Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lu Kai felt his blood rush to his head, leaving his mind almost blank.
He was indeed somewhat gloating, after all, Gu Zhiyuan was putting a lot of pressure on him.
After Xu Ningyan's accident, Gu Zhiyuan didn't go to work at the factory for several days, and the news spread like wildfire throughout the factory.
Moreover, he also heard snippets of news from Lu's father that Xu Ningyan had been kidnapped to the deep mountains. Although she was rescued, who knows what she had encountered?
As a result, Gu Zhiyuan didn't go to work for several days.
If something really happened to Xu Ningyan, wouldn't Gu Zhiyuan have to take care of her?
If any more rumors spread, I'm afraid Gu Zhiyuan will be unable to hold his head up in the factory. People's words are a fearsome thing. Let's see if he will still have the mind to compete with me then.
Without Gu Zhiyuan, my chances are much better.
However, although he thought this way, he knew he couldn't say it out loud. He just silently prayed every day that something would happen to Xu Ningyan and that Gu Zhiyuan wouldn't come to work.
When Gu Zhiyuan returned to work, it was only after he saw this that he casually mentioned it to the people around him, which made everyone aware of it, and they gathered around him under the guise of showing concern.
Lu Kai thought he knew some people in the factory too well; they loved to gossip, join in the fun, and spread rumors.
With them around, how could Gu Zhiyuan possibly hold back when asked about Xu Ningyan in public?
If Gu Zhiyuan couldn't resist, he could stir things up and get Gu Zhiyuan to take action, and then he could find an excuse to get Lu's father to demote or suspend Gu Zhiyuan from his job.
Unexpectedly, Gu Zhiyuan underestimated him. He actually held back and outmaneuvered the two gossiping people with just a few words.
But I ended up getting myself involved.
Finally, a sliver of reason reminded him that he needed to clarify the matter publicly immediately, otherwise he would be the one to have his reputation ruined.
He knew in his heart that Xu Zhenzhu was capable of saying such things, but even if it was Xu Zhenzhu who said them, he couldn't accept it.
She quickly regained her composure, her face flushed red with anger: "You're talking nonsense! My wife doesn't work here, and we don't live at the factory anymore, so you'd never even see her! How could she tell you that?"
"Even if you want to shirk responsibility, you can't just spout nonsense and slander people like this! You've slandered my lover and ruined her reputation, and I'm going to hold you accountable!"
Upon hearing this, the two realized that they were doomed to die either way.
Since I'm going to be held accountable anyway, I might as well just give up and do whatever I want.
“It’s your spouse! Yesterday, your spouse came to our factory’s supply and marketing cooperative, saying that he wanted to buy something. He stood there and talked for a long time, grabbing people and telling everyone that Xiao Gu’s partner had been kidnapped and taken to the deep mountains, and was only rescued after a night.”
"They said the people they rescued were tortured to the point of barely clinging to life, covered in blood, their clothes torn to shreds, and they looked like complete wretches in the dead of winter."
"They said he was in the commune's clinic for several days and they managed to save his life. But the commune staff didn't want to save him anymore, so he was taken back to the county town and is now lying at home! He's basically ruined; he'll probably be bedridden and needing to be taken care of from now on!"
"At first, we didn't believe it, but Xiao Lu's wife swore to heaven that everything she said was true! She said she worked in the supply and marketing system, and this news came from within their system. She also said that the department store leaders even sent nutritional supplements to Xiao Gu's home. Someone asked the leaders when Xiao Gu's girlfriend would start working, and they said it was still a long way off—"
Another person chimed in, sounding aggrieved: "Xiao Lu's wife swore it out in front of so many people! It wasn't just the two of us who heard it! If you don't believe me, go ask around at our factory's supply and marketing cooperative! Otherwise, how would we know about Xiao Gu's partner?"
What these two people said makes sense, and they also said that they weren't the only ones who heard it from Xu Zhenzhu.
Several people in the crowd echoed this, saying they had also heard Xu Zhenzhu say that.
With witnesses and physical evidence present, even if Lu Kai wanted to defend Xu Zhenzhu, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
Moreover, he knew Xu Zhenzhu better than anyone else present, and knew that there was a high chance she was involved.
Looking at the surprised, disdainful, and mocking eyes of the people around him, Lu Kai felt as if he were being pricked by thorns, and his face burned with pain.
He stammered for a long time, but couldn't come up with any excuses.
However, some people in the crowd whispered, "Didn't we hear that Xiao Lu's wife is Xiao Gu's girlfriend's aunt? What kind of aunt talks about her niece like that?"
"They don't look like relatives at all, they look like enemies!"
"What a pity for young Engineer Lu, he's been dragged down by his girlfriend! There's an old saying, 'When choosing a wife, choose a virtuous one! And they should be well-matched!' Look at young Engineer Lu, he was such a high-profile guy, but he married a country bumpkin, and on their wedding day, all that trouble happened. Now he's spreading rumors and causing trouble outside, tsk tsk—"
Some people even took the opportunity to lecture the young people: "Look at what happened to Xiao Lu, you'll know that you should marry someone you know well! Otherwise, you'll only cause trouble outside—"
Lu Kai felt a sharp pain in his heart upon hearing these words.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to say, "This is only your side of the story. Even if my wife has a bit of a temper, she wouldn't just spout nonsense and ruin someone's reputation, especially her own niece's! There might be a misunderstanding here!"
Gu Zhiyuan interrupted Lu Kai: "What misunderstanding could there be? The witnesses are all here. Are you still trying to deny it? I know you want to protect your lover and are afraid that her reputation will be damaged! But your lover's reputation is one thing, but isn't my partner's reputation another?"
"Stop trying to claim any family ties! We made it clear to everyone back then that my partner had long since severed ties with your spouse's family and even wrote a letter severing ties! You both know what your spouse has done to my partner over the years! If you don't know, go ask around the village committee! Then you'll understand why your spouse is spreading rumors!"
“I will absolutely not let this go! I will not only report it to the department store, but also to the Public Security Bureau. Regarding what happened at the Red Star Commune, the higher-ups have repeatedly ordered that no information be leaked. Even we, the parties involved, cannot speak out in order to keep the case confidential! Why did your wife know about the case and spread the news? What are her intentions? Is she connected to enemy agents?”
Lu Kai's face turned pale; he hadn't expected Gu Zhiyuan to show him no mercy whatsoever.
Judging from Gu Zhiyuan's attitude, it seems like things are really going to get out of hand. Not only will Xu Zhenzhu be in trouble, but even he himself might not be able to get past his own father.
He really wanted to give up on Xu Zhenzhu, but then he thought, if he really didn't want her, where would he find a wife who was decent in terms of education and appearance, and easy to control?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
