Chapter Eighty-Five: The Shrew

Five minutes earlier, Xue Guilan had stormed into the Education Bureau with her brother and sister. After inquiring about Zhao Lina’s department and learning from her colleagues that Zhao Lina might be in the restroom, Xue Guilan and her sister marched straight in.

Inside, Zhao Lina was on the phone with Guo Lin when she suddenly looked up to find Xue Guilan and another woman glaring at her, faces twisted with rage. Though three years had passed since they last met, the two recognized each other instantly.

Before Zhao Lina could recover from her shock, the fierce Xue Guilan swung her arm and slapped Zhao Lina hard across the face, shouting, “You shameless tramp, how dare you seduce my husband! I’ll beat you to death today!”

Without hesitation, Xue Guilan and her sister lunged at Zhao Lina, raining blows and kicks on her. Zhao Lina screamed in agony, at first trying to fight back, but she was no match for the two shrews. Within moments, she was beaten into submission, cowering in a corner of the restroom and crying out for help.

Zhao Lina’s phone had fallen to the floor but was undamaged—the call was still connected. On the other end, Guo Lin could hear the commotion, panic nearly stopping his heart. His hands trembled so much he almost dropped the phone and had to grip it tightly with both hands.

That shrew had actually tracked Zhao Lina down at the Education Bureau and assaulted her! Guo Lin hadn’t imagined his wife would go looking for Zhao Lina, let alone know where she worked. How did she find out Zhao Lina was at the Education Bureau?

Now, Guo Lin was frantic. He ached for Zhao Lina, but was even more terrified that Xue Guilan would make a scene. But it seemed she already had! What to do? What to do? Guo Lin paced anxiously at home, hearing Zhao Lina’s cries and pleas through the phone, her pain stabbing at his heart, yet there was nothing he could do. He certainly couldn’t go there in person to break up the fight, and if he called his wife to calm her down, it would likely only fuel her rage.

Guo Lin was trapped in indecision, tormented by Zhao Lina’s wails. Ultimately, he could only choose not to interfere.

Back at the scene, Zhao Lina’s colleagues heard her cries for help and tried to intervene, but were stopped at the restroom door by Xue Guilan’s brother, who cursed, “Mind your own damn business! That little hussy seduced my sister’s husband—my sister has every right to teach her a lesson. Get lost if you know what’s good for you!”

With that, no one else dared get involved. Several female colleagues gathered outside, listening anxiously, while a few male colleagues who secretly admired Zhao Lina stood at the door, pounding their chests in frustration at the revelation that their dream girl was someone else’s mistress.

The leadership of the Education Bureau soon arrived, but Xue Guilan’s eldest brother showed no respect whatsoever—he threatened anyone who tried to interfere, even pointing at the leader’s nose and unleashing a stream of abuse.

Humiliated in front of so many subordinates, the leader was furious. He summoned a squad of security guards and ordered someone to call the police.

At last, Xue Guilan and her sister, having vented their fury, paused. Zhao Lina was left battered and weeping, while Xue Guilan, triumphant, stood with hands on hips and sneered, “You’d better disappear from Haizhou, or I’ll beat you every time I see you!”

Just then, outside the door, Xue Guilan’s eldest brother was overpowered by the security guards. More guards rushed in and barked at Xue Guilan and her sister, “What do you think you’re doing, barging into the Education Bureau to beat someone up? Don’t you know assault is a crime?”

Xue Guilan, ever brazen, spat at one of the guards, “She slept with my man! It’s only right I beat her. Why do you care? Unless you’ve slept with her too?”

The guard, never having encountered such a vulgar woman, was livid. As he was about to act, Xue Guilan boldly unbuttoned two buttons on her floral blouse. “Come on, touch me if you dare! I’ll strip and scream rape!”

“You shrew…” The guard was lost for words, uncertain how to handle these two wild women. At that moment, the bureau leader glanced in and ordered the female colleagues, “Quickly, take Zhao to the hospital. And don’t let these two assailants leave—wait for the police!”

The Education Bureau was, after all, a government agency, and a serious one at that. If the perpetrators were allowed to leave unscathed after such an incident, they would be the laughingstock of the city.

Several colleagues helped Zhao Lina away, while Xue Guilan tried to drag her sister out, only to be blocked by the guards. She erupted, “I’d like to see who dares stop me! Who do you think you are?”

The one she insulted was a deputy director of the Education Bureau, overseeing all secondary schools in the city. Accustomed to deference everywhere he went, he had never been so insulted, especially in front of subordinates and security staff. His face flushed with embarrassment as he pointed at Xue Guilan, trembling with rage. “How can you be so uncivilized!”

“Oh, and you’re civilized? If your subordinates weren’t sleeping with other people’s husbands, I suppose you’d be ‘civilized’ too? By your logic, I bet you’ve slept with that little hussy as well!”

“Don’t slander me!”

“Slander? Listen, I’m just about to get my period. If I were menstruating, I’d yank out my pad and shove it in your face!”

The deputy director was dumbfounded, finally realizing that he was powerless against such a shrew. Fuming, he stomped his foot and barked to the guards, “Shut the door! Don’t let those two leave! Wait for the police!”

With that, the deputy director stormed off. Meanwhile, Xue Guilan’s brother, pinned by several guards, shouted defiantly, “My brother-in-law is the director of Xiling Coal Mine! Think twice before you cross us!”

The deputy director was incensed yet again. There were plenty of people he couldn’t afford to offend—he was only a deputy division chief, far from the top of the city’s power structure. The bureau chief, the mayor, the party secretary, provincial and ministerial leaders—those were people to fear. But the director of Xiling Coal Mine? That meant nothing. The Education Bureau was a state agency; Xiling Coal Mine was a state-owned enterprise, not even on the same level. Besides, though Xiling Coal Mine was based in Haizhou, it belonged to the Pengcheng Mining Group. What was there to be arrogant about in Haizhou?

“When the police arrive, tell the officers we expect them to handle this impartially. If not, the Education Bureau will pursue the matter to the end!”

The Education Bureau was one of the most influential departments in Haizhou, holding sway over the futures of all primary and secondary students—and by extension, their parents. Until their children entered university, no one wanted to offend the Education Bureau. The Public Security Bureau might wield more real power politically, but in practical terms, even the police were eager to curry favor with the Education Bureau. Everyone had children, everyone wanted them in good schools and classes. Even if you didn’t flatter the Education Bureau, you certainly didn’t want to make enemies.

Now, with a disturbance at the bureau and a deputy director demanding action, the police rushed over and handled the matter with utmost seriousness.

The three Xue siblings were bundled into police cars and taken to the precinct. Zhao Lina was treated at the hospital, while police officers hurried to collect a medical report for the injury assessment.

Back home, Guo