After Awakening, She Tore Apart Her Enemies and Joined the Army on an Island - Chapter 18

“Right! If you don’t move, we’ll report you.”

As she spoke, the chubby girl arrogantly reached for her shoulder.

Su Meng hated it when people got physical.

She grabbed the chubby girl’s outstretched hand and slapped her in return. “Think you’re something, huh? Get lost! If you don’t leave now, I’ll report you for bullying and intentional assault.”

Her face darkened as she abruptly stood up. At 1.67 meters tall, she towered over them.

Hearing this, the chubby girl’s aggressive advance froze as if someone had hit the pause button.

Su Meng’s legendary feat of single-handedly taking on her fake father and stepmother had already spread throughout Shanghai.

She was a tough one!

She might actually report them.

Wait, she must be bluffing. She just returned to the country and doesn’t even know who we are.

“I’m not afraid of you reporting me! I’m going to hit you back,” the chubby girl snarled through gritted teeth, rolling up her sleeves, ready to fight.

Su Meng showed no fear and struck first with a series of slaps. “Get lost! Or I’ll report your dad. To become department head, he suppressed colleagues more capable than him, bribed superiors, and lived extravagantly, spending hundreds on a single meal. Shen Wuyang has a little notebook with everything clearly recorded.”

At these words, the chubby girl was so shocked she forgot what she was about to do. She stared intently at Su Meng. “You’re lying!”

Su Meng lifted her chin. “Why don’t you go home and ask?”

The chubby girl hesitated for a moment, then covered her face and turned to leave.

Nowadays, bribery was a serious crime. If it came to light, one would surely be sent down for re-education.

She didn’t want to be sent down.

The girl in the floral shirt reached out to stop the chubby girl but failed. Her gaze swept over Su Meng’s delicate, porcelain-like face, a flicker of envy in her eyes. “Xiao Yu is a coward, but I’m not afraid of you. Move aside!”

Su Meng crossed her arms and looked at her mockingly. “She didn’t dare, but you go ahead then. Tsk! Daring to openly wear clothes made from stolen fabric, do you really think the supply and marketing cooperative belongs to your family?”

“You’re talking nonsense! I’ll tear your mouth apart,” the girl in the floral shirt shrieked, jumping up.

Su Meng sneered. “Tsk, feeling guilty? Tell me, if Zhong Cuilin gets caught, will she spill the beans about your mom stealing and selling fabric? If that happens, you might not even get to eat leftover food in the future.”

Before she could finish, the girl in the floral shirt turned pale and stammered, “You… you…”

Another girl with bangs glared disdainfully at Su Meng, speaking with an air of arrogance and confidence. “My dad is with the Committee. I’ll go tell him about this. Don’t get too cocky.”

Su Meng let out a cold laugh. “Go ahead! Who’s afraid? I just wonder if your family can withstand an investigation.”

Since this girl had revealed her background, it seemed like a visit to her home was in order. Why should she be the only one suffering?

When Nie Pingting approached, Su Meng was resting her chin on her hand, gazing out the window.

“What are you looking at, Sister Su?”

“The street view is so beautiful, just like I remember.”

Back then, she was the treasured daughter of the Su family, but now she was just a capitalist’s daughter that anyone could step on.

Nie Pingting giggled as she sat down. “Sister Su, don’t look so gloomy. From now on, we’re family. You’ll have us and my uncle by your side.”

Su Meng waved her hand. “Thank you for your concern! But with my status, I don’t want to burden your family.”

Nie Pingting was, after all, still a child. Hearing this, she froze for a moment, lowered her head in silence, and a flicker of inner conflict crossed her face.

Everyone in her family knew that Nie Ronghua and Su Meng had been betrothed since childhood.

But after Su Meng’s grandfather passed away and her maternal grandfather, Xie Jingming, went missing, the two families had essentially lost contact.

It wasn’t until Su Meng’s 18th birthday, the age they had agreed to marry, that the Nie family, in Nie Ronghua’s name, sent someone to deliver a birthday gift to Su Meng.

