Shen Yingying’s words today were like a needle piercing the most sensitive layer covering Wu Xiaoxia’s heart, exposing the truth before her without the slightest concealment.
She could not accept it. The last shred of reason she possessed kept her from completely losing control on the spot. She stared fixedly at Shen Yingying, grinding her back teeth together as hard as she could while desperately suppressing the urge to lay everything bare.
“Yingying… we’re best friends. How could I possibly have feelings for your man? I know I’m not as pretty as you, but saying something so hurtful, what do you take me for…”
Wu Xiaoxia did not want to come clean, but Shen Yingying had no interest in continuing this game with her.
Curling her lips into a faint smile, Shen Yingying leaned forward slightly, brought her mouth close to Wu Xiaoxia’s ear, and whispered: “Someone who even wants to steal her friend’s husband? Of course I take you for an animal. Stop pretending, Wu Xiaoxia. I saw through you a long time ago.”
Only then did Wu Xiaoxia realize that Shen Yingying had been playing her from the very beginning, treating her like a fool and leading her around by the nose.
Wu Xiaoxia’s adrenaline surged through her body. She could no longer keep pretending. With a furious howl, she lunged forward to grab Shen Yingying.
“Shen Yingying, you bitch!”
Shen Yingying had previously learned some basic grappling techniques with her younger sister. They were not enough to deal with someone like Xie Fangzhu, whose height and strength far surpassed hers, but against a petite girl like Wu Xiaoxia, who had absolutely no training, they were more than sufficient.
In an instant, pain shot through Wu Xiaoxia’s wrist, and both of her hands were locked behind her back.
Standing behind Wu Xiaoxia, Shen Yingying pinned both of her arms so tightly that she could not move. Resting her chin lightly on Wu Xiaoxia’s shoulder, she smiled sweetly and said: “Oh my, I was only joking with you just now. I never expected my little joke to make you tell the truth. Xiaoxia, you’ve really broken my heart!”
The two of them were standing extremely close together. From a distance, they looked just like two close girlfriends whispering secrets to each other.
Wu Xiaoxia’s face flushed crimson. The blood vessels in her eyes were so swollen that they looked as though they might burst from their sockets. “Shen Yingying, stop pretending! You disgust me!”
Her face was filled with hatred. She wished she could tear Shen Yingying into pieces, but Shen Yingying had her wrists locked so tightly that she could not even struggle.
She was grinding her teeth so hard they nearly shattered. Since she could not use her hands, she could only use her mouth. Filled with resentment, she cursed: “Shen Yingying, you shameless slut! What are you so proud of?! Buying a job? Who would believe your ridiculous lies? I’ll tell Brother Xie everything. I’ll tell Brother Xie that man is your lover. You sneaked into the woods together. You slept together. Shen Yingying, you’re nothing but a promiscuous lewd fox. You’re not worthy of Brother Xie! You’re finished!”
As though she had heard something amusing, Shen Yingying let out a scornful laugh. “So what if I’m not worthy? Isn’t your Brother Xie still perfectly obedient, letting me do whatever I want with him?”
Her tone was unbearably arrogant. Wu Xiaoxia’s attack felt like punching a pile of cotton. She was so furious she was on the verge of coughing up blood, but Shen Yingying did not even give her a chance to recover before delivering the fatal blow.
“Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you. Today, I slept with your Brother Xie.”
Those words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving Wu Xiaoxia completely stunned.
Seeing Wu Xiaoxia’s face turn deathly pale in an instant, Shen Yingying’s mood improved tremendously. She could not help laughing out loud. “Go ahead and tell your Brother Xie if you want. Let’s see whether my pillow talk is more persuasive, or your heartfelt warning.”
Wu Xiaoxia’s ears buzzed so loudly that she could no longer hear anything Shen Yingying said afterward.
Shen Yingying had always treated her as her closest sister. She shared every private matter with her, and sleeping with Xie Fangzhu had never been an exception.
That was also one of the reasons Wu Xiaoxia had always been so confident about Xie Fangzhu, because her mother had once told her something.
Besides children, the most important thing that maintained affection between husband and wife was sleeping together.
If a man could endure not touching his wife, it meant that he no longer loved her, and the family they had built together would fall apart sooner or later.
Xie Fangzhu had never touched Shen Yingying before, which meant that Xie Fangzhu simply did not like Shen Yingying. Sooner or later, he and Shen Yingying would separate.
