Qiu Mang walked straight up to her, placed his hand on the back of her chair, his face calm, but his eyes revealed a hint of coldness.

She lowered her head slightly, met Zhao Xiaoya's eyes, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Sister Xiaoya, you'd better think it through before you speak. We're all adults, and we have to be responsible for our words and actions. Don't spend all your time gossiping about others."

Normally, Qiu Mang is always gentle and quiet, and looks like a very refined girl. But today, the aura she exudes is many times stronger than usual.

Zhao Xiaoya was taken aback by Qiu Mang's sudden tough attitude, her face turning pale and then red. But she was not about to admit defeat so easily. She curled her lip, her face full of disdain: "Hmph, what are you pretending for? You just rely on your looks to flirt with other women everywhere..."

"Zhao Xiaoya, you!" Shi Nan shouted angrily, pointing at her.

Qiu Mang remained calm, having already prepared herself mentally before coming.

She walked gracefully to Shi Nan's side, pulled over a chair, and sat down calmly, creating an unspoken standoff between her and Zhao Xiaoya.

Qiu Mang slowly removed her mask, revealing a swollen, red face, and then asked in a calm tone, "Li Peng said we seduced him, right?"

The moment Zhao Xiaoya saw Qiu Mang's face, she was completely stunned.

Although she vaguely felt that something was amiss, she remembered Li Peng's words and straightened her back. "What? You did it but don't dare to admit it?"

Qiu Mang nodded slightly. "So, you believe him?"

Zhao Xiaoya seemed to have heard the most absurd joke in the world, and burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Of course! I know Li Peng very well! I married him because I thought he was honest and reliable, and I wanted to live a stable life with him. Now, you can't get married yourselves, so you want to steal my husbands?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Nan could no longer contain herself and stood up abruptly. "Honest and obedient? Are you sure? Zhao Xiaoya, do you even know what Li Peng said about you last night? He said you're both unsophisticated and ugly, and if it weren't for the fact that you gave him a son, he would have divorced you long ago! Wake up!"

Zhao Xiaoya was struck dumb, frozen in place, her face deathly pale. After a moment, she regained her senses, raised her hand, and slapped Shi Nan hard across the face.

"You're talking nonsense! Li Peng would never say that about me. You must have made it up to sow discord between us!" As soon as Zhao Xiaoya finished speaking, a strange smirk appeared on her lips.

"I guessed right, didn't I?"

Looking at Zhao Xiaoya's almost frantic appearance, Shi Nan felt as if all the strength in his body had been drained in an instant. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground helplessly.

After a whole night of tossing and turning, she was already exhausted. Seeing Zhao Xiaoya's stubbornness, her mental defenses completely collapsed.

Shi Nan gripped the edge of the chair tightly with both hands and sighed heavily. "Xiao Ya, do you know? I've always considered you my best friend. When Li Peng tried to take advantage of me, the first person I thought of was you. I tried my best to persuade him to turn back, to think about you and your child, and I even told him that as long as he let me go, I would pretend nothing had happened."

Shi Nan sniffed, her voice thick with grievance, "But what chills me to the bone is that he really isn't worthy of your lifelong commitment."

Zhao Xiaoya seemed to be gently touched by something, and stood there blankly, staring straight at Shi Nan.

Shi Nan raised her hand and rubbed her throbbing temples. "But what disappoints me even more is you! Xiao Ya. I thought you would at least listen to my explanations, but I didn't expect that when you came back and saw me covered in injuries, you didn't even ask a single question before assuming that I seduced him. I'd like to ask, what did I gain from seducing him? For money? Or hoping he would buy me a house and a car? Did I seduce him just for these injuries? Am I a masochist?"

As he spoke, Shi Nan struggled to get up from the ground and sit back down in the chair.

At this moment, Qiu Mang was shocked to realize that Shi Nan's arms, legs, and face were covered with shocking scars.

Qiu Mang's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth agape. Finally, she turned her gaze to Zhao Xiaoya, "From last night until now, have you shown her any concern whatsoever?"

Zhao Xiaoya, lost in thought, remained standing there, staring blankly at Shi Nan.

After saying that, Qiu Mang quickly stepped forward, helped Shi Nan up, and then turned to look at Zhao Xiaoya.

"Things have escalated to this point, and Sister Nan has been waiting for you to make a statement because of your friendship. Well, now we understand your attitude, but we are not pushovers. Let's leave this to the police! Since you firmly believe that Li Peng is innocent, you probably won't object to us calling the police."

After Qiu Mang finished speaking, he helped Shi Nan back to his room. Just then, the door to another room creaked open.

Li Peng rushed out in a panic and knelt down in front of Qiu Mang and Shi Nan with a thud.

He clasped his hands together, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, his eyes filled with terror and pleading, and he kept muttering, "Shi Nan, Qiu Mang, it's all my fault, please have mercy and don't call the police! I promise I'll change my ways and stay far away from you."

His voice was choked with sobs, and his body trembled slightly with fear.

When Li Peng's figure came into view again, Shi Nan felt a buzzing in her head, and the unbearable scenes from last night flashed through her mind like ghosts.

Her legs seemed to lose all strength instantly, and she staggered back a few steps uncontrollably. Her eyes were filled with panic and fear, her chest heaved violently, and she gasped for breath.

Qiu Mang keenly noticed Shi Nan's unusual behavior. She held Shi Nan's hand tightly, gently patted the back of her hand, and then pulled her behind her.

Seeing that the two ignored him, Li Peng thought for a moment, then quickly raised his hands and slapped himself hard across the face with both hands, his palms whistling through the air.

Instantly, his cheeks swelled up, several clear finger marks were shocking, and traces of blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.

"Shi Nan, Shi Nan! I was so wrong. I shouldn't have done such a terrible thing to you. Please, for the sake of our past relationship, please, please don't call the police, okay? Just let me go this time. I'll do anything for you, even be your slave!"

Li Peng was in tears, his hoarse voice filled with regret and despair, each word seemingly squeezed out with difficulty from between his teeth.