Chapter 136: Chapter 136: A Convincing Act

Miao Dahai disagreed. "You said it yourself—it’s broad daylight with so many people watching. A young lady like her couldn’t just lie through her teeth and slander the men you brought, could she?"

Miao Dahai didn’t yet know that Zhao Nuanyue was, in fact, lying through her teeth at Li Guihua’s instruction.

"Don’t talk nonsense! All he did was bump into that girl. He didn’t even touch her hand. How is that harassment?" one of the young men retorted. "You’re just framing us on purpose, bullying us because you have the numbers!"

Bumped?

That one little word, "bumped," was more than enough to build a case on.

When Zheng Delin heard this, he cursed inwardly. ’You idiot! You should have said you did nothing at all!’

"This may be a new society, but you still can’t just go around bumping into ladies. Who knows where you bumped her?" Miao Dahai said, taking the offensive. "Director Zheng, since you don’t believe it, let’s go take a look. You owe the young lady an explanation."

"Fine. We’re done here anyway; no need to linger." Zheng Delin said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Miao Dahai, your Nianqiao Village is really something else."

Miao Dahai replied humbly, "You flatter me, you flatter me! I don’t have any great abilities myself. I just work hard and follow the directives from my superiors."

’Wow, I really underestimated this Miao Dahai. The man’s a real talent!’

He was so articulate. Zheng Delin felt he was no match for him.

It looked like he would be leaving empty-handed today. Zheng Delin’s stomach rumbled with hunger, but since Miao Dahai didn’t offer to host them for a meal, he was too embarrassed to ask to stay for dinner. So, Zheng Delin followed Miao Dahai toward the livestock team.

The young men were surrounded by the village patrol. It was the first time they’d ever faced a situation like this, and they were terrified of being beaten by the villagers. Their companion had already been thrashed by that tall, sturdy man, so they didn’t dare act rashly and get beaten again.

When they saw Zheng Delin approaching, they looked as if they’d found their backbone. "Zheng," one cried, "this woman is slandering us, claiming we ruined her reputation! But we didn’t! We didn’t do anything!"

Li Guihua was holding onto Zhao Nuanyue, who was struggling and trying to jump into the river. "You bullies! Is there no law anymore?" she shouted.

Seeing Zhao Nuanyue’s frantic display, the veins on Zheng Delin’s forehead bulged. He was burning with fury. "We haven’t even gotten to the bottom of this yet!" he snapped. "You can’t just make wild accusations and slander the men I brought with me!"

The moment Zhao Nuanyue heard this, she seemed to go berserk. She wrenched herself free from Li Guihua’s grasp and jumped straight into the water.

SPLASH! After jumping in, she vanished from sight.

Hua Yusen had assumed Zhao Nuanyue was just using this to distract Zheng Delin, but he never expected her to actually jump into the river.

’An act is just an act,’ he thought. ’There was no need to take it this far!’

But Zhao Nuanyue’s performance was too realistic. Of course, Hua Yusen couldn’t let another man dive in to save the woman he liked, so as soon as she went into the river, he quickly jumped in after her.

The people of Nianqiao Village were stunned by Zhao Nuanyue’s jump. They glared angrily at Zheng Delin and his young men. Some of the village women even began to shove them, while the village men would sneak in a hard kick when no one was looking.

"Ow! Who kicked me?"

"Hey, don’t push me..."

"You harassed a young lady from our village, and you don’t expect us to fight back...?"

The villagers were in an uproar. Now, no one was trying to make trouble for the people helping the elderly.

Seeing this, how could Zheng Delin possibly continue to cause trouble for these people?

Not only had he failed his mission, but he’d also stirred up a hornet’s nest. He forced a placating smile. "It’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding... Please, everyone, calm down, calm down..."

"You know perfectly well whether it’s a misunderstanding or not," Miao Dahai said with a cold laugh. "You came to our village, bullied our people, and insulted a female volunteer. I’m going to need an explanation from you. At the same time, I’ll be filing a report at the county seat. We’ll see if you can still cover the sky with one hand and do whatever you please!"

Miao Dahai’s words almost made Zheng Delin choke on his own blood. He hadn’t done anything! The moment he entered the village, he was accused of slandering a cadre like Miao Dahai, which led to the villagers surrounding him. Now he was being framed for harassing an innocent young woman.

"Oh, I’m very clear on the matter," Zheng Delin’s expression was grim. "But I admit, your methods are impressive. I, Mr. Zheng, concede defeat."

In a place like Nianqiao Village, Zheng Delin couldn’t gain any advantage. But if Miao Dahai went to the county seat... Hmph...

’Just you wait!’

"Heh," Miao Dahai chuckled. "Justice lies in the hearts of the people!"

"Let’s go!" Zheng Delin huffed, leading his men away. It was the first time the young men had ever been so dejectedly run out of a village after having done nothing at all.

Watching Zheng Delin and his group leave like a plague of locusts, Miao Dahai wiped the sweat from his brow. He had finally managed to bluff his way through this time.

The report he had submitted hadn’t been approved by the higher-ups, so he had no real grounds to stop Zheng Delin’s criticisms. This time, he had thought the villagers surrounding them would make Zheng Delin back down on his own. But surprisingly, Zheng Delin was able to swallow his pride.

Li Guihua also breathed a sigh of relief. The matter was finally over.

’But it’s only over for now,’ she thought. ’What about next time?’

Meanwhile, Zhao Nuanyue, having jumped into the water, felt as comfortable as a fish thanks to the Dragon Scale. She could even breathe freely, with no fear of suffocating from a lack of air.

Zhao Nuanyue was just planning to stay in the water for a bit to scare Zheng Delin and his arrogant young men. She hadn’t expected that after only a few breaths, Hua Yusen would jump down to save her.

Zhao Nuanyue had no choice but to pretend she was about to suffocate and wait for Hua Yusen to rescue her.

Hua Yusen carried Zhao Nuanyue out of the water. "She’s still breathing, so she should be fine," he said. "But she’s soaked. I’ll take her back to the Dragon King Temple."

Li Guihua was taken aback. She quickly stopped Hua Yusen, chuckling. "You, a young man like you, how can you carry a young lady! You’re so worried you’re not thinking straight. Step aside, I’ll take Mr. Zhao back."

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