But today…
To Wu Xiaoxia, this was an absolutely devastating blow.
In an instant, she became like a rooster that had lost a fight. She no longer had the strength to struggle. Her heart hurt so much it felt as though it were about to split apart. Even so, she stubbornly refused to admit defeat.
“So what if you only slept together once? Do you really think Brother Xie is that kind of shallow, lustful man? Do you think this alone can…”
“Sorry.” Shen Yingying interrupted her with a mocking laugh. “He really is.”
Wu Xiaoxia refused to believe it. “Impossible!”
Seeing her like this put Shen Yingying in an excellent mood. Unhurriedly, she said: “I already told you. It’s not that he doesn’t look at women. He simply doesn’t find you attractive. That doesn’t mean he’s some saint with no desires. You should have seen what he was like in front of me… Tsk, tsk, tsk…”
Those final three meaningful clicks of her tongue left plenty of room for the imagination.
Wu Xiaoxia’s face turned purple with rage. She struggled violently and screamed: “Shen Yingying, I’ll fight you to the death!”
The moment the words left her mouth, a sharp pain shot through her waist. Shen Yingying had freed one hand long enough to give her waist a hard pinch. The force was considerable, and the pain brought tears rushing to her eyes.
Wu Xiaoxia was just about to seize the opportunity to break free when Shen Yingying immediately locked both of her hands tightly behind her back again, leaving her completely unable to move. At the same time, Shen Yingying’s voice rang out, carrying a mocking smile. “If you’re so capable, then come on. Let’s see which one of us can outplay the other.”
Wu Xiaoxia was on the verge of going insane. She twisted her body frantically like a madwoman and shouted: “Shen Yingying, you’re not human! You’re shameless!”
Hearing the word “shameless.” Shen Yingying remembered that Xie Fangzhu had once called her the same thing.
Back then, she had been too weak in front of Xie Fangzhu and had to keep pretending. But in front of Wu Xiaoxia, what was there left to pretend for?
She nodded seriously and admitted without hesitation: “Yeah, I am pretty shameless. But compared to you, I’m still a little behind.”
Wu Xiaoxia was so enraged that smoke practically poured from all seven of her orifices. At that moment, however, she became astonishingly tongue-tied and could not think of a single retort. In the end, all she could do was curse furiously: “Fuck your mother!”
The insult did not hurt Shen Yingying in the slightest. She glanced behind Wu Xiaoxia and said indifferently: “If you really have what it takes, then go ahead. I’ll even stand by and watch how you do it.”
After a brief pause, she added: “Oh my, your Brother Xie is back. Xiaoxia, are you going to keep pretending, or are you going to go after my mother right in front of your Brother Xie?”
Startled, Wu Xiaoxia struggled to look behind her. Sure enough, a tall figure pushing a bicycle had appeared on the hillside.
Instantly, all the fury surrounding her subsided. She absolutely could not let Brother Xie see her looking vicious. If she did, she would be falling straight into Shen Yingying’s trap.
She had to make herself look like the victim, someone Shen Yingying had bullied, so that Brother Xie would feel sympathy for her. Only then would Brother Xie patiently listen to what she had to say and stop being deceived by Shen Yingying.
With that thought, she quickly composed herself, lowered her shoulders, and gazed pitifully at the man walking toward them. She refused to believe that the intelligent Brother Xie could not distinguish right from wrong.
Seeing her like this, Shen Yingying understood that Wu Xiaoxia would not lose control again anytime soon, so she confidently released the grip on her wrists.
Then she turned around and happily ran down the hillside, calling out in a sweet, spoiled voice,
“Xie Fangzhu, you’re back!”
Wu Xiaoxia, who had been pretending with all her might: “???”
She turned around in shock. The Shen Yingying who had been firmly restraining her wrists just moments ago was now like a lively little deer, happily running toward Xie Fangzhu, who was pushing his bicycle.
She had never seen Shen Yingying like this before. Hadn’t Shen Yingying hated Xie Fangzhu with all her heart? Why was she treating Xie Fangzhu like this now?
Today’s Shen Yingying was simply too strange!
A powerful sense of crisis immediately surged over Wu Xiaoxia from every direction. Afraid that Shen Yingying might do something even more astonishing, she could no longer worry about anything else and hurriedly chased after them as well.