Chapter 139: The Expansion of Mental Power

Han Li had anticipated Jiang Xiaoli's reaction because this document was, in essence, a confession of self-implication.

At that moment, he shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands outwards with a helpless expression.

"You are the one trying to seduce me right now. I am merely asking you to write down the truth with a bit of exaggeration. Is there anything wrong with that? You are completely free to refuse to write this testimony and walk away right now. I will pretend none of this ever happened, and tomorrow we will still be good comrades striving together in the countryside."

Jiang Xiaoli: "Han Li, you are a complete bastard."

Han Li shook his head and said, "Jiang Xiaoli, one shouldn't hold double standards. Am I a bastard? Yet I didn't lay a single finger on you, and I even avoided your embrace. Are you not a bastard? Then why did you appear in my bed in the middle of the night looking like this, and utter those words about throwing yourself willingly into my arms?"

"You—"

"What about you? You're not a child anymore; you have to bear the corresponding consequences for every single action of yours. Today it just happened to be with me. If it were someone else in your current situation, they could strip you of everything and turn the tables to frame you instead. Do you believe that?"

Jiang Xiaoli: "I—"

Han Li: "No man would refuse a beauty delivering herself to his doorstep, but the human heart is always more treacherous than mountains and rivers. So I'll say it again: without this written testimony, you can put your clothes on and leave my house right now. We've been together in Shanghe Village for so long; you should know that I'm someone who dislikes talking too much or speaking out of turn. I guarantee that today's matter will not leave my lips, and when we meet tomorrow, we'll still be good comrades."

After saying this, Han Li picked up his clothes, put them on, left the hurricane lamp inside the room, and walked out into the courtyard.

Jiang Xiaoli stood frozen inside the room. A thousand thoughts swirled in her mind, and her expression kept changing.

Han Li was right; she had to bear the corresponding consequences of her choices, and if she were anywhere else, she really might have been consumed entirely. But what choice did she have? If her family could have helped her, would she have had to struggle and scheme so bitterly on her own?

On one side was a life of watching the days pass without any hope, remaining stuck in Shanghe Village facing the loess soil with her back to the sky.

On the on side was a life with a glimmer of hope—as long as she copied this testimony, she could leave this place far behind, and half a year later she would have no connection left to anything here, making this document utterly inconsequential to her future.

Ultimately, Jiang Xiaoli hardened her resolve. She picked up the pen and paper Han Li had left behind and quickly copied the text word for word from the original draft.

She got down from the kang, stood in place, and dazed out for a moment before putting on her clothes and going outside to find Han Li.

Han Li was sitting by the doorway, admiring the beautiful night sky. Jiang Xiaoli placed the notebook in front of him and said, "I've copied it word for word according to the draft. I hope you will do your utmost to help me secure this quota."

"You must know that once an arrow is loosed from the bow, there is no turning back. It's still not too late for you to regret this."

"What is there to regret? If you want to gain something, you have to pay a price. I understand that much. As I said just now, you are the most pleasing person I've ever laid eyes on, so I don't regret giving my first time to you. However, once I leave this place, it would be best if we never cross paths again."

Han Li: "Very well. Everything today was merely a passing dream of the past. But your body is quite cold right now; let me take you somewhere warm."

"Where to?"

Jiang Xiaoli looked confused as she watched Han Li walk into the courtyard. Wasn't the kang much warmer than anywhere else?

Seeing that Jiang Xiaoli hadn't followed, Han Li beckoned to her.

The two of them entered the cellar together. As soon as they stepped inside, it felt much warmer, proving that the temperature down here was indeed higher.

Although Han Li had watched plenty of instructional videos by various "professors," he was still an absolute rookie when it came to practical execution.

Just like a beginner learning to ride a bicycle, he inevitably wobbled left and right at first, unable to ride normally.

To make matters worse, this was a brand-new vehicle. Driven by a man's natural instinct to cherish delicate things, even if he could only ride it once, he had to treasure the experience.

After a brief period of breaking it in, Han Li finally mastered the bicycle completely, except that the initial sounds echoed quite loudly inside the cellar.

Still, at least it was ready for the road, wasn't it? Han Li pedaled hard, causing the bicycle to emit a buzzing sound.

The wooden racks in the cellar rattled noisily from the momentum of the bicycle's speed.

As the speed increased, this sound gradually blended into a continuous, humming rhythm with the bicycle's noise, combining into something surprisingly melodious and pleasant.

............, I am the 13,600th rotation of the bicycle wheel.

The cellar was now filled with a strange, exotic scent. Jiang Xiaoli sat panting on Han Li's lap.

They say that the physical fitness of people in this era is truly top-notch; after a brief rest, Jiang Xiaoli insisted on leaving immediately.

Han Li pulled and dragged her out of the cellar, and she trotted all the way back to the room.

Holding the half-towel he had just used to wipe himself down, Han Li looked at the white towel now adorned with blooming red plum blossoms. He neatly tucked it away, and when he entered the room, he saw Jiang Xiaoli wiping her body with the water from the thermos.

This sight reminded Han Li of the bicycle ride just moments ago. Since he had already test-driven it once, why not take this opportunity to further explore the vehicle's performance?

