Chapter 62 Common-law marriage: Yang Weihong was skeptical...
Yang Weihong was skeptical, but ultimately decided to let Mingxi in to find someone.
She tightened her chin and said, "I'll wait for you for ten minutes at most. If you're not back in ten minutes, I'll barge in."
At this point, she raised her chin, gestured towards the security guards standing at the door, and said, "Don't think you can stop me with just a few people. Your event today is so lively, there must be quite a few leaders here, right? You don't want me to barge in and be seen by your leaders, do you?"
Yang Weihong could tell that Mingxi didn't want her to go in and cause trouble, so he deliberately used this incident to threaten her.
Mingxi found it amusing; Yang Weihong's words were clearly a bluff, but she didn't say anything.
She waved to the other person and said, "Okay, I promise I'll be out within ten minutes."
Mingxi strode back to the venue. At that moment, several leaders on the side of the stage were looking at the men and women dancing in the center of the dance floor.
"Hey, Lao Yang, isn't that the prettiest girl in your steel mill? I think she gets along really well with Xiao Wang from our mill. They've danced three times tonight."
"That's not necessarily true; you can't be sure what will happen in a young person's feelings."
"What's wrong, Lao Yang? You don't even want Xiao Wang from our factory?"
"Hey, you two, stop talking! Didn't you see those two young people are gone?"
Despite being prominent figures in Beicheng, these individuals all wore gossipy expressions, clearly a group of onlookers.
Mingxi quickly stepped forward, came to Director Shen's side, and softly called out, "Director Shen."
Director Shen turned his head and looked over: "What happened?"
If nothing had happened, Mingxi wouldn't have come looking for her so rashly.
Mingxi pursed her lips, glanced unnaturally at the factory leaders behind Director Shen, and then whispered in Director Shen's ear, "There's something I need you to handle."
When Director Shen saw her like this, he knew it was something that was inconvenient for other factory leaders to hear. She stood up, smiled at the other leaders, and gestured that she was about to leave.
The other leaders were busy eating melon seeds and didn't pay any attention.
Director Shen came out: "What's wrong?"
Mingxi took a deep breath and explained in detail what had happened when she met Yang Weihong outside. Director Shen's face darkened instantly after hearing her story.
Despite her best efforts to prevent it, she still couldn't prevent an unexpected situation from occurring at the social gathering.
Fortunately, Mingxi happened to run into Yang Weihong, stopped her, and successfully calmed her down. Otherwise, if Yang Weihong had really caused trouble, today's social gathering would have been a complete disaster!
Thinking of this, Director Shen patted Mingxi on the shoulder: "You did a good job."
After she finished speaking, she waved to Yu Xiaomin, who was standing to the side. Yu Xiaomin ran over and asked, "Director Shen, you were looking for me?"
Director Shen gritted his teeth: "Go find Shen Mo now, and bring him to the security department!"
Yu Xiaomin was unaware of what had happened, but seeing Director Shen's expression, she dared not be negligent and quickly slipped into the dance floor to find someone.
Director Shen: "Come on, Xiaoming, take me to see Comrade Yang now."
Mingxi nodded quickly and led Director Shen to the entrance of the auditorium. Yang Weihong was squatting idly at the entrance of the auditorium. When she saw Mingxi come out, she immediately stood up and went forward: "You're out?!"
Mingxi: "Yes, I'm out. Now you can rest assured, right?"
Yang Weihong pursed her lips and didn't say anything. Mingxi didn't pay attention to her reaction and took the initiative to introduce her: "This is Director Shen from our Women's Federation."
"Director Shen, this is Comrade Yang Weihong, whom I just told you about."
Yang Weihong tilted her head and glanced at Director Shen from head to toe.
The director, surnamed Shen, had short hair, her silver strands neatly combed without a single stray hair falling across her forehead. She wore a white short-sleeved shirt, light-colored trousers, and black cloth shoes, looking clean and efficient, exuding a leader's air.
She is completely different from the women's director in their village.
