Chapter 74

Bai Mei used the excuse of delivering something to her aunt to come to the family quarters. On her way out, she made sure to pass by the clinic.

It was lunchtime, so there weren’t many people at the clinic.

Wu Xiaomin also saw her, and the two exchanged a glance.

Five minutes later, they met in the most secluded corner of the family quarters.

Bai Mei’s face was sallow, her eye sockets darkened, and her hands were trembling slightly at her sides. “Xiaomin, the lunatic got caught! You have to help me!”

Wu Xiaomin’s expression changed. “Don’t panic, tell me slowly!”

Bai Mei’s lips were trembling. “Last night, the lunatic dragged Yu Xiangnian into the cornfield. Who would’ve thought a man would suddenly come and save her? Later, Ding Yunfei showed up out of nowhere. I heard Yu Xiangnian say she was going to call the police, and then they actually went to the police station.”

Wu Xiaomin asked, “Did the lunatic succeed?”

Bai Mei shivered. “I don’t know, probably not. Why would Yu Xiangnian call the police? What if the lunatic mentions me? I was so scared last night I couldn’t sleep at all…”

“Enough!” Wu Xiaomin interrupted her sharply. “What’s done is done. Being scared won’t help. I guess the lunatic didn’t mention you, otherwise the police would’ve come for you by now! Besides, who would believe a lunatic? Even if the police find you, just deny everything!”

Bai Mei added, “Xiaomin, you said that in such cases, Yu Xiangnian would just suffer in silence. But why would she call the police? This was your idea. If you don’t help me, I…”

Wu Xiaomin cursed inwardly: What a coward I picked to work with!

But she spoke soothingly, “Bai Mei, think about how Yu Xiangnian treated you. If it weren’t for her, you’d have married Captain Ding smoothly. Last night was an accident, and since the police haven’t found you yet, it means you’re safe. Don’t lose your composure. Just act normal, as if nothing happened.”

Wu Xiaomin comforted Bai Mei for a while longer until she calmed down and quietly left the family quarters.

Wu Xiaomin returned to the clinic, feeling uneasy.

She had instigated Bai Mei to use the village lunatic to ruin Yu Xiangnian.

That way, Cheng Jingmo would definitely despise her, leading to a divorce!

How could a woman who had been defiled continue to flaunt herself?

But Yu Xiangnian was rescued?! And she called the police?!

Usually, women who encounter such situations suffer in silence!

Who would’ve thought Yu Xiangnian would call the police?

Would the police find out it was them?

No, no, like she said earlier, if they were going to find out, they would’ve by now!

With this thought, Wu Xiaomin felt a bit relieved, and another idea came to mind.

Wasn’t Yu Xiangnian afraid of others knowing about this?

She’d help spread the word!

A sly smile appeared on Wu Xiaomin’s lips.

At that moment, a family member came in to see the doctor, and Wu Xiaomin put on a worried expression.

“Dr. Wu, what’s wrong?” the family member asked.

Wu Xiaomin sighed, “Sister Shuiqin, don’t go out at night lately. I heard that last night Comrade Yu was…”

Sister Shuiqin’s eyes widened. “Which Comrade Yu?!”

“The one in the family quarters, who else?”

“Was she assaulted?!”

“Yes!”

As Cheng Jingmo walked through the family quarters after work, he felt some strange looks directed at his back.

When he turned around, those family members quickly turned their heads, pretending to chat.

But he was used to these strange looks by now.

Ever since the second day of his marriage, after Xiao Jie accidentally let something slip, people had been looking at him this way from time to time.

Who knows who Yu Xiangnian had quarreled with today?

When he got home, Yu Xiangnian was cooking.

Cheng Jingmo walked into the kitchen. “I’ll cook.”

Then he thought for a moment and asked, “What did you do today?”

Yu Xiangnian was stirring eggs, planning to make a hot and sour egg drop soup. “I didn’t do much! After Qiu Yang left, my mom came to see me and brought some ointment for my face. Then I just stayed home and slept.”

In reality, she had been thinking about what happened last night but fell asleep while pondering.

Cheng Jingmo had a bad feeling.

If Yu Xiangnian hadn’t even left the house, yet the families were gossiping, could they have heard about last night’s incident?

But the only ones who knew were the police and the four of them. Who could have leaked it?

“What are you thinking about?” Yu Xiangnian asked.

Cheng Jingmo, holding the spatula mid-air while the pan was already smoking hot, realized he was lost in thought. He quickly poured oil into the pan and started cooking. “You shouldn’t go out for the next few days.”

“Why not?”

Cheng Jingmo came up with a clumsy excuse, “Your face is a mess, and you look terrible.”

Yu Xiangnian pouted, her almond-shaped eyes widening in a glare, “How dare you say I’m ugly?”

“I don’t think you’re ugly,” Cheng Jingmo replied. “It’s just that when you go out, everyone stares at you, and you feel embarrassed.”

Yu Xiangnian, satisfied, said, “That’s better.”

Outside the family quarters, in a secluded corner.

Ding Yunfei angrily confronted Wu Xiaomin, “Dr. Wu, is this how you help me? If I had been a bit later last night, Yu Xiangnian would have been assaulted!”

A few days ago, Ding Yunfei had asked Wu Xiaomin to help him find a way to get Yu Xiangnian to talk to him.

Yesterday, Dr. Wu said she had a plan and told him to pass by a certain place around 10 PM.

Who would have thought she would arrange for a lunatic to assault Yu Xiangnian?!

Wu Xiaomin, with a calm expression, said, “If I hadn’t helped you this way, would Yu Xiangnian have paid any attention to you? Besides, it was all planned. The lunatic was just supposed to scare her, not actually do anything.”

Inwardly, she was puzzled. Why had Ding Yunfei arrived early?

According to her plan, Ding Yunfei was supposed to arrive around 10 PM, by which time Yu Xiangnian would have already been assaulted by the lunatic.

This way, she could achieve her goal of ruining Yu Xiangnian while fulfilling her promise to help Ding Yunfei.

But Ding Yunfei had arrived early, and another man had shown up!

Wu Xiaomin asked, “Who was that man last night?”

Ding Yunfei replied, “I don’t know him either. He seemed to be a friend of Yu Xiangnian; they seemed pretty close.”

Pausing, he looked suspicious and surprised, “How did you know there was another man?”

Wu Xiaomin’s eyes flickered with panic before she regained her composure. “The incident spread throughout the family quarters last night.”

In truth, Wu Xiaomin had manipulated both Ding Yunfei and Bai Mei, and neither knew the other’s involvement with Wu Xiaomin in this matter.

Ding Yunfei asked, “Who spread the news?”

“How would I know? I heard it from the other families.”

Ding Yunfei began to panic.

The only people who knew about last night were the four of them. Cheng Jingmo and Yu Xiangnian wouldn’t say anything, and the man wasn’t from the military, so he wouldn’t come to the family quarters to spread the news.

Would Yu Xiangnian suspect him of leaking the information?!

“I need to go explain this to Yu Xiangnian!” Ding Yunfei said as he hurried off.