Chapter 156: Are You Sure?
Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Are You Sure?
The moment Liang Xiaoxiao made the call, Xu Qingsui’s ears perked up.
She was genuinely curious about who would follow her all the way here just to frame her.
But the signal was genuinely poor. Even with Liang Xiaoxiao standing right in front of her, she couldn’t hear the voice on the other end of the line.
Resigned, she could only wait for the witness to make their appearance.
"What are you afraid of? This is the 27th District, not Zone 9! No one can protect her here. As long as you come forward and testify against her, everyone here and I will see that you get justice," Liang Xiaoxiao said, raising her voice into the phone.
She wore a look of righteous indignation, as if she were undertaking some grand, noble cause.
Whatever was said on the other end of the line, the expression on Liang Xiaoxiao’s face finally softened.
Hanging up the phone, she turned back to Xu Qingsui, her eyes once again filled with smug satisfaction.
"She’ll be here any minute. Once the witness arrives, let’s see how you’ll talk your way out of this!"
Xu Qingsui shrugged. "Then let’s wait for your witness. I’m also quite curious to know who’s so persistent they’d follow me all the way here."
Liang Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "I’m telling you, this isn’t Zone 9. Don’t think you can get away with threatening and bullying her."
"And don’t play the innocent victim, as if everyone is out to get you. She came to the 27th District before you did. She thought she could finally escape you by fleeing here, but who knew you’d haunt her like a ghost and follow her again."
Xu Qingsui frowned. ’So this person left Zone 9 before I did?’
Seizing on that clue, a few names immediately popped into Xu Qingsui’s mind.
After all, there were only a handful of people in Zone 9 with whom she’d had a falling-out.
Without any clues, it would have been impossible to guess.
But with this new filter, she could start to eliminate some options.
First, there were Qiu Fang and his cronies. They must have hated her guts, but she’d already dealt with them, so they were out of the picture.
Then there were Shen Ling’an, Xu Ruming, and Xie Qingling.
Of the three, Shen Ling’an had shamelessly begged her for help just before she left Zone 9.
He had nothing left, so it was impossible for him to have reached the 27th District before she did.
That only left Xu Ruming and Xie Qingling.
Thinking about those two, they had both vanished before Qiu Fang’s conspiracy was even exposed.
It was entirely possible that they had left Zone 9 around that time, which would mean they could have arrived in the 27th District ahead of her.
But which of the two would be capable of something like this?
Both were possibilities. After all, Xie Qingling had used Xu Ruming as a pawn in the past.
But after some careful thought, she decided Xu Ruming was the more likely of the two.
After all, Xie Qingling was Lu Jingyu’s childhood sweetheart; her status was far from ordinary.
Even if she had been turned away by Lu Jingyu, she would most likely have gone home to lick her wounds rather than flee to another safe zone.
Although, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that Xie Qingling and Lu Jingyu’s families were based in the 27th District.
But when she remembered that she’d told Lu Jingyu she was coming to the 27th District and he’d had no major reaction, that probability seemed quite low.
After weighing all the possibilities, the image of Xu Ruming had already solidified in her mind.
Just then, a commotion rippled through the crowd. As the onlookers automatically parted to form a path, a figure came into view, perfectly overlapping with the image in her mind.
It had been a long time since she’d seen Xu Ruming. She never expected to meet her again today.
Thinking about all the stories Xu Ruming had fabricated about her, Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but laugh.
Liang Xiaoxiao’s face lit up when she saw her witness arrive, but upon hearing Xu Qingsui’s laughter, she shot her a vicious glare.
’This woman is just impossibly stubborn, refusing to give up until she hits a wall. How can she still be laughing at a time like this?’
After cursing inwardly, Liang Xiaoxiao hurried over to meet Xu Ruming, affectionately taking her by the arm.
"Rumeng, don’t you worry. I’ll make sure you get justice today. All you have to do is tell everyone what you know, and I swear I’ll help you get a proper accounting."
Xu Ruming nodded. When she turned to look at Xu Qingsui, her eyes were already brimming with tears.
Xu Qingsui had seen this act far too many times. Xu Ruming’s ability to cry on cue was so masterfully perfected that she almost had to admire it.
Then, Xu Ruming recounted the same story that Liang Xiaoxiao had told earlier.
Only this time, she told it from the perspective of one of the principals in the story—as Xu Qingsui’s younger sister.
She also painted herself as a champion of justice who had once stood up for Lu Jingyu’s fiancée against an injustice.
But because of that, she claimed, she was relentlessly targeted, to the point that she could no longer remain in Zone 9.
Her status as one of the people involved, coupled with her glistening tears, was incredibly persuasive. In an instant, the voices insulting and slandering Xu Qingsui rose up once more.
Meanwhile, the other person involved, upon hearing Xu Ruming’s tearful and tragic tale, couldn’t help but start clapping.
’Shamelessness truly knows no bounds,’ she thought. ’This woman will say anything.’
Once Xu Ruming finished, Liang Xiaoxiao demanded, "The aggrieved party is right here. What else do you have to say for yourself?"
Xu Qingsui laughed. She honestly couldn’t tell if Liang Xiaoxiao was just naive or completely brainless.
"She’s one of the parties involved, but am I not? I have another version of events. Aren’t you interested in hearing it? Don’t you want to find out which story is the real one?"
Liang Xiaoxiao stated firmly, "Given your character, I have no need to listen to your nonsense. You’ll obviously just fabricate a version that’s favorable to you."
Xu Qingsui smiled silently. "Then how can you be so sure she didn’t just fabricate hers?"
"Liang Xiaoxiao, I’ll say it again: you’d better figure out who’s real and who’s fake. Don’t ruin your own reputation over a moment of blind conviction."
Liang Xiaoxiao ignored Xu Qingsui. Right now, she only trusted Xu Ruming.
Xu Qingsui shook her head in resignation and turned to Xu Ruming. "Xu Ruming, are you certain that everything you just said was the truth?"
Faced with Xu Qingsui’s question, Xu Ruming seemed to make some sort of resolution and firmly wiped the tears from her face.
"I’m certain," she said. "Xu Qingsui, this isn’t Zone 9. There’s no one here to back you up."
As she spoke, a strange light flickered in Xu Ruming’s eyes. She stared at Xu Qingsui, conveying her true thoughts through her gaze.
Xu Qingsui gave a cold smile. She instantly understood the hidden meaning behind her words.
Xu Ruming was banking on the fact that this was the 27th District and that no one else from Zone 9 was around, which gave her free rein to fabricate lies.
Thinking back to how Xu Ruming had initially refused to answer the phone, only agreeing to come and testify later, Xu Qingsui understood. Her sister must have only just realized this fact herself.
Xu Qingsui chuckled and shook her head. "Xu Ruming, I’ll ask you one last time: are you sure that everything you just said is true?"
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Xu Ruming’s eyes, but her gaze immediately firmed up again.