Chapter 132: Chapter 130: Does Everything Have to Have a Reversal?

Zhang Wenliang couldn’t understand. Why would his senior, who clearly had such a bright future, do something like that?

She had been the student council vice president, participated in all sorts of projects, and won numerous awards. She was a genuine top student, the real deal.

Plenty of people pursued her, but she was strong and independent, with a brilliant future ahead of her.

But no one could have imagined that a beautiful, top student like her would end up with an old man.

And even have his child.

Only to be abandoned in the end...

Her reputation and good name were ruined, and basically everyone who knew her had heard about it.

In the end, she left the big city and had no choice but to return to her hometown.

But for a rural family to cultivate such a talent, how much money and effort did they have to spend?

And now, this was the outcome. Their daughter’s chances of ever soaring again were gone.

Now, the only people she was set up with were older, divorced men.

That was probably her image and status in everyone’s eyes now.

Even if she herself didn’t care, living in this world, how could you truly ignore what those around you thought, every single moment of every single day? 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

They weren’t just ordinary strangers; they were familiar strangers.

They would look down on her parents, look down on her family, and it would even affect her relatives. This was very common in the countryside.

If two families were considering a match, they would have to thoroughly investigate each other’s family and relatives. If they found even one bad thing, the engagement would be off.

A person’s life, from birth, is destined to be more than just their own affair.

No matter how much you might want to deny it, this is the reality of society, the truth of the world.

Seeing Zhang Wenliang lost in his recollections, Wen Ying offered no opinion.

She felt it wasn’t her place to comment on whether others were right or wrong. What path a person chose to walk was their own right.

"Sister Wen Ying, I think my senior is even worse off than that clothing store manager from before. At least she left a wealthy family with nothing but gained her dignity and a career. But my senior? I’m afraid even her parents think she’s a disgrace."

"And do you think she’s a disgrace?"

Seeing Wen Ying question him on the matter for the first time, Zhang Wenliang thought for a moment. He had been about to nod.

But for some reason, he felt a strange sense of unease.

"I..."

"You also think she’s a disgrace, don’t you?"

"I don’t know! I just think she shouldn’t have done it. She let down the people who raised her, and she betrayed all the knowledge she acquired!"

"So you still think she’s shameless, don’t you?" Wen Ying pressed, leaving him no room to retreat.

Zhang Wenliang thought for a moment and finally nodded.

’Being the other woman—whether from a moral or a legal standpoint—is something that deserves condemnation!’

’Knowing full well the man was married with a family, yet still getting involved with him and having his child—isn’t that humiliating?’

’Doesn’t she feel like she let down her parents after all they did to raise her?’

’Doesn’t she feel she’s brought shame upon her family?’

’Whether in real life or online, the other woman is always the target of condemnation, contempt, and even verbal abuse.’

"Then do you know if she had some unspeakable difficulties?"

Zhang Wenliang took out his phone and pulled up a news report about an award his senior had once won. It contained her resume, her photo, and her hopes for the future.

Wen Ying looked at the report, at the girl in the picture. She was indeed beautiful.

’A girl who is both a genius and beautiful would certainly attract the attention and affection of many wealthy men—and even stir their desire to conquer.’

"Sister Wen Ying, surely you don’t think what she did was right?"

Zhang Wenliang didn’t understand why Wen Ying kept asking him about this. Was it because they were both women, and she was trying to defend her?

But Sister Wen Ying wasn’t that kind of person. From what he’d seen in the past two days, Zhang Wenliang felt that Wen Ying had a very clear sense of right and wrong.

"Love? What love? A lot of people are saying she only did those things because she was after that old man’s money."

"And did she ever try to defend herself?"

Zhang Wenliang shook his head. "She was a very proud person in school. She never explained herself and didn’t care what other people thought. She would just use her actions to show everyone how outstanding she was."

"Then did any of you ever try to understand her side of the story?"

Zhang Wenliang shook his head again. "Someone heard from her roommate that she was claiming it was love, a May-December romance. Aren’t those just excuses? I think even her roommates stopped talking to her."

Wen Ying nodded, her gaze fixed on the girl’s photo.

"According to you, she was very independent in school, so she probably never told anyone about her family situation, right?"

Zhang Wenliang shook his head. "I’ve never heard anyone mention it."

"Sister Wen Ying, are you saying there’s a hidden story behind what happened?"

Zhang Wenliang looked at Wen Ying as if in a sudden moment of enlightenment.

"That’s right! Sister Wen Ying, you’re so amazing, you can probably figure it out, can’t you?"

"You want to clear her name?" Wen Ying looked at Zhang Wenliang, her eyes full of amusement. After all, just a second ago, this handsome young man was calling the girl’s behavior shameful, and now he wanted to overturn the verdict.

"I... I do. If that’s not the real story, then all of us have misunderstood her. We should apologize and restore her good name! She’s our senior, and she was once the pride of our school. I think, even if it’s late, her name must be cleared! It could even change the rest of her life!"

Wen Ying took Zhang Wenliang to drop their things off at the clinic, and then the two of them headed toward the mountain behind the town.

Aunt Zhang happened to be at the general store and saw them. Looking very pleased, she brought out two bottles of water and pressed them into Wen Ying and Zhang Wenliang’s arms. "It’s hot out now. If you’re going up the mountain to see the sights, you need to take water. Go on, go on."

Wen Ying was speechless.

After Wen Ying and Zhang Wenliang had left, Aunt Zhang watched their retreating figures with great satisfaction. "Old Zhang," she said, "don’t you think our Little Ying and that boy Wen Liang are a perfect match?"

Uncle Zhang nodded. A promising, polite, and sensible kid—everyone liked someone like that.

Zhang Wenliang was just that type. The only small drawback was that Little Ying’s school was a bit less prestigious than Wen Liang’s, but as long as the two kids genuinely liked each other, that wasn’t a problem.

"They’re a perfect couple—a talented man and a beautiful woman! No, wait, our Little Ying is talented too! Talented and beautiful! I hope they don’t do anything too improper up on that mountain. Once I confirm Wen Liang’s feelings, I’ll go to his house and talk to his parents! When Wen Liang graduates, maybe they can get married."

Aunt Zhang was lost in her own imagination, already picturing Wen Ying marrying Zhang Wenliang and even giving birth to a pair of fraternal twins.

"Alright, that’s enough! Stop daydreaming. Nothing’s even close to being settled yet! Your grandson has a parent-teacher conference today. If you don’t go now, you’ll be late."

Only then did Aunt Zhang remember, hastily grabbing her bag and rushing off.

*

Wen Ying led Zhang Wenliang toward the mountain. Seeing the path, Zhang Wenliang asked curiously, "Sister Wen Ying, are we going up the mountain? I know a shortcut, but I haven’t taken it in two or three years. Want to give it a try?"

"There are a lot of wild fruits along that path. I thought they were delicious when I was a kid. I haven’t seen them in years, so I don’t know if they’re still there."