80 village women marry military officers; it was supposed to be a fake marriage.

The master craftsman told Chang Jingxiang what he had heard, "We've watched Xiaoyue grow up since she was little, and I believe there must be some misunderstanding."

The team members will go to the back hillside at night. I think you should go back and check on them, just in case something happens.

Xiaoyue is gentle by nature; she's a young lady, don't let those people scare her.

Chang Jingxiang's eyes turned as cold as ice when he thought of how they had insulted Lin Yue. "Okay, I'll feed the pigs this afternoon and then go back."

In an effort to quell the unrest, he had long since concealed his imposing presence within the military, but now it seems he's starting to lose control.

When Chang Jingxiang returned to the village, it was already dark. He didn't go home, but went straight to the back hillside.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, they heard Lin Yue's giggling voice in the distance, "I'm sorry, I know I hurt you. I'll blow on it for you. From now on, if you don't move around, it won't hurt anymore. Let's finish quickly so I can go back."

Upon hearing such a sound, Chang Jingxiang, though not thinking in that direction, still felt an urge to hit someone for a moment. He clenched his fists and stood rooted to the spot.

"Ouch, that hurts!" the little girl exclaimed softly.

Hearing Lin Yue's exclamation, the man didn't have time to think and quickly ran towards the direction of the sound.

Lin Yue fell face down to the ground, clutching a large pheasant in her hand. Her feet were already bound, and she was still struggling.

The woman's face was covered in mud, and her hair was loosely draped over her shoulders. She was struggling to stand up, but she fell back down in a sorry state.

Chang Jingxiang ran over quickly, grabbed Lin Yue's arm and tried to help her up, but because he used too much force, several buttons on her clothes popped open, revealing a patch of snow-white skin.

Their eyes met, and all that could be heard was an "Ah".

"sorry!"

"Don't look." Lin Yue shoved the rabbit in her hand into Chang Jingxiang's hand, frantically buttoning her clothes, her face as red as a boiled shrimp.

After buttoning up her clothes, she went to pick up the bamboo basket that had fallen to the ground, but a sharp pain in her leg nearly caused her to fall again.

Chang Jingxiang swiftly pulled Lin Yue into his arms, and she fell into his embrace. Lin Yue tried to pull away in a panic, but a large hand held her firmly around the waist.

She turned back to tell him to let go, but they were too close. Her lips brushed against Chang Jingxiang's Adam's apple, and both of them stood frozen in place. Only the pheasant kept flapping its wings, trying to break free of its restraints.

“Your leg is injured, I’ll carry you back.”

Lin Yue smiled gently, revealing her cute little tiger teeth. "It's okay, I can walk. You can help me with my things."

As she spoke, she pushed away the hand protecting her waist. "Hiss!" Lin Yue had only taken a few steps when she couldn't help but cry out.

Chang Jingxiang stuffed the pheasant into the bamboo basket and hung it on Lin Yue's back. "You carry the basket, and I'll carry you. Come on up."

Lin Yue looked at him with a troubled expression. The latter remained in a half-squatting position, his eyes staring straight at Lin Yue, shining brightly in the darkness, as if they held the stars and the sea.

Lin Yue blushed and her heart raced again as she was stared at. She slowly climbed onto Chang Jingxiang's back. The man supported her thighs and bounced her up a bit. Lin Yue subconsciously wrapped her arms around the man's neck.

A smile curved the man's lips. Feeling the softness on his back, some familiar images flashed through his mind. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed.

Lin Yue had no idea what he was thinking. Her gaze remained fixed on Chang Jingxiang's profile: his thick eyebrows, his straight nose, and his slightly red ears.

Do you come up here every night to catch wild game?

"Shh!" Lin Yue quickly covered Chang Jingxiang's mouth and whispered in his ear, "Don't be so loud. If someone hears us, they'll start accusing me again."

He felt a warm breath on his ear and his mouth was covered by soft fingers. Chang Jingxiang felt his mouth dry and his Adam's apple bobbed. He opened his mouth silently and his lips brushed against Lin Yue's palm.

Lin Yue released her grip as if she'd been electrocuted, her body falling backward due to inertia. Chang Jingxiang leaned forward, and Lin Yue pressed herself tightly against the man's back. She then heard the man's smiling voice, "Hold on tight."

Lin Yue felt the atmosphere was a bit strange, so she deliberately changed the subject, "I found animal footprints when I came up to collect herbs during the day, so I came out to try it out at night. I didn't expect to actually catch one. It's a good way to nourish my parents."

Hearing Lin Yue call her parents so naturally, Chang Jingxiang smiled again.

He thought for a moment and said seriously, "Where there are small animals, there are also large animals. What if you, a girl, encounter one?"

Lin Yue knew he was concerned about her, and she was overjoyed. "I didn't go too deep into the area, and I didn't dare to go where the grass was tall, so I could only catch some wild rabbits and pheasants. I heard the sound of wild boars, so they should still be inside."

A steady, masculine voice rang out, "They said you..."

"Did you hear what they were saying? Don't take it to heart. Let them talk. That way, they won't discover my secret."

"It must have been the young wife of the Niu family who said it. She met a man on the hillside, and I saw them, so she said that on purpose."

What are they doing there?

"I saw them hugging and kissing..." Lin Yue thought of something and immediately shut up.

Feeling the person on his back constantly shrinking their neck, Chang Jingxiang couldn't help but laugh out loud. His laughter was full of energy and sounded particularly cheerful in the quiet night.

He must think he's incredibly shameless for casually discussing matters between men and women. Lin Yue wanted to bite her tongue off.

"Don't come up here again. I'll give you money. If you need anything, just go to town to buy it. It's not safe to come here late at night."

"It's alright. I used to come out to collect herbs at night all the time. There are usually not many people here at night."

"That's not OK."

"But…"

"No buts."

"Okay." Lin Yue didn't argue anymore. Besides, since Chang Jingxiang wasn't home, he wouldn't know if she secretly came out. In that case, the emperor was far away and she was in a difficult situation.

Just as she was feeling smug, she heard Chang Jingxiang's amused voice, "I'll have Mom and Dad keep an eye on you. There's plenty of wild game on the mountain; I'll hunt some and bring it back."

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Yue's heart, and she couldn't help but hug the man's neck tightly. Although she knew that Chang Jingxiang didn't like her and was only saying these things to her because he was too kind, she still couldn't help but feel her heart flutter.

None of these things happened in her previous life. She would never let him carry her, and he would only speak a few words to her, let alone initiate a conversation with her.

Perhaps, some things can be changed in this life, such as her fate and their marriage.