The robber scrambled up from the ground, glaring viciously at Wen Ci. "Did you do that on purpose? You fucking wanna die, don't you?"
Wen Ci put on an innocent act and shook her head. "I didn't."
The man noticed the golden bracelet on Wen Ci's wrist. He aimed the tip of his knife at her and said menacingly, "Give me your golden bracelet, or I'll chop off your hand."
Wen Ci's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze falling on his hand. 'This guy is just relying on his weapon to act tough. Without it, he's nothing.'
"Not taking it off, are you?" the man snarled, closing in.
Just as Wen Ci was about to deliver a powerful kick, a man in a police uniform appeared behind the robber. A military pickup truck was parked not far away.
The policeman launched a fierce but swift flying kick at the robber's arm, and the dagger clattered to the ground. In a few quick moves, he subdued the man and pinned him to the pavement.
The policeman looked up. "Are you okay?"
Wen Ci shook her head. "I'm fine."
-
Jiang Ye hadn't slept at all the previous night. She lay awake, trying to figure out how to convince her parents to let her go to the Northwest, when she heard a noise from the living room.
Stepping out of her room, she saw her mother making breakfast in the kitchen.
Su Guilan glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "You're awake?"
Jiang Ye shook her head. "I didn't sleep."
Hearing this, Su Guilan put down her spatula and walked over to her daughter. Noticing the dark circles under her eyes, she asked with concern, "What happened? Why didn't you sleep all night?"
"Mom, I want to go to the Northwest."
"The Northwest?" Su Guilan frowned in confusion. 'Why would she suddenly want to go to the Northwest?' She reached out to touch Jiang Ye's forehead and muttered, "You don't have a fever. Why are you talking such nonsense?"
"Mom, I don't want to go to college. I'm going to the Northwest."
Jiang Chen, who had just changed into his military uniform to head out, heard the commotion in the kitchen. He leaned against the doorframe and said nonchalantly, "So, Ye Zi has changed her mind. She wants to marry Huo Jingyuan again."
"What about Gu Che?"
Gu Che was Jiang Ye's boyfriend, the one smart enough to get into Qingbei.
"I'm going to break up with him."
In this era, most young people's marriages were still arranged by their parents. The Jiang Family, however, was progressive and had given Jiang Ye the freedom to choose who she loved.
"Huo Jingyuan has already married Jiang Ci. Going to the Northwest is pointless."
I only found out yesterday at the banquet at the state-run restaurant when I heard people talking about Huo Jingyuan. He's become the youngest officer in the Northwest, all on his own merit.
It probably won't be long before he gets promoted even higher.
But Jiang Ye refused to listen. She even knelt on the floor, her eyes welling with tears as she said pitifully, "Even if I don't marry Huo Jingyuan, I still want to go to the Northwest Military Region! I just can't study anymore!"
She was telling the absolute truth.
'I've completely forgotten everything for the entrance exams.'
'The entrance exams are only a month away. Even if I stay in Beijing, I'll never pass. I might as well go to the Northwest Military Region and take my chances. Maybe I can even break them up.'
"Nonsense."
Su Guilan exploded with rage.
Her temperament had always been gentle. She had only lost her temper twice in her entire life, the first time being when she learned Jiang Ye was not her biological daughter.
The second time was now.
"So you're just not going to college, is that it? Back when we wanted you to marry Huo Jingyuan, you refused at every turn. Now that he has a wife, you're suddenly willing?"
"Mom..."
Jiang Ye tried to say more.
But Su Guilan cut her off sharply. "Going to the Northwest is out of the question! I will never agree to it, unless you want us to sever all ties from this day forward!"
Jiang Ye lowered her head, a vicious glint flashing in her eyes.
'Just as I thought. If you're not their biological child, they'll never truly care for you!'