Chapter 355: Chapter 132: Take Responsibility

But the women didn’t make a big fuss about it. The girl was genuinely frail, and besides, they had checked and found no birthmark on her chest. With their mission accomplished, they had no reason to give a good comrade any more trouble.

Of course, some couldn’t resist taking a closer look. Her skin was fair and smooth. Perhaps it was the heat, or maybe her fright, but a fine sheen of sweat covered her chest, making it all the more alluring.

The women felt a bit ashamed for looking. They averted their gaze after a single glance and gave a slight shake of their heads to their companions waiting outside.

The group escorted Chi Yun’er all the way to the bathhouse entrance. If she hadn’t firmly refused, they might have even picked a representative to personally walk her home.

Leaving the bathhouse, Chi Yun’er let out a soft breath. A hint of a smile flashed in her downcast eyes. ’The crisis over the birthmark is finally over!’

She narrowed her eyes. ’Still, I’m sure Jiang Zishi had a hand in fanning the flames of these rumors about me and Jiang Yihua.’

’And then there’s that Huang Yingwei. Could he have been reborn, too? Did he think that since some hoodlum got his hands on me so easily in our last life, he could just swoop in first this time?’

’Or is there someone else pulling his strings?’

"Chi..." Jiang Yihua came running, out of breath. His deep eyes anxiously swept over her from head to toe before he asked through gritted teeth,

"Did Lin Xiulan give you trouble?"

Chi Yun’er, looking listless, didn’t answer. She simply walked around him and continued forward with her head down.

Jiang Yihua’s heart clenched. He tightened his fists and hurried to catch up. "Chi, did... did they bully you? Are you hurt anywhere? Tell me, Brother Hua will get even for you!"

But Chi Yun’er still didn’t say a word. She just pressed her lips together and walked even faster.

Jiang Yihua was filled with regret. ’I thought if I kept her close, under my watch, she wouldn’t have to suffer like this.’

’I never imagined she’d be suffering *because* of me!’

The two of them crossed the square and passed through the large dormitory area, one behind the other.

Carrying her washbasin, Chi Yun’er unlocked her door and went inside. She had just turned to shut it when the man squeezed his way in.

She glared at him, but he just gave her a foolish-looking smile.

Chi Yun’er couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. She put down the basin and poked him in the chest, exasperated. "Mr. Jiang, what are you doing following me into my room?"

"We’re a man and a woman all alone in here. Are you trying to give people the wrong idea?"

"You’re a man, so this won’t affect you at all. At worst, it’s just another story for you to brag about. Who’s going to blame you?"

"But me? I’m the ’bad woman’ who looks like a little seductress. Everywhere I go, I’m accused of luring..."

Before she could finish, Jiang Yihua silenced her.

Work on the farm was demanding. Even when most people clocked out to rest, about ten percent of the workers remained on duty.

Jiang Yihua had been delayed all morning, so he’d only just left work after his replacement arrived. Before he could even get back to his dorm to wash up, someone had run to him with the news.

The moment he heard Lin Xiulan was causing trouble for Chi Yun’er, he couldn’t wait another second and came looking for her directly.

’I’m covered in dust, and my hands are dirty. I can’t just cover her mouth with my hand, can I?’

And just now, that lovely pink mouth of hers had been chattering away, saying things that were both heartbreaking and infuriating. His mind went blank, and he used his own mouth to stop hers.

Pressed tightly together, they stared at each other dumbly, their eyes nearly crossed.

Jiang Yihua never considered himself mentally ill, but the moment he touched a woman, his body would have an involuntary rejection. Red bumps would spread rapidly, covering his entire body in an instant.

But he was a real man. The woman he loved was in his arms, acting spoiled and cross with him. The soft, sweet feeling on his lips at this very moment... For the past two days, he’d been buzzing around aimlessly like a fly, but now he’d finally found his direction. All his joy, contentment, and delight had found an outlet.

He didn’t hesitate any longer. He pulled her tightly into his embrace. ’To hell with my gynophobia. To hell with her being my brother’s childhood sweetheart.’

All he knew was his bone-deep desire for her. Every fiber of his being was screaming for her.

