Li Shuying turned.
Standing a few steps away was Gu Zhenhua.
He stood straight as a pine, dressed in his neatly pressed military uniform, his posture sharp yet effortless. Beside him stood He Jianci, holding a modest satchel, his expression as reserved as ever.
For a fleeting moment, Li Shuying felt the tension around her ease.
"Comrade Gu," she greeted, her tone steady.
Gu Zhenhua gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, his gaze sweeping over her briefly before shifting, cold and deliberate toward Zhang Junyi.
Zhang Junyi stiffened under that gaze.
Seeing his expressions Li Shuying felt amused. His earlier demeanor had been that of an unruly youth, now he looked like a student caught out of line before a strict instructor. The playful arrogance drained from his face, replaced by an awkward stiffness.
"You are… here as well?" Zhang Junyi forced a smile, though it appeared strained and unnatural.
Gu Zhenhua did not return the courtesy.
Instead, he spoke in a measured tone, calm yet edged with quiet authority. "Skipping classes again?"
Zhang Junyi's expression faltered. He scratched the back of his head and let out a hollow laugh. "Ah… just taking a break today. One must balance study and rest, right?" He spoke quickly, almost tripping over his own words. "But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be busy with training and drills all day?"
Inwardly, he cursed his misfortune. Of all people, he had to encounter this cold-faced "living King Yama" at such a moment.
Gu Zhenhua's gaze did not shift in the slightest. "You should not concern yourself with matters that do not involve you," he replied evenly. Then, after a brief pause, his tone cooled further. "Otherwise, when trouble finds you, you may not even understand how you invited it."
Zhang Junyi's throat tightened.
Li Shuying watched the exchange silently, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Zhang Junyi coughed lightly, clearly unwilling to remain under such pressure. His eyes flickered between the two before he straightened himself with forced composure.
"Well… since you are both acquainted, I shall not disturb you further," he said quickly. Then, lowering his voice slightly toward Li Shuying, he added with a reluctant persistence, "We will continue our conversation another time, little comrade."
Li Shuying did not respond. She simply turned her gaze away, as though his words were nothing more than passing wind.
With an awkward nod, Zhang Junyi turned and retreated from the school gates, his steps noticeably quicker than before.
He Jianci glanced after the departing figure, then shifted his attention back to Gu Zhenhua, awaiting instructions.
Gu Zhenhua, however, had already turned his gaze to Li Shuying. "For someone who wishes to avoid attention," he said evenly, "you seem to attract quite a bit of it."
Li Shuying exhaled softly, a trace of exasperation crossing her delicate features. "Some troubles just come uninvited," she replied, her tone calm yet edged with quiet resignation, "and never leave when dismissed."
Gu Zhenhua regarded her for a moment, as if weighing her words, before giving a slight nod.
"Have you prepared the items?" he asked, his tone returning to business.
Li Shuying hesitated for the briefest moment. Zhang Junyi's earlier interference had left her with no opportunity to make arrangements. Now, with Gu Zhenhua already present, there was no room for delay.
She cast a quick glance around them. The school gate stood ahead, while to the far left, a narrow ally ran along the outer wall, quiet and partially concealed, perfect for her operation she thought.
"Yes," she said softly. "I have kept them in that small ally over there."
She paused, then added with careful consideration, "But wait… allow me to go first and arrange everything properly. Once I come out, you can enter and collect the goods discreetly. It will be safer that way."
Gu Zhenhua followed her line of sight, his sharp eyes taking in the surroundings in a single sweep. After a moment, he inclined his head slightly, "Very well, Go ahead."
Without another word, Li Shuying turned and walked toward the narrow lane, her figure soon disappearing.
The moment Li Shuying stepped into the alley, she slowed. Hearing no footsteps behind her, she closed her eyes and entered her system space, into the warehouse.
She stood in silence for a moment, thinking. "For now, coarse grains, vegetables, eggs… and some rabbit meat should be enough," she murmured to herself. "Trust must be built step by step."
