"Xiuxiu, you need to go home right now." Xiao Li's mother spoke in a commanding tone.

"Mom, what happened?" Xiao Li was startled, thinking something had happened at home.

"Don't ask any more questions, just come back now."

Xiao Li's mother refused to say, and sounded quite angry.

"Why would you ask me to go back for no reason? My company is incredibly busy here, and the journey back will take two days, resulting in lost business. Mom, I'm not going back unless you explain yourself clearly." Xiao Li was in a bad mood, and her tone became harsh.

She doesn't plan to go back to her hometown until she's cured.

“If you don’t come back soon, the villagers will flood our gate with their saliva. Your father is so angry that he hasn’t eaten all day and is still lying in bed. You better come back right now and let those people see that my daughter is innocent and has never done anything wrong outside. She earns her money honestly.”

Li's mother was so angry that she could barely speak coherently. She believed in her daughter and knew she was not the type to act recklessly, which was why she sent Li back to her hometown to personally slap those gossiping people in the face.

Xiao Li's expression changed drastically, her hand holding the phone trembled uncontrollably, and she couldn't speak. Ye Qingqing noticed something was wrong and asked her what was wrong.

"Mom, I have a client here. I'll call back later."

Xiao Li hurriedly hung up the phone, looking at Ye Qingqing in panic, his lips trembling, "Qingqing... the villagers know, they say I've been messing around outside, my dad even got sick from anger, how did they find out... I'm too ashamed to face anyone!"

"Impossible. You only found out the results today. How could your hometown know so quickly? Maybe it's a misunderstanding. You should call and ask them." Ye Qingqing thought it was impossible.

Xiao Li took a few deep breaths and fought back.

"Mom, who's been smearing me behind my back again? What did they say?" Xiao Li tried to calm herself down, but her voice still trembled slightly.

"It's all because of those gossipy women. Now the whole village is talking about it, saying all sorts of things, saying that you... saying that you openly run a company, but actually you're doing... I can't say it. They also say that you've been with foreigners and contracted a sexually transmitted disease. It's spread like wildfire, and now even the next village knows."

Your dad went to work in the next village yesterday and overheard these people gossiping. He got so angry that he lay down as soon as he got home. Xiuxiu, come back quickly. We're innocent, so we have nothing to hide. Mom will go with you to the hospital for a checkup. We'll show those people the results and prove our daughter is innocent.

Xiao Li looked very unpleasant. She didn't agree to go back, only saying that she would go back after finishing her current orders. She put the phone on speakerphone, and Ye Qingqing heard everything. Her expression also turned unpleasant.

"It must have been something Li Shanxing said after she went back, something about accompanying foreigners, only she could make that up."

Ye Qingqing was quite certain that this woman had done something dirty herself, yet she was framing Xiao Li; her intentions were truly malicious.

Xiao Li gritted his teeth and said in grief and indignation, "Why did she want to harm me? She even tried to kill me. She's trying to force me to my death!"

Her hometown has a very traditional folk culture, and women don't have a high status. The villagers say it's simple and honest, but to put it bluntly, it's ignorant. If any woman has any moral issues, the gossip can be overwhelming.

Even her father, a very magnanimous person, was so angry that he lay down, which shows how awful those people were saying.

Li Shanxing clearly wanted to force her to her death, and even in death, she wouldn't have a good reputation.

"Qingqing, what should I do? If I don't go back, those people will just keep saying more and more outrageous things, and my parents will be furious. But if I go back, it will be even worse. I'm really sick in the head... What should I do?"

Xiao Li was at a loss; going back was one thing, not going back was another. She had reached a dead end.