Accidentally Marking The Vicious Female Lead After Transmigrating Into A Period Novel - Chapter 40

Li Yan was shocked by her words, and her movements stopped.

Feeling the pause, Lin Yishu frowned and turned around. “Why did you stop?”

Li Yan stammered, “Reaching inside… isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Lin Yishu gave her a sidelong glance and said, “What’s inappropriate about it? It’s just a back, not anything else. Or do you have a guilty conscience?”

“I don’t!” Being hit where it hurt, Li Yan reacted violently. Her voice suddenly spiked, nearly waking the others. She quickly looked around to see that no one had reacted, then shrunk her neck and lowered her voice even further. “I don’t. I was just afraid you’d mind.”

Lin Yishu found her “facing a formidable enemy” expression quite amusing, which made her want to tease her even more. She explained slowly, “Then you can relax. I don’t mind.”

Meeting her frank gaze, Li Yan sputtered for a long while but couldn’t find a reasonable excuse. She could only brace herself and say, “Fine, then turn back around.”

Looking at her flickering eyes, Lin Yishu almost couldn’t hold back a laugh.

What a blockhead.

But she is quite cute.

As she turned around, she didn’t forget to remind her, “Don’t press too hard.”

Li Yan pursed her lips and nodded.

She reached out, gently lifting the soft nightgown.

The moment her fingertips touched the jade like skin, she retracted her hand as if burned, instinctively closing her eyes.

Uncontrollably, the scene she had witnessed in the kitchen earlier flashed through her mind.

The snowy white curves, the touch of crimson.

Li Yan pulled her hand back as if struck by lightning and buried her entire face in the quilt. Her voice was muffled and unclear. “I… I forgot to put oil on my hands just now. They’re very rough and might scratch you. Maybe we should just forget it…”

Hearing the muffled voice, Lin Yishu turned around and saw the other person huddled in the blanket like an edible nest swiftlet. She found it hilarious.

Look how scared she is.

Fine, today wasn’t a total loss. I’ll let her off the hook.

“Alright, then let’s forget it. Let’s go to sleep.”

Hearing that she had finally been granted “mercy,” Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief under the covers but was still too embarrassed to come out.

Only when she felt she was about to run out of air and heard the steady breathing of the person outside did she carefully peek out with her forehead and eyes.

At some point, Lin Yishu had turned over to face her with her eyes closed, her breathing long and even.

Such a quiet person while asleep, who would have thought she could be so demanding when awake?

Li Yan stared silently at that face, sighing softly after a moment.

Actually, she couldn’t blame the other party ultimately, it was her own guilty conscience.

The night was deep and damp, but Li Yan had no desire to sleep.

Her eyes became a paintbrush, tracing the picturesque contours of those brows and eyes inch by inch.

It wasn’t until her eyelids felt heavy with fatigue that she unconsciously drifted into a dream.

The next day, Li Yan was awakened by her mother’s exclamation.

“Heavens! Where is the thermos? Why is one missing? Which light fingered thief stole our thermos?!”

Li Yan opened her eyes dizzily. Li Chunmei had already picked up the poker from the stove, intending to rush out in a rage to find the culprit.

When she reached the courtyard and discovered the thermos shards, her footsteps halted. She marched back into the room fuming and yanked the person on the bed up.

“Li Can! Wake up! Did you break the thermos? Huh? You wasteful girl, do you know how expensive a thermos is?!”

Li Can was pulled out of her warm bed, rubbing her eyes in total confusion. She had no idea what was happening. “Huh? What are you talking about, Mom? It wasn’t me…”

From the far side, an arm reached out. “Auntie, it was me…”

Before the other could finish, Li Yan fully woke up. Sitting up while wrapped in her quilt, she confessed. “Mom, it wasn’t A-Can. I broke it. I didn’t see it and accidentally kicked it yesterday.”

Li Chunmei stuffed her younger daughter back into the quilt and pointed at Li Yan, stuttering “You, you, you” for a long time without a result.

Finally, she lamented, “A thermos is so precious! How could you be so careless!”

It wasn’t that Li Chunmei was stingy; nowadays, buying a thermos didn’t just cost money, it required coupons, specifically industrial coupons.

Industrial coupons were rare in the countryside. The family needed them for pots and pans. If it weren’t for the fact that Yan Yan worked at the slaughterhouse and received several industrial coupons a year, their family wouldn’t have been able to save any, they would have been used up like every other family in the village.

Seeing that they now had to lose another one, she was naturally heartbroken.

Li Yan rubbed her nose, not daring to argue since she knew the real reason the thermos broke. She remained silent.

As Li Chunmei walked out, she continued to mutter regretfully, “Sigh, I’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy another one later. No, I must buy one with a bamboo wicker casing, it’s safer with more protection…”

After she left, Li Yan silently started dressing to get up, but a hand suddenly reached out from beside her.

