◎ The Truth Came Out ◎ 　

　 

Chen Siming deliberately entered the alley at different times from Dong Jiayan and kept looking around, afraid of running into someone he knew. 

Meeting in the alley several times was a result of careful consideration. Finding a private house was difficult, and coming and going would easily attract the attention of nearby neighbors. Most importantly, if two young men and women were discovered to be in the same room, it would be directly regarded as a serious behavioral issue. On the contrary, it is safer in the alley, and they can disperse at any time. 

His wedding was in five days, and Dong Jiayan chose this time to go to the city. Chen Siming was a little annoyed and felt that it was delaying his marriage, but the sweet voice of his young lover made him unable to refuse. 

“Siming!” 

Seeing someone coming, Dong Jiayan immediately went to greet him. The alley was narrow, so the two talked side by side, looked left and right, and then quietly held hands. 

“Jiayan, why are you coming into the city today?” 

“What, are you not going to acknowledge me just because you’re getting married?” Dong Jiayan pulled away a little, somewhat annoyed. With a soft glance, she said to Chen Siming, “Have you forgotten me now that you are having a wife?” 

“How could I!” Chen Siming was very pleased with Dong Jiayan’s little woman demeanor. Recently, his older brother had been gaining more recognition, and both his grandfather and father praised him, making Chen Siming feel increasingly useless. Only Dong Jiayan could provide him with some comfort. “I can forget anyone, but not you.” 

“You still have a conscience…” 

“Of course not. You said you wanted a silk scarf, and I gave you money and tickets, didn’t I?” Silk scarves have been selling well in the capital recently. When Dong Jiayan mentioned them, Chen Siming gritted his teeth and gave her the money and planned to buy one himself in a few days at the supply and marketing cooperative to give to Liang Baozhen as well. 

He couldn’t forget either side. 

The two of them were close while talking sweetly to each other. Chen Siming kept paying attention to what was happening outside. If someone came, they would separate immediately. 

But today, Dong Jiayan was clearly not giving in. “Will you give me everything I want?” 

Chen Siming looked at Dong Jiayan’s affectionate eyes and felt itchy in his heart. Seeing that no one came over, he kissed her on the face and whispered in her ear with hot breath, “Of course! I will give you whatever you want.” 

“Then I want to marry you.” Dong Jiayan turned her head to look at the man in front of her. She just wanted to marry into the family of the director of the State Cotton Factory so that she could become the director’s daughter-in-law in the future. 

“Oh, my little ancestor.” Chen Siming hugged the person and said a few words to comfort her. “My wedding is already set. It’s just that we met too late, so there’s nothing I can do.” 

Although Chen Siming liked Dong Jiayan’s feminine appearance, he still cared about Liang Baozhen the most. Dong Jiayan was like the widow in the factory, but the widow’s charm couldn’t compare to Dong Jiayan’s purity. However, both of them were just toys for his own entertainment. It was fine to play with them, but they could not be married into the family. 

“What do you mean there’s no way? I could call off my engagement for you, but you can’t? You just don’t want to, right!” 

“How could I not be willing?” Chen Siming tried to comfort her but momentarily forgot to be cautious of the surroundings, “You know the situation at my home. How can I make the decision…” 

Dong Jiayan caught a glimpse of a grey piece of clothing at the entrance of the alley and immediately hugged Chen Siming closer… 

“What are you doing!” 

Song Chunhua’s eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the couple hugging in front of her. One was her son-in-law, and the other was her neighbor’s daughter. She was stunned and nearly fainted. 

“Mother! Take it easy.” Liang Baozhen hadn’t recovered from her surprise. Her marriage came so quickly that it made her a little uncertain about her future life. She hadn’t expected to witness this kind of situation. 

But now Song Chunhua almost collapsed, so she had to take care of her old mother first. 

Chen Siming was startled when he heard the sudden noise coming from the alley, and he reflexively let go of Dong Jiayan’s waist. This alley was seldom visited by people, so why would people come today? 

Turning around, he saw that the people who came were very familiar to him, and they turned out to be his future mother-in-law and his partner! 

Shouldn’t these two be in the countryside? How did they suddenly appear in the city and come to this alley by chance? 

“Auntie… Baozhen…” Chen Siming’s lips trembled, his head was a mess, and he didn’t know how to explain for a moment, “Listen to me.” 

“Explain what, you fool!” Song Chunhua was so furious she nearly fainted. The man who was supposed to marry her daughter in five days was secretly involved with another woman. How could she control her anger? “Who said he liked our Baozhen and came to propose in person? Who assured us he would treat Baozhen well? Is this how you treat her? You aren’t even married yet, and you’re already having an affair!” 

