Chapter 9

Fang Qinghe also looked at Shen Jiaojiao.  

He was shocked in his heart. Could it be that Shen Jiaojiao had really gotten together with Xu Mo?  

And more than that, perhaps the two of them had already been intimate last night.  

But he found it hard to believe.  

Wasn’t Shen Jiaojiao deeply in love with him?  

The kind of love that was obsessive, to the point of life and death.  

It was impossible for her to fall for someone else so easily.  

Right now, he was truly curious—was there a mark on Shen Jiaojiao’s neck or not?  

Ye Huan had been paying close attention to the situation. Seeing that the timing was right, she quickly stepped forward to help.  

She stood in front of Shen Jiaojiao. “Speak properly, don’t use force. I’m telling you, you’re really misunderstanding our Jiaojiao. How could she possibly do such a thing with someone else? She’s only wearing a scarf because it looks nice.”  

Ye Huan tried to persuade Mother Fang, then turned to Shen Jiaojiao. “Jiaojiao, quickly take off the scarf and prove your innocence!”  

Shen Jiaojiao glared at Ye Huan.  

“Look at her! She’s guilty, isn’t she? She has something to hide! Captain, today you must make Shen Jiaojiao take off that scarf and prove it to us!” Mother Fang shouted.  

Xu Mo’s heart tightened as he looked at Shen Jiaojiao.  

The young girl stood there, her figure thin and fragile. Her lips were tightly pressed together.  

Even though she was being insulted with harsh words, even though her eyes were already brimming with tears, she still stubbornly stared at Mother Fang, unwilling to yield in the slightest.  

For no reason at all, it felt like his heart was being squeezed painfully.  

A bit of heartache.  

He wanted to step forward and shield her.  

The marks on Shen Jiaojiao’s neck were caused by him.  

He was a man. No matter what, he should be the one standing in front of her.  

And just at that moment, Ye Huan moved swiftly.

Ye Huan directly grabbed Shen Jiaojiao’s scarf and yanked it forcefully.  

Her actions were rough and aggressive.  

Yet, she still pretended to defend Shen Jiaojiao with hypocritical words.  

“I’m telling you, you’re all misunderstanding Jiaojiao. How could she possibly do such a filthy thing?”  

Shen Jiaojiao was caught off guard and failed to react in time. Ye Huan had already torn the scarf from her neck.  

Her beautiful eyes widened in fury. Without hesitation, she swung the piece of pork in her hand and slapped it straight onto Ye Huan’s face.  

At the same time, Xu Mo had also reached Shen Jiaojiao’s side and immediately pushed Ye Huan away.  

“What are you doing?” he roared.  

Ye Huan, who had just been hit in the face with raw meat, was then shoved backward. Caught off balance, she stumbled and fell hard to the ground.  

“What’s wrong with you? Do you have to bully me like this?”  

Her hands and knees scraped against the rough gravel, breaking the skin. She felt utterly wronged, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.  

But at this moment, no one paid any attention to Ye Huan.  

Mother Fang, seeing that the scarf had fallen, scrambled up from the ground and shouted at the top of her lungs: “Look! Her scarf is off! She must have been improper with Xu Mo—”  

Her words were cut off abruptly.  

Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Shen Jiaojiao step out from behind Xu Mo.  

Her slender neck was flawless, smooth, and fair—like the finest white jade, without a single mark in sight.

This was the best proof, the strongest evidence to silence all rumors.  

Everyone present had different reactions.  

Xu Mo was in disbelief: How is this possible? He clearly… left marks on her.  

Fang Qinghe sighed in relief: Good. This foolish woman didn’t betray me. Otherwise, I’d have to kill her.  

Mother Fang panicked: It’s over.  

Ye Huan felt disappointed: There aren’t any marks? How frustrating.  

Shen Jiaojiao, meanwhile, touched her neck and immediately understood—it must have been the effect of the spiritual spring water.  