Lin Yishu handed over an industrial coupon, looking somewhat guilty. “Give this to Auntie. Yesterday’s matter… I am half responsible for it.”

It was fine if she didn’t mention it, but the moment she did, Li Yan’s face began to burn like fire.

She almost frantically threw the coupon back. “No need, it has nothing to do with you. It was my own problem.”

The smile on Lin Yishu’s face faded as she asked back, “Yourself? Nothing to do with me?”

Li Yan didn’t realize the gravity of her words and just kept nodding. “Right, right, right. Take it back. It’s just an industrial coupon; I’ll just buy another one.”

Lin Yishu didn’t say anything more and took the coupon back as requested.

When the two of them finished eating and prepared to leave, Li Yan pulled her mother back into the room. “Mom, besides the coupon for the thermos, how many industrial coupons do we have left?”

Li Chunmei knew the family’s assets, both money and various coupons like the back of her hand. She replied immediately, “Only eight left. You’re planning to buy a bicycle, aren’t you? Eight probably isn’t enough, and the main thing is we don’t have a bicycle permit. Do you think you can trade for one at your factory?”

If there were only eight left, that indeed wasn’t enough.

Li Yan thought for a moment and said, “Then give me all the cigarette coupons in the house. I’ll go to the factory and try to trade them.”

Li Chunmei agreed, opened the small box on the kang bed, took out a stack of cigarette coupons, and handed them over.

She also handed over the eight industrial coupons wrapped in red cloth, warning, “Be careful, don’t lose them.”

Li Yan tucked the coupons into her inner pocket and headed out.

Li Yan was thinking about trading the coupons all the way, so she didn’t notice that Lin Yishu’s attitude wasn’t the same as usual.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the factory and were about to part ways that she suddenly realized the other woman seemed a bit cold today.

However, when she looked back at the morning’s events, she felt she might be overthinking it.

Although Lin Yishu spoke less, she answered every question and didn’t ignore her.

She probably just got tired from her first day of work yesterday, Li Yan thought.

So, Li Yan quickly put it out of her mind and hurried to find Auntie Chang, who was in charge of cleaning.

After whispering with Auntie Chang for a while, the older woman gave her a determined look. “Don’t worry, leave it to me. Once I have news, I’ll let you know immediately.”

Li Yan thanked her repeatedly and, after asking a few questions about Auntie Chang’s son-in-law visiting for the New Year, they parted.

Auntie Chang was a cleaner at the factory and moved between several workshops. She knew many people, so she could definitely find out information faster.

This was what they called “giving roses and leaving fragrance on the hands.”

Li Yan thought it would take until the afternoon for news, but to her surprise, Auntie Chang brought good news before the lunch break was even over.

“Xiao Li, you know Chen Liang from the beef workshop, right? He and his buddies love smoking. He said he’s willing to trade with you and can find a way to get a bicycle permit and industrial coupons. But you’ll have to wait two days. Are you in a hurry? If you are, I’ll ask someone else.”

Li Yan thought and said, “Auntie Chang, how about this? Please see if there’s any way to get them faster, but don’t turn this one down yet.”

Auntie Chang assumed she wouldn’t be in a rush and found it strange. “Xiao Li, why the sudden rush to buy a bicycle? Didn’t you say you had no plans for one when I advised you before?”

Li Yan thought to herself: Before, my own two feet were enough to travel anywhere, but now there’s Lin Yishu. I can’t let her suffer with me.

In the last two days, production had resumed in the village, and the Village Head’s family was using their own bicycle, so there was no way to borrow it.

She had already made Lin Yishu walk with her for a whole day yesterday, if they did it for a few more days, she was afraid the other woman would get blisters.

But naturally, she wouldn’t say that.

She just smiled and said, “I don’t know why, but my legs have been a bit sore lately. I really can’t walk much, so I thought I’d just buy a bike.”

Upon hearing this, Auntie Chang immediately became concerned. “Oh, your legs are uncomfortable? Why didn’t you say so earlier! I have some medicinal plasters. They’re very effective for pain. Let me go get them for you…”

Seeing her ready to run off, Li Yan quickly held her back. “No need, Auntie Chang. I have medicine. I won’t trouble you with that. If you could just ask more about the coupons, I’d be eternally grateful.”

Having understood the reason, Auntie Chang was even more hurried than Li Yan. She patted Li Yan’s hand and said, “Don’t be a stranger! Fine, I’ll go ask around. With so many people in this factory, I’m bound to find some for you!”

Then she left like a whirlwind.

During lunch, it was the usual trio.

Chen Aihua walked beside them with her lunch tin. Looking at the two who had almost zero interaction, she leaned toward Li Yan and whispered, “Did you have a fight with the Goddess?”

Li Yan glanced at her, not understanding why she would ask such a thing. She shook her head. “No.”

Then she looked up at the person walking alone in front and thought. Lin Yishu does seem a bit unhappy today.

Could it be a problem at work?

