Chapter 19: This Is a Gift for Our Commander Lu!

Jiang He’s expression finally cracked. His eyes darkened as he stared at Lin Shuqiao.

This woman!

He’d already tried to save face, yet she still refused to show him any!
Lin Shuqiao kept bringing up the money, while Jiang He continued to act shamelessly. The surrounding neighbors couldn’t take it anymore and began to speak up:

“Jiang He! Hurry up and pay her back! We’re all neighbors here—don’t make things ugly!”

“It’s only right to repay your debts. Don’t throw away your future over something so foolish!”

“You look decent enough, but you’re the type who doesn’t pay back what he owes?”

Seeing that the crowd was siding with Lin Shuqiao, Auntie Zhang broke into a cold sweat. She hadn’t expected Lin Shuqiao to really turn on them!

Even Jiang He was getting exposed. Who knew what Lin Shuqiao might say about her next?

Auntie Zhang, panicking like an ant on a hot pan, seized the chaos and quietly slipped away through the crowd.

Jiang He held back for a long time before finally opening his mouth: “Between you and me…”

But before he could finish, Lin Shuqiao beat him to it.

“Don’t think you can smear me by pretending we had some relationship. We’re all neighbors—I was just trying to help, and you turn around and bite me?”

“My husband, Commander Lu, is handsome, elegant, charming—and most importantly, he treats me very well. Why would I even look at some deadbeat like you? I’m not blind!”

Lin Shuqiao launched a full verbal assault, leaving Jiang He no room to respond.

Commander Lu? Handsome and charming?

Lu Ziqi stared at her, trying to spot any sign of a lie on her face.
Disappointingly, he failed.

This was the first time Jiang He had ever heard Lin Shuqiao praise Lu Zheng. He was visibly stunned.

“You didn’t used to say that,” he said. “You used to pour your heart out to me, saying Commander Lu was cold and distant and that your marriage felt like a cage. That’s why you came to me.”

“Comrade Jiang,” Lin Shuqiao shot back without hesitation, “just because we have freedom of speech now doesn’t mean you can spout nonsense.”

She curled her lips, words sharp and fast: “Anyone can make claims, but where’s your evidence? I never came to you first. Everyone here can vouch for that.”

Indeed, everyone in the compound had seen how it was always Jiang He going to her, never the other way around.

Jiang He’s face turned dark as ink. His fists clenched tightly, but he was speechless.

He had once thought Lin Shuqiao was wrapped around his finger, but now—she had flipped the script and rallied everyone just to embarrass him in public?

He couldn’t help but recall the first time she suddenly changed, acting like a completely different person.

“You’re not Lin Shuqiao!” he accused, breathing heavily. “The real Lin Shuqiao was nothing like this. Anyone who knows her can tell—who are you, pretending to be her?”

The crowd went completely silent.

It was a chilling moment—what if he was right?

Had Lin Shuqiao really been possessed?

Sensing the shift in the crowd, Lin Shuqiao’s heart skipped a beat.

She hadn’t expected Jiang He to make such a dramatic claim. He must have really been backed into a corner.

She slowly smiled. “Pretending? Comrade Jiang, did you hit your head on a door?”

“To believe in superstitions like that… aren’t you afraid of being laughed at? You know, stirring up the crowd with feudal nonsense like this could get you arrested.”

Her smile was subtle, but her words brought everyone back to reality.

And then—she dropped a bomb.

“Also, you’ve repeatedly made vague claims about our relationship. Are you trying to sabotage a military marriage?”

That was a crime.

Lin Shuqiao knew Jiang He wouldn’t dare risk legal consequences for her.

All her earlier arguments had been speculative, but this last point struck home—and the crowd reacted like they’d been hit with adrenaline.

“So it was Jiang He trying to seduce her all along!”

“Shhh! Don’t say it too loud—what if someone hears?”

Jiang He still wanted to argue, but in the face of the law, he had no choice but to back down.