While Yang Weihong was sizing up Director Shen, Director Shen was also observing Yang Weihong.
She looked to be in her early twenties, with delicate features, but she appeared very haggard, with red-rimmed eyes and disheveled hair and clothes, probably due to the long journey and lack of rest.
Yang Weihong glanced at Director Shen and asked, "Are you the director of the Women's Federation?"
Before Director Shen could answer, she pointed at Ming Xi and said, "She just told me that you could help me find someone to punish Shen Mo, right?"
Director Shen readily agreed, "Sure. On the condition that everything you say is true."
“It’s true, it’s definitely true!” Yang Weihong stepped forward excitedly: “I guarantee that everything I’m saying is true, and everyone in our village can vouch for me.”
Director Shen: "Come with me to the security office. I'll have someone call Shen Mo here. You two can face each other and confront each other directly. Do you dare?"
Yang Weihong nodded decisively: "I dare!"
And so, Director Shen and Ming Xi led Yang Weihong to the security department. As soon as Ming Xi entered, the head of the security department stood up and asked, "Comrade Ming, why are you here again? Is something wrong inside, or are you here to see that kid who was just delivered?"
He wiped his forehead and said, "If you're coming to see him, it might not be convenient right now."
Wang Lei was really too restless. Even after arriving at the security department, he kept cursing and swearing, and he cursed the people in the security department as well.
Most of the people working in the security department were hot-blooded young men. Who could stand his temper? The one who locked him up was also the one who was cursed the most. He raised his hand and punched him twice, giving him a black eye. It was really inconvenient to call him out at that time.
Mingxi quickly explained, "No, we came here on another occasion and would like to use your office."
Upon hearing this, the head of the security department was immediately relieved and nodded hurriedly, "Okay, you can use it."
He kindly pointed to the inner room and said, "There's no one in there."
Mingxi thanked them and followed Director Shen and Yang Weihong into the inner office. A short while later, Yu Xiaomin arrived with Shen Mo.
Shen Mo was unaware of what had happened. He walked into the inner office and his expression changed instantly when he saw Yang Weihong.
How did Yang Weihong find this place and get involved with the Women's Federation?
Fearing that Yang Weihong had already told the Women's Federation about their affair, Shen Mo quickly grabbed Yang Weihong's hand and said, "Why did you come here without telling me beforehand? Beicheng is so big, what if you get lost?"
He didn't give Yang Weihong a chance to speak, and turned to Director Shen and said, "Director Shen, I'm sorry to have troubled you. This is a fellow villager I met when I was working in the countryside. We have a good relationship. I didn't expect her to come looking for me without telling me. I'll take her away now."
After saying that, Shen Mo grabbed Yang Weihong's arm and prepared to leave. Yang Weihong was not willing to let him go. She shook off his arm and then slapped Shen Mo across the face.
"Shen Mo, you bastard!"
Shen Mo covered his face and glared at her fiercely, trying to warn her not to say anything unnecessary.
But Yang Weihong wasn't afraid of his gaze at all, and said directly, "Fellow villager? In your heart, am I just a fellow villager you met when you were sent to the countryside? I've been married to you for six years, worked my butt off in the countryside, and sent all the money I earned to you so you could go to university without worry. In the end, am I just a dispensable fellow villager? Don't you have any conscience?"
Shen Mo panicked upon hearing this and stammered an explanation.
"You, you mustn't be talking nonsense! There's no such thing as getting married or sending me money. Don't slander my reputation!"
He stared in Director Shen's direction and deliberately spoke loudly.
It doesn't matter to others, but it's different for Director Shen. She's a leader in the Women's Federation and has a good relationship with the leaders of the steel rolling mill. If these words get out of their factory leaders' mouths, then they're doomed!
Shen Mo, strong and composed, said: "Comrade Yang Weihong!"
He said, "I know you took good care of me when I was sent to the countryside, and I am grateful to you. But don't talk nonsense. When I was in the countryside, I never thought about dating anyone, let alone getting married."
