Chapter 65 Are you afraid of me?

The group ate a satisfying dinner and, with contentment and satisfaction on their faces, strolled leisurely toward the courtyard.

As night deepened and all was quiet, a furtive figure crept toward the courtyard.

If Xia Qianqian saw this now, she would definitely recognize her at a glance; it was Wei Shufen.

After being forced to apologize by Peng Fei, Wei Shufen ran home crying. Filled with resentment and anger, she even forgot to cook dinner.

When her husband came home from get off work and saw the cold stove and empty pots, he immediately flew into a rage.

He thought Wei Shufen was still throwing a tantrum at him, so without saying a word, he threw down what he was holding and gave her a good beating.

Afterwards, Wei Shufen became increasingly angry, unable to eat, and directed all her hatred towards Xia Qianqian.

She thought about it for half the night and finally came up with a wicked idea.

She planned to set fire to the courtyard under cover of night and then frame Xia Qianqian. Everyone on this street was an old neighbor, and she was the women's director of the neighborhood committee; they would definitely believe her, not Xia Qianqian, an outsider.

Wei Shufen stuffed the matches, kerosene, and other tinder into her bosom, then furtively glanced around to make sure no one was watching before crouching low and making her way toward the tenement.

The night grew deeper and deeper, and the courtyard was completely silent, broken only by the occasional bark of a dog.

Wei Shufen was secretly delighted, thinking that everyone had already fallen asleep.

However, what she didn't know was that Xia Qianqian was sitting in the room at that moment, packing her luggage by the dim candlelight.

Just when Wei Shufen thought no one had noticed her approaching the tenement, the comments section started flooding with messages.

[That damned woman actually tried to set a fire! What kind of idiot is she?! She was just scolded a few times by the female lead, and she already had malicious intentions. How could she be so heartless!]

[Yeah, yeah, from what I saw, she was planning to wait until the fire started before pretending to be a good person and putting it out. It's disgusting, she's rotten to the core!]

Xia Qianqian turned her head to look out the window, never expecting that Wei Shufen would be so ruthless.

Every time, it was this woman who started the trouble, and I always tolerated it and never retaliated. But she actually came up with such a vicious way to harm me.

Xia Qianqian thought to herself, it seems that she was too lenient before. This kind of person should be taught a lesson and beaten until she is afraid so that she will not dare to have any more crooked thoughts.

She nudged Lu Zheng, who was packing his luggage nearby.

Lu Zheng noticed Xia Qianqian's movements, looked up at her, and said gently, "Are you sleepy? Go to sleep first. There's nothing left, I can do it myself."

Xia Qianqian shook her head: "No, I suddenly feel a bit stuffy inside. Would you like to come for a walk with me?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng didn't say much. He got up, grabbed a coat, and draped it over Xia Qianqian's shoulders. He said softly, "Okay, then I'll walk around with you for a bit. When we get back, you can go straight to bed and rest."

"Mmm," Xia Qianqian responded.

She looked at Lu Zheng.

The candlelight softened his features, and seeing his gentler demeanor, Xia Qian couldn't help but reach out and grasp Lu Zheng's large hand.

Her fingertips touched the thick calluses on his palm; though rough, they instantly calmed her heart.

She intertwined her fingers with his tightly, a subtle smile unconsciously curving her lips.

Lu Zheng had previously said he was "very capable," but she hadn't had a chance to test his abilities yet. Once she returned to Xiangyang Village, she would definitely find an opportunity to put his "skills" to the test.

Lu Zheng was completely unaware that Xia Qianqian was trying to provoke him again. He took her hand in return, pushed open the door, and walked out of the room with her.

The night breeze gently brushed against their hair, bringing a touch of coolness.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng frowned slightly, his nostrils flaring slightly: "Why does it smell like kerosene?"

"Who's there!"

Wei Shufen had just poured the kerosene and hadn't even had a chance to strike a match to light it when Lu Zheng discovered her.

Lu Zheng didn't care whether she was a man or a woman; he quickly pinned Wei Shufen to the ground.

Wei Shufen stared wide-eyed in horror, unable to understand how she had been discovered so quickly.

She struggled desperately like a trapped beast, trying to break free from Lu Zheng's control, but all her efforts were in vain.

Seeing no hope of escape, Wei Shufen suddenly reached out and tore at her own clothes, attempting to frame Lu Zheng in order to escape punishment.

Just then, Xia Qianqian quickly stepped forward and snatched the matches from Wei Shufen's hand.

With a "sizzle," the match was struck, and Xia Qianqian threw the burning match onto Wei Shufen's clothes without hesitation.

The flames spread rapidly across her body, and the intense heat instantly burned her skin.

Before Wei Shufen could scream, Xia Qianqian picked up the dry grass she had brought to start a fire and shoved it into her mouth, leaving her only able to make muffled sounds.

Xia Qianqian looked at Wei Shufen, whose face was full of pain, and sneered as she extinguished the flames on her body.

She looked coldly at Wei Shufen and said, "I'll give you one more chance. Tell me, what were you doing just now?"

"I didn't do anything!"

The flames were reignited. Wei Shufen never dreamed that Xia Qianqian, who seemed so gentle, would be so ruthless.

A wave of excruciating pain washed over her, and she writhed desperately, trying to roll on the ground to relieve the agonizing agony. However, Lu Zheng's hands, as hard as steel, held her firmly in place, rendering her immobile.

Wei Shufen's eyes were filled with terror and despair. She opened her mouth, wanting to beg for mercy, but the hay was tightly stuffed in her mouth, and she could only let out muffled sobs.

Soon, a pungent smell of urine filled the air, and she was so frightened that she lost control of her bladder.

At this moment, Wei Shufen didn't even have the courage to look at Xia Qianqian. Whenever she heard Xia Qianqian speak, her body would tremble uncontrollably, and her pants would be soaked with urine again.

Just then, Peng Fei heard the commotion and rushed out of the house.

Lu Zheng said in a deep voice, "She tried to set fire to the place, but ended up burning herself. Take her to the police station to turn herself in."

Wei Shufen confessed to all her crimes at the police station. Not only did she lose her job as the women's director of the neighborhood committee, she also developed a strange habit—she would wet her pants whenever she heard the name "Xia Qianqian".

But that's a story for another time.

The night remained deep. Xia Qianqian's gaze fell on Lu Zheng, and she asked, "Don't you think I'm being too heartless?"

She knew that her methods for dealing with Wei Shufen were not gentle; in fact, they could be described as quite ruthless.

She was never the kind of person who was blindly kind. The education she received in the Xia family had taught her to keep her sharp edges to herself. Now she had no more scruples and just wanted Lu Zheng to see the real her as soon as possible.

Lu Zheng looked at her, his eyes surprisingly showing some annoyance, which startled Xia Qianqian.

So you really can't accept it?