Chapter 169: Feint to the East, Attack in the West

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Feint to the East, Attack in the West

"Mm, that’s good." Gu Qingyu was satisfied. He spoke earnestly, "Lies can fool people for a time, but not forever. The truth will always come out. Since Guo Dongmei might have Wang Yuan make a move, we should pay close attention to them and see what tricks they’re planning."

"Yes." Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen nodded, and then they started fishing nearby.

With Little Red Carp in her boat and Zhao Nuan Yang helping, Zhao Nuanyue managed to catch a lot of fish, even in the stream near the livestock team’s area.

Hua Yusen didn’t dare go far, remaining on high alert at all times, not daring to relax for even a moment.

However, Guo Dongmei wasn’t following Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue at all. Instead, she went straight to Li Qiong and Wang Yuan, got on their fishing boat, and went fishing with them.

Guo Dongmei claimed she got seasick, so she sat down at the fish drop-off point, wiped her eyes, and started to cry and whimper.

A few curious people came over to ask what was going on.

"Young lady, where are you from? Who are you looking for?" a village woman asked.

Guo Dongmei sobbed, "I came here to find my fiancé, Hua Yusen. But my fiancé has fallen for a female volunteer, Zhao Nuanyue. I traveled all this way to see him, but he disappeared early this morning! I... I don’t know what to do!"

Hearing this, the woman found it very strange and asked back, "Young lady, you must be mistaken. Mr. Hua and Miss Zhao are good people. They’re not the terrible people you’re making them out to be!"

Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen were only affectionate in private; in front of outsiders, they were very proper, so many people didn’t know about their relationship.

"Impossible! Hua Yusen is clearly protecting Zhao Nuanyue. They’re having an affair!" Guo Dongmei cried, looking heartbroken. Inwardly, she cursed, ’Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue are better at hiding this than I thought. But no matter how deep they’ve buried it, I, Guo Dongmei, will peel back their skins and expose them.’

The woman was dumbfounded. Although she didn’t believe it, she couldn’t help but feel some sympathy seeing a girl cry so hard.

Just then, Liu Lanhua came over to turn in her fish. Hearing the conversation, she forgot all about her fish and rushed over. "Oh my, I told you all before that Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue were having an affair, but you didn’t believe me! I even saw Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue go into a cave together. Goodness, they were hugging and kissing, so lovey-dovey!"

"What?" A few of the women were surprised. "You’re not just saying that because you have a grudge against them, are you?"

"I’m not making things up," Liu Lanhua said. "I really saw it. Young lady, you’re a good girl. You should teach that Zhao Nuanyue a harsh lesson and curse Hua Yusen. Ruin their reputations so they’re too ashamed to show their faces!"

When Guo Dongmei heard Liu Lanhua’s words, her eyes lit up. She grabbed Liu Lanhua’s arm and said tearfully, "Auntie, you’re a good person! You’re the only one willing to speak a word of justice!"

Liu Lanhua grew even more excited. "I told you before that Zhao Nuanyue was no good, but none of you believed me! See? Now Hua Yusen’s fiancée is here, which proves that both Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue are rotten to the core..."

Guo Dongmei kept crying, encouraging Liu Lanhua to talk on and on.

Before long, a large crowd had gathered around them.

Li Guihua had no choice but to come over. After asking around and learning what had happened, she too was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Hua Yusen to be engaged to this woman.

However, Li Guihua was now allied with Zhao Nuanyue. Although she couldn’t openly side with her, she couldn’t just let Guo Dongmei and Liu Lanhua stand there hurling insults either.

"It’s hot out. Everyone, hurry up and turn in your fish," Li Guihua reminded them. "Young lady, you’ve achieved your goal of ruining Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue’s reputations. You should probably go home now."

Liu Lanhua was not happy. "Director Li," she said, "we’re all women here. How can you not stand up for the victim?"

The villagers who had been about to turn in their fish stopped in their tracks, eager to see more of the drama.

Li Guihua shot Liu Lanhua a glance and explained, "First, I cannot confirm this young lady’s identity, but I can confirm she is not from our Nianqiao Village, so she is not my concern. Second, Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen have done nothing wrong. Liu Lanhua, you claim you saw something, but who else saw it? Do you have any witnesses? If not, don’t go spreading baseless rumors and slandering a young woman’s good name. And finally, if you all don’t turn in your fish now, they’re about to become second-grade."

As soon as they heard this, the crowd quickly dispersed.

Watching a scene was fun, but not if it cost them money.

After the crowd scattered, Li Guihua glanced at Liu Lanhua and Guo Dongmei. "You’ve achieved your goal," she said. "You’d best be careful from now on."

With that, Li Guihua also left.

Liu Lanhua looked embarrassed. She said to Guo Dongmei, "Young lady, you should try not to dwell on it and just go home. Those two have long since won over the village cadres. You won’t get any advantage here."

Guo Dongmei had achieved her goal, so she wiped her eyes and said between sobs, "Yes, I’ll leave right away. I don’t want to stay in this place that breaks my heart."

"Sigh, you poor thing," Liu Lanhua lamented. "No matter how much of a scoundrel that Hua Yusen is, he’ll at least see you home."

"Yes. Thank you, Auntie," Guo Dongmei said gratefully, watching as Liu Lanhua left.

’This woman isn’t half bad!’

’If Wang Yuan doesn’t agree, I could cooperate with this Liu Lanhua. But it’s obvious she has a grudge against Zhao Nuanyue, which means Zhao Nuanyue will definitely be on guard against her. That would make things difficult.’

’Comparing the two, Wang Yuan is still the more discreet and reliable choice. She can get closer to Gu Qingyu, which makes success more likely.’

In just one morning, the rumor that Hua Yusen had abandoned his fiancée for an ambiguous relationship with Zhao Nuanyue spread throughout Nianqiao Village. Some villagers even said that they were always so in sync because they were carrying on like this all along.

However, these were just a few voices. Most of the gossip was contributed by Liu Lanhua and Wang Cuihua.

Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue became the subjects of endless discussion and finger-pointing.

Zhao Nuanyue was already aware of what was happening, so she paid it no mind. Getting angry would mean falling into Guo Dongmei’s trap.

At dinner that evening, Guo Dongmei was even more sarcastic and cutting toward Zhao Nuanyue.

Zhao Nuanyue just smiled. Zhao Nuan Yang couldn’t take it anymore and pointed at Guo Dongmei, saying, "You’re a bad woman!"

Little Red Carp glared at Guo Dongmei and scolded, "You’re an evil woman!"

Seeing her younger brother and sister defending her, Zhao Nuanyue smiled happily. "Let’s not stoop to her level," she said. "Let her yap. Sooner or later, she’ll show her true colors."

"Heh, a vixen will show her tail, too," Guo Dongmei sneered. "Just you wait and see."

The reason Guo Dongmei was causing such a scene was to divert Hua Yusen’s attention. He would be wary of her, but he wouldn’t be wary of Wang Yuan.