Compared to being a criminal, repaying a debt didn’t seem so bad.

Even a fool would know what to choose.

---

“Since you insist,” Jiang He said through clenched teeth, “I’ll repay you everything.”

He emphasized the word “repay” heavily, glaring at Lin Shuqiao.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he took the list she gave him and handed over the full monetary equivalent of what he owed.

Lin Shuqiao looked at the thick wad of money in her hand, unable to hide her joy.

Now she had enough to buy breeding pigs!

Ironically, thanks to Auntie Zhang’s meddling, she’d recovered everything she was owed—definitely a win.

But Lu Ziqi, standing nearby, looked at her with deep disdain.

So it really was just about money?

He had briefly hoped she’d changed… what a joke.

Just as Lin Shuqiao was counting her cash, she suddenly stopped and narrowed her eyes at Jiang He.

“I remember I gave you a jade pendant, and you haven’t returned it yet.”

That pendant had cost a whole month of Lu Zheng’s salary!

She must’ve been out of her mind to give something so expensive to that scumbag.

“It’s right there in the list—date and price. Don’t think you can deny it.”

Everyone knew she’d never visited Jiang He—he had always sought her out.

“Wasn’t that a gift from you?” Jiang He’s face turned stormy. “You can’t just take back a gift, Qiaoqiao.”

Lin Shuqiao’s expression turned icy. “Who said it was for you? That was for our Commander Lu! Don’t twist the story!”

“I’m a married woman. Why would I give another man something so expensive? You only borrowed it to admire it for a few days. Don’t tell me you lost it?”

Jiang He’s troubled expression gave her a clue.

He closed his eyes, suppressing his emotions. “It’s been too long—the pendant’s gone.”

But Lin Shuqiao wasn’t buying it.

She pulled up a stool, sat down in the yard, and said calmly, “Then find it. I’ll wait here until you do.”

Seeing how the situation had escalated, the crowd tried to persuade her:

“Shuqiao, he probably really did lose it. Don’t push him too hard.”

“Yeah, we’re all neighbors. Let’s not make it worse.”

After thinking for a second, Lin Shuqiao relented.

Money was the important part—the item itself didn’t matter.

“Fine. Our Commander Lu didn’t like that pendant anyway. Since you lost it, just pay me for it.”

She looked very gracious, but in truth, she had no intention of letting him off easy.

Once the money for the jade was in her hands, she’d be done with Jiang He forever.

“…It’s not lost. I lent it to a friend. I’ll need some time to get it back.”

So earlier he said it was lost, and now it wasn’t? What a slippery liar.

“Then go get it now!” Lin Shuqiao snapped.

Her sudden intensity startled even the watching crowd.

Jiang He clamped his lips shut, then turned and stormed off without a word.

The onlookers leaned forward, curious where he was going, but none dared follow.

Lin Shuqiao pulled a candy from her pocket and offered it to Lu Ziqi, pointing in Jiang He’s direction.

“Ziqi, that’s your dad’s money. You don’t want it to just disappear, do you?” she said, patting his head gently.

Lu Ziqi turned his head away in annoyance.

Still, he stared at the candy in his hand for a moment—then, driven by curiosity, he took it and followed.

The others remained behind, eager to see how it would all play out.

Fifteen minutes later, Jiang He returned with the jade pendant.

“Here. Take it.” He threw the delicate box at Lin Shuqiao in frustration.

She caught it with ease and snorted, “What, you’re angry at the jade now? If it broke, you’d be paying cash.”

Jiang He, now a debtor, had no leg to stand on, though that didn’t stop him from scowling.

After confirming the jade was intact, Lin Shuqiao had no desire to waste more time.

She took Lu Ziqi’s hand and started to leave.

As they walked, she lowered her head and asked, “Where did he go to get the pendant?”

Lu Ziqi pulled her hand close and wrote a character on her palm.

孟 — Meng.