Yu Nong also glanced at An Zhizhi, then lowered his eyes, acting as if he hadn't seen her. He turned back to tend to the plants in his greenhouse.
An Zhizhi entered from outside and walked up to Yu Nong.
Yu Nong quickly took a few steps to the side, subtly increasing the distance between them.
"Brother Yu Nong," An Zhizhi began.
Yu Nong stiffened slightly, then looked up at her and asked, "What is it?"
An Zhizhi asked with concern, "Did your aunt hit you again yesterday?"
Yu Nong froze, then shook his head after a moment, "It's none of your business."
"Do you really not want to marry me that badly?" An Zhizhi couldn't help but press.
"You were very good to me when we were little, Brother Yu Nong. Do you remember? We used to play together all the time. We even played house from ancient Earth. You were the groom then, and I was the bride. Every time, I married you... You were so good to me back then."
By the end of her sentence, An Zhizhi's voice had become very soft, tinged with grievance.
Yu Nong looked up at her, his lips parted as if to speak, but in the end, nothing came out. He took another step back, clearly not wanting to be close to An Zhizhi.
An Zhizhi's heart tightened. She couldn't help but reach out to grab Yu Nong, "Brother Yu Nong!"
Yu Nong's face changed drastically. He quickly retreated and said coldly, "Don't come any closer!"
An Zhizhi froze. She stood rooted to the spot, not moving forward. Her face turned ashen, and she looked at Yu Nong with bitterness.
An Zhizhi looked at the mutated honeysuckle in the greenhouse. After watching for a while, she turned to Yu Nong and said, "Brother Yu Nong, you really want to cultivate the ancient Earth honeysuckle, don't you?"
An Zhizhi then seemed to want to laugh, a self-deprecating and mocking laugh. "Brother Yu Nong, you brought Lu Wanqing here. Do you think Lu Wanqing can help you cultivate the honeysuckle?"
Yu Nong frowned but didn't want to explain anything to An Zhizhi. Wanqing was good, and he instinctively didn't want Wanqing to be involved with An Zhizhi. He disliked An Zhizhi.
An Zhizhi, however, walked to the edge of the flowerbed. She reached out and touched the vines of the mutated honeysuckle. Then she said, "Brother Yu Nong, she's just someone from ancient Earth. Cultivating extinct plants requires immense knowledge and experimental experience. She can't do it."
"It has nothing to do with you!" Yu Nong couldn't help but retort. Lu Wanqing's abilities had nothing to do with An Zhizhi. He inexplicably disliked An Zhizhi speaking ill of Lu Wanqing.
An Zhizhi stiffened slightly. The next moment, she spoke, "Brother Yu Nong, I still have one quota. I can also apply for a packet of ancient Earth honeysuckle seeds. As long as you marry me, I'll help you apply for it. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Besides the two of us, no one else will know that I've given you the ancient Earth honeysuckle seeds."
Yu Nong's pupils dilated. He stared at An Zhizhi in shock.
An Zhizhi felt a strange sense of sorrow. She had to resort to such despicable means to get close to him, to make him marry her. But... she couldn't bear it. She didn't want to let go, and she wasn't willing to.
Seeing that Yu Nong was tempted by what she offered, An Zhizhi finally felt a sense of relief. Regardless of whether he was willing, at least she still had some value to him. Brother Yu Nong would agree, right?
"Brother Yu Nong," An Zhizhi walked up to Yu Nong again. She extended her hand and carefully took his.
Yu Nong stiffened. He then quickly pulled his hand away and retreated four or five steps.
Yu Nong stared at An Zhizhi in shock. After a moment, he turned and hurried towards the restroom. He turned on the faucet and frantically washed his hands.
He had momentarily lost focus, and his hand had been touched by An Zhizhi again. It felt awful, he didn't like it. Get lost!!!
Yes, get lost!
Yu Nong had never been one to use foul language, but when he thought of An Zhizhi, when he thought of her getting close to him, the word "get lost" would involuntarily appear in his mind: Get lost!
Get lost quickly! he wanted to say to An Zhizhi!
But why was it like this?
Yu Nong's head suddenly started to ache. He couldn't help but raise his hand to cradle his head. It felt terrible. Why did he dislike An Zhizhi so much? Had An Zhizhi done anything?
If it were before, Yu Nong might not have thought much of it. But after Lu Wanqing had specifically asked him this question not long ago, he had also started to feel that something was very wrong.
His personality had indeed changed after he contracted the virus from the mutated plant, but why did he react so negatively to An Zhizhi among so many people...
Every time An Zhizhi got close, he felt an indescribable anger, discomfort, hatred, and an urgent desire for her to leave. Why?
An Zhizhi quickly followed him. Seeing Yu Nong washing his hands again, she felt deeply hurt every time he scrubbed his hands so vigorously after she touched him.
"Brother Yu Nong..." An Zhizhi couldn't hold back. She tried hard to suppress the tears that were about to fall, walked into the restroom, and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Let's get married. Let's be husband and wife."
"Get lost!" At that moment, Yu Nong, who never spoke loudly, suddenly turned around. His eyes were bloodshot, and he glared at her unhappily, like an enraged beast.
An Zhizhi was startled. She stumbled, and her feet faltered, causing her to step back two paces in fright.
An Zhizhi regained her composure and looked at Yu Nong, her voice urgent. "Brother Yu Nong, you'll agree, right? I still have a quota. As long as I can apply for the honeysuckle seeds, maybe you can cultivate the ancient Earth honeysuckle. Aunt can be saved."
"Slap!" Yu Nong suddenly raised his hand and slapped An Zhizhi hard, just like Lu Wanqing had hit An Zhizhi before.
An Zhizhi was stunned by the blow. She fell to the ground, instinctively raising her hand to cover her stinging cheek. She looked up at Brother Yu Nong, her tears finally uncontrollable, and began to fall.
"Get lost!" Yu Nong gasped for breath, feeling pain, anger, and dislike. He wanted An Zhizhi to leave quickly, to get far away, as far from him as possible, never to approach him again, preferably to never appear before him again in her life.
An Zhizhi did not leave. Yu Nong ran away. He left quickly, not wanting to see An Zhizhi again, not even for a moment. It was unbearable. Hearing her speak only made him more flustered, and the seething anger in his heart churned like lava, causing him pain.
An Zhizhi did not chase after him. She covered her reddened cheek and slowly got up from the ground. She then walked to the washbasin and looked in the mirror. She saw herself and let go of her hand, revealing a clear palm print on her face.
It hurt so much!
Brother Yu Nong had never hit her like this before!
She was in so much pain, sobbing!
But she didn't want this either. If only that incident hadn't happened. If that incident hadn't occurred, she and Brother Yu Nong wouldn't have ended up like this, right?