"Han Li, not now. It's already very late."

"Let's increase our speed a bit this time; it definitely won't take too much of your time. By the way, we can also discuss how we should act our parts tomorrow."

Han Li mounted the bicycle once more, grasped the handlebars with both hands, pedaled hard, and the bicycle darted forward with a swift whoosh.

Because of the high speed this time, amidst the rushing sound of the wind, the two of them carefully discussed how they would coordinate their acts tomorrow.

Throughout the entire process, Han Li kept his psychic awareness extended to escort Jiang Xiaoli back, ensuring that no one else noticed the scene.

The male educated youths in the youth point were fast asleep after drinking, and the female educated youths had long since drifted off to dreamland as well.

Upon returning home, Han Li first opened the windows and the cellar door to ventilate the space, completely refreshing the indoor air.

Han Li sat in the courtyard, poured himself a cup of wine, and once again raised his gaze to the beautiful night sky.

Yet this time, there was no admiration in his eyes; instead, they were filled with a hint of deep thought and solemnity.

Because when he was escorting Jiang Xiaoli back just now, he discovered that the range of his psychic perception had actually increased. Previously, his range had been locked at precisely ten meters—not an inch more, not an inch less. But just now, that range had expanded to eleven meters. What was going on here? Could this phenomenon be related to riding the bicycle?

Han Li pondered for a long time without coming to any conclusions, and could only wait for another opportunity to test it out.

After finishing a cup of wine, the air inside the room had regained its freshness. Han Li slipped under the covers that Jiang Xiaoli had laid out and fell into a deep sleep.

Perhaps due to the last cup of wine, or perhaps because Han Li had undergone a magnificent transformation the day before, he opened his eyes the next morning to the sound of Yun Yingying knocking on the door.

Han Li shook his head, got out of bed, and opened the door for the Yun sisters. Seeing him, Yun Yingying asked with immediate concern, "Han Li, are you alright? You've never slept in this late before."

"Haha, I'm fine. It's just that Sun Yong dragged me out to drink last night, and I ended up getting a little too tipsy."

"That's just awful! How dare Sun Yong and the others get you drunk? Later on, none of us are voting for him."

"They didn't force me to drink. It was probably just that my tolerance wasn't up to par yesterday; I got drunk after just a little bit."

"Well, hurry up and wash your face to rest a bit. I'll have my sister make you some soup to warm your stomach."

Yun Jinjin glanced at her sister, thinking to herself that she was looking more and more like a nanny to the two of them.

Chatting as they went, they returned to the room. While Han Li brushed his teeth and washed his face, the two sisters busied themselves cooking by the stove.

The three of them began discussing Sun Yong's dinner treat from the previous night. When the sisters heard that Wu Lili had actually attended, Yun Jinjin whispered a few words into her younger sister's ear, making Yun Yingying nod repeatedly in agreement.

While they were eating, the people from Hao Hongmei's courtyard and He Mi's courtyard all arrived, though they had already eaten.

The conversation naturally drifted to today's upcoming vote. Everyone could guess that the quota would be contested between Sun Yong and Jiang Xiaoli, and opinions on who to support flew about. At that moment, Yun Yingying set down her bowl and spoke up indignantly.

"I propose we vote for Jiang Xiaoli. Sun Yong has ulterior motives; he specifically hosted a dinner last night to lobby for votes, yet even though he invited Wu Lili, he didn't invite any of us. That's a clear sign of looking down on us! Besides, he got Han Li drunk during the banquet last night, and it wasn't until I knocked on his door today that Han Li even woke up."

At this, everyone turned their gazes toward Han Li, who held his bowl and offered a remark: "Heh, my tolerance just wasn't right yesterday. Getting drunk had nothing to do with Sun Yong."

Chi Zhaodi chimed in, "I don't want to give my vote to Sun Yong. He only drank you under the table because he knew Brother Han has such a good temper."

Yang Xiuying added with some anger, "I used to think Sun Yong was a decent guy, but I never expected him to be someone who plays favorites like this. My vote is definitely not going to him."

After Yang Xiuying finished speaking, Hao Hongmin nodded slightly, silently concurring with her roommate's stance.

He Mi said, "Voting is entirely a matter of our own free will. However, it's best not to bring up the dinner party; talking about it makes us look petty, as if we cared about a single meal of his."

Yun Jinjin, having already finished her meal, set her bowl down on the table and declared, "We shouldn't bring up the dinner unprovoked, but if someone else mentions it, we can use it as an excuse to accuse Sun Yong of currying favor, playing office politics, and engaging in corrupt practices among the educated youths."

Hearing this, Han Li cast a serious look at Yun Jinjin. His older sister-in-law's strategy was identical to what he had discussed with Jiang Xiaoli during their second bicycle ride yesterday. Could this be telepathic harmony?

Acknowledgments:
Thanks to Youfang Daoren Yousifang for the 500-point tip.
Thanks to Zhang Zewei Tong for the 500-point tip.
Thanks to Xiaose Neiwai for the 100-point tip.
Thanks to Piaomiao Lvze 119 for the 100-point tip.
(End of this chapter)