With a mere thought, the machinery within the space stirred to life. Golden corn and sorghum were processed into fine meal and flour. Bags filled themselves neatly, fifty jin of cornmeal, thirty jin of sorghum flour, and than she packed millet.
Nearby, heaps of sweet potatoes, cabbages, turnips, and radishes were gathered and packed with quiet precision.
She added eggplants and garlic, then carefully packed seventy eggs.
Next came the oil, soybeans pressed into a clear, fragrant liquid, three liters stored securely.
Finally, after a brief hesitation, she selected five plump rabbits. With practiced efficiency, they were processed in the meat processing unit and packed twenty jin of fresh rabbit meat.
When everything was ready, the bundles stood arranged in orderly stacks.
Li Shuying exhaled softly.
"That should be enough… for now."
In the next moment, she returned to the ally and with a single thought, the supplies materialized behind her, grain sacks, baskets, and bundles neatly arranged against the wall, as though they had always been there.
She stepped out of the alley.
Gu Zhenhua was waiting where she had left him. The moment he saw her emerge, he gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod toward He Jianci.
He Jianci immediately understood. Without a word, he moved toward the alley to retrieve the goods.
Li Shuying approached Gu Zhenhua and lowered her voice.
"This time, I could only arrange enough for about a week," she said quietly. Then, with calm efficiency, she listed the items one by one.
As the list unfolded Gu Zhenhua's usually impassive expression shifted ever so slightly.
It was subtle, but unmistakable.
He had expected modest supplies at best, perhaps some coarse grain, a few vegetables. What stood before him now far exceeded that expectation.
Eggs… meat… oil…
For a brief moment, even he was taken aback.
Li Shuying, however, noticed none of it. She simply continued, her tone steady and practical.
"I've calculated according to current market rates," she concluded. "The total comes to fifty-four yuan and three jiao."
Gu Zhenhua looked at her, a trace of disbelief flickering in his eyes.
"Are you certain this is everything?" he asked.
Li Shuying blinked, misunderstanding him entirely.
"I know it's not much," she said earnestly. "The time was short. It should be enough for now, right? As for salt and spices, you will have to arrange those separately, I don't have them."
For a fleeting second, silence hung between them.
Then, unexpectedly, Gu Zhenhua felt a hint of amusement rise within him.
He said nothing more.
Reaching into his pocket, he counted out fifty-five yuan and handed it to her.
"Keep the change."
Li Shuying nodded without hesitation. She accepted the money and slipped it into her pocket without even counting.
By then, He Jianci had finished loading the supplies onto the jeep. The vehicle stood ready, its engine rumbling softly as he took his seat and waited.
Li Shuying allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Comrade Gu," she said lightly. "We will meet again next week."
Gu Zhenhua gave a slight nod and was about to turn away when something seemed to occur to him. He paused, then looked back at Li Shuying, "If that brat Zhang Junyi troubles you again, inform me. I will discipline him properly."
The words sounded natural enough, yet the moment they left his lips, Gu Zhenhua felt a trace of unfamiliar discomfort. This was not his usual way of speaking, nor his habit of involving himself in trivial matters. For a brief instant, even he could not quite explain why he had said it.
Li Shuying, however, merely chuckled softly, her eyes curving with quiet confidence. "There is no need, Comrade Gu. I can handle him myself. He is hardly my match."
Gu Zhenhua inclined his head slightly and turned away without another word. Moments later, the jeep engine roared to life, and the vehicle disappeared down the dusty road.
Li Shuying watched until it vanished from sight. Only then did she exhale slowly, a faint sense of relief settling in her chest.
Everything had gone smoothly, she thought.
She turned back toward the school gate. There was still some time before classes ended.
"That beast is finally gone."
The sudden voice from behind startled her so sharply that she nearly stepped back. She turned at once, only to find Zhang Junyi standing there, his posture relaxed, though his eyes flickered with caution as if he had been hiding moments before.
