Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 199 Spreading Rumors
In fact, Wang Zhong wasn't the only one who thought it was an exaggeration; even the Public Security Bureau that received the banner felt the same way.

They thought Wang Chengpeng was just joking yesterday, but they never expected that he not only did it, but did it so well.

Blushing, Luo Haochuan accepted the banner and said somewhat embarrassedly:
"Comrade Wang, you're exaggerating a bit. These banners, well, they are quite nice, but..."

Before Luo Haochuan could even give a proper explanation, Wang Chengpeng interrupted him, saying:

"Since it's very good, and everything I wrote is true, then the Public Security Bureau should just accept it."

"If Comrade Luo really doesn't like it, then I'll just take back the last banner."

After saying that, Wang Chengpeng made a move to take back the last banner, only to find that Luo Haochuan had already carefully put it away.

Seeing Wang Chengpeng's puzzled expression, Luo Haochuan awkwardly explained:
"This banner is very good, there's no need to take it back."

"After all, this is something you spent a lot of money to make, how could I waste your sincerity?"

"Moreover, Comrade Mao's name is on it, and I can't make the decision on my own."

At this point, Luo Haochuan quickly changed the subject:
"Oh right, isn't there something else I should help you clarify?"

"It's getting late, and considering the journey to and from here, we'd better set off now."

"This time, it'll just be Mao Weiming and me going with you. After all, we can't just accept the banner you gave us for nothing, can we?"

Wang Chengpeng naturally had no objection to this, and together with Wang Zhong, the four of them headed towards Wangjia Village.

Wang Chengpeng, in particular, was eager to return home. Although he had Zhu Hong go back ahead of time to let his parents know he was safe, nothing could put his parents' minds at ease like he was personally returning home.
……

At the entrance of Wangjia Village, a place where nothing major had happened in a long time, the village was bustling with activity, especially at the entrance.

Seemingly spurred on by Wang Zidong, Kong Xiu went even further today in her criticism of Wang Chengpeng.

From a small action by Wang Chengpeng to a major event he undertakes.

As long as Kong Xiu gets the chance, she will not hesitate to retaliate against Wang Chengpeng.

In the end, even those gossipy aunties started to dislike Kong Xiu.

They may be gossipy, but they're not stupid.

This rumor, which is clearly illogical and has no factual basis whatsoever, can only be believed by Kong Xiu through self-hypnosis, and she even tells others about it with great seriousness.

The scary thing about rumors is that if a lot of people talk about them and listen to them for a long time, even if you know it's a rumor, you'll still feel a sense of agreement for some reason.

Just like now, these aunties have begun to doubt Wang Chengpeng's character, wondering if he is as bad as Kong Xiu said.

Just as Kong Xiu was recounting the "bad things" Wang Chengpeng had done, the roar of the engine arrived as expected. Who else could it be but Wang Chengpeng and his group of four?

The moment Kong Xiu saw Wang Chengpeng, she felt like her whole being turned upside down.

She has been relentlessly trying to discredit Wang Chengpeng, and now that he has been safely returned, isn't that a slap in the face for her?

No, I don't believe it. How could Wang Chengpeng not have committed a crime?

Thinking this, Kong Xiu actually ran up to him eagerly and asked, "..."

"Officer, you brought Wang Chengpeng back because his crime was too serious, and you wanted to let him reunite with his family one last time, right?"

“I always said that the law is too lenient on these bad people; they shouldn’t be given this kind of opportunity at all.”

"Not only should we not give the criminal himself a chance, but it is best to arrest his family members as well, so as to effectively prevent crime."

Upon hearing Kong Xiu's words, Luo Haochuan was clearly taken aback; he simply couldn't understand what Kong Xiu was saying.

Just then, Wang Chengpeng's helpless voice rang out beside him, saying:
"Comrade Luo, Comrade Mao, did I tell you what I was going to say?"

“Although I have not done anything bad and have never committed a crime, there are still people who do not believe me and try to speculate about me with the utmost malice.”

"If you hadn't come with me today and were willing to understand my plight and explain things to me, I would have been in deep trouble, like mud falling into my pants."

"That's why I said you should absolutely keep that banner. Your seemingly simple act has saved me a lot of trouble."

After Wang Chengpeng reminded them, the two realized why Kong Xiu had said such outrageous things.

