She rode at full speed, pedaling so furiously that the bicycle wheels seemed ready to smoke. Several times, Zhong Yi nearly felt like giving up.
She had barely slept the night before, had been put through so much, and hadn’t gotten any rest during the day either. Riding a bicycle was exhausting enough on its own, especially when she had to carry another adult.
If not for the sheer force of her determination, she would have wanted to lie down right there on the road and give up.
Finally, the bicycle entered Laotianwan Village.
“Hey, Zhong girl, who’s that you’ve brought with you?”
“Liang Feng’s girlfriend from the city,” Zhong Yi replied bluntly.
The villagers looked utterly bewildered, as if they had just swallowed a fly.
Wait a minute! If this woman was Liang Feng’s girlfriend from the city, then what was Zhong Yi to him?
What on earth had happened?
Had they heard wrong, or had they misunderstood something?
Quite a few villagers crossed their path on the way to the Liang family home. Every time someone asked, Zhong Yi gave the same answer.
Sitting on the back of the bicycle, Meng Lina naturally noticed the villagers’ shocked expressions. However, she had no idea that Liang Feng already had a girlfriend in the countryside. Although she found their reactions a little strange, she simply assumed that the villagers were ignorant country folk who had never seen someone dressed as fashionably as she was.
That was what she thought until the bicycle finally stopped in front of the Liang family home.
Meanwhile, inside the Liang family’s house, Grandpa Zhou was already waiting.
Before returning to his military unit, his grandson had entrusted him with such an important task. Naturally, Grandpa Zhou had no intention of letting him down.
He was determined to handle the matter properly.
Since the situation was not suitable for public discussion, Grandpa Zhou had come alone.
Liang Feng, however, was a shrewd man. When Grandpa Zhou came looking for his mother, she was nowhere to be found. According to the explanation he was given, she had gone back to her maiden family’s home.
How could Grandpa Zhou fail to see through Liang Feng’s little scheme?
He simply hadn’t expected this young man, who was considered one of the most promising people in the village, to turn out to be such a hypocritical, utterly despicable creature.
“I have something to discuss with your mother. Since she’s gone to her maiden family’s home, I’ll wait here. She’ll have to come back eventually. If she doesn’t, I’ll send someone to your maternal grandmother’s house to bring her here!”
Don’t think hiding would make the problem disappear. Grandpa Zhou had weathered plenty of storms in his lifetime. He wasn’t someone who could be easily fooled.
The old man’s sharp, penetrating gaze made Liang Feng feel as though his dirty thoughts had been completely exposed.
He hurriedly lowered his head.
“Then I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a little while, Grandpa Zhou. I’ll go to my maternal grandmother’s house and bring my mother back myself.”
He had already thought of a way to get himself out of trouble. He would simply claim that his mother disapproved of Zhong Yi and had taken matters into her own hands by drugging her. He would insist that he had nothing to do with it.
“Then go. I’ll give you one hour,” Grandpa Zhou ordered impatiently, not bothering to waste any more words on him.
Liang Feng quickly agreed and turned to leave.
Just then, the sound of a bicycle bell grew closer and closer before stopping right outside his house.
The first person Liang Feng saw was Zhong Yi, who was riding the bicycle. A flicker of irritation crossed his eyes. The last person he wanted to see right now was Zhong Yi.
But in the next moment, when Zhong Yi stopped the bicycle and revealed the person sitting on the back, Liang Feng’s eyes widened until they were as round as bells.
“Lina? How… how did you end up here?”
He was so horrified that he could barely remain standing.
When Meng Lina saw that Liang Feng was perfectly fine, she immediately realized that she had been tricked. She whipped her head around and glared at Zhong Yi, silently demanding an explanation.
Zhong Yi ignored her and looked straight at Liang Feng instead.
“Liang Feng, why don’t you explain something to me? What exactly is your relationship with this woman, Comrade Meng Lina?”
Hearing that, Meng Lina sensed that something was wrong. She turned her questioning gaze toward Liang Feng as well.
Liang Feng felt as though he were being roasted over a fire from both sides.
This was Laotianwan Village. Everyone here knew about his relationship with Zhong Yi. They even knew how much the Zhong family had helped his family over the years.