“Baozhen, listen to my explanation.” Chen Siming was shocked to see Liang Baozhen looking at him coldly. He had been captivated by her looks and proposed marriage despite his family’s objections. Now, he still hadn’t won her over… 

A slap hit Chen Siming’s face, leaving five distinct fingerprints. Song Chunhua, who worked hard in the fields all year round, had strong hands that were not inferior to a man. This slap nearly made Chen Siming see stars. 

No one had ever slapped him since he was born. Chen Siming covered his face with his hands, feeling very embarrassed. Just as he was about to retaliate, he heard a commotion outside. Song Chunhua’s voice was too loud and attracted people in! 

“Aunt Chunhua, please don’t hit Siming. We truly like each other. If you want to blame someone, blame me.” Dong Jiayan seized the opportunity and grabbed Song Chunhua’s arm, begging bitterly. 

“Dong Jiayan, I haven’t scolded you yet, but you jumped in. You’re really stupid. You still like this kind of man? We don’t want him!” Song Chunhua pushed her away, put her hands on her hips, and scolded, “You two are a perfect match; you’re both shameless!” 

Chen Siming and Dong Jiayan were frightened by Song Chunhua’s fierce aura, and when they heard the footsteps coming toward them, they panicked for a moment. 

Many people from the street had entered the alley. From Song Chunhua’s loud accusations, the onlookers quickly understood what was going on, and some were commenting on the scandalous nature of the situation. How disgraceful! 

“You look like a decent person, but why do you do such a thing?” 

“They’re rotten on the inside, so it’s no surprise. Many men are like this!” 

Chen Siming was not accustomed to being publicly humiliated like this. After all, he was the son of the State Cotton Factory director! Usually, everyone showed him respect, unlike now. 

***

“Get out of here! What are you looking at?” Chen Siming yelled at the crowd a few times, wanting to disperse the crowd and leave quickly. 

“Oh, stop him, stop him!” 

“I’m calling the Revolutionary Committee! Comrades with such problematic conduct must be severely punished!” 

“This person seems to be the son of Director Chen from the State Cotton Factory! The Chen family really has bad luck.” 

In the crowd, Hong Saner, a skilled worker who had just come out of the State Cotton Factory, watched the excitement for a long time. He had always disliked Chen Siming, a very hypocritical man who had no skills but loved to mess with their workshop. But upon hearing Dong Jiayan’s name, he suddenly remembered. 

Isn’t this the person his brother Xu Shengjie was supposed to marry? 

Seeing that the alley was packed with people, Hong Saner turned around and ran towards the State Cotton Factory. 

The surroundings were in chaos. Liang Baozhen looked at the previously polite man, whose back was soaked with sweat as he was pushed by the crowd. His neatly combed hair was hanging all over the place. He no longer had the majesty of the son of the director of the State Cotton Factory. 

The person I’m going to marry is actually like this? Liang Baozhen, already worried about her married life, felt her heart sink. Although they had only met a few times and didn’t have much affection for each other, the marriage was already confirmed, and now he had cheated… 

Before she could react, her mother Song Chunhua scolded her and slapped him in the face. There were also waves of curses from all around. Everyone looked down on him. 

“He is really the son of the director of the State Cotton Factory. His name is Chen Siming. I recognize him!” 

“Hurry, hurry! The Revolutionary Committee is here. Take him away for reeducation.” 

“We can’t let this kind of person go easily!” 

When Chen Siming heard he was going to be taken to the Revolutionary Committee, his legs became weak, and he wanted nothing more than to crawl out of the crowd, but he was surrounded tightly on all sides. 

“Xu Shengjie, over here!” Hong Saner pulled Xu Shengjie to the alley entrance. Both of them were tall and could see clearly what was going on inside by looking over a group of people. “Look, isn’t that woman the one who broke off the engagement with you?” 

Xu Shengjie had forgotten all about Dong Jiayan during this period. He was just dragged here by Hong Saner and immediately saw a man and a woman looking very disheveled in the middle of the crowd. 

People were very disdainful of such behavior, and he had just heard from an old lady nearby that Chen Siming was also engaged to someone. 

“Damn, this couple is too shameless.” Hong Saner felt outraged on behalf of his brother, then thought, there are likely other victims too, “Chen Siming is getting married soon, he deserves a beating. I wonder where his fiancée is? If it were me, I’d go up and give him a good punch.” 

At this moment, Liang Baozhen, who was just a meter away from Xu Shengjie and Hong San’er, felt as if the scene before her was flashing. The disheveled Chen Siming surrounded by onlookers suddenly changed into another form. 

Wearing a suit and leather shoes, with slicked-back hair, Chen Siming, who had just cheated on her, looked down arrogantly and said, “Baozhen, we are husband and wife; let’s part on good terms. I married you because I found you beautiful, but you’ve been giving me a cold face all the time, which is boring to look at.” 

The scene in front of her was chaotic, with many words flashing before her eyes. Liang Baozhen noticed the most striking sentence: it said she was a cannon fodder female supporting character in a period novel.