Chapter 23: What Do You Take Me For?

"Hey, Li Heng, why aren't you talking to us? Is something wrong?"

Seeing Li Heng sitting there silently, Yang Yingwen raised her voice halfway through their conversation to call out to him.

Hearing this, Xiao Feng turned her head to look at him.

Xiao Han, however, did not move. A White Rabbit creamy candy rolled around in her mouth, taking on various shapes as she amused herself.

Li Heng instinctively glanced at Xiao Han. The latter, like a mouse seeing a cat, paused for a moment before turning her head away without a trace.

She admitted it: she had just mocked him, and she had just received confirmation from his own lips that he had slept with Chen Zijin. How could she face him now with composure and generosity, or pretend that there was no bad blood between them?

Unless she truly didn't care anymore.

Unless she was born a fool, capable of kindly offering her blessings even after the two of them had slept together.

Unless she was so calculating that she could tolerate all of this with false pretense.

But Xiao Han was none of these three, so she could only be dramatic and sullen, using an indifferent attitude—as if she had seen through the vanity of the world—to mask her own heartbreak.

Being ignored like air again was a bit embarrassing, but Li Heng was not surprised. This was not the first time the girl had treated him this way; in his past life, the list of her grievances against him was as numerous as the hairs on an ox.

He said gently to Yang Yingwen, "I'm fine, I just didn't sleep well last night and I'm feeling a bit drowsy now. You two go ahead and chat, don't mind me, I think I'll take a nap."

"Are you really okay?"

"Yes."

Yang Yingwen glanced at her friend Xiao Han from the corner of her eye, seemingly sensing something, but she didn't probe further. In the end, she could only say, "Then get some sleep. I'll call you when we arrive."

"Alright."

He wasn't sure what happened afterward, but Li Heng, who hadn't closed his eyes much the night before, actually fell asleep. When he woke up, he discovered that the bus had stopped on a lonely hillside, far from any village or town.

The bus was empty, and he felt a sudden chill, scared out of his wits.

A moment later, he heard voices from outside the window. He poked his head out to find many people sitting on an open patch of ground, resting and chatting.

Li Heng asked the person closest to him, "Comrade Xiao Feng, what's going on? Why isn't the bus moving?"

Hearing her name called, Xiao Feng, who was not usually one for idle chatter, turned around to answer, "The bus broke down. The driver took a tractor to a nearby town to buy parts."

Li Heng pressed, "When will he be back?"

"How would I know? The driver has been gone for a long time; it should be soon." Seeing him still staring at her, Xiao Feng added, "Are you rested? Do you want to come down and get some fresh air?"

Had it really broken down?

Li Heng was incredibly frustrated. If this had happened in his later years, they would have long since transferred to another bus to get to Shao City.

But this was 1987, shortly after the start of spring. Forget about hailing a bus—not a single one had passed by in half an hour.

Later, they finally saw a bus, but it was coming from Hui County; the direction was completely wrong.

According to the conductor, it was already past two in the afternoon, nearly three. Generally, no more buses would be heading down this way; any vehicles on the road were usually going back.

What did that mean?

The implication was that they just had to wait, no matter how anxious they were.

A few elderly passengers, perhaps impatient from the long wait, started grumbling and complaining, but the conductor used one tactic to silence them.

What did she do?

She said if they didn't want to wait, she could refund their money, and they could find their own way off the mountain.

Good heavens—in such desolate wilderness, with the day drawing to a close, who would dare take that risk?

Li Heng got off the bus and walked straight toward Xiao Han and Xiao Feng, who were sitting on a large rock. He asked curiously, "Why are only you two here? Where are Zhang Zhiyong and the others?"

He was staring at Xiao Han as he asked, but she was hugging her knees and staring blankly at the grass, having no time for him.

Xiao Feng looked at Li Heng, then back at him, thinking they had fallen out. She helped smooth things over, "Yingwen might have eaten something bad. Her stomach has been hurting, so she went to town with the driver. Zhang Zhiyong and Yang Cheng were worried, so they went along too. The two of us stayed behind to watch the luggage."

That was a reasonable division of labor.

In an era rife with lawlessness, two men were more useful and less vulnerable when out and about than women.

Li Heng asked with concern, "Is Yingwen in a lot of pain?"

Xiao Feng glanced at Xiao Han, and seeing that the latter still showed no intention of joining the conversation, she replied, "It came on suddenly. I saw sweat beads on her forehead at the time; it might be quite painful. But Yingwen is sturdy and could still walk. Let's hope for good news."

When she reached this point, Xiao Feng suddenly stood up and said stiffly, "You two talk, I'm going to step away for a bit."

"Where to? Do you want me to go with you?" Li Heng asked.

"No, that would be counterproductive." Xiao Feng’s face flushed slightly as she said this, but she walked away without looking back, very decisively.

Counterproductive? Was she going to the restroom?

That would certainly be awkward.

Thinking this, Li Heng shifted his attention back to Xiao Han beside him. His eyes were bright, and even though she didn't respond, he stubbornly kept his gaze fixed on her profile.

Xiao Han felt a slight wave of dizziness. What was this guy doing?

She had cultivated a state of inner peace with great effort, and here he was—having just slept with Chen Zijin—acting like this? What did he take her for?

Li Heng whispered, "Do you see that little boy to the front left? He's been sneaking looks at you since we got on the bus. Could he be interested in you?"

Xiao Han rolled her eyes at him and said sharply, "Isn't it normal for someone to be interested in me? I'm such a beautiful girl."

That was the spirit. She rarely spoke, but when she did, it was always with such edge.

Li Heng smiled and shifted his gaze to her schoolbag. "Did you bring any pastries? I'm hungry."

Xiao Han refused flatly, "I didn't!"

Li Heng muttered, "I have a sharp nose; I smell cream."

In truth, he smelled nothing. He was just guessing based on his experience from his past life—the girl loved pastries and would always pack a bag in her schoolbag whenever school started.

Xiao Han looked at the tips of the grass and refused again, "Even if I did, I wouldn't give you any!"

Having been rebuffed, the atmosphere grew awkward. Li Heng glanced at the schoolbag, then at her unmoved face, and retracted his gaze. "Fine then, let's talk another time. I'll go look for something to eat."

With that, he stood up and walked away.

Only after his footsteps had faded into the distance did Xiao Han slowly lift her head to look at his departing back.