Grandma responded, and hurried footsteps came from outside the main room.

An auntie hurried into the main room, leaned against the door frame, and was panting heavily.

The shadow fell across the table, swaying, clearly indicating that it had run over.

The chubby girl poured a glass of water and handed it to her, saying, "Aunt Lin, let's talk about this later."

Lin Atai frowned slightly, her eyes flashing.

When she got home, her fourth aunt was still digging sweet potatoes in the vegetable garden.

"Grandma Lin, go check your vegetable garden. There's a young man lying there, saying that Ayan is his girlfriend from college. Lots of people from the village have gone to see what's going on." Aunt Lin finished speaking before drinking her water.

As darkness fell outside, the sounds of cicadas and frogs created a unique summer symphony.

The shadows of the trees swayed in the wind, and the aroma of food wafted from the rooftops of each house.

There were many people shining flashlights in the vegetable garden, making it quite bright.

Hou Fangguan's eyes were glazed over as he rambled on, "She's not Lin Ziyan. She used to fawn over me, but then she suddenly stopped talking to me. At school, I used her money to buy meat, and she even bought my clothes for me..."

When the villagers heard this, many of them looked on with suspicion.

He spoke so logically and convincingly that it didn't seem fake.

Wei Caixia wasn't supposed to go back to the village today, but her mother kept nagging her that the vegetables in the garden would wilt if they weren't watered soon.

I never expected to come back and find Hou Fangguan going crazy here.

She squinted and listened, blending into the crowd.

Hou Fangguan's eyes looked strange, as if he had been bewitched.

"You're talking nonsense! If you keep spreading rumors here, we'll beat you out of the village with a big stick!" an auntie shouted.

There are plenty of gossipy people in the village; what if this kind of talk gets out?

So what if you had a boyfriend in college? Now that he's married and has children, coming to the village to say these things is just pushing him to his death.

The man even claimed to be an alumnus of the same school, which makes him seem very credible.

Hou Fangguan: "I'm just stating the facts, how is that nonsense?"

"Bang!"

A water hyacinth came flying at him and hit him right in the mouth.

A frame was erected next to the vegetable garden, and it was filled with water hyacinths.

Lin Atai picked one casually and threw it over.

The crowd, who had been gathered in a semicircle to watch the spectacle, instinctively took a few steps back.

The astringent smell of water hyacinth lingered in the air, and Hou Fangguan was stunned.

At the same time, he came to his senses and, recalling what he had just said, wished he could dig a hole in his eyes and crawl into it.

Wei Caixia coldly observed his expression and hid in the shadows to watch the spectacle.

"I know Ah Yan spent money on you. Are you here to pay it back?" Lin Atai's voice was cold.

She stepped forward with a stern face, her eyes sharply fixed on the man before her.

Hou Fangguan swallowed hard, his neck stiff, "What money? Those were all spent on me willingly."

"Besides, I don't like women who are fickle these days. Saying it out loud would just let everyone know her character."

He patted the wrinkled hem of his clothes and straightened his back.

The chubby girl's lips twitched. "How dare you talk about character?"

"Don't think you're superior just because you studied a few more years. Aren't you still supported by women?"

She frequently visited the aquaculture department during this period and heard a lot of gossip about Hou Fangguan.

She used to not pay attention to these things; she would just listen to them and forget about them.

She only found out the truth after asking around because the person was Hou Fangguan.

After graduating, Hou Fangguan was directly assigned to the city's aquaculture department, where he became very close to the department head's daughter.

"Who are you?" Hou Fangguan strode forward, his tone arrogant.

He was unaware of how xenophobic and protective people were here, and always thought that the villagers just liked to join in the fun and wouldn't go out of their way to cause trouble.

Lin Atai stood in front of the fat girl, staring coldly at the person in front of her.

Several villagers immediately stepped forward.

"Coming to our Haibi Village to beat people up?" a young man shouted, and the villagers who had realized what was happening immediately surrounded them.

As the dark figures loomed down, Hou Fangguan felt a chill run down his spine.

He had heard at school that clan consciousness was very strong in Fushi, but he didn't take it seriously.

Seeing the flicker in his eyes, Wei Caixia smirked and turned to leave.

If she continues to watch the commotion here, she might get dragged into it.

Hou Fangguan, his forehead beaded with sweat, dared not wipe it away, and said tremblingly.

"Don't talk nonsense, I can sue you."

Do you know what defamation is?

The chubby girl snorted and patted her grandmother's hand to comfort her.

"Defamation? Of course I know that, but what I said is the truth and has nothing to do with defamation. But what you said constitutes defamation." The chubby girl crossed her arms and looked at him sarcastically.

How many times have they come knocking?

Is this because the Lin family has no male heirs, and he thinks he can keep causing trouble until everyone around him believes his slander?

For the sake of his reputation, should he be given some benefits?

“What I said is true. I did date Lin Ziyan, but she suddenly returned to the village and turned her back on me. I even came to see her a few times during that time.”

"Although she's married and has children now, I don't look down on her because of our past relationship." Hou Fangguan looked reluctant, as if someone who didn't know better would think that someone else had wronged him.

Grandma Lin said, "If you're sick, go get treatment. My granddaughter is doing just fine. What does it have to do with you?"

"Does dating automatically guarantee a relationship will work out? If not, why would you go out of your way to break up someone's family?"

The other villagers nodded and whispered among themselves.

"That's right. Nobody says you have to get married just because you're dating. There are plenty of couples who break up if they're not compatible."

"They said they were dating, but Lin's parents suddenly passed away. Why didn't he come? I guess that's why Ayan broke up with him."

"If my daughter encountered someone like that, I'd beat her with a big stick..."

Hou Fangguan's neck turned red as he listened to the whispers of those around him.

He only had a few drinks at a roadside stall, how did he end up here in such a daze?

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. He wanted to break free of the crowd, but he was afraid that the Lin family would grab him and not let him go. He was caught in a dilemma.

“We’ve never been in a relationship. He borrowed money and didn’t pay it back, and I still keep a record of it.” Lin Ziyan pushed through the crowd and walked to Atai’s side to confront him.

Do you really think she's easy to manipulate, coming to her door time and time again?

Lu Yunshen stood behind them, giving Hou Fangguan a sharp look.

He thought to himself, "Looks like I didn't hit them hard enough before, they still dare to come back."

Hou Fangguan's eyes flickered, as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw the man standing behind Lin Ziyan, he dared not move.

"Ah Yan, he even said he was thinking about our past relationship and wouldn't look down on you, as if you really had something going on with him." The chubby girl was indignant, she had never seen such a shameless person.

Lin Ziyan looked at Hou Fangguan and said sarcastically, "Are you delusional?"

"If you're sick, go get treatment right away, but can you pay me back the money you borrowed from me now?"

Hou Fangguan immediately reached into his pocket, took out thirty yuan, and stuffed it back in.

"Purple smoke..."

As soon as he shouted it out, he felt a chill run down his spine. When he met Lu Yun Shen's gaze, his heart skipped a beat, and it felt as if his throat had been instantly gripped.