“Just take it back and give it to Accountant Mu. I only tagged along with you guys today because it was on the way.” Song Nianchu did not take the money from Wu Gang’s hand.

Usually, he was the one who dealt directly with Mu Deyi.

“Alright, I’ll hand it over to Accountant Mu when I get back.” Wu Gang didn’t insist.

After all, this showed Song Nianchu’s trust in him.

“Okay,” Song Nianchu said, nodding with a smile.

The group returned to Qinghe Fishing Village.

However, as soon as they reached the village entrance, they heard that an incident had occurred in the village, one that nearly cost someone their life.

Song Nianchu ran all the way there. At the educated youth quarters, Meng Yingying was lying weakly on her bed, her head wrapped in bandages.

Aunt Wu and Hua were sitting by her bed, comforting her in low voices.

Song Nianchu took in the scene the moment she walked in, her brows furrowed as she stared at Meng Yingying.

“Chu, you’re back.” Aunt Wu and Hua immediately stood up.

“What happened? She was perfectly fine, how did she end up hurt?” Song Nianchu’s frown deepened.

“It was that Zhou Ziqiang. He tried to take advantage of Yingying. Thank goodness there were still a lot of people up on the mountain who saved her in time. Otherwise, she would have…” Hua couldn’t even bring herself to finish the sentence.

She just felt that Meng Yingying had such a hard lot in life, constantly running into these terrible situations.

Hearing this, Song Nianchu’s eyes darkened, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Meng Yingying.

Meng Yingying noticed her stare and subconsciously averted her eyes.

If she hadn’t looked away, it might have been fine, but her evasion confirmed Song Nianchu’s suspicion that there was more to the story.

“Aunt Wu, Sister Hua, why don’t you two get back to work? I’ll take care of Educated Youth Meng,” Song Nianchu said gently to them.

“Alright, we’ll head back to the workshop then,” Aunt Wu nodded.

As the three team leaders, they couldn’t all be away at the same time.

“Mhm,” Song Nianchu nodded.

After Aunt Wu and Hua left, Song Nianchu closed the door behind them.

Meng Yingying’s heart instantly skipped a beat.

“Yingying, you’re supposed to be at the workshop right now. Why did you suddenly go up the mountain?” Song Nianchu asked, feigning casual curiosity.

“I… it’s because the workshop ran out of firewood… I just wanted to go up the mountain to gather some,” Meng Yingying said, her hands tightly clasped and her voice trembling slightly.

“Yingying, you really are a terrible liar.” Song Nianchu stared intently at her.

Meng Yingying’s breath caught in her throat.

“Wu Gang and his guys have always been in charge of the firewood. Even though they went to the city with me today to deliver goods, you could have just told the village chief. There was absolutely no need for you to go gather firewood on the mountain yourself,” Song Nianchu pointed out.

Meng Yingying’s body grew extremely tense.

“Tell me the truth. What exactly did you go up the mountain for?” Song Nianchu’s voice dropped a notch.

“I…” Meng Yingying was so intimidated by Song Nianchu’s demeanor that she could hardly speak.

“Did you purposely go looking for Zhou Ziqiang? I just taught him a lesson yesterday, and his injuries haven’t even healed yet. There’s no way he’d do anything drastic right now, let alone try to assault you in broad daylight. They can’t possibly be that stupid,” Song Nianchu pressed on.

Seeing that Song Nianchu had already figured everything out, Meng Yingying knew there was no point in hiding it anymore. She finally nodded.

“You’re right. I went looking for Zhou Ziqiang and his group on purpose, and I deliberately lured them into crossing the line with me.”

“Why would you do that?” Song Nianchu frowned.

Meng Yingying looked up, meeting Song Nianchu’s gaze.

“Because they are definitely going to harm the village. I can’t let them stay here any longer.”

“Didn’t I tell you to leave this matter to me? I already have people keeping an eye on them. Right under our noses, they won’t be able to stir up any trouble. Why didn’t you trust me?” Song Nianchu’s brows were knitted into a tight knot.

“Chu, it’s not that I don’t trust you. I just didn’t want you to get hurt,” Meng Yingying said, her tone urgent.

Even though many things had changed since her rebirth, the progression of certain events still aligned perfectly with her past life.

Even though their village had taken in a hundred people in this lifetime, Zhou Ziqiang and his group of five still ended up here.

She was terrified that the five of them would repeat the atrocities they committed in her previous life. She couldn’t bear the thought of Song Nianchu suffering even the slightest bit of harm.

“You didn’t want me to get hurt, so you used yourself as bait?” Song Nianchu stared at her intensely.

“I…” Meng Yingying lowered her head. “I’m already… damaged goods anyway. Even if they really did do something to me… it wouldn’t be a loss. And now they’ve been arrested for hooliganism. I asked the village chief about it—for a group crime like theirs, the charges are extremely severe. Even if they don’t face the firing squad, they probably won’t be let out for the rest of their lives. Now we don’t have to worry about them ever hurting our village again.”

As ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‍Meng Yingying said this, her eyes sparkled with a genuine, heartfelt joy.

“You’re wrong,” Song Nianchu said, her heart clenching at the sight.

“What?” Meng Yingying froze for a moment before frantically trying to explain. “I’m not wrong, I asked the village chief! He said the penalty for hooliganism is very severe…”

“That’s not what I meant,” Song Nianchu interrupted her.

“Then what is it?” Meng Yingying asked, looking confused.

“You said it wouldn’t be a loss to you. That is where you’re wrong,” Song Nianchu stated, enunciating every word.

“Huh?” Meng Yingying was momentarily caught off guard.

“Yingying, I don’t know why you are so firmly convinced that Zhou Ziqiang and his gang will inevitably harm the village. But let me tell you this right now: absolutely nothing is worth risking your own safety over.”

“You called yourself ‘damaged goods.’ What exactly makes you damaged goods? Does being touched by a man make you ruined? If so, why aren’t the men who touch women called ‘rotten wood and withered branches’?” Song Nianchu’s voice rang out with resounding strength, leaving Meng Yingying completely stunned.

“Yingying, our bodies belong to us. You cannot devalue yourself just because some piece of trash laid a hand on you. You are still a whole woman, a living, breathing woman just like the rest of us. If you look down on yourself, how can you expect anyone else to respect you?”

Meng Yingying felt as if something had struck her heavily in the chest, the impact leaving her entirely dazed.

“I…” Meng Yingying couldn’t form a complete sentence for a long time.

“Yingying, I helped you because I saw the determination of someone vulnerable fighting to survive, fighting to break free from her predicament. I wanted you to have a fresh start in life, not to throw yourself right back into the fire just to repay me for saving you.”

“If that is the mindset you’re going to carry, then I’d rather I had never saved you in the first place.” Song Nianchu’s expression was dead serious.

“Chu…” Meng Yingying murmured softly, large tears spilling uncontrollably from her eyes.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep