Chapter 29

He Shanshan was a real master at turning the tables. You’d think they were the ones who had been wronged.

Seeing that Lu Jingzhe was so supportive and stood up for her, Xia Qingning didn’t want to drag him down. She walked over and looked at Wang Mingfang, “I think everyone can see clearly who has been bullying whom all these years.” Then she turned to He Shanshan, “I just said I wouldn’t make you kneel. I didn’t say I wouldn’t let you apologize. You wrongly accused me of stealing and even insulted me in front of so many people. Shouldn’t you apologize?”

Seeing Xia Qingning, who was usually weak, daring to challenge her mother and sister like this, Lu Lidong got angry. He scolded her, “Xia Qingning, don’t push it too far!”

“What’s she doing wrong?” Lu Jingzhe looked at Lu Lidong coldly and asked back. He didn’t compromise or back down because the other person was his brother. His desire to protect Xia Qingning was evident.

At this time, Wu Xiaodong, who was in the crowd, also stood up and said to Wang Mingfang and her two children, “The truth is out. Qingning Jie didn’t take the money. He Shanshan did something so wrong. She should apologize!”

“Right, it’s only right to apologize when you’ve done something wrong. Why would you blame Qingning for being too much?” Mai Miao also helped to speak.

Seeing that everyone was supporting Xia Qingning and knowing that her daughter was in the wrong, Wang Mingfang, who had reacted, immediately winked at He Shanshan, telling her not to suffer a loss. Then she turned to Xia Qingning and said, “Qingning, it was Auntie and Shanshan who were wrong today. We made you suffer.”

He Shanshan understood her mother’s meaning and reluctantly said, “Sorry.”

The farce finally ended with Wang Mingfang and her two children losing!

Back in her room, Xia Qingning put away the money and cloth coupons. Today, she not only got back what belonged to the original body, but she also made Wang Mingfang and the others lose face. She had really gotten her revenge!

From the moment she saw Lu Xiaoxue taking the money this morning, everything was in her plan.

She knew that it was almost impossible to get the cunning Wang Mingfang to return the original body’s money willingly, unless she brought the matter to light.

So, after getting off work, she deliberately went to He Shanshan’s supply and marketing cooperative to buy things and spend money, making her think that she had stolen her money.

She let her take the initiative to make a big deal out of it, and then she had the opportunity to confront them in front of everyone, with logic and reason, to make them return the original body’s money and belongings. They wanted to deny it, but they couldn’t.

As for publicly exposing Lu Xiaoxue’s theft, she had also carefully considered whether it would affect Lu Xiaoxue’s reputation.

Lu Xiaoxue was only ten years old now, and there was still a chance to salvage the situation. Exposing the matter wouldn’t do her any harm. It would also make the Lu family pay more attention to her education.

Today’s decision by Lu Baichuan was the best proof.

However, Lu Jingzhe’s attitude surprised Xia Qingning. Not only did he support her at every turn, but he even turned against Lu Lidong to defend her. This made Xia Qingning a little surprised.

Actually, when she thought about it carefully, Lu Jingzhe was very good except for his cold personality. He was intelligent and reasonable. He was not only handsome, but he also had a great figure. He never let her down when it mattered.

Xia Qingning couldn’t help but admit that she had a little crush on him.

But she had always been calm and rational. She hadn’t met Mo Xiaoxiao yet. If her female lead aura overshadowed everything and the plot still followed the original book, and Lu Jingzhe still fell in love with her in the end, wouldn’t it be too dangerous if she invested her feelings?

She was never a love-struck fool. In the real world, many people had pursued her, but she had never been in a relationship. First, she hadn’t met anyone she liked, and second, she was very clear-headed. She knew how to advance and retreat and how to keep things in perspective.

So in this book world, where the future was unknown, she didn’t want to, and couldn’t, invest too much emotion in him before she was sure.

Now that she had gotten back the original body’s money, the next step was to clear the original body’s name from the accusation of climbing into bed with him. Otherwise, Wang Mingfang would continue to humiliate her with this matter endlessly, like she did today.

Xia Qingning curled her lips. Since her truth wasn’t convincing, she would let them tell it themselves!

Counting the days, her sister-in-law, Yao Hongmei, would soon find out she was pregnant. As soon as she confirmed her pregnancy, her plan could be implemented.

*

In the living room outside, Lin Xiuyin was telling Lu Baichuan about Lu Xiaoxue’s performance at school. Lu Baichuan listened with a furrowed brow.

Because his wife had passed away early, he always felt that he owed his young daughter. He had spoiled her a little, and because of his busy work schedule, he had neglected to discipline her. He didn’t expect her to become so spoiled and willful now, even to the point of stealing money.

“Educating children is a difficult task, but I still hope that you can pay more attention to Xiaoxue and be patient with her.

She’s not inherently bad. She’s just a bit sensitive. So I hope you can spend more time with her, understand her, and then guide her correctly. Help her establish a sense of right and wrong and make her get along better with her classmates.”

Lin Xiuyin gave an objective summary of the child and also gave Lu Baichuan some advice on educating children.

“Thank you, Teacher Lin. Cough, cough… The child is at school. You’ve been taking good care of her. Cough, cough…” Lu Baichuan replied.

Seeing that he was constantly coughing, Lin Xiuyin hesitated for a moment and said with concern, “Professor Lu, you should also take care of your health. Don’t work too hard.”

“It’s nothing… just a little cough.” Lu Baichuan waved his hand and said, “I’m going now.” Lin Xiuyin saw that it was getting late and stood up to leave.

At this time, Xia Qingning had just walked out of the room. Hearing Lin Xiuyin say she was leaving, she thought for a moment and walked forward, saying generously, “It’s dinner time now. Teacher Lin, stay for dinner and then leave.”

Lin Xiuyin quickly waved her hand to refuse. She didn’t want to trouble them too much. Just as she was politely refusing and about to walk out, Lu Xiaoxue, who was standing there being punished, suddenly ran over and grabbed her sleeve. She looked at her pitifully, “Teacher Lin, stay for dinner.”

She knew that her father was still angry. After the teacher left, she would probably get a beating. So she asked her to stay for dinner. By then, her father’s anger would have subsided, and it wouldn’t hurt as much when he beat her.

“Teacher Lin, don’t be polite.” Lu Baichuan also said.

It was hard to refuse such a warm invitation. Lin Xiuyin wasn’t a fussy person. She hesitated for a moment and agreed.

After dinner, it was already dark. When Lin Xiuyin was about to leave, Xia Qingning and Lu Xiaoxue, in unison, asked Lu Baichuan to walk her home.

Wang Mingfang seemed to sense something and nudged her son with her shoulder, meaning for him to go and see her off.

But Lu Lidong didn’t understand his mother’s intention. He had been stir-frying dishes at the state-owned restaurant all day and was exhausted. He didn’t want to go and see anyone off.

In the end, Lu Baichuan took a flashlight and went to see Lin Xiuyin off.

Lu Xiaoxue wanted to get her father to leave so she wouldn’t get a beating, and Xia Qingning had a different plan.

She knew from the book that Lu Baichuan would remarry later. The person he would remarry was Lin Xiuyin, but it wouldn’t happen for a few years.

Since the two of them would end up together, why not create opportunities for them to be together sooner?

Lin Xiuyin seemed like a very easygoing person. If the two of them could get together earlier, it would be a good thing if she came to live here or if Lu Baichuan moved out.

Not only would it help to guide Lu Xiaoxue correctly, but most importantly, it would also cut off Wang Mingfang’s hopes. It was a win-win situation.

Lu Baichuan left, and Lu Xiaoxue thought she had escaped, but she ended up in Lu Jingzhe’s hands.

Lu Jingzhe didn’t beat her. Instead, he found a bag of red beans and a bag of mung beans in the kitchen, poured them directly into a winnowing basket, and then made her pick them out one by one.

Mechanically repeating the same action was the biggest torture for Lu Xiaoxue, who had no patience. But Lu Jingzhe had given a strict order, she couldn’t sleep until she finished picking the beans.

So, from eight o’clock in the evening, Lu Jingzhe stood behind Lu Xiaoxue, watching her pick beans. He didn’t allow her to sit, she had to stand and pick.

Lu Xiaoxue, who never gave up, begged for mercy several times. She even offered to let her second brother beat her, but Lu Jingzhe ignored her. He just told her to stand up straight and keep picking.

No matter how much she cried, resisted, begged, or went on strike… it was useless.

Finally, at one o’clock in the morning, she finished.

Lu Jingzhe washed up and opened the door to his room. He saw that Xia Qingning was already asleep.

She had a peaceful expression, her breathing even. She was curled up on one side of the bed, close to the edge, taking up only a small space, leaving a large area empty.

When he came back today, he saw He Shanshan grabbing her hand, snatching her things, and pushing her.

She had no ability to defend herself. She was like a chick caught by an eagle. No matter how hard she struggled, it was useless.

Had this happened countless times in the past four years?

But her performance today really surprised him. She was weak but not timid at all.

Had her change been because of what he said to her that night, that if anyone dared to bully her again, she should scold them back, and that’s why she had gained confidence?

But what if they bullied her even worse after he went back to the army in a few days? What if she didn’t fight back?

Or what if she fought back and got hurt even worse, and was bullied even worse? What then?

He wasn’t protecting his brother Lu Lidong’s face by not driving Wang Mingfang and He Shanshan away. He just saw things more clearly.

He only had a month of leave. Even if he drove them away now, with Wang Mingfang’s shamelessness and cunning, wouldn’t she immediately move back with her daughter after he left?

So, driving them away now was only a temporary solution.

He had to think about this long-term. He secretly decided that he would make sure she was properly taken care of before he left.