If he denied his relationship with Zhong Yi in front of all these villagers, he would never be able to show his face in this village again.
But on the other side stood Meng Lina—the director’s daughter, the woman who represented his future and career prospects.
For a moment, he glared furiously at Zhong Yi.
It was all her fault! She had ruined everything!
“What exactly do you want?” he demanded.
Zhong Yi had seen plenty of shameless people in her life, but she had never encountered anyone quite as shameless as Liang Feng. Even now, with everything exposed, he was still trying to shift the blame onto her!
“I’m the one who should be asking you that! Liang Feng, what exactly are you trying to do? I went to the county hospital, and the doctors and nurses there all said that Meng Lina was your girlfriend. If she’s your girlfriend, then what am I?”
Even if Meng Lina had been slow to catch on, she finally understood what was happening.
“Liang Feng, you bastard! You’ve been lying to me! Didn’t you tell me that you didn’t have a girlfriend in the countryside?!”
Liang Feng looked at her anxiously.
“Lina, listen to me. Let me explain—”
Smack!
Furious beyond words, Meng Lina raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
Liang Feng clutched his cheek and reached out to stop her from leaving.
“Lina, please, just listen to me!”
Meng Lina angrily shook off his hand, her eyes turning red.
Watching the scene unfold, Zhong Yi felt a sharp ache in her chest.
Perhaps those feelings didn’t belong to her at all. They were probably the lingering emotions of the original owner whose body she now inhabited.
Even at this point, Liang Feng was only concerned with explaining himself to Meng Lina. He didn’t care about Zhong Yi in the slightest, despite the fact that she was supposedly his girlfriend.
Anyone in her position would have been heartbroken.
Fortunately, the feeling lasted only a moment.
Once that wave of hurt and resentment had passed, Zhong Yi let out a cold laugh.
She grabbed the large broom leaning against the wall and swung it straight at Liang Feng.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
It wasn’t enough. Still not enough. It was nowhere near enough!
All the grievances the original owner had suffered over the years—including being forced into losing her virginity against her will—were because of Liang Feng.
She had to vent this anger, once and for all!
Liang Feng scrambled around, shielding his head as he fled from the broom.
The commotion at the Liang family home had already drawn a crowd of villagers outside. Seeing what was happening, everyone immediately understood the situation.
They began cursing Liang Feng for his despicable behavior.
The Zhong family had treated him so well! And Zhong Yi, in particular, had practically poured her heart and soul into helping the Liang family. Yet this was how he repaid her kindness?
“Heartless ingrate!”
“Worse than a pig or a dog!”
“You’re a modern-day Chen Shimei!”
“You filthy beast!”
Insults rained down on Liang Feng like a sudden downpour. And the villagers weren’t content with merely cursing him. Some were so furious that they picked up small stones and threw them at him.
Liang Feng had nowhere to hide.
When he spotted Grandpa Zhou standing by the doorway, he could only swallow his pride and beg for help.
“Grandpa Zhou, please help me!”
Grandpa Zhou snorted coldly.
“You brought this on yourself!”
Liang Feng was utterly desperate.
Meanwhile, Meng Lina watched as the man she had fallen for ran around like a frightened rat, desperately trying to escape the beating. His pathetic appearance was so humiliating that she could no longer bear to look at him.
Covering her face, she pushed through the crowd and hurried away.
Grandpa Zhou noticed her leaving and instructed some villagers to escort her back to the county town. He didn’t want anything unfortunate to happen to her on the road.
“Lina, go back first! I’ll explain everything to you later!” Liang Feng shouted after her.
He actually wanted to follow Meng Lina back to the county town, but the villagers had surrounded him so tightly that he couldn’t get away.
All he could do was shout those words, hoping to placate her for the time being.
Meng Lina didn’t want to hear a single word from him. Covering her face, she hurried farther and farther away.
Zhong Yi had no intention of making things difficult for Meng Lina—not unless she discovered that Meng Lina harbored malicious intentions toward her.
She lowered the broom, but she still wasn’t satisfied.
Stepping forward, she faced Liang Feng and began slapping him repeatedly, alternating between his left and right cheeks.
One slap after another.
She delivered ten hard slaps to his face, one after the other.