Yang Weihong trembled with anger, and tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.
She thought that Shen Mo had now established himself in the city and didn't want her, a country bumpkin, as his wife, so she planned to dump her. But she didn't expect Shen Mo to be so ruthless, completely denying everything about them and saying that she was just a fellow villager she met during her time in the countryside.
At this moment, Shen Mo stepped forward to play the good guy. He said in a seemingly gentle tone, "Comrade Yang Weihong, although I don't know why you came here today, or why you said these things for no reason to tarnish my reputation, you did take care of me in the countryside, and I still remember your kindness to me."
"Alright, I won't hold you responsible for what happened today. You should go home now," Shen Mo said feigning concern. "If you're short on money and can't afford a train ticket home, just let me know. I don't have much money myself, but I can still help you out."
Mingxi was internally screaming "Holy crap!"
I've seen scumbags before, but I've never seen one this scumbag.
He not only pretended not to know Yang Weihong, but also turned around and accused Yang Weihong of tarnishing his reputation.
How dare he say he forgave Yang Weihong?
No, what could he possibly have to forgive Yang Weihong for?
Doesn't he blush when he says that?
As it turned out, Shen Mo was incredibly thick-skinned. He wasn't embarrassed at all; instead, he calmly took Yang Weihong's hand and prepared to leave.
Yang Weihong was completely heartbroken. She shook off Shen Mo's hand again and said loudly, "You want to get rid of me and don't want me to talk about our wedding in the countryside, right? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway!"
"You, Shen Mo, were sent to our Xiahe Village production brigade as an educated youth in the spring of 1974. I picked you up in my tractor that day, and as soon as you saw me, you came up to me and tried to get close to me. Less than a month after you arrived in the village, you took the initiative to pursue me and said you wanted to marry me. Later, we held a wedding banquet in the village, and during the banquet..."
Shen Mo was taken aback when Yang Weihong suddenly brought up the past. After a moment of surprise, he interrupted, "That's enough!"
His expression was serious, and he adopted a righteous and stern demeanor, saying, "Yang Weihong, I remember how much you took care of me in the countryside, but that doesn't mean I have no temper at all. I ask you, since you swear so confidently that we got married in the countryside, then I ask you, did you and I get a marriage certificate?"
Yang Weihong trembled slightly; she and Shen Mo had not obtained a marriage certificate.
In their rural area, there's no such custom. Whether or not they register their marriage, as long as they've held a wedding banquet and live together after marriage, they're considered husband and wife.
What's more, getting the marriage certificate requires obtaining a certificate from the production brigade, and after that, you still have to go to the commune to complete the formalities. After all this trouble, all you end up with is a marriage certificate, which is just too much of a hassle.
So when she married Shen Mo, she didn't mention this matter, and Shen Mo didn't say anything at the time.
Looking back now, how could Shen Mo, a city dweller, not know the importance of getting a marriage certificate? Yet, in the two years they lived together, Shen Mo never once mentioned it.
Perhaps he never intended to spend his life with a village girl like her, and had long been prepared to leave her behind after returning to the city.
Realizing this, Yang Weihong looked up, her eyes bloodshot as she glared at Shen Mo: "You've been planning for this day all along, haven't you?"
Shen Mo flung his arm away, turned his head, and said, "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Yang Weihong persisted, asking, "When you didn't say you'd get the marriage certificate with me, did you already plan to dump me one day, and then you're like this now, completely denying anything about us?"
Shen Mo: "That's enough!"
He glanced at Yang Weihong from head to toe, his expression contemptuous: "I have no idea what's wrong with you! You came to my door out of nowhere, and then suddenly claimed that I was married to you and that I've abandoned you, but when I asked you to show me our marriage certificate, you couldn't produce it. What did I do to offend you that you'd risk ruining your own reputation to destroy me?"
As he spoke, he turned his head, winked, and looked pitifully in the direction of Mingxi and Director Shen.
