In the original novel, the author had never described what Xie Fangzhu looked like, so Shen Yingying’s image of him had been entirely the product of her imagination.
Based on his behavior, as well as the original owner’s utterly inhumane treatment of him.
Shen Yingying had always believed that he was an ugly, sleazy man.
After all, a man who was completely obedient and accommodating, yet was still scolded like livestock, was most likely so hideously ugly that he was unbearable to look at.
But looking at the man before her, Shen Yingying felt that she had been hopelessly naive.
He was very tall, at least over one meter eighty.
His facial features were sharply defined, his handsome face was refined yet full of heroic spirit. If not for the sinister, murderous hostility in his eyes that made one’s heart tremble with fear, it would have been impossible to look away from him.
Shen Yingying was utterly shocked.
With a face that could only be described as perfect, how could the original owner bear to treat him so harshly?
If she had only treated him a little better and softened his heart just a little, perhaps the ending would not have been so tragic.
There would have been no need to drag an innocent person from the twenty-first century into this mess to take the blame.
The scapegoat, Shen Yingying, felt increasingly aggrieved the more she thought about it, and she could not help mentally cursing the original owner’s ancestors for eighteen generations.
She had merely read a novel. Whom had she offended? Why had she been thrown into this place to take the blame?
And it was a disastrous mess that could very well cost her both legs.
Although her mind had already been flooded with every curse she could think of, not the slightest trace of it appeared on her face. She still looked completely flustered and terrified.
“No! No! Xie Fangzhu, you’ve misunderstood!” she hurriedly denied the accusation that Xie Fangzhu had pinned on her while secretly forcing herself to react.
The next moment, her drama queen tears welled up.
With tear-filled eyes, she looked at the grim and sinister man before gently reaching out and wrapping both hands around the one that was gripping her chin.
“The reason I took the money was because I lied to you. It’s true that I wasn’t taking care of the money. I was wrong, that was my fault.”
She bit her lip. Her long, curled eyelashes trembled, and her voice carried a sob, as though she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world.
“But you can’t falsely accuse me of eloping. I wasn’t eloping. I went with that man to work. He told me he was a factory director, and that as long as I gave him five hundred yuan, he could arrange a job for me at a state-owned factory. I wanted a job so badly. I was afraid you wouldn’t agree, so I lied to you and took the money…”
She sniffled before looking into Xie Fangzhu’s eyes.
Xie Fangzhu’s gaze unexpectedly met hers.
Her ink-black eyes brimmed with tears, and they were equally filled with grievance.
Yet they were clear and pure, completely open and frank, without the slightest trace of guilt.
Xie Fangzhu felt his heart suddenly tighten beyond his control.
Shen Yingying continued, her eyes red around the rims. “Although I usually treat you badly, I’ve never done anything to betray you. I’m innocent. I just… I just saw that so many girls at the mine had jobs. I was so envious that I made such a terrible mistake…”
She closed her eyes in pain as tears rolled from them, sliding down her snow-white cheeks before falling onto the fingers of Xie Fangzhu’s hand that was gripping her chin.
The tears were warm, but Xie Fangzhu felt as though they had burned him.
Her reaction was something he had never anticipated.
He had assumed that, given Shen Yingying’s personality, not only would she refuse to admit anything, she would stubbornly deny everything and even turn the blame back on him, cursing him mercilessly.
But to his surprise, although she had indeed not admitted to eloping, this was the attitude she had taken instead.
He froze for a moment, and the hand that had been tightly gripping her chin loosened of its own accord.
By the time he came to his senses, that hand had already been unconsciously clasped in Shen Yingying’s hands, her soft palms pressed against his rough, calloused one.
“Xie Fangzhu, I know I was wrong. I won’t ever do it again. Please don’t be angry anymore, okay?”
She tilted her head. Tears clung to her long eyelashes as she looked at him with an expression full of pleading.
Her voice was still thick with sobs, soft and sweet, even carrying a hint of coquettishness.
Xie Fangzhu felt as though something had struck him. His heart trembled, and for the first time that day, he actually considered letting her off.
The moment he realized he had entertained such a thought, he was horrified. He abruptly pulled his hand free from hers.
He had always been a man of unwavering resolve. Once he made a decision, no one had ever been able to change his mind. Yet just now, Shen Yingying had shaken his resolve.
He had thought Shen Yingying was nothing more than a beautiful fool with no brains. He had never expected her to have this side to her. He had underestimated her.
The moment he remembered everything he had suffered in the Shen Family, Xie Fangzhu’s expression became colder and colder.
