Wang Lili's voice was shrill, and tears streamed down her cheeks, making her look wronged and pitiful.
Many villagers immediately began to whisper among themselves.
"What? Liu Hu actually did such a thing? He's a complete scoundrel!"
"Wang Lili seems like a very honest person, how could she have encountered something like this..."
Liu Hu, lying on the ground, nearly fainted from anger upon hearing Wang Lili's words. He clutched his bleeding shoulder and struggled to get up. "You're talking nonsense! You clearly did it on purpose! Don't believe her lies! She came to me herself, offering me a piece of candy to go to the woods with me. When did I rape her?"
“Exactly! We can all testify!” Several of the older educated youth who were with Liu Hu immediately stood up, pointed at Wang Lili and said, “We’ve seen it several times. Every time, Wang Lili would approach Liu Hu, and he would give her a piece of candy or some small favor, and she would follow him to the grove. How could it be rape?”
“Yes! She even went to Liu Hu to ask for fruit candy yesterday, and we were all watching!” another former educated youth added.
The words of the former educated youth instantly changed the atmosphere at the scene.
Those who had just sympathized with Wang Lili immediately changed their expressions, looking at her with suspicion and disdain.
After all, there were many of the former educated youth, and they spoke with such detail and conviction that it seemed very real.
Seeing the suspicious looks in everyone's eyes, Wang Lili felt anxious and angry, and her emotions became even more frantic.
She raised the hoe, ready to charge at Liu Hu, shouting, "I'll kill you! You beast! I'd rather die than be slandered like this by you!"
Liu Hu was so frightened that he covered his head and cowered on the ground, crying out, "Help! She's going to kill me!"
At this critical moment, Jiang Linchuan strode forward, grabbed the hoe from Wang Lili's hand, forcefully snatched it away, and threw it aside.
He looked at Wang Lili and said, "No matter what happened, you can't kill people. Talk it out. Killing people won't solve anything."
Wang Lili never really dared to kill anyone; she was just blinded by grief and anger.
Stopped by Jiang Linchuan, she instantly broke down, her legs went weak, and she sat on the ground, wailing, "He raped me! I met him in the woods that night. I wanted to leave, but he wouldn't let me. He pinned me against a tree. I was no match for him! But what could I do when something like this happened?"
"I could only hope that we could date properly, thinking that since he took my virginity, he would at least marry me. But he just said that he will never marry me, and that I slept with him in just a few days, saying that I was immoral. But he clearly forced me! My virginity is gone, so why can he pretend that nothing happened? Either he marries me, or I will call the police and make him go to jail!"
Wang Lili's face was covered in tears and snot, and she looked very pitiful.
Anyway, her innocence is gone, and no one will marry her in the future.
If word of this gets back to the city, she'll be gossiped about and become a notorious slut.
It would be better to let Liu Hu marry her. At least that way, people won't look at her like that anymore, and those old educated youths won't make fun of her anymore...
Looking at Wang Lili, who was sitting on the ground and crying uncontrollably, and then at Liu Hu, who was lying on the ground bleeding, everyone was at a loss as to who to believe.
Xu Xinghe stood in the crowd, looking at the scene before her, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
She only wanted to provoke Wang Lili into causing trouble for Liu Hu, so that Liu Hu would stop harassing Jiang Linchuan. She never expected it to escalate to this point.
Things are now out of her control, and it seems that even Zhang Qiang will be dragged into it.
Sure enough, not long after, someone shouted, "Captain Zhang is here!"
Everyone turned around and saw Zhang Qiang striding quickly towards the woods, his face frighteningly grim. "What are you all doing here? What happened! Explain yourself!"
Upon seeing Zhang Qiang, Liu Hu felt like he had grasped a lifeline. Despite the excruciating pain in his shoulder, he hurriedly shouted, "Captain Zhang! You've finally arrived! It was Wang Lili who seduced me! She asks me for candy every day and even went to the woods with me. Now she's accusing me of raping her! I would never marry such a shameless woman, and I didn't even take her virginity. Who knows if she was already slept with me before!"