"Director Shen, I know your Women's Federation is a place to protect women and children, but you can't just call me here without distinguishing right from wrong, just because of this crazy woman's string of nonsense? If this gets out, how will I face people in the future, how will I find a partner?"
Shameless.
That's utterly shameless, shameless to the core.
Mingxi had never seen such a shameless person.
If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, she would have been unable to contain her urges and rushed up to slap Shen Mo.
"Fine! You wanted evidence, right? How about these?"
Yang Weihong took out a stack of letters from her bag and threw them at Shen Mo's face.
Those were letters Shen Mo had sent home over the years, and she had carefully preserved them one by one. When she came out to find Shen Mo this time, she didn't know what she was thinking, but she inexplicably brought all of these letters with her.
Unexpectedly, these letters became evidence for her to question Shen Mo.
Shen Mo was dumbfounded.
He hadn't expected Yang Weihong to bring all these letters over.
While he was still in a daze, Mingxi quickly picked up a letter from the ground. The envelope was already opened, and Mingxi easily pulled out the letter inside.
"My wife Wei Hong, I have arrived in Beicheng and successfully enrolled. Please rest assured. Beicheng University is much bigger than I thought, and there are more students here than I expected... The cost of living here is also very high. I used all my allowance to buy books. If you have extra money, please send 15 yuan with your next letter."
Mingxi read the letter aloud word by word. Judging from the content and tone, it must have been written by Shen Mo when he first entered university, when he was still quite patient with Yang Weihong.
After reading one letter, Mingxi immediately opened another one in her hand: "Dear Weihong, I've been busy with my studies and haven't had time to write to you for a long time. I'm writing to let you know that I'm doing well, and also because I'm short of living expenses. Please send me 15 yuan with your next letter."
This letter was clearly sent by Shen Mo when he lost patience with Yang Weihong. It was only a few lines long, and the main point was to ask Yang Weihong for money.
As Mingxi read the letters aloud one by one, the three women in the office looked at Shen Mo with disdain.
What kind of person is this? Every time he sends a letter to his wife, he asks for money.
Tsk tsk, it's a good thing he looks decent enough, but I never expected him to be a gigolo.
Moreover, once the contents of the letter were read aloud, everyone knew that Yang Weihong was right; Shen Mo had indeed married her.
Otherwise, the letter wouldn't have said "my wife Wei Hong," would it?
Thinking about it this way, everyone looked at Shen Mo with even more disdain, especially Yu Xiaomin.
Hearing his seemingly sincere words, Yu Xiaomin genuinely believed that Shen Mo was being framed, and wondered why Yang Weihong would do such a thing for no reason.
Unexpectedly, Shen Mo turned the tables on them.
Yu Xiaomin was furious; she wished she could spit on Shen Mo's face.
What kind of person is this? How can someone like him be worthy of being liked by so many women in the steel mill?
Pooh!
Shen Mo is not worthy!
Feeling everyone's gazes, Shen Mo's hands trembled with anger.
Damn it, if Yang Weihong is coming to find us, why does she have to bring these letters with her?
Could it be that Yang Weihong came here this time just to get revenge on him?
Shen Mo's eyes darkened slightly.
He felt he was right; Yang Weihong had brought all the letters he had sent back over the years, clearly making thorough preparations to deliberately embarrass him.
Shen Mo had forgotten that it was he who first said he hadn't married Yang Weihong, which prompted her to release those letters.
In Shen Mo's mind, he certainly didn't think he was wrong; he even felt innocent.
He was originally from the city. If it weren't for the policy that forced him to go to the countryside, he wouldn't have gone to the Northeast to work in the countryside. As for marrying Yang Weihong, that was something that would never have happened.
Before he went to the countryside, he never imagined that life there would be so hard. The food was terrible; he only had cornmeal porridge to drink every day. He also couldn't sleep well; he was crammed into a dormitory with so many other educated youth, and there was simply no room to sleep.
He couldn't stand having to get up early every day and work in the fields, so he set his sights on Yang Weihong.
