Chapter 75 Apology
Dinner consisted of fluffy white steamed buns, cool mung bean soup, and savory watermelon sauce with fermented soybeans.
The two sat together and ate quietly.
Nan Zhiyi took small bites of her steamed bun, occasionally glancing up at Gu Xiao, only to be caught red-handed by him, at which point she hurriedly looked down again.
"I'll let you see enough later."
Her face immediately turned red.
Gu Xiao chuckled. Even after all this time, she was still easily embarrassed.
Night was falling.
Nan Zhiyi hadn't finished washing up when Gu Xiao, still steaming from the water, squeezed into the small bathroom.
"You're so mean, get out!" She crossed her arms and turned her back to him.
"Let's go out together later..."
Gu Xiao didn't say much. With a forceful movement of his arm, he turned her whole body around so that she was facing him.
His eyes were incredibly bright.
Nan Zhiyi responded awkwardly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He then embraced her even tighter, his hot body pressed against hers.
Her labored breathing and soft sobs were swallowed up in a deeper kiss.
As the sun rose and set, Nan Zhiyi's life in the family compound returned to normal.
Lu Linlang's days in the hospital seemed to have returned to calm on the surface, but only she knew the anxiety in her heart.
Her father's warnings were still ringing in her ears; Zhang Aihong, that fool, had become the biggest hidden danger.
In order to clear her name, Lu Linlang quickly began "image restoration" within the hospital.
Whenever the nurses privately discussed Zhang Aihong's outburst at the hospital that day, Lu Linlang would always appear at the opportune moment, her delicate brows furrowed, her face showing helplessness and distress.
"Sigh, Comrade Zhang is probably under too much pressure lately and is a bit out of it."
“She had come to me to confide in me before, saying that she was unhappy at work… I tried to comfort her, but who knew she would do this, and even involve Comrade Nan Zhiyi.”
"The things that are being said about Comrade Zhang right now are both unexpected and heartbreaking."
She cleverly positioned herself as a "victim" of Zhang Aihong's unreasonable harassment, implying that Zhang Aihong herself was mentally unstable and that her words were not credible, thereby severing her "conspiracy" with Zhang Aihong.
Like a frightened bird, Zhang Aihong came to see Lu Linlang several more times, each time with a sob in her voice: "Sister Linlang, what should I do? Old Liu really wants to divorce me! The security department is investigating me..."
Lu Linlang always patiently spoke in the gentlest tone, using the most perfunctory words: "Aihong, don't worry, I'm trying to find someone to smooth things over. You need to stay calm, don't cause any more trouble, and don't go looking for trouble with anyone. Wait for my news, okay?"
The earnest "concern" in her eyes and words temporarily calmed Zhang Aihong down.
Lu Linlang was so annoyed by her entanglement that she just wanted to get it over with quickly.
She knew all too well that Zhang Aihong's younger brother, Zhang Aijun, was a ticking time bomb and the key to completely destroying Zhang Aihong.
She delivered a message to Zhang Aijun through a clandestine channel:
"Your brother-in-law is a high-ranking official! Your sister has amassed quite a fortune at work. What's the money she brought home last time? She definitely has more! She promised to find you a job? You have to go and ask for it yourself! Go to the military camp and confront her, demanding the money in front of everyone! The bigger the scene, the faster the money will come! She'll be afraid of losing face, so she'll definitely give it to you!"
Zhang Aijun was already impatient, and driven by greed and his thuggish habits, he immediately thought it was a "good idea".
During his lunch break, Zhang Aijun arrived at the gate of the military camp. The guards on duty saw that he did not have any identification and refused to let him in.
This made Zhang Aijun even angrier.
"My brother-in-law is a high-ranking official, why can't I get in!"
"Zhang Aihong! You get the hell out here!"
Because it was lunch break, his loud, boisterous voice attracted quite a few onlookers at the main entrance.
Zhang Aihong was called over by the gatekeeper. Seeing the huge crowd at the entrance, she wanted to run away before she even got close.
Zhang Aijun didn't care about any of that. He pushed through the crowd, rushed to Zhang Aihong, and grabbed her arm.
"Where's the money! Where's the promised five hundred yuan? Mom needs it for medical treatment! And what about my job! If you don't give me an explanation today, I'll make you regret it!"
The surroundings quieted down, and hundreds of eyes focused on the brother and sister.
Zhang Aihong's face turned deathly pale: "Aijun! Are you crazy! Let's go home! Let go! Where are we?!"
"Where? I don't care what you do!" Zhang Aijun spat as he pointed at her nose and yelled, "Stop pretending! Your husband is a high-ranking official! When you were taking kickbacks and bribes, why didn't you think about where you are? I'll let everyone judge for me today! Let's see how you, as the older sister, have cheated your own brother and your parents!"
The words "taking kickbacks" and "accepting bribes" immediately sparked a flurry of whispers and discussions around them.
Deputy Director Liu rushed over, and upon hearing this, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and he trembled with anger.
He gestured to the security officer.
Several officers rushed forward and dragged Zhang Aijun, who was still shouting and struggling, away. He was still yelling and cursing, "You dare arrest me? Do you know who my brother-in-law is? I'll have my brother-in-law shoot you all... Zhang Aihong, tell them to let me go!"
Zhang Aihong was so frightened by this sudden blow that she collapsed to the ground, completely losing her composure.
This public farce was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
In order to protect himself and sever ties, Deputy Director Liu quickly went through divorce proceedings with Zhang Aihong and kicked her out of the house.
Zhang Aihong was also dismissed from her public office and returned to her parents' home in humiliation and despair...
Just two days after she arrived home, Zhang Aijun, an unemployed youth who "needed to receive re-education from poor and lower-middle peasants" and had a "previous record" of causing trouble in public and slandering the families of cadres, was forcibly assigned to work in the countryside.
………
After the farce involving Zhang Aihong and her brother, the rumors about Nan Zhiyi disappeared, and the publicity department quickly notified her to return to work.
Nan Zhiyi didn't want to go back to that place of trouble, but then she thought that if she didn't go back, she would seem guilty and would be accused of "having something fishy" or "not daring to come back until the problem was confirmed."
She didn't want to cause Gu Xiao any more trouble, nor did she want to be the subject of unfounded speculation, so she composed herself and returned to the publicity department.
Her return was met with an official "condolence" from Section Chief Li and a sincere welcome from Zhao Yaqin.
Without Zhang Aihong, the work atmosphere is more harmonious than before.
Lu Linlang had been secretly keeping an eye on Nan Zhiyi.
So, she chose a lunch break and, when she figured there wouldn't be many people in the office, went into the publicity department.
Nan Zhiyi and Zhao Yaqin returned from the cafeteria and were organizing documents when they looked up and saw Lu Linlang knocking on the door. The two exchanged a knowing glance but did not speak.
Lu Linlang moved closer, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Zhiyi, have you eaten? There's something I want to tell you."
Nan Zhiyi looked at her calmly: "Dr. Lu, what is it?"
Lu Linlang glanced at Zhao Yaqin, who was listening intently beside her, and felt a surge of hatred in her heart.
Zhao Yaqin has always been at odds with her. Today, she's handing Zhao Yaqin leverage over her, and Zhao Yaqin will definitely use this to expose her weaknesses in the future.
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