“Arrange a job? Which one of us is the idiot here, you or me? Do you really think I’m that easy to fool? Shen Yingying, you’re finished today!” Xie Fangzhu gritted his teeth. The veins at his temples throbbed violently, and his voice had long since lost the calm composure it had at the beginning.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, effortlessly hoisted her over his shoulder, and strode toward the living quarters in the mining area.
Today, he was going to do it. He would break her legs first and deal with everything else afterward!
At that thought, his pace became faster and faster.
Shen Yingying felt as though she had been struck by lightning. Her beauty trap had failed.
She had seen the vicious look that had suddenly appeared on Xie Fangzhu’s face at the moment he had thrown her over his shoulder.
His expression had been filled with murderous intent. It was the look of someone who was about to use violence.
She could not understand why things had turned out this way. Just moments earlier, his expression had clearly softened.
Although the change had been incredibly subtle, she had definitely seen it…
“Xie Fangzhu… I didn’t lie to you, really, I really didn’t!”
Shen Yingying panicked, and tears streamed down her face. This time they were genuine tears.
She was afraid of losing her legs, afraid of losing her freedom, and even more afraid of being locked in a dark room for the rest of her life.
“Please don’t do this. I’m so scared… Wuwuwu…”
“Xie Fangzhu… Wuwuwu… I’m very timid…”
Xie Fangzhu: “…”
The throbbing at his temples became even more intense. He had never known she could be this noisy.
Xie Fangzhu walked very quickly, and before long they arrived at their residence. Quite a few people had gathered outside the entrance, all waiting for him.
The mining area could be considered a small town, but it was still very different from the towns of the future.
Most of the people there knew one another, and gossip spread freely among everyone.
Because of that, although Xie Fangzhu had only told the Squad Leader on duty that he was going to catch someone, the news had spread throughout all the people who knew one another in less than two hours.
When they saw that he had brought her back, the mine residents breathed a sigh of relief for him, then immediately became filled with righteous indignation.
“Xiao Xie! Your wife has gone too far! Give her a good beating! Teach her a proper lesson!”
“That’s right! If she dared to run away with another man today, she’ll definitely do it again in the future. You have to beat her properly! Hit her hard! You’ve treated her too well, that’s why she doesn’t treat you like a human being.”
When the original owner had lived in the mining area, apart from the leadership, she had barely spared anyone else a glance. As a result, she had never been popular there.
Coupled with Xie Fangzhu’s deliberate manipulation of public opinion, now that something had happened, although everyone around them was talking all at once, not a single person spoke on her behalf.
One middle-aged woman became so agitated that she walked around behind Xie Fangzhu and pointed at Shen Yingying’s head as she cursed loudly,
“A slut who can’t keep her pants on will never wear them properly! Xiao Xie, I think you’d better break both her legs and lock her up at home! That’s the only way she’ll behave herself and stop seducing other men!”
Shen Yingying had already been worried sick about her legs. She was anxious and frightened, with frustration bottled up inside and nowhere to vent it.
She felt terribly wronged, yet she did not dare explode at the lunatic that was Xie Fangzhu.
Now this woman had maliciously poked right at her sore spot. How could she possibly endure it?
The frustration she had been suppressing exploded instantly.
“Which one of your eyes saw me run away with another man?! My relationship with my husband is just fine, so mind your own business! If your mouth is only good for spewing filth, then go spray it on the fields instead of at me! It stinks! It’s disgusting!”
The woman who had urged Xie Fangzhu to break Shen Yingying’s legs was Liu Guizhen, who worked in the mine canteen. She had disliked Shen Yingying for a long time.
She believed Shen Yingying spent every day casting those fox-like eyes around, stirring up all the men in the mining area and giving them no peace.
The last time, her own husband had simply been looked at twice by Shen Yingying and exchanged a few extra words with her, and he had practically begun floating on air.
Every day his eyes had been glued to Shen Yingying’s backside, and he had stopped caring about his own family.
It had infuriated Liu Guizhen to death, yet she had never been able to catch any concrete evidence, so she had no way to confront Shen Yingying.
This time she had finally stumbled upon the perfect opportunity, only to discover that Shen Yingying was unexpectedly tough.
Not only had she cursed right back at her, she had even indirectly called her mouth a cesspit!
Liu Guizhen worked at the serving window of the mine canteen. Everyone tried to please her and curry favor with her. Who had ever dared speak to her like that?
How could she possibly swallow such an insult? She pointed at Shen Yingying and burst into furious abuse. “Who are you trying to fool? Everyone in the mine knows you’re nothing but a loose woman!”
As though mere insults were still not enough, she rolled up her sleeves while cursing and lunged toward Shen Yingying, reaching for her hair.
“You ill-bred little brat! Today I’ll teach you a proper lesson on behalf of your parents! I’ll teach you not to run that filthy mouth! I’ll teach you not to go around seducing men! I’ll beat you to death!”