Chapter 37: Alarmed Madam Zhang

Zhang Xiluo’s eyes were full of grievance as she looked toward her aunt and Li Minglei. Her aunt paused, momentarily unable to react. She had intended to provoke Zhang Xiluo, expecting her to cause a scene as she usually would; she always found amusement in stirring up trouble for no reason.

“Luo Luo, Mom will stand up for you,” Li’s mother said as she walked over, taking Zhang Xiluo’s hand and giving Li Mingye a hard slap. “Hurry up and apologize to Luo Luo!”

Li’s mother’s actions stunned her aunt even more. She couldn’t figure out when Zhang Xiluo had become so harmonious with her.

Li Mingye remained expressionless after being slapped, his cold gaze fixed on Li Minglei. “Did you post those photos?”

“What photos?” Li Minglei retorted. “Don’t try to throw dirt on me. I just returned to the country; I’m not familiar with what’s happening here.”

“If you don’t know the situation, then stop spreading rumors,” Li’s mother warned. “They’re not children anymore; if there’s a problem, they can solve it themselves.”

“I’m making myself clear here: if anything like that really happened, I wouldn’t let Mingye off,” Li’s mother said, gripping Zhang Xiluo’s hand tightly and glaring fiercely at Li Mingye.

Seeing no advantage, her aunt and Li Minglei fell silent.

Li Zhǎn’s family arrived late. The moment he saw Zhang Xiluo, he greeted her warmly and reminded her to get regular check-ups.

Her aunt watched her closely, so Zhang Xiluo avoided speaking much with Li Zhǎn.

Meals here were always unpleasant, especially with her aunt’s family. Ever since Zhang Xiluo ate turtle twice, her aunt had harbored hostility toward her.

“If there’s nothing serious, don’t call us back again,” her aunt said before leaving, shooting Zhang Xiluo a venomous look. “We’re useless anyway—just people to be despised.”

“Let’s go.” Her uncle dragged her away hurriedly. Now that Li Mingye was in charge, it was best not to provoke him.

Zhang Xiluo and Li Mingye left last, parting ways and getting into separate cars as soon as they exited.

Li Mingye hadn’t spoken a word to her throughout; she felt relieved, glad not to waste energy dealing with him.

Returning to Milan International, Zhang Xiluo took a shower, changed clothes, and lay on her bed to rest.

Lin Yiming called, sounding anxious. “Sis, you’ve been posted on the campus network.”

“I don’t get it.” Zhang Xiluo yawned, exhausted. “Let’s talk tomorrow. I’m too sleepy.”

“Sis, don’t sleep yet.” Lin Yiming sent her a link. “Check it quickly. I tried to contact the forum moderator to delete the post, but got no response.”

Zhang Xiluo forced herself to open the link. Her face had been lightly blurred, but her features were still recognizable. The accusations claimed she flaunted her wealth, bullied students, stole Zhou Yao’s boyfriend, and falsely accused Zhou Yao of being a homewrecker.

It went on: Zhou Yao’s tumor was caused by Zhang Xiluo’s actions, and she even tried to sabotage the surgery, wishing Zhou Yao dead. Not only that, she persecuted Zhou Yao’s family, schemed against her father—the list of misdeeds was endless.

The comments below were full of cries for justice, demanding her to be exposed and punished.

“That’s all?” Zhang Xiluo didn’t care; these tricks were nothing new to her.

Back then, whenever someone dared show interest in Li Mingye, she would dig up their past and expose them.

“Sis, aren’t you afraid they’ll doxx you?” Lin Yiming suddenly sounded dejected. “I never expected Zhou Yao to turn out like this. Sorry, it’s my fault for dragging you into this.”

Lin Yiming’s own photo, processed, had been included in the post, cementing Zhou Yao’s status as a victim.

“It’s fine.” Zhang Xiluo woke up completely, rubbing her eyes. “Let’s hang up—I’ll handle it.”

Lin Yiming apologized over and over, his last words nearly choked with tears.

Zhang Xiluo forwarded the post to her close friends’ group. Jiang Xueting read it and cursed angrily.

“I was just bored, and this little homewrecker delivered herself right to my door. Leave it to me—I’ll make sure she regrets ever starting this.”

“Xueting, don’t blow things up,” Xu Xinyi advised, urging Jiang Xueting to stay calm. Making a big scene wouldn’t help Zhang Xiluo either.

“Just delete it. Her ex-boyfriend’s scared.” Zhang Xiluo was indifferent; she’d probably be divorcing Li Mingye soon. “If she wants to stir things up, let her.”

“No way! Leave it to me. I know what I’m doing.”

Seeing she couldn’t stop her, Zhang Xiluo let it be. After a few more messages, she put down her phone and fell asleep.

She slept soundly and woke up at ten in the morning, stomach rumbling with hunger. She changed clothes, went out for breakfast, and bought groceries to stock the fridge.

Soon after leaving, her mother called, inviting her home for a meal. She drove to the entrance of Qinyuan, where she ran into Ouyang Chen, who was heading out.

He was accompanied by a stunning woman dressed in hot pants and a crop top, her brown, wavy hair bouncing as she kept her eyes fixed on Ouyang Chen.

He certainly wasn’t lacking in admirers!

A completely different style from Zhou Yao—choosing her would be far better than Zhou Yao.

Zhang Xiluo considered greeting him, but Ouyang Chen walked over first.

“Did you have a fight with Li Mingye?” he asked bluntly, paying no mind to propriety.

“Sort of,” Zhang Xiluo replied, not considering what happened yesterday a quarrel. “Why do you ask?”

“For the first time ever, he got drunk,” Ouyang Chen said, his expression complicated. Last night, Li Mingye had called them out for drinks, got himself completely wasted, and Ouyang Chen had to carry him back to the villa.

Zhang Xiluo disagreed—in her memory, Li Mingye was either drinking in bars or on his way to some revelry.

She glanced at the woman waiting behind him. “You should go—it’s a waste to spend your time on unimportant things.”

Ouyang Chen frowned. “She’s just a friend. I’ll explain another day.”

Why explain? It wasn’t as if she could control him.

Entering the yard, Zhang Xiluo caught the aroma of food and hurried inside. “Mom, I’m home. It smells amazing—I’m starving.”

As she closed the door, Zhang Xiluo froze. Li Mingye was sitting on the sofa, his face pale, brow furrowing as he looked at her.

Why was this man here! Haunting her everywhere—she couldn’t escape him.

Her mother brought out the dishes and asked Li Mingye to join them, and he came over to help with the bowls and chopsticks.

“I called you back today because I need to talk to you,” her mother said seriously, her gaze shifting between Li Mingye and Zhang Xiluo. “Your father and I don’t like interfering in your affairs. Luo Luo can be immature and impulsive at times.”

She paused, and Zhang Xiluo sensed something was wrong. She tried to speak, but her mother cut her off.

“But it’s only because she loves you so much. We’ve talked to her, but she’s set on you. Mingye, I always thought you were a sensible child, but this time, you’ve truly disappointed me.”

Her mother unlocked her phone and placed a photo in front of Li Mingye. “The Zhang family has its dignity. I will advise Luo Luo to divorce you…”