This is terrible! My future prime minister keeps trying to kiss me forcibly.

Her eyes darkened slightly, and she stopped beating around the bush, saying sternly, "Scholar Lin, I won't give you any more money from now on, and you'll have to pay back every penny you owe me!"

"what?!"

The veins on Lin Xiucai's neck bulged, his eyes filled with anger and disbelief, and he widened his eyes to accuse him:

"Xiao Xiao, didn't you promise to support me until I went to high school? How could you..."

People passing by outside the alley would occasionally cast curious glances at him, and only then would Lin Xiucai shut up.

"Who are you to me? Why should I treat you well and provide for you?"

Ye Xiaoxiao curled her lips, her expression full of disdain.

The original owner was so stupid, such trash!

"Xiao Xiao, I promise you, when I get to high school, I will never let you down, and I will make sure you live a glorious and carefree life!"

Haha! Here we go again, making empty promises! In your past life, you sold the original owner to a brothel!

"Don't call me so intimately, we're not familiar! I've calculated it, you'll only ever be a scholar like Lin Xiucai! Dream on about passing the imperial examinations!"

Lin Xiucai was still unwilling to give up, his expression miserable: "Xiao Xiao, how could you curse me? Did that rude and useless man in your family threaten you?"

He Jing: Where's my knife?

Ye Xiaoxiao corrected him with a forced smile: "Coward? Are you talking about my handsome, dashing, extraordinary, gentle, and considerate husband who can kill a wild boar with one punch?"

Ye Xiaoxiao curled her lips and deliberately raised her voice so that the person outside could hear her.

He Jing, eavesdropping: Me, gentle and considerate? How come I didn't know that?

"Xiao Xiao, without your help, how could I have passed the imperial examination and returned home in glory?"

Tsk tsk tsk, he has no ability himself, yet he tries to shift the blame onto others.

Ye Xiaoxiao sized up the scholar in front of her and scoffed, "Who gave you the nerve? Did you peel off your left cheek and stick it on your right? You're shameless on both sides!"

Lin Xiucai didn't expect Ye Xiaoxiao to be so sharp-tongued today, and she even tried to take his hand.

"Stop it! Have you wasted all your time reading those classic texts?"

Ye Xiaoxiao took a few steps back, trying to distance herself from the hypocritical and two-faced man in front of her, but unexpectedly, her back bumped into a broad and hard chest.

She turned around and saw He Jing with his lips tightly pressed together, his icy eyes staring coldly at Lin Xiucai.

"Well, Ye Xiaoxiao, I wondered why you would discard me like a worn-out shoe. So, you've found someone new?"

Ye Xiaoxiao smiled brightly, striking an affectionate pose as she hooked her arm around He Jing's: "That's right, a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on!"

He Jing's tall body stiffened, seemingly unaccustomed to such intimate actions. He tried to pull his arm away, but the person beside him held on even tighter.

The soft body pressed against his arm, and he felt a slight numbness in his right arm.

Ye Xiaoxiao: Quickly try to curry favor with the villain.

"You fickle woman! I misjudged you! Bah!" Lin Xiucai spat on the ground.

As soon as he finished speaking, He Jing frowned, stepped forward, kicked the man to the ground, and said sternly:

"If you utter another word of nonsense, I'll break your legs!"

Ye Xiaoxiao was surprised that the person beside her would actually make a move.

It seems the villain's main tactic is to be quick and efficient, using his feet rather than his hands, making him even more of a gentleman than a gentleman.

The commotion in the alley was quite loud, and it gradually attracted the attention of many people.

"Who is this person? How dare he treat Scholar Lin like this?"

"In my opinion, it was that woman who abandoned Lin Xiucai and ran off with someone else?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, she really is fickle."

"It's probably because Scholar Lin failed the imperial examination and the woman couldn't wait three years, so she broke her promise."

"..."

Ye Xiaoxiao was annoyed. Could these bystanders even get any real gossip?

Indeed, Lin Xiucai was a proper scholar and a respected figure in Qifeng Town.

Sometimes, a person's status or position can bring them different treatment.

Just like now, everyone is on Lin Xiucai's side, and everyone thinks it's her fault.

But why?

Seeing everyone targeting Ye Xiaoxiao, Lin Xiucai, who was sitting on the ground, looked at her with a hint of pleasure and suddenly started to play the victim.

"Xiao Xiao, you said you wanted to live a life of luxury, so I buried myself in my studies. I failed the exam last year, and I told you to wait for me for three years. I'm sure I'll pass the autumn exam in three years, and I'm very confident about the spring exam and the palace exam afterwards. You want a good life, right? You will!"

Upon hearing this, the onlookers became even more convinced that Ye Xiaoxiao was a heartless, ungrateful, and fickle person, and they began pointing and gossiping about him.

Lin Xiucai was even more smug, his eyes looking at Ye Xiaoxiao as if to say, "See? Do you regret it now? The world is on the side of scholars."

Ye Xiaoxiao: Please do not insult scholars!

If you want to act, then I'll play along. If you want to distort the truth, then I'll be even more ruthless than you.

Her eyes darted around, and an idea popped into her head. Let's go for something big!

Her eyes reddened, her voice trembled with tears, and she nestled in He Jing's arms, sobbing softly, her shoulders heaving.

He Jing: ?