She had drunk a lot of it in the morning, so the bruises had completely disappeared.  

Even her ankle no longer hurt.

At this moment, Liu Xiaolan seemed to have finally vented her anger.  

She raised her voice and roared in front of Mother Fang. “Open your dog eyes and look carefully! There’s nothing on Educated Youth Shen’s neck! You spewed filthy words and ruined the reputation of an innocent young woman. You old hag, you’ll get your retribution for this!”  

Mother Fang was scolded so fiercely that she didn’t know how to respond. She shrank her neck and turned into a quail, silent and motionless.  

Shen Jiaojiao’s large eyes darted around, and in the next moment, she put on a fragile act and tearfully complained to the Captain.  

“Captain, last night, Aunt Fang’s son slandered my reputation. Today, Aunt Fang herself is doing the same.  I am a clean and innocent girl—now I suppose I will never be able to get married.  A girl like me, if no one wants me, my life will surely be miserable in the future.  

Thinking about such a tragic ending, I might as well take a rope and hang myself right over Aunt Fang’s bed. That would be the end of it all.  Since this whole thing was caused by the Fang Family, even if I die and become a ghost, I will never let them go.”  

Shen Jiaojiao sniffled softly.  Her voice was delicate and gentle, yet the words she spoke were terrifying!  

Mother Fang collapsed to the ground on the spot.  

The Captain’s legs nearly gave out from fear.  

This must not happen!  

If an Educated Youth sent to the countryside was driven to death by humiliation, he could expect the higher-ups to come down on him hard!  

“Educated Youth Shen, let’s talk things through. You mustn’t do anything reckless! As long as you’re alive, everything is possible, but once you’re dead, there’s nothing left. Please don’t act impulsively! I will definitely seek justice for you and clear your name!”  

The Captain wished he could send the entire Fang Family straight to the Public Security Bureau right now.  

They were nothing but troublemakers!  

“Educated Youth Shen, Comrade Shen, I’ll make them apologize to you in front of the entire village. Will that be acceptable to you?”

The Captain put on a kind and pleasant expression, his face stretching into the brightest smile he could manage.  

Shen Jiaojiao shook her head, looking as though she had completely lost the will to live.  

The Captain was so anxious he was nearly in tears.  

“Aiyo, then tell me, what do you want to do? I’ll listen to you! Whatever request you have, just say it!”  

Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up for a brief moment before she quickly concealed it.  

Lowering her head, she sniffled and spoke in a soft voice: “Now that both Xu Mo and I have ruined reputations, unless Xu Mo doesn’t mind taking me as his wife, there’s no way for me to go on. Only then will people stop pointing fingers at me and gossiping behind my back.”  

Only if they got engaged under these circumstances would it seem justified.  

If they suddenly got together later and got married, people would still talk.  

The moment she said this, everyone had different thoughts.  

Fang Qinghe started to panic.  

If Shen Jiaojiao married someone else, how would he continue to benefit from her?  

Just as he was about to speak to stop the situation, he saw his mother quickly scramble up from the ground and rush to Xu Mo’s side, hollering in desperation.  

“Xu Mo, this Educated Youth Shen is so good-looking! Hurry up and marry her! Anyway, your family is poor, and you’ve already been rejected from a previous engagement. You’ll never find a wife in the future. Now that a girl is actually willing to marry you, this is a blessing you’ve earned over eight lifetimes!”  

That little vixen is useless except for having a pretty face, big breasts, and a perky backside!  

She actually thinks she’s worthy of marrying my son?

Our Fang Family would never accept such a worthless daughter-in-law!  

If Qinghe married her, she’d definitely cheat on him sooner or later and make him a laughingstock. That woman is absolutely not worth having!  

Since I already don’t like the Xu family, I might as well let her ruin them instead. That way, their household will be in complete chaos in the future.  

“You’re spewing shit again! I’ll beat you to death!”