After finishing the plot, Qiao Ci knew that the person outside was Zhou Ye.
In the plot, Zhou Ye's mother gave birth to him unmarried and died of hemorrhage after giving birth. He was raised by his maternal grandmother. When he was seventeen, his paternal grandmother also passed away.
As expected, he was still a pitiful child.
Later, Zhou Ye joined the army. Due to his agility, he earned many merits. After being recognized by his father, who held a high-ranking position in the army, he became a typical second-generation rich heir in defiance of his father's abandonment of his mother.
Then, he was targeted by Li Wushuang's influential contacts. Lacking cunning, he was quickly framed and sent to prison. He refused to accept it and escaped. During his resistance, he was shot and killed.
Zhou Ye was still outside the door, staring impatiently at the tightly shut door. He hadn't expected that saving someone would lead to trouble. Were all women as annoying as Qiao Ci? Damn annoying.
Just as he thought this, the door opened, and Qiao Ci's delicate and fair face came into view.
The young girl before him had a serious expression, as if she was about to challenge him. However, her words were soft and sweet, "Let's reintroduce ourselves. I am Qiao Ci."
Zhou Ye was somewhat impatient, "I know your name is Qiao Ci. May I leave now?"
Qiao Ci looked meaningfully at the man in front of her, who was full of impatience, finding it quite novel.
"Mhm, thank you." After all, the "cub" had done a good deed, and Qiao Ci still understood basic courtesy.
"No need to thank me. Just leave quickly. I slept outside all night and am exhausted. Can I have my room back?" Zhou Ye glanced at her coldly. Seeing her eyes slightly narrowed, he inexplicably blurted out, "Nothing in life is more important than life itself. If you dare to face death, why can't you live properly?"
Then, feeling that his words were a bit out of character, he added gruffly, "Next time you want to die, go somewhere far away. Bad luck."
Qiao Ci pursed her lips and silently chanted that this was her "cub" and she couldn't hit him, she had to cherish him. She loosened her clenched fists and explained, "I wasn't trying to commit suicide. Someone pushed me."
Zhou Ye was not at all concerned about who pushed her. He pushed the door open and entered the room, then closed the door right in front of Qiao Ci, raising an eyebrow.
Qiao Ci felt that this scene was familiar.
Did it feel like he was retaliating for her closing the door on him earlier?
This dilapidated brick and tile house also had a small courtyard, which seemed a bit of an overkill.
As soon as she walked out of the courtyard gate, several elderly women dressed plainly and wearing patched clothes pointed at her and whispered amongst themselves.
Their expressions and demeanor suggested that Qiao Ci was some kind of woman who had lost her virtue.
Qiao Ci felt no embarrassment at all. She walked up to them generously and stood still, asking curiously, "I can't hear what you're saying? Could you speak louder?"
Her gaze full of curiosity completely disarmed the old women. After a moment of blankness, a plump woman in her fifties actually asked, "You came out of Zhou Ye's yard early this morning. Are you two dating?"
Qiao Ci replied without any reservation, "I do want to date him, but I don't know if he's willing."
The old women, who had been bad-mouthing her, didn't know how to respond when she said this. After all, she was a highly educated urban educated youth, while Zhou Ye was an orphan who had caused the deaths of his mother and grandmother. It seemed like she was the one being wronged.
Their intention to laugh at her misfortune vanished, and they started advising her instead, "You're highly educated, while Zhou Ye is an orphan raised in the wild. Don't make a foolish decision."
"Exactly. A good-looking man is not as good as a capable one. Zhou Ye's temper is also strange, and he doesn't get along with anyone. You must think carefully."
Qiao Ci was a little displeased that her "cub" was being belittled like this, and she said with a serious expression, "I fell into the river, and he saved me. He's a good person."
Qiao Ci didn't say that Li Wushuang pushed her, because no one would believe her, and there was no evidence. In the plot, the original host had said that Li Wushuang pushed her, but everyone disbelieved her and said she was wicked and framed the most beautiful and kind girl in their village, which made them dislike her even more.
So, the hero saving the beauty had captured the young girl's heart. If she wanted to jump into a fire pit, no one could stop her. The few elderly women who had some goodwill but not much couldn't say anything more. They smiled awkwardly and dispersed.
However, the news of the educated youth girl coming out of the wild boy's yard early in the morning spread throughout the village.
The first person to find Qiao Ci was Lu Ming. He had some good feelings towards Qiao Ci and often helped her cut rice and pick corn to make things easier for her.
He had also always thought that Qiao Ci was interested in him. Now that she had come out of Zhou Ye's yard, he found it hard to accept.
The first time he saw Qiao Ci, he felt as if he had been cuckolded and questioned, "Qiao Ci, what's going on between you and Zhou Ye?"
"Does it have anything to do with you?" Qiao Ci glanced at him indifferently.
At this time, Lu Ming was already attracted to Li Wushuang, who had become fairer and more beautiful. He was wavering between Qiao Ci, his white moonlight, and Li Wushuang, the beautiful and bold girl.
"Then why did you accept my kindness before? Didn't you want to date me? I really misjudged you!" Lu Ming said angrily, seeing Qiao Ci's perfunctory attitude.
"Was I very mean to you? Did I feed the snacks and novelties my parents sent me to the dogs? Also, don't you think it's ridiculous for you to say the words 'date each other'? You're always exchanging glances with Li Wushuang, what kind of deep affection are you trying to portray?" Qiao Ci instantly transformed into "Qiao the Sharp-tongued."
"Then you're fooling around with Zhou Ye? Do you know that this is called immodesty?" Lu Ming was a typical chauvinist. He could do something wrong, but others couldn't.
"Fooling around? Are you referring to you and Li Wushuang kissing in the cornfield the night before last?" As more people gathered around, Qiao Ci began to spill the beans.
Li Wushuang was annoyed that Qiao Ci had survived, but she wasn't afraid of her exposing her. When she heard that Lu Ming was going to find Qiao Ci, she immediately couldn't sit still and followed to watch the fun.
Seeing that Qiao Ci had actually revealed her private affairs with Lu Ming, she immediately flushed red and stood out, pointing at Qiao Ci with a look of humiliation, "Qiao Ci, how dare you slander me like this? I am a pure girl. Are you forcing me to die?"
Lu Ming's expression became unnatural when he realized that Qiao Ci had seen him kissing Li Wushuang. Looking at the tearful Li Wushuang, he felt very distressed and guilty, thinking he had harmed her by his own actions.
So, he echoed her words, "Qiao Ci, this is between you and me. Don't wrongly accuse others. What happened between Li Wushuang and me is innocent."
"What could possibly be between me and you?" Qiao Ci looked at him with disgust. However, what she said next opened the eyes of the surrounding onlookers, old and young, "Do you think I have no evidence?
You guys were playing quite rough. Not only did Li Wushuang have a row of heart-shaped hickeys on her chest, but you also had two bite marks on your left and right shoulders. If you don't believe me, everyone can compare the bite marks."