After Awakening, She Tore Apart Her Enemies and Joined the Army on an Island - Chapter 20

“Wasn’t Zhong Wanrou detained for having illicit affairs?” Nie Pingting asked in confusion.

Su Meng shook her head to indicate she didn’t know, but couldn’t help silently marveling at Zhong Wanrou’s luck, even after being caught in such a scandal, she remained unscathed.

Zhong Wanrou was standing at the street corner opposite, looking furtive and suspicious.

She was still dressed exquisitely.

A white dacron dress with lace trims, embroidered at the waist with a row of yellow interlocking buttons, paired with delicate white leather shoes, fresh and stylish.

The only thing missing was the expensive accessories.

At first glance, she still gave off the aura of the Su family’s young lady.

“Wanrou, I’m sorry! I’m too weak to help you get revenge. Look, I’m injured too.”

Hu Wangqing held up her injured hands, gazing pitifully at Zhong Wanrou.

Zhong Wanrou tenderly took her fingers, examining them closely before leaning down to blow on them gently. “Oh dear! You’re bleeding. Let’s go to the hospital first.”

“Wanrou, you’re so kind! That little wretch even has money to eat at a state-run restaurant. I bet she’s the one who stole from your family.”

“Stop talking! If she hears, she’ll punish me again.”

Su Meng sneered. So, this was how Zhong Wanrou slandered her reputation behind her back.

Had she been too lenient with her enemies, giving them the chance to insult her like this?

Then, remembering how easily Nie Pingting had recognized Zhong Wanrou, she asked curiously, “How do you know Zhong Wanrou?”

Nie Pingting shrugged. “Last year, on my grandmother’s birthday, she came with your dad… well, that impostor, to offer congratulations.”

So that’s what happened.

But given Shen Wuyang’s scheming nature, he wouldn’t have missed the chance to cozy up to the Nie family.

“My grandmother gave her a bracelet as a greeting gift, but for some reason, my uncle accidentally broke it. Later, she asked for a small pendant from my uncle as compensation.”

Hearing this, Su Meng’s mind lit up with a realization. “What kind of pendant? Was it teardrop-shaped?”

Nie Pingting gasped in surprise. “How did you know? It was a teardrop-shaped pendant. She even acted aggrieved at the time. The bracelet from my grandmother was naturally priceless, while that little pendant wasn’t even the size of a pinky finger. Later, my grandmother felt bad and gave her a red envelope.”

Su Meng didn’t pay attention to the rest of her words. Learning that the teardrop-shaped pendant Zhong Wanrou had was given by Nie Ronghua unsettled her.

She didn’t know if there was any token exchanged in their arranged marriage.

But the gift her mother had left for her eighteenth birthday was a teardrop-shaped pendant.

Coincidentally, Nie Ronghua also had a teardrop-shaped pendant.

And the two pendants could merge to form the current space. If someone claimed there was no connection between them, she wouldn’t believe it even if they argued until the sky fell.

Fortunately, she had obtained both pendants in advance.

Even if Zhong Wanrou knew that the teardrop-shaped pendants could transform into a magical space, there was nothing she could do about it. Nor did she have any proof that Su Meng possessed the space.

All she could do was suspect, suspect until it drove her mad.

And Zhong Wanrou truly was suspicious.

She had incited Hu Wangqing and others to provoke Su Meng precisely to test the waters.

But Su Meng was no longer the same person she used to be. At the slightest disagreement, she would unleash her full strength.

These delicate young ladies were no match for her.

“Wanrou, how did you know Su Meng still has money? She’s homeless, with no relatives or friends. If she had any money, she wouldn’t be able to hide it. Why don’t we hire some thugs to teach her a lesson? It hurts so much!”

Hu Wangqing stared tearfully at her hands, wrapped up like zongzi, her anger boiling as she wished she could tear Su Meng into a thousand pieces.

Never before had she been so humiliated, falling flat on her face in front of a crowd.

Ahhh! How could that woman be so vicious?

Destroying someone’s appearance was no different from killing their parents or cutting off their livelihood.

She and Su Meng were now sworn enemies.

Zhong Wanrou glanced at her contorted face and comforted her gently, “Xiao Qing, let’s not worry about anything else for now. Let’s focus on recovering first, alright?”

Hearing this, Hu Wangqing grew even more agitated.

