Chapter 839: Chapter 712: Possessed by Obsession

In the early morning before dawn, everyone was awakened. After washing up, they each took their luggage and prepared to depart.

Inside the room, Zhou Jiao wore a long-sleeve shirt and pants. As she grabbed her bag and slung it over her back, she hesitated when she noticed that grass-green bag but ended up taking it along.

Xie Fang glanced at it without saying a word, picking up her luggage and waiting for the three of them at the door. Last night, she saw Zhou Jiao bringing it back. Although Qiao Na asked several times without getting a straight answer, she was curious to see what it was.

With Yi Jiefang’s reminder, Zhou Jiao was even more vigilant about the happenings around her. Just as her father said, many clever people often stumble over insignificant individuals.

Why is this?

In Zhou Jiao’s opinion, nobody in this world is simple; it’s all about how ruthless one can be. While some female classmates may have the era’s unique simplicity and sincerity, there are always surprises.

Just like the person in front of her, whose eyes always bore a scrutinizing and plotting look. As long as she doesn’t provoke Zhou Jiao, there should be no hard feelings.

Zhou Jiao was well aware of the advantages held by young women, especially those with both talent and looks. Without any backing, just daring to go all out to sell herself, adeptly, she wields power akin to a nuclear bomb!

"Do you want me to carry it for you?"

Zhou Jiao smiled and shook her head, turning to urge the two people behind her to hurry up.

Following the teachers’ arrangement, they each boarded the truck. It was said that their group of teachers and students would arrive at the neighboring city’s power station after four hours.

Zhou Jiao squeezed into a corner following Qiao Na, tossing her luggage bag and getting inside, leaning against it and ignoring the noise around her with eyes closed.

"You asleep?"

"Yeah, wake me up when we arrive."

As the vehicle started moving, Zhou Jiao silently grimaced in pain. What exactly did Yi Hunu pack in this thing? It was poking her back painfully, especially when the vehicle jolted.

Twitching her back, Zhou Jiao moved the troublesome item into the space, not bothering to look at the dumped items, directly stuffing with cotton before pressing it against her back again.

She wasn’t worried about anyone noticing anything off, deliberately sliding inside to consider safety hazards earlier on. If she later finds nothing eye-catching, she’ll swap it back and toss it on her lap.

If anyone wants to look, let them! The worst loss would be some snacks. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

With soft cotton, except for a sore bum, she felt much better. She kept her eyes closed, busy examining the items Yi Hunu provided in the space.

Military biscuits, canned meat and fish, a big bag of White Rabbit candy, glutinous rice cakes, and pastries—Zhou Jiao stared blankly at these items, recalling the day he helped her serve several dishes.

The truck jolted over a pit, jerking her body. Zhou Jiao immediately snapped back, seeing her classmates inside the carriage, including Yi Jiefang.

She finally understood why Zhang Guoqing was being so awkward? Perhaps her husband had noticed something. No wonder he kept emphasizing to deal with wild men ruthlessly if she encountered them.

Zhou Jiao smugly chuckled internally. What a bunch of nonsense! Since the other party hasn’t expressed anything, she might as well feign ignorance and keep future interactions minimal.

Zhou Jiao closed her eyes again, stowing the bag in the space, then repacks with glutinous rice and pastries, laying a sheet and yarn, arranging it to its original size before taking it out to place behind her.

Those military supplies and White Rabbit candies wouldn’t be brought out, planning to conceal them from Zhang Guoqing. Even though it’s unintentional, these items could easily lead to misunderstandings.

It’s ridiculous. She barely interacted with him; where did that guy get any ideas? Zhou Jiao refused to believe she’s deluding herself.

Would Zhang Guoqing’s gift be these instant foods? If she gave these to Yi Jiefang, the careless guy probably wouldn’t believe it!

She secretly felt relieved that Yi Jiefang didn’t ask what was inside last night; otherwise, even her little aunt Cheng Ruzhu would’ve caught on.

Traveling over two hours, they stopped midway to let everyone out to stretch and resolve their physical needs. Seeing others munching on rations, Zhou Jiao handed the bag to Yi Jiefang.

Yi Jiefang accepted without a word, opened it, rearranged the yarn, saw the items inside, and grinned at her. A truly caring little sister!

He took out a box of mochi, neatly with eight pieces, just enough to satisfy his cravings. Before classmates nearby could gather, he quickly tightened the bag. Just kidding, these are their future lifeline rations!

Having just left home, lacking the foresight to bring treats, breakfast included plenty of mantou, so everyone laughed it off and joked around.

It was already noon when they arrived at their destination. After being led to have lunch, before resting, Professor Wei hurried them to the suburban power station.

From this day onwards, Zhou Jiao cast aside her distractions. Besides rushing on the road amid the hectic internship, she dealt with a barrage of questions from professors. There was hardly time for extended thoughts.

On the tenth day of leaving Lingnan City, Zhou Jiao posted her second letter home, briefly mentioning she was doing well and reminding her family to take care of their health.

Constant travel often left her sleeping directly in the vehicle. That wasn’t the worst; at times with inaccessible power stations, they would have to hike and munch on dry rations while preparing for work.

Staying up all night no long mattered, eyes glued to the engine, professors bombarding with conversion questions one after another.

Under such intense work, several classmates gradually fell ill within twenty days. When exhausted, they were left at local clinics before moving on.

However, to everyone’s surprise, Zhou Jiao who looked frail enough to be blown down remained standing. Noticing her noticeably thin chin and those larger eyes intently on the engine, everyone could only push themselves harder.

Compared to Professor Wei’s excitement, Yi Jiefang was the most worried! Zhou Jiao was excellent in her studies, smart as she was. Yet here she was, tirelessly accompanying the elderly professors in madness, neither eating nor sleeping.

Wrecking herself wasn’t enough; he had to be dragged into dismantling machines alongside her. Whenever something went wrong, she’d speak frankly; was he really her brother? Is there such a sabotaging sister?

Given she was now skin and bones, would Uncle Zhou take it out on him upon return? Her weak constitution needed frequent hospital check-ups, yet how wouldn’t this persistent girl collapse!

Full of resentment, Yi Jiefang silently stared at her, eternally frustrated.

Seeing his expression, Zhou Jiao lifted her head, "Stay focused! Professor is coming soon. Check these markings for me; is it feasible? Successful modifications could save a lot of resources."

Finishing, Zhou Jiao frowned deeply, "Transportation here is inconvenient, burning excessive coal isn’t feasible..."

Yi Jiefang rolled his eyes. Truly worrying for nothing!

"If this plan works, imagine turning it into a major project back at school. Its success could save considerable manpower and material for the country, further optimizing the grid layout regionally..."

Yi Jiefang couldn’t listen anymore. Taking advantage of two classmates sleeping soundly at the table, he whispered, "If you keep this up, don’t dream of staying in Beijing."

Currently engrossed in work, Zhou Jiao blinked bewilderedly at his remark.

Yi Jiefang, fed up with her misguided efficiency, tapped her forehead with a finger, "Enough with this madness! Your son! My nephew! Little Ping’an is waiting for you at home!"

Zhou Jiao twisted her head lightly.

"How long has it been since you wrote to Xiao Wu? Believe it or not, I’d telegraph him to come over?"

Hearing this, Zhou Jiao heavily slapped her forehead, shamefully lowering her head.