Chapter 146 The Obsessive Male Lead of the Era (2/2)

When Zi Xi's tongue gently brushed against his lips, Ji Yanchen shuddered violently, then his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

"Ji Yanchen?!"

Zi Xi hurriedly caught his limp body. This fool, he could faint from a kiss.

She hurriedly dragged him onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and wrapped him tightly in the quilt.

Ji Yanchen's pale face was still streaked with tears, and his lips were an unnatural crimson from the kiss, making him look broken and inviting one to tease him even more.

Zi Xi gently stroked his furrowed brows, gave him a few more light pecks, and then left.

The next day, the whole village witnessed a shocking scene: Ji Yanchen, who was always gloomy, walked across the field with Zi Xi.

He stood ramrod straight, glaring fiercely at everyone who was gossiping.

And in front of Zixi's window, wildflowers covered in dew appeared again, this time in a large bunch, tied with red string.

*

The black market was shrouded in morning mist. Li Xiaorou squatted in a corner behind the cotton mill, her fingertips spitting as she counted the crumpled bills one by one.

"Five hundred and eighty-three yuan and sixty cents."

She squinted and checked it again; this was the profit she and Zhou Mingyuan had made from reselling grain coupons over the past two weeks.

The edges of the banknotes still had the distinctive rusty smell of the black market, and some of the ten-yuan notes even had suspicious red fingerprints on them.

"How about it?"

"I told you, working for me is much better than earning work points in the production team, right?"

Zhou Mingyuan strolled over, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his wool coat deliberately open, revealing a brand-new Dacron shirt underneath.

"Don't pat yourself on the back."

Without even looking up, Li Xiaorou deftly divided the money into two piles.

She pointed to one of the stacks with her fingertip: "If I hadn't remembered that Old Wang from the supply and marketing cooperative liked good wine, your batch of goods would have been confiscated by the municipal management committee long ago."

The banknotes made a rustling sound as they were stuffed into a hidden pocket.

Li Xiaorou's hidden pocket was sewn into the lining of her cotton-padded jacket. It was specially modified to resemble a city person's wallet. She learned it in the village in her previous life, but she never expected to use it here in this life.

"Okay, how about we split it 50/50?"

Zhou Mingyuan suddenly squatted down, and the pungent smell of cigarette smoke mixed with hair oil hit him.

He deliberately emphasized the word "five" and his fingers brushed against her hidden pocket where she kept her money, seemingly unintentionally.

Li Xiaorou suddenly looked up and met his mocking gaze, which clearly said: You don't dare to turn against me.

"June 4th, I'm number six!"

She spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Sure, deal."

"Shall we grab a bite to eat before we go back?"

Zhou Mingyuan squinted, and smoke slowly billowed from his nostrils. After a while, he suddenly grinned.

In the state-run restaurant at dusk, incandescent bulbs cast a dim, yellowish glow on the glass windows.

Zhou Mingyuan slammed two bottles of Xifeng liquor heavily onto the chipped round table; the red labels on the bottles had faded.

"To celebrate the collaboration, my treat."

Li Xiaorou stared at the words "brewed in 1975" on the bottle and suddenly remembered what happened on her wedding night in her previous life.

She gave a cold laugh and took the initiative to unscrew the bottle cap and pour herself a full glass.

Things are different now. In this life, she will never be locked in a cave by that madman again.

After three drinks, Zhou Mingyuan's eyes began to wander.

He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing his collarbone to dissipate the heat.