Don’t Push Your Luck.
“What?” Commander Li looked at Lu Zetian in disbelief, thinking he must have misheard. “You suspect your fiancée is a spy?”
Lu Zetian quickly explained, “I’m just saying the person in the records and the person I met don’t seem to be the same. Could you please check again?”
Commander Li, holding his tea mug, asked, “What seems off? Does she look different or something?”
Lu Zetian replied, “She looks exactly the same, but her personality is completely different.”
The Qin Shi in the records was described as timid and honest, even somewhat cowardly. However, the Qin Shi he had met… Lu Zetian thought about her bright smile and bold agreement, making it hard not to suspect they were two different people.
Commander Li put down his tea mug, picked up the records, and read them again. Although he found Lu Zetian’s suspicion quite far-fetched, he agreed to investigate further due to his cautious nature.
“Alright, I’ll have someone look into it more thoroughly. You can go now.”
“Yes, Commander!” Lu Zetian saluted him and left the office.
Commander Li looked at the marriage report and the records again. Seeing that Qin Shi’s grades had always been excellent, he shook his head, “It’s a pity this girl didn’t go to university.”
He then put away the unsigned marriage report. “This kid got lucky.”
Qin Shi, who was about to be re-investigated, had no idea about these developments. Even if she had known, she wouldn’t have been worried.
She hadn’t lied about anything. The original owner of her body had indeed self-taught English exceptionally well and was particularly sensitive to languages.
The original owner also had a beautiful singing voice and had been pulled on stage to perform in high school, becoming quite well-known at the school.
However, she was always alone and didn’t socialize much outside her dormitory mates. Her mind was always focused on studying, and many people thought she was aloof and unapproachable.
In reality, the original owner had some social anxiety, making her nervous when talking to strangers, so she often kept a serious face and stayed silent, giving off an impression of being hard to approach.
Qin Shi had told Lu Zetian the truth. The only difference was the personality change, which could be explained as a result of trauma. After all, the original owner had always been smart.
So, even after Commander Li had people re-investigate, they found no issues with Qin Shi.
One day…
Commander Li called Lu Zetian in and told him there were no issues. “The family has a solid three-generation background, and the girl herself is outstanding. C University is a prestigious school, and its English department is renowned. She is indeed exceptional.”
“Anyone would change after going through such significant events. Don’t overthink it. Just bring her over and settle down. The kids at home need a mother.”
Lu Zetian took the report and read it again. Though he still felt a bit odd about the situation, he didn’t say anything further. If the military couldn’t find anything wrong, then it should be fine.
“Yes, sir,” Lu Zetian replied, taking the marriage report. “Thank you, Commander.”
Commander Li smiled, “Make sure to bring your wife over for dinner sometime. Your aunt keeps asking about it.”
Lu Zetian smiled as well. “Will do.”
“By the way, the report on the elementary school English class request has come through. They’re looking for an English teacher. Your wife is talented and young; it would be a waste not to utilize her skills. She can teach third grade and help cultivate the children’s interest in English,” Commander Li instructed.
“Thank you for the opportunity, Commander. I’ll discuss it with her,” Lu Zetian responded.
“Good, off you go then,” Commander Li waved him off.
After carefully folding the marriage report and putting it in his pocket, Lu Zetian left the office and walked quickly out of the building. Due to the extra check on Qin Shi’s background, several days had been delayed, and more than half of the agreed ten days had passed. He needed to hurry back.
…
“Ring ring ring~”
The loudspeaker at the school blared its jarring and noisy sound. Soon, a group of children with worn cloth bags rushed out of the classroom, running out of the school like wild horses freed from their reins.
Qin Shi walked out of the classroom with her textbooks, watching the children run away. She thought, no matter which world, children are always the most enthusiastic when it comes to recess and dismissal.
The village school consisted of a few bungalows, barely accommodating over a hundred students. The teacher’s office was a single room, extremely shabby. Yet, it was the only elementary school for miles around, and many children had to walk from neighbouring towns and villages early in the morning, enduring great hardship.
As Qin Shi went to the office to drop off her lesson plans, the only male teacher there pushed his thick glasses up his nose and said, “Teacher Qin, Lu Cai asked me to tell you he’s waiting for you under the big peach tree in the village.”
Qin Shi frowned, “Didn’t I tell you not to inform me about him anymore? I don’t want to know about his business.”
The male teacher forced a smile. Lu Cai had come with gifts, asking for his help; how could he refuse? But seeing Qin Shi’s displeasure, he added, “Well, I’ve delivered the message. It’s up to you whether to go or not.”
Qin Shi, guessing what was going on, put down her lesson plans and walked out, not bothering to respond.
The other two female teachers in the office exchanged glances, their faces showing disdain and contempt.
The younger female teacher spoke, her tone dripping with sarcasm, “Oh wow, why doesn’t anyone ask me out every day?”
The other laughed, “You’re not as pretty as her. No one wants you.”
They all knew that Lu Cai, who was about to move to the county, fancied Qin Shi. He often came to the school to see her, always bringing flowers or treats, which made them incredibly jealous.
But Qin Shi wasn’t interested in him, and they often took jabs at her out of envy.
Qin Shi usually ignored them, but today, she was irritable due to her period and the upcoming ten-day agreement with Lu Zetian. With just one day left, her mood was particularly foul.
“I wonder what he brought this time. Let’s go see.”
