Chapter 422 - 422: Xia Ru Garners a Bad Reputation
‘Who are you, and why are you inquiring about Xia Ru?”
Wen Shu was caught off guard.
At his age, if he directly claimed to be Xia Ru’s boyfriend, these people would surely look down on him.
So, he had to fabricate a lie: “Xia Ru currently works at a factory under my management. She had a conflict with a female employee there, and I want to understand Xia Ruts usual behavior to decide whether or not to terminate her employment.”
Wen Shu appeared to be well-off, and this explanation immediately convinced the two women.
They began to share stories about Xia Ru’s romantic escapades in the village.
For instance, they mentioned a strange illness she had contracted with Liu Shi, which was only resolved by Xia Wan washing her body with feces.
Hearing this, Wen Shu’s expression soured, but the women were oblivious to his change in demeanor as they continued.
They went on to discuss a wealthy newcomer in the capital who wanted to cancel his engagement with Xia Ru. However, Xia Ru was determined to marry him and even spent the night with the wealthy young man from the capital in the county town.
Wen Shu’s expression worsened.
While he had never considered marrying Xia Ru due to her social status, hearing about a woman who had been soaked in feces and willingly offered herself to other men made him view Xia Ru as lowly and lacking self-respect.
He even contemplated taking Xia Ru to the hospital for a checkup to see if she had undergone abortions for other men.
Suppressing his anger, Wen Shu asked, “What about Xia Wan?”
When they mentioned Xia Wan, the women had many praises for her.
They talked about how Xia Wan had made the family wealthy by selling clothes and how they could now afford to live in the county town.
They also mentioned Xia Wan’s very rich boyfriend and how she had helped several village girls find good jobs, with those girls now sending money home every month. The envy of the villagers was palpable.
Wen Shu also asked why Xia Hai and Yan Han had separated from Li Jin.
Upon learning that Li Jin had refused to pay Xia Hail s medical bills, Wen Shuts disgust towards Li Jin reached its peak.
He had always seen Li Jin as someone greedy and money-hungry, but he had not imagined that she could be so selfish as to refuse to pay for her own son’s medical expenses.
If he were to be with Xia Ru, he could already imagine how much money Li Jin would try to extract from him, especially if she became his grandmother.
When Li Jin was mentioned, the women warned him in hushed tones, “If you’re planning to terminate Xia Ru’s employment, it’s best not to let Li Jin see you. She’s a troublemaker, and if she finds out where your factory is, she’ll bring her family to block your factory gate, talking about how her granddaughter has been wronged, making it impossible for your factory to operate.”
Wen Shu’s heart sank.
He had thought Xia Ru looked obedient and knew how to please him, but now he was having second thoughts.
Comparing her to the female employees in the clothing store, even if they weren’t as clever as Xia Ru, they at least behaved properly, were obedient, and weren’t as troublesome as her family.
Seeing her disheveled appearance and lack of concern for her image, Wen Shu couldn’t help but question his own judgment. Why had he chosen such a woman as his girlfriend?
Hearing the commotion, Xia Ru turned towards the door and saw that Wen Shu had returned. She hurriedly placed her snacks on the table and casually tidied her hair.
She approached him with a smile on her face. “Wen Shu, you’re back! I thought you’d be out for a while longer.”
Previously, Wen Shu had often been out late negotiating business deals with people from the county town, so she hadn’t expected him back so soon. She hadn’t bothered to manage her appearance accordingly..