Chapter 25: A Midnight Crisis

Moonlight spilled into the village committee’s courtyard, as if coating the ground in a layer of silver dust. Officer Xiao Chen sat on a stone bench, sighing deeply as he tried to sober up. He had only known Li Yaoyao for a single day and had barely exchanged three sentences with her, yet Wang Hongjun had already laid his feelings bare. How was he supposed to face her now?

Wang Hongjun emerged from the house, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Sensing Chen Yan’s distress, he chuckled and sat down beside him.

"What's the matter? Angry with me?"

"Director Wang... of course not..."

"Still denying it? Your resentment is practically overflowing from your eyes!"

He chuckled and exhaled a plume of smoke, offering consolation: "There was a reason I said what I said today!"

"Look, you're in the city, and educated youth Li is in the village. You two don't have much distance, but your only chances to interact are today and tomorrow. If I didn't spell out your little secret, how would she ever know? Once you leave, she might forget you in a heartbeat!"

Officer Xiao Chen pursed his lips. "That doesn't mean you have to be so reckless! You might scare her away!"

"Hey! I only said you two were a good match; I didn't say you were in love with her. You can use this opportunity to exchange contact information and write letters to each other!"

"At the very least, stake your claim. Otherwise, she might forget you and fall for someone else, and you'll regret it when it's too late!"

Officer Xiao Chen scratched his head, unable to accept this twisted logic. Knowing the younger man was still unconvinced, Wang Hongjun continued, "Women fear the chase. Just listen to your elder: pursue her with passion! You can't go wrong!"

"That’s exactly how I won over your sister-in-law back in the day!"

He laughed heartily, slapped Chen Yan on the shoulder, and headed back inside to sleep. Xiao Chen sighed; it was destined to be a sleepless night.

Meanwhile, Li Yaoyao was using her flashlight to escort the village head and the others home. The last to be dropped off were the couple, Yang Haiying and Xue Keang. Once they reached their house, Yang Haiying insisted she sit for a while. Unable to resist the woman's hospitality, Li Yaoyao stayed to chat.

"Yaoyao, that Director Wang is truly unreliable. How could he bring that up at the dinner table!" Yang Haiying sat cross-legged on the kang, needlework in hand as she spoke. "But tell me, did you take a liking to Officer Xiao Chen?"

In the glow of the flashlight, her eyes sparkled with gossip. Li Yaoyao, already exhausted from the day and the teasing earlier that evening, felt drained. She pouted and complained, "We’ve only met once and barely spoken. Obviously, I have no feelings for him!"

"Of course!" Yang Haiying looked as if she understood everything. "Actually, I know. You’re still thinking about Ye Fan, aren't you?"

"Ye Fan?" Images of Ye Fan and their video call from earlier that evening surfaced in Li Yaoyao’s mind, bringing with them an inexplicable wave of sorrow. "I don’t know..."

She wondered, even if she were interested, would he even look twice at her? He was a man from decades in the future—handsome and wealthy—while she was merely a young girl living in an age of poverty.

"If you don't know, then that means you like him!" Yang Haiying seemed to have discovered a monumental secret and excitedly nudged Li Yaoyao with her shoulder. "Listen, Yaoyao, if you like him, you have to pursue him boldly!"

"A woman pursuing a man is like piercing through a thin layer of silk. Back when Keang and I..." She paused, casting a tender look outside where Xue Keang was washing up in the courtyard. "Keang is two years younger than me. One time, a girl from his village married into ours, and he followed along to help with the wedding pranks. That was when I set my sights on him."

"His family situation wasn't good; he lost his parents early. The villagers didn't approve of us, and my family opposed it too, but I just felt he was honest and sturdy..." Yang Haiying trailed off, her face flushed a deep crimson.

Li Yaoyao stayed silent. Thinking about their ages, she lived in 1980, while Ye Fan was a man of 2024—a gap of at least forty years. Even if they existed in different worlds, the thought felt strange. Moreover, they only knew each other through a box. What about the future? They couldn't spend their whole lives dating through a box, could they?

At this thought, Li Yaoyao’s heart constricted. If they could never truly meet face-to-face, how painful would that be?

Both women fell into a deep silence, lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, a scream erupted from the courtyard!

"Ah! Who are you?"

Xue Keang’s scream shattered their reverie. They looked out the window to see a group of masked men scaling the wall and smashing everything in sight!

"Keang!" Seeing Xue Keang being beaten with clubs, Yang Haiying burst into tears and scrambled off the bed to rush outside.

Li Yaoyao grabbed her. Xue Keang was a strong man, yet he was no match for them; if a woman like her went out there, she might be beaten to death!

"Keang..." Yang Haiying trembled, collapsing into Li Yaoyao’s arms and wailing miserably.

Just then, one of the masked men spoke up: "I heard a woman crying in the house. His wife must be in there. Get in and find her!"

"You dare!" Hearing this, Xue Keang suddenly erupted, lunging at the speaker! Covered in blood and fighting like a madman, he tackled the man and rained blows upon him, ignoring the clubs slamming into his own back from the other assailants.

"Keang!" Yang Haiying could wait no longer. She pushed Li Yaoyao aside and bolted out of the room.

Li Yaoyao watched her silhouette, filled with profound terror. An ominous premonition washed over her—as if she would never see the couple again!

*Clatter!*

The sound of something hitting the ground jolted her back to reality. She looked down—it was the flashlight!

"The flashlight..." Li Yaoyao’s lips trembled as she snatched it up, recalling Ye Fan’s words: "This strobe mode is for warding off wild beasts, but it can also temporarily blind people..."

*Thank you, Ye Fan!*

A surge of courage flooded Li Yaoyao’s heart. She rushed out of the room and shouted with all her might: "Stop this at once!"

The girl’s sharp, piercing voice caught the attention of all the masked men.

"Heh, what a coincidence! She’s here too!" A familiar voice rang out—it was Pi Liu, the thug she had encountered in the county seat. "Tonight, catch this little wench, and do whatever you want with her!"

Pi Liu waved his hand, and the thugs lunged toward Li Yaoyao like starving wolves!

Li Yaoyao stood her ground, completely unafraid. She switched the flashlight to strobe mode and turned the brightness to its maximum setting.

*Activate!*

"Ah!"

*Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash!*

Time seemed to turn into discontinuous segments. In the flickering, harsh light, the thugs looked like frames of a glitching film, jerking and stuttering as they instinctively covered their eyes!

"So bright!"
"It's the sun!"
"My eyes! I’m blinded!"

Every masked man was temporarily blinded. Seizing the opportunity, Li Yaoyao ran over to help Yang Haiying and Xue Keang up, dragging them toward the courtyard exit.

"We’re going to the village committee! There are police there!" Li Yaoyao was unnervingly calm, helping Yang Haiying support the battered Xue Keang as they moved toward the committee office.

But soon, Pi Liu’s voice echoed from behind them: "Catch them! Don't let them get away!"

Blinded by the light, the thugs stumbled through the courtyard like headless flies, taking a long time to find the gate. Unfortunately, Xue Keang had been beaten too severely. Supported by the two women, he limped forward, his pace agonizingly slow.

Soon, they heard footsteps in the alley behind them.

"Running like this won't work, they’ll definitely catch up!" Xue Keang gasped for air. "You two go to the village committee for help. I'll hold them off!"

"No!" Yang Haiying flatly rejected him, then turned to Li Yaoyao: "I can't leave Keang here. Yaoyao, you go to the committee, I’m staying with Keang!"

"Go! Hurry!" Yang Haiying shoved Li Yaoyao away, steadied Xue Keang, and began to walk slowly back the way they came!