"Good grief—"
"Is Shen Nanchu having an affair with Song Qingyang?"
"And isn't Shen Nanchu already Pei Zhengnian's wife, pregnant with his child?"
The villagers' gossip made the Pei family's expressions twist with both embarrassment and fury.
Shen Nanchu muttered internally, "System, don’t you think Jiang Shuyi and Song Qingyang are a match made in heaven? They even scheme alike."
The System replied, "The male lead and female lead are the destined pair."
Shen Nanchu: "...Say that again?"
The System’s survival instincts kicked in: "Those two are a match made in hell—absolute scum. Host, you’re the rising best female lead, perfectly paired with the male lead!"
Shen Nanchu was somewhat satisfied.
Such a low-level frame-up? She’d outgrown that trick as soon as she learned to talk.
Too lame. Not even worth the effort.
With utter sincerity, Shen Nanchu looked at Jiang Shuyi and Song Qingyang.
"I suggest you both get your brains checked by Uncle Eighth Wang. Delusions are a serious condition."
Then, she turned to the chattering villagers.
"You all should get checked too. Maybe your parents stuffed worms in your heads when you were born in spring."
[Disgust Points +1]
[Disgust Points +2]
[Disgust Points +3]
"Shen Nanchu, why’re you cursing us out of nowhere?"
"Yeah, we’re just discussing the facts!"
"Exactly! Village Head, you gotta judge this fairly."
Fair judgment?
What a joke.
Shen Nanchu nearly rolled her eyes out of her skull.
"A wolfhound or a scrawny chicken—how blind would I have to be to pick the chicken?"
The crowd fell silent.
All eyes darted between Pei Zhengnian and Song Qingyang.
Unanimously, they landed on Pei Zhengnian—tall, rugged, and built like a tank—while Song Qingyang was pale, scrawny, and lacked even a hint of muscle.
Only an idiot would choose the latter.
"Also, the porridge I drank earlier was spiked. One sip and I felt feverish and restless."
Shen Nanchu pointed to the evidence she’d kept.
Uncle Eighth Wang grabbed the bowl, sniffed it, then dabbed a finger and tasted it.
"This has pig-breeding aphrodisiac powder in it."
What happens when humans ingest livestock stimulants?
The answer was obvious.
Song Qingyang never expected his carefully laid plan to unravel so easily.
"Drag him to the police station," Wang Jianguo ordered.
Two burly villagers seized Song Qingyang.
Panicked, he blurted, "I wasn’t the mastermind! I was used!"
When death loomed, better to sacrifice others.
"It was Jiang Shuyi! The powder was hers!"
Jiang Shuyi scrambled to deny it.
"Song Qingyang, your disgusting scheme to force yourself on Shen Nanchu is your own mess. Don’t drag me into it!"
"Jiang Shuyi, stop lying! You said this powder was for your uncle’s village pigs!"
Song Qingyang remembered clearly.
"My relatives are all city folks. None live in villages."
Jiang Shuyi thanked her past self for lying.
Finally, Song Qingyang realized he’d been played.
"You bought this from the village’s barefoot doctor!"
Uncle Eighth Wang slapped his forehead.
"No wonder it tasted familiar! I mixed this batch myself."
Song Qingyang grasped at straws.
"Uncle, was it her who bought it?"
Jiang Shuyi’s heart leaped to her throat.
Uncle Eighth Wang shook his head.
"Pitch-dark night, face covered. My eyesight’s bad—couldn’t tell."
He paused, then added,
"But the buyer dropped a pen at my place. Some fancy foreign brand… ‘P-something K-something’?"
"Parker," Song Qingyang cut in.
"Jiang Shuyi’s the only one in Wang Family Village with a Parker pen!"
With witnesses and evidence aligned, Jiang Shuyi still played the victim, tears streaming.
"This has nothing to do with me! I’m being framed!"
"Pei Zhengnian, you have to believe me!"
Pei Zhengnian frowned slightly.
"I’ll call my comrade at Ning’an Town’s police station."
Jiang Shuyi’s tears vanished instantly.
She knew it—Pei Zhengnian couldn’t resist her crying.
In her past life, every tear sent him fleeing to the yard, leaving the house to her.
Shen Nanchu stayed silent, but her eyes glinted coldly at Pei Zhengnian.
She was… displeased.
The male lead needed a beating.
The System quietly disconnected.
Don’t drag me into this. I’m innocent.
---
With the truth uncovered, three villagers hauled Song Qingyang and Jiang Shuyi toward town.
Song Qingyang resisted and earned a few kicks.
Jiang Shuyi cooperated sweetly—after all, Pei Zhengnian’s call would free her soon.
Pei Zhengnian followed Wang Jianguo to the village office to make the call.
---
At the Pei household, the crowd had dispersed, leaving only Shen Nanchu and the family.
A tribunal awaited.
Shen Nanchu sat center-stage, surrounded by the Peis.
Pei's Mother, now awake, studied her with mixed emotions.
"Nanchu, don’t you have anything to say?"
Say what?
Shen Nanchu was in a foul mood.
And when she was unhappy, someone had to pay.
After a pause, she hung her head and let her shoulders tremble.
"This… it’s my fault, not Zhengnian’s."
Oh? There was more to this?
Pei's Mother’s anger faded by seventy percent.
Father Pei zeroed in:
"Nanchu, speak plainly. Did that brat Zhengnian do something?"
What should she say?
Better keep it vague. Just cry and nod ambiguously.
So—
Pei's Mother: "Did he force you?"
Shen Nanchu nodded.
(Technically true—she’d forced him first, then vice versa.)
Father Pei: "Were you two set up?"
Another nod.
(She’d set it up herself. She counted as "someone.")
Grandma Pei: "Did he forbid you from telling us?"
No hesitation—vigorous nodding.
(The jerk had even tried bribing her!)
Grandpa Pei: "Does he know about the baby?"
She nodded harder.
(Uncle Eighth Wang had announced it. How could he not know?)
---
When Pei Zhengnian returned, his family glared at him like he’d committed treason.
A shadow flew at him—Grandpa Pei’s cane. He caught it deftly.
"Where the hell were you, brat?"
Pei Zhengnian answered plainly,
"Calling my comrade to investigate Jiang Shuyi. She’s suspicious."
Shen Nanchu: (⊙ˍ⊙)
Oops. Major misunderstanding.
