The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 569 - 568: Do You Have to Expose Your True Colors to Feel Comfortable?

Chapter 569: Chapter 568: Do You Have to Expose Your True Colors to Feel Comfortable?

As the number of onlookers grew, several women pointed fingers at Shen Hongmei, one after another hurling accusations at her.

"I’m telling you, this woman is a homewrecker, seducing my sister’s man!"

"My sister and her husband-to-be had been together for years, even had the wedding, and she ruined it all."

"Look, she’s even smiling! Insufferably arrogant!"

The onlookers turned their gaze to Shen Hongmei and, indeed, saw a cold smile hanging on her lips.

At this point, public opinion was overwhelmingly against Hongmei, with many passerby pointing and harshly condemning her.

"Morals really are falling apart these days; some would drop their decency just for money."

"Otherwise, how could she be dripping with gold and silver? Tut-tut, these ill-gotten gains will bring retribution when spent!"

Having stood by Shen Mingzhu’s side for many years, Shen Hongmei had developed a certain composure.

She looked at Zhou Hui with cold eyes and shouted, "Zhou Hui, aren’t you going to say something? You are the one involved; you and Zhao know best what’s really going on between you two."

"What’s all the noise for? You’re nothing in front of my sister. If this were ancient times, you’d be nothing more than a concubine, obligated to serve tea and kowtow to my sister every day!"

"That’s quite an interesting perspective."

A cool and indifferent voice brought the bustling scene to a momentary halt.

"President Shen!"

Seeing Shen Mingzhu approach slowly with a megaphone in hand, Shen Hongmei couldn’t hide her delight.

Behind Shen Mingzhu were Pei Qiuxia, Huang Ju, and other female office workers.

They all came to back up Shen Hongmei.

"Hongmei, don’t be afraid. We’re here for you. These old hags won’t get the best of you," Pei Qiuxia said.

Zhou Hui and her group were wounded by Pei Qiuxia’s calling them "old hags."

"Who are you calling old hags?"

"Whoever answers to it, that’s who. You’re old enough to know better, yet you bully a young woman. Have you no shame?"

"You little greenhorn, come out here if you dare, and see how I handle you."

"Oh no, I wouldn’t want someone to accuse me of bullying the elderly later."

Shen Mingzhu raised the megaphone, and her cool voice echoed through the amplifier—

"Zhou Hui, you and Zhao never got a marriage certificate from start to finish, so in ancient times, you would also have been considered nothing more than a concubine at best. Why should Hongmei kowtow and serve tea to you?"

With those words, the situation instantly flipped.

"What, she’s not the legitimate wife?"

Plotting such a scene, turns out she herself is the dubious one and she dares to accuse others of being the mistress. How shameless can she be?"

Unable to contain her anger, Zhou Hui spoke up, "I was with Dafa first, and if not for Shen Hongmei getting in the way, Dafa and I wouldn’t have split. It’s Shen Hongmei who broke us up; she is the homewrecker!"

Zhou Hui’s companions echoed her sentiments and yelled insults like "mistress" and "vixen" at Shen Hongmei!

Shen Hongmei, refusing to be outdone, snatched the megaphone from Shen Mingzhu and went on full offensive against Zhou Hui and her entourage.

"Bullshit! You and Zhao broke up nearly half a year ago, and Zhao and I have been together for barely two months. If blame is to be placed, blame your incompetency for not being able to keep a man’s heart. Splashing me with your slurs won’t cover up the fact that you’re worthless!"

Zhou Hui’s face twisted with rage at being called "worthless," "How dare you, are the earrings found in his car yours or not? Still claiming you didn’t seduce him?"

"I, Shen Hongmei, have always been upright and dignified; I’ve never seduced anyone. If I’ve spoken even a half-truth, may I be struck dead the moment I step outside! Can you swear you didn’t frame me on purpose?"

Naturally, Zhou Hui dared not.

Shen Hongmei continued her tirade, "Zhou Hui, when I think about it, I should thank you. If you hadn’t wronged me, Zhao wouldn’t have sought me out to apologize, nor would he have invited me to dinner, creating an opportunity for me and Zhao."

