But just as she was about to reach Zhaozhao, Li Qiuyue flung her arm aside.
Her face darkened, and she swung her hand back, delivering a sharp slap to Wu Cuifen.
The slap made Wu Cuifen’s ears ring.
First came numbness, then a burning, fiery pain across her face.
“You country bumpkin! How dare you hit me?” Wu Cuifen clutched her face, incredulous.
Li Qiuyue subtly gave Zhaozhao a look, signaling him to find Qin Huai.
She let out a cold snort and looked at the men behind her, eager to jump in. “Do you want to try too?”
The man hesitated.
“Brother Wang, what are you afraid of? You frisked her already are you scared she won’t be your woman now?” Wu Cuifen snapped at the man.
The man scratched his unkempt chin, his eyes flickering with hesitation. But when he looked at Li Qiuyue’s stance, he gritted his teeth and lunged.
Li Qiuyue kicked him, pushing him back only two steps.
Wu Cuifen lunged again, grabbing Li Qiuyue’s wrist. “Brother Wang, I’ve got her! Come on!”
Brother Wang hurried over, joining the fray.
At first, Li Qiuyue could struggle a bit, but four hands were too many for two fists. Soon, she was restrained and unable to move.
Just as the man bared his yellow teeth, ready to strike her, someone from behind grabbed his collar and threw him to the ground.
Li Qiuyue seized the opportunity, broke free from Wu Cuifen’s grip, flipped over, and straddled her, slapping her twice.
“Look at you, dressed all proper, yet scheming so maliciously!” Li Qiuyue panted heavily.
Gritting her teeth, she spat out, “Going after a woman and a child are you even human?”
“I’m sorry! I won’t dare again! Please spare me this time!” Wu Cuifen curled up, covering her face, desperately begging.
Li Qiuyue finally stopped, satisfied that she’d taught her a lesson.
Then she went over to the man Qin Huai was holding down and kicked him sharply in the crotch.
The man yelped in pain.
Qin Huai knew Li Qiuyue was truly angry this time, so he didn’t stop her. She kicked him several more times.
Only when the magazine editor emerged holding Zhaozhao did Qin Huai step in, pulling Li Qiuyue aside.
Li Qiuyue’s face was flushed, her breathing heavy and ragged.
Seeing the editor, Wu Cuifen scrambled over, clutching his leg. “Editor! Someone’s causing trouble at our office!”
“Please call the police and have them arrested!” Her face was swollen like a pig’s, her earlier arrogance gone.
The editor frowned and looked at Li Qiuyue, the instigator.
Before Li Qiuyue could speak, Zhaozhao piped up sharply: “Editor, he’s lying!”
“They’re falsely accusing us of stealing money, refusing to let us leave, and insisting on frisking my mom!” Zhaozhao recounted everything that had just happened.
Li Qiuyue held her head. He had always been a chatterbox, but ever since meeting Uncle Qin Huai and making a few friends, his ability to express himself had become clear and precise.
He could explain things completely on his own, clearly and logically, without anyone else’s help.
“Is everything Zhaozhao said true?” the editor asked, frowning at the people on the ground.
Wu Cuifen finally panicked but gritted her teeth. “I lost a hundred yuan! Apart from our own colleagues, there are only these two they should pay me back!”
“You’re just embarrassed that a child can outsmart you in public, so you deliberately accused Zhaozhao and me,” Li Qiuyue rolled her eyes, looking down on her.
Just a moment ago, she’d been bossing people around; now she clutched someone’s leg and played the victim!
“Who falsely accused you? Two country bumpkins who wouldn’t try to snatch money when they see it?” Wu Cuifen’s eyes widened as she got up.
“That’s enough! Every time you say ‘country bumpkin,’ isn’t every one of your ancestors farmers for three generations?” Li Qiuyue raised her sleeves angrily, scaring Wu Cuifen into shrinking back.
Li Qiuyue sneered, scanning her up and down. “And you really think your sheep’s brain, fat pig body, and two clumsy hooves are fashionable?”
Wu Cuifen was so enraged she couldn’t respond.
The others couldn’t help but cover their mouths, stifling laughter.
Qin Huai’s lips curved slightly. Now he understood why Zhaozhao babbled so much every day it was who he was influenced by.
“All right, since you were in the wrong, apologize, and we’ll let this go,” the editor told his subordinate, frustrated.
Li Qiuyue wasn’t pleased with this resolution who cared about her apologizing?
But thinking of the editor helping her publish the notice in the paper, she kept quiet.
Yet Qin Huai said coldly, “We can’t just let this go. We were falsely accused, and we deserve an explanation.”
Li Qiuyue tilted her head in shock, blinking at Qin Huai.
He wasn’t afraid to offend his friend, and he still wanted to defend her and Zhaozhao?
The editor looked helplessly at Qin Huai, silently signaling him to spare Wu Cuifen.
Qin Huai saw the gestures but remained unmoved.
Meanwhile, Wu Cuifen, oblivious to danger, shouted, “Why should I apologize? They stole my money! Make them pay first!”
Li Qiuyue, hearing this, got even more fired up.
Just as she was about to rush over and give her another beating, Qin Huai pulled her behind him.
He kept a stern face, his gaze sharp. “Do you have proof they took it?”
Wu Cuifen froze but stubbornly replied, “Then there’s no proof it wasn’t them!”
“Ms. Li Qiuyue and her child haven’t gone anywhere near Wu Cuifen since they arrived,” another person suddenly spoke up.
It was the woman in the white coat.
No one could stop her from speaking.
She said seriously, “If we in the newspaper can’t tell the truth, where else can truth be heard?”
Her voice was strong, ringing through the room.
Li Qiuyue didn’t quite understand why this was special, even thinking a fist might be more intimidating.
But seeing the silence of the others and the editor, she was intrigued.
The woman in white had short hair, was petite, and carried an air of elegance in every gesture. Clearly educated, clearly principled.
She offered Li Qiuyue a reassuring smile: “Don’t worry. Even if it goes to the police, I will testify for you.”
Li Qiuyue opened her mouth to say she wasn’t afraid, but a rare sense of reassurance welled up in her.
“Thank you,” she replied instinctively, a little flustered.
It was a rare moment of shyness.
“Lin Wei, are you deliberately opposing me today?” Wu Cuifen fumed.
But the editor first addressed her: “I agree with Lin Wei. If a newspaper can’t tell the truth, what kind of newspaper is it?”
“Wu Cuifen insulted and lied, attempting to tarnish someone’s reputation. Her actions are malicious. She’s suspended,” the editor announced seriously.
“Editor! No! My family depends on my salary! I can’t lose this job…” Wu Cuifen immediately broke into tears.
Li Qiuyue was puzzled.
Why couldn’t her fists or Qin Huai’s influence convince the editor to fire Wu Cuifen, yet Lin Wei’s single sentence could?
Before she could figure it out, the editor proposed a punishment for Brother Wang as well.