Chapter 54: Hurting the Enemy a Thousand, Wounding Oneself Eight Hundred

"Chen Chunlan, shut your filthy mouth!" Wang Xueping’s door swung open, revealing her sullen face.

She glared fiercely at Chen Chunlan. "Who are you accusing of murder? Do you want me to report you for slander?"

"You made Lin Xinrou lose her baby—doesn’t that count as murder?" Chen Chunlan curled her lip. She had nothing to gain anymore and no longer feared offending Wang Xueping. Besides, Sun Liangdong was now her boyfriend.

"If I were to kill anyone, you’d be the first," Wang Xueping replied with chilling menace.

Chen Chunlan’s words caught in her throat. Meeting Wang Xueping’s gaze, she shuddered and couldn’t utter a single word. She had a gut feeling Wang Xueping meant what she said—she might really do something to her.

"You… you wouldn’t dare!" she stammered, sounding far less confident than she intended.

Wang Xueping sneered. "You can try me."

With that, she shot a venomous glance at Lin Jingyue before slamming the door shut.

The other educated youths looked on, bewildered. Lin Jingyue was left speechless—she’d been caught in the crossfire for no reason. Truly, this was exasperating.

Once the door closed, Chen Chunlan regained her boldness, curling her lip at Wang Xueping’s door. Then she winked at Lin Jingyue, lowering her voice. "Today was really an eye-opener. Wang Xueping was paired with Lin Xinrou at work, and neither of them could stand the other. Aunt Liu and Aunt Hua, knowing their history, kept stirring the pot. One thing led to another, and the two of them started arguing..."

Lin Jingyue twitched the corner of her mouth. Is there no one else for you to gossip with? Why drag me in? Are we even that close?

"The argument escalated, and I don’t know what Wang Xueping said, but Lin Xinrou snapped and slapped her right into the field."

What the hell!

Lin Jingyue’s eyes widened. Is Lin Xinrou crazy? Doesn’t she realize her own situation?

Seeing Lin Jingyue intrigued, Chen Chunlan grew more animated. "Of course Wang Xueping wasn’t going to take that lying down. Furious, she shoved Lin Xinrou, and—oh, Lin Xinrou collapsed to the ground and couldn’t get back up."

Her face turned pale, and blood began to flow.

Aunt Liu and Aunt Hua saw things had gotten serious and rushed to call for help, carrying Lin Xinrou out of the field.

After finishing her tale, Chen Chunlan summed up, "Honestly, Lin Xinrou is partly to blame. She stole another woman’s man and still tried to provoke her. Who could put up with that?"

"…"

Bang!

Wang Xueping’s door was yanked open. Her face was livid as she stormed out of the educated youth center, leaving Chen Chunlan and Lin Jingyue bewildered.

What on earth?

Yang Ming, who had just returned, hurried after her, while the rest exchanged anxious glances.

That night, neither Wang Xueping nor Yang Ming came back. Luo Jianhua grew concerned. "Should we go ask the team leader?"

If something happened to the two of them, everyone would feel guilty.

Chen Chunlan scoffed, "Go if you want. They’re both adults—what could possibly happen? Maybe they’ve gone to the city to enjoy themselves."

"Chunlan!" Xie Wenjuan frowned, disapproving of her tone.

Noticing Sun Liangdong’s changing expression, Chen Chunlan became even more disgruntled. "Am I wrong? If you want to go, go. I’m not going."

"Lin Jingyue, what do you think?" she asked.

Lin Jingyue, in the middle of her meal, looked up in confusion. "What’s it got to do with me?"

"See? Even Lin Jingyue knows not to meddle," Chen Chunlan said, glancing at the others.

Lin Jingyue thought, Seriously, Chen Chunlan, you’re just asking to get punched again!

Luo Jianhua and the others met Lin Jingyue’s cool gaze and quickly looked away.

The next day, everyone finally learned where Wang Xueping and Yang Ming had gone.

They had gone to the police!

When they returned with the police officers, the team leader and the party secretary, upon learning the news, looked more grim than ever.

Yang Ming’s voice was cold. "We came here to support rural development, not to engage in petty scheming. If this matter isn’t thoroughly investigated, who will clear my fiancée’s name?"

Not only did they report the fight that had caused Lin Xinrou’s miscarriage, but they also brought up the earlier slander against Wang Xueping, which had forced her into a relationship with Sun Zhiyuan, only for her to be tricked and replaced in the end.

Wang Xueping was burning her bridges.

Her sudden boldness came from Yang Ming’s support. By making a record with the police, no one in the team could secretly take action against her—they simply couldn’t justify it.

She wanted to tear open this wound. Even if she had to bear some responsibility in the end, she refused to let Lin Xinrou or the Sun family get away unscathed.

Reporting to the police was a pyrrhic victory, for she had indeed pushed Lin Xinrou.

"She’s ruthless," Chen Chunlan muttered, shrinking back in the crowd. No one had expected Wang Xueping to turn the tables so completely.

This was stripping away the Sun family’s and Lin Xinrou’s dignity and grinding it into the dirt.

"Comrade Qian Guihua, according to Comrade Wang, your daughter-in-law was just over a month pregnant, yet you forced her to work and constantly berated or beat her at home—is that true?" the police officer asked, notebook in hand.

It was Qian Guihua’s first time facing the authorities; she was stunned and could barely form words.

Wang Xueping let out a cold snort. That old witch—she hadn’t even begun to settle scores from her previous life. Now she could savor her turn.

"Comrade Wang has already obtained medical proof of the cause of your daughter-in-law’s miscarriage. Besides yesterday’s incident, overwork was a major factor..."

As the officer finished, gasps rippled through the crowd.

In other words, Wang Xueping’s push alone shouldn’t have caused the miscarriage. Had Lin Xinrou’s pregnancy been stable, this wouldn’t have happened.

Qian Guihua trembled, unable to say a word.

Lin Jingyue frowned; something seemed off. Qian Guihua might have tormented Lin Xinrou, but she wouldn’t mistreat her own grandchild, nor had she withheld food from Lin Xinrou. As for working in the fields, she gave her breaks every other day. And how had Wang Xueping obtained that medical certificate? She wasn’t a patient or family member.

Lin Jingyue shot Wang Xueping a deep, thoughtful look. Clearly, being reborn had its advantages.

She played her cards well.

"What’s wrong?" Jiang Xun, standing at her side, noticed the flicker in her eyes and asked quietly.

The commotion continued, but Lin Jingyue shook her head and gestured for Jiang Xun to step outside.

The two slipped away inconspicuously, walking to a secluded spot.

"This isn’t as simple as it looks. According to Chen Chunlan, Wang Xueping shoved Lin Xinrou in a fit of rage yesterday—she wouldn’t have controlled her strength..."

Jiang Xun’s brows knitted. "You mean Wang Xueping is trying to lessen her own responsibility?"

"Yes," Lin Jingyue responded, lost in thought.

"Jingyue, do you want Lin Xinrou to find out? To get to the bottom of this?" Jiang Xun quickly caught on to her intention.

"Exactly. I don’t want Wang Xueping to get the upper hand," Lin Jingyue said, lifting her head and voicing her goal.

Wang Xueping was hostile toward her—she wasn’t about to play the fool. The best defense was a strong offense.

Let Lin Xinrou and Wang Xueping tear each other apart.