Nie Pingting had no idea whether her uncle was satisfied with this arranged marriage.

However, her grandmother had recently instructed them to offer Su Meng support when appropriate.

After all, it was Su Meng’s grandfather who had intervened and helped save Old Master Nie’s life.

“Sister Su, I really like you. Could you tell me about your experiences abroad?”

Su Meng was perceptive and clear-minded.

The Nie family seemed reluctant to fulfill the marriage arrangement, and coincidentally, she felt the same way.

But such matters could wait until her father returned.

Given how powerful the plot seemed to be, perhaps she wouldn’t even need to worry, Nie Ronghua might take the initiative to break the engagement himself.

She smiled softly and began sharing stories of her time abroad with Nie Pingting.

As she glanced up casually, she caught sight of a familiar figure.

The man was tall and well-built, with a handsome, resolute demeanor.

Standing beside an elderly man with his back to the light, he appeared almost godlike in his protective stance.

His dark eyes carried a chill and authority, sweeping casually across the room. Wherever his gaze landed, people instinctively lowered their heads and quieted their voices.

No one dared to act out of line.

Seeing Huo Zhenhua again took Su Meng by surprise.

She wondered why he was still in Shanghai on a mission.

Could it be because of the elderly man beside him?

Curious, she turned her attention to the old man.

His unfamiliar face bore an air of wisdom, with a distinct vertical line between his brows, a mark left by frequent deep thought.

She then noticed the varying shades of ink stains on his cuffs, which were worn and frayed at the edges.

A fountain pen was clipped to his chest pocket, and he carried a briefcase.

She guessed that, given the level of attention he received, he must be a researcher in some field, one who frequently worked at a desk.

“What are you looking at?”

Hearing Nie Pingting’s voice, Su Meng happened to lock eyes briefly with Huo Zhenhua. His sharp gaze felt like a sting, making her heart flutter nervously.

She quickly averted her eyes, feeling flustered.

Trying to act natural, she picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks. “I was just thinking whether I should go to the library in the southern part of the city or the one in the east this afternoon. I need to buy some books to better understand the current state of the country, so I can contribute more effectively to our nation’s development.”

Her main goal, however, was to find books on agriculture and planting.

Hearing this, Nie Pingting’s eyes lit up. “I know just the place. I’ll take you somewhere later, I guarantee you’ll love it.”

Unbeknownst to Su Meng, as she withdrew her gaze and whispered to Nie Pingting, Huo Zhenhua was once again questioning reality.

He realized that when he fixed his eyes on Su Meng, even from over ten meters away, he could hear her inner thoughts.

She had remarked that he was still in Shanghai on a mission.

And she had confidently identified the elderly man as a researcher in a specific field.

How did she know these things?

Could it be… that their mission had been compromised?

Was Su Meng someone they needed to guard against in their operation?

Huo Zhenhua’s brow furrowed deeply, his entire body tensing as he scanned the surroundings vigilantly. Then, shielding the elderly man, he guided him toward a table by the window.

“Go order the food.”

He gestured to a soldier nearby. After a brief, serious exchange of glances, the two understood each other perfectly and remained on high alert.

Su Meng glanced at the man sitting upright, her gaze catching the distinct muscle contours beneath his military-green shirt. She abruptly recalled the firm texture she had felt before, her ears burning with heat.

Couldn’t he… couldn’t he wear something a little looser?

Wasn’t he afraid the seams would burst?

After indulging in these wild thoughts, she quickly finished her meal and prepared to step over the long bench to leave.

Suddenly, Nie Pingting cried out in alarm, “Watch out!”

Su Meng also sensed the scalding heat beside her and nimbly twisted away to avoid it.

But as she spun, a glint of cold light in the distance caught the corner of her eye.

Yet, everyone’s attention was drawn by Nie Pingting’s startled cry, the waiter’s repeated apologies, and the sharp clatter of the soup bowl hitting the floor.

Thus, they all overlooked that flash of cold steel.