CHAPTER 526: CHAPTER 521: WHO’S TO BLAME?

Xu He was helpless against those debt collectors, so she pinned this debt on Luo Zhiming’s head. If it had not been for him borrowing money, she would not have ended up in this situation.

At this moment, Xu He truly loathed Luo Zhiming to the bone.

Fearing that her parents might notice something was amiss if she went home, she retied her hair on the way and straightened out her clothes. The buttons on her clothes had been torn off by Shuanzi, leaving only two, so she had no choice but to tuck the sides of her garments together.

Fortunately, it was late at night, and nobody saw her.

When she got back to her parents’ house, Duan Fenghua and Mr. Xu were busy cooking in the kitchen and did not notice her return. Xu He took the opportunity to slip into her room and change her clothes.

As she took off her clothes, Xu He saw her fair skin marked with bruises and felt the aches and pains from that man’s roughness, feeling both hate and fear—fear of being found out.

Thinking back to what she had endured since marrying Luo Zhiming, tears couldn’t help but stream down her face.

Once upon a time, she, Xu He, was the village belle. In terms of looks and education, no one could match her. She swore that when she married, she would choose the best man in the village, move to the city, and live a good life, having whatever she desired.

Even if she couldn’t meet these expectations, at the very least, she wanted a life free from worry about food and clothes.

That’s why she initially set her sights on Luo Zhiyong, as he was the only man in the village with a promising job in the city, and he was also good-looking.

But no one expected that Luo Zhiyong would suddenly get injured and later marry Fang Pingying.

Then Fang Pingying went to the city with him, started a business, had twins, and lived an enviable life free from any concerns about food and clothing.

Even though they’re divorced now, she has everything: a business, a house, and a firm foundation in the city.

In contrast, she had not only lost everything, but had now fallen to the point of being raped by a debt collector. Whom could she blame for all this?

Blame Luo Zhiming?

But what’s the use? Describing that man as utterly useless now would not be an overstatement.

Blame Luo Zhiyong, what could he do?

Aside from not marrying her, Luo Zhiyong hadn’t done anything excessive to her.

Blame Fang Pingying?

When this thought flashed through Xu He’s mind, she suddenly felt everything made sense.

It was Fang Pingying who should be blamed.

If it hadn’t been for Fang Pingying, she would not have married Luo Zhiming; her husband would have been Luo Zhiyong, and those twins would have been her children.

If it hadn’t been for Fang Pingying, she and Luo Zhiming could have had a decent wedding, and they wouldn’t have been jinxed on their wedding day, nor would so many things have happened afterward.

More importantly, if it hadn’t been for Fang Pingying’s refusal to help them repay the debt, she wouldn’t have been treated this way.

The more she thought about it, the more Xu He was convinced that she was right, that all of this was Fang Pingying’s doing, and she would never let her off the hook.

With that in mind, Xu He clenched her teeth, and a fierce expression spread across her face.

When Xu He entered the house, the sound of the door being pushed caused some noise, which Duan Fenghua heard in the kitchen, so she came over to check.

Seeing that it was indeed Xu He who had arrived, she patted her chest with a frightened expression and said, "Why didn’t you say something when you came back? I thought a thief had entered the house."

With her back to Duan Fenghua, Xu He quickly wiped away her tears, straightened her clothes, turned around, and forced a smile, "How could there be so many thieves? There’s nothing worth stealing in our house."

Although Xu He tried to conceal her feelings, a mother knows her daughter like no one else. Duan Fenghua instantly noticed that Xu He was off that day and immediately came over, pulling at Xu He and asking anxiously, "Hehua, what’s wrong? Is there something wrong at the Luo Family’s side?"

Xu He didn’t plan to tell anyone about the matter, partly because it was difficult to talk about and also because the more people who knew, the more risk there was of it spreading. So she shook her head at Duan Fenghua, refusing to speak.

Seeing her reaction, Duan Fenghua began to guess wildly, "It’s not those debt collectors coming to our door again, is it?"

"No, it’s not." At the mention of the debt collectors, Xu He panicked and immediately waved her hands, "I’m just worried about Zhiming’s situation. We owe so much money, two thousand yuan. When will we ever be able to pay it off?"

Hearing that it was about the debt, Duan Fenghua breathed a sigh of relief. This issue had been around for a long time and was nothing new, but her daughter was right; they had to repay the debts sooner or later.

Duan Fenghua thought for a moment, then made a face and suggested to Xu He, "What’s there to worry about? Let Zhiming and his parents figure it out. If it really doesn’t work out, they can go make a fuss at their eldest son’s place in the city again."

Speaking of that side, Xu He shook her head with a look of dejection, "There’s probably no hope of getting money from there. The two of them have already divorced, and Luo Zhiyong made it very clear last time he came back that he will not even give living expenses in the future, let alone repay debts."

Duan Fenghua nudged Xu He teasingly and whispered, "What a child, why are you so honest? What business is it of yours whether they are divorced or not? You just need to get Zhou Yunmei to bring back money to pay off the debts. Why bother with everything else? What does it matter to you how things turn out between her and her eldest son?"

After a pause, Duan Fenghua whispered in Xu He’s ear, "And if we can’t do it openly, we do it secretly. As long as Zhou Yunmei is willing to act, we can definitely get the money."

"Mom, what do you mean..." Xu He didn’t quite understand Duan Fenghua’s meaning and looked at her in confusion.

Duan Fenghua glanced at the doorway, saw that Mr. Xu hadn’t come over, and then whispered a suggestion to Xu He, "When you go back, tell your mother-in-law to find an opportunity when Luo Zhiyong is on a business trip or away, and go directly to Fang Pingying to ask for the money. If Fang Pingying refuses, let your mother-in-law say she will take a child back with her, or they provide the money. Considering that Fang Pingying wouldn’t want to hand over a child and she isn’t short of money, she would definitely prefer to solve the problem with money, as surely the child matters more to her than the cash."

After thinking it over, Xu He felt that the plan was feasible, but remembering the heartless words Luo Zhiyong had said that day, she worried, "But on Luo Zhiyong’s side..."

Duan Fenghua had no such worries, sneeringly said, "By the time Luo Zhiyong comes back, the money will have been taken, and the debt repaid, what can he do then?"

Upon reflection, Xu He thought that made sense. Right now, the most important thing was to get the money, regardless of what would happen in the future, especially since the money would be demanded by Zhou Yunmei.

Seeing Xu He had nothing to say, Duan Fenghua smiled and reassured, "Trust what mom says, it will definitely not be wrong."

Xu He nodded and asked Duan Fenghua, "So I go back and tell my mother-in-law?"

Duan Fenghua thought for a while before responding, "Just put it more tactfully, we don’t want to provoke trouble."

Xu He was always clever and understood what Duan Fenghua meant. She nodded in agreement, "Okay."