Chapter 141: It Wants to Change Hosts

Qin Fang felt a jolt in her heart as Su Liang looked at her. Sensing trouble, she immediately signaled the system: "Little Seven, I want to redeem 'Allure'."

"Very well, that will cost one year of your lifespan," the system chirped happily, completing the transaction before Qin Fang could even confirm.

Su Liang blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. The Qin Fang before him was once again the same young girl who had stirred his heart. Even the village doctor nearby couldn't help but rub his eyes, confused by the situation and wondering why he suddenly found this educated youth, Qin, so charming.

Suppressing her heartache, Qin Fang leaned on Su Liang and left the clinic. She had no desire to return to work; she felt that if she had the time to labor in the fields, she might as well use it to ensnare a few more hapless fools. By leveraging her advantage, she could harvest life force and exchange it for points, which was far more efficient than the tedious process of "攻略" (targeting) specific individuals. Besides, the targets were fickle; if their favorability rating dropped into the negatives, not only would she lose all the points she had earned, but she would also face penalties. It was far too disadvantageous for her.

The system, monitoring Qin Fang's thoughts, was left speechless by her desire to abandon the mission targets in favor of directly harvesting life force. If direct harvesting were so easy, why would it bother with a "strategy" mission in the first place? Still, observing its foolish host, the system decided to let her be; it was already planning to switch hosts anyway. The thought of being able to sabotage Qin Fang one last time filled the system with excitement—perhaps it could even inhabit her body and live for a few more decades once she was through.

Not long after Xu Lin reached the fields, Huang Zishu sought her out. Without a word, he insisted that she head back, offering to finish the light work for her. His behavior led the other educated youths to assume he had taken a fancy to Xu Lin, and Han Hong even sidled up to her to ask if she wanted to switch partners. When he heard that Huang Zishu intended to transfer the work points to himself, Han Hong didn't quite understand, but he didn't press for reasons. Thus, Xu Lin worked for a while and then headed home.

This time, Xu Lin did not go to the commune; instead, she brewed medicine in the courtyard. The pungent scent of the herbs wafted far and wide. While the other youths returning from work wrinkled their noses at the smell, Huang Zishu was all smiles. He leaned toward Xu Lin and asked, "Educated Youth Xu, what kind of medicine are you brewing?"

"Oh, just a decoction to regulate my health," Xu Lin replied with a smile, remaining quite cordial to this snooping fellow. Since he was putting so much effort into his act, she certainly wouldn't be the one to expose him.

Huang Zishu offered a few cheerful, concerned remarks before asking, as if by accident, "Are Educated Youth Qin and Educated Youth Su not around? I haven't seen them."

"I have no idea. Didn't they go to work?" Xu Lin feigned ignorance, though it was true she hadn't seen Qin Fang or Su Liang either. She had no clue where those two had gone.

"They didn't go to the fields. The team leader said they asked for leave." Huang Zishu glanced around and asked with a gossipy air, "Did you and Qin Fang really have a physical altercation? Can you even beat her?"

"We haven't fought, but I'm sure I could beat her," Xu Lin said, brushing the dust from her hands and looking at Huang Zishu with a cryptic smile. The look made him feel inexplicably guilty, as if he had been seen right through. "If you're looking to dig up dirt on Qin Fang, you've come to the wrong place. We aren't close."

Huang Zishu didn't believe a word of it. He believed that the person who knew you best was your enemy. It was obvious that the relationship between Xu Lin and Qin Fang was irreconcilably bitter; how could they not be familiar with each other? Perhaps Xu Lin had already stripped Qin Fang bare of her secrets and was simply unwilling to share them with him. He couldn't blame her—there was no real friendship between them; in fact, if one looked closely, Xu Lin had actually done his family a favor in the past.

Huang Zishu rubbed his nose sheepishly. "I'm not trying to pry into Educated Youth Qin's affairs; I was just curious where she went. I didn't see her at work this morning, and she's not in the dormitory. I was just worried something might have happened to her."

Even as he said it, Xu Lin saw no genuine concern in his eyes. "She probably went to the commune to see a doctor. After all, it's not the first time she's fainted."

With that subtle nudge from Xu Lin, Huang Zishu’s eyes lit up. Not the first time? That’s right—Qin Fang had fainted before. It seemed she had experienced a sudden convulsion and collapsed that time as well. What had caused her to faint back then? That was a matter worth investigating.

Huang Zishu chatted for a few more moments and was just about to leave when he saw Wu Qi standing in the middle of the courtyard, calling everyone for a brief meeting. "Another meeting? I wonder what it's about," Huang Zishu said, standing up and looking at the medicine pot. "Can you leave this unattended?"

"No, I can't. Could you tell Team Leader Zhou for me?" Xu Lin said, having no desire to attend the meeting.

Just then, Qian Li emerged from her room, walked over to Xu Lin, checked the pot and the fire, and volunteered, "Don't worry, go ahead and watch your medicine. I'll pass on whatever is discussed later."

"Alright, thanks," Xu Lin waved. "You guys should hurry."

Qian Li nodded and left with Huang Zishu. Other youths soon filed out of their rooms, and before long, the courtyard was crowded. Facing their curious gazes, Wu Qi felt a mix of excitement and nerves—it was his first time being the center of attention. He adjusted his glasses, cleared his throat, and began.

"Comrades, brothers and sisters, good afternoon."

"Good!" someone shouted back, sounding like a spectator at a street performance, which made Wu Qi blush.

Xu Lin, watching her medicine, couldn't help but peek over, wondering why anyone had cheered when he hadn't said anything of substance yet.

"Educated Youth Wu, why did you call us here in the middle of the day? We're busy cooking," Wu Siyu asked, waving her wet hands. She was in the middle of washing vegetables and wanted to finish lunch early so she could rest. After a morning of hard labor, they needed their rest to have strength for the afternoon.

"Exactly, Educated Youth Wu, just tell us what it is. Don't give us a long speech; everyone is exhausted and wants to rest."

"That's right, I've got a fire going in my stove, I can't leave it for long."

The other youths chimed in all at once, leaving Wu Qi unable to get a word in. Helpless, he clapped his hands loudly, trying to get everyone's attention and ask for a chance to speak. But as a newly appointed leader, Wu Qi clearly lacked the authority to command the room, and with Zhou Chen intentionally stirring the pot, the scene became even more chaotic.

Panicked, Wu Qi looked toward Liu Pandi, hoping she would step in to maintain order. Liu Pandi had no choice but to step forward and support Wu Qi's initiative, though she too wished the meeting would end quickly. She was tired from the morning's work and just wanted to eat and sleep. She decided that next time, she would suggest holding meetings in the evening. Midday was just too inconvenient—everyone was tired, the attendance was incomplete, and most importantly, time was far too limited.