Su Mengya had moved, but stayed at the doorway, watching Tang Zhirou’s room. When Shen Mingyue opened the door, she rushed in.
Jiang Wanwan was startled—she hadn’t even confronted her yet. Was she here to hit her?
“Thud!”
Su Mengya fell to her knees by Tang Zhirou’s bed. Sincerely, she said, “Tang Zhīqīng, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have let Jiang Wanwan bribe me over money. I’ve cut ties with her. Please spare me. I’ll follow your lead, I don’t want money, and I’m willing to be yours—helping you deal with Jiang Wanwan.”
Tang Zhirou patted her chest. How could everyone be so aggressive?
“I’m serious. I’ll follow you from now on!”
Su Mengya lowered her proud head. She truly feared Tang Zhirou would throw her to Yang Wei.
Her fear wasn’t unfounded—Tang Zhirou did consider it. But since she was selling out to save herself, Tang Zhirou wanted to see how far she’d go.
Tang Zhirou’s smile was sly. “Go slap Jiang Wanwan twice right now, and I’ll believe you!”
“I only do things for money. I have no feelings for Jiang Wanwan. Since you don’t trust me, I’ll slap her twice right now. You come watch!”
No one helps for nothing.
Su Mengya got up and followed Tang Zhirou outside.
“Knock knock knock!”
Su Mengya knocked on Jiang Wanwan’s door. Ma Wenjing opened it. Jiang Wanwan was already lying down. Su Mengya went to her bed and slapped her twice, then turned and left.
Jiang Wanwan touched her stinging face and watched her leave. This woman flipped faster than a book—she had joined Tang Zhirou?
Tang Zhirou smiled at her from the doorway and walked away.
Once in her room, Su Mengya said, “I’m sorry, Tang Zhīqīng. I won’t help her against you again!”
Tang Zhirou sat on her bed, scrutinizing her. “You’ll help me even if I don’t pay you?”
“Yes. I had no choice.”
Su Mengya spoke honestly.
“Fine, I’ll forgive you for now.”
“Thanks. I’m leaving. I’ll say if anything comes up.”
Su Mengya was about to leave when Shen Mingyue stopped her. “Su Zhīqīng, why don’t you move into this room? We can switch places.”
Su Mengya looked at Tang Zhirou. “What do you think?”
“Move in!”
It would be more convenient for coordinating matters.
Su Mengya nodded. “I’ll move now.”
Shen Mingyue nodded repeatedly. She was a little scared—knowing too much could be dangerous. It was better to stay away from these people.
The next day, Zhao Jiani returned and saw Su Mengya in her room. She hurriedly asked Tang Zhirou, “Why is she in our room?”
Tang Zhirou said calmly, “She’s joined us.”
Zhao Jiani glared at Su Mengya. “You shameless woman, you actually came to compete with me for work!”
“She doesn’t want money!”
“Doesn’t want money… and she’ll still take my work!”
Zhao Jiani was unhappy but didn’t argue further. She had to be cautious—this woman was sly and dangerous.
The sun was shining brightly, and the yard’s mud had dried. Lan Xingyu grabbed her small stool and went outside.
No one had bothered her yesterday. It seemed Zhou Daju’s matter wasn’t serious. She went back to weeding in the peanut field.
Wang Na stayed far away, unwilling to provoke her.
The two of them weeded leisurely, unconcerned with the bloodshed elsewhere.
Jiang Wanwan was dazed today, terrified Tang Zhirou might use medicine against her. She muddled through until the end of work, and when she saw Xiao Heng approaching, her eyes filled with tears.
Xiao Heng came up and said, “Come, follow me over there.”
He gestured toward the cornfield. Jiang Wanwan nodded and followed.
Only then did she see Tang Zhirou in the cornfield. Why had they called them here? Jiang Wanwan felt timid.
Xiao Heng said to Tang Zhirou, “I called her over. What do you want to say?”
Tang Zhirou had him call Jiang Wanwan, and he obediently did.
“You two come in. I have something to say.”
Tang Zhirou stepped back a few paces, letting them into the cornfield.
Xiao Heng nudged Jiang Wanwan forward, and she entered the cornfield.
Seizing the moment, Tang Zhirou threw a handful of medicinal powder at the two and ran, covering her mouth and nose.