Her irritation flared instantly.
"What is wrong with you?" she snapped. "Why are you sneaking around like a thief? And why have you come back again?"
Zhang Junyi raised both hands defensively. "Hey, I wasn't sneaking. I was being cautious. What if that Gu Zhenhua suddenly returned?"
Li Shuying's patience wore thin. Her brows knit together, and her voice turned cold. "What do you want? Didn't I make myself clear? I will not make any deal with you. Go back to your so-called Dong Tian gang and stop following me."
Yet this time, Zhang Junyi did not respond with his usual flippancy. Instead, his expression grew unexpectedly serious.
"I came to talk about your elder brother, Li Jianhua."
Li Shuying paused, her irritation giving way to confusion. "What about my elder brother?"
Zhang Junyi's gaze sharpened. "You told my father you can obtain high-quality food supplies. I've seen it myself now. You can sell those goods and earn a decent sum. So tell me, why is your family forcing Li Jianhua to make money as well?"
Li Shuying's confusion deepened, her frown tightening. "What are you talking about?"
Zhang Junyi took a step closer, his tone growing more insistent.
"Don't pretend you don't know. I've seen it with my own eyes. Even if Li Jianhua and I are not close friends, we have studied in the same school since middle school. Li Jianhua is one of the best students here, in every examination he ranks at the very top. If things continue normally, he has every chance of entering one of the country's top universities after the college entrance examinations."
He paused briefly, his jaw tightening as a hint of anger surfaced.
"But instead…" he continued, his voice lowering, "because of your family's greed, he is out there earning money in such a inhuman way,"
Li Shuying's brows knit tightly, confusion written plainly across her face.
"I truly do not understand what you are saying," she replied, her voice steady but edged with unease. "In our family, my elder brother has always been urged to study diligently. Attending university is his only path, how could we ever allow him to work outside like that?"
Zhang Junyi narrowed his eyes slightly, studying her as though weighing the truth behind her words. Then, in a probing tone, he asked, "Then how do you explain what your uncle, Li Guofu, told me?"
At the mention of that name, Li Shuying felt a chill crawl up from the soles of her feet, spreading through her entire body like ice water. Her fingers tightened unconsciously at her sides.
"What… did Li Guofu say?" she asked, her voice lowering, cautious now.
Zhang Junyi noticed the subtle shift in her demeanor, the guarded tone, the faint tension in her posture and his own expression grew more serious.
"A few days ago," he began slowly, "I saw your brother with him… at Hei Ling gang's place." He paused briefly before continuing, "I asked why Li Jianhua was there. Your uncle told me he was helping the family earn money."
Li Shuying's pupils contracted sharply.
"The Hei Ling gang?" she repeated, each word deliberate. "What kind of place is that? And why would Li Guofu take my brother there? More importantly… why would my brother earn money for his family?" Her voice hardened. "Our households have been separated for years. There is no such obligation."
A brief silence fell between them, heavy and suffocating.
Zhang Junyi stared at her, searching her face for any sign of pretense but found none. The shock, the confusion, the dawning dread… all of it was too genuine to be fabricated.
After a moment, he asked quietly, "Li Shuying… do you truly know nothing about this?"
She shook her head without hesitation, her expression turning grave.
"No," she admitted. "In fact, my brother has been coming home late every day this past week. He avoids answering questions, even Mother has been unable to get a word out of him." Her gaze shifted briefly toward the school gates, anxiety flickering in her eyes. "That is precisely why I came today to bring him home myself, so he cannot slip away again."
Zhang Junyi exhaled slowly, his earlier arrogance now completely gone. For the first time since they had met, his tone carried a trace of hesitation and concern.
"Li Shuying," he said in a low voice, "I think… you should prepare yourself."
Her heart tightened.
"Your elder brother," he said quietly, "is in grave trouble."