CHAPTER 100: CHAPTER 99: BORN TO BE A PERFECT MATCH

Ye Manman was very light, but in winter she wore a lot of clothes, and her jacket was very slippery. He Chen was afraid she might fall off, so he had to hold her with both hands.

He didn’t understand what it meant to preserve integrity, but since it was a reward, he wanted to accept it wholeheartedly.

So He Chen simply turned around with Ye Manman in his arms, letting her back lean against the tree trunk, while he bent one leg to act as a stool for her to sit on, freeing one hand to reach behind her head.

His palm was warm and broad, exerting a slight force, and the kiss, representing the reward, gradually deepened...

The further Gao Huifang walked down the mountain, the more uncomfortable she felt. Just the thought of having to compromise and give up such an excellent man like He Chen made her heart ache terribly.

Finally, she couldn’t help but look back, burying her head and heading up the mountain again.

She wanted to confirm once more.

If she was willing to lower herself and be his woman outside, even without a title, without him being devoted to her alone, as long as she could be with him...

Gao Huifang had prepared herself mentally multiple times, thinking of ways to persuade He Chen to accept her.

But when she returned to the mountain, the scene before her completely shattered her hopes.

He Chen was holding Ye Manman as if she was a rare treasure, with eyes burning with intense fire, seemingly wishing to devour the person before him, yet his actions were careful and devout—something she never dared to imagine.

They were kissing under the tree.

The tall, handsome man and the fair, delicate woman made the entire mountain scenery their backdrop, the scene was so romantic as if she had stumbled into a world in a painting.

They seemed like a perfect match made in heaven, unbreakable by anyone.

Witnessing this, the sliver of hope in Gao Huifang’s heart ceased to exist, completely extinguished.

She covered her mouth, sobbing silently, and ran back down the mountain in panic. On the way back to the house for young intellectuals, she accidentally stepped on a fallen branch and fell heavily.

"Wuwuwu..."

Gao Huifang could no longer hold it in, sitting on the ground, wiping her tears incessantly.

But no matter how much she wiped, the tears wouldn’t stop, only growing more abundant.

Gao Huifang hated, she really hated why she didn’t pursue He Chen before he got married.

If only she hadn’t listened to the village gossip back then, if she trusted He Chen and worked hard together with him, would things have turned out differently?

She utterly despised her proud past self.

But she also loathed her current self, dirty and disgraceful.

She had been bullied by two men, and even though no one ever knew about the second man, Gao Huifang could no longer hold her head high in front of anyone.

She couldn’t help but look at all the men in the village with suspicion, suspecting that any one of them might be the person who secretly followed and bullied her.

But to this day, Gao Huifang still hadn’t found that person.

Whenever she thought that person wouldn’t target her again, she’d end up experiencing another nightmare.

"Mr. Gao, are you okay?"

A clean cloth suddenly appeared in front of her.

Tearing eyes met the person handing the cloth, the only male intellectual who had always been kind to her, and she could no longer hold back, leaning forward to hug his shoulders and crying out loud.

"Wuwuwu..."

"Cheng...let’s get married..."

"...I agree with you!"

Gao Huifang clung tightly to this man who was there providing her warmth at a time like this. He Chen had become an unattainable luxury in her heart, and the man before her was her only retreat.

She felt so tired and truly didn’t want to go through those past nightmares again. Gao Huifang desperately wanted a man who could protect her.

Song Kangcheng embraced her trembling body softly, with a constant smile in his eyes, gently patting her back as he responded.

"Okay."

"I’ve waited for your words for a long time, Fangfang."

"Shall we go to the town to register next spring?"

Gao Huifang raised her head, her face covered in dirt, but Song Kangcheng acted as if he didn’t see it, lowering his head to kiss her deeply.

Gao Huifang no longer pretended to be reserved in front of him, kneeling on the ground and hugging him tightly, murmuring an unclear "um."

"...Okay."

After the kiss, Song Kangcheng helped Gao Huifang up from the ground, using the cloth to wipe her face. His gaze was as gentle as water.

"Look at you, crying and looking like a little raccoon."

"Come on, let’s go back."

Over the past month, Gao Huifang had felt Song Kangcheng’s gentle care, but she always harbored a glimmer of hope that He Chen would accept her, so she never accepted Song Kangcheng.

Now, however, she actually felt a little attracted to Song Kangcheng.

He was too gentle, treating her so well, not caring at all about what she had been through, instead carefully protecting her dignity, respecting her as he always had.

Feeling her pounding heart, Gao Huifang blushed slightly, proactively holding Song Kangcheng’s hand, softly murmuring "um."

Song Kangcheng laughed again, as gentle as always, and even helped her comb her slightly messy hair with his fingers, making Gao Huifang’s face red and heart racing even more...

As the two walked hand-in-hand back to the house for young intellectuals, the other young intellectuals initially looked shocked, then two male intellectuals lightly patted Song Kangcheng on the shoulder.

"Yo, finally seeing the moon after the clouds disperse? This a match, is it?"

"Not easy, not easy, really not easy! You’re something, managed to pick the most beautiful flower of our house for young intellectuals."

"Congratulations, congratulations! When are you getting the marriage certificate?"

Amidst a flood of congratulations, Gao Huifang’s face grew redder. She suddenly thought this might not be so bad, as everyone seemed to have tacitly forgotten her past experiences.

Unfortunately, her once close "good sister" Yang Donglian wasn’t in the house for young intellectuals, or she could have made Yang Donglian envious.

Gao Huifang was determined, no matter the dirty things she went through, she could still marry better and live a better life than Yang Donglian!

You see, here’s a man loving her unconditionally, holding no grudge against her.

Yang Donglian indeed wasn’t in the house for young intellectuals at this moment, nor did she care much about how well Gao Huifang was marrying; she was now crouching at a spot even farther away from He Chen, spying.

Back then, Gao Huifang wasn’t the only one who liked He Chen, but Gao Huifang was better in every way and later even took the initiative to talk to He Chen. Yang Donglian, feeling inferior, gritted her teeth and gave up.

But ever since Gao Huifang was bullied and fell from grace, Yang Donglian’s heart started yearning again.

She’s not as proud or foolish as Gao Huifang; knowing He Chen was back, Yang Donglian knew Gao Huifang would certainly seek him out again, so she had been following Gao Huifang.

Now, with Gao Huifang having no chance at all, Yang Donglian realized her opportunity was finally here.