"You’re just making excuses!" Hu Yiping scoffed disdainfully. "My husband ran out of your house, and you still say you don’t know him! Everyone saw it clearly!" She turned to Jiang Jinghuai and added, "Officer, just look at her. She’s obviously playing you for a fool. Who knows how many affairs she’s had before this! Don’t let her trick you! A woman like this isn’t worth it!"
Jiang Jinghuai never expected people’s minds could be this vile. Suppressing his anger, he pieced together the situation. His deep, stormy eyes flickered with rage as he let out a cold laugh. "Tian Sangsang is my wife. She’s not blind. You claim she was with your husband—well, I don’t believe it for a second."
"And just now, what did you call my wife? Say it again so I can hear it clearly. Hmm?" Jiang Jinghuai’s face darkened as he pressed her for an answer.
The crowd murmured in shock. So Tian Sangsang’s husband was a military officer! A mont ago, they had been too distracted by the drama, but now they realized sothing. A woman as remarkable as Tian Sangsang, even if she were promiscuous, wouldn’t go for soone so underwhelming. Tian Sangsang wasn’t blind, and neither were they.
Tian Sangsang’s husband exuded such an extraordinary presence, while the man who had run out of her house earlier was nothing more than a sneaky, shifty-eyed rat. Why would she abandon a husband like that for soone so utterly unimpressive? Only an idiot would make such a choice! Besides, judging by her husband’s evident care for her, he didn’t appear to be soone who had been cast aside.
At this point, people began questioning the authenticity of the rumors.
"So Tian Sangsang is a military wife? Her husband serves the country, and we’ve misunderstood her this badly."
Hu Yiping, seeing Jiang Jinghuai’s expression, began trembling uncontrollably. Bracing herself, she insisted, "I’m not making things up! You might not know because you’re rarely at ho, but she’s been sneaking around behind your back. The child she’s carrying isn’t even yours!"
"What did you just say about my child?" Jiang Jinghuai didn’t believe in hitting won, but this one had truly tested his limits—calling his child illegitimate! With Tian Sangsang gripping his hand tightly, he held himself back. Striking her would be impulsive. Thinking about how Sangsang had endured all this gossip while pregnant, unable to stay at ho and without anyone to care for her, made him feel like he had failed as a husband.
He gave a self-deprecating laugh and said, "There’s been a misunderstanding about my wife, and today I’ll make everything clear. This is my wife, and the child she’s carrying is mine. I won’t let anyone tarnish her na like this. Just because she chooses not to hold a grudge doesn’t an I don’t. We’re all adults and should take responsibility for our words. I have a bad temper—if I hear more nonsense like this, don’t bla for being impolite."
"And don’t think of as a brute. Aside from my identity as a soldier, I’m just a simple man. If your wife were wronged, you’d feel the sa way I do."
The crowd included many n who sympathized with Jiang Jinghuai’s words. A wife is a treasure—she’s for her husband to criticize, not others. If they were in his shoes, they wouldn’t be so patient—they’d beat that slanderous woman half to death. Especially since he was a soldier, it was admirable that he hadn’t gotten physical. Soldiers uphold discipline and reason, and that deserved respect!
A true soldier—their commanding presence was undeniably different from that of ordinary people.
The man could only gaze tenderly at Tian Sangsang, saying no more. On the surface, he looked calm, but inside, he was panicking, his mind racing like an ant on a hot pan.
At that mont, a group of disciplinary officials stord into Yipin Xiangju, led by Hua Jun. Seeing Hua Jun, Tian Sangsang pursed her lips in surprise. Today was truly eventful—even Hua Jun had shown up. She was curious to see what this was all about and what these people were scheming.
Seeing Hua Jun, the man secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Across the street, Ji Qin from Huayang Nianhua, along with her custors, had also joined the commotion. Ji Qin, in particular, watched the scene unfold with her venomous gaze, scrutinizing every detail.
Hua Jun swept her eyes over the crowd and spoke in a formal, condescending tone.
"We received a report alleging that Yipin Xiangju’s owner engaged in an affair with a married man, which raises serious concerns about her conduct." Spotting Jiang Jinghuai, Hua Jun looked at him in surprise, her heartbeat quickening montarily. He’s back? And there hadn’t been a single warning sign. His first stop was to find Tian Sangsang—clearly, he held her close to his heart.
In front of the crowd, Hua Jun suppressed her urge to approach him. Her heart soured. Even as these thoughts raced through her mind, she maintained a blank, emotionless expression. Without giving anything away, she glanced at Tian Sangsang. What made her better than ? Hua Jun had pondered this question countless tis and never found a satisfactory answer. The only conclusions she had were that Tian Sangsang was a few years younger, slightly more attractive, and able to have children. It wasn’t that Hua Jun didn’t want kids—she had never even been given the chance. Otherwise, who was to say she couldn’t compete?
Seeing the disciplinary officers arrive, Hu Yiping’s confidence surged. So what if he was a soldier? He’d still have to comply with the investigation. Maybe he was just a low-ranking grunt. In Beijing, soldiers were everywhere! If he had any real connections, wouldn’t Hua Jun have shown so courtesy? And if he had any standing, why would he allow his wife to run a business publicly, pregnant and all?
At this point, Hu Yiping even thought that perhaps he wasn’t a soldier at all, just soone pretending to be one.
"So you’re the one who reported Tian Sangsang?" Hua Jun squinted at Hu Yiping.
"Yes, it was !" Hu Yiping nodded.
Hua Jun said, "Tian Sangsang, then we’ll have to take you back for questioning. This is just routine procedure."
Tian Sangsang scoffed mockingly. "Routine? So thorough it’s laughable. I’m starting to doubt your competence. Without concrete evidence, why should I go with you? I’m pregnant—if you force a confession and I have a miscarriage, who will be responsible?"
The spectators shared Tian Sangsang’s sentints. The disciplinary office had indeed caught its share of actual wrongdoers, but it had also arrested plenty of unlucky innocents over minor issues. Those people had been truly unfortunate—what had begun as trivial matters had been blown into major cases. Though they harbored resentnt, they didn’t dare voice it publicly. Now that soone had spoken out, they silently supported her courage. Their admiration for Tian Sangsang grew.
Last ti, they had let her be taken away; they couldn’t allow it to happen again. Jiang Jinghuai gripped Tian Sangsang’s hand and looked steadily at Hua Jun. "She is my wife. No one can take her away, and I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with her conduct."
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