Jiang Yihua deepened the kiss. He was willing to endure the unbearable itching and pain of the allergic rash breaking out all over his body, even risking suffocation, just to show her how uncontrollably he was drawn to her—how his desire for her could overcome any obstacle.

Chi Yun’er’s body went limp, and she clung to him. The feeling of having searched a lifetime and finally found her home overwhelmed her, turning into hot tears that streamed down her face.

Jiang Yihua shuddered and, gritting his teeth, released her. His eyes were red, filled with angry self-loathing for taking advantage of her. "Yun’er, I’m sorry, I..."

’I was so worried someone else would hurt her, but in the end, I’m the one who’s hurt her the most.’

’I can’t even give her a normal marriage, yet I took advantage of her!’

Chi Yun’er didn’t care what he was thinking. She threw herself back into his arms, wrapping them tightly around him as huge teardrops welled up, scalding his skin.

"Brother Hua, do you regret it? Are you going to just wipe your mouth and walk away?"

"Well, I don’t care! You kissed me and you held me, so you have to take responsibility for me!"

"No man has ever done this to me before! Believe it or not, I’ll send a telegram to the Capital City and have Uncle Jiang and my dad come over here and beat you senseless!"

Hesitantly, Jiang Yihua pulled her out of his embrace again. He held her chin and looked at her seriously. "Chi Yun’er, do you know what you’re saying?"

"Marriage is not a joke..."

Chi Yun’er pouted, cutting him off. "How could I not know? Marriage isn’t a joke, but I suppose kissing is? You think it doesn’t count?"

Jiang Yihua stared at her. "You’re a young lady, how can you just talk about..."

Chi Yun’er chuckled and finished his sentence, "How can I talk about kissing so openly? Brother Hua dared to do it, but I’m not allowed to talk about it?"

He sighed in resignation. "Chi, what I did just now was wrong. I apologize. I do want to take responsibility for you, but with my condition..."

Looking into the young woman’s smiling eyes, someone as sharp as Jiang Yihua could easily see that she wasn’t without feelings for him, either.

They were clearly in love with each other, and he had just tasted a bliss he could never have imagined in his life. How could he possibly bring himself to reject her?

He couldn’t bear to see her bright eyes fill with the pain and disappointment of rejection.

But his reluctance now would be the greatest cruelty to her in the future.

Jiang Yihua gently pushed her away. His hand, already covered in red dots, slammed hard against the wall.

Chi Yun’er quickly grabbed his arm, her lips trembling as she asked in a tearful voice,

"Brother Hua, you’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you?"

"Last night, Huang Yingwei lied and said he saw me bathing. He even claimed to know where my birthmark is, in an intimate spot."

"Just now, everyone made me go to the bathhouse to see if the birthmark on my body was the same as the one in the rumors from Bian Family Village."

"I tricked them," Chi Yun’er said, pulling her collar down slightly to reveal her snow-white skin. ’In the modern world, this would be nothing,’ she thought, ’and I’m not revealing anything important anyway.’

But Jiang Yihua turned his head away, his voice hoarse. "Chi, pull up your clothes. We can talk things over slowly."

Chi Yun’er chuckled softly. She wet her finger and rubbed the spot a few times. A crimson, heart-shaped mark appeared, like a plum blossom in full bloom, making that expanse of snow-white skin even more fragrant and bewitching.

"I do have a birthmark. I don’t know where Huang Yingwei heard about it, but he wants to ruin my reputation and then use it as an excuse to ’take responsibility’ for me, becoming a live-in son-in-law with an easy life."

"I couldn’t explain it properly, so I deliberately covered up the birthmark to nip the rumor in the bud."

"But, Brother Hua, do you believe me?"

"Do you think... that I’ve been seen by someone else? That I’m impure now and not good enough for you?"

Jiang Yihua turned his head to look at her, but the skin on her chest was too dazzling. It seemed even whiter than the painted walls of the room, especially with that birthmark on it.

He found himself staring shamelessly. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, and he hastily fumbled to pull the young woman’s clothes back into place.

"What nonsense are you talking about? No matter what, in my heart, you’re a good woman!"

She was the love of his life, the one to whom he would give the world.

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