Chapter 1367: Zhang Lijuan (7)

The door was opened by that face that has haunted my nightmares. Today, she wasn't disheveled; she had casually tied her hair up, looking a bit kinder than the last time.

I had prepared countless arguments to convince this woman, but her first words left me stunned.

"Who are you?" she asked.

I had to admit I never thought that when I saw her again, I'd need to introduce myself.

But how should I introduce myself?

We were strangers, after all. Was I supposed to say... I'm that "er nai"?

Seeing I didn't speak, she glanced down at my workshop uniform and seemed to piece things together, her expression changing quickly.

She cautiously stepped back, then poked her head out to check if anyone else was around, and finally asked tentatively:

"Is it you? What are you here for?"

"I... I want to..."

Before I could finish, the woman cut me off:

"Wait, come inside."

She grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room, then sat on the couch as if nothing had happened, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, and asked lightly:

"What do you want? How did you find this place? Are you here to get revenge on me?"

She cracked a seed with a "kacha."

Though her words were outrageous, she didn't seem nervous at all.

"No..." I shook my head, took a deep breath, and said, "Jie, I don't want revenge on anyone. I just have an idea..."

"Kacha."

"After you came to the workshop last time... it caused me a lot of trouble..."

"Kacha."

"My reputation is ruined, and I'm about to lose my job."

"Kacha."

"But you should know... I'm not some er nai at all. I'm only seventeen, my family are farmers, I'm just working here to earn money, and I haven't even spoken much with Fang Zhuren."

"Kacha."

"I really need this job, so I'm asking you to go to the workshop and tell everyone that you got the wrong person... that it wasn't me. That would fix everything."

"Kacha."

"Then Fang Zhuren won't fire me, and my colleagues won't keep picking on me..."

"Pei!"

After hearing what I said, the woman made a loud spitting sound, spitting the sunflower seed shells onto the table, along with a few drops of saliva.

"What are you talking about..." She threw the remaining seeds back into the dish, brushed off the fragments from her legs, and said casually, "I thought it was something serious..."

"Yes... it's, it's not a big deal..." I forced a bitter smile. "Just a few words from you would help me a lot..."

"Come sit down." She waved her hand casually, but there was nowhere else to sit except next to her.

"I'll just stand..." I said.

"How should I put this..." She went on as if to herself, "Girl, why should I help you out?"

I paused, then tried to smile and said, "Jie... this whole thing has nothing to do with me... it's you who..."

"I can privately give you a thousand yuan as an apology. Let's just leave it at that."

"What...?"

I was taken aback, as this solution was completely different from what I wanted.

"Truth be told, I'm not even sure if I hit the wrong person." She looked down at her bright red nails and started picking at them. "With your looks, you'd count as a pretty girl in your workshop, right? You don't seem like someone who's on the up and up. How can I fully believe you?"

This was the first time in my seventeen years that someone had complimented my appearance, but I felt no joy at all.

"But I know the law, girl. Hitting someone is wrong, so I'll apologize and pay up. Let's call it even."

"No... that's not..." I stammered, "What do you mean by 'not sure if you hit the wrong person'? And I'm not here for money... I just want you to clear this up. Even if you give me money, I'll still lose my job..."

"Then go to the police." She immediately changed her tune. "If you report it, they'll make me pay and apologize, and I'll cooperate fully."

"...?"

"Anyway, it's up to you. Either I give you the money and you leave, or you go to the police. It doesn't make much difference... Oh, and you can choose to take neither and not report it, if you want."

Did she even realize what she was saying?

My heart was racing, and I was shaking with anger, but what could I do?

Was I going to fight her here?

"Did you... know all along that it wasn't me?" I asked quietly.

"I told you, I'm not sure." She shook her head. "Either way, there has to be an er nai in that workshop, right?"

"You..."

"After I beat you in front of everyone, my Lao Fang settled down a lot." She stared at her fingers as she spoke. "That er nai hasn't made any moves since. So, I achieved my goal, didn't I?"

What kind of logic was this... Was this her plan?

No... no, I felt like I was getting tangled in her words...

"So what about me...?" I asked, trembling. "You've wronged me! You've had hundreds of people gossiping about me every day... Everyone around me is avoiding me... You've cost me my job... What is this?"

"Consider it a case of mistaken identity, so I'm apologizing to you." She looked up at me absentmindedly. "Listen up... 'I'm sorry.' How much money do you want?"

Seeing her eyes, I realized this was the first time she'd looked directly at me since I entered.

In my seventeen years of life, I never imagined something could be this hard.

Even with Liang Wa's congenital illness, I always felt there was a way to solve it.

But now?

It was like an invisible wall stood between us.

She couldn't empathize with me, and I couldn't understand her.

Why did everyone think this could be settled with money...?

I do need money, but if I take it... what does that make me?

Will the label on my head ever come off?

She stood up, went into the room, pulled a thousand yuan from the drawer, and tossed it on the table in front of me.

"Think it over." She sat back down and said, "Once you leave this door, I'll assume you don't want the money, and then it's no use going to anyone."

Though she kept her head down, her attitude felt incredibly arrogant.

"You're just bullying people..." I said, my voice shaking. "I'm just a worker trying to earn a living... Why are you making things hard for me?"

"Bullying?" She shook her head lightly. "Didn't I say I'd apologize and pay? How is that bullying?"

Yes, from her perspective, she wasn't bullying me, but if I took that thousand yuan, I'd lose my job and my reputation.