Xu Miao trembled under her father’s shout.
Yet her meager pride and sense of face made her clench her lips tightly.
How could she admit that she had paid thugs to block someone?
With the two families having past ties, saying it out loud… was unthinkable.
She stammered for a long while, but no words would come out.
“Speak!” Lu Weidong, losing patience, turned to the thug and barked.
The tall, skinny thug shivered, whining: “I… if I tell, can you let me go?”
But the moment he spoke, his eyes met Lu Weidong’s—cold, merciless, as if they could pierce right through him—and he immediately shut up.
“O-Officer, I’ll say everything!” His tongue tangled with fear.
“Just a few days ago, at that old billiard hall in Daowai, I met this girl surnamed Xu.”
“She said the man she liked was being pursued by some woman of shady background.”
“And she said the woman was using despicable methods to force a marriage. She couldn’t stand it and wanted us to ‘intervene’ so the woman would leave on her own.”
He cast a nervous glance at Xu Miao’s pale face and continued, trembling:
“She gave twenty bucks, and said after it worked, she’d give two good cigarettes. We agreed.”
“Today, at the bookstore, we blocked this lady and told her to stay away from Lu Weidong.”
“Otherwise, we’d block her every time we saw her. But we really didn’t plan to do anything else, just scare her…”
His voice grew quieter with each word, head sinking lower:
“Later, the lady agreed to leave, but someone… got carried away and tried to stop her…”
“And then, the officer arrived…”
With every word the thug spoke, Xu Miao’s face grew paler, while Xu Miao’s father’s expression darkened further.
Xu Miao’s face was ashen, but her eyes showed no remorse—instead, they filled with a venomous fury, almost insane, locked on Ye Wenxi.
Xu Miao’s father took several deep breaths, struggling to steady his rising dizziness.
He stepped in front of Xu Miao, voice heavy with pain and incredulity:
“Is what he’s saying… true?!”
Xu Miao straightened her neck, bit her lower lip, refusing to utter a word.
Her gaze radiated hatred, threatening to overflow.
Seeing her stubborn refusal to admit fault, Xu Miao’s father’s chest heaved violently. He suddenly raised his arm, ready to strike.
“Old Xu!” Xu Miao’s mother screamed, rushing over to hold his arm tightly.
By now, the commotion had drawn the attention of the entire compound.
It was the end of the workday, with many people coming and going.
All had stopped to watch, whispering, pointing fingers.
“Isn’t that the Lu family’s second son? What’s happening?”
“Why is Commander Xu trying to hit his daughter?”
“And who’s that girl standing there?”
…
The murmurs buzzed like needles, stabbing the Xu family’s pride.
Xu Miao’s father took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then approached Lu Weidong, his face filled with shame and exhaustion.
“Weidong, I’m sorry. I failed to educate my daughter and caused you this trouble. I…”
Lu Weidong’s expression remained unmoved, cold and hard.
“Brother Xu, the one you truly should apologize to is my wife.”
He gestured toward Ye Wenxi, “If I hadn’t happened to arrive today, who knows what would have happened to her.”
“This matter will not simply be let go.”
The crowd gasped quietly.
“His wife?!”
“What did he say? That’s his wife?!”
“Lu Weidong is married?! Since when?!”
“Oh my… my husband just a few days ago said he wanted to introduce her sister to someone.”
Xu Miao’s father was caught off guard by Lu Weidong’s blunt words, but knowing he was in the wrong, he quickly nodded:
“Yes, yes, he should apologize to Comrade Wenxi.”
He hurried to Ye Wenxi. This respected military officer, now for the sake of his daughter and in front of everyone, had completely set aside pride, speaking almost pleadingly:
“Comrade Wenxi, I’m sorry. All of this is Xu Miao’s fault, and also my failure as a father.”
“Could I ask you, for the sake of the past ties between our families, to let her off?”
“I’ll go back and discipline her severely, confine her, and make her apologize to you properly…”
Ye Wenxi looked at his graying temples and humble, apologetic stance in front of everyone, her heart heavy with mixed emotions.
Xu Miao, tears streaming, rushed over, grabbing her father’s arm, voice sharp:
“Dad! Don’t beg her! She doesn’t deserve it!”
“Shut up!!” Xu Miao’s father turned sharply, yelling at her.
“Am I wrong?!”
Xu Miao seemed to throw caution to the wind, pointing at Ye Wenxi, voice trembling with sobs and hysterical hatred:
“She must have used some vile trick! They’ve only known each other a few days and are already married?”
“If not a vile trick, then what?! She clearly—”
“Silence!”
Lu Weidong’s thunderous shout coincided with the sharp slap Xu Miao’s father delivered.
“Smack!”
Xu Miao’s face snapped to the side, frozen in place, a bright red handprint marking her cheek.
She clutched her face, staring in disbelief at her father and the surrounding crowd, some shocked, some scornful.
Finally, her eyes fixed on Ye Wenxi, a gaze full of hatred almost bleeding from her soul.
The crowd buzzed, their focus shifting.
“Weren’t they single just a few days ago?”
“So that’s how it is… no wonder it happened so fast.”
The crowd’s disdain toward Xu Miao for hiring thugs shifted subtly toward questioning Ye Wenxi’s “background” and “methods.”
Their gazes were complex, scrutinizing her.
Xu Miao, covering her face, twisted her lips into a smug, provocative smile.
She looked at Ye Wenxi as if expecting her to be drowned by the crowd’s suspicion and judgment.
Lu Weidong’s eyes turned even colder.
He stepped forward quickly, his tall frame fully shielding Ye Wenxi from Xu Miao, holding her behind him.
His gaze swept over Xu Miao, cold and openly full of disgust.
Xu Miao shivered at that look, her smugness instantly frozen.
Ye Wenxi gently tugged Lu Weidong’s arm and stepped out from behind him.
She didn’t look at Xu Miao, but faced Xu Miao’s father directly.
Her voice was clear and calm, ringing through the quiet compound:
“Commander Xu, the danger I faced today was a matter of luck and Lu Weidong’s protection. But the cause of it all was your daughter, who acted deliberately knowing the consequences.”
She paused, voice steady, carrying undeniable authority:
“I understand that as a father, you love your daughter and want to protect her.”
Her tone was calm, yet clearly drew a boundary.
“But your daughter is an adult, no longer a child needing your constant protection. She must bear the full consequences of her choices and actions.”
She met his gaze firmly, eyes unflinching.
“Therefore, I’m sorry—I will not accept this apology, nor will I forgive her.”
Xu Miao’s father opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
He looked at this young woman, eyes clear, neither subservient nor arrogant.
Then thought of his daughter’s outrageous deeds; every plea he wanted to make stuck in his throat. No words could come.
Indeed—those who sow chaos reap their own ruin.
He nodded heavily, voice suddenly sounding much older.
“I understand.”