In his opinion, Yang Weihong was only average-looking, and she was too strong-willed, not his type. But what could he do? Yang Weihong was capable!
She was the only person in the village who could drive and repair tractors. Because of this, she didn't have to work in the fields except during busy farming seasons, and she could still earn full work points.
Moreover, Yang Weihong's parents were both martyrs, and she and her grandmother were martyrs' family members. I heard that they receive more than ten yuan a month in subsidies!
In addition, being a family member of a martyr also gives them an advantage in the village.
After careful consideration, Shen Mo began to pursue Yang Weihong.
He was very confident in himself, believing that a man as charming and polite as him could definitely make Yang Weihong infatuated.
Later, Yang Weihong did indeed accept Shen Mo's advances, and the two got married smoothly.
After getting married, Shen Mo was quite proud for a while. Yang Weihong was considered quite well-off in the village, and many young men in the village had pursued her, but in the end, she ended up in the hands of Shen Mo, an outsider.
He was naturally pleased.
Later, Yang Weihong helped him get a substitute teacher position at the village primary school, so he wouldn't have to toil in the fields. At that time, he genuinely thought marrying Yang Weihong was a good thing.
It wasn't until the university admission quota was released, and Yang Weihong gave it to him, allowing him to return to the city and become a city dweller again, that he realized how rash his decision to marry Yang Weihong had been.
Yang Weihong may have been considered well-off in the village, but in the city, she was just an ordinary village girl, incomparable to her female classmates whose families worked in government departments.
He clearly had the opportunity to marry a better woman!
Fortunately, Shen Mo had a backup plan when he got married. He didn't mention getting a marriage certificate, so he was still single on the surface and had the freedom to pursue other people.
This time, he must choose carefully, selecting a woman with the best conditions, the best family background, and who can be most helpful to his career to marry.
With this mindset in mind, Shen Mo set his sights on Ning Manqing.
Ning Manqing's family background is unremarkable on the surface, and she works as an ordinary primary school teacher, but Shen Mo has inquired about her background. Ning Manqing's parents are both university professors with countless students, and even the newly appointed secretary of the steel rolling mill is one of Ning Manqing's parents' students.
Moreover, Ning Manqing has a brother-in-law who is the secretary to the city's Party Secretary.
If he marries Ning Manqing, his official career will definitely be smooth sailing!
Shen Mo was secretly planning to pursue Ning Manqing at today's social gathering, but unexpectedly, Yang Weihong suddenly appeared at this crucial moment!
Moreover, this woman was cunning and treacherous, having prepared everything with a single-minded intention to scheme against him!
hateful!
That's absolutely outrageous!
If he had known Yang Weihong was this kind of woman, he would never have married her!
"Shen Mo, is there anything else you want to say this time?"
When Director Shen spoke up, she remained expressionless, but in her heart she was thinking, "Damn it, why did Shen Mo have to have the same surname as her? Isn't this just bringing shame to the Shen family?"
Shen Mo snapped out of his daze, but his thick skin allowed him to continue his evasive argument: "It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"
He blurted out without hesitation: "I dated Yang Weihong for a while. I didn't say anything before, only that Yang Weihong and I were from the same hometown. Actually, our relationship ended after we graduated from university. For the sake of her reputation, I decided not to tell anyone about this relationship, so as to avoid gossip."
"Oh."
Mingxi couldn't help but let out a laugh.
That grandson really knows how to talk.
They were afraid that if news of Yang Weihong's romantic relationship got out, it would damage her reputation.
When he was accusing Yang Weihong of slander, why didn't he think about Yang Weihong's feelings?
Shen Mo knew that his words were not very credible, but he still forced himself to continue: "Yang Weihong is from the countryside after all. The rural environment is conservative. If people find out that she dated me, she may never be able to get married again."
"As for the way you addressed each other in the letter, you've all been in relationships, so you should understand. When you're in a relationship, you all have nicknames for each other, and the one I wrote was a nickname."