He became more and more self-righteous as he spoke. In any case, Wang Lili could not produce any evidence of being raped, so her words were meaningless and he could justify whatever he made up.
Several former educated youths chimed in, saying that Liu Hu was telling the truth and that Wang Lili was deliberately framing him.
"You're talking nonsense! You're spouting rubbish!" Wang Lili was trembling with anger. She suddenly got up from the ground, pounced on him, grabbed his face, and tore at his clothes. "I went to the grove with you because I thought you would take responsibility for me. Now you're slandering me like this. I'll beat you to death, you beast!"
Liu Hu winced in pain, clutching his head and shouting, "Captain Zhang! Stop her! She's going to kill someone!"
"Enough!" Zhang Qiang shouted angrily, his voice silencing everyone around him.
He stepped forward, pulled Wang Lili away, and said sternly, "Have you made enough trouble? What kind of behavior is this, resorting to violence here! Don't you have any manners?"
Wang Lili was pushed by him, staggered back two steps, and collapsed to the ground. Tears welled up again, but she stopped crying and made a scene. Instead, she calmed down and said, "Since Liu Hu is so shameless, I will never marry such a scumbag, even if I never marry anyone in my life! I'm going to call the police! I want him shot! I want him to go to jail!"
She looked up at Zhang Qiang, her tone filled with a desperate resolve, "Captain Zhang, even if you come today, it won't make a difference! I have to call the police! Otherwise, I'll die here! I'm an educated youth, and if I commit suicide in the forest farm, the higher-ups will definitely send people to investigate, and then nobody will have an easy time!"
These words struck a nerve with Zhang Qiang. What he feared most was that things would escalate and attract the attention of higher-ups. If they discovered the secrets he was hiding, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and softened his tone, "Calling the police won't solve the problem, and it will be bad for both of your reputations if word gets out. Come back to my office with me, and we'll discuss how to resolve this, okay?"
"I'm not going!" Wang Lili refused outright, pointing at the people around her. "I want to ask everyone in front of them! Let everyone judge! Liu Hu took advantage of me and then slandered me. Why should I go to his office with him to talk secretly!"
Jiang Linchuan stood in the crowd and saw all of this.
Seeing that Zhang Qiang was tied up with Wang Lili and couldn't leave for the time being, he immediately squeezed next to Xu Xinghe and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "I'll take this opportunity to go to the captain's office and look for the remaining documents. You stay here and keep an eye on Zhang Qiang. Give me a signal if anything happens."
Xu Xinghe understood and nodded slightly.
She would try to stall for time and prevent Zhang Qiang from leaving easily.
Seeing Wang Lili's resolute attitude, Zhang Qiang had no choice but to compromise for the time being. "Alright, let's talk here. But first, have someone bandage Liu Hu's wounds. With so much blood, any further delay could lead to a major incident."
He turned to the villagers beside him and said, "Go to the clinic and get the first-aid kit, hurry up!"
The villagers ran away at the sound of the call, but Liu Hu panicked.
He was afraid that if Wang Lili really made a scene and called the police, it would be a big problem.
He immediately clutched his shoulder, frowned, and shouted, "No, I'm so dizzy, I think I've lost too much blood, I have to get to the hospital right away! Otherwise, someone will die!"
Wang Lili saw through his thoughts at a glance, sneered, rushed over and grabbed his arm, holding it tightly and refusing to let go. "Trying to run away? No way! You're not going anywhere until this is resolved! If you die here, I'll pay with my life! This concerns my innocence, so don't try anything funny!"
Liu Hu was in pain from her grip and tried to push her away, but Zhang Qiang stopped him, saying, "Liu Hu, behave yourself! We'll talk after your wound is bandaged!"
Liu Hu dared not move again, and could only glare hatefully at Wang Lili.
That damn woman! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have touched her in the first place!
Most women would try to hide this kind of thing, but only a shameless woman like her would dare to make such a big fuss!
I must have been blind to fall for her! Ugh!
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