At the entrance of XX University, a dignified, wealthy-looking woman handed a card to Shen Jianan and said coldly, "Your tuition for the four years of university is all on this card. Don't come looking to me for money again."
She then turned and linked arms with a middle-aged man in a suit, his hands heavy with gold rings. Not far away, Shen Zongwen squinted at their retreating backs and spat, then stubbed his cigarette out aggressively against the trash can. With a look of irritation, he walked over and came to a stop in front of his son.
He impatiently pulled out his phone and shook it at him. "Scan the code to pay. I only have 6,000 yuan in my WeChat balance. You’ll have to be frugal for the next four years; I have to support Xiaobao, so I don't have any extra money."
"Ha!"
Shen Jianan let out a cold laugh. He didn't say much, simply pulling out his phone and opening the payment code with practiced ease. Once the 6,000 yuan transfer was complete, he bargained, "Give me more, or I’ll go to your workplace and broadcast your story."
Shen Zongwen froze in shock, then roared, "What the hell did you say?"
Seeing him look ready to eat someone alive, Shen Jianan didn't flinch. He repeated himself, expressionless, "I said, give me more, or I’ll go to your workplace and share your story—tell them you brought me into this world but refuse to raise me."
"In your dreams!"
Shen Zongwen’s eyes bulged with rage, and he raised his hand to strike. Shen Jianan took a few steps forward and tilted his head, staring up at the palm poised to fall.
"Go ahead and hit me! There are surveillance cameras everywhere. Why don't you try it? I promise I won't fight back."
"You!"
Shen Zongwen swung his hand through the air but ultimately didn't dare to let the blow land. He gasped for air, glaring at his rebellious son with uncontrollable fury. "Fine! I'll give it to you, but from now on, you’d better not show your face in front of me again, or I’ll break your damn legs!"
"Deal!"
The boy nodded; as long as he got the money, he didn't care. Seeing him agree, the man didn't waste another word, hastily scanning the code to transfer more money, terrified that if he delayed even a second longer, this shameless little brat would try to squeeze him for even more.
Shen Jianan tapped to accept the funds and curled his eyes into a smile. "Thanks, Mr. Shen!"
He gave his phone a little wave, grabbed his suitcase, and walked forward without looking back. But he hadn't gone far when an SUV lost control, veering off the road at high speed. It slammed into Shen Jianan, sending him flying backward, where he landed hard on top of Shen Zongwen, who had been standing behind him gloating.
Before he drew his last breath, the knot of eighteen years of bitterness in Shen Jianan’s heart instantly unraveled. Watching the people rush toward them in a panic, he let the corners of his mouth lift slightly, and then, slowly, he closed his eyes.
***
Summer, 1975. The scorching sun was so bright it was hard to keep one's eyes open. The ridges of the fields were baked until they were hot and brittle, covered in a web of narrow, deep cracks; if you weren't careful walking on them, a piece would crumble away beneath your feet.
The recorder, Zhao Hongjun, paced back and forth between the furrows, keeping a sharp eye on the progress of the men, women, and children of the brigade. From time to time, he would glance at the boy who was still unconscious under the persimmon tree and mutter to himself.
"Unbelievable. He’s been here a year already; how can he faint just from doing a little work?"
"Mmm..."
The boy let out a soft groan and slowly opened his eyes. Countless unfamiliar images flashed through his mind in an instant. He couldn't help but reach up to tap his head, then tilted it back to stare at the tree above, momentarily dazed.
A few hours ago, he and that black-hearted father of his had been killed by an SUV at the university gate. He never expected that opening his eyes would land him in this era of scarcity.
The crux of the matter was that he had transmigrated into a dark period drama titled *The Seventies: My Spicy Life with the White Lotus Heroine*. He had become a minor, unlikable side character in the novel—the kind who doesn't live past the third chapter.
The plot had now reached the point where this minor character had fainted from heatstroke and hadn't woken up even after the whistle blew to end the shift. The recorder, in a rush to leave, had asked the book’s second male lead, Gu Yu, to carry the person back to his quarters.
This provided the perfect opportunity for the black-hearted male lead, Zhao Jianguo. Because the cannon-fodder boy was someone who couldn't lift a shoulder-pole or use his hands for labor, yet possessed a sharp tongue and refused to suffer even the slightest loss, he had argued with almost everyone at the Educated Youth Point.
The other educated youths were so sick of him that they had gone to the brigade leader, Zhao Qiancheng, to complain. The leader, also disgusted by his incompetence, had sent him to live in a thatched hut halfway up the mountain with Gu Yu.
They would have to take the narrow, steep mountain path to get back. Zhao Jianguo knew this, so he had laid an ambush in the grass beside the path, waiting for the right moment to shove the pair down the slope.
Shen Jianan, the side character who shared his name, had fallen right into a pile of jagged rocks at the foot of the hill and died on the spot, his neck pierced by a sharp stone. Gu Yu, serving as a cushion, had only broken his right leg.