Mingxi shook her head, feigning innocence: "I've never been in a relationship, so I can't understand."
Yu Xiaomin shook her head along with her: "I've never been in a relationship either, so I can't understand."
Shen Mo gritted his teeth. What did these two junior staff members from the Women's Federation mean?
Did you deliberately cause him trouble?
He turned to look at Director Shen: "Director Shen, those two young women might not understand, but you surely can, right? We were just having a normal relationship, nothing crossed the line..."
He went on and on, trying to deny that he had married Yang Weihong, insisting that they were just dating.
That's what makes Shen Mo so shrewd.
In a relationship, once feelings break down, it's okay to break up. Once one person initiates the breakup, the other person's objections are useless.
But marriage is different; divorce isn't something you can just decide to do.
Shen Mo is now spouting nonsense because he didn't have a marriage certificate with Yang Weihong back then.
Mingxi wasn't going to let him get away with it and stepped forward: "Comrade Shen Mo, are you sure you're not married? After all, even if you didn't get a marriage certificate, as long as you had a wedding ceremony and lived together as husband and wife, it can be considered a de facto marriage. Whether or not you have a de facto marriage, we can probably find out by making a phone call to the place where you were sent to work in the countryside."
The fact that a marriage can be considered a de facto marriage even without marriage registration is a very basic legal principle in later generations.
But now, the public security, procuratorate and judiciary have only been restored and rebuilt for less than two years. Ordinary people don't even know which way the courthouse doors face, let alone such basic legal knowledge.
Shen Mo acted recklessly because he hadn't registered his marriage, unaware that he only had a superficial understanding and didn't even know about common-law marriage.
Hearing Mingxi say that, he was completely dumbfounded.
To determine if a common-law marriage can be established, should we call the place where the person who cut in line was investigated?
Isn't this the kind of thing that would be exposed as soon as it's attacked?
Yang Weihong suddenly turned her head and said, "Go ahead and call, call our village! I have nothing to hide, I'm not afraid of you calling to verify. When we got married, everyone in the village knew!"
Shen Mo: "This...this is probably not necessary."
He immediately chickened out, stepped forward, grabbed Yang Weihong's hand, and pleaded, "Weihong, please don't, don't make the call."
He said, "I'm sorry. I was blinded by greed and thought that graduating from university and being able to establish myself in the city was something special, so I became a heartless man like Chen Shimei. But please consider me. I've only just been assigned to work at the factory. If I make a big fuss over something so trivial, how will I ever face anyone again?"
"Hmm? Wei Hong, don't you think so? If I can't work at the factory, how am I supposed to earn money to support the family and give you a good life?"
Shen Mo's expression changed incredibly quickly; in no time at all, he went from being cold and aloof to being a gentle and considerate husband.
He said, "I was wrong before, but look, I didn't really do anything, did I? I just went to the social event today and didn't even have a chance to meet any other women, let alone betray you. So please forgive me, and let's pretend this never happened, okay?"
Shen Mo said this only to appease Yang Weihong temporarily, so as to prevent the matter from escalating and being found out by the leaders.
As Shen Mo's wife who had shared a bed with him for two years, how could Yang Weihong not see through this?
She said coldly, "Shen Mo, don't try to coax me. If I agree to live a good life with you today, are you going to send me back home and make me stay with you nameless while you stay here and live a carefree life?"
"You wish!"
Yang Weihong also had her own pride. When she first learned that Shen Mo wanted to get rid of her and even came to the matchmaking event to go on a blind date, she was sad and disappointed.
But when Shen Mo completely denied their relationship and even went so far as to spread lies to smear her, all she felt was anger.
She has only now truly seen Shen Mo for who he is; he is a man of low character.
She was naive back then and was tricked into marriage by Shen Mo. This time, she will not fall into the same trap again!
Yang Weihong: "If you don't want to be with me, I don't want to be with you either! Pay me back the money! Pay me back the money I gave you when you went to college, and all the money you've asked me for over the years!"
You can't have a bad man, but you still need his money!
