Chapter 3: Zhao Sihai Has Returned

Lin Qianqian’s shout immediately drew everyone’s attention, and the crowd surged forward.

The Fang family all frowned, instantly sensing that something was wrong.

Fang Chunsheng stepped up, frowning, and said loudly, “Make way, make way. Comrade Bai is injured—let her through first.”

Under the glare of his flashlight, the crowd instinctively parted, forming a narrow path.

Aunt Fang and Liu Meili quickly supported Bai Ruoqiao and guided her inside.

All around, people stared at Bai Ruoqiao with curiosity and a hint of schadenfreude.

A nearby aunt couldn’t help asking,
“Cuilan, where did you catch her from?
You always seemed to get along fine—didn’t expect you to stay so clear-headed in a scandal like this.”

Caught?

Aunt Fang’s expression darkened. A bad feeling crept into her heart.

She merely gave the woman a cold glance and didn’t answer.

At that moment, the village chief and a few others pushed through the crowd.

When they saw Bai Ruoqiao, clearly in a disheveled state and being supported as she walked, they were momentarily stunned.

Right now, Bai Ruoqiao looked like she had been rolling in the dirt.

Usually clean and neat, even her two shiny black braids were coming undone.

Her clothes were dirty and torn in several places.

She wore only one shoe, which was caked in mud.

Her bare ankle was streaked with blood.

“What on earth happened?”

Fang Chunsheng shot back, “That’s what I’d like to ask—what happened here? Why are so many people gathered?”

Even Fang Hanwu sensed something was off.

He stepped forward and asked, “How did you end up together? Why is Comrade Bai injured?”

Fang Chunsheng frowned but didn’t press further. He simply explained:

“Comrade Bai returned from the commune this evening.
To save time, she took a shortcut through the back mountain, stepped into a trap, and fainted.
She just woke up a short while ago. She was worried about An’an, so we brought her back first.”

That explanation had originally been Bai Ruoqiao’s idea, but coming from Fang Chunsheng, it now had more credibility.

Everyone was stunned.

Fang Hanwu immediately asked, “Old Fang, you mean Comrade Bai hasn’t been home since this evening?”

Aunt Fang snapped back, displeased, “She fainted—how could she come home on her own? She’s lucky she didn’t run into any wild animals.
Seriously, what’s going on here? Why are you all questioning her like she’s a criminal?”

The village chief exchanged a glance with Fang Hanwu. Both looked a little dumbfounded.

The village chief had just opened his mouth to explain when another shout came from the gate.

“Sihai! You’re back!”

“Zhao Sihai is back!”

“Sihai, hurry! Your wife was caught cheating!”

A bunch of people, eager to stir up drama, shouted with glee.

Everyone turned toward the gate.

A tall figure was walking in from the darkness, backlit by the light behind him.

The cold, stern aura he carried silenced the rowdy crowd around him.

Bai Ruoqiao turned her head to look at the approaching figure.

In that moment, it was as if something stabbed into her heart. Her entire body froze like stone.

Her breath caught—but her nose prickled with sudden emotion.

Hai-ge…

Zhao Sihai. The fourth son of the Zhao family.

Their marriage had been the result of a scheme.

Back then, Zhao Third had taken a fancy to her and planned to stage a drowning scene to get his way.

But Zhao Sihai happened to be home on leave and jumped in to save her when he saw someone fall into the water.

Once she was pulled from the river, Granny Zhao had already summoned a crowd.

At the time, Bai Ruoqiao had been only 17, completely unprepared for scandal.

Terrified of being accused of indecency, she had clutched Zhao Sihai’s hand, trembling, and declared they were in a relationship.

Zhao Sihai had assumed it was all just a misunderstanding. Not wanting to ruin the girl’s reputation, he agreed and quickly filed for marriage.

Soon after, he returned to the army.

That’s when Zhao Third began harassing her.

Only then did she realize the drowning had been a setup.

Thinking Zhao Sihai had been in on it, she came to resent him deeply.

The cold war had lasted for two years.

It wasn’t until last year, when Lin Qianqian taunted her, that Bai Ruoqiao finally learned the whole setup had nothing to do with Zhao Sihai.

