Chapter 23 The Deceived Girl in the 1970s: Fake vs. Real Daughter Story (23)

To be honest, even Ye Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected Li Wenli to go this far.

She really couldn’t figure it out, since she’d already had a falling out with Feng Qingqing. Even if she was afraid of being blamed by her family, did she really have to pin herself on Lu Ze?

Wasn’t she worried about retaliation from Lu Ze or the Lu family?

Even if Lu Ze didn’t retaliate, they clearly had no feelings for each other. How was she planning to live the rest of her life like that?

Ye Xiaoxiao just couldn’t understand.

Zhang Yumei, however, had begun to piece things together, but that didn’t mean she thought this would end well. Especially after coming to the countryside, she felt like she’d finally seen through Lu Ze.

They’d all grown up together, and while Lu Ze had always seemed like the good-natured one—taking care of everyone—he’d really only ever prioritized Lu Chuan.

His care for others had only ever been because of Lu Chuan. They hung out as a group, and he was courteous, but it was never from the heart.

Just look at what has happened since they came down to the countryside. Aside from Lu Chuan, had he looked after anyone else?

Still, she thought, this time he really got burned by his brother. Ha! Serves him right.

She couldn’t understand where that martyr complex of his came from, or maybe it was brainwashing from home, this idea that “an older brother must take care of his younger brother.”

If Ye Xiaoxiao had known what Zhang Yumei was thinking, the words that would have popped into her head would’ve been: “little brother-obsessed,” or “sibling enabler.”

The team leader looked at Lu Ze, who had been silent all this time, and at Li Wenli, who was still crying, and really wanted to wash his hands of this whole mess.

But he was the team leader. He couldn’t just walk away.

“If you all can’t sort this out yourselves,” he said darkly, “then I’ll have to report it and get someone from the higher-ups to come investigate. You can decide how you want to handle this.”

At this point, Lu Ze really couldn’t explain things anymore. Everyone involved, including his own brother, had backed the accusation that he and Li Wenli were embracing.

Lu Ze felt like his heart had been utterly broken by Lu Chuan.

He looked at him and said coldly, “Xiaochuan, I raised you. Every time you made trouble, I cleaned up after you. I never imagined that my own brother would one day falsely accuse me just for a girl. Fine. I’ll take the blame this time. But our brotherhood ends here. I’ll be reporting this incident exactly as it happened to our father and grandfather.”

He had already calmed down. He knew his family situation—right now, they couldn’t help him, and he couldn’t afford to cause them more trouble. But that didn’t mean he’d take this lying down.

If they thought they could manipulate him—especially someone like Li Wenli—they were dead wrong.

He turned to her. “I’m going to ask you one last time—do you really insist that we’re in a relationship and that I’ve touched you?”

Li Wenli kept crying but said nothing.

Lu Ze’s tone turned icy. “I’m giving you a final chance. If you throw it away, don’t come crying to me later.”

He’d already given her the benefit of the doubt because they grew up together. If she didn’t appreciate it, then she shouldn’t blame him for retaliating.

Did she really think he was some pushover she could just pin herself on?

He looked at the team leader. “Team leader, I’ll trouble you to file the report. Let the higher-ups investigate. I’ve heard hospitals can check whether a woman’s body has been violated. I’ve done nothing, and I’ll submit to the examination. Furthermore, I intend to file a formal complaint against Comrade Li Wenli for attempted sexual assault. When it failed, she slandered me. That’s why Lu Chuan and Feng Qingqing saw what they did. I was being hugged from behind by Comrade Li Wenli. I trust Lu Chuan and Comrade Feng Qingqing saw that clearly.”

Feng Qingqing quickly jumped in, “Yes, it was Li Wenli being shameless and hugging Brother Ze. I can testify to that.”

Then she turned to Lu Chuan. “Lu Chuan, we both saw it. Brother Ze was trying to leave, and Li Wenli hugged him from behind. Right?”

Lu Chuan wanted to deny it. But he wasn’t afraid that his brother would abandon him. At worst, he’d apologize and say it was all out of jealousy for Qingqing’s affection. His brother would forgive him—he always did.

And if not, their mom and grandma would help smooth things over. It would be fine.

But if he denied what Qingqing said, wouldn’t she be disappointed in him? Wouldn’t she like him even less?

And since they had seen it together, if he twisted the truth, she might think he was deliberately smearing his brother.

After a pause, he nodded and turned to the team leader. “What I saw was exactly that—Li Wenli hugged my brother from behind, and my brother shook her off.”

Ye Xiaoxiao: …Wow. Feng Qingqing really is something else.

Zhang Yumei muttered, “Looks like there’s really only one person in Lu Chuan’s heart: Feng Qingqing.”

The others in the crowd murmured amongst themselves: these educated youth really knew how to stir up drama. But now, who was actually telling the truth?

Li Wenli was panicking now. She looked around the crowd for support but saw only people watching with disinterested expressions.

Even those who might’ve felt some pity didn’t anymore—especially with her now smudged face. She wasn’t even that good-looking to begin with. After being tanned by the sun, she looked just like any other village girl.

The team leader looked at her. He didn’t really want to escalate this—it would affect the brigade’s reputation during the upcoming “advanced unit” evaluations.

“Comrade Li,” he said, “I suggest you tell the truth now. If we file this and someone from the commune comes to investigate, I won’t be able to protect you.”

Li Wenli looked at Lu Ze’s cold, expressionless face and was filled with fear.

She really had lost her mind back there, all thanks to Feng Qingqing pushing her over the edge.

She finally lowered her head and apologized. “I’m sorry, Brother Ze. I was just so angry after being bullied by Feng Qingqing… I lost my head. At first, I just wanted to ask you to say something—so she’d stop. But when you refused, I felt desperate. I wanted to get back at both of you. I know I was wrong. Please, for the sake of our years growing up together, let this go.”

Lu Ze looked at the team leader, understanding that he wanted to resolve this quietly. So he said, “I’ll let it go—on one condition.”

Li Wenli quickly said, “Anything! As long as you forgive me.”

Lu Ze said coldly, “You don’t need to do anything—just stay away from me from now on. And stop calling me ‘Brother Ze.’ From now on, address me as Comrade Lu Ze or Educated Youth Lu Ze.”

Li Wenli nodded hurriedly.

Then Lu Ze turned to the team leader. “Team leader, is there another house in the village I can rent?”

The team leader thought for a moment. “There is, but it’s a bit remote and in poor condition—an earthen house like the educated youth dorm. You’ll need to fix it up. I suggest asking around the village to see if any families have a spare room they’re willing to rent.”

Lu Chuan looked shocked. “Brother, you’re not staying at the educated youth dorm anymore? What about the firewood?”

Lu Ze replied coolly, “You’re a grown man. I’m sure you can handle that yourself.”

Feng Qingqing also tried to persuade him. “Brother Ze, you don’t even know how to cook. How will you manage on your own?”

Lu Chuan chimed in, “Yeah. At least at the dorm, Li Wenli could cook. You wouldn’t need to worry.”

Lu Ze waved them off and said to the team leader, “It’s fine. I’d rather live alone. Please help me find someone to clean the place up. I’ll pay.”

The team leader nodded and left.

Ye Xiaoxiao and Zhang Yumei walked back with the rest of the crowd.

They didn’t notice someone else who had been watching the whole thing—a person who quietly slipped away before it was over, looking deeply shaken by how everything had unfolded.