After the frail beauty went to the countryside, she went crazy with scientific research.

Chapter 276, Episode 0291: How did it turn out like this?

Inside the small cave dwelling where Ren Yan lived, Lin Yuexi and she sat at a low table, while Xu Shan stood like a mountain a meter behind Lin Yuexi.

Ren Yan, who hadn't seen Lin Yuexi, grinned and rushed over happily. She was very reserved and restrained, sitting on the stool next to Lin Yuexi, nervously and somewhat timidly tugging at her clothes.

Lin Yuexi frowned slightly, noticing her confusion and unease. She smiled and pinched her rosy cheeks, which were already flushed red. "I'll go back to Beijing first and wait for you there."

Ren Yan nodded emphatically again, "Okay."

He responded loudly, but his heart was filled with even more unease.

How easy is it for educated youth to return to the city?

Even people with connections find it difficult to go back home, but she's an orphan...

Lin Yuexi could see it all: from confusion to unease to despair.

She paused for a moment, then asked, "Ren Yan, would you be willing to come back to Beijing with me? I need an assistant, but an assistant is different from other jobs, and you need to fill the temporary gap."

"Moreover, once you become my assistant, you will be very, very busy and will not have time to take care of anything else."

It's even possible that you won't even have time to start a family.

Lin Yuexi had always been satisfied with Ren Yan, and there was absolutely no way there could be any problem with her identity, as it had already been tested.

The higher-ups valued her so much that they allowed Ren Yan to appear in front of her when she was in the most danger. They said it was because Zhang Hongying felt sorry for Ren Yan, but wasn't this the result of tacit approval or even deliberate intent from above?

This shows that the higher-ups had definitely conducted a rigorous background check on Ren Yan long ago, and even assessed her without alerting her.

Having experienced being an important scientific researcher in two lifetimes, Lin Yuexi understood all this clearly. Moreover, Ren Yan was wholeheartedly devoted to her, and the higher-ups had no ill intentions towards her; on the contrary, they were wholeheartedly protective of her. Therefore, she pretended not to know anything.

It was quite obvious that the arrangements made for Ren Yan by the higher authorities were only to provide her with ostensible protection and care during her time in the countryside. Once her health improved and she moved to places like research institutes, Ren Yan's work would come to an end. Firstly, she was not qualified to go with them, and secondly, her own abilities were not up to par.

In terms of academics, she didn't even finish high school properly; in terms of martial arts, she was nothing compared to Xu Shan and the others.

Although Lin Yuexi was quite satisfied with Ren Yan, she didn't necessarily need her by her side. She was a rather lonely person, and besides, she had a bodyguard who was like a father to her. So when Ren Yan suggested returning to the Northeast, she didn't stop her, and she didn't pay much attention to her life afterward.

The reason she's considering bringing her along is twofold: firstly, she's heard some unpleasant things about Ren Yan; and secondly, the Northwest is currently in a state of turmoil, and things may become even more chaotic in the future.

This is also one of the reasons why the Second Elder suddenly wanted to transfer her back to the capital.

Thirdly, Ren Yan was the only person she could consider a friend since she came into this world, and seeing her become like this submissive wife was an eyesore to her.

Ren Yan was somewhat dazed; she seemed to have heard something extraordinary.

"Baby, what... what did you say?"

The once vibrant girl now looks like she's being crushed by a mountain, making it hard for her to even breathe properly. Even Lin Yuexi, a cold-hearted person, felt heartbroken seeing this.

She gently ruffled Ren Yan's hair, which was cut short to her ears, and then reached out to straighten it for her, her voice soft and reassuring, "What happened? Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"Wow~~"

Ren Yan let out a cry and threw herself into Lin Yuexi's arms, then burst into tears, like a homeless child who had been wronged and finally found a home, wanting to let out all the pent-up grievances in her heart through tears.

Xu Shan's eyelids twitched several times. He glanced at the door and silently scoffed.

Who are you in such a hurry to show this to now?

Do you really think they're easy to bully because they're orphans?
He despised people like that the most. After venting her anger, Ren Yan got up from Lin Yuexi's embrace, embarrassed. Seeing the puddle of water on Lin Yuexi's shoulder that she had cried on, she was at a loss and didn't know where to put her hands.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I, I, I didn't mean to."

She couldn't bring herself to offer to pay for another item because she had no money left and couldn't afford to.

Lin Yuexi, who was about to wipe herself with a handkerchief, suddenly froze in mid-air, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at Ren Yan.

How did Ren Yan, who used to be covered in mud and still dare to hug her, become like this?
She ignored the clothes and instead used her hand to lift Ren Yan's chin, forcing her to look into her eyes.

"What exactly happened? Where's your usual arrogance? Where's your fearless spirit? Weren't you supposed to be incredibly strong?"

"Didn't you tell me that you would stand in front of me and remove all dangers for me whenever I needed you?"

“Look at yourself now. Even a young wife who has been sold to a remote mountain village seems more confident than you.”

Xu Shan: "..."

His lips twitched, barely managing to stop, but less than two seconds later, they twitched several more times.

A wave of embarrassment washed over Ren Yan. It wasn't the embarrassment of being scolded, but the embarrassment of becoming the way she was, disappointing Xi Bao.

Lin Yuexi didn't really want to force her to do anything. She didn't become like this overnight, and she wouldn't be able to change back just like that.

He haphazardly wiped her face with the handkerchief in his hand, then pinched her nose hard and snorted, "I'm not asking for your opinion anymore. Get ready, we're leaving at eight o'clock the day after tomorrow."

After saying that, he ignored her and got up to leave.

Upon exiting the door, they saw Leng Xingran and the other two standing not far from the entrance, each with a different expression.

Leng Xingran was helpless, and her gaze towards her occasionally held a hint of guilt;

Zhang Ze seemed too ashamed to face her, hiding half of his body behind Leng Xing and keeping his head down.

Xu Zhichuan's expression was the most complex. At first, he was very anxious, then he felt guilty and remorseful, and finally he fell silent and lowered his head.

Lin Yuexi acted as if she hadn't noticed anything, greeted her brother, and left.

"Third Brother, I'm leaving before 8 a.m. the day after tomorrow to catch the 10 a.m. train."

Leng Xingran waved goodbye and shouted from behind, "I know, I'll wait for you at the military district gate."

Lin Yuexi didn't stop walking; she just raised her hand and waved.

After leaving the educated youth's residence, Lin Yuexi calmly asked Xu Shan, "Do you know what happened?"

She was just asking a casual question, but she didn't expect Xu Shan to actually know.

Xu Shan had a teammate whose younger sister was also a sent-down youth here. Their leader was a generous man. Whenever he got something good, especially if there was a lot of it, he would give some to Xu Shan to share with his brothers.

His teammates would save up the items and deliver them to his sister when he was resting. When he returned, he would bring back a lot of melons from the educated youth settlement.

Ren Yan's matter was already considered quite a big deal in the educated youth settlement.

When he heard his teammate say it, he noticed the name 'Ren Yan'. Combining that with the names of Xu Zhichuan, Liu Jie, and others in the story, he guessed the identity of the protagonist.

At the time, we were worried that these people might affect the leader, so we arranged for our teammates to investigate during their rest time.