Chapter 786: Somewhat Responsible

Seeing the woman fall to the ground, Jiang Baishu felt partly responsible. He set his things down, then went over and helped her up.

The power of the original plot, it had to be said, was formidable.

At home, An Dongyang guarded Xu Wenwan like a hawk, giving her no chance to go out. He happened to have business to attend to today, so she had finally seized the opportunity to come out for a breath of fresh air.

It was nearly noon and she was all alone at home, so Xu Wenwan had decided to just grab a bite at the state-run restaurant.

But on the way, she ran into someone whose luck she had siphoned away. The person started to harass her, and a terrified Xu Wenwan had fled in this direction.

She had thought he would catch her. She never expected him to be so rude as to actually dodge her.

She flung Jiang Baishu’s hand away, her tone caustic.

“I don’t need your phony kindness. If you had just grabbed me, I wouldn’t have fallen. I bet you did it on purpose.”

Xu Wenwan straightened her clothes and looked up, glaring at the man before her.

But as she looked up, her eyes met a rather handsome face.

The man before her stood tall and straight, with a righteous air about him. His features were handsome too. While he couldn’t compare to Yun Hao or An Dongyang, there was something about him that inexplicably made one feel safe.

Jiang Baishu felt a bit apologetic. It really had been his fault.

It was his fault, and he would own up to it.

Jiang Baishu immediately offered a sincere apology.

“I’m sorry, it was my fault. Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Xu Wenwan shook her head. “There’s no need for a hospital. What’s your name? If something comes up later, can I find you?”

From the moment she saw Jiang Baishu, Xu Wenwan had felt an inexplicable fondness for him, and she couldn’t help but take the initiative to ask for his name.

Jiang Baishu didn’t think much of it. “My name is Jiang Baishu. I live in Qingshan Team. If you need anything, you can find me there.”

Jiang Baishu assumed she was talking about future compensation, so he gave her his name and address.

But when Xu Wenwan heard his name, she was stunned.

Since it was her own novel, she of course knew who Jiang Baishu was. He was the supporting male lead who loved her deeply—the man who, for her sake, never married in his entire life.

For a moment, Xu Wenwan wished she could go right up and act like she knew him. But they were complete strangers right now. Suppressing the tremor in her heart, Xu Wenwan forced herself to recall the scene in her novel where they first met.

In the novel, they were supposed to meet six months from now.

It was supposed to be in ’77, still bitterly cold after the New Year. She would be on her way to sell goods at the black market when some thugs targeted her. Jiang Baishu would happen to see it and save her.

And that was how they were supposed to have gotten acquainted.

After meeting a few more times, they would have grown familiar with each other. And because she would have helped Sweet Girl, Jiang Baishu would have been grateful to her.

‘It was supposed to be such a perfect first meeting.’

But everything had changed.

The timing was wrong, the black market was gone, and she was already married. For a moment, Xu Wenwan felt a pang in her chest. However, remembering Jiang Baishu’s devotion, she still feigned a look of great surprise.

“Oh, so you’re from Qingshan Team! Well, since we’ve met today, why don’t I treat you to a meal?”

In the novel, after Jiang Baishu saved her during their first encounter, she had treated him to a meal.

Jiang Baishu saw that Xu Wenwan seemed genuinely unharmed. Hearing her offer to treat him to a meal, he found it strange.

He gave Xu Wenwan another look. She was dressed decently and was out by herself; she didn’t seem like there was anything wrong with her. He didn’t linger any longer. After a brief farewell, he left.

He was in a hurry to get back, after all.

In the end, Xu Wenwan could only watch helplessly as Jiang Baishu walked away. There was nothing she could do; they were still strangers.

Still, she was confident. After they met a few more times, Jiang Baishu would definitely fall for her.