Wen Zi looked at her with a loving gaze—it wasn’t her fault.
Whether in the original book or in her own writing, Su Ying was a simple-minded, empty-headed, straightforward, and stunningly beautiful woman.
Her character was set up to be a pretty little waste of space: bad at studying, bad at work, bad at everything, never satisfied with food, a brainless beauty who had everything handed to her on a silver platter.
She couldn’t even wrap her head around dealing with green tea bitches, yet somehow there were always people willing to spoil her.
In her fanfiction, she was even more of a pampered, delicate little troublemaker who didn’t have to lift a finger and was still doted on.
So, her being this foolish was partly the responsibility of both authors.
After finishing the meal, Su Ying was ready to leave.
“Su Ying only relies on men. If it weren’tt for Zhou Kuangye, where would she get meat to eat?”
She had already stepped one foot out of the educated youth courtyard when she suddenly overheard Wu Yan muttering about her in a snide tone to someone else. Her sharp ears caught it immediately.
Storming over to Wu Yan, she planted one hand on her hip and pointed a finger right at her nose, shouting, “Wu Yan, if you have the guts, say it to my face! What kind of hero are you, whispering behind my back?”
She had been living too comfortably these past two years and had never suffered such humiliation.
Wu Yan continued washing dishes without pause, feeling nothing but annoyance. She had thought Su Ying was already gone—how did she still manage to hear her? She should have waited until Su Ying was farther away before speaking.
Seeing Wu Yan remain silent, Su Ying grew even more fired up, her finger almost touching Wu Yan’s nose. “Go on, say it! Why aren’t you talking now?”
“You just ate my meat and now you’re bad-mouthing me? And you call yourself an educated person? Shameless! Glutton!”
Wu Yan could feel the burning stares of others fixed on her face, and the shame made her want to explode on the spot.
She tried to hold back, but in the end, she couldn’t take it anymore. She slammed the enamel bowl into the washbasin and sprang to her feet.
“Did I say anything wrong? Don’t you rely on men?”
“When you first arrived, you were as skinny as a monkey. Over the past two years, all of us have lost weight from farm work, but you’ve stayed fair and plump—isn’t that all thanks to Zhou Kuangye feeding you?”
This woman actually called her “fair and plump”—said she was fat!
Su Ying was genuinely furious, stomping her feet hard on the ground. “Wu Yan, you’re going too far! You’re the one who’s fat! You’re fat and ugly, so ugly you’re the ugliest person in the world! Just standing here pollutes my eyes!!”
Su Ying truly had no brains, getting angry so easily. Wu Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, her expression full of disdain.
“Sure, you’re the prettiest. But how many years will that last? Once you lose your looks, Zhou Kuangye won’t want you anymore. It’s people with substance who last in the end—you’re nothing.”
Xiao Li, who was washing dishes with Wu Yan, couldn’t help but snicker at something she heard. In Su Ying’s eyes, it seemed like they were teaming up to mock her.
How could they be so mean? They ate her meat and now they were laughing at her. Su Ying was on the verge of tears from anger.
Seeing her eyes redden, Wu Yan grew even more smug. She stepped closer and lowered her voice threateningly, “Su Ying, you can’t rely on luck forever. You’ll regret it someday.”
“A man lured by beauty will eventually dump you when your beauty fades. Your fate will be miserable.”
Tears welled up in Su Ying’s eyes like tiny pearls. She bit her lower lip, her mouth trembling as she tried to retort, but her mind was blank with rage, and she couldn’t utter a single word.
Wu Yan was right—she did use her looks to seduce men. So what? She just wanted a better life for herself. Was that wrong?
“Su Zhiqing, stop making a scene and go back. It’s getting late, and if this goes on, you’ll disturb everyone’s rest,” Xiao Li said softly, as if everything was Su Ying’s fault.
Tears welled up in Su Ying’s eyes, rolling down her fair cheeks one by one. She glared fiercely and spat out the most venomous words, “You’re all big bad guys, big jerks!!”
Wen Zi: … It was all their fault. Even when she tried to curse, she couldn’t do it properly.
Wu Yan almost laughed at her childishness, and Wen Zi couldn’t stand it any longer, stepping forward.
Suddenly, a deep male voice came from the courtyard gate, “What’s wrong with my woman? It’s not your place to judge.”
The smile on Wu Yan’s face froze, instantly replaced by a pitiful expression.
Zhou Kuangye walked into the courtyard and stopped in front of Su Ying. Seeing her reddened eyes continuously welling with tears, his heart felt as if pricked by needles, aching intensely.
His large hand wiped the tears from her face, but soon a fresh wave of tears flowed. He wiped them again, but they kept coming, and he scolded her in frustration, “What are you crying for? Is this all you’re capable of?”
All that stubborn temper of hers was reserved for him, wasn’t it?
He shielded her behind him, his aura turning icy and intimidating in an instant. His cold gaze swept toward Wu Yan, “Wu Zhiqing, how has Su Ying offended you? Why would you say such things about her?”
“Did you lose a single bite of meat because of her?”
“She’s my partner. What gives you the right to judge her? What status do you have to speak to her like that?”
He never dared to scold her even once, yet when she was out in the world, she was berated so badly she couldn’t even speak back. Wasn’t this a slap in his face?
“I…” Wu Yan, afraid of leaving a bad impression on him, secretly pinched her thigh, forcing out a few tears, “Zhou Zhiqing, I just felt sorry for you and couldn’t stand it…”
“You couldn’t stand it? Who do you think you are?”
“You’re absolutely right—I do adore her for her looks.”
“I’m just an ordinary man. Whoever is beautiful, I adore them.”
“And even if you were reborn, you still wouldn’t measure up to a single strand of her hair.”
“If I ever hear you dare to insult her again, I’ll make sure you know the consequences of angering me.”
After saying this, Zhou Kuangye took Su Ying’s hand, “Let’s go home.”
Su Ying sniffled, but before leaving, she couldn’t resist turning her head to glare fiercely at Wu Yan, widening her eyes with the fiercest expression she could muster.
Ugly people cause trouble, ugly monster, so ugly, hmph!
Su Ying followed behind Zhou Kuangye, each step firm and heavy, her footsteps loud as if venting her anger.
Zhou Kuangye suddenly stopped, and Su Ying, unsurprisingly, bumped straight into his back.
Her tears, which had just stopped, threatened to fall again. Rubbing her forehead, she complained arrogantly, “Why did you stop all of a sudden? You bumped into me, it hurts so much!”
Zhou Kuangye turned around, gritting his teeth. Seeing her fierce glare, the frustration in his heart dissipated significantly.
But he still pretended to be stern, “Su Ying, you only dare to act tough with me, don’t you? When others insult you, you don’t even know how to fight back.”
“Where did all that energy you use to hit me and cause trouble go? You little coward.”
Though he scolded her for being submissive, his hand gently massaged her forehead where she pretended it hurt.
Su Ying puffed her cheeks and glared at him, feeling the rough yet exceptionally warm touch of his hand. The little puffed-up cheeks deflated again, her fingers twisting together as she muttered softly, “It’s not right to scold people.”
Zhou Kuangye truly didn’t know whether he should scold her or praise her for her manners—he had never seen her hold back her words when it came to him before.