When Wang Chengpeng mentioned it yesterday, they were somewhat dismissive, but they never expected to encounter Kong Xiu's personal testimony.

Furthermore, Wang Chengpeng subtly mentioned the banner bearing their names, making it even more unacceptable for them to stand by and watch Wang Chengpeng be unjustly accused.

Especially Mao Weiming, who led the way in taking Wang Chengpeng away yesterday, spoke up directly at this moment:

"Comrade, you can't just eat whatever you want, and you can't just say whatever you want."

“Comrade Wang is not the criminal you are talking about. He did nothing wrong and was completely framed.”

"Considering that you didn't know the truth before, I'll let it go. But remember not to talk nonsense in the future."

With wide eyes, Kong Xiu stared at Mao Weiming in disbelief and exclaimed:
"How is this possible? How could Wang Chengpeng not have committed a crime? He has clearly been a bad seed since childhood."

Kong Xiu's hatred for Wang Chengpeng was certainly not without reason, not only because of being driven away by Wang Zhong, but also because of Liu Yanran's marriage into the Shen family.

As the only one who knew that Shen Wei was the one who took over the situation, Kong Xiuke hated the culprit who caused all of this—Wang Chengpeng.

If he hadn't failed to properly take over the family business, how could a vicious woman like Liu Yanran have ended up in his home?

However, in order to keep Liu Yanran in check, she couldn't do anything to her, which infuriated Kong Xiu.

Almost every time Kong Xiu saw Liu Yanran's innocent face, she would feel a surge of resentment.

This led to Kong Xiu relentlessly attacking Cheng Peng the moment he saw an opportunity.

Kong Xiu had clearly chosen the wrong target to bully. Wang Chengpeng had even brought two police officers to support him, so how could he possibly be bullied by a mere Kong Xiu?

Before the two could offer any further explanation, Wang Chengpeng's incredibly aggrieved voice rang out, saying:

"Prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain that can never be moved."

"I really don't understand what I did wrong to be misunderstood by Aunt Kong like this, and even the police officer's words don't matter."

The thought that they had not only eaten Wang Chengpeng's late-night snack, but also accepted Wang Chengpeng's banner, and even caused Wang Chengpeng to suffer such an injustice, made Luo Haochuan and Mao Weiming's expressions turn sour.

If word gets out about this, how will they ever have the face to go out and enforce the law again?
Thinking this, Luo Haochuan's expression immediately turned serious, and he said:

"Comrade, I think Comrade Mao has already made things very clear. Wang Chengpeng did not commit any crime; he was simply framed."

"The reason they were asked to leave was simply to cooperate with our work."

"I understand that you were unaware of the situation before, which is why you said such misleading things." "But if you continue to spread rumors and cause trouble knowing the truth, then I can only ask you to come back with us for tea."

Luo Haochuan's extremely serious words immediately made Kong Xiu realize that she had said the wrong thing, and she subconsciously covered her mouth and stopped talking.

With two police officers supporting Wang Chengpeng, even if she wanted to spread rumors, she could only do so secretly behind the scenes. It was absolutely impossible for her to do such a thing in front of the two police officers.

However, after scolding Wang Chengpeng, it seems unlikely that Kong Xiu could resolve this matter so easily.

The commotion at the village entrance quickly attracted the attention of those who were interested, especially Wang Zidong, who was keeping a close eye on the place because of what happened yesterday.

He rushed over the moment he noticed the police arriving.

Upon hearing Luo Haochuan's words, he excitedly ran over and said to Wang Chengpeng:

“Pengzi, I knew you wouldn’t do anything bad.”

"You have no idea how badly that shameless old man cursed you when you weren't around."

After saying these two sentences, Wang Zidong strode over to Luo Haochuan's side and said:

"Officer, I'm reporting that someone has been spreading rumors and causing trouble in Wangjia Village since yesterday, openly and secretly spreading rumors and slandering my brother Peng for committing a crime."

"Not only Wangjia Village, but even the neighboring villages know about this."

“If Brother Peng really does something wrong, I will not hesitate to take Brother Peng as a warning and become an upright person.”

"But as you all know, Peng is innocent and has not done anything wrong."

"Officers, please tell me the truth, shouldn't people who spread rumors and cause trouble be arrested?"

