Chapter 248: Appeared
Chapter 248: Chapter 248: Appeared
"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Gu Qingran said, her face cold as she looked at Su Zhaozhao.
"Forget it. Looks like she won’t confess until she’s faced with cold, hard proof!" Li Tiantian suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Gu Qingran. "Let’s go! We’ll have everyone in the compound judge this! A bad person who does bad things is never going to admit they’re a bad person."
Gu Qingran was dragged outside by Li Tiantian. The rough treatment made her arm ache.
"Don’t pull me like this! Stop it! If you keep this up, I’ll report you to the Public Security officers for assault!"
"Assault? You want to see what it really looks like when I hit someone? Stop pretending, Gu Qingran."
Gu Qingran was unceremoniously dragged into the middle of the compound. Then, Li Tiantian started shouting, "Everyone, come and see! This is the person who’s been spreading rumors that our Zhaozhao is promiscuous! It’s all lies, and she’s the one who started it all! It’s because she’s in love with Zhaozhao’s ex-fiancé! You all be the judge—is there any justice in this world?!"
Su Zhaozhao had originally intended to go straight to the higher-ups and let them handle it.
She hadn’t expected Li Tiantian to start shouting right in the middle of the compound. Her voice was so loud that a crowd of onlookers gathered in an instant.
Gu Qingran’s face flushed with anxiety as so many pairs of eyes stared at them.
"Let go! Let go of me!" Gu Qingran struggled with all her might, but Li Tiantian was simply too strong.
"I’ve been framed! They’re bullying me! I really don’t know anything."
Tears streamed down Gu Qingran’s face, making her look pitiful and wronged.
She certainly looked like a victim.
The others in the compound recognized Li Tiantian and Li Weichuan as Commander Li Jian Country’s children.
They were both backing Su Zhaozhao, while the girl they were holding was all alone and looked so frail.
Some people couldn’t help but try to mediate. "Tian Tian, don’t grab her like that. What if this is all a misunderstanding? It wouldn’t be good if you accidentally hurt someone."
"It’s no mistake," Li Tiantian said with a frown. "The handwriting is a perfect match."
"It’s not the same at all! You can compare them," Gu Qingran said hurriedly. "I’m being framed."
"Fine by me. We can get the comrades from the forensics department to come take a look," Su Zhaozhao said.
Anyone with a keen eye could see that the handwriting was clearly identical.
Gu Qingran grew even more anxious. ’Oh god, after I wrote it, I was sure no one would be able to recognize my handwriting. But Su Zhaozhao is so smart... she’s completely different from the cannon fodder who died an early death in my last life.’
’It was just a rebirth, so why does Su Zhaozhao seem so much smarter and more capable than me?’
"That’s right. We just need to get someone to analyze it," Li Tiantian chimed in, agreeing with Su Zhaozhao.
And while Li Weichuan remained silent, he stood close by Su Zhaozhao’s side, his actions a clear show of support.
Su Zhaozhao could feel Li Weichuan’s concerned gaze on her from time to time. ’Not bad at all. This kid seems to be getting better and better.’
When she and Li Tiantian had almost been beaten up before, Li Weichuan had been completely indifferent. Now, the situation was obviously much less dangerous than that day, yet he was worried about her.
In truth, this was all part of her psychological counseling for him.
It was about stirring Li Weichuan’s emotions, making him feel needed, and allowing him to feel others relying on him.
Through this process, he would gradually mature. In the future, his emotional range would likely expand, and he would seem more and more alive.
"Well, well, did you go out and find a scapegoat to bring back?" Zhang Jufang hadn’t managed to meet Xie Huaizhen at the military region gate. When she returned and saw Su Zhaozhao trying to clear her name in the courtyard, she immediately spoke with veiled sarcasm.
Su Zhaozhao looked at Zhang Jufang and frowned. She really despised this woman.
"Please, you have to help me! I have nothing to do with this!" Gu Qingran cried out to Zhang Jufang. She had already decided she would never admit to it.
Even if the analysis later proved it was her handwriting, she could still come up with an excuse.
She could just say she wrote it anonymously because she was afraid of retaliation, and that the contents of the letter were all true.
’I just used some subtle, manipulative phrasing. It was facts mixed with inference. If I got some of it wrong, so what? You can’t call that completely fabricated slander, can you?’
It wasn’t that Zhang Jufang wanted to help Gu Qingran. She just despised Su Zhaozhao for stealing her younger sister’s man. The woman was as beautiful as a vixen and always dressed to the nines.
’Her personality is terrible, too. She shooed my kid away for just wanting a bite of food. A woman like her is the kind who should be kicked out of the compound.’
It was because of what Su Zhaozhao did that many people in the compound now refused her outright. Before, they were too thin-skinned and felt too awkward to reject her so openly.
But now, things were different...
"Did you hear that? If you keep holding her like this and she turns out to be innocent, you’ll go to jail for framing a good person!" Zhang Jufang walked up to them and snapped at Su Zhaozhao. "I’ve read this letter, and you know what? A lot of the things in it are true."
"I just went and asked around at the base. Su Zhaozhao, your ex-fiancé was that Xie Huaizhen, right? You rejected him, then turned right around and found someone with such a similar name. What are you trying to pull? This is an insult to our soldiers!"
Zhang Jufang hadn’t actually heard anything. She was just very good at making things up on the spot in situations like this.
She was the type of person who could spin a lie the moment she opened her mouth.
And that was exactly what she was doing now.
Zhang Jufang was just saying whatever popped into her head.
"Zhang Jufang, are you sure you want to protect her?" Su Zhaozhao asked her coldly, her gaze as sharp and icy as a blade.
Stared down by that piercing gaze, Zhang Jufang felt her chest tighten.
’That look in Su Zhaozhao’s eyes is terrifying.’
But the thought of how much she detested the woman made Zhang Jufang immediately retort, "What do you mean, ’protect her’? I’m just standing on the side of justice."
"What’s all this noise about?" Just then, Wang Anning appeared, followed by several staff members from the Women’s Federation.
When Li Tiantian saw Wang Anning, she immediately cried out, "Mom! Zhaozhao is being slandered! The one who started the rumors is this female comrade right here! Just look at the garbage she wrote!"
Wang Anning walked over, and Su Zhaozhao handed her the anonymous letter.
As Wang Anning read, her brow furrowed uncontrollably.
This letter didn’t just target Su Zhaozhao’s romantic life; it also attacked her career, eventually escalating to question her character and even the judgment of the organization.
Reading all this, Wang Anning’s brow creased even deeper.
’This stuff... it’s like they want Su Zhaozhao dead!’
"Just because someone makes an accusation doesn’t mean they’re right. Anyone can write words, and anyone can make up content. The burden of proof is on the accuser. So where’s the evidence?" Wang Anning demanded.