Chapter 82: So Close
By the time Shen Ling’an realized things were going south, it was already too late to stop it.
He could only subconsciously let go of Xu Qingsui’s hand and try to pull back.
But he was a step too slow. He felt Xu Qingsui’s foot connect with a certain sensitive area.
A wave of pain shot through him, and Shen Ling’an immediately doubled over, collapsing to the ground with a THUD.
Now free, Xu Qingsui briefly rubbed her sore wrists and ankles where Shen Ling’an had gripped them, then prepared to step forward and deliver another kick.
After all, her movements had been restricted, so the force of her first kick had been greatly diminished.
She doubted that one kick was enough to end his family line, so she needed to land another, just to make sure a scumbag like him couldn’t harm anyone else.
Without hesitation, Xu Qingsui walked over to Shen Ling’an and raised her foot high.
Shen Ling’an was now in too much pain to move. Watching Xu Qingsui lift her foot, a flicker of terror appeared in his eyes.
"Xu Qingsui, what do you think you’re doing?"
Just as Xu Qingsui was about to bring her foot down, a sharp voice stopped her.
Xu Qingsui turned to see Xu Ruming leading a group of female members, all of them glaring at her furiously.
’So what if his rescuers have arrived?’
Xu Qingsui ignored Xu Ruming and prepared to stomp down.
Unfortunately for her, Shen Ling’an—who was desperate not to be rendered sterile—had already taken advantage of Xu Ruming’s arrival to clench his teeth and squirm out of the way.
Seeing the spot beneath her foot was now empty, Xu Qingsui relented and turned to face Xu Ruming.
It was unclear how much the group had seen, but right now, in addition to shooting looks of contempt at Xu Qingsui, many were also sneaking glances at Xu Ruming, their eyes filled with pity.
"Rumeng, hurry up and help me!"
Having finally saved his family jewels, Shen Ling’an looked at Xu Ruming with a face full of frantic relief.
He was still afraid Xu Qingsui would find another opportunity to attack, so he quickly called for Xu Ruming to help him.
Xu Ruming’s face was thunderous, so dark it looked like ink would drip out if you pinched her cheek.
After speaking with Xie Qingling the other day, she had been constantly thinking about how to teach Xu Qingsui a lesson.
She couldn’t do something like this alone; even if she did, it wouldn’t make much of an impact.
So, for the past few days, she had specifically sought out a few female members who had previously thrown themselves at Lu Jingyu only to be rebuked. Together, they figured out Xu Qingsui’s usual route to the cafeteria.
She had been preparing for a long time, just waiting for this day to corner Xu Qingsui on the path and have her group teach the girl a lesson.
She hadn’t expected to spot Shen Ling’an just before she was about to put her plan into motion.
Her only desire was to humiliate Xu Qingsui as quickly as possible, so she hadn’t paid him much mind when she saw him.
’It’s fine, as long as he doesn’t interfere with my plan,’ she had thought.
But who would have thought that before they could even make their move, Xu Qingsui would be "swallowed" by the alley.
Remembering that Shen Ling’an had also ducked into that same alley, Xu Ruming was struck by a terrible premonition.
She had wanted to go check on the situation by herself, but the other women had sensed something was up and insisted on coming with her.
And every single one of them had clearly heard what Shen Ling’an said to Xu Qingsui.
Driven by their love of gossip, no one paid attention to anything else; all their focus was on Shen Ling’an’s demand that Xu Qingsui "serve" him.
Everyone knew about the "thing" between Shen Ling’an and Xu Ruming. Even if the two had never openly admitted it, it was a tacit understanding among them all.
In that context, hearing what Shen Ling’an had just said was tantamount to him stomping all over Xu Ruming’s reputation.
Feeling the weight of everyone’s stares, Xu Ruming wanted to flay Shen Ling’an alive. Seeing that he still had the gall to ask her to help him up, her eyes blazed with fire.
In fact, for a split second, she’d almost wanted to let Xu Qingsui go ahead and finish the job.
’But I can’t give up on him just yet,’ she thought. ’It’s not the right time.’
Xu Ruming clenched her jaw and didn’t move.
"Rumeng, my condolences... wait, no... Try to look on the bright side!"
A female member on relatively good terms with Xu Ruming stepped forward to console her.
But this felt like a reminder that she had just been cheated on, which only made her more furious.
Seeing Xu Ruming just standing there, fuming, Xu Qingsui found the whole scene tedious and decided to leave.
As she walked past Xu Ruming, she said coldly, "Xu Ruming, he’s the man you chose, so I won’t comment on him. But please, keep him on a leash. It would be best if he never showed his face to me again."
With that, Xu Qingsui shoved past Xu Ruming and made to leave.
At that moment, Xu Ruming was still lost in her own seething hatred.
Finally, the same woman who had tried to console her earlier spoke up again. "Rumeng, didn’t we come here to warn her for Guide Xie?"
Her companion’s words finally snapped Xu Ruming out of her rage.
’I came here with a mission. I’ve been preparing for so long. I can’t just let her walk away,’ she thought.
She shot a vicious glare at Shen Ling’an, still lying on the ground, then spun around and grabbed Xu Qingsui.
Xu Qingsui had heard the other woman’s words, too. When Xu Ruming grabbed her, her brow tightened, and with a sharp flick of her arm, she threw off her hand.
Xu Ruming was no match for Xu Qingsui’s strength and nearly fell over.
After someone caught her, Xu Ruming directed all of her hatred at Xu Qingsui.
"Xu Qingsui, have you still not figured it out? Guide Xie, Captain Lu’s fiancée, is here in Zone 9 now. The rightful lady of the house has returned; there’s no place for you anymore."
To give herself more confidence, Xu Ruming had decided to bestow that title upon Xie Qingling herself.
But Xu Qingsui had heard Lu Jingyu say with his own mouth that Xie Qingling was not his fiancée.
Seeing Xu Ruming try to use this as leverage, she could only scoff.
Sensing Xu Qingsui’s disdain, Xu Ruming flew into a rage.
"You’re so shameless, Xu Qingsui! It was one thing when you were acting all high and mighty with Captain Lu to back you up, but how can you still be so arrogant now?"
"When did being the other woman become something to be proud of?"
"That’s right, you’re a homewrecker! Get out of Zone 9! Don’t tarnish the name of our Heiyu Alliance!"
"The Heiyu Alliance doesn’t welcome homewreckers! Get out!"
As soon as Xu Ruming brought up the "homewrecker" accusation, the women behind her took it as their cue and began shouting in unison.
The sight of so many people crowding into the alley had already attracted the attention of some passersby.
Now, their shouting drew in even more members who were walking past.
In no time, the mouth of the alley was packed with people. Latecomers hoping to watch the drama couldn’t even squeeze their way in.
Hearing the shouts, Xu Qingsui’s brow furrowed. She hadn’t wanted to get involved, preferring to let the two main parties sort things out themselves.
But now it seemed staying out of it was no longer an option.
"Xu Ruming, and all of you," she began, "you’re responsible for the words you speak. Aren’t you afraid of the trouble you’ll bring on yourselves by slandering me without a shred of evidence? And you all," she said, looking at the others, "aren’t you afraid of being used as someone else’s pawns?"