Chapter 593 - 511: Public Opinion
Chapter 593: Chapter 511: Public Opinion
If it weren’t for the fact that Ai Wenli was heavily pregnant and easily startled, and his concern for the baby’s prenatal development, Tang Qingshan would have loved to give Tang Qingyun a few good kicks.
Wu Xiaowen, at the gate, hadn’t quieted down willingly. She was currently clawing at her own throat, her wide-open eyes looking like they were about to shoot fire as she stared unblinkingly into the yard.
Xiao Man walked over to help Ai Wenli as if nothing had happened. She was a good, obedient girl; her father had told her not to go to the main gate, so she didn’t. Instead, when no one was looking, she drew over a few pentas seeds from a nearby flowerbed. She then flicked them toward the iron gate, rapidly firing five in a row before one finally struck one of Wu Xiaowen’s acupressure points. The rest either hit the gate or flew off into the distance. Her aim... well, she could only blame the wrought-iron gate for being too ornate and intricate.
Wu Xiaowen would have to be a mute for a few more days. If she wanted to blame someone, she could blame Tang Qingyun. After all, who told him to bring her here to cause a scene and get on everyone’s nerves?
Over there, Tang Qingyun gave Xiao Man a look of both indulgence and resignation, then explained as concisely as possible why Wu Xiaowen had come.
It turned out Tang Qingyun’s car was in the shop for maintenance, so he had been taking the bus the last couple of days. He got off at the street corner to walk home today and happened to run into Wu Xiaowen. She had been looking for him specifically and started pestering him for money. Tang Qingyun had just given her two thousand yuan last month and flatly refused to give her any more. Besides, he didn’t have much cash on him at the time.
Wu Xiaowen then burst into a tearful, slobbering tirade, accusing Xiao Man of being violent and disrespectful, of publicly assaulting her, Lin Aizhen, and Wu Qin at the gates of the Medical College. She claimed Lin Aizhen had fallen gravely ill from the shock, that Wu Qin’s hospital treatment had cost a fortune, and that she herself was covered in injuries... Wu Xiaowen had wanted to report it to the police, but Wu Yu Xuan and Lin Aizhen, being such loving grandparents, wouldn’t let her. However, the incident had caused a huge stir. Many people had seen it, and a reporter had even taken photos and approached Wu Xiaowen personally. All she had to do was confirm the story, and it would be in the newspapers, maybe even on TV. When that happened, Tang Manman would surely face the full force of public condemnation!
After hearing all this, Grandma Tang and Tang Qingshan looked at Tang Qingyun in unison, as if they were looking at an idiot.
Tang Qingyun threw up his hands. "I didn’t believe it either, so I made a special trip to see Wu Qin. The doctor’s official diagnosis clearly stated: ’injuries resulting from assault.’"
"So you just decided that Manman was the one who beat them up? And you came rushing over here, all worked up, to pay their medical bills?" Grandma Tang was so angry she wanted to hit Tang Qingyun again.
Tang Qingshan sneered. "I don’t even know what to say to you anymore. After all these years of being so close to Wu Xiaowen and the Wu Family, you’ve started to reek of their stupidity. You’re indecisive and unprincipled in how you handle things. Tang Qingyun, has your brain just stopped working?! On what grounds did you decide that my Manman was the one who hit Wu Qin? Fine, Wu Xiaowen was your wife, and Wu Qin was your ’beloved daughter.’ You can believe them unconditionally. But am I still your older brother? Manman is my daughter. Couldn’t you, for my sake, have come back to ask her first before making a judgment?"
Tang Qingyun was dumbfounded. It felt like a bomb had gone off in his head. As his thoughts slowly came back together, he finally realized: he had only heard Wu Xiaowen and Wu Qin’s side of the story and had just assumed that Xiao Man was the one who’d hit them. ’Why?’
’Because... because everyone knows that Xiao Man despises Wu Xiaowen and Wu Qin! It wouldn’t be strange at all if she hit them!’
