"A messy woman?"
Lei Ming suddenly turned around, staring directly at Zhou Shuhua with sharp eyes.
“Auntie, aren’t you talking about Comrade Zhou Qiqi? Why beat around the bush! I know her better than you do! She’s upright, kind, and capable! It’s just that you have too much prejudice against her!”
"you!"
Zhou Shuhua was embarrassed by her nephew's public rebuke, especially when she heard the name "Zhou Qiqi," that familiar feeling of suffocation welled up in her heart again, causing a dull ache.
She clutched her chest, her tone filled with resentment and indifference.
"Prejudice? Hmph! Every time I see her, my heart aches terribly! I can't feel comfortable! What kind of bewitching potion has she given you? Shen Huaichuan is completely infatuated with her, and now even you are... I think she's a vixen reincarnated! She's just here to ruin people!"
Seeing his aunt's stubbornness, Lei Ming knew that there was no point in saying anything more, so he shook his head in disappointment.
“Auntie, you’re being so arbitrary. You’ve hurt a good girl’s feelings for no reason. You’ll definitely regret it in the future.”
He didn't linger, striding quickly into the crowd on the street, his back view conveying a sense of resolute determination.
As Zhou Shuhua watched her nephew's departing figure, her heart ached even more with anger.
"I regret it? What do I have to regret?"
She clutched her chest, paused for a moment to catch her breath, and the feeling of disgust and discomfort she felt towards Zhou Qiqi grew stronger.
Filled with resentment and the authority of an elder, she turned around, lifted the curtain, and walked into the state-run restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, the Xu family of three was still being talked about, and all three of them kept their heads down.
Lin Yao, her face pale, tried to persuade Xu Zao in a low voice, but Xu Zao angrily pushed her away.
"It's all your fault! What a terrible person you introduced! He didn't give me any face at all!"
Xu Shu was extremely agitated and directed his anger at Lin Yao.
"Didn't you guarantee it was a sure thing? Now look what's happened, you've completely lost face! And you even wasted your meal money!"
He glanced at the money Lei Ming had left on the table with a pained expression.
That kid didn't know how much more he should have thrown away. That money was enough to pay for that whole table, but not enough for him and Lin Yao's table!
Lin Yao was caught in the crossfire between the brother and sister, feeling wronged and terrified, her lips trembling as she couldn't speak.
Just then, Zhou Shuhua walked in and went straight to Lin Yao's table.
His brows were furrowed, and his tone carried the authority of an elder and obvious displeasure.
"What happened? Why did Mingming storm off? What happened?"
Lin Yao seemed to have found her pillar of support, and burst into tears, rushing to Zhou Shuhua's side.
"Aunt Zhou! It's all that little bitch Zhou Qiqi's fault! She must have been the one talking badly about Zao'er and us to Lei Ming!"
"Yes, Aunt Zhou!"
Xu Zao chimed in, her eyes reddening and tears welling up. She pointed towards the door, her voice trembling with sobs and anger.
"Zhou Qiqi?"
Zhou Shuhua's heart skipped a beat. It was that name again!
Her eyes instantly turned cold.
"What does it have to do with her? Does she even know Zao'er?"
"Of course I recognize you!"
Xu Zao immediately seized the opportunity to repeat what he had just said to Lei Ming, embellishing it with exaggerated words and filled with the grief and indignation of a victim.
It completely portrays Zhou Qiqi as an ungrateful and utterly wicked woman.
As Xu Zao continued his accusations and Lin Yao echoed his sentiments, Zhou Shuhua's face grew increasingly gloomy, and the dull pain in her chest became more and more pronounced.
She already harbored prejudice against Zhou Qiqi, and now, under Xu Zao's vivid and malicious description, those prejudices were instantly ignited, amplified, and confirmed!
Hearing the words "seduce men," and recalling her nephew's earlier defense and Shen Huaichuan's "stubbornness," a surge of anger rushed to her head.
"Enough!"
Zhou Shuhua abruptly interrupted Xu Zao, her voice trembling slightly with anger. She clutched her chest, her eyes sharp as knives.
"So that's how it is! I knew she was no pushover! Turns out she's been up to no good since childhood! Not content with climbing up to Huaichuan, now she's trying to ruin my nephew's plans! What exactly is she trying to do? Turn the military dependents' district upside down?"
She took a breath, her tone filled with deep disgust and incomprehension.
"I really can't understand it. Huaichuan is such a shrewd person, how could he have been so captivated by her? Did she have her own plans all along and actively seduce him?"
Lin Yao's heart skipped a beat, her eyes darted around quickly, she wiped away her tears, and put on a pitiful look.
"Aunt Zhou, you've finally hit the nail on the head! I felt something was off from the start!"
She embellished the story she had designed, claiming that Zhou Qiqi had actively seduced Shen Huaichuan.
"When Xu Shu and I got there, we saw her lying in Shen Huaichuan's arms crying, saying that her reputation was ruined and that Commander Shen had to take responsibility, or she would hang herself or slit her throat..."
As Lin Yao spoke, she sobbed and wiped away non-existent tears.
"I was terrified at the time, how could I dare to say anything! I just did what she wanted!"
Zhou Shuhua had an "I knew it" expression, but still asked another question.
"Why didn't you say anything when you first came to the military dependents' area? And how did you and Xu Shu end up together..."
"I'm doing this for Huaichuan's reputation, aren't I? As for Xushu, he's a pitiful person who was let down by Zhou Qiqi. We're just comforting each other..."
Lin Yao felt a little guilty and made up her own words, but Zhou Shuhua didn't notice at all.
"Hmph! Despicable!"
She squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, her hatred for Zhou Qiqi reaching its peak.
She spoke with a sullen face and a resolute tone.
"She's ruining military marriages! A woman like that, with a malicious heart and immoral character, absolutely cannot stay in the military dependents' area! She'll continue to cause trouble!"
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com