Seeing this, Meng Yu snorted coldly and walked inside first.
“I’d like to see how much longer the two of you can keep acting!”
Ye Lei welcomed everyone into the house.
At the entrance of the courtyard, Fang Xiu, carrying several apples and her pregnant belly, returned home chatting and laughing with the neighbors.
The moment she stepped into the courtyard, someone called out to her.
“Fang Xiu! Fang Xiu, hurry back and take a look! Several people came to your house saying Ye Lei is involved with another woman and keeping a young girl on the side. They’re still there right now!”
The neighbor had only overheard bits and pieces of the argument outside the door, but she hurriedly informed Fang Xiu anyway.
Holding the apples, Fang Xiu frowned slightly.
“Auntie Chen, what exactly are you talking about?”
Auntie Chen stammered awkwardly, unable to explain clearly.
“You should just hurry home and see for yourself!”
Another neighbor beside them said, “Fang Xiu, don’t panic. Go home and take a look first.”
But Fang Xiu wasn’t anxious at all.
No one knew Ye Lei better than she did. He was an honest schoolteacher through and through. Back when they got married, he had been the first university student in his family to land a respectable job, and his entire family practically lived off him, yet he never complained once.
Usually, he was so frugal he looked pitiful. If she hadn’t generously taken him in, who knew in which tiny corner he’d still be nibbling dry buns by himself?
After marriage, Ye Lei handed over his salary willingly and spent every day busy with his students at school. Whatever Fang Xiu said, he listened obediently.
A man like that probably didn’t even have the money to support another woman, even if he wanted to.
Most likely, this was just some misunderstanding.
“This sounds fake the moment you hear it,” Fang Xiu said calmly.
Although the sudden news had startled her at first, she quickly regained her composure and slowly walked home carrying her bag.
The neighbors originally wanted to continue enjoying the gossip, but seeing Fang Xiu so steady and unconcerned made them feel that Ye Lei secretly supporting a young girl really did seem unrealistic.
When Fang Xiu arrived at the door carrying the bag, she heard a sharp voice arguing inside.
“You say whatever you want and expect people to believe you? What if the two of you planned this together? Using tutoring as an excuse while secretly doing shameful things!”
“Dad, Mom, don’t believe this man’s lies! He just doesn’t want to take responsibility for Meng Yao. He says he has a wife? Then where is she?” Meng Yu continued loudly. “I think he’s full of lies and still refusing to admit it even now!”
Meng Yao immediately rushed in front of her.
“You shut up! Keep talking nonsense and I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
Meng Yu stepped back and turned toward the elders.
“See? I guessed correctly. She’s angry because I exposed her!”
Ye Lei was good at dealing with students, but terrible at dealing with women. Faced with such outrageous accusations suddenly being thrown at him, he became so anxious that sweat poured from his forehead.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted the woman standing at the doorway.
Hope instantly exploded in his eyes.
His savior had arrived!
“Wife! You’re finally back!”
The arguing Meng Yao and Meng Yu both stopped speaking at the same time.
Everyone followed Ye Lei’s gaze toward the entrance.
There stood a heavily pregnant woman wearing a floral dress and curled hair, holding several apples while calmly watching the commotion. No one knew how long she had been standing there.
Fang Xiu was about the same height as Ye Lei, but her features were completely opposite from his—sharp and striking, especially her folded eyelids that gave her an observant and penetrating gaze whenever she looked at people.
At that moment, she slowly swept her eyes over the crowd before locking onto Meng Yu with scrutiny.
Meng Yu suddenly shivered for no reason.
Ye Lei quickly pushed through the crowd and hurried over to Fang Xiu. First, he took the apples from her hands, then bent down to fetch slippers from the shoe rack nearby for her to change into.
Afterward, he quickly and concisely explained the entire situation to her.
The moment Fang Xiu finished listening, she immediately understood what had happened.
Her gaze shifted away from Meng Yu and landed on Meng Yao’s parents as she smiled warmly.
“You must be Ah Yao’s parents, right? Hello, my name is Fang Xiu, and this is my husband, Ye Lei.”
After the simple introduction, she continued,
“That day, I had low blood sugar and fainted on the street. Ah Yao was the one who saved me. Later, after learning she planned to take the college entrance exam, I asked my husband to tutor her three times a week.”
“If you don’t believe us, the police station here is just two streets away around the corner. I even told the officers back then that I planned to make two gratitude banners, but Ah Yao was probably too shy and refused.”
“If you still don’t believe us, we can go confront them right now and see whether I’m lying.”
Fang Xiu finished speaking with a smile, looking at the elderly couple openly and calmly.
Meng Zhihong and Zhao Meilan both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
So it had all been a misunderstanding.
But Meng Yu was completely dumbfounded.
“How is that possible?! Then… then… then why didn’t Meng Yao say so earlier?”
Smack!
A crisp slap echoed throughout the living room.
Meng Yu covered her face in disbelief.
“What right do you have to hit me?!”
Meng Yao’s parents hurried forward to stop her.
“Ah Yao, what are you doing?” Zhao Meilan asked anxiously.
Meng Yao stared directly into Meng Yu’s eyes, her voice icy cold.
“What right do I have to hit you? Because you deserve it! You threw such a huge accusation at me based on nothing but your own guesses!”
“Right now, the person you’re slandering is me—your own sister. One slap is already letting you off lightly. If this were someone else, falsely accusing people like this could’ve gotten you dragged to the police station already!”
The two elders felt that Meng Yao’s words made sense.
Even Zhao Meilan couldn’t help saying,
“Xiao Yu, this time you were wrong. You should apologize to your sister.”
Fang Xiu also nodded.
“Ah Yao is right. If this happened with someone else, the police probably would’ve taken you away already. Luckily, it’s your sister.”
“Xiao Yu! Hurry and apologize to your sister!” Meng Zhihong shouted sternly as well.
Covering the burning side of her face, Meng Yu finally realized that Meng Yao had deliberately set a trap for her this time.
Having embarrassed herself in front of everyone, she hated Meng Yao to death.
Grinding her teeth unwillingly, she finally forced out,
“Sorry!”
“Sorry to who? Say it clearly!” Meng Yao snapped.
Meng Yu was furious inside, but she knew she had been careless this time.
Humiliated before so many people, she could only grit her teeth harder and say,
“Sorry, Meng Yao. I shouldn’t have said those things about you!”
The words practically came out squeezed between clenched teeth.
Meng Yao looked at her coldly and said nothing.
Meanwhile, Meng Zhihong and Zhao Meilan awkwardly apologized to Ye Lei and Fang Xiu.
“We’re truly sorry for causing trouble for the two of you.”
Seeing that the couple were honest and simple villagers, Fang Xiu showed no displeasure at all. Instead, she told Ye Lei to tidy up because she wanted to invite everyone to eat at the state-owned restaurant.
Meng Zhihong hurriedly waved his hands.
“No, no, that won’t do. You’re already helping tutor my daughter, and we still came here causing trouble for you. We’re deeply embarrassed. We’ll definitely come apologize properly another day, but there’s no need today!”
After causing such a huge misunderstanding, he truly felt too ashamed to stay and let them treat the family to a meal.
But if Fang Xiu wanted to keep someone from leaving, there was no way they could escape.
She immediately smiled and said,
“Uncle Meng, Auntie, please come eat with us.”
“After that whole scene just now, all the neighbors outside were watching. If you leave immediately now, who knows what rumors they’ll spread afterward? It’s better for all of us to go eat together peacefully so they won’t have anything to gossip about, and it’ll also give everyone a proper explanation.”