Me! A high-ranking official!

The living room curtains were half-drawn, casting a dim light, and the coffee table was pushed aside.

Several pieces of clothing were scattered on the carpet in front of the sofa: a woman's dress, underwear, and a pair of black stockings, carelessly tossed on the floor as if someone had impatiently ripped them off.

And sitting on the sofa was Xu Qingqing...

A man stood in front of the sofa. He had a buzz cut, broad shoulders, a thick waist, and bulging muscles, clearly someone who worked out regularly. He wore a thick gold chain around his neck and had flashy tattoos on his arms. He looked like he had stepped out of a gangster movie.

The three of them froze at the same time, as if the air had solidified.

Zhao Jianguo stood at the door, Xu Qingqing lay on the sofa, and the bald man was also stunned.

Xu Qingqing was the first to react.

"what!"

She screamed, her voice high-pitched and thin, and in a panic, she twisted violently on the sofa, desperately trying to break free of the silk scarf in her hands.

But the scarf was tied too tightly. The more she struggled, the deeper the red marks on her wrists became. In the end, she was in so much pain that she could only lie half-reclined on the sofa, looking at Zhao Jianguo with a pale face.

The bald man was much calmer. He helped untie her clothes with natural movements and a hint of mockery in his expression, showing no sign of the embarrassment of being caught in bed with another woman.

As soon as Xu Qingqing's hands were freed, she frantically grabbed a dress from the sofa and tried to put it on. She was so flustered that she had to pull the zipper up several times before she could manage it. Her face flushed and paled in turns, and she avoided looking at Zhao Jianguo, her head bowed, her voice trembling.

"You...you're back? Weren't you at work?"

Zhao Jianguo stood at the door, staring intently at Xu Qingqing, feeling as if his chest was about to burst with rage.

"You bitch!"

With red eyes, he roared, "How dare you cheat on me!"

He swung his fist and charged at Xu Qingqing, his mind filled with only one thought: kill this bitch, kill her, kill her, kill her!

His fist slammed out with a whoosh, less than half a foot from Xu Qingqing's face, when a thick arm suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed his wrist. It was that man; the other man was incredibly strong, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free.

He whirled around to see the man looking down at him with disdain: "So you're Zhao Jianguo, huh? What, you don't welcome me messing around with your woman?!"

Before he could react, the man kicked him.

The kick landed squarely on his lower back. Instantly, he felt a sharp pain, stumbled back three steps, slipped, and fell hard on his backside.

His tailbone hit the floor tiles, and the pain made his vision go black. He tried to stand up, but the excruciating pain in his lower back made him unable to muster any strength. He could only sit on the ground, grimacing and panting heavily.

The man strolled over, stood in front of him, and looked down at him: "Useless trash, someone like you doesn't even deserve to get a wife!"

"Look at yourself!" The man squatted down and tapped his chest.

"You're as skinny as a chick, your thighs aren't even as thick as my arm. You're just an ordinary civil servant, a piece of trash like you who can't even kill a chicken. How can you satisfy Qingqing? How can you protect Qingqing?"

"If you can't satisfy Qingqing, then it's no wonder she's looking for other men. Anyone would want to find some fun with such a loser, wouldn't you say?"

Hearing this, he felt his blood rush to his head, a surge of strength welling up within him. Gritting his teeth, he mustered all his strength to get up from the ground and punched the other man in the face: "I'll fight you to the death..."

Before his fist could even touch the man's clothes, the man's foot had already kicked him in the stomach. Instantly, he felt his stomach churning, his whole body curled up like a shrimp, and he began to dry heave on the ground.

Sour water gushed from his throat, spilling onto the floor and choking him, causing tears and snot to stream down his face. His entire face turned bright red, and he made painful gagging sounds, as if he were about to vomit his stomach out.

The man looked down at him with disdain, spitting on his hair, a gesture full of humiliation!

Xu Qingqing had already dressed and stood up from the sofa. She glanced at Zhao Jianguo lying on the floor, then at the man. The panic on her face was gradually replaced by a complex expression—guilt, panic, but more than anything, a strange calmness, as if a weight had finally been lifted from her heart.

She walked over, picked up the man's clothes from the ground, put them in his hands, and whispered:

"You go first, I'll handle things here."

The man took the clothes and put them on slowly, glancing at Zhao Jianguo as he buttoned them, a disgusting smile creeping onto his lips.

After getting dressed, instead of leaving immediately, he turned around, grabbed Xu Qingqing's waist, pulled her closer, and reached out with his other hand to touch her chest without any hesitation, even squeezing it a couple of times.

Zhao Jianguo lay on the ground, watching helplessly as the hand roamed over Xu Qingqing's body, his eyes almost bleeding with rage.

The man's voice was deep and suggestive, his lips close to Xu Qingqing's ear, but loud enough for Zhao Jianguo to hear, "When you're done, remember to come find me tonight. I'll be waiting for you at our usual spot."

Xu Qingqing rolled her eyes at him, a look that carried three parts reproach and seven parts coquettishness. Zhao Jianguo had never seen such an expression on Xu Qingqing before.

"I know, he already knows anyway, so there's nothing to worry about. At worst, it's just a divorce."

She said this in a nonchalant tone, showing no concern for Zhao Jianguo's discovery, and even a sense of relief at finally being free.

The man listened, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He turned to look at Zhao Jianguo on the ground, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Maybe I should stay. I'm afraid this kid will bully you once he calms down."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingqing hesitated for a moment, her eyes sweeping back and forth between Zhao Jianguo and the man twice. Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she nodded gently: "Alright, you're the one who cares for me the most."

After saying that, she stood on tiptoe and kissed the man on the cheek.

Zhao Jianguo lay on the ground, his eyes fixed on Xu Qingqing: "You bitch...you bastard, how dare you..."

Before he could finish speaking, footsteps suddenly came from behind him, and then the door was pushed open.

"What are you doing? Why didn't you even lock the door?"

A woman's voice came from the doorway, filled with dissatisfaction and reproach, as if she were scolding two disobedient children.

He turned his head and saw that the man was wearing a dark gray business suit, his hair was neatly styled, he wore a low-key Longines watch on his wrist, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine. He exuded an air of officialdom.

She was in her early forties, but well-maintained with fair skin. Her facial features were about 70% similar to Xu Qingqing's, only with a sharper and more shrewd look. Beneath her still charming appearance were eyes that were always scrutinizing others.

Cao Wenting!

The deputy secretary of the county discipline inspection commission is his mother-in-law.