The man’s actions completely enraged Hu Yiping, who had been cheated on. She shouted angrily, "Go ho for what? I’m not going ho until I beat this filthy slut to death today!"
"Quit embarrassing yourself and co ho with ." The man tried to grab Hu Yiping’s hand.
"This... Why did a man suddenly show up?"
"And he ca running out of Tian’s store?!"
"So there really was a man hiding here."
"The wife even caught him red-handed at the store!"
"Seems like Tian isn’t clean after all!"
"Could Tian’s child really be his?"
"Might be his, might not be his, maybe it’s sobody else’s. Either way, it’s a bastard child."
The onlookers began whispering amongst themselves, clearly grasping the gist of the situation. No wonder this woman suddenly showed up to cause a scene—turns out her husband had co here to see Tian. If it were their own husband sneaking around with soone else, they’d be raising hell too.
In an instant, the crowd’s gaze toward Tian Sangsang beca complicated. So were skeptical, so disdainful, so entertained, and so unconvinced. Half remained neutral, while the other half harbored malicious thoughts. No matter their stance, all of them were openly scrutinizing her.
The feeling of being watched like this was deeply unsettling. It was almost as if she’d been transported back to the days when she was still plump and dark-skinned, constantly judged through tinted glasses.
"Take your drama ho, don’t co to my store and act wild." Tian Sangsang looked on coldly and furrowed her brow. "And for the record, I don’t even know your husband." The man had just run out from the back earlier, likely entering through the back door. His deliberately suggestive gestures left her wondering what he was up to.
Being hit out of nowhere, her scalp yanked painfully, and a hard slap landing on her—that was uncalled for. She was fortunate the hit hadn’t landed on her abdon. Yet, with this sudden appearance of a strange man, an uneasy premonition arose in her heart.
"Honey, don’t be mad. I’ll take this troubleso wife ho right now." The man grinned obsequiously at Tian Sangsang, pulling Hu Yiping toward the exit. His earlier deanor had completely flipped. "Stop causing trouble! I was just here at Tian’s store to buy sothing. I have nothing to do with her!"
"You dress like this from just buying sothing?" Hu Yiping shook off the man’s hand and addressed the crowd: "He says he was here to buy sothing from Tian. Do you believe him?"
The crowd, casting the man looks reserved for untrustworthy n, shook their heads. "No way!"
That settled it. Hu Yiping grabbed a broom nearby to replace the iron rod from earlier and charged at Tian Sangsang.
Tian Sangsang wasn’t without a temper. Her fury reached its peak. Taking in a deep breath, she recalled how she had handled Shui Lian back then. Instantly, she raised her hand, ready to grab the broom. Damn it, she really felt like hitting soone right now!
"You’ve co to my store ti and again to make trouble, to spread lies, and now you want to hit . Do you honestly think Tian Sangsang is soone you can bully?! Just what do you think you are? You’re nothing but a shrew! What right do you have to accuse here? Take your disgusting man and get the hell out of my store!"
In the eyes of the crowd, Tian Sangsang was seen as beautiful and gentle, always treating her custors with warmth. To them, her temperant was never sharp or hard-edged. Even with the recent wave of rumors spreading, she hadn’t co forward to defend herself. While they speculated quietly, most had co to assu she was easy to push around.
But now the crowd found her imposing, even a little terrifying. When Tian Sangsang beca fierce, she could be genuinely intimidating.
She stood there with one hand resting on her rounded belly and the other raised high. She stood firm as if testing whether the broom would strike her! She had no one else to rely on—she could only rely on herself.
The onlookers collectively held their breath. Despite her anger, Tian Sangsang’s face remained calm, her eyes sharp and unwavering. She stood tall and straight. In their eyes, this wasn’t so scandalous woman; this was a resolute pregnant woman. Who would stoop so low as to tornt a pregnant woman?
It was shaful for them to stand idle while watching a pregnant woman be bullied. So more conscientious spectators hesitated but took a step forward as if to interfere and stop Hu Yiping.
But before they could act, before taking a full step forward, before Tian Sangsang could even grab the broom, right as it brushed her hair—
At the critical mont, a large, rough hand reached out and grabbed the broom. The crowd’s gaze froze on this hand, with its sharply defined joints. Though it seed to grip the broom lightly, its bulging veins attested to its strength.
A flash of military green appeared vividly in their view. The man was dressed in a spotless uniform, seemingly carrying the scent of gunpowder and blood from a battlefield. His commanding presence struck awe into everyone’s hearts.
"Who dares lay a hand on my woman?" His stern eyes narrowed with natural authority, and he released the broom.
The deep and icy voice drew everyone’s attention to his face—a chillingly sharp and intimidating visage. Who was this man? And what was his connection to Tian?
Though he let go of the broom, his movent could equally be described as a flick of his hand. The broom jabbed into Hu Yiping’s chest, causing her to fall back onto the ground, clutching her chest in pain, her face paling.
"You- you- you!" Hu Yiping stamred, trembling as she struggled to get up from the floor, and defiantly demanded, "Who are you? What gives you the right to hit !" But when her gaze t the man’s icy glare, her confidence instantly wavered.
The chaos surrounding them faded into irrelevance—it was as if only the two remained in the room.
Tian Sangsang gazed at the man standing so close to her, suddenly feeling her eyes mist.
"Why are you back?"
"I ca back too late." Jiang Jinghuai’s hand gently brushed over the spot where she had been slapped.
He had, in fact, been in town for a celebration banquet, but couldn’t resist taking ti to visit her. Who could’ve guessed he’d walk into such commotion? Seeing a woman raising a broom to strike her—
Naturally, he stepped in, noticing her flushed, bruised face. A murderous glint flared in his eyes, the urge to kill almost overwhelming. He hadn’t fully acted against the woman earlier, but the rage bubbling inside him was far from subsiding.
Jiang Jinghuai turned his head slightly, his cold gaze falling on Hu Yiping. His voice was frightfully low, "Which hand did you use to hit her?"
Tian Sangsang feared his temper and held onto his hand tightly. His fist remained clenched, the tension winding him up like a spring.
Jiang Jinghuai looked down at her. She gave him a faint shake of her head, silently signaling him to stand down. In public, dressed in military uniform, every action of his reflected the dignity of a soldier. This was sothing she’d rather handle on her own.
Misunderstanding Tian Sangsang’s gesture, Hu Yiping took it as a sign of guilt. Despite being intimidated by Jiang Jinghuai’s imposing presence and suspecting him to be an officer, her courage returned with the belief that he was unaware of the truth. She spoke up defiantly, "Don’t let this woman fool you. Tian was fooling around with my husband today..." Clearly, this man must be Tian’s lover.
Her husband, the shifty-eyed man, imdiately turned to look at Tian Sangsang with an expression of hurt, feigned intimacy as if they had known each other deeply for years. "Sangsang, who is he? You, you can’t..."
Tian Sangsang shot back at him word by word, "I don’t know you. Please stop saying my na. You make sick."
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