Chapter 38

“It wasn’t with Ye Yao; it was Zhao Qingqing. I saw it with my own eyes last night—Zhao Qingqing and that wild man were kissing passionately in the small grove outside the courtyard!”

“So, we wronged that child, Ye Yao, before?”

“Exactly! Who was the one who told us first? Oh! I remember now—it was Zhao Qingqing! She’s the one who claimed she saw Ye Yao fooling around with an outsider! How could she be so vicious? It was her all along!”

—-

The next morning, the alleyway was livelier than ever.

Returning from her morning run, Ye Yao was in a particularly good mood, having solved a major problem.

Before she could even reach home, a woman rushed toward her anxiously.

“Ye Yao, why are you still wandering outside? Hurry home! Wang Guihua is making a scene at your house!”

Ye Yao’s expression changed instantly, and she sprinted home as fast as she could.

Inside the courtyard, several neighbors were barely holding back the furious Wang Guihua, who was spewing curses.

Zhang Qiufeng stood frozen in place, her eyes red, not saying a word.

Wang Guihua had gone mad, pushing and shoving Zhao Jianshe and the other neighbors, desperately trying to break free and fight Zhang Qiufeng.

She had spent the entire night interrogating Zhao Qingqing and had finally uncovered the full truth.

The moment she found out Ye Yao was behind it, she grabbed a kitchen knife and stormed out. If Zhao Jianshe hadn’t realized the seriousness of the situation and followed her, Zhang Qiufeng would have been hacked to death by now.

“Zhao Jianshe, are you even a man? Your daughter was bullied like this, and instead of seeking revenge, you’re stopping me and protecting this woman?”

Wang Guihua, unable to lash out at the neighbors holding her back, redirected all her fury at Zhao Jianshe.

Zhao Jianshe’s face darkened. He hadn’t expected things to escalate like this.

He had been there when Zhao Qingqing told her side of the story, but he never fully believed her.

She claimed Ye Yao had framed her, but everyone knew how bad their relationship was. Why would she have passed on a message for Ye Yao?

“Guihua, calm down. Stop making a scene. Let’s go home and think things through carefully, okay?”

With so many people gathered around, wasn’t she embarrassed enough already?

And even if what she said was true, Ye Yao wasn’t even home. Arguing with Zhang Qiufeng was just bullying her.

His words only made Wang Guihua even angrier.

“Fine, Zhao Jianshe! I see right through you now! Even at this point, you’re still protecting this shameless woman! Tell me—just how did she seduce you? Why are you so devoted to her?”

Her expression twisted with rage. Since they had no shame, she wouldn’t bother saving face for them either.

Zhao Jianshe’s breath hitched, his eyes widening in fury. “What nonsense are you spouting? Qiufeng and I are innocent!”

He could ignore outsiders talking nonsense, but he hadn’t expected Wang Guihua to twist the truth like this too!

Zhang Qiufeng clenched her fists tightly, gripping the fabric of her clothes, as tears silently slid down her cheeks. She had endured all sorts of slander over the years, but this was too much.

“Guihua, we didn’t—”

“Ha! Did you all see that? You all saw it, right? This shameless woman stayed silent no matter what I said earlier. But the moment I accused her of this, she panicked!”

Wang Guihua’s eyes were filled with venom as she glared at Zhang Qiufeng, as if she wanted to tear her apart.