The voices praising the scorching heat and scorning the frigid cold, accompanied by the rustling wind in the open fields, clearly reached the ears of the group.

Wen Jiaojiao knew it must have been those children who ran back and spread the word. Her eyes were glazed over, her face filled with despair, and she felt completely numb.

I really just accidentally fell, how did it become a story about taking off my clothes?

I'm already ashamed enough, how am I supposed to live like this?

Wen Zhaoye witnessed firsthand what it meant for a chicken to go missing at the east end of the village to become a story of a cow going missing at the west end.

He felt a tightness in his throat, unsure of where to begin explaining to Wen Jiaojiao.

The fields are located not far behind the village. Along this stretch of road, there are intermittent clusters of lights, as if the entire village is being overthrown and arriving in batches.

Upon hearing the gossip and jokes, whether it was an old man who usually complained of leg pain and used crutches or an old woman who was half-paralyzed in bed, they all rushed over in a hurry.

One of the older women, panting heavily, was the first to shout:

"Zhaoye, you didn't suffer any losses, did you?"

"Look at that shameless bastard, he still has the nerve to hide behind you."

"Running into a ditch in the middle of the night to take off someone's pants, that's not how you think about men."

"This is the first time I've ever heard of someone in a ditch thinking about this and that. How do you have so many ideas?"

"That's right, Zhaoye, get out of the way, I'll teach that little brat a lesson."

They chattered amongst themselves, while Wen Jiaojiao's face fell, utterly dejected. She never imagined that catching a frog would provoke such a massive, overwhelming reaction from the village, as if they were about to bombard her. "..."

Damn it, I'm done living.

Compared to her self-destructive behavior, Wen Zhaoye became quite agitated, as if he were the one being scolded, and anxiously explained:

"It's not what you think. There's no such mess. She really just accidentally fell into the ditch and I caught her. Everyone, let's go home and not mention it again."

One of the old men, with a white beard and leaning on a cane, continued in a hoarse voice:

"Did she threaten you to cover for her, or else she'd send your stepmother back to Xiaojian and whisper in his ear, making a scene? Don't be afraid, Zhaoye, with Grandpa here today, he'll definitely back you up."

Hearing him take ten breaths for every sentence he spoke, Wen Jiaojiao stepped forward and gently advised him:

"Sir, could you please say less? I'm afraid you won't be able to catch your breath, and I'll be the one to blame for the death."

"You...you..." The old man with the white beard raised his thin, trembling finger and pointed at her, his eyes rolling back as if he couldn't catch his breath.

As everyone stared wide-eyed, their hearts pounding, preparing to step forward, he coughed twice, pounded his chest, and said:

"You little brat, how dare you speak to your grandfather like that?"

Fearing that she would anger him to death, Wen Jiaojiao quickly took all the blame and said, "Grandpa, it's all my fault. Please don't say anything and go home to rest."

To prevent Wen Jiaojiao from being judged again, Wen Zhaoye firmly stated:

"Just now, I really only handed her the bamboo bag, she didn't grab it, lost her footing and fell, and I caught her."

She didn't forcefully throw herself into my arms. That's all. She didn't take off her clothes or anything. Don't listen to the rumors spread by kids.

One of the older women exclaimed repeatedly, "Oh dear~ Zhaoye, you're so kind-hearted! Isn't it obvious she deliberately set herself up to fall?"

You instinctively catch her, then she can rightfully snuggle into your arms, let out a cry so others will see and ruin your reputation?

Wen Jiaojiao suddenly felt like she was a huge jerk: "..."

Is this how you play games?

Their imaginations are simply too rich.

Wen Zhaoye was clearly just watching; the acting was over the top. Not only did I see it, everyone else did too.

Although he thought so, he still defended her, saying, "Don't overthink it, everyone. I just picked her up, nothing else. It's not a big deal. Everyone, go back."

Having witnessed Wen Zhaoye's prestige throughout the village, Wen Jiaojiao swallowed her pride and said:

"I, a toad, would never dare to dream of the swans of your village. Don't worry, I wouldn't dare even if you killed me."

Wen Zhaoye's sense of pride surged: "..."

They are adept at using the tactic of retreating to advance.

Many villagers work at Chenxuan Garment Factory, while others were introduced to other factories by Wen Zhaoye.

They were all somewhat inclined to curry favor, so they each gave a couple of warnings and then left one after another.

The fields returned to their previous tranquility. Wen Jiaojiao stood by the ditch, deliberately ignoring the wary glances that occasionally fell on her back. Her face was ashen, and she sighed softly:

"Is this some kind of absurdity? How could a weak woman like me possibly pounce on a grown man like him?"

The handsome young man wasn't much younger than Wen Zhaoye; they were quite familiar with each other since childhood. He said with a disdainful expression:

"That's not necessarily true. What if a snake bites him, and you take advantage of his immobility to humiliate him?"

"I get it, there's not a single normal person in the whole village." Wen Jiaojiao thought irritably, and retorted defiantly:

“He was bitten by a snake and wasn’t far from the banquet. If I were to insult him, wouldn’t that be insane?”

The young man spoke again:

"Brother Zhaoye is good-looking, and he owns a house and property in the city. Maybe you want to get pregnant with his child in the end, take all his things, and then be with your lover and kick my uncle out. That's how it's always portrayed in TV dramas."

Wen Jiaojiao's face turned ashen. She glanced at the boy, who was only fourteen or fifteen years old. Under Wen Zhaoye's unreadable gaze, she suppressed the urge to punch him a few times, forced a smile, and said in a gentle voice:

"Could you tell me your name? I'll have my mom bring some gifts to your house tomorrow."

The boy rolled his eyes at her:

"Besides throwing feces, how could your mother possibly spend that kind of money? Don't try to fool me."

Wen Jiaojiao, her hair standing on end in anger, said:

"You know that, so why don't you shut up? Do you want my mom to feed you shit?"

The boy glared at her defiantly, but dared not utter a word. This was mainly because Xu Cuifen was used to bullying others in the village, and with Wen Xiaojian around, no one dared to offend her.

Wen Jiaojiao walked home first, completely ignoring Wen Zhaoye who was still catching frogs in the ditch, and shouted angrily:

"go home."

Wen Zhaoye's heart skipped a beat at the shout. He carried the fertilizer bag covered in mud and walked out of the ditch.

A smear of dried mud clung to his cheek, and his handsome face, with a slightly wild air, followed behind, a cryptic smile on his lips.

"Next time you have an idea, don't use it outside. You can use it indoors."

Wen Jiaojiao didn't understand at all and gave him a strange look: "..." They're all sick.