Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 321 - 295: Not Taking the Fall (Birthday Bonus)

If Qian doesn’t speak up, Yu Minglang will forever be the number one scumbag in Mrs. Yu’s eyes, and nothing will change that.

Qian spoke about the matter very frankly, unconcerned about whether Mrs. Yu would change her attitude towards her because of it. Qian didn’t want Xiaoqiang to carry the blame for something he didn’t do.

Despite his occasional foolishness, he was genuinely good to her. The proud balance in Qian’s heart wouldn’t allow such a situation.

"I admit, due to my own negligence, there was an incident of abduction. Although I managed to avert the crisis later on, if we trace it back to the roots, it was my fault. I can’t let Minglang take the blame for my mistake. Even though you and the family know I’m okay, news of the Yu Family’s future daughter-in-law having such an incident would indeed affect the family, so—"

Listening at the door, Yu Minglang really couldn’t take it anymore.

What was she trying to do!

Was she planning to confront his mother? And then keep talking about breaking up with him?

Yu Minglang, unable to endure any longer, kicked the door open, pointing at Qian and sternly reprimanding her.

"Chen Xiaoqian, what did you promise me! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t mention breaking up again? You wore the ring I bought, you said yes to my proposal, how can you do this!"

Mrs. Yu was startled by Yu Minglang bursting in after apparently eavesdropping outside.

Qian was slightly taken aback but not too surprised. Her mischievous strongman, it would be strange if he weren’t eavesdropping.

"I’m not breaking up; I promised you I would keep my word."

"Then why are you talking about it!" By now, anytime Yu Minglang heard "break up," he reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, scratching around wildly. Mei was like a cherished treasure, even a mention of breaking up would make him claw!

"What I wanted to express is, if letting it leak out affects our family, then let’s not let it leak."

Yu Minglang let out a long sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t about breaking up, anything was fine.

"Continue," said Mrs. Yu, looking calmly at Qian, her feelings unreadable.

"With a straight and upright walk, a person standing righteously doesn’t fear shadows. Even if I’m fine, I shouldn’t care about others’ rumors. However, this concerns Minglang. If we don’t suppress this rumor, and it spreads, it will affect Minglang in the future."

"Who the hell dares to talk, I’ll kill them!"

"Killing people only makes you look more guilty." Qian knew that Yu Minglang was just venting; he wasn’t that reckless.

"Then how do you plan to handle it?" Mrs. Yu asked Qian.

"I agree with Minglang’s approach—investigate thoroughly to find out who’s behind this. Rumors can be big or small matters, and dealing with them varies, but we can’t allow a hidden hand to remain. If she causes more trouble, what’s her purpose? Is it targeting Minglang or even Uncle? These need to be clarified and suppressed at once to prevent her from causing more issues."

After hearing this, Mrs. Yu waved at Yu Minglang.

"You go out, I want to stay with Qian for a while."

Yu Minglang was adept at reading expressions. Seeing his mother’s unkind demeanor, he feared she would be harsh on Qian and anxiously grasped Qian’s arm.

"What do you want to say to her that you can’t do with me here? I’m engaged to her. I will marry her. Don’t say she’s clever enough to protect herself; even if she made a mistake, it would be mine for not protecting her. Everything’s fine now, Mom, what are you trying to do!"

Yu Minglang blamed Qian for being too talkative. Why bring up such a sensitive topic?

It was so hard to succeed in proposing; what if something else happened!

Qian gently pushed Yu Minglang.

"Go out, I can handle it."

"No!"

"It’s fine. Even if you don’t trust me, you should trust your mother."

Since deciding to come clean with the truth, she was mentally prepared. If Mrs. Yu had different thoughts, it was normal, but she wanted to say that Xiaoqiang shouldn’t unjustly bear the stigma of being a scumbag.

Mrs. Yu nodded, "Qian is more sensible than you; you go out!"

Yu Minglang didn’t want to leave, but Mrs. Yu insisted, and refusing would mean no engagement tomorrow. He reluctantly left, looking back every few steps.

"If you dare eavesdrop again, watch out!"

Mrs. Yu warned, and this time, Yu Minglang really couldn’t eavesdrop.

Mrs. Yu pointed at the chair, signaling Qian to sit across from her. She seemed to be pondering something, took a long while, then spoke.

"How much harm can gossip do to a woman? It’s truly significant, more terrifying than the harm itself."

"Yes, I know."

Qian had just discussed this topic with Jia Xiufang that evening.

When issues arise, people often blame the victims, not the perpetrators. Many innocent women suffer such secondary harm, and perhaps only their family can understand them.

"I want to tell you a true story." Mrs. Yu thought of something from a long time ago, feeling heavy-hearted.

Qian patiently listened.

"There’s a lovely sister in my aunt’s family, a few years older than me. As girls, we always chatted together, had a very good relationship. She got married later, but on her wedding night, there was no proof of virginity... that’s when her nightmare began."

They say that we’re in a new era, past feudalism, that women can divorce and remarry, but some still care about this. Don’t think only rural or uneducated people care about it; many educated and prominent people value it too.

The influence of male dominance has nothing to do with family background or education level.

"I can imagine, encountering someone who cares so much about such things, it can be quite difficult." Not just in Mrs. Yu’s time, but even after Qian set up her studio a few years later, she occasionally encountered such cases.

Maybe the mindset isn’t as open as one would think. A decade later, fewer men may care about it, but it doesn’t mean none do. When it turns pathological, everything he does relates to that, making life impossible.

"They fell in love freely, everything was great before marriage, but after, the man accused her of infidelity, made her life hard, always finding excuses to fight, even hit her, denying it stemmed from their wedding night. We in the medical field know that around thirty percent of women don’t bleed the first time. That’s no small percentage. But ingrained perceptions can’t be scientifically explained."

"And then what happened?"

"Then..." Mrs. Yu’s nose stung a bit.

She really didn’t want to recall that memory.

It was the first time she’d seen a corpse in her life—she never imagined it would be her best sister.

"No matter how she explained, the man wouldn’t listen. Her family opposed divorce. She thought enduring it might pass, but even after bearing a son, she got no goodwill. The conflicts seemed to intensify. The man not only found faults to insult her, but even their child was frequently called a bastard. Once, when the man got drunk, he blurted it out, and from then on, all colleagues knew he’d married a ’loose woman.’"