Previously, whenever Gu Jianing brought him food, it was always at that place.

At that time, Wen Zhuqing didn’t want others to see him associating with Gu Jianing.

Wen Zhuqing’s gaze lightly fell on the paper, and a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.

The content on the paper was exactly what Gu Jianing would do.

In Wen Zhuqing’s eyes, Gu Jianing was nothing more than a pretty face with a good figure but an empty head—a mere flower vase.

However, this flower vase did suit his taste, and for now, she was still worth toying with and using as a stepping stone.

Previously, Wen Zhuqing had been puzzled by how drastically Gu Jianing had changed, to the point where it seemed unbelievable. Now, he finally had an explanation.

Gu Jianing hadn’t changed; she was just being pressured by her family.

But it didn’t matter. As long as Gu Jianing still liked him, he had a way to win her over. Tomorrow would be a great opportunity.

A look of determination flashed in Wen Zhuqing’s eyes.

…

The next day, after breakfast, the family members went about their respective tasks.

Gu Jianing, as usual, performed acupuncture treatment for her eldest sister-in-law. She estimated that by the time of her wedding banquet, her sister-in-law’s treatment would be completed, and she would be able to conceive smoothly.

Just as she finished the treatment and removed the needles, she suddenly heard a commotion outside.

Gu Jianing raised her hand and glanced at the time on her wristwatch, a look of understanding flashing in her eyes.

It was about time.

Soon, Gu Jianing saw her mother running in, her face filled with excitement and enthusiasm.

As soon as she entered, she grabbed Gu Jianing’s hand and said, “Daughter, come, let’s go watch the excitement. This is a big one.”

Yang Manman, who had just finished her treatment and was lying on the bed, was also curious but managed to restrain herself.

Gu Jianing was pulled along by her mother as they headed out.

Not only that, but along the way, they encountered other villagers who seemed to have heard the news and were all heading northward in unison.

By the time Gu Jianing and her mother arrived, a large crowd had already gathered.

Before they could even get close, they heard a loud yet slightly hoarse female voice.

That voice, with its distinctive tone, belonged to Bao Shanyan’s mother, Bao Yingzi.

When Gu Jianing and her mother squeezed through the crowd, they saw Bao Yingzi, as sturdy as a small mountain, in full swing, shouting.

“Everyone, judge for yourselves. Wen Zhiqing bullied my daughter. Shouldn’t he take responsibility and marry into our Bao family?”

“I only have this one daughter, and now she’s been ruined by you, Wen Zhiqing.”

“If you don’t take responsibility for my daughter, I’ll go to the police and report you to the commune for harassing my daughter!”

Gu Jianing had been brought back by Yao Chunhua a bit late. She looked up and saw Wen Zhuqing trying to leave but being forcefully held back by Bao Shanyan.

Although he was still wearing a shirt and pants, his clothes were disheveled, and his hair was messy, clearly put on in a hurry.

Bao Shanyan’s clothes were in a similar state.

As Gu Jianing looked up, Wen Zhuqing’s gaze also turned toward her, his eyes icy cold.

At this moment, Wen Zhuqing finally understood that he had been set up by Gu Jianing and Bao Shanyan, these two wretched women.

Although he didn’t know why, Gu Jianing had truly changed.

She no longer liked him at all.

The way she looked at him now was completely clear, without a trace of affection, and even carried a hint of hatred.

Yes, hatred. Wen Zhuqing was sure he wasn’t mistaken.

But Wen Zhuqing was puzzled. What had he done to make Gu Jianing hate him?

Could it be because of the incident with the pigs?

That seemed to be the only reason.

Had Gu Jianing’s previous affection for him been fake?

But if it was fake, why had Gu Jianing jumped into the river in the middle of winter?

If she hadn’t been rescued in time, she might have lost her life.

But aside from this reason, Wen Zhuqing couldn’t think of anything else.

It would never occur to Wen Zhuqing that Gu Jianing had been reborn.

Having already seen the true nature of this scum in her past life, how could she possibly fall for him again in this life?

Meanwhile, Gu Jianing had already learned the details of the incident from the surrounding villagers’ discussions.

The process was simple: Wen Zhuqing and Bao Shanyan had been caught in a compromising position by Bao Yingzi and the others. When they were discovered, the two were entangled, and Bao Shanyan kept shouting for help and saying no.

At a glance, it looked like Wen Zhuqing was bullying Bao Shanyan.

At least, that’s how Bao Yingzi interpreted it, so she demanded that Wen Zhuqing take responsibility and marry into the Bao family. Otherwise, she would report him to the police for harassment.

The aunties and elders who had come with Bao Yingzi all had sharp eyes.

While it seemed like Bao Shanyan was crying for help and Wen Zhuqing was bullying her, everyone in Huaihua Village knew how strong Bao Shanyan was.

If Bao Shanyan had wanted to resist, even two Wen Zhiqings (educated youth) wouldn’t have been able to overpower her.

This scene was just a performance for them to witness, to create a fait accompli.

However, they weren’t about to expose Bao Shanyan. Instead, they would play along with Bao Yingzi’s narrative and keep the act going.

First, Bao Yingzi had given them some things not long ago. At first, they had been puzzled, as Bao Yingzi wasn’t usually so generous. Why had she suddenly given them things?

Now, they understood.

Second, they also hoped that Wen Zhuqing would get married soon, no matter who he married. The truth was, the daughters of the families Bao Yingzi had approached all liked Wen Zhuqing, and some of them even refused to consider other marriage prospects because of him, which infuriated their mothers.

They saw clearly that these educated youths all had their noses in the air. They had the self-awareness to know that if their daughters married an educated youth, they wouldn’t have a good life. Besides, these educated youths couldn’t carry heavy loads or do manual labor.

If they got married, it would undoubtedly mean the families would have to support them.

No way.

So, now that they had figured it out, they joined Bao Yingzi in condemning Wen Zhuqing, acting as witnesses and insisting that Wen Zhuqing take responsibility for Bao Shanyan.

Even though they knew the Bao family had set Wen Zhuqing up, so what? Even if Wen Zhuqing marrying into the Bao family was like a beautiful flower stuck in a pile of cow dung, they thought it was just fine.

“Village Chief, Party Secretary, you must stand up for my Ah Yan.”

The Village Chief, Gu Jianing’s father, exchanged a glance with the Party Secretary, who was an elder from the clan.

Then, Gu Jianing’s father stepped forward and said, “Wen Zhiqing, the facts are right in front of us. What do you plan to do?”

Gu Jianing’s father stared sternly at Wen Zhuqing. His impression of this educated youth, who had been coaxing his precious daughter, was also very poor.

Although he knew the situation wasn’t as simple as it appeared, he was happy to facilitate this matter.

Wen Zhuqing also knew he couldn’t remain silent any longer.

Scanning the crowd, he said, “Although I’ve only been in Huaihua Village for a little over half a year, everyone knows what kind of person I am.”

“What happened today was a setup.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted in an uproar.