"You, how can you be so shameless!"
Hearing Zhao Shufang's words, Lei Baoguo, this man who stood unmoved against eight armed robbers, trembled with agitation.
Not only did Zhao Shufang refuse to admit she had taken his family's betrothal gifts, but she also turned the tables, claiming he had pestered her!
"Lei Baoguo, I know you like me, but I'm telling you one last time, I don't like you."
"Stop causing trouble. Everyone at the unit is watching, and I don't want to embarrass you."
"Let's all pretend today's events never happened. He still needs to find a wife later."
Seeing Lei Baoguo so angry he could barely speak, Zhao Shufang's initial panic had vanished, replaced by a more aggressive demeanor.
Hearing her last sentence, Lei Baoguo's teeth nearly shattered. If Chen Yang hadn't held him back, he would have lunged at this "bitch."
"Young man, don't disgrace our People's Liberation Army."
"These days are about free love. If she doesn't like you, don't force it."
"What's the point of pestering her like this? You even come here to frame her. She's just a young lady, and she's even speaking up for you."
"A grown man, don't be so shameless."
Zhao Shufang was exceptionally good at putting on an act. She had a good reputation in the municipal opera troupe, and now she was playing the victim.
Her eyes turned red, she wiped away tears, looking pitiful. Her colleagues, who were unaware of the truth, began to blame Lei Baoguo.
Listening to the gossip from the women, Lei Baoguo trembled all over, unable to speak.
"Zhao Shufang, stop your slander. I personally saw you accept Lei Baoguo's betrothal gifts, and after your engagement, you engaged in illicit affairs. Do you still have the nerve? You shameless wretch."
Lei Chunping was so furious her lungs felt like they would explode. How could such a shameless person exist in this world?
Seeing Zhao Shufang's innocent look, and how she even seemed magnanimous, speaking on Lei Baoguo's behalf, Lei Chunping wanted to tear her mouth apart.
"Sister Chunping, I know Baoguo is your grand-nephew, and it's understandable that you'd side with him. But you can't fabricate things out of thin air. This is a serious matter concerning my reputation."
"I'm not married yet, how will I get married if you do this? You didn't tell me I had to marry him when you introduced us. If I had known you would be so unscrupulous, I would never have agreed to date him."
Zhao Shufang wiped her eyes twice, and tears streamed down her face. To an outsider, it would seem as though she had suffered great injustice.
"Shufang, you're too kind."
"You can't show mercy to someone like this who's being so persistent. If he continues to harass you, we'll go to the police. He's truly disgracing the People's Liberation Army."
Several colleagues who were close to Zhao Shufang immediately spoke up indignantly.
"Baoguo, don't be impulsive."
Seeing Lei Baoguo's veins bulging, Chen Yang held him down tightly. If he were to resort to violence, this woman would twist it further against him.
"I have a way to deal with her. Just watch."
Chen Yang glanced at Zhao Shufang and gave a cold smile. Seeing Chen Yang's calm demeanor, for some reason, she suddenly felt a chill.
"Zhao Shufang, you're quite the actress."
"Let me ask you, how much is your monthly salary? With your salary, could you afford a bicycle, a radio, a sewing machine, and a watch all at once?"
Chen Yang had remained silent until now, but the moment he spoke, cold sweat broke out on Zhao Shufang's forehead.
Her colleagues, who had been speaking up for her, suddenly frowned upon hearing Chen Yang's words.
The wages in their opera troupe were not as good as those of state-owned enterprise workers, only around twenty yuan a month. Zhao Shufang had only been working for two years. With her capabilities, affording these "three spins and one ring" would indeed be difficult.
Back then, when she suddenly bought so many things, everyone was envious. They asked her where she got the money, and Zhao Shufang just smiled and said nothing.
Now, with Chen Yang's mention, everyone seemed to recall something.
"Don't talk nonsense. This money was given to me by my family. My parents bought me my dowry."
"I also earn money. My monthly salary is over twenty yuan. How could I not afford the 'three spins and one ring'?"
Zhao Shufang desperately argued, refusing to admit anything.
"Zhao Shufang, if I remember correctly, you had only been working for two months when you bought the 'three spins and one ring.' Are you telling me you bought it with your earnings?"
"Are you treating us all as fools, or are you treating yourselves as fools?"
When Chen Yang spoke, Lei Chunping's eyes lit up. She remembered how smug Zhao Shufang had been back then.
She had clearly used her grand-nephew's family's betrothal gifts to buy the "three spins and one ring," and then acted so proud. Now, let's see how she could argue her way out of this.
Back then, everyone's earnings were accounted for. Apart from their salaries, there were practically no other sources of income.
"My parents bought it for me!"
Zhao Shufang felt her colleagues casting suspicious glances at her, and they even unconsciously moved a little further away.
She gritted her teeth, determined not to admit it. This matter absolutely could not be acknowledged; admitting it would ruin her reputation completely.
"Didn't you just say that your salary plus what your parents gave you was used to buy it? Why are you changing your story now?"
"Who buys 'three spins and one ring' for a daughter before she's even married? Are you landlords, that your family would prepare such a lavish dowry for you?"
"And you bought it two years in advance? Is it for you to use, or as your dowry?"
Chen Yang directly confronted Zhao Shufang. In those days, the "three spins and one ring" were not something easily afforded. It was difficult for a family to pool together enough to buy such a set of items.
How many families would be willing to prepare such a dowry for their daughter, let alone Zhao Shufang, who hadn't even married, and had it bought for her two years in advance? What kind of family had so much money to burn?
"My parents, I..."
Zhao Shufang stammered under Chen Yang's barrage.
Even she didn't know how to argue her way out of it anymore.
The situation had completely reversed. Just now she was aggressive, but now it was Chen Yang and Lei Baoguo's turn.
"Zhao Shufang, return the money to me."
"That's the hard-earned money my parents worked half their lives for. You've cheated me, and I've lost my job. I'm not afraid of being shamed anymore. Today, I'm here to get my money back."
"If you don't return the money, I'll die here today. We'll exchange lives."
Lei Baoguo's face was filled with grief and indignation. The employees of the opera troupe who had been defending Zhao Shufang looked at his pained expression and felt immense shame.
They had all been deceived by Zhao Shufang.
They had almost helped a villain bully an honest man. They had almost become Zhao Shufang's accomplices!
At this moment, they felt utterly ashamed.
"Zhao Shufang, we were blind. We never expected you to be this kind of person."
"Team leader, request the drama troupe director to expel this corrupt element from our Kunqu opera class. She must be fired!"
Hearing everyone's words, Zhao Shufang's face turned ashen. She was finished!
"Zhao Shufang, pay up, or we'll call the police to arrest you immediately."
"Don't push your luck."
Lei Baoguo gritted his teeth. He was determined to get his money back!