Wu Xiaoxia stood somewhat uneasily at the doorway, waiting for the person inside to come out.
During the shift handover after work today, she had already heard about Shen Yingying.
People said that Shen Yingying had run away with another man, only to be caught by Brother Xie Fangzhu.
She had originally thought Brother Xie would beat Shen Yingying severely. But to her surprise, Shen Yingying’s methods were exceptionally skillful. Brother Xie Fangzhu simply could not outplay her, and in the end, he had not even laid a finger on her.
When Wu Xiaoxia heard this, she had almost suspected there was something wrong with her ears.
What Shen Yingying had done was no different from placing a cuckold’s hat on Brother Xie’s head in front of everyone.
Although Brother Xie had a good temper, he was still a hot-blooded man. How could he possibly endure something like that?
She did not believe what the person taking over her shift had said. As soon as she got off work, she hurried to Shen Yingying’s house, determined to verify it with her own eyes.
That was precisely why, when Shen Yingying came out, she stared at her without blinking.
She looked her over from head to toe, not overlooking a single spot.
When she saw that Shen Yingying’s face was still as fair and clean as usual, and that not even a single bruise could be found on her exposed skin,
she simply could not believe her own eyes. Could what the person during the shift handover had said really be true?
She refused to accept this fact. Her heart felt unbearably uncomfortable, yet she still forced herself to smile and put on an expression of concern.
“Yingying, are you alright today? I heard people say Brother Xie carried you back. I was so afraid something had happened to you that I came to see you right after work without even eating dinner.”
Shen Yingying raised an eyebrow, seeming not to understand what she meant. “I’m perfectly fine. Why would you think something happened to me?”
Wu Xiaoxia was rendered speechless by the question. No normal person would think Xie Fangzhu would let her off so easily!
“I just heard people say… you ran away with another man… I was afraid Brother Xie would beat you, so…”
“Oh, you’re talking about that.” Shen Yingying interrupted her, a look of understanding appearing on her face. “Looks like you misunderstood too. Don’t worry, I’ve already explained everything to him.”
Wu Xiaoxia froze for a moment. “A misunderstanding?”
Everyone in the mining district knew Shen Yingying had run away with another man. How could something as certain as that possibly be a misunderstanding?
“That’s right.” Shen Yingying looked completely serious, without the slightest trace of guilt. “I went with that man to buy a job, but Xie Fangzhu mistakenly thought I was running away with him. He was furious, but luckily I managed to coax him into calming down. Otherwise, today would have been a real mess.”
“Buy a job?!” Wu Xiaoxia almost failed to maintain her composure. She could not understand how Shen Yingying had the nerve to say those words.
She had seen Shen Yingying sneaking into the woods with that man several times. At that point, how could it possibly have been just about buying a job?
She simply could not believe it. “Brother Xie… did he believe you?”
Shen Yingying glanced at her and asked in return: “Otherwise?”
Those beautiful eyes also carried a hint of smugness. “You know what he’s like. Even if I wanted the moon from the sky, he’d climb up and bring it down for me. Besides, I wasn’t lying to him in the first place, so why wouldn’t he believe me?”
As she spoke, she frowned slightly and suddenly leaned closer to Wu Xiaoxia. “Don’t tell me you don’t believe me?”
How could Wu Xiaoxia possibly believe something so absurd?
But as she looked into those beautiful gem-like eyes so close to her, she unexpectedly felt an invisible pressure bearing down on her, causing her to avert her gaze involuntarily.
Although Shen Yingying’s expression today was remarkably gentle, and the resentment that usually made people uncomfortable was nowhere to be found between her brows, Wu Xiaoxia still felt inexplicably uneasy.
“Y… you’re my best friend. Of course I believe you too…” Wu Xiaoxia mumbled. “I… I just think you’re a little strange today…”
Shen Yingying interrupted her. “Speaking of which, I only got to know that Director Wu because of you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have believed so easily that he could arrange a job for me.”
