I Got Rich in Period Fiction

If one were to say that there was an element of pretense in Qiao Qingyu's previous denunciation of Zhu Mingli with Shen Fen's assistance, by this time, Qiao Qingyu's heart held nothing but guilt and gratitude.

The feeling of being supported without a hint of self-interest involved was very beautiful.

She cherished it deeply.

It must be said that, setting aside a few individual cases, people's emotions in this era were quite pure and sincere.

Shen Fen took Sister-in-law Li and the reluctant Xiao Hu out of the office.

The room quieted down once again.

After a moment of silence, Su Yunyao could no longer hold back, and with furrowed brows and an impatient tone, she said, "Qiao Qingyu, you've misunderstood Liu Qiao Wen. She was just concerned about you, nothing more. Explain to Director Lin that you were mistaken, and then retract the punishment for Liu Qiao Wen..."

Only then did Qiao Qingyu lift her eyelids and glanced at Su Yunyao, her lips curling into a faint smile, her voice crisp, "Su Yunyao, what you just said is quite amusing. If I agree, it means I'm making false accusations, if I don't agree, Liu Qiao Wen will hate me to the bone..."

Although Su Yunyao had long been aware of Qiao Qingyu's sharp tongue, she still changed color at these words.

Qiao Qingyu posed a very serious question, "Regarding Liu Qiao Wen, I will only speak to the person in charge of this matter. May I ask who here is the responsible party?"

Shen Haoze pursed his lips and said unwillingly, "It's me."

"Good, then I'll listen to how you explain it," Qiao Qingyu said.

Her demeanor was serious and solemn as she sat in the chair. Even though Shen Haoze looked down at her from above, she still felt as if she was reporting to a superior.

It was a very strange sensation.

A few breaths later, he had no choice but to pull over a chair and sit opposite Qiao Qingyu, recounting the ins and outs of the incident to her.

If he looked down, it would appear even more like he was giving a report, but meeting Qiao Qingyu's clear and piercing eyes, he suddenly didn't think this was a trivial matter anymore.

Therefore, the words he was prepared to fiercely demand that Qiao Qingyu admit she had overreacted and misunderstood Liu Qiao Wen could no longer be voiced.

"The sequence of events is as it is. Since it involved He Xiuyu's mother, although Liu Qiao Wen's approach was incorrect, her original intent was not malicious," Shen Haoze still explained with a stiff upper lip.

Qiao Qingyu remained silent, and the room fell into silence once again.

Just as Su Yunyao was about to speak, Shen Haoze gave her a slight shake of the head.

Su Yunyao had nothing to do with this matter, and her interference would only make things messier.

Su Yunyao swallowed her rising frustration, holding back what she was about to say.

Qiao Qingyu had listened very intently just now. The plot had not been fully explained earlier, leaving her to rely on her own analysis, but now it was crystal clear.

Meng Siqi despised Qiao Qingyu and wished to drive her out of the He Family, but she couldn't tell her husband or young son.

These two men were both stubborn by nature.

By chance, she learned that a temporary worker sister at the hospital was the wife of the head of the canteen at Tenghai Experimental Base.

Thus, after these two people got in touch, they hit it off immediately.

Meng Siqi, a shrewd person, didn't agree to anything specific with Liu Qiao Wen, so Liu Qiao Wen took it upon herself to volunteer, claiming she was Meng Siqi's eyes within the family compound.

She even righteously declared her stance, saying Qiao Qingyu wasn't worthy of He Xiuyu, and that she would make an effort to drive Qiao Qingyu out of the family compound, as it would be met with widespread approval...

Since it was the popular consensus, Meng Siqi readily agreed.

Next, Liu Qiao Wen took the initiative to ingratiate herself with Qiao Qingyu, constantly offering strategies and plans, coupled with the fact that the original host was arrogant and simple-minded, which led to the drama of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.

