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墨書 Inktalez
My mind shook violently as I reached out to push the door, but it wouldn't budge; it was locked from the inside. I summoned all my strength and kicked the door, causing the lock to fall off. I stepped inside, and Song Yuegui jumped in surprise, looking at me in terror.
"How could Yingfang be in our house?" I glared at her.
Perhaps intimidated by my presence, she stammered, "You went to Old Chen's house to drink, and Yingfang told me that the one with a mistress isn't Old Chen, it's you. She said I should be careful, especially when you go out. I didn't believe it at first; I thought you were an honest person. But then you came back not long after and took a call, ignoring everything else and insisting on going out. At that moment, I started to suspect that what Yingfang said might be true. I wanted to ask you for clarification, but you weren't in the mood for it, so I thought I'd try Yingfang's method of dealing with Old Chen..."
"Is that stuffing a phone into my pocket?"
"Yes!" Once Song Yuegui realized she was in the right, she became assertive. "I did stuff it in there. So what? Are you afraid people will find out about your dirty deeds?"
"Stop messing with me," I said irritably. "Why is Yingfang in our house?"
"I'm scared," Song Yuegui began to cry again. "I'm afraid of actually hearing you do those beastly things with a mistress. What am I supposed to do alone? I had no idea what to do, so I called Yingfang over. What? Do you think you have a point? You originally accused Old Chen, but it turns out it's you! What do you want me to do? I couldn't accept it, so I asked Yingfang to keep me company. What's wrong with that?"
It suddenly dawned on me that this was a scheme by Chen Lianqing! He had taken me out for drinks and brought Yingfang over to confuse Song Yuegui. That fool Song Yuegui actually believed her and treated her as an ally in misfortune, naively selling me out!
Now, Chen Lianqing must have concrete evidence against me. While Song Yuegui and Yingfang were eavesdropping on my calls, Yingfang might have had a recorder or turned on her phone's recording function, easily capturing my incriminating words! That stupid pig Song Yuegui surely didn't notice!
Realizing this made me feel like the sky was falling; I collapsed weakly onto the floor, everything before me becoming blurry.
"What... what are you doing? Stop pretending to be pitiful!" Song Yuegui asked tentatively.
"Shut up!" I snapped angrily. "Do you think I don't know what kind of person Chen Lianqing is? You trust others but not me? He’s been caught several times doing inappropriate things with female teachers at school! He knows this and is deliberately trying to set me up! And here you are, siding with him against me! Are you happy now? Dragging me down so that I lose my job and reputation? Damn it! If we’re getting divorced, then fine; I'm done!"
"Are... are you serious?" Song Yuegui realized she had done something foolish but couldn't bring herself to admit it fully. She awkwardly said, "I didn't know! But Yingfang sounded so convincing that it was hard not to believe her. So... what should we do? Can we negotiate with him? Whatever he wants, just satisfy him..."
"Satisfy him my ass! He has evidence against me and will report me! Once I'm out of the picture, he can do whatever he wants without needing my cooperation! I've been blind marrying a fool like you!"
Finally understanding the severity of the situation, Song Yuegui anxiously got off the bed. "Is it really that scary? Can't you just step aside and let him take your position as principal?"
"Of course not! I know all the things he's done; there's no way he would let me stay! To put it bluntly, he won't rest until I've lost everything! I know exactly what kind of person he is."
"What a heartless bastard!" To deflect responsibility, Song Yuegui quickly shifted into the role of a victim. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Didn't you say you've seen him misbehaving at school? We have something on him too! If he goes too far, we can report him..."
"Report where? To the Education Bureau? That's his territory! Besides, while I've seen things happen, there's no evidence! If anyone asks, he'll just say I'm slandering him out of revenge—what then? That would only make things worse for me!" I was too tired to argue further; she simply didn't understand that the nature of our situations was fundamentally different. His misconduct was merely an issue of character while mine... if this got out, I'd never be able to hold my head high again.
"Oh dear, Lao Liu, I really didn't know there were so many intricacies involved," Song Yuegui squatted beside me and spoke in a tone of repentance. "Don't get too worked up; look at your pale face! Isn't there an old saying that says there will always be a way when we reach a mountain?"
"Sigh..." My words were still mild; the final outcome would only get worse. I could almost foresee my future days—like prisoners paraded before executioners in ancient times—everyone would want nothing more than to see me destroyed. At that point, losing my job would be trivial; I'd likely lose every shred of dignity as well. It's still true: I know exactly what kind of person Chen Lianqing is.
I leaned on Song Yuegui's shoulder and shakily stood up, having lost all strength to be angry. I waved my hand dismissively. "Let's sleep; it's getting late. We'll talk about everything tomorrow."
"Lao Liu, you..."
"Go to sleep. I'll sit in the living room for a while and think of a way. There might really be another way out." Under Song Yuegui's anxious gaze, I walked out of the bedroom, closed the door, turned off the light, and sat alone in the pitch-black living room for most of the night.
I knew very well that I was finished. From then on, my life would only plummet without any other possibilities.
I am a cultural worker, someone who values dignity more than life itself. Without dignity, what difference is there between me and those beasts who only care for their own interests?
Before Chen Lianqing made his move, I still had a chance to preserve my last shred of dignity.
In the early morning, I rubbed my stiff calves, stood outside the bedroom, listened to Song Yuegui's thunderous snoring, smiled weakly, and then moved to the yard. I got on my bicycle and rode to the riverbank during the darkest hour of the day.
The old man must have said it before; I forgot to bring money. After making arrangements, I returned home once again.
Today, I stayed cooped up in the bedroom without going out. Song Yuegui rarely caused any trouble, just sighing repeatedly. I didn't know if Chen Lianqing went to the Education Bureau; I didn't care either. In any case, no one came to disturb me.
Oh, I almost forgot. Li Hua called earlier. She asked where Xiao Ran was and insisted that I stop making excuses. She knew from checking the landline call records at Xiao Ran's home that Xiao Ran made her last call to me before going missing. I calmly told her not to worry; Xiao Ran was safe and provided her with the specific location of the hotel. I also asked her to inform Xiao Ran's father that since they brought her into this dangerous and filthy world without her consent before she was born, it is their most basic responsibility as a father to care for and protect her until she can live independently.
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