The moment “Director Wu” was mentioned, Wu Xiaoxia suddenly raised her eyes and looked at Shen Yingying again.
There was a probing look in Shen Yingying’s eyes, as though she had already seen through every thought in her heart.
“Xiaoxia, did you do it on purpose? You actually like Xie Fangzhu, don’t you? So you framed me, made everyone think I’d eloped, and deliberately tried to ruin the relationship between my husband and me. I also heard you turned down the marriage prospect your mother arranged for you two days ago. Together with what happened to me today, I really have to wonder if you’re trying to replace me.”
Shen Yingying’s voice was soft, yet it was like a biting winter wind. Wu Xiaoxia was both shocked and terrified, and every hair on her body stood on end.
Although she truly liked Xie Fangzhu very much, she absolutely did not dare accept such an accusation! If word of this spread, how could an unmarried young woman like her ever hold her head up again?
“How could that be, Yingying? Don’t you know what kind of person I am?” Her breathing became rapid. “If you keep saying things like that, I’m going to get angry!”
“Oh my, Xiaoxia, why are you so worked up?” Shen Yingying still wore a cheerful smile. “I was only joking with you. There’s no way you’re that kind of person.”
Wu Xiaoxia was both alarmed and suspicious as her gaze repeatedly swept across Shen Yingying’s face.
Seeing Shen Yingying smiling so carefree, as though she really had just been joking, she finally relaxed a little and said: “Yingying, don’t make such jokes again. You really scared me to death.”
“Honestly, you can’t even take a joke.” Shen Yingying raised a hand and touched her neck. Feeling a palm full of cold sweat, she lowered her eyes to look at it, the corners of her lips curling up casually. “You’re sweating this much. Look how nervous you are.”
Wu Xiaoxia was still shaken. For some reason, she felt there was something subtly unsettling about those words.
But no matter how she looked at Shen Yingying, she could not find anything unusual. Those eyes were as black as ink, as though they had been washed clean with water, pure and spotless, without the slightest sign of scheming.
Only then did her heart settle somewhat. Lowering her eyes, she thought to herself that she must have been overthinking it. Shen Yingying was so foolish, how could she possibly have guessed anything?
Yet just as her heart had barely settled for an instant, she heard Shen Yingying’s lazy voice sound again.
“But even if you do like him, it’s useless anyway.”
Wu Xiaoxia’s eyes flew open wide as she looked up again.
Shen Yingying’s expression was just as lazy as her voice, but the purity and innocence that had filled her eyes moments ago had completely disappeared.
Instead, there was an overwhelming sense of superiority, as though she were looking down at an insignificant insect. The words that came out of her mouth were as venomous as a viper’s:
“His standards are very high. He doesn’t think you’re good enough.”
“Look at you, always coming over here, dressing yourself up like a peacock, practically dying to spread your tail and court him in front of him. But has he ever looked at you even one extra time?”
“You think he’s just slow to understand women, or that he isn’t interested in them? You’re overthinking it. The simple truth is that you’re not pretty enough. He just isn’t interested in you.”
Wu Xiaoxia had never expected Shen Yingying to suddenly lash out with such vicious words. She had never seen this side of Shen Yingying before. For a moment, her entire mind went blank.
Every word that came from Shen Yingying’s mouth was like a knife, carving into Wu Xiaoxia’s heart again and again until the pain was so intense she nearly coughed up blood.
In truth, Wu Xiaoxia had already fallen for Xie Fangzhu before he got married.
Because of that, she had deliberately found countless excuses to interact with him. She did it so frequently that anyone could tell at a glance. If it had been any other young man, he would certainly have taken the initiative to pursue her long ago.
But Xie Fangzhu seemed completely incapable of catching on. Although he never refused whenever she asked him for help, he never said a single unnecessary word to her, as though he simply had no interest in her at all.
She had always assumed Xie Fangzhu was merely reserved and shy, but she still could not help harboring doubts.