She planned to ask her properly in a moment, but just as her mind wandered, the person in front was suddenly blocked.

Chen Aihua, beside her, sighed. “Tsk, these people are well-informed. Well, everyone in our group was saying this morning that a heavenly beauty had arrived at the broadcasting station. Who wouldn’t want to get a glimpse?”

Li Yan’s fingers almost poked through her lunch tin.

She quickly took a few steps forward to stand beside the person in front.

She happened to hear the person blocking the way ask, “Comrade, may I ask what your name is?”

Before Lin Yishu could answer, Li Yan snapped at the man, “No, you may not.”

The man hadn’t noticed where this person had suddenly popped up from, and he was stunned and a bit angry at the flat refusal. “Comrade, I believe I wasn’t asking you?”

Li Yan pressed her eyebrows together in annoyance. Just as she was about to say something, the man’s companion pulled his sleeve and whispered, “That’s Li Yan. The Li Yan who dislocated Liu Gang’s arm.”

The man immediately lost his spirit. Without saying another word, he swung his arms and walked away.

Watching this from the side, Lin Yishu finally felt a bit better.

As they sat down, she spoke up for the first time. “I’ve been bothered by people like that all morning. It’s so annoying.”

In such a large factory, there were always slackers, and these people were usually the most well-informed. All morning, they had been visiting the broadcasting room to see her under the guise of taking a break.

Li Yan finally understood why her face looked so displeased. If that was the case, it was indeed annoying.

She comforted her, “It’s okay. Just ignore them. With me around, no one will dare to do anything.”

Chen Aihua, who had just sat down, immediately teased, “Exactly. You’re quite famous now. Ever since you hit Liu Gang before the New Year, it’s spread throughout the factory. Didn’t you hear those two? ‘The Li Yan who dislocated Liu Gang’s arm’, see? Hearing that, no one dares to look for trouble. You have quite a reputation…”

Li Yan winked at her frantically, signaling her to stop, but the other woman not only didn’t understand but asked curiously, “What’s wrong with your eye? A twitch?”

Li Yan: “…”

It’s not a twitch; I want to twitch you!

Lin Yishu glanced at the person who dared not meet her eyes and asked with feigned curiosity, “She got into a fight? When was this?”

Chen Aihua’s gossip loving heart immediately swelled. “You didn’t know, Goddess? It was the day we went on break for the New Year. Yes, the 29th. It wasn’t really a ‘fight, more accurately, she just beat him up single-handedly and dislocated his arm. But that Liu Gang deserved it. He’s always been jealous of Li Yan. He couldn’t compare to her but refused to accept it, he caused a lot of trouble before.”

Her voice suddenly became excited. “But guess why Li Yan hit him this time? I only heard from the workers in her workshop later. It was actually over a piece of chocolate! She dislocated a man’s arm over a single piece of chocolate! Tsk, tsk.”

Chen Aihua looked at her best friend with a gossipy face. “Tell me, Li Yan. Confess. Who gave you this chocolate that you treasure it so much. mmpf…”

Chen Aihua couldn’t finish her sentence because her mouth was stuffed with a large, snowy white steamed bun.

Li Yan stood up, reached across the table, and shoved the bun into her mouth. “Eat! Just eat! The bun’s going to get cold! Just eat and stop talking!”

She was so anxious her accent even came out.

Chen Aihua made muffled noises, unable to say a complete word, and could only protest with her eyes.

There’s definitely something fishy!

Before, she was just guessing, but now she was certain, there was definitely something going on!

But because her mouth was open, she had been caught off guard by the large bite. Now it was hard to swallow and hard to chew. She could only grab the nearby teacup and take a huge gulp of water.

Let me swallow this bite first, then I’ll settle the score with Li Yan!

Lin Yishu watched the two of them without saying a word, only the slight curve of her lips betraying her true thoughts.

So it was that day.

That day, she had looked so aggrieved. Even after Lin Yishu had given her another piece of chocolate later, it hadn’t cheered her up. Lin Yishu had thought she had been badly bullied at the factory.

She didn’t expect that she had already paid him back on the spot.

Then why was she so “aggrieved”?

Did she want me to comfort her?

Thinking of this, Lin Yishu couldn’t help but steal a glance at her.

Isn’t she quite good at the “bitter meat” tactic? (Using self-injury/suffering to gain sympathy)

She waited leisurely for the two to finish their fuss, waiting for the person beside her to sit back down.

Opposite them, Chen Aihua took another huge gulp of water. After swallowing everything in her mouth, she was just about to start a thorough interrogation.

Then she heard Lin Yishu say casually, “I gave it to her.”

As if afraid she hadn’t heard clearly, the other woman repeated, “The piece of chocolate you mentioned. I was the one who gave it to her.”

As soon as those words fell, she watched as her best friend sitting opposite her had her ears turn bright red, as if they had been dyed.

Chen Aihua’s mouth dropped open. Wait… let her wrap her head around this. What exactly is going on here?!