CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48: HEAVEN REWARDS THE DILIGENT, THE BIG SHOT’S RESPONSE

Xu Qinghuan’s gaze swept over the man, with his steadfast profile, prominent Adam’s apple, and sleeves that looked like they could drift away with the wind at any moment.

Xu Qinghuan felt a bit embarrassed and awkwardly touched her nose. Wasn’t it her who tore this boss’s sleeve?

She remembered that while on the bus, not only did she tear his sleeve, but she also touched his abs, which were well-defined and warm, leaving a lasting impression on her palm even now.

Suddenly, it felt like her palm was burning.

This reflex arc is a bit too long.

But what was destined to come, came.

Her intention was to find an opportunity to light a cigarette for the boss, she really hadn’t meant to take advantage of him, nor to harm him.

Being the boss’s little brother, it seems she wasn’t cut out for that!

Can she now salvage her image in the boss’s eyes, so he doesn’t hold a grudge against her, is it still possible?

As Xu Qinghuan thought about it, she also acted on it.

She grabbed hold of Jiang Xingye’s collar, and he paused, his cold black eyes staring at her like a wintry night sky, deep and unfathomable, with a magic that seemed to want to devour one’s soul.

Xu Qinghuan regretted it a bit but couldn’t back down now. Looking at the boss’s bare shoulder, he was clearly very thin, but his bronzed skin shone with a metallic glow, like steel, exuding strength.

"Um, was it me who ripped your clothes? I, um, I can help you sew it back up," Xu Qinghuan was really quite embarrassed.

She could compensate the boss with a new garment, but chances are, that might make the boss dislike her even more.

"No need!" Jiang Xingye yanked back his collar, lifting his foot to leave without changing his expression.

His long legs alternated not very quickly, yet in the blink of an eye, he was already far away.

Long legs are really great! Xu Qinghuan couldn’t help but mutter to herself.

Xu Qinghuan didn’t plan to find any treasures here since it wouldn’t be easy to transport back. However, the scrap yard was a popular spot for all the time-traveling novel protagonists, so she came due to the reputation.

In the end, Xu Qinghuan spent a dime on a bundle of newspapers.

The wall on the south side of the youth point’s kang didn’t have any newspapers glued on, and it kept shedding dust last night.

Yu Xiaomin didn’t quite understand, "Qinghuan, you’re not planning to stay at the youth point, so why spend money on newspapers? Even if you stick them on the wall, you won’t use them!"

Xu Qinghuan laughed, "Aren’t you staying at the youth point? Even if I move out, don’t you need to sleep on the kang?"

Yu Xiaomin’s eyes welled up with tears, but she said nothing.

Turns out, there are still people in this world who are good to her!

When they returned to the bus stop, Xu Qinghuan spotted Jiang Xingye again. He was now empty-handed, leaning against a big roadside tree, his long legs crossed, slightly lowering his head. Feeling Xu Qinghuan’s gaze, he glanced her way.

His dark eyes were deep and intensely aggressive, making Xu Qinghuan’s heart feel a bit overwhelmed.

She smiled ingratiatingly.

Jiang Xingye ignored her and withdrew his gaze.

The boss seems a bit hard to get close to, Xu Qinghuan was a bit worried. She feared she wouldn’t see the sun rise tomorrow.

Just as she was daydreaming, the bus arrived.

People rushed forward like a swarm, and this time Xu Qinghuan and Yu Xiaomin smartly clung to the bus door without a care. Suddenly, the pressure eased a bit, and she caught a slightly familiar scent of pine, Xu Qinghuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly boarded the bus with Yu Xiaomin.

They managed to secure a seat, Xu Qinghuan saw Jiang Xingye approaching and quickly placed a washbasin on the seat in front, shouting, "Comrade Jiang, come over here, there’s a seat here."

Jiang Xingye lifted his gaze at her, still ignoring her, continuing to walk past her.

Xu Qinghuan inevitably felt a sense of defeat, turning around, the boss was sitting behind her. She felt genuinely stupid and sheepishly picked up the washbasin, holding it in her arms.

The journey back was much more relaxed, all those random smells were also significantly reduced.

The bus rocked back and forth, the windows open, with cool wind blowing in, making Xu Qinghuan drowsy. She forced herself to stay awake, but succumbing to the call of sleep, the bus suddenly jolted, startling Xu Qinghuan awake, her head jerking backward, caught by something, the anticipated pain never came.

She rubbed the back of her head, not daring to look back.

The sleepiness was completely gone.

When they alighted at the commune, Xu Qinghuan couldn’t resist asking Jiang Xingye, "Comrade Jiang, are you driving a tractor back?"

Thinking about walking over ten miles back to the brigade under the blazing sun, Xu Qinghuan figured it would be better to just be killed with a knife.

Jiang Xingye gave her a deep look and turned away.

Yet somehow, Xu Qinghuan found the answer in his expression, feeling relieved and somewhat accomplished at the same time.

The boss finally responded to her.

Indeed, perseverance pays off!

After tirelessly trying to strike up a conversation with the boss, despite being ignored multiple times, he finally gave her a little response.

Although it wasn’t very obvious, it’s a good start.

Isn’t it?

After getting off, Xu Qinghuan pulled Yu Xiaomin along, following closely behind Jiang Xingye. His long legs were indeed not slow, forcing Xu Qinghuan to jog along behind.

At the entrance of the state-owned restaurant, Jiang Xingye suddenly stopped, Xu Qinghuan couldn’t brake in time, crashing into his back, rubbing her aching nose, her eyes brimmed with tears.

Jiang Xingye turned to see her aggrieved, accusatory expression, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Wait here!" With that, Jiang Xingye quickly walked away, if you looked closely, there was a touch of panic, like a hasty retreat.

"Huanhuan, we don’t have much, let’s just walk back!" Yu Xiaomin was genuinely fearful of Jiang Xingye, he looked so fierce.

"No, save some strength, we have work tomorrow," Xu Qinghuan’s eyes lit up seeing a tractor coming from the transport station opposite.

Someone was talking to Jiang Xingye, he stopped his vehicle, the other person handed him a cigarette, which he took and tucked behind his ear, with his eyes slightly lowered as he spoke, revealing a hint of a smile.

His peach blossom eyes seemed to light up with spring, sparkling like a lake, and his cold lips curled slightly, carrying a hint of roguishness. His face, usually expressionless, suddenly became vivid, as if the ice had melted, spring had arrived, blossoms bloomed in a riot of color, capturing one’s gaze.

He glanced over here, said something unknown to the person, then drove the tractor over.

Xu Qinghuan initially wanted to buy some food from the state-owned restaurant to take back, but the timing wasn’t right. Back then, state-owned restaurants were nothing like modern customer-focused hotels.

Neither the chef nor the servers, who held iron rice bowl jobs, had any incentive to work harder or faster, so they definitely wouldn’t provide service at all times.

Xu Qinghuan and Yu Xiaomin climbed onto the vehicle.

After driving two or three miles, they encountered some people from the production team. The other party waved, and Jiang Xingye stopped the vehicle.

It was Liu Cailing who got on, sitting with a round basket, her gaze wantonly scanning Xu Qinghuan and Yu Xiaomin up and down, asking, "You two are the new educated youths? When did you arrive? Are you seeing anyone?"