“So envious.”
Hearing their duet of snide remarks, Qin Shi couldn’t stand it any longer. She looked up, smiled at them, and said, “What’s there to be envious about? Envy won’t change anything.”
“What others don’t like is what you dream of. Truly pathetic.”
“You!” They were taken aback, not expecting Qin Shi, who usually ignored them, to respond so harshly.
“Yeah, ‘you’—no wonder you can’t get into college or move back to the city. You spend your days being envious and jealous instead of focusing on yourself. No wonder you haven’t achieved anything.” Qin Shi smiled gently, but her words were biting.
“If you have so much free time, go read a few more books and study harder.”
With that, Qin Shi turned and left, ignoring the shrieks from the office behind her.
Not intending to meet Lu Cai, Qin Shi deliberately took a detour home. But as she approached her house, she saw Lu Cai loitering at the gate, lazily kicking stones on the ground.
“Tch!”
Seeing Qin Shi return, Lu Cai plastered on a smile and walked up to her. “I knew you wouldn’t go, so I waited at your house. Haha.”
Looking at Lu Cai, who was showing off his supposed cleverness, Qin Shi felt her irritation reaching its limit. She didn’t even glance at him and walked straight ahead.
She had only taken two steps when Lu Cai reached out to stop her.
Seeing Qin Shi ignore him, Lu Cai felt anger rising. How could she not be interested in someone as excellent and wealthy as him?
“Qin Shi, don’t go too far. Enough is enough,” Lu Cai warned, glaring at her. “I’m pursuing you to give you face. Don’t be ungrateful.”
Qin Shi looked at him coldly. “Don’t you understand plain language? I said I won’t marry you. Can’t you understand that?”
He was driving her mad every single day!
Lu Cai laughed angrily and reached out to grab her, but she quickly dodged.
“Your family has already agreed to marry you off to me. The bride price has been accepted,” Lu Cai said with a mocking smile. “It was your doing. Your grandma returned the university slot money, so she promised you to me.”
Qin Shi frowned slightly. “How do you know about this?”
Lu Cai laughed heartily. “To tell you the truth, the one who bought your university slot is my cousin. Her family has kept it under wraps, so no one knows. I had your grandma return the money, and she happily promised you to me.”
“We’re getting married in a few days.”
Hearing this, Qin Shi’s expression grew colder. “I will never marry you.”
Seeing her stubbornness, Lu Cai’s smile vanished. “It’s not up to you. Go home and prepare to be a bride. I’ll come to marry you in a few days.”
Qin Shi was speechless. She had never seen anyone so arrogant. Did he think he was some domineering CEO, trying to force a marriage?
Moreover, knowing she disliked him, even hated him, yet still insisting on marrying her—what kind of twisted logic was that?
“You marry me and bring me home, are you even brave enough to sleep?” she asked.
Lu Cai didn’t understand her question. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Qin Shi smiled at him. “Have you heard about the madwoman from the neighbouring village, Zhang?”
Zhang wasn’t actually mad. She was once very beautiful, but because of her beauty, she caught the eye of a landlord who forcibly married her. On their wedding night, she almost stabbed him to death with scissors and was imprisoned for it. People couldn’t understand why she would refuse such fortune and resort to murder, so they called her mad.
Lu Cai knew the story well. Hearing this, his face darkened, and he looked at Qin Shi with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “You’re planning to stab me in my sleep? You know, even if you’re a college graduate, murder is still a crime.”
Qin Shi’s smile widened, her eyes cold. “If you force me into a corner, who knows what I might do? Some things are worse than death, Lu Cai.”
She took a step closer, her voice low and menacing, “Think carefully. Do you really want to marry someone who hates you so much they’d rather die or kill you?”
Lu Cai’s bravado faltered for a moment as he took in her words. He had never seen such determination and fearlessness in her eyes before.
Qin Shi kept her smile, “Prison’s not so bad, they provide food and shelter.”
Lu Cai glared at Qin Shi, their eyes locked in a dangerous stare, with sparks seemingly flying between them. Suddenly, Lu Cai reached out to grab Qin Shi, trying to kiss her.
Anticipating this, Qin Shi swung her bag filled with books, hitting him hard. “You must be insane! Do you think kissing me will make me marry you?”
She continued to hit him with the heavy bag, cursing, “Idiot!”
The weight of the books made each hit painful, and Lu Cai, now enraged, tried to grab Qin Shi while dodging her blows.
Qin Shi shouted towards the house, “Are you just going to watch me get bullied? Help me!”
She knew Grandma Qin was inside. Every time Lu Cai came around, Grandma Qin would secretly watch, so there was no way she wasn’t watching now. Either she was intentionally not intervening, or she had the same idea as Lu Cai.
Despite her best efforts, Qin Shi’s strength was no match for Lu Cai. Before she could reach the courtyard, he caught her arm. Just as she was about to bite him, a rock suddenly flew and struck his elbow hard.
“Ow!” Lu Cai yelled, releasing Qin Shi.
Qin Shi seized the moment to back away. Seeing who had helped her, she immediately shouted, “Help me teach him a lesson! He’s harassing me!”
“Who the hell dares to touch me? Do you know who I…” Lu Cai’s words were cut off as a swift kick landed in his stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Lu Zetian stood there, his face stern and his eyes cold as he glared at the incapacitated Lu Cai. “Who are you?”
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