linxi replied next to her.

"I'll leave this to you, Linxi. I know you're the best." Jiang Manzhu immediately assigned the task. Peeling taros can be very itchy, and she didn't want to deal with that.

Jiang Manzhu loved to eat but disliked doing the work. To emphasize her point, she smiled and gave Li Linxi a big compliment, hoping he would understand her meaning.

Li Linxi glanced at Jiang Manzhu, his gaze filled with unusual depth. He simply responded with a "Mm," looking as calm as a breeze.

"Great! This afternoon, I happen to be free. But you need to be careful; peeling taros can be itchy. Just pound them a bit with a sack near the water, and the skin will come off easily."

"Mm."

For this guy who only kept saying "Mm," Jiang Manzhu didn't want to talk to him anymore. But with only Li Linxi and Xiao Bei at home, and Xiao Bei outside sweeping the floor, she had to casually find a topic to chat about.

However, Jiang Manzhu felt that Li Linxi might have some issues. Why was he starting to…

Show off his figure???

In the evening, Li Linxi changed his shower time and came out without knowing how to cover up, which left Jiang Manzhu a bit surprised.

"Hey, Linxi, there are still people at home. Can you tone it down a bit?" Jiang Manzhu directly spoke to Li Linxi, feeling that even if she was his sister-in-law, he shouldn't treat her like she didn't exist.

Oh… women!

Li Linxi seemed to not understand what Jiang Manzhu meant. He acted carefree and relaxed, looking at her silently with a calm expression.

As if… he had no intention of changing his ways, which made Jiang Manzhu frown and seriously look at him. "Linxi, do you even know what you're doing?"

You're breaking character!! Have you been possessed?? I'm shocked!!!

When did you become so shameless??

"It's hot."

"I forgot to bring clothes."

With those two excuses, Jiang Manzhu couldn't help but think more. "Linxi, behaving like this will make me doubt whether you're trying to seduce me, you know?"

Do you realize how serious this is? When I start ranting, I can make you regret it deeply.

With someone as thick-skinned as Li Linxi, a heavy-handed approach was needed. For example, if she said this, he would surely think she was being pretentious and then ignore her!

At this moment, Jiang Manzhu truly didn't believe that Li Linxi would have any thoughts about her.

Perhaps he was just at an age where he wanted to show off? But he shouldn't be showing off to her!

Who knew, Li Linxi solemnly replied with a "Mm," and for some reason, it carried a hint of unease.

Jiang Manzhu: Huh???? What did you just say???

What did I say? You said "Mm"??

Jiang Manzhu recalled what she had just said, "Linxi, behaving like this will make me doubt whether you're trying to seduce me, you know?"

After half a second of silence, she realized he meant he understood.

"That's good. Although it's just me and Xiao Bei at home, men and women shouldn't be too close. At least, don't be so brazen in front of me." Jiang Manzhu felt a bit embarrassed, not knowing how to give him a biology lesson.

She remembered that in elementary school, every semester, they would organize separate classes for boys and girls to talk about biology.

But after thinking it through, Jiang Manzhu decided not to meddle in Li Linxi's affairs. Even if schools were more reserved nowadays, it didn't mean that boys couldn't learn about such things on their own.

She just wanted Li Linxi to tone it down a bit. Since he knew, that was enough.

Next year, the college entrance examination would resume, and they would go their separate ways. The young man was in the prime of his youth; perhaps he simply didn't pay attention to the home situation and thought she was already asleep.

"I'm saying, I am." Li Linxi's dark eyes fixated on Jiang Manzhu, his tone slow as he observed her expression.

Jiang Manzhu remained silent for two seconds, realizing that this "is" referred to her previous question.

"I'm not forcing you to respond; I just want to share my thoughts with you." He had held back for a long time, initially not understanding why he felt so restless. After realizing it, he had waited even longer.

He knew he shouldn't, but each time he saw Jiang Manzhu turn her gaze toward others, Li Linxi felt both anxious and a bit worried.

Would Jiang Manzhu… leave the Li family?

Leave him, leave the Li family…

"Li Linxi, do you know what you're talking about?" Discovering Li Linxi's thoughts for the first time, Jiang Manzhu was completely shocked. How come there was no warning at all??

When did you start having such thoughts? I had no idea!!

Seeing the shock on her face, Li Linxi's gaze remained unchanged.

He knew that if he didn't say anything, perhaps Jiang Manzhu would never find out.

How could that be? If he didn't tell her, it would mean he would never have a chance to get close to her, watching her leave right in front of him.

Silent protection? That term could never describe him.

If he lost the competition, he might reflect on whether he wasn't good enough, but if he did nothing and still failed, he wouldn't know if he would regret it later. He only knew that he regretted it now.

"I know; I'm responding to your earlier comment about not following the virtue of men and whether I'm trying to seduce you." Li Linxi's expression was serious, and his deep eyes seemed like they could draw her in.

Jiang Manzhu was already shocked but still found it hard to accept this situation. Aren't you the male lead of the no-CP channel? Isn't your love about your career?

You're breaking character!!! Jiang Manzhu couldn't help but scream in her heart, "Linxi, you're just young and don't understand. Being too close to me has made you misunderstand."

Her rejection was interrupted by a calm Li Linxi, who said in a low voice, "I know what I'm doing. Before mom left, she knew, so she told me to take good care of you. I already clearly know what my heart wants."