Reborn as a Rich Woman in the Eighties
Chapter 564 - 563: Letting Him Off Easy

Chapter 564: Chapter 563: Letting Him Off Easy

"...That day, it was raining, and he followed me. He audaciously tried to assault me...

I was terrified and tried to scream, but he covered my mouth so tightly. I felt utterly hopeless, as if my cries to heaven went unheard and the earth offered no help.

Thankfully, a kind passerby helped me; otherwise, my life would have been destroyed..." Ji Man recounted through her tears.

Even now, as she recalled that scene in the rain, she couldn’t help but tremble uncontrollably, her teeth chattering.

She seemed to still feel the humiliation and despair, as well as the overwhelming nausea.

Listening to her story, Lin Xia’s heart tightened. She truly had no idea what had happened to Ji Man.

She felt deep sympathy for Ji Man’s ordeal and simultaneously harbored a seething hatred toward Xu Haimin!

"Xu Haimin, that beast! Ji Man! I really didn’t know what happened to you..." Lin Xia moved closer to Ji Man, placing her hands on her shoulders to comfort her and give her strength, intuitively feeling her shivering.

If it weren’t for the kind stranger, Ji Man’s reputation would be ruined, and so would her life!

Perhaps, Xu Haimin would have further coerced her to marry him.

People forced into marriage with their assaulters isn’t unheard of.

For a girl, her reputation is as important as her life; many are too ashamed to speak up and dare not file a report.

Xu Haimin’s actions were clearly aimed at making the situation a fait accompli, forcing Ji Man into marriage regardless.

Moreover, after the marriage, how Xu Haimin wished to torment Ji Man, she, out of fear and trepidation, wouldn’t dare to resist.

"He really is a beast! May he not die a good death... I returned home in such a disheveled state, my parents knew at once something had occurred.

I came down with a high fever that night and had to take a long leave from work..."

Ji Man noticed the tears flickering in Lin Xia’s eyes, no longer the cold and indifferent expression that had driven her away previously; she faintly curled her lips.

Sure enough, Lin Xia was still that overly sympathetic person.

She dared to tell Lin Xia about this because she knew her character well.

She believed that even if she told Lin Xia, she wouldn’t gossip about it to others.

Lin Xia’s senses were completely overwhelmed by the incident, so much so that she didn’t notice Ji Man’s fleeting expression.

She thought, no wonder Ji Man hadn’t shown up for so long and looked frighteningly thin and so changed when she reappeared!

Who could experience such a thing and remain unaffected, without a shadow lingering?

She carefully asked, "Did Xu Haimin receive any punishment afterward?"

Ji Man smirked coldly, "How could he not? But the incident with me couldn’t be publicized or taken to the police.

My parents paid someone to beat him up severely, breaking one of his legs..."

"That’s too lenient for scum like him. He should be completely cut off."

Lin Xia could understand the thinking of Ji Man’s parents; facing such a situation, they feared ruining their daughter’s reputation and had to settle matters privately.

In this era, not just almost being violated like Ji Man, but even a man and woman being too intimate in public could lead to gossip.

If word got out, exaggerated misrepresentations could follow, transforming into something entirely different.

With a tarnished reputation, it would be difficult for Ji Man to find a partner and get married.

Ji Man looked sideways at Lin Xia, who seemed even more indignant than her, and suddenly felt that her sympathy was utterly pretentious!

Did Lin Xia truly empathize like that, or did she say one thing while thinking another?

Ji Man wiped the tear stains on her cheek and sneered coldly, "Lin Xia! Having heard all this, don’t you feel guilty towards me? If it wasn’t for you, would I have encountered all that? All of this is linked to you!"

"Ji Man! How can you think like this..." Lin Xia pitied Ji Man’s predicament and deeply sympathized with her, but she couldn’t understand her reasoning.

The one who had hurt Ji Man was Xu Haimin, that beast. How could she blame her?

Ji Man suddenly stood up, towering over Lin Xia, and shouted angrily, "How can I think this way? Am I wrong to think this way?

If I hadn’t gone to the greenhouse to help you, how would I have ever encountered that beast? And how would such scum have taken an interest in me and harassed me?

Later, I was even nearly bullied?

All of this is because of you and Jiang Mingyuan.

Lin Xia! You and Jiang Mingyuan have both wronged me!"

By voicing all this and exposing her own wounds for others to see, she intended to make them live with guilt for a lifetime!

Yet Lin Xia didn’t think so? How ruthless her heart is!

Lin Xia also stood up quickly, firmly disagreeing and calmly rebutting, "Ji Man! I admit that you met that beast because of us.

But, everything that happened afterward can’t be entirely blamed on us, can it? None of us wanted such things to happen!"

She empathized with Ji Man because she knew about her plight, and she had decided to wipe the slate clean of their previous discontents, intending to treat Ji Man as a friend in the future.

However, she had her limits too and couldn’t allow Ji Man to irresponsibly accuse her and Jiang Mingyuan out of sympathy.

Ji Man pointed at Lin Xia’s nose, her voice sharp with anger, "Lin Xia! You really are heartless and ruthless! I encountered all these because of you, and not only do you not sympathize or feel guilty, but you also argue ceaselessly with me!"

"Ji Man! That’s not it..." Lin Xia wanted to tell her that she did feel guilty, but Ji Man couldn’t blame everything on her and Jiang Mingyuan!

Ji Man didn’t care what Lin Xia said; she angrily slammed the door and left.

Lin Xia sat down helplessly, questioning herself, Did she say something wrong?

Should everything really be blamed on her and Jiang Mingyuan, as Ji Man said?

At the Mingyuan Restaurant, Jiang Mingyuan was in his office, drawing and writing.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door with a "bang bang bang."

"Come in!" Mingyuan glanced at the door and spoke indifferently.

When he saw that it was Lin Xia who pushed the door open, he couldn’t help but smile, "Lin Xia! What has blown you in? Why are you even knocking?"

Previously, Lin Xia used to enter his place confidently without knocking.

"Elder Brother! Is my cousin not here?" Lin Xia worried that the two might be engaging in some sweet, intimate acts, and barging in without knocking could be embarrassing if she accidentally intruded upon something.

"She’s gone to the bathroom!" Mingyuan spoke, while quickly noticing that the approaching Lin Xia looked upset and her eyes were filled with bloodshot veins.

He immediately asked with concern, "What happened to you? Did you encounter some trouble?"

Lin Xia sat down on a chair outside his desk, her smile bitter, "I ran into trouble! I couldn’t sleep at all last night!"

Lin Xia had suffered from insomnia, and after thinking it through, she decided to talk to Jiang Mingyuan.

Jiang Mingyuan raised an eyebrow, "What exactly happened? Let me hear it! If there’s anything I can help with, just say the word!" He thought Lin Xia might be facing some difficulty.

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