Chapter 41: Lin Xiaodou Witnesses an Interesting Scene

While Lin Xiaodou was sizing up the heroine, the latter was also observing her in return. Chu Ling, the heroine, had just been reborn. The events of her previous life were still vivid in her memory. She recalled that on the train heading to the countryside, she hadn’t seen this female comrade before. After all, the woman’s appearance was rather peculiar—despite the summer heat, her face was wrapped in gauze, and her eyes kept darting in Chu Ling’s direction.

Unable to hold back, Chu Ling spoke up, “Comrade, do we know each other?”

Lin Xiaodou raised an eyebrow. She guessed that staring at the introduction above the heroine’s head just now must have aroused suspicion. She simply replied, “No, we don’t,” offering no further explanation. After all, she was merely an unremarkable passerby, with no connection to the heroine or those around her.

Chu Ling was taken aback by the straightforwardness. She hadn’t expected such a blunt response.

By now, the train had begun to move slowly. The entire carriage was filled with young intellectuals dispatched to the countryside, so naturally, lively conversations soon broke out. Everyone began introducing themselves, eager to form connections.

“Hello, everyone! My name is Wu Wu, I’m heading to Hunan Province. Pleased to meet you all!”

“Hey, what a coincidence, I’m going to Hunan too. Don’t tell me you’re also headed for our commune…”

On Lin Xiaodou’s side, the honest-looking young man sitting next to her was the first to introduce himself. The man by the window followed up with a few words. After they finished, Lin Xiaodou spoke up, “Lin Xiaodou, seventeen, assigned to Hongshi Commune in Guizhou Province.”

“Oh, what a coincidence! We’re the same age, and I’m going to the same place,” exclaimed the braided girl sitting across the aisle by the window. She had a delicate oval face, her voice gentle and soft, and she looked pure and harmless. Had Lin Xiaodou not overheard her name, she might have been deceived by that facade.

“Hello, Comrade Lin Xiaodou, I’m Zhang Lian. Very pleased to meet you!”

Zhang Lian? Wasn’t that the white lotus “best friend” who deceived the heroine, as described in the introduction? In that case, the man sitting on the other side of the heroine should be Chen Guang, the scoundrel.

Sure enough, in the next moment, a voice rang out, “Hello, everyone. My name is Chen Guang, eighteen, also assigned to Hongshi Commune in Guizhou Province.”

“Chu Ling, eighteen this year. Like Comrade Chen Guang, I’m going to the same place,” Chu Ling announced at just the right moment, sneaking a glance at Lin Xiaodou as she spoke. This person was also assigned to Hongshi Commune, yet Chu Ling had no recollection of her whatsoever. That shouldn’t be—she had spent a full seven years in the countryside. Could her rebirth have triggered a butterfly effect? Chu Ling’s elegant brows furrowed, then slowly relaxed. No matter. This person was insignificant and not worth her attention.

Now that she’d been given a second chance at life, she would trample those treacherous men and women underfoot and make them suffer unbearably! She would also find her husband, shower him and their child with love, and make up for all the regrets of her previous life!

At the thought of her husband’s broad, warm chest, Chu Ling’s heart surged with excitement. Guoqiang, just wait for me—I’ll see you soon!

After the brief introductions, everyone began chatting idly. Zhang Lian, the white lotus, was the most lively of the group. One moment she praised the eyes of the young man across from her, the next she complimented the gentle voice of the honest fellow nearby. The two young men, clearly unaccustomed to female attention, were left flustered, their faces as red as monkey’s rumps.

Throughout, Chu Ling watched Zhang Lian’s performance with an expressionless face, while Chen Guang, the scoundrel, smiled obsequiously as he peeled an orange for her. Though Chu Ling was proud and headstrong, her family was wealthy and influential. Chen Guang’s background was average, so he had worked hard to ingratiate himself with her, hoping to climb the social ladder. Even though he felt no affection for Chu Ling, he played his role well for the sake of her family’s wealth. At this point, the two had yet to fall out, and their relationship appeared cordial.

Because of Chen Guang’s handsome looks, Zhang Lian also fancied him. Watching her heartthrob fawning over another woman made her deeply uncomfortable. She bit her lip, pouting, “Brother Chen, why are you only peeling oranges for Lingling? We’re all old classmates—you can’t play favorites.”

Chen Guang enjoyed her jealous display. “How could I? I’ll peel one for you right now.” He smiled and reached under the seat for another orange. Before he could retrieve it, however, Chu Ling spoke up.

“The oranges are mine.”

At her words, the carriage fell silent.

Zhang Lian’s eyes immediately filled with tears, her voice trembling with grievance. “Lingling, why are you always picking on me? You’ve given me the cold shoulder ever since we boarded. What did I do to offend you?”

Chu Ling shot her a look of disgust. “You know perfectly well what you’ve done.” She could never forget the way Zhang Lian had mocked her in her previous life, right before she died.

“Chu Ling, all you ever had was a good family. What else do you have? Now you have nothing—your husband’s been stolen by me, your family’s abandoned you. What are you so arrogant for? Ha! Fools like you shouldn’t even be alive; might as well die early and stop wasting air!”

The memory sent a stab of pain through Chu Ling’s chest. She had treated her “best friend” with utter sincerity, only to be repaid with a betrayal that cut to the bone. It was her own fault for being blind, but she would not make the same mistake again.

As the tension between the two young women mounted, the young men dared not utter a sound. Just then, the sharp crack of seeds being bitten rang out. Everyone turned to look. The girl with the gauze mask had her hand at her mouth, munching on sunflower seeds. Seeing the attention, Lin Xiaodou held out her palm, offering the seeds with a smile.

“Would anyone like some seeds? They’re delicious.”

She was the quintessential bystander, always eager to watch a spectacle.

Her interruption eased the tension considerably. Chen Guang quickly tried to smooth things over. “It’s such stifling weather, not a breath of wind. It’s easy to get irritable.” He was trying to defend Chu Ling, though she had no interest in his support. Compared to Zhang Lian, the one she despised most was this wretched man.

As for the meager handful of seeds Lin Xiaodou proffered, everyone politely declined. There were too few—no one would feel comfortable taking them.

After finishing her seeds, Lin Xiaodou excused herself and went to the restroom—though in truth, she sneaked off to her own secret stash for a snack. The carriage was like a furnace in the sweltering summer. She ate a whole box of strawberry-flavored ice cream, finally managing to cool herself down.

Upon squeezing her way back through the crowded carriage, Lin Xiaodou was greeted by a rather interesting scene…