When he finally crawled to safety and called for help, Zhao Jianguo emerged from the sidelines, insisting that he had seen Gu Yu kill Shen Jianan. As for the leg injury? That was just a ruse to shift public attention and escape guilt.
Under normal circumstances, such a clumsy framing attempt wouldn't fool anyone with half a brain, but the problem was Gu Yu’s sensitive status.
His family had been branded "class enemies" for various reasons, and they were defenseless. In the end, aside from an aunt married to a high-ranking official and a younger uncle abroad, the rest of the family had been sent down to various regions.
As a result, Gu Yu became a primary target for the brigade’s "special attention." The people of Hongqi Commune treated him like a plague, and their impression of him was abysmal.
Furthermore, Gu Yu was extremely repulsed by Shen Jianan. Everyone constantly saw him giving the boy a cold look. In contrast, Zhao Jianguo was the son of the brigade secretary—smart, studious, and the image of greatness and justice. Naturally, everyone was more willing to believe his story.
In this way, Gu Yu’s "kindness" in carrying the boy had not only resulted in a death but had also led to his own imprisonment. Originally, he was meant to be executed, but somehow the matter reached his aunt.
She used various methods to save Gu Yu’s life, but he couldn't escape the law entirely and was sentenced to seven years. During this time, his "white lotus" girlfriend, the educated youth, not only refused to believe him but also let herself be led by the nose by Zhao Jianguo.
Absurdly, this woman claimed to love Gu Yu deeply and swore she would wait for him to get married. Yet, less than a month after he was jailed, she threw herself into Zhao Jianguo’s arms. That would have been one thing, but if you’re going to cheat, you could at least be quiet and keep a low profile—it’s not like everyone is stupid.
Instead, she was incredibly high-profile, strutting around like a freshly mated peacock, dying to carve the words "Zhao Jianguo is my man" into her forehead.
She even claimed her love was open and honest, saying she broke up with Gu Yu not because he was in jail, but because she had finally seen his true colors. All that "perfection" from the past had been an act; Gu Yu was just an introverted, dark-hearted murderer.
Zhao Jianguo, on the other hand, was righteous, ambitious, and kind. Only a man like that deserved her full devotion.
Shen Jianan was speechless. He thought to himself that this wasn't a dark period novel—it was just a brain-dead story for the lobotomized. And those two, Zhao Jianguo and the heroine Jiang Hongmei, were nothing but a pair of rotting, insane fools.
But the most ridiculous thing was the author herself. She had to have had a decade-long cerebral embolism to write a plot like this. To justify the romance between the leads, she had ruined the character with the most normal values (the second male lead) and killed off a background character to boot—she was absolutely out of her mind.
The critical thing was that he had transmigrated into this minor character. How could Shen Jianan stand for this? Filled with hate and rage, he mentally cursed the author’s entire family eighteen times over before finally calming down, just in time to start devising a plan to deal with Zhao Jianguo.
He heard hurried footsteps approaching from afar. Within a blink of his eyes, his expression shifted to one of guilt. He trembled, pushing himself up with both hands, and sat up with great effort. With a pale, handsome face, he looked at the recorder approaching him and said in a small, weak voice:
"Recorder, thank you for your care. I—I’m feeling a bit better now. I’ll go work right away!"
As he spoke, to the man’s surprise, he stood up with "great difficulty" and staggered toward the fields. The way he tripped over his own feet made the recorder, Zhao Hongjun, frown, and he couldn't help but ask, "Educated Youth Shen, are you sure you’re okay? If you can’t handle it, just rest a bit longer."
"No, no need!"
Shen Jianan waved his hand and walked with determined steps to his assigned field. He picked up the hoe lying in the corner and began to work.
Zhao Hongjun watched him swinging the hoe with listless movements, looking like he was about to drop dead at any moment, and felt anxious, though it was still better than usual.
This kid couldn't lift a thing, relied on his family’s wealth to have money and grain coupons sent to him, never went hungry, and therefore never took the work seriously.
On top of that, he didn't get along with the other educated youths or the villagers, constantly quarreling with people over trivial matters. But now, he was actually working on his own initiative? Had fainting once suddenly cleared his head?
Zhao Hongjun mused to himself. Regardless, it was a good thing the kid was willing to work. He curled his lips, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked to the other side of the field in a good mood, no longer worrying about the little weakling.
Shen Jianan, likewise, sighed in relief once the man was gone. He gritted his teeth and worked hard for a while, just about to rest, when the whistle blew to end the shift. He straightened up, leaning on his hoe, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He saw the ill-fated second male lead, Gu Yu, and the "white lotus" heroine, Jiang Hongmei, walking over, each carrying a hoe. Remembering the plot, Shen Jianan quickly curled his eyes and ran over.
"Brother Gu!"
Gu Yu had been deep in thought, and hearing that familiar voice made a vein on his forehead pulse. He was just about to avoid him when the boy spun toward him like a whirlwind, smiling and looking up at him with that excessively good-looking face.
"Brother Gu, shall we head back together?"
