Xiaolan?
Chen Qing was very interested in anything related to Xia Xiaolan… but he wasn’t stupid. Quite the opposite. He was smart.
“ Who are you? ”
He deliberately kept his distance from Xia Hongxia. There was something calculating in her eyes, and instinctively, he didn’t like it.
“ Never mind who I am. What I’m telling you is the truth. Xia Xiaolan is no good. Her reputation in the countryside was ruined, and that’s why her family kicked her out. Her mother got dragged down with her and was driven out too. She fooled around with a local thug and even tried to seduce her future brother-in-law. She loves stringing men along. I’m only warning you because I don’t want you to be deceived by a used-up woman like her! ”
Xia Hongxia didn’t mention that she was Xia Xiaolan’s cousin. The last time she had spoken badly about Xia Xiaolan in front of the school leaders and the gatekeeper, she had revealed her identity, and their attitudes had changed immediately.
She still didn’t understand why, so this time she simply left it out. Besides, having a cousin like Xia Xiaolan was embarrassing enough.
She practically swore an oath as she recounted every detail.
Chen Qing’s dark face turned bright red. Not because he believed her… because he was furious.
He had heard some of those rumors before, but after spending time with Xia Xiaolan, he trusted his own judgment.
Xiaolan wasn’t like that. Being beautiful wasn’t her fault. Just because men liked her, did that mean everything had to be blamed on her?
She never relied on her looks. She worked hard, supported her family, and still wanted to continue her education.
In Chen Qing’s eyes, Xia Xiaolan was as close to perfect as anyone could be. How could he tolerate someone slandering her?
“ Shut up! ” He glared at Xia Hongxia.
“ You show up out of nowhere, spread rumors, and refuse to tell me who you are. That means you’re the suspicious one. You're just jealous of Xia Xiaolan. You can't stand seeing her live a better life. ”
He paused. “ You’re from the Xia family, aren’t you? ”
Chen Qing had an awful impression of everyone in the Xia family except Xia Xiaolan.
There was Xia Dajun, who beat women.
Zhang Cui, who always thought she was right.
Wang Jingu, who caused trouble everywhere.
Who in Qijing Village didn’t know what the Xia family was like?
When Liu Fen got divorced, people in the village practically celebrated. For once, she had stood up for herself.
Li Fengmei constantly defended Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan whenever she got the chance. The message was always the same: marrying into the Xia family had been a nightmare.
Chen Qing had even helped write the divorce agreement. He still remembered villagers physically holding Xia Dajun back because he kept trying to hit people.
Xiaolan’s old life had truly been miserable. Why couldn’t these people just leave her alone?
His feelings for Xia Xiaolan weren’t based solely on her looks. He genuinely admired her abilities and determination.
The more Xia Hongxia spoke, the angrier he became. If she had been a man, he might have punched her already.
Xia Hongxia instinctively stepped back. She was from the Xia family.
And except for Xia Xiaolan, she didn’t think there was anything shameful about that. Xia Ziyu was a college student. Wang Jianhua was a college student. She was proud of her family.
“ I’m trying to help you! Why won’t you believe me? Just ask around Dahe Village if you don’t believe what kind of person Xia Xiaolan is! ” Chen Qing pointed a finger at her.
“ Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want. If you keep spreading lies, I’ll find someone to teach you a lesson. ”
Everything had gone wrong. The school leaders didn’t believe her. The gatekeeper didn’t believe her.
Now even Xia Xiaolan’s supposed boyfriend refused to believe her.
Why?
What Xia Hongxia couldn’t understand was that Xia Xiaolan earned people’s respect through her abilities, not her face.
Her beauty attracted gossip, but she didn’t survive by relying on it. People valued her because she was capable. As long as that remained true, rumors were worthless.
Unfortunately, Xia Hongxia’s worldview was too limited to ever understand that.
After pestering Chen Qing for a while longer and getting nowhere, she finally gave up and returned to Zhang's Snack Shop. The moment she got back, Zhang Cui pulled her aside.
“ Hongxia, have you been feeling unwell lately? If the work here is too much, maybe you should go back to the village for a few days. I’d hate for you to exhaust yourself. ”
The words sounded caring… but what she really meant was: Go home.
Xia Hongxia immediately panicked. Working at the snack shop was annoying, but returning to Dahe Village?
No way.
County life was completely different from village life. She had no intention of going back.
“ Auntie... I saw Xia Xiaolan a few days ago. It looked like she found a boyfriend at County No. 1 High School. ” She spoke hesitantly.
The gatekeeper’s words had long been forgotten. There was no way Xia Xiaolan could be a student there. What kind of student disappeared for days without attending class?
Zhang Cui tightened her grip around Xia Hongxia’s wrist.
“ Ow! Auntie, that hurts! ”
“ When did you see Xiaolan? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? ”
Realizing her expression had become ugly, Zhang Cui quickly softened her tone.
“ How is she doing? She found another boyfriend already? The Zhang Erlai scandal hasn’t even died down yet… ”
She sighed.
“ Ever since your Second Aunt took her away from the Xia family, it’s been hard for us to look after her. ”
Xia Hongxia couldn’t tell sincerity from manipulation. Or perhaps Zhang Cui had perfected her act. Believing every word, Xia Hongxia grew indignant.
“ Xia Xiaolan stole Ziyu-jie's man! She did something so shameless, and still acts like the Xia family wronged her! She and her mother turned the whole family upside down and even made Grandma sick. Now she gets to go live a good life? ”
The more she talked, the angrier she became.
“ Ziyu-jie forgives her, but I never will! ” Zhang Cui looked touched.
“ Your Ziyu-jie really didn't dote on you for nothing. She always cared about all of you equally. No matter what Xiaolan did, as the eldest sister, she couldn't bring herself to hate her. ”
Then she gently guided the conversation.
“ Tell me more about Xiaolan. If she really found someone, that's wonderful. But you know her temper. I'm worried she's trying too hard to prove something and might choose the wrong man in her haste. ”
At that point, Zhang Cui no longer cared about sending Xia Hongxia back to the village. What she wanted was information.
Since neither Xia Xiaolan nor Chen Qing had reacted to her threats, Xia Hongxia finally spilled everything.
The school. The gatekeeper. The rumors. Every detail.
When she finished, Zhang Cui focused immediately on the important part.
“ The gatekeeper said she was a student at County No. 1 High School? ” Unlike Xia Hongxia, Zhang Cui knew how to identify the key issue.
“ Obviously that's a lie. ” Xia Hongxia scoffed.
“ You really think Xia Xiaolan could get into County No. 1? ”
Zhang Cui thought it sounded impossible too. She had personally witnessed how hard Xia Ziyu studied.
Xia Xiaolan? She didn't believe it. But… What if it were true?
Meanwhile, Chen Qing returned to Qijing Village in a terrible mood. To his surprise, Xia Xiaolan wasn't there.
The last time she came to school, she hadn't mentioned any travel plans. He had no idea where she had gone.
“ What do you need her for? ” His mother gave him a meaningful look.
“ Someone sent her an unusually thick telegram. After that, she got your Grandfather to write her a letter of introduction and left town. Listen to me… your focus needs to be on studying. If you get into college next year, then you can think about other things. ”
First strangers spread rumors about Xia Xiaolan. Now his own mother was hinting that Xia Xiaolan's social connections were suspicious.
Chen Qing felt exhausted. Why was everyone making things so complicated?
“ Mom, I just wanted to ask her about studying. The English materials she gave me have been incredibly helpful. ”