Qiao Qingyu smiled, her eyes clear as water, and looked across at Shen Haoze, asking leisurely, "Mr. Shen, I just want to know if Liu Qiao Wen's actions violated the family's confidentiality regulations?"

Shen Haoze was taken aback, "..."

Liu Qiao Wen stared fixedly at Qiao Qingyu, her heart filled with hatred, anger, and panic.

Several breaths later, Shen Haoze had no choice but to answer, "She indeed violated the regulations."

"Mr. Shen, are there corresponding punishment regulations for violating the rules?"

"Of course there are." Shen Haoze's body stiffened somewhat, and this time his gaze toward Qiao Qingyu no longer carried any emotion.

Both were smart people, and each understood what the other was saying.

So, it was only now that Shen Haoze realized how childish his behavior was, bringing Liu Qiao Wen to confront Qiao Qingyu.

Qiao Qingyu still sat without moving, "Mr. Shen, the base's regulations and punishment provisions are clearly defined; as a family member, it's not appropriate for me to comment. This matter you and Director Lin surely know how to handle."

Su Yunyao spoke bitterly, "Qiao Qingyu, don't push people too far when you have the upper hand."

"Su Yunyao, do you not understand human speech? This matter has nothing to do with personal issues, and even less to do with me, Qiao Qingyu. This is an official matter, which should be handled according to the rules and regulations. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Su Yunyao glared at Qiao Qingyu with gritted teeth, "Qiao Qingyu, how can a mud-legged person who hasn't even finished primary school be so full of grand principles?"

Shen Haoze frowned—those words were quite unpleasant.

But in front of everyone, it was difficult for him not to give Su Yunyao face.

This young lady was proud and arrogant, and her anger could have serious consequences.

Qiao Qingyu, with a smile that was not quite a smile and not at all provoked, said, "Su Yunyao, your words are both funny and ignorant. Who decreed that 'mud-legged' people don't know legal provisions and can't understand logic? My uncle can't write, but he can recite 'Thousand Character Classic' and 'Hundred Family Surnames' backward. Can you?"

Su Yunyao was speechless.

She indeed could not recite them backward; she only knew Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang.

How frustrating.

When had Qiao Qingyu become so sharp-tongued?

Her face turned livid with rage.

Then they heard Qiao Qingyu continue to speak leisurely, "From the day I met you, you've been calling me a 'mud-legged village woman.' Counting up three generations—no, just one generation—your beloved Brother Xiu Yu's family also came from 'mud-legged' origins. So who are you looking down on? Who are you insulting?"

"Qiao Qingyu, you..." Su Yunyao's face flushed red with retort.

"Alright, we should go," Shen Haoze finally realized that his actions today had been extremely foolish. His head ached a bit, and he quickly stood up to stop whatever Su Yunyao was about to say next.

He had seen clearly that in a battle of words, Su Yunyao was no match for Qiao Qingyu.

He looked deeply at Qiao Qingyu. It was only the second time he had met her, but he felt as though she was a different person.

However, since he had brought Liu Qiao Wen here, he had the responsibility to take her back.

"Comrade Qiao Qingyu, sorry to have bothered you so late..."

Qiao Qingyu smiled but didn't speak.

Liu Qiao Wen didn't dare to look at Qiao Qingyu, her head hung low as she followed behind Shen Haoze.

As they reached the door, Qiao Qingyu's unhurried voice rose from behind, bearing the clear, playful tone of a young girl from next door.

"Liu Qiao Wen, is there something you've forgotten?"

The called-out Liu Qiao Wen was frightened, pausing in her steps, and turned to look at the smiling Qiao Qingyu in panic.

After a brief silence, she hurried over.

From her pocket, she took out fifty yuan.

Five ten yuan banknotes, neat and tidy.

Holding them with both hands, she bent over and extended them to Qiao Qingyu. Perhaps to hold back the embarrassment, perhaps to contain the hatred, her voice trembled slightly.

"Qiao Qingyu, this is the fifty yuan I borrowed from you. I'm sorry it took so long to return it."