“Then let’s bring the girl out and ask her.”
Director Su found an office, and Xu Zhouzhou was brought in.
Town Mayor Fu took one look at her and understood why that brat Lu Shijie was fixated on her. Disheveled hair and a haggard complexion couldn’t hide her striking beauty.
Xu Zhouzhou scanned the room. She didn’t see the handling police officers, but instead saw Fu Chunhua rolling her eyes. She guessed they might want to negotiate a settlement with her.
Settlement? Keep dreaming. The reason she had struck so ruthlessly was to blow the matter up—to escalate it to a point where it couldn’t be contained, to a point where those people couldn’t bear the consequences. Only then would they have scruples. Even if she had to go to prison, she accepted it.
“Educated Youth Xu, dragging this matter out won’t do anyone any good. I think we should find a compromise to resolve this. What do you say?” the Town Mayor asked slowly.
“No matter how you compromise, I am the victim. I’m definitely suing Lu Shijie. There is no possibility of settlement.” Xu Zhouzhou glanced at them coldly.
“You slut, what are you so arrogant for? Our Shijie was beaten like that; just wait until you go to prison,” Fu Chunhua said aggressively.
“Fine. Then I wish you the pain of the white-haired burying the black-haired. I wish him an early death with no reincarnation.” Xu Zhouzhou smiled sinisterly.
“You… bitch! I’ll beat you to death!” Fu Chunhua stood up to lunge at her but was held back by Lu Dahai.
The Town Mayor frowned, not expecting this girl to be so fierce. “Comrade Xu, look, you’re young. Do you really want to waste your life away in prison?
“I heard your political background check also has issues, and the hope of returning to the city is slim. After sitting in prison for a few years, returning to the city will be even more impossible. You’ll still have to make a living in the village, right?”
He was threatening her: even if she went to prison for a few years, she would still have to return to the village and fall into their hands when she got out.
Xu Zhouzhou gave a bleak laugh. “Looking at it this way, I struck too lightly. I should have just smacked him dead. Even if I got the death penalty, I’d have him as a cushion.”
Town Mayor Fu hadn’t expected this girl’s temper to be so fiery. Holding down the struggling Fu Chunhua, he suppressed his anger and said to Xu Zhouzhou, “Educated Youth Xu, you’re angry right now, so it’s understandable to say some harsh words. I have a solution that benefits both sides here. Will you listen?”
Xu Zhouzhou lifted her eyes to glance at him but didn’t speak.
“Shijie also genuinely likes you, which is why he acted impulsively and made a mistake. I think you should just marry him. We’ll treat this matter as a lover’s spat—an accidental injury. Neither you nor he will be held responsible, and the police station can release you immediately.”
Xu Zhouzhou laughed out loud in disbelief, as if she had heard a joke. “Are you guys insane? Asking me to marry a bastard who tried to violate me? You call this a solution that benefits both sides? You take all the advantages! How can you even say such shameless words?”
“Xu Zhouzhou, don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Our Shijie is more than good enough for a slut like you.” Fu Chunhua pointed at Xu Zhouzhou’s nose and shouted.
“I wondered why Lu Shijie was so filthy. Turns out he was born in a filth pit. The roots are completely rotten; no wonder he grew such a dirty heart and rotten lungs.”
Xu Zhouzhou looked askance at the three people in front of her with disgust. She thought they wanted a settlement, but she didn’t expect them to come up with such a wretched, lousy idea. It truly sickened her.
“Xu Zhouzhou, I advise you to think carefully. Marrying Shijie is only beneficial to you, not harmful. With a clear status, if policies change in the future, it won’t be impossible for you to return to the city. It’s better than sitting in prison for a few years, right?”
Xu Zhouzhou understood the meaning behind Town Mayor Fu’s words. He was trying to tempt her with the chance to return to the city.
She curled her lips in disdain. “I’d rather go to prison.”
Seeing the determination in the girl’s eyes and realizing there was absolutely no room for negotiation, Town Mayor Fu’s face turned cold.
“Fine, Xu Zhouzhou. Clearly, you seduced Lu Shijie first. Lu Shijie, thinking of your reputation, resolutely refused. Flying into a rage out of humiliation, you seriously injured him. You will bear this charge.”