Zhou Hui was on the verge of going mad with rage, "You, you have no shame!"

"You’re the shameless one, your whole family is shameless! We’ve broken up, and you still care if I’m seeing someone? Do you live by the sea, that you have such a wide interest?"

"If it weren’t for you, Dafa wouldn’t have broken up with me!"

"If you can’t shit, don’t blame the toilet for stinking. You were with Brother Zhao for so many years, and he never agreed to get a marriage certificate with you. Look for the reason within yourself!"

The two were locked in a fierce verbal battle.

The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, with people standing three layers inside and three layers outside; some even climbed walls and trees to get a better view.

Even the police from the local station couldn’t push through the crowd upon arriving at the scene. They had to sound their siren to warn the crowd, which finally made way for them.

"Alright, stop arguing, what’s the situation exactly?"

Zhou Hui’s side spoke first, adamantly accusing Shen Hongmei of being the homewrecker.

Shen Hongmei naturally wouldn’t admit to that.

Seeing the two on the verge of arguing again, the police quickly intervened.

They first questioned Zhou Hui’s side, "You say she’s the mistress, that she destroyed your relationship. Do you have evidence?"

Zhou Hui pointed at Shen Hongmei, "She left her earring in my man’s car."

"Anything else?"

Zhou Hui was choked up, "Isn’t that enough? What intention does an unmarried woman have, leaving her earring in a man’s car?"

"Just because of an earring, you suspect your man is cheating with someone else?"

The police, also being male, tended to think like men and naturally had a disposition against women who are overly suspicious and jealous like Zhou Hui.

Zhou Hui argued defiantly, "What’s she doing in my man’s car for no reason? Doesn’t she have legs of her own?"

"So what you’re saying is, your man—oh no, your ex—can’t have social interactions with other women besides you? Aren’t you being a bit too domineering? No wonder he broke up with you."

Even the onlookers felt that Zhou Hui was being unreasonable.

In this day and age, if one still clings to the old-fashioned idea of strict separation of men and women, they might as well stop working and stay home to ’drink the northwest wind’ instead.

Zhou Hui, of course, didn’t admit she was in the wrong, insisting that Shen Hongmei was the homewrecker who stole her man.

Just then, a familiar voice came from the crowd—

"Zhou Hui."

Zhou Hui turned her head and saw Zhao Dafa, who had been standing in the crowd for who knows how long, and her expression changed instantly.

However, Shen Hongmei showed a look of surprise upon seeing Zhao Dafa.

Zhao Dafa gave Shen Hongmei a reassuring glance and stepped out from the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Zhao Dafa, the general manager of Dafa Construction. First of all, I want to clarify that I broke up with this lady, Zhou Hui, at the end of June. The reason we broke up is due to incompatible views and stances, and it had nothing to do with a third person."

"As for my relationship with Shen Hongmei, we were formally together after the National Day, introduced by President Shen of Meihao Food Factory. To say she’s the mistress, the culprit behind my previous relationship’s failure, is pure slander and rumor."

Having said that, he looked toward Zhou Hui and others, "Today, you must publicly apologize to Hongmei, or else, I’ll have to seek justice and restore her reputation through legal means for the woman I care about."

Zhou Hui couldn’t believe what she was hearing, "Dafa, you’re going to sue me for her? Does the three years of our relationship not outweigh your two months with her?"

"I’ve said it before, it’s over between us. I don’t understand why you have to make such a scene. But as long as I am here, I won’t stand idly by while Hongmei is bullied."

These words were like a declaration of love for Shen Hongmei.

Yet for Zhou Hui, they were heartbreaking and painful.

She cried sorrowfully, the very image of helplessness and fragility, "Men, they always smile at new faces, never hearing the old ones weep."

No doubt these words made the crowd feel that Zhao Dafa was a fickle man, quick to embrace the new and discard the old.

It was clear Zhou Hui was going all out; if she couldn’t have it, she’d rather destroy it!

Shen Mingzhu lazily raised the megaphone—

"Zhou Hui, stop putting on a show. Do you really want your dirty laundry aired in public to feel comfortable?"