Although they had already witnessed Kong Xiu's fighting prowess, Luo Haochuan and his companion had no idea that she was so ruthless, spreading rumors even to the neighboring village.

Such a large-scale and widespread rumor-mongering incident is clearly a serious matter and cannot be tolerated.

Thinking this, their gazes immediately turned stern, especially Luo Haochuan, who went directly to Kong Xiu and said:

"This lady, you've gone a bit too far."

"Everyone needs to be responsible for what they have done. Please come with us."

After saying that, Luo Haochuan showed off his gleaming silver bracelet, which shocked Kong Xiu.

She really didn't understand how she had ended up being sent to the police station just because she had been a little too talkative.

Kong Xiu, who was fearless, was finally scared this time. She still vividly remembered what happened after Wang Chengpeng was taken away by the police. Heaven knows what miserable fate awaited her after she was taken away.

In particular, Wang Chengpeng was indeed wronged, but she was not innocent at all.

In this day and age, if you have a family member who has committed a crime, the whole family will be ashamed and unable to hold their heads high.

Thinking of this, Kong Xiu suddenly plopped down on the ground and burst into tears, saying:
"I am just a woman who knows nothing, how could I know what is real and what is fake?"

"I was just saying it casually, I never expected it to cause such a big problem."

"Officer, you are all so magnanimous, please just let me go like a fart."

Only now do you realize you're scared? Too late!
Luo Haochuan said in a businesslike manner, "This lady, even if you want to apologize, you should apologize to Comrade Wang, the victim, not us."

"This matter could be a big deal or a small deal; it all depends on whether you can get Comrade Wang's forgiveness."

"If you can get forgiveness from Comrade Wang, the person involved, it's not impossible for us not to arrest you."

Although Wang Chengpeng always presented himself as harmless, after experiencing so much, Luo Haochuan dared not underestimate the young man in front of him.

The reason for turning the matter back to Wang Chengpeng was definitely not because they intended to smooth things over, but because they believed that Wang Chengpeng absolutely had the ability to handle Kong Xiu.

Sure enough, upon hearing Luo Haochuan's words, Kong Xiu immediately seemed to have found her target, scrambling over to Wang Chengpeng and grabbing his leg, saying:
"Cheng Peng, Auntie's mistake was unintentional and nothing serious. Why don't you forgive Auntie?"

"Your aunt only said a few trivial things, how could you be so heartless as to send her to prison?"

Frowning as he watched Kong Xiu throw a tantrum on the ground, Wang Chengpeng began to ponder how to deal with her.

Wang Chengpeng wasn't a petty person; if the other party sincerely apologized, he wouldn't press the matter further.

However, if the other party is using their seniority to try to morally blackmail you, that would be a different story.

Then, I'm sorry, all Wang Chengpeng can tell the other party is that he can be immoral in many situations.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng sincerely helped Kong Xiu up, and just when she thought he had her cornered, he spoke:

"Aunt Kong is an elder after all, so I naturally can't insist on sending you to prison."

"But this did happen, and it had a huge impact on my reputation."

"Although I don't mind, if Auntie really does nothing, people will inevitably gossip about her."

“Even for the sake of my own reputation, I must apologize to you, a sincere apology.”

Wang Chengpeng's request was reasonable and justifiable. No one could find fault with it; they would only think that Wang Chengpeng was very magnanimous, forgiving Kong Xiu with just an apology.

However, it was precisely in the face of Wang Chengpeng's nonchalant handling of the situation that Wang Zidong became anxious, saying:

"Pengzi, you can't just let this old bastard get away with it."

"You have no idea how awful the things she said when you were first arrested were; she even insulted your family members."

"I'm really not willing to just let her go like that."

"You absolutely must not forgive her. People like her should be sent to prison to reflect on their actions."

Even Wang Zidong was so indignant, which shows just how powerful Kong Xiu was at spreading rumors about Wang Chengpeng.

However, Wang Zidong underestimated Wang Chengpeng a bit too much. How could he possibly let Kong Xiu off so easily?

After Wang Zidong's reminder, Kong Xiu realized that she could attain enlightenment whether she followed the right path or not.

She was also single, and spoke directly:

"Xiao Peng, God was wrong in this matter, and I apologize to you."

"Alright, I've already apologized. I suddenly remembered I have something to do at home, so I'll have to go now."

(End of this chapter)