That was all hard-earned money, penny by penny.
They were all sent to Shen Mo.
Yang Weihong rattled off the accounts: "When you left for university, I gave you all the savings we had at home, a total of five hundred yuan. Then, while you were in university, you asked me to send you money every few days, fifteen yuan each time. Add to that the food, clothes, and other miscellaneous things I sent you, and it's almost five hundred yuan in total. That's a thousand yuan. Give me back my money!"
At this moment, Mingxi kindly stepped forward to remind them: "Common-law marriage and registered marriage are the same. You have not yet dissolved your marriage relationship. Strictly speaking, you are still in the period of continued marriage."
She rattled off a string of words, but Yang Weihong couldn't understand a single one.
Yang Weihong blinked: "Comrade, what do you mean? What extension period?"
Mingxi put it bluntly: "He attended a social gathering while you two were still married, which is considered messing around with women."
Yang Weihong was stunned for a moment, then realized: "Yes, Shen Mo, we're not divorced yet, and you went to a social gathering behind my back and flirted with other women. That's promiscuity. I'm going to report you to the police and have you shot!"
Shen Mo: "I didn't!"
He didn't want to be shot, so he quickly denied it: "I didn't seduce any other women. You can ask anyone if you don't believe me!"
Shen Mo hasn't done it today, or rather, he hasn't had time yet.
He came here today specifically to see Ning Manqing. After the social gathering started, he kept trying to engage her in conversation.
We haven't even had a chance to actually do anything yet.
Yang Weihong: "Just because you didn't have it today doesn't mean you didn't have it before. You didn't go home for four years of college, and you never let me come to see you. How am I supposed to know if you've had close contact with any female comrades?"
"No, I'm going to call the police and have them investigate!"
As Yang Weihong spoke, she turned around and prepared to run out the door to report to the police.
Shen Mo certainly couldn't let her go.
If the police are notified and investigate, even if he is innocent, he will still be seen as problematic by others, and his job may be affected.
Moreover, he did have relationships with other women during his university years...
Therefore, Shen Mo was determined not to let Yang Weihong report to the police.
He stopped Yang Weihong, trying to appeal to her emotions: "Weihong, we've been married for so many years, you can't forget all our past feelings, can you? If I really get arrested by the police, won't you be heartbroken?"
"Won't!"
Yang Weihong was very decisive: "If you get arrested, I'll just applaud."
Shen Mo: "...You!"
Seeing that appealing to emotions wasn't working, he switched to a money offensive.
He said, "Wei Hong, here's what we'll do: if you don't go to the police, I'll compensate you with an extra two hundred yuan."
Yang Weihong scoffed, "Is your life only worth two hundred yuan?"
Shen Mo hesitated for a long time: "Then, three hundred? Four hundred? Five hundred? Five hundred should be alright, right?"
Yang Weihong remained dismissive; she didn't want Shen Mo's money, she just wanted him to go to jail and be shot.
Mingxi reached out and tugged at Yang Weihong, signaling her to nod in agreement.
When it comes to illicit affairs, you can only catch people in the act. If you don't catch them in the act, they have plenty of room to make excuses. Even if you send Shen Mo to the police station, they might not be able to find anything out, and Shen Mo will still be fine.
It would be better to take advantage of Shen Mo's moment of shock and lack of reaction to make some money.
Yang Weihong received Mingxi's hint, although she didn't understand why Mingxi wanted to imply that she should accept the money without reporting it to the police.
But she's not stupid.
Ever since they met, Mingxi has been helping her, and she believes that Mingxi would not betray her.
Thinking this through, Yang Weihong nodded, feigning hesitation.
Seeing that she agreed, Shen Mo breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next second, Yang Weihong reached out her hand to him: "Where's the money?"
Shen Mo almost choked on his breath.
His expression was grim: "Give me some time to prepare for such a large sum of money."
Even if he could come up with the money, he wouldn't carry it with him at all times, would he?
Yang Weihong: "So how long do you think you'll need to prepare?"
