Chapter 44: Even a Celestial Maiden Descending to Earth Is No More Than This

Clang, clang—the green train rattled through the darkness of the tunnel. The moment it emerged, the compartment was suddenly flooded with light. A face of breathtaking beauty appeared before everyone, and in an instant, the room seemed to glow. Sunlight refracted through the window, landing on the girl's snowy, translucent face, shimmering with an enchanting porcelain-like radiance. Her skin was delicate as silk, her features exquisitely drawn, and her demeanor cool and aloof—like the moon in the sky, lustrous and distant, admired but unattainable.

Though her hair was different, her appearance perfectly matched the image of a heroine. The three young men present were all stunned. Beautiful! She was truly stunning! None of them had ever seen such a lovely young woman among their comrades. Chen Guang’s eyes blazed with intense passion. He was determined to win this girl’s heart! Compared to her, Chu Ling and Zhang Lian were not even a fraction as attractive.

The other two young men clearly felt the same. Each pair of eyes gazed at Lin Xiaodou, transfixed, wishing they could claim her then and there.

Chu Ling’s face was full of conflicted emotions. After her previous attempt to befriend Lin Xiaodou was met with cold indifference, they hadn’t spoken since. These past few days, she’d been irritated beyond measure by Zhang Lian, and Lin Xiaodou hadn’t helped her at all. So when Zhang Lian aimed her hostility at Lin Xiaodou, Chu Ling watched with a mind full of schadenfreude. Like Zhang Lian, she assumed Lin Xiaodou must be ugly to always wear a veil. She never imagined that beneath the veil was a face so stunning it was unforgettable. Had she seen such a beauty in her previous life, she would never have forgotten it. Now she was certain: Lin Xiaodou was a butterfly effect caused by her rebirth.

If the girl had been unattractive, there would be no need to pay her any mind. But fate had chosen otherwise—Lin Xiaodou was beautiful. Chu Ling felt uneasy. She worried that her husband from her past life, Han Guoqiang, might be taken with Lin Xiaodou. In her previous life, she was the prettiest among all the educated youths, and Han Guoqiang fell for her at first sight. Even after all her mischief, he continued to care for her.

Thinking this, Chu Ling cast a shadowed, inscrutable look at Lin Xiaodou. She just hoped her fears were unfounded. If not, she would consider taking action against Lin Xiaodou. No one could steal her man.

Guoqiang could only belong to her!

...

Everyone present had their own thoughts, and the atmosphere was quiet. Just then, an untimely voice broke the silence:

“Oh, Comrade Lin, I’m so sorry. I accidentally tripped and pulled off your veil.”

Zhang Lian had just faked a fall, her back turned to Lin Xiaodou, so she hadn’t seen her face and was still feeling smug. As she got up and turned, she noticed the unusual expressions of the others, thinking perhaps Lin Xiaodou was so ugly she’d startled everyone. She handed the veil to Lin Xiaodou, waving it before her face without any courtesy.

“Here, take it back and put it on, or else people might laugh at you.”

Lin Xiaodou turned and smiled gently at her.

“Well, I really must thank you.”

“You! You! You… you aren’t—” Zhang Lian was so shocked by the stunning face before her that she could barely speak. What was happening? Wasn’t Lin Xiaodou supposed to be hideous? How could she be so beautiful?

“Comrade Zhang Lian, you owe Comrade Lin Xiaodou an apology. How dare you pull off her veil!” Chen Guang’s face was stern and serious. No one could bully his goddess—no one!

“Apologize to Comrade Lin Xiaodou! You were just going to the toilet, walking like a crab and causing trouble!”

“That’s right, if you don’t apologize, you’ll have to return all the cookies and pastries you ate from me these past two days!” The two young men sitting beside Lin Xiaodou spoke up as well. All three glared at Zhang Lian with furious indignation, as if she had committed some unforgivable crime.

“I didn’t mean to, do you really have to be so aggressive?” Zhang Lian’s eyes reddened, her face full of pitiful grievance. She was trying to play the same old trick again. Unfortunately, the men weren’t falling for it this time.

“Enough, stop pretending in front of us. Apologize now!”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lian’s face changed like a palette, looking terribly uncomfortable. She bit her lip and muttered, “I’m sorry.”

Chen Guang frowned. “Too quiet. You have to say it to Comrade Lin Xiaodou’s face!”

Zhang Lian looked at him in disbelief. When Chen Guang was nice to Chu Ling before, she could tolerate it—after all, Chu Ling’s family had money, and Chen Guang got benefits, sometimes even giving her small perks in secret. But what was Lin Xiaodou? Someone he’d just met a few days ago, and he was already preferring her over Zhang Lian?

The more Zhang Lian thought about it, the angrier she became, and her resentment towards Lin Xiaodou deepened. Pressured by the situation, she unwillingly offered her apology.

Because the commotion was quite loud, some curious passengers glanced over. Just one look, and they were all stunned. My goodness! What were they seeing? Over there sat a young woman of peerless beauty! That face! That figure! Even if a goddess descended to earth, she could not surpass this!

Soon, a new scene unfolded. Many young men and women crowded around Lin Xiaodou, eagerly trying to befriend her. A shy young man summoned his courage:

“Comrade, I feel like we’re kindred spirits. Let’s be friends!”

Another lively young man shouted,

“Comrade, look at me, look at me! I’m eighteen and single, my family owns five houses—if you date me, you can live in any one you like!”

The others glared at him:

“A beauty like this shouldn’t be dating anyone—get lost!”

“Yeah, you’re just a toad dreaming of eating swan meat. How ridiculous!”

Then a cheerful girl squeezed forward, grinning,

“Sister, what do you think of me? I’m good-looking too, maybe we could be companions!”

Lin Xiaodou: ...

The compartment was noisy enough to almost attract the train police. To avoid a crowd crush, Lin Xiaodou had no choice but to politely and awkwardly dismiss everyone, always giving the same reason: she was too young and not considering relationships. She would love to make friends, but unfortunately, they weren’t assigned to the same rural area, so fate would not allow it.

She said the same thing to the two young men beside her. Though they were all headed to Guizhou Province, they were assigned to different counties, so naturally, their paths would not cross. The two young men were dispirited for a long while after hearing this.

Only Chen Guang was secretly delighted. In this compartment, only he, Chu Ling, Zhang Lian, and Lin Xiaodou were assigned to the same commune. The other two were women, so there was no competition. His chances were much greater.

When the crowd dispersed, Lin Xiaodou breathed a sigh of relief. Being too beautiful was a kind of trouble. Luckily, she possessed exceptional martial skills, or else she really would have worried about being targeted.