"But Gu Yu still has to help the Educated Youth Point fix their roof! You go on back first!"
Gu Yu’s mouth twitched, and he was about to refuse, but then he heard the boy beside him scoff. Shen Jianan tilted his head, looking at Jiang Hongmei behind him with a face full of sarcasm. "Why? Is that roof Brother Gu’s house? Can't all those men at your Educated Youth Point fix it themselves?
Don't you know Brother Gu is busy? If he goes to fix your roof, who’s going to do the work at the cattle shed? If he doesn't finish and gets his work points deducted, and ends up getting scolded, will you and those men go and make up for it for him?"
Shen Jianan’s little mouth chattered incessantly, making Jiang Hongmei gasp for air, her chest heaving like a bellows. "Shen Jianan, how can you twist my meaning like that? I’m helping Gu Yu. He has a special situation—don't you know he needs to contribute more?"
Gu Yu’s expression shifted at her words, and he couldn't help but close his eyes. He could never understand what had gone wrong with him—why he had ever liked such a dim-witted woman, especially when he sometimes felt like strangling her.
Yet, whenever he had that thought, uncontrollable waves of affection would rise in his heart, making him dwell on her good points. Then, he would find himself unable to refuse her or do anything to hurt her. Honestly, it was agonizing.
Fortunately, after this little sparrow named Shen Jianan came to the village and, by some twist of fate, ended up living with him, he had finally known a few days of peace.
But what was annoying was that, even though the kid was cute and lovely, he felt inexplicably bothered by him—bothered in a very specific, intense way—to the point where he sometimes lost control of his emotions and shouted at him.
Every time he saw the boy looking so pitiful and wronged, Gu Yu felt immense guilt. He didn't know what was wrong with him; he clearly wanted to be good to the boy, but the next moment, he couldn't control his emotions.
"Bah! That sounds nice, doesn't it? You’re just looking for a patsy to provide free labor, and yet you make it sound so noble. How shameless!"
Shen Jianan scoffed with disdain. "Besides, if you really cared about Brother Gu, you wouldn't keep making him do your chores."
The boy narrowed his eyes, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice for her. "Also, if I hear you saying that stuff about Brother Gu’s 'special situation' in front of others again, I’m going to report you for forcing others to do your work and trying to live like a capitalist pleasure-seeker."
"You!"
Jiang Hongmei’s eyes welled with tears. She couldn't help but step to one side, grabbing Gu Yu’s sleeve. "Gu Yu, say something! You know I didn't mean that. I just want you to have a better relationship with everyone so that, in the future, maybe sooner..."
"Thanks for your concern, but there’s no need."
Gu Yu collected his thoughts, gave her a cold, indifferent look, and then tilted his chin at the smug Shen Jianan. "Let’s go."
"Okay!"
The boy’s dimples deepened. He hoisted his hoe and walked alongside him, leaving Jiang Hongmei standing there, unable to regain her composure for a long while. In the end, it wasn't until her companion couldn't stand it any longer and came over to pull her that she snapped out of it.
"Hongmei, Gu Yu is being too small-minded."
The educated youth Lu Xiaoyue watched the two figures leaving and said with disdain, "Even if his family used to be well-off, look at how fallen they are now. What’s there to be so arrogant about? Why don't you just settle for Zhao Jianguo? He likes you anyway."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Jiang Hongmei blushed slightly and gave her a shy, white-eyed look. "Jianguo and I are like-minded, dear friends, but Gu Yu and I..."
She bowed her head, her voice taking on a sticky, cloying quality. "My parents both said that once we reach the right age, we’re getting married, you know?"
"Oh," Lu Xiaoyue replied dismissively, saying nothing more. But inwardly, she was rolling her eyes at the girl. She had heard that excuse eight hundred times already, yet it never stopped her from flirting with Zhao Jianguo. And as for Gu Yu, sometimes he looked like he was close to her, but other times he seemed completely repulsed by her.
Furthermore, from what Jiang Hongmei said, Lu Xiaoyue and the others at the Educated Youth Point all knew that the Gu family had never acknowledged her engagement to Gu Yu, only saying that "everything depends on fate." Yet, Jiang Hongmei and her parents always acted as if the Gu family had agreed to the match.
She looked at her companion, lowering her eyes to hide the complexity in her gaze. "Let’s go! If Gu Yu won't help, we can finish the repairs ourselves."
"But... I still want him to have a good relationship with everyone."
Jiang Hongmei wrung her fingers, looking wronged. Lu Xiaoyue felt a surge of irritation at the sight and rolled her eyes, speechless. "Then go yourself!"
She finished her sentence and walked away impatiently, hoe over her shoulder. Jiang Hongmei stood frozen, then raised her voice to cry out to her friend in grievance, "Xiaoyue, how could you be like this?"
But Lu Xiaoyue didn't respond to her accusation; instead, she walked even faster, as if being chased by a dog.
Jiang Hongmei was both angry and anxious. What was going on today? Everyone was bullying her, nobody listened to her advice—it was as if they had all turned into different people.