Chapter 54: I’ve Had My Eye on You for a While
As they left the educated youth commune, Li Na looked at her younger brother with some surprise and said, “You’re something else, kid. You beat someone up and still got them to pay you back. You’ve got all the good things in life!”
Tang Xue, however, remarked, “That’s the least of it. Ten yuan isn’t a small sum, but Xu Hong could still scrape it together if he really had to. What’s truly terrifying are those last few words he said!”
Li Na clearly hadn’t thought as deeply as Tang Xue had, and immediately asked, “What’s wrong with those words? I thought they were pretty good!”
“They were fine, but for Xu Hong, they probably won’t end well!”
“So it’s bad for us?”
“Unless something unexpected happens, Xu Hong is going to become the village’s number one pariah—everyone will avoid him like the plague. That’s what you call a psychological knockout!”
Li Na wasn’t stupid; she just hadn’t thought that far ahead.
After Tang Xue’s reminder, she suddenly grasped the crux of the matter and looked at Li Yi in astonishment, saying, “Are you still my little Yi?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“My Little Yi isn’t this clever. Tell me, who are you really?”
Even though he knew his third sister was just joking with him, Li Yi’s heart still skipped a beat.
Having lived two lifetimes, even though he was still himself, there were still some differences.
He hadn’t expected Third Sister to figure it out so quickly!
“What’s the matter? Is it not okay for your little brother to have improved a bit? You’re even saying I’m not your brother. Do you want me to tell you all about your embarrassing childhood moments?”
“What embarrassing stories do I have?” Li Na retorted defiantly.
“Haha, remember when we played house with your older brother Dajun and the others? You insisted on being Dajun’s wife—he wouldn’t take you, but you wouldn’t let it go, and you even went home crying…”
Before he could finish, Li Na shouted angrily, “Are you trying to get yourself killed, you little brat?!”
She lunged forward to teach Li Yi a lesson, but Tang Xue stopped her!
Li Yi continued, “And then there was when you were 14. You suddenly ran home crying, saying you were going to die. Your mom asked what was wrong and found out it was your first period…”
At that, even Tang Xue couldn’t bear to listen anymore and immediately snapped, “Stop it!”
Li Na’s blood pressure skyrocketed at Li Yi’s words, and she grabbed a random twig off the ground to whack him with it.
But Li Yi pushed his bike a few steps forward, dodging her in an instant, and burst out laughing, “Sis, remember this for the future: if you’re going to hit your little brother, you’ve got to do it early!”
Although she was furious, Li Na’s doubts were put to rest.
That brat really is her younger brother—otherwise, no one would know about those childhood incidents.
But how on earth had he suddenly become so formidable? It was just too strange!
Just then, her gaze suddenly fixed on Tang Xue.
The reason her little brother had changed so much was because he’d slept with Xiao Xue—afterward, it seemed like he’d grown up overnight.
That’s right—he’d matured, transforming from a boy into a man!
As if she’d uncovered some earth-shattering secret, Li Na’s gaze toward Tang Xue shifted once again!
Her best friend really was the Li family’s lucky charm. Just one night with her had transformed her little brother from a good-for-nothing into a money-making whiz.
If they did it a few more times, who knows—he might even become a true millionaire someday.
For a moment, the look in Li Na’s eyes as she gazed at Tang Xue grew even more intense!
Tang Xue felt a bit uneasy under Li Na’s gaze and asked nervously, “Sis Na, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Xiao Xue, I really had no idea you were this charming!”
“What charm? I don’t get it,” Tang Xue asked, puzzled.
“Haven’t you noticed? Ever since the two of you… well, you know… Yi has changed so much.”
“Well…”
“You know exactly what he used to be like. Look at him now—not only has he become smarter and more hardworking, but he’s also gotten his life back on track! If I’d known you had this kind of influence, I would’ve tied you to Xiao Yi’s bed even if I had to drag you there!” Li Na said with a laugh.
“Sis Na, are you saying he’s turned out so well all because of me?” Tang Xue asked, somewhat surprised.
“Hmm, I honestly can’t think of any other reason!”
“That… that can’t be possible…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Tang Xue realized that what Li Na said actually made a certain amount of sense.
She knew exactly what Li Yi was like before that incident.
Back then, Li Yi was a complete slacker—either off in the neighboring village playing cards and gambling, or sneaking around the back mountain to satisfy his cravings. And if he came home for even a week in a month, that was considered a good month.
More importantly, back then, he had his eyes set solely on Wang Xuemei from the neighboring village and didn’t give anyone else a second glance.
But after that incident, he had completely changed—so much so that she found herself looking at him with newfound respect, even willing to give him a chance to pursue her.
Thinking of this, Tang Xue suddenly felt a flicker of sweetness in her heart.
She’d heard people say that when a man is willing to make certain changes for you, it usually means he’s truly fallen for you.
When you willingly make certain changes for someone, it also means you’ve fallen in love with them.
Before, she hadn’t really understood this saying; in fact, she’d even thought it was wrong, because many people are stubborn and hard to change by outside forces—just like herself.
But now, not only did she understand it, she also felt that the saying was true.
Li Yi was a living example of this—and wasn’t she herself just as much?
Before that incident, she had always fantasized about returning to the city to find Tan Cheng, the man she longed for.
But after that incident, she gave up on returning to the city and took her first step toward change.
At first, she believed she was acting out of necessity, driven by both the circumstances of losing her virginity to Li Yi and the pressure from her family.
Although she ultimately stayed, her heart was filled with despair. She didn’t believe there was any hope left for her life, had not a shred of expectation for the impending marriage, and hadn’t even considered truly accepting Li Yi.
But after spending the past month and a half with him, she now felt that Li Yi wasn’t as bad as she had imagined; on the contrary, she found him to be quite a fine person.
Now, not only is she willing to give him a chance, but she has also developed a glimmer of hope for her marriage—this marks Tang Xue’s second step of change.
No one makes all sorts of changes or compromises for another person without reason, unless they have fallen deeply in love.
The thought that she might have fallen in love with Li Yi left Tang Xue completely speechless!
Just as Tang Xue was lost in her thoughts, Li Yi’s voice suddenly rang out from ahead: “Can you two hurry up? I still have to go back and cook something delicious for you!”
Li Na replied first, then turned to Tang Xue and said, “See that? This guy really cares about you. Whenever you come over, he cooks for you himself—and he rarely cooks at home otherwise!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I think this guy’s had his eye on you for a while!” Li Na said, dropping another bombshell.
“No way. Didn’t he… didn’t he used to like Wang Xuemei from the neighboring village?” Tang Xue asked in surprise.
“What’s Wang Xuemei? Aside from those two big mounds on her chest, what does she have that compares to you, Xue?”
Li Na continued, “I’m not lying to you. You want liangpi—don’t you have any other thoughts?”
“What does that have to do with liangpi?”
“My silly sister-in-law, haven’t you figured out that Xiao Yi learned how to make liangpi just for you? That’s a specialty from your home province of Qin—nobody around here eats that stuff.”
Li Na continued, “And the people from Qin Province that Xiao Yi knows? You could count them on one hand. Aside from being somewhat familiar with you, the rest aren’t even acquaintances—they’re barely nodding-knowing. If it weren’t for you, why on earth would he go to the trouble of learning how to make that stuff!”
Hearing this, Tang Xue was truly stunned!
Could it be true? Had Li Yi really had feelings for her all along?
For some reason, Tang Xue suddenly felt a bit happier!