Chapter 37: Tsk, this is the quintessential femme fatale

No one could understand Xu Lin’s attitude toward the Qin and Xu families, but Lin Ailan actually nodded in agreement and echoed, “Yes, yes, Yan, you’re absolutely right. If I were the real daughter, I’d do the same. If my life isn’t going well, why should anyone else’s? If we’re going to suffer, we’ll suffer together.”

“Exactly! We really see things the same way,” Cheng Yan clapped her hands excitedly, then turned to Xu Lin with a serious look and asked, “Linlin, what do you think?”

“I think being happy is the most important thing. If you’re fighting life-and-death battles with people every day, can you really be happy?” Xu Lin countered.

A thoughtful look flashed across both Cheng Yan and Wang Ailan’s faces, as if they realized happiness was out of reach after all.

Recalling the family’s reaction, Wang Ailan shook her head. “Probably not happy. My classmate’s adoptive parents dote on her. Even with all the trouble, they never kicked her out. I heard that the fake daughter herself cried to go back to her biological mother’s place to suffer and take on her daughter’s responsibilities, but her adoptive mother couldn’t bear to let her go, and her adoptive brother didn’t want her to leave either. So she just stayed with her adoptive family.”

Suddenly recalling something amusing, Wang Ailan clapped her hands and added, “You don’t know, but that fake daughter is really charming. After her boyfriend found out about her background, he didn’t break up with her. He’s been with her every day, comforting her, afraid she’ll be affected by all this. He treats her so well.”

By the end, Lin Ailan sounded almost envious, comparing other people’s romance with her own loneliness. Alas, she had no love at all.

“I heard the Su family is powerful and influential. Would their elders really allow their son to marry the daughter of a spy?” Xu Lin asked.

Meeting Xu Lin’s inquisitive, gossipy gaze, Cheng Yan felt she’d found a kindred spirit. But she didn’t know the answer either, and immediately looked to Lin Ailan with hopeful, slightly foolish eyes.

Fortunately, Lin Ailan was up to the task. She answered confidently, “I actually know about this!” She slapped her thigh in excitement. “Listen, the neighbor girl of the fake daughter’s boyfriend is a good friend of mine. Before I went to the countryside, that friend of mine complained to me about all the things going on in the Su family.”

From Lin Ailan’s account, Xu Lin learned that the Su household had been in utter chaos these past few days.

The Su elders absolutely wouldn’t allow the fake daughter to marry into their family—not even date their son. The Su family was a prominent, respectable clan with considerable standing in the military world, and some had even sacrificed their lives for their ideals. How could such a “red” family possibly accept the daughter of a spy? Even her status as a fake daughter was unacceptable. To stop the relationship, there were daily arguments.

Yet the fake daughter’s boyfriend, Su Liang, was as stubborn as an ox about being with her. He wouldn’t listen to anyone, not even when his own mother and grandmother got so angry they were hospitalized. His resolve didn’t falter.

After hearing all this gossip, Xu Lin could more or less guess why the fake daughter hadn’t been thrown out. The Su family's power was substantial, and surely the Qin family wanted to climb that ladder. As long as the fake daughter could keep Su Liang’s heart, the Qin family would never cast her out. If the Su family agreed to an engagement, the Qin family would probably give the fake daughter, Qin Fang, the highest honors, just to forge an alliance.

In truth, it all boiled down to the Qin family’s ambition to attach themselves to the Su family and benefit from their influence. In her previous life, Xu Chenglin had kept his secret, and the Qin and Su families did become in-laws, propelling Father Qin’s status to new heights.

But this time around, if the Qin family wanted to ride on the Su family’s coattails? Ha—impossible. Unless Su Liang took control of the Su family. With how bewitched Su Liang was by the fake daughter, it was a wonder the Su family didn’t hate the Qin family more.

As for the Su and Qin families’ relationship and whether they’d become enemies, Xu Lin didn’t care. All she wanted now was to go to the countryside and let things run their course. With money in hand and food stored away, Xu Lin had no worries about going hungry.

What she didn’t know was that, in another train car, the couple she didn’t give a second thought to were wrapped in each other’s arms, lost in their own world. More accurately, Su Liang was holding Qin Fang, comforting her and urging her not to cry, assuring her that they were only going to the countryside temporarily. Once the storm blew over, they’d return to the city.

After much coaxing, Qin Fang finally looked up at Su Liang with red, tearful eyes, like a pitiful little bunny, and said, “Brother Liang, I—I really didn’t know I’d drag you down with me. If I’d known, I would have…”

Tears started flowing again, making Su Liang’s heart ache.

Across from them, two young women assigned to the countryside rolled their eyes. They glanced at the poor, pitiful act and the words left unsaid, clicking their tongues: this was top-tier green tea.

Then they looked at the boy, all dressed up and looking the part, yet so foolish at such a young age—how pitiful. The two girls exchanged a glance, turned away, and leaned close to whisper to each other.

While Su Liang gently wiped Qin Fang’s tears and comforted her, “Fang’er, don’t cry. I understand, I really do. You can’t choose your birth, but you can choose how to live going forward. As long as we face the sun, life will be bright. Trust me: after one or two years, when everyone’s forgotten about this, I’ll take you back to the city. Then you’ll still be the Qin family’s little princess, and my Su Liang’s sweetheart. No one will dare bully you, and no one will ever use your origins against you again.”

Qin Fang sniffled and nodded, her eyes red. “Brother Liang, you’re so good to me. Without you, I don’t know how I’d go on.”

Feeling needed, Su Liang straightened up, thinking he was so important—he was Fang’er’s heaven, her earth, her little sun. Without much more from Qin Fang, Su Liang was already moved by his own words, his head spinning as if he’d been drinking.

Rocked by the rhythm of the train, Xu Lin slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Most of the people on this train were sent-down youth. Apart from the noise, the journey passed without incident. Throughout the trip, Xu Lin spent most of her time sleeping, only leaving her seat to eat or use the restroom. Occasionally, she listened to Lin Ailan and Cheng Yan gossip, but though the two cars were adjacent, Xu Lin never realized the fake daughter was in the next car.

After two days and one night of travel, the train finally stopped at the Qingshan County station. With the conductor’s announcement, everyone picked up their luggage and got off.

Almost all those disembarking were sent-down youth. Xu Lin carried two large bags and, under the surprised gazes of Lin Ailan and Cheng Yan, strode into the crowd.

Outside the station, the sign for Xiangyang Commune was visible. Xu Lin walked toward it without hesitation.

A little distance behind her, Cheng Yan and the other two followed, but their destination was not Xiangyang Commune, but Qianjin Commune next door. Xu Lin had known on the train that the three of them would be sent to a different commune from her.