Cough cough cough…
The two choked and coughed.
Xiao Heng sensed something was wrong and turned to run out—but before leaving the cornfield, a flying kick sent him back in. He stumbled backward, pinning Jiang Wanwan, and they both fell into a ditch.
By now, the medicine had taken effect. The two of them stared at each other. Xiao Heng tried to resist and get up, while Jiang Wanwan, holding back the pain in her body, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
As Xiao Heng’s rationality crumbled, he thought inwardly: Tang Zhirou, I won’t let you have your way!
Jiang Wanwan, meanwhile, was genuinely surprised. Tang Zhirou had actually handed Xiao Heng over to her—she felt grateful to Tang Zhirou!
Soon, sounds emerged from the cornfield. Su Mengya, who had been standing guard nearby, ran off to tell Tang Zhirou that it had worked.
Tang Zhirou had Zhao Jiani shout at the top of her lungs, drawing villagers back from their homes. They surrounded the cornfield, listening to the sounds inside. Some even ran in to watch—what a titillating scene!
The ruckus didn’t interrupt the two at all; their wild escapades continued unabated.
“Everyone, get the hell out of here!”
Chief Liu roared, and the crowd reluctantly dispersed, leaving only the brazen few, like Yang Wei, who continued to watch.
“Ahh…”
Even Chief Liu peeked in, frowning. He had managed the Zhiqing for over a decade and had seen such things before—but never so intense!
Clearly, someone had drugged them. From the look of it, Tang Zhirou was the victor, and Jiang Wanwan the defeated. What kind of grudge did they have?
Chief Liu went to cool off under a tree, thinking about how to handle the matter. There wasn’t much to do—if someone slept together, they were supposed to get married. Tang Zhirou was trickier, though; he needed to talk to her.
The Zhiqing compound was abuzz with talk of Xiao Heng and Jiang Wanwan. Those who didn’t understand the situation even told Tang Zhirou not to be sad.
Tang Zhirou couldn’t have been happier—finally, the scumbag man and woman were locked in her scheme!
Zhang Weiping even tried to get Lan Xingyu to watch, but she had no interest. Tang Zhirou had paired Xiao Heng with Jiang Wanwan; next on the list would be Huo Nanting.
Lan Xingyu glanced at the man smoking across from her, wondering what would happen between him and the heroine. The thought struck her—she should prepare some medicine in case Tang Zhirou targeted her too.
At noon, during her nap, she went into her space to prepare both anesthetics and antidotes, setting them up in the makeshift infirmary.
The passionate scene in the cornfield continued, drawing even more onlookers.
By the time work resumed, the two had sobered up. Xiao Heng’s face was dark as iron; he didn’t speak a word to Jiang Wanwan and left the cornfield. Chief Liu tossed a remark over his shoulder: “I’ll arrange a wedding for her.”
Sighing, Chief Liu warned, “Calm down. Don’t cause any more trouble!”
Xiao Heng left with a grim expression.
Jiang Wanwan stumbled out of the cornfield, keeping her head down, afraid to meet Chief Liu’s gaze.
Chief Liu rubbed his temples in frustration. He went to find Tang Zhirou and asked her to meet him somewhere private.
By the edge of another cornfield, Chief Liu said sternly, “I know you won’t admit anything, but if you pull stunts like this again, get out of Dawan Village!”
Tang Zhirou pouted, ready to protest: “It wasn’t me, Liu—”
“Shut up! I have eyes! If you cause trouble again, I’ll report you to the commune. They’ll transfer you immediately!”
Being transferred to another province would be fine, but if she stirred trouble close by, it would still be a problem. Reporting it would also implicate him. Chief Liu knew she was tricky.
Tang Zhirou simply pressed her lips together and stayed silent—let him say whatever he wanted.
Chief Liu’s gaze was icy: “Don’t you worry about revenge? Xiao Heng seems to like you. You meddle with people’s relationships, and if it backfires, you’ll suffer. Don’t let anyone die because of you!”
Tang Zhirou thought for a moment and replied, “Understood. Don’t worry, Chief Liu. No one will die. I promise.”
“Behave yourself for a while.”
“Okay.”
“Now go back to work!”
Tang Zhirou shot him a glance, then turned and ran off. Chief Liu was left frustrated; she had to be more obedient recently.