In fact, he had been an innocent party dragged into the mess.

Now that they had a son together, she wanted to mend their relationship. She started writing him letters, and over time, their feelings had gradually warmed.

Memories flickered through her mind like frames of an old film—each moment replayed vividly.

Her vision blurred, and tears fell silently, one by one, like broken pearls on a string.

Zhao Sihai saw the sorrow brimming in his wife’s watery eyes, and his heart ached with it.

Then came the rage.

He strode forward and wrapped her in his arms, his cold, piercing gaze sweeping across the crowd.

“What are you all doing?”

Someone finally came to their senses and called out,
“Hey Sihai, it’s not that we’re bullying her—but your wife was caught in the middle of the night with a man in her room!”

“Bullshit! Did you fall into a cesspit on your way here and forget to wash your mouth?” Aunt Fang exploded.

Liu Meili chimed in fiercely, “Exactly! Spouting nonsense like that—think you can just throw accusations without consequences?”

At that moment, Zhao Xiaohui squeezed through the crowd. When she saw Zhao Sihai, she immediately wore a guilty look.

“Fourth Brother, it’s my fault. I didn’t keep an eye on Sister-in-law. I didn’t expect her to… with Third Brother…”

Her half-spoken words only stirred more suspicion.

Zhao Sihai’s face darkened, his gaze toward Zhao Xiaohui growing colder by the second.

Bai Ruoqiao also turned to look at Zhao Xiaohui, the corners of her mouth curling slightly with disdain.

It was Fang Hanwu and the village chief who broke the silence first.

“Zhao Xiaohui! What nonsense are you spouting?!”

They weren’t fools—something about tonight had smelled fishy from the start.

Looking back, Zhao Xiaohui’s story was full of holes.

In their panic, they hadn’t questioned it, but now it was clear they’d been used.

Zhao Xiaohui didn’t yet realize her scheme had been exposed.

She hadn’t expected Bai Ruoqiao to be out of the room when things unfolded.

But regardless, she was determined to pin this accusation tonight.

Especially when she spotted Liao Yu’an among the crowd—there was no way she’d let Bai Ruoqiao clear her name.

She opened her mouth to speak again, but Aunt Fang, furious, cut her off:

“Are you all blind or deaf? What’s this about cheating—she just got back! Who the hell would she have had time to cheat with?”

Shut down and seeing Zhao Sihai still holding Bai Ruoqiao close, Zhao Xiaohui’s fury only intensified.

In desperation, she blurted out, “Who doesn’t know you and Bai Ruoqiao are close, Aunt Fang? No wonder you’re covering for her with false testimony!”

“Shut your damn mouth—!” Aunt Fang was so angry she nearly slapped her.

But Bai Ruoqiao stopped Zhao Sihai, who looked ready to act, and stepped forward herself.

She looked coldly at Zhao Xiaohui.

Zhao Xiaohui wasn’t afraid and glared back viciously, about to speak again.

But Bai Ruoqiao turned to the village chief and the brigade leader.

“Village Chief, Brigade Leader—I’d like to report this to the police.”

“W-what?” Zhao Xiaohui was stunned at the word “police.”

Bai Ruoqiao took a deep breath, as though suppressing emotion.

“I just heard everyone saying that Third Brother was caught in my room.
I don’t know why people think that means I was cheating.
Can’t it be theft?

Village Chief, Brigade Leader—this afternoon, my mother-in-law gave me a meat ticket and told me to buy two jin of pork.
She said it was for when Hai-ge came home.

At the time, it didn’t sit right with me.

His return date was uncertain—why buy meat early?
And in all the times Hai-ge has returned, he’s never once gotten to eat meat.

Now that I think about it, they just wanted to lure me away so they could steal something.

Mother, I told you before—Hai-ge only sent back a few tickets, and I gave them all to you.
I haven’t kept a single cent of his salary—why won’t you believe me?”

She couldn’t let the conversation stay focused on cheating.

Scandals drew attention fast, and no matter how innocent you were, once gossip spread, it was nearly impossible to clear your name.

The crowd began to murmur, faces full of surprise.

No one had expected this.