“I clearly felt someone trip me. Tell me, who else would do something so malicious besides her? I have no grudges with anyone else.”

“Then let’s report it to the police.”

Inspired by Zhong Cuilin and Shen Wuyang, who had recently visited the police station one after the other, Zhong Wanrou suggested the same.

“But we need evidence.”

Hu Wangqing shook her head in disappointment. “The crowd has already dispersed. What evidence could there be now?”

“Hmph! I’m not like that coward Xiao Yu, who just takes a beating without fighting back. Just wait and see!”

Her father was a member of the Revolutionary Committee, and her mother was the deputy director of a textile factory.

She had been pampered since childhood, getting whatever she wanted, and had never suffered a day in her life.

“Isn’t she just a leftover from the Su family? As concerned citizens, we should rid society of this menace and ease the burden on the authorities.”

“Wanrou, do you think it’s better to send her for re-education or to the countryside?”

Zhong Wanrou gently straightened Hu Wangqing’s collar and said casually, “She is an overseas student, after all. She really needs proper re-education.”

“I heard her grandfather disappeared right when the movement began.”

“Do you think there’s something fishy about that?”

“Hmph! Whether there is or not, she should undergo reform. Who knows if she was turned into a spy while abroad?”

“Do you know where she’s staying now?”

“Probably at her grandfather’s place, which is quite close to your home.”

Su Meng, of course, knew nothing of Hu Wangqing and Zhong Wanrou’s scheming.

But after nearly a decade of surviving like a stubborn weed, she had developed a cautious and vengeful nature.

Since Hu Wangqing and Zhong Wanrou had teamed up against her today, she decided she would find a chance to confront them.

However, she was unfamiliar with Shanghai, as if blind in a new city.

Fortunately, she had some of Zhong Wanrou’s belongings in her space, so finding Hu Wangqing’s home shouldn’t be too difficult.

“Sister Su, what’s worrying you?” Nie Pingting asked, her brows furrowed so tightly they could crush a mosquito.

Su Meng snapped out of her thoughts and smiled, turning to the “great place” Nie Pingting had mentioned. “How did you find this place? I had no idea there was such a large recycling station in the southern part of the city.”

Nie Pingting replied, “I came here once with my uncle before the New Year. When we found out you hadn’t returned to the country, we spent a few days exploring Shanghai.”

Leaning closer, she added in a conspiratorial tone, “You can find some real treasures at recycling stations, you know!”

She winked, pulling out a red string from her collar with a vibrant green jade ring threaded onto it. “I had it appraised, it’s a genuine piece from the Tang Dynasty.”

This was what they called “picking up hidden gems.”

Su Meng’s interest was instantly piqued.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

The recycling station was managed by a single elderly worker.

He kept everything in meticulous order, with no unpleasant odors in sight.

Most of the items were large, like old furniture, typically confiscated from raided households or discarded by factories.

Small trinkets, as Nie Pingting had described, were almost nowhere to be found.

After a quick glance around, Su Meng headed toward a pile of scrap paper in the corner.

She picked out several bound volumes of newspapers from different periods and unexpectedly spotted some textbooks and teaching materials.

Huh? There was even a physician’s journal with a mud-stained cover.

After flipping through just a few pages, Su Meng found herself captivated by the integrated approach of combining traditional Chinese and Western medical treatments.

“Su Jiejie, do you like reading? I just can’t get into it, I prefer playing around, hehe!”

“I’m just passing the time.”

With quick reflexes, Su Meng wrapped the journal inside a newspaper and also selected a few yellowed, dog-eared books about medicinal herb cultivation.

Nie Pingting showed no interest in her book choices and pointed toward the furniture on the other side, saying, “I’m going to take a look over there.”

Su Meng thought to herself that Nie was just being childish, having gotten one bargain, she was already hoping for another stroke of luck.

“Be careful.”

After giving the reminder, Su Meng continued rummaging through the pile of old books. Her sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the name “Su Mianzhi” on the cover of a book from a toppled stack.

She froze for a moment, then carefully pulled out the book… Tang and Song Poetry.

Inside were annotations and notes meticulously handwritten by Su Mianzhi.

Curious, Su Meng flipped through the pages. But when she saw a slip of paper tucked inside, her pupils abruptly contracted.