Hearing his mouth full of nonsense, Xu Zhouzhou looked at him in shock, while Fu Chunhua beside him smiled smugly.
“What a fine ‘parental official‘ of the people. Is this how you invert black and white and slander the masses?”
The office door opened, followed by a deep, mellow voice.
Xu Zhouzhou turned her head abruptly. When she saw the person at the door, she froze completely, unable to believe her eyes.
“Gu… Gu Beizheng?”
Fu Chunhua stood up in surprise, looking at Gu Beizheng, who stood at the door with an upright posture and a steely expression. “You… didn’t you leave?”
Gu Beizheng stepped inside and walked to Xu Zhouzhou’s side. Seeing her dumbstruck expression, he curved his lips into a smile at her, took her hand, and pulled her behind him.
He turned his head, his expression returning to cold severity. “Just because I left, you think you can bully my partner without scruples?”
“Your partner?” Fu Chunhua swallowed hard. Didn’t they say Gu Beizheng wouldn’t even look at this slut?
“Comrade, and you are?” Mayor Fu looked at the man before him—tall in stature, with a grim expression. His manner of speech carried a chilling, imposing aura. He judged that this was definitely no ordinary man.
“These are my credentials.” Gu Beizheng took his identification out of his pocket and handed it over.
Mayor Fu glanced through it, a trace of shock flashing across his face. “Army A, 702nd Regiment… Regiment Commander?”
At this moment, Director Su also hurried into the office. Seeing Gu Beizheng, he froze in surprise. “Commander Gu?”
Gu Beizheng had dealt with Director Su previously when handling Zhao Daming’s work injury compensation.
“Director Su, regarding Lu Shijie’s attempted assault on Educated Youth Xu, how are you handling it?” Gu Beizheng’s expression was cold, betraying no emotion.
Seeing him holding Xu Zhouzhou’s hand, Director Su roughly understood the situation.
He looked at Mayor Fu, hesitating to speak.
Mayor Fu exchanged a glance with Director Su and spoke up. “Comrade Gu, this matter hasn’t been clearly investigated yet. The fact remains that Educated Youth Xu physically assaulted and critically injured Lu Shijie. Lu Shijie is currently still in a coma at the hospital.”
Gu Beizheng looked at Mayor Fu, his eyes as deep as the ocean. “It was clearly Lu Shijie who attempted to assault Educated Youth Xu first, and she only resisted in self-defense. How can Mayor Fu invert right and wrong like this?”
Mayor Fu smiled lightly. “We can’t just listen to a one-sided story in this matter, right? Is there evidence?”
“Get the hell in here,” Gu Beizheng shouted coldly toward the door.
Several cowering men squeezed through the door. They glanced timidly at Gu Beizheng and stood to the side, hunching their shoulders.
Mayor Fu’s face turned pale with shock when he saw these men. He turned to glare angrily at Fu Chunhua and her husband.
Fu Chunhua also looked astonished. Didn’t we tell these guys to leave the village and hide?
“Speak,” Gu Beizheng commanded coldly.
“Yes, yes. Lu Shijie said Gu… Comrade Gu had already left, and he wanted to take us to find Educated Youth Xu to… have some fun. After we got there, Educated Youth Xu tried to drive us away and cursed at Lu Shijie. Lu Shijie got angry and… and wanted to force himself on her. He made us guard the door outside. We don’t know clearly what happened inside. Later… later, when the door opened, we saw Lu Shijie lying on the ground.”
One of the men recounted the events while trembling, then added, “We didn’t do anything; it was all Lu Shijie.”
“Right, right, we didn’t do anything. It was Lu Shijie who said Comrade Gu was just playing around with Educated Youth Xu and wasn’t really dating her.”
“Right, he also said Educated Youth Xu would fall into his hands sooner or later, and he’d have his way with her sooner or later.”
The others all chimed in agreement. Gu Beizheng’s face grew darker and darker, and his grip on Xu Zhouzhou’s hand tightened.
Xu Zhouzhou winced in pain and frowned, looking at the man’s gloomy face.
Gu Beizheng turned his head to glance at her and slowly relaxed his grip.
“Is there anything else that isn’t clear?” He lifted his eyes, his gaze cold and menacing as he looked at Mayor Fu.
T/n: You can support the original author here.