Shen Mo has no credibility with her now, and she's really afraid he'll try to renege on the money.
Shen Mo: "One week."
He wanted to drag it out as long as possible, ideally until Yang Weihong forgot about the money.
But Yang Weihong has something on him now, and he can't do anything about it.
Yang Weihong: "Okay, then it'll be a week from now. I'll come to your factory to find you then, and you can give me the money."
Mingxi: "Yes, after you meet, don't forget to go to the subdistrict office to sign a certificate of dissolution of marriage."
Yang Weihong nodded seriously and kept this in mind.
Shen Mo didn't take the matter to heart at all. He nodded haphazardly, and seeing that neither Director Shen nor Ming Xi intended to stop him, he strode away.
Watching his departing figure, Yu Xiaomin spat towards the door and said indignantly, "He only got some money as compensation, that's too easy for him!"
Director Shen smiled and said, "Xiao Yu is still too young!"
Mingxi also shook her head, seemingly lamenting Yu Xiaomin's naiveté.
If it were just about getting Shen Mo to pay some money, would she have bothered calling Director Shen over?
A married man pretending to be single to attend a social gathering, and almost causing such a huge mess at the event, how could Director Shen not report him?
As I mentioned before, state-owned factories these days place great importance on the moral character of their employees.
Someone like Shen Mo, morally corrupt, ideologically flawed, and leading a decadent life, it's obvious that the steel mill won't let him off easily.
Thinking of the steel rolling mill, Director Shen's face darkened.
What's going on at this steel rolling mill? It was supposed to be a social gathering, but the comrades from the steel rolling mill kept causing trouble. Some got angry and slandered the women they couldn't meet, while others pretended to be single when they were already married.
It seems the ideological and moral education of the steel rolling mill employees is inadequate!
Director Shen planned to go back later and have a serious talk with the head of the publicity department of the steel rolling mill about this matter.
"Hey, Comrade Yang, do you have a place to stay tonight?"
Mingxi looked at Yang Weihong and suddenly remembered this question.
"I...I..." Yang Weihong suddenly stammered, "I'll just find a guesthouse."
Actually, she didn't know where she could go. She had been out for several days and had almost spent all her money. If she hadn't found Shen Mo today, she was planning to go home.
Mingxi frowned: "You have nowhere to go? What are you going to do for the next few days?"
Yang Weihong pouted; she hadn't decided yet.
Director Shen helped her solve this problem: "If you really have nowhere to go, you can stay in the Women's Federation's empty dormitory for a few days. However, the dormitory has been empty for a long time, so you will have to clean it yourself."
Yang Weihong immediately nodded: "I can!"
It's already a blessing that she has a place to stay and doesn't have to sleep on the streets!
Don't even mention cleaning, I'd be happy to clean the entire Women's Federation!
Yang Weihong bowed deeply to Director Chen and Mingxi with gratitude.
"Thank you, Director Shen, and thank you, thank you, young comrade."
Mingxi: "My name is Mingxi."
Yang Weihong: "Thank you also to Comrade Mingxi!"
Her eyes were red-rimmed, and tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall. She said, "I've really met some good people. I'm so grateful to have you all helping me."
Mingxi: "This is the responsibility of our Women's Federation."
Hearing this, Yang Weihong felt even more embarrassed. People had helped her so much, yet she had initially harbored malicious suspicions and doubted that Mingxi was lying to her.
She bowed deeply to Mingxi with remorse: "I'm sorry, Comrade Ming, I shouldn't have doubted you in the first place, and I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."
After bowing once, she bent down and bowed again to Mingxi: "I almost ruined such a big event for you all today. I was so wrong, I really..."
As she spoke, she clearly intended to bend down and do it again, and Mingxi retreated and dodged repeatedly.
"Hey, hey, hey! No, no, you're trying to send me away with those three bows!"
Yang Weihong: "I..."
She then realized what she had done.
He slapped his forehead repeatedly.
Look at the mess this has made.
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