Chapter 19: Beyond Explanation

“How did you find out?”

Thinking of the consequences once the matter was exposed, Du Haijun felt a surge of anxiety, and for once, his usual nonchalant demeanor disappeared.

Wei An couldn’t quite put into words what she was feeling at that moment.

Was it sympathy?

Yes, there was some.

After all, the love between Du Haijun and Xie Shiran was truly enviable, but alongside her sympathy, Wei An couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sorrow, or perhaps pity.

“It doesn’t matter how I found out. What matters is that you either cut off all contact immediately or,”

Wei An paused and looked seriously at Du Haijun, whose expression had suddenly changed,

“Find a way to go somewhere no one knows about your past.”

For Du Haijun to sever ties with Xie Shiran was simply impossible.

Wei An knew that even if their relationship was exposed, Du Haijun would still fiercely protect Xie Shiran.

So, the only choice was for him to take Xie Shiran away from the provincial city.

As for where to go outside the city, Wei An trusted that with Du Haijun’s intelligence, she didn’t need to remind him.

Du Haijun relaxed his stiff back slightly, leaning again against the doorframe as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Wei An cleared her throat. His hand paused, and he forced a wry smile.

“Who else knows?”

There was no way she would tell him.

Again, she couldn’t explain how she came to know.

She shook her head awkwardly.

“I accidentally learned this secret, and I promised not to reveal how I found out.”

After a moment’s thought, she added,

“But from what she said, the person who knows where Xie’s sister is hiding is someone she dare not offend.”

Du Haijun’s face changed again, this time turning pale.

If he had any lingering doubts about Wei An’s words before, those doubts vanished completely after hearing this.

He began to worry about Xie Shiran’s safety and impulsively wanted to go confirm if she was alright right then.

Fortunately, his reason prevailed.

He tucked the cigarette pack back into his pocket, and gratitude softened his tone as he spoke to Wei An.

“I know what to do now. Thank you for the warning.”

---

Wei An snorted coldly in reply.

“Make sure to cover your tracks well. Don’t drag your family into this!”

Thinking of the fate of Su Yuping and her husband, she had little faith in Du Haijun, the expendable male lead.

Sure, she was someone who had transmigrated into this story, but she didn’t believe she carried some kind of invincible aura, nor did she think that simply having a godlike perspective would let her dominate this realistic world.

She certainly wouldn’t consider herself smarter than Du Haijun, who had survived six or seven years in the black market without a single slip-up.

“Second Brother Du, while protecting your beloved, please also think about your parents, your brother and sister-in-law. They are just as dear to you in this world.”

She didn’t care much about the Du family themselves; her concern was for Su Yuping, and by changing Su Yuping’s fate, she hoped to strengthen her own chances of altering her destiny.

Du Haijun lowered his eyes, briefly studying Wei An with curiosity before nodding solemnly.

“Don’t worry.”

...

After learning about Ye Aihua from Xiao Wenguang, Qu Xiurong and her husband told Wei An everything.

“Your Uncle Xiao said that right before those two were caught, the Ye family girl was begging to have your name put on the list.”

Qu Xiurong shook her head with a grim expression.

The Su and Ye families had been close for decades. Though they were not related by marriage, their proximity had fostered a strong bond.

So Wei An’s closeness with that Ye family girl was never questioned, even though everyone knew the girl had her schemes.

No one anticipated just how malicious those intentions were.

“How could she do this to me?”

Wei An seemed deeply wounded, tears streaming down her face.

“She liked Xie Hongfei and could have just told me. I don’t like him, so why would I compete with her...?”

She collapsed into Qu Xiurong’s embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.

Qu Xiurong sighed, gently patting her back.

“We never expected her to be so bold.”

They had heard rumors about Ye Aihua before, but since she had grown up under their watch, no matter how bad she was thought to be, how bad could she really be?

They never imagined she would be jealous of Wei An to such an extent.

They blamed themselves for not warning Wei An sooner about Ye Aihua’s true nature.

“I won’t ever speak to her again!”

Good. The pretense of best friends could finally be discarded without guilt.

---

Wiping away her tears, Wei An’s expression was resolute yet tinged with lingering fear.

“Thankfully, I didn’t listen to her urging to sign up for rural service a few days ago.”

Su Yuping, who had been listening the whole time, chimed in.

“Exactly! Those days, my parents and I were terrified, afraid you’d recklessly quit your job to volunteer.”

To prevent that, she had even reminded Qu Xiurong to hide the household registration book and spoke with Deputy Director Guo of the neighborhood committee and Li Kunshan of the machinery factory.

If Wei An came asking them for a referral letter, they were to stop her at all costs.

“Finally, you’re thinking straight.”

As Qu Xiurong wiped Wei An’s face with a handkerchief, she couldn’t resist poking her forehead lightly.

“I’m almost twenty now.”

Wei An pouted, displeased at being called thoughtless.

Qu Xiurong laughed.

“Yes, yes, you’re twenty now—a grown young lady.”

She looked at Wei An with a mix of sentiment and reflection, thinking of all the things Wei An had done and said recently.

In the blink of an eye, Wei An had grown from a small, thin child into a young woman.

She gestured to a tiny length.

“You were born two weeks early, so small I feared you wouldn’t survive. Now you’ve truly grown up. If nothing unexpected happens, by the end of the year you’ll marry that Kuang boy.”

At the mention of marriage, her smile turned cautious, as if worried Wei An might reject the idea.

Blinking, Wei An leaned close with intimacy.

“Do I have to marry him?”

She had started working at the machinery factory half a month before graduation.

Meaning, since she already had a job, there was no need to worry about being forced into rural service.

Besides, she had older siblings who had already gone to the countryside.

She truly didn’t understand why Qu Xiurong and her husband insisted on arranging a betrothal—some supposed double insurance.

“There’s something we haven’t told you,”

Qu Xiurong glanced at Su Jinhe, and seeing him nod, she continued.

“More than twenty years ago, your father and your Uncle Kuang went to war together.”