’That’s why he’d agreed so readily, without a word of protest, to cover their medical and recovery expenses. Since he didn’t have enough cash on him, he brought Wu Xiaowen back home to wait while he went upstairs to get the money... Xiao Man was his own daughter. Wasn’t it a father’s duty to clean up his daughter’s messes?’
’But he seemed to have overlooked one thing: what if Xiao Man hadn’t actually done it? What if Wu Qin and Wu Xiaowen were framing her? Wouldn’t that turn their lie into an accepted truth, allowing malicious people to spread it around? What kind of position would that put Xiao Man in?’
Tang Qingyun wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and quickly looked toward Xiao Man.
Before he could speak, Xiao Man said calmly, "It’s true the three of them were beaten up at the Medical College gate. They came over to bother me, trying to get me to prescribe medicine for them again, and I refused. I can swear I didn’t hit anyone. Wu Xiaowen, on the other hand, tried to lunge at me and slap me. I dodged, and she fell and hurt herself. Then Wu Qin got beaten up by another girl. That girl and Wu Qin are romantic rivals, sworn enemies. The two of them fought like their lives depended on it, trampling Wu Xiaowen on the ground again and again, which made her injuries worse. As for Lin Aizhen, she has a big mouth and loves to lecture people on how to be filial and selfless. I didn’t want to hear it, so I just told her to shut up. I didn’t touch her, and she wasn’t injured. That’s the whole story, and every word is the absolute truth. As for public opinion, public condemnation, reporters taking pictures, and witnesses—anyone who’s interested can come confront me face-to-face. A clear conscience is a good pillow. If they make an appointment with me, we can even hold a press conference!"
Ai Wenli smiled and patted her hand. "My, this child even knows about press conferences. Alright then, if you really want to play, your mom has everything you need right here. I can make a few calls and set one up for you. I guarantee you’ll have a good time!"
Grandma Tang shot the mother-daughter pair a reproachful look. "Nonsense. Is this something to play with? She’s our family’s child. Let’s see Wu Xiaowen dare to spread a single bad rumor about her. I’ll pull out every last one of her teeth!"
Tang Qingyun’s face flushed red as he looked at Xiao Man apologetically. "I’m sorry, kid. I... I was being thoughtless. I almost wrongly accused my own daughter."
Tang Qingshan’s face was stern. "It wasn’t ’almost.’ You already did. You’ve lived for decades for nothing if you’re still not as frank, decisive, principled, and calculating as my daughter. You don’t believe me? We have a living example right in front of us: you and Wu Xiaowen are divorced, so why are you still so entangled with her, giving people the impression that you can’t let go? Is a woman like that really worth your trouble? And stop using the fact that she’s Hao Hao’s mother as an excuse. Everyone knows that! If that’s your reason, and you feel you have to be her nanny for the rest of your life, catering to her every demand, then why did you bother divorcing her in the first place? You could have just turned a blind eye, pretended you didn’t see her cheating on you, and kept the marriage going."
"That’s enough, brother! Don’t say any more!" In front of his sister-in-law, who was younger than him, and his own daughter, Tang Qingyun couldn’t contain his shame and regret. "I just promised Hao Hao that before he returns to the country..."
"That’s still no reason for things to get like this. The way I see it, you just don’t have a clear plan when it comes to her. You’re not decisive enough, and that’s why they can latch onto you and not let go," Grandma Tang said.
"I know, Mom. I’ll be more careful from now on."
"Just ’being careful’ won’t cut it." Tang Qingshan wasn’t about to let his brother off the hook. "Your sister-in-law is back in Beijing now awaiting labor, and I can’t be at home with her. To prevent you from bringing a Wu Xiaowen home today and some other troublemaker tomorrow to cause a ruckus and disturb her and the baby, you... are moving into the school dorms!"
Tang Qingyun was stunned for a moment, then said reluctantly, "Living in the dorms is inconvenient. You know I don’t like sharing a room with people."
"What’s so inconvenient for a single man? What, did getting a divorce turn you back into the ’Second Young Master Tang’ of old, too good to share a room? Have all those persnickety habits of yours come back?"