CHAPTER 709: CHAPTER 702: THE WIFE CORRUPTED

Tian Aiguo had finalized the date to return to Inner Mongolia as the eighth day of the first lunar month. This meant that if Xu Qianwen were to act, it would have to be within these two days.

But what was her plan?

Tian Xinhua was staying with Sisi at the Tian Family’s residence. He had to return to T City on the eighth day, but before that, he wanted to catch Xu Qianwen red-handed to fully resolve this matter.

To create the perfect opportunity, Sisi and Tian Xinhua stayed at the Tian Family’s house all day, 24/7, looking forward to Xu Qianwen making her move.

However, Xu Qianwen did not make a single move. Apart from coming out for meals, she spent her time in her room looking at photo albums, never stepping out or speaking much to others, behaving like a person with autism.

By the evening of the fifth day of the lunar month, Xu Qianwen still hadn’t made a move. Sisi was starting to get anxious. Could they have suspected the wrong person?

Perhaps the person behind this wasn’t Xu Qianwen at all?

Tian Xinhua was also indecisive, while He Chengsi had managed to find a clue. Xu Qianwen had been seen talking several times at a restaurant with a woman who was very beautiful and dressed very elegantly, not like an ordinary person.

However, this woman always had sunglasses on, covering half her face. The restaurant’s staff only overheard Xu Qianwen calling her Mrs. Wang, and nothing else.

So far, the only suspicious person they could identify was this Mrs. Wang, a stylishly young and beautiful woman in her late twenties with large, wavy hair. Beyond this, they knew nothing else.

"Brother Xinhua, who do you think this Mrs. Wang is? Could she be the one instructing Xu Qianwen to harm me?"

Lying in Tian Xinhua’s arms at night, Sisi asked with confusion. She truly felt troubled, frequently having scheming people plotting behind her back, making it impossible to live peacefully.

"We haven’t found anything yet. For now, let’s stay cautious over the coming days and see if Xu Qianwen makes a move." Tian Xinhua gently stroked Sisi’s back, careful not to use too much force.

"Oh, it’s so frustrating. I hate being so passive!"

Sisi covered her head with the blanket, overwhelmed. The past few days had made her extremely nervous and cautious, so much so that she hadn’t even visited Zhang Jie or the Shangguan Family for leisure.

"Don’t worry, we’ll go to Gangzi’s house for dinner tomorrow. Yang Shu and Feifei will also be there." Tian Xinhua comforted the anxious Sisi with a smile.

Sisi’s eyes lit up, and she began to feel a little better.

"Brother Gangzi should be promoted this year, right? He has been in H City for four years now." Sisi asked.

Tian Xinhua nodded, "Yeah, in two months, he’ll be informed of his promotion to the Mayor of C City."

Like T City, C City is also a prefecture-level city, and Lei Gang’s rise has been relatively quick.

Sisi laughed, "You two, one always being the secretary, the other the mayor, when will you finally collaborate?"

Tian Xinhua laughed too, "Who knows? But if Gangzi and I end up working together, we’d probably be arguing constantly."

Though said in jest, little did they know that this joke would become a reality a few years later—the two good friends would indeed fight side by side, creating a legendary story.

In recent years, Lei Gang’s career in politics had already shed his youthful insolence, and his demeanor had matured. Yet, he couldn’t help but be animated when seeing an old friend.

"Oh, isn’t this Miss He? What kind of Immortal Elixir have you been taking? You still look the same as ten-plus years ago, like my daughter."

Sisi rolled her eyes, angrily shouting at Zhang Jie, "Can’t you control your man? His mouth never has a gatekeeper, always taking advantage of others."

Zhang Jie laughed, "Don’t worry; I’ll deal with him tonight!"

Sisi cheerfully bantered back, "Just make sure you’re not the one getting dealt with by Brother Gangzi!"

Zhang Jie’s "deal with him" was literal, without any hidden connotations. But with Sisi’s joke, the meaning deepened. Zhang Jie wasn’t fazed, having long trained her face to be as thick as a wall in response to Sisi’s dirty jokes. Lei Gang, however, blushed till his eartips turned red.

"Comrade Xinhua, someone has corrupted your little lass!" Lei Gang spoke solemnly.

Tian Xinhua replied equally seriously, "I like Ah Nan with a bit of spice, it adds flavor."

Everyone burst into laughter. Sisi let out a couple of laughs, then winced in pain, clutching her chest. Tian Xinhua quickly caressed her back in concern, reminding her to sit up straight to avoid straining her bones.

"Sisi, what happened to you? Did you overexert yourself at night?" Zhang Jie asked playfully, causing Lei Gang to cover his face with his hands. What was going on? When had his pure little wife become so corrupt?

How did he not know about this?

Sisi glared at Zhang Jie, saying, "Got into a car accident on New Year’s Day, broke two ribs."

The New Year’s Day accident had not been disclosed in the Capital City. Given there were no pedestrians or vehicles on the road at that time, and He Chengsi had spoken to the traffic police, the news hadn’t spread, not even to the Shangguan Family.

Hearing about the accident and the rib fractures, Zhang Jie and Shangguan quickly gathered around, fussing over her.

"Was it intentional or accidental?" Lei Gang asked seriously.

"Intentional; someone cut the brake lines." Tian Xinhua was candid with his friends.

"Who did it? Let’s beat that bastard!" Zhang Jie and Shangguan shouted in unison, exuding an intimidating aura.

"Wife, why do I smell something burning?" Lei Gang twitched his sensitive nose.

"Oh no, my braised pork!"

Zhang Jie dashed to the kitchen like the wind, followed by the clatter of pots and pans, and her frustrated cries.

"Ah, a perfectly good pot of meat is burnt, foolish woman!" Shangguan lamented with a rare joke.

Sisi clutched her chest as if she were a sick beauty, laughing through the pain, "Please, stop making me laugh. I’m hurting!"

"Don’t sit; go lie down on the sofa." Tian Xinhua, both concerned and amused, helped Sisi to the sofa, placing a pillow under her head.

"Have you found out who it was?" Lei Gang and Yang Shu still concerned about the car accident, inquired.

Tian Xinhua nodded, "We’re luring them out of hiding."

"Be careful, and let us know if you need the brothers’ help." Lei Gang, smiling, offered support, with Yang Shu also agreeing. Tian Xinhua didn’t hesitate to accept, their brotherly bond understood without words.

"Do you all know whom I saw at the club dining with a few childhood friends yesterday?" Lei Gang asked with a mischievous grin.

Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Second Son Jin. I saw his car parked outside the club, then a young, beautiful woman got in. The two looked quite shady together; they must be up to something." Lei Gang declared confidently.

"Second Son Jin, he’s in his sixties, isn’t he? Seems he’s still full of energy." Yang Shu sneered at such men who continued their affairs into old age; it was shameless.

"Aren’t members of the Jin Family naturally talented for this?" Tian Xinhua joked, and Lei Gang and Yang Shu both knowingly chuckled.

They didn’t give it much thought. The men of the Jin Family having affairs in the Capital City wasn’t unusual. The most indulgent was the late Third Son Jin, who played openly, while the remaining four did their deeds discreetly, yet it was still an open secret in the Capital City.

Nonetheless, none could have anticipated how a seemingly insignificant woman would eventually stir up major chaos in the Capital City, turning everything upside down.