Lu Jingzhe looked at Xia Qingning sleeping in the corner. Thinking about how she fell off the bed this morning, he hesitated for a moment and lifted her blanket, reaching out to move her closer to the inside.

But as soon as he touched her, she turned over and grabbed his arm, pulling him into her arms. He lost his balance and fell directly in front of her.

The person next to him was oblivious. She hugged his arm, rubbed her head against him, found a comfortable position, and then stopped.

Her face was pressed against his arm. As their skin rubbed together, he felt like his arm was about to burn up. He wanted to pull it back, but his arm was stiff and completely disobeyed him.

Their faces were very close. He could clearly see her thick, curled eyelashes and the fine fuzz on her porcelain-white face. She looked so cute.

Just as he couldn’t help but look down at her pretty, cute face, the person next to him suddenly woke up. She opened her eyes in a daze and saw Lu Jingzhe looking at her sideways.

Meeting those deep brown eyes, Xia Qingning gave a start. She was completely awake now. She saw that her hands were still holding Lu Jingzhe’s arm. Her body reacted instinctively, and she immediately let go. Then she quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean to take advantage of you. I was asleep and I don’t know how I…”

Lu Jingzhe looked at her, her face full of nervousness. When she shook his hand off, it was as if she was shaking off a hot potato. He couldn’t help but frown.

Seeing that Lu Jingzhe didn’t say anything and was still frowning, Xia Qingning felt even more nervous. It seemed like no matter how she explained it, she couldn’t explain it clearly. After all, she had already pressed against him.

She had finally won a victory today. If he kicked her out now, He Shanshan and the others would know, and they would laugh at her.

No! She absolutely couldn’t let him kick her out. Seeing that Lu Jingzhe was about to speak, Xia Qingning’s hand moved before her consciousness.

When she realized it, her hand was already covering his mouth.

This damn instinctive reaction!

She wouldn’t even let him speak. Now, Lu Jingzhe would probably be even more angry.

Forget it. She was going all in. She looked at him sincerely and said, “I’ll go sleep on the floor.”

As she said this, she was about to turn over and get out of bed. As soon as she moved, the person next to her suddenly raised his hand and quickly grabbed her wrist.

His grip was strong. It didn’t seem like he was using much force, but she was restrained and couldn’t move.

“Sleep here.” You could hear the annoyance in his voice.

“Oh.” Xia Qingning obediently responded softly, finally breathing a sigh of relief. She couldn’t help but think to herself, this male lead is really kind-hearted.

Even though he was angry with her, he still showed mercy and didn’t kick her out of bed.

Lu Jingzhe’s face was a little cold. Did she really not want to sleep with him? She was willing to sleep on the floor. With her small frame, sleeping on the floor? Wasn’t she afraid of not being able to get up tomorrow?

“I won’t sleep on the floor.” Xia Qingning said softly to Lu Jingzhe. Seeing that he didn’t respond, she hesitated for a moment and reminded him, “That, can you please let go of my wrist?”

Lu Jingzhe finally realized that he was still holding her wrist. He must have been confused by her just now and forgot. After a moment, he released her hand.

Just now, when he squeezed it, he realized how thin her wrist was, a white, slender section. Not only was it thin, but it was also soft.

The phrase “delicate as a flower” suddenly had a tangible feel to it.

At this time, Xia Qingning was also secretly rubbing her wrist. She didn’t know if it was because this body was too weak or if Lu Jingzhe’s grip was too strong, but the wrist he had squeezed really hurt.

Then Xia Qingning suddenly thought of a serious problem:

What if she fell asleep and didn’t lean against him, but instead hugged his neck? Would he think she was an enemy and twist her arm?

His grip was so strong. With this body’s thin arm, wouldn’t it be broken right there!

Thinking about that image, she couldn’t help but shiver. Her body instinctively moved towards the edge of the bed.

She would fall off the bed, but it was better than losing her arm.

“Is there some kind of monster here?” Lu Jingzhe asked in a deep voice. Even a fool could tell he was unhappy.

“Ah? No, no.” Xia Qingning quickly denied it. She wasn’t a fool. She knew he was unhappy.

“Then why are you so far away?” Lu Jingzhe asked back.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep well.” Xia Qingning said truthfully.

Lu Jingzhe suddenly reached out, pulled her body towards him, and she was already in the middle of the bed.

“You’ve done much worse things before. What are you afraid of now?” Lu Jingzhe said, without any emotion.

Xia Qingning knew his words were hinting at something, but she didn’t explain anything.

Actions speak louder than words. When she revealed the truth about the “climbing into bed” incident in front of everyone, clearing the original body’s name, he would naturally believe her.

Lu Jingzhe didn’t mean to blame her for anything when he said that. He just wanted her to not have so many worries. But after he said it, it seemed to have a different meaning.

Seeing that Xia Qingning didn’t say anything, Lu Jingzhe wanted to explain himself, but he thought it wasn’t necessary. He hesitated for a moment and asked, “You said today that… that incident with Wang Mingfang was true?”