Chapter 2: Caught in the Act

There was a faint knock on the door, but the two inside, still groggy, didn’t hear it at all.

“Jiaojiao, I’m coming in,” Shen Yun pretended to ask politely, but as soon as she heard the intimate sounds from inside, her smile deepened. This fool actually believed everything she said.

“Maybe Jiaojiao is just listening to the radio. Let’s go in directly,” Shen Yun said.

Shen Yun blinked her wide, innocent eyes at the group. Most of the young people in the village had come with her, as she was determined to ruin Xu Jiaojiao’s reputation. Only she deserved to be with Xie Zhi.

“Why does Jiaojiao act like she’s too good for us? What’s so special about her?”

“Exactly. Just because her dad’s the village chief, she looks down on everyone.”

“And it’s not like Xie Zhi has good taste. Look at how Sheng Jie doesn’t even give her the time of day.”

At this, the group erupted into laughter. Yesterday, that idiot Xu Jiaojiao had eagerly delivered chicken to Sheng Jie, only to be denied entry at his door.

“Jiaojiao isn’t like that. Please don’t speak badly about her,” Shen Yun protested tearfully, putting on a pitiful act. But inside, she was laughing with glee.

The group, hearing strange noises from inside, didn’t think much of it, assuming Xu Jiaojiao was just ignoring them. Angry, they were about to leave when someone pushed Li Jing hard against the door, and it suddenly burst open.

Inside, they were met with the sight of two people tangled in bed, under the covers. Everyone froze in shock, completely ignoring Li Jing, who had fallen to the ground.

“Ahhh!” Xu Jiaojiao screamed.

Xie Zhi quickly covered her with the blanket and turned his back to the crowd, holding her tightly to shield her from their prying eyes.

“Get out!” Xie Zhi shouted angrily.

“Jiaojiao, how could you betray Xie Zhi like this? Even if you like Sheng Jie, you shouldn’t do this,” Shen Yun gasped, pretending to be shocked. Her words, full of innuendo, immediately stirred the crowd.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Could Jiaojiao really be this shameless, even going so far as to throw herself at Sheng Jie?

Seizing the moment, Shen Yun reached out, intending to yank the blanket off Xu Jiaojiao and fully expose her to everyone, ensuring her disgrace. She wanted nothing more than for Xu Jiaojiao to be condemned by the entire village, or even die.

Shen Yun, who usually appeared so gentle and composed, was now consumed by the desire to destroy Xu Jiaojiao. Just as her hand touched the blanket, about to pull it off, Xie Zhi swiftly grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. His eyes were cold and menacing as he turned to face her, rage simmering beneath the surface.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Xie Zhi growled.

Then, he forcefully pushed Shen Yun to the ground. As the blanket slipped off Xie Zhi, it revealed his toned upper body, his defined abs on full display.

Shen Yun, caught off guard by the sudden change, stared in shock. When she realized it was Xie Zhi and not Sheng Jie in the bed, her face twisted with rage, her eyes bloodshot as she trembled with anger. Her shrill voice pierced the air, “Xie Zhi! Why is it you? Why?”

Why was it Xie Zhi and not Sheng Jie? Shen Yun was livid, knowing that any chance with Xie Zhi was now completely gone. Her face contorted in fury as she glared at Xu Jiaojiao, who was being protected in Xie Zhi’s arms. An intense hatred bubbled up inside her.

Climbing to her feet, Shen Yun lunged at Xu Jiaojiao with sharp nails aimed at her, her once calm demeanor completely shattered. She screamed hysterically, “Xu Jiaojiao, why? What makes you so special?”

Xie Zhi only tightened the blanket around Xu Jiaojiao, his expression dark and unreadable, fearing that this madwoman might hurt her. He had no intention of stopping Shen Yun, though. If it weren’t for her constant manipulations, Xu Jiaojiao wouldn’t have been so blindly obsessed with Sheng Jie.

Today, Xie Zhi wanted Xu Jiaojiao to see Shen Yun’s true colors and cut ties with her.

The group of young people was speechless, stunned by Shen Yun’s outburst. After all, she was usually so gentle and soft-spoken, never raising her voice. No one had ever seen her act so crazed.

Xu Jiaojiao, hearing the commotion caused by Shen Yun, raised her hand and delivered a heavy slap across Shen Yun’s face, instantly swelling her cheek.

“What are you going crazy about?” Xu Jiaojiao demanded coldly.

The sharp pain snapped Shen Yun out of her frenzy. She clutched her cheek in disbelief, staring blankly at Xu Jiaojiao and the cold, protective Xie Zhi.

“Jiaojiao, I… I was just worried about you,” Shen Yun stammered, quickly reverting to her usual teary-eyed act.

“Oh, is that so? You were so worried about me that you tried to rip off my blanket? Were you trying to expose me to everyone here? Shen Yun, I always thought of you as my best friend, but I never expected you to do something like this to me,” Xu Jiaojiao’s voice trembled with emotion, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

She deliberately blinked her large, tear-filled eyes at the group, making sure they all saw. Then she buried her face in Xie Zhi’s chest and began to cry softly.

“Hmph, playing the victim? I can do that too,” Xu Jiaojiao thought to herself. “I’m a 21st-century woman. I’ve seen enough of your type of green tea behavior to know how to handle it.”

Xie Zhi tenderly took Xu Jiaojiao’s hand, kissing it gently over and over, soothing her, “Did you hurt your hand?”

The group finally snapped out of their daze. They had all clearly seen what Shen Yun had done earlier—every move aimed at ruining Xu Jiaojiao’s reputation. Many of the women in the group understood how important a woman’s reputation was, and even if they didn’t particularly like Xu Jiaojiao, they disliked Shen Yun’s behavior even more.

“Honestly, I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. I can’t believe Shen Yun did that.”

“Yeah, she’s probably just jealous of how pretty Jiaojiao is and how lucky she is.”

“I didn’t! Jiaojiao, you have to believe me, I didn’t do it. You’re the one who told me to bring people here. You said that if we caught you with Sheng Jie, you’d finally be able to get rid of Xie Zhi,” Shen Yun sobbed, panicking as she noticed the shifting attitudes of the crowd. She hurriedly threw out a wild accusation, casting a nervous glance at Jiaojiao.

“What? That sounds like something Xu Jiaojiao would do.”

“Yeah, totally.”

Li Jing, always loyal to Shen Yun, immediately chimed in, eager to throw more dirt on Xu Jiaojiao.

“Shen Yun, you’ve really lost it. Xie Zhi and I have always lived in the same courtyard. If I brought Sheng Jie here, do you really think I wouldn’t worry about Xie Zhi finding out?” Xu Jiaojiao retorted sharply.

“And have you even thought this through? It’s the middle of the day. My mother came by earlier. If anyone would have caught me, it would have been her, not you. What were you thinking, coming here to accuse me?” Jiaojiao’s voice grew cold, and she added, “Instead, you’re the one who made up lies to frame me. Were you trying to force me to kill myself?”

Xu Jiaojiao, with her tear-streaked face and trembling shoulders, looked heartbreakingly pitiful. Even the women in the crowd felt their hearts ache for her, and most of them now believed her side of the story.

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