The auntie beside her was immediately intrigued.
“What? It’s Sang Yanyan’s?”
A moment ago, they’d only heard that it was “the Sang family’s daughter.” Since the Sang family had one biological daughter and one stepdaughter, everyone had instinctively assumed it was Sang Qing.
But hearing someone say it was Sang Yanyan immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Seeing the opportunity, Sang Qing said confidently,
“Of course it is. Director Sang specially had someone buy that dress from Shanghai. There’s only one like it in all of Hongqi Town. I’ve seen Sang Yanyan wear it to show off more than once.”
Another auntie squinted into the distance before suddenly slapping her thigh.
“That’s right! I was wondering why the pattern looked so familiar! She wore that exact dress to the market last week! She treasured it like it was made of gold!”
When Aunt Li saw the conversation wasn’t turning into a smear campaign against Sang Qing as she’d planned, she immediately shoved her way through the crowd.
“How do you know it isn’t Sang Qing? Sang Yanyan is such a good girl. Don’t ruin her reputation!”
Before Sang Qing could answer, another woman beside her snorted.
“A good girl? A good girl wouldn’t be flirting with every man in the restaurant!”
“Exactly! I heard Sang Yanyan’s mother was the other woman. She’s Director Sang’s biological daughter too. Tsk!”
“Hmph! Her mother’s a homewrecker. What kind of decent daughter could she possibly raise?”
…
Sang Qing quietly pressed the scarf against the corner of her mouth to hide her smile.
These aunties really knew how to roast people.
Please… keep talking~
Aunt Li was nearly overwhelmed by everyone’s attacks.
Finally, she shouted,
“Who knows? Maybe Sang Qing deliberately put on Sang Yanyan’s clothes to confuse everyone!”
“Oh really?”
Standing nearby, Sang Qing spoke in a deliberately sarcastic tone.
“Aunt Li sure has sharp eyesight. From this far away, you’re already certain that’s Sang Qing?”
Her words instantly piqued the interest of the women watching.
“That’s true! Aunt Li, why are you acting so strangely today?”
“Exactly. Did someone pay you to ruin that girl’s reputation?”
“I think so! Her son still works at the garment factory. I heard he’s pretty close to that Sang Yanyan…”
“Stop talking nonsense!” Aunt Li exploded as though someone had stepped on her tail.
She grabbed Sang Qing—the very woman who had been contradicting her all along—and barked,
“I think you’re the one who took Sang Qing’s money and are deliberately ruining Sang Yanyan’s reputation!”
Sang Qing: “…”
Seeing Sang Qing remain silent, Aunt Li mistakenly thought she’d struck a nerve.
She became even more smug.
“The people over there already said she’s from the Sang family. What proof do you have that she isn’t Sang Qing?”
Looking at Aunt Li’s triumphant expression, Sang Qing burst into laughter.
She casually pulled down the scarf covering her face, revealing her stunning features.
“I’m standing right here perfectly fine.”
“So tell me—how exactly am I supposed to prove it?”
Panic immediately flashed across Aunt Li’s face.
“Y-You… why are you here?”
Sang Qing looked at her in confusion.
“That’s a strange question, Aunt Li.”
“Unless…”
“You already knew what was going to happen here?”
“Oh! I get it now.”
“You’re in cahoots with them!”
Her words were like cold water splashed into boiling oil.
The crowd exploded.
“I knew it! She was acting way too enthusiastic earlier!”
“Talk! Did the Sang family pay you to slander that poor girl?”
“That’s right! You old hag really have a black heart!”
…
Aunt Li refused to take the blame.
“I didn’t! Stop making things up! I came here with all of you! If I’m guilty, then all of you are guilty too!”
Her words immediately made the surrounding women nervous.
They loved gossip.
That didn’t mean they wanted trouble.
Seeing this, Sang Qing quickly fanned the flames.
“Aunties! Don’t let her scare you!”
“I think she’s working together with those hooligans!”
“She might even be an enemy spy sent to corrupt the morals of Hongqi Town!”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Aunt Li practically wanted to strangle Sang Qing on the spot.
She’d only accepted a little money to spread some rumors about Sang Qing.
Yet this girl had gone and slapped such an enormous accusation on her.
Sang Qing sneered.
“If you’re not an enemy spy, why did you encourage all the aunties to come here?”
“If you’re not an enemy spy, why were you threatening everyone just now?”
“If you’re not an enemy spy… why are you panicking?”
“I… I…”
“See? You can’t answer!”
Sang Qing didn’t give her another chance to speak.
She raised her arm and shouted,
“Aunties! This is a chance to earn merit! Let’s take her to the Public Security Bureau! We can’t let a bad element like her escape!”
“That’s right! Grab her!”
“Down with the bad element!”
“Take her to the Public Security Bureau!”
…
The crowd surged forward in righteous fury.
They swarmed Aunt Li, who tried desperately to run, pinning her down with flailing hands before cursing and shoving her all the way toward the Public Security Bureau.
Watching the crowd disappear into the distance, Sang Qing finally curled her lips into a satisfied smile.
Even if Aunt Li wasn’t actually an enemy spy, she was definitely involved in today’s scheme somehow.
As a law-abiding citizen, handing Aunt Li over to the authorities would save the officers a trip.
Once everyone had left, Sang Qing quickly wrapped the scarf back around her face and silently slipped into the dense woods nearby.
No one noticed that the gang of hooligans making such a commotion moments ago had gone completely silent.
They now lay flat on the ground, bound hand and foot, with filthy socks stuffed into their mouths.
Lu Qiance looked down at them with unconcealed disgust, his eyes so dark they seemed capable of swallowing all light.
They had actually dared plot against his precious wife.
They really had a death wish.
If he weren’t worried that Sang Qing might lose her way in the forest, he would have made sure these men suffered a fate worse than death.
After giving them one last cold glance, he turned and followed after her.
Before he could catch up, however, Lu Qiance sharply noticed another suspicious group quietly trailing Sang Qing into the woods.
His gaze instantly turned icy.
Without making a sound, he melted into the shadows between the trees.
Moments later, several dull thuds echoed through the forest.
Then silence returned.
Lu Qiance dragged every one of them into a deep hunting pit left by local hunters, tied them up securely, and continued after Sang Qing.
Completely unaware of everything happening behind her, Sang Qing wandered through the woods, stopping every so often.
Finally, she halted before a cliff wall covered in thick vines.
Brushing aside the dense greenery, she quickly discovered the entrance to a hidden cave.
Without hesitation, she bent down and crawled inside.
Lu Qiance quietly approached the entrance and looked in.
The cave was dimly lit, but he could make out stacks of wooden crates and cloth sacks piled inside.
They appeared to be valuable goods in short supply.
As Lu Qiance wondered why Sang Qing had come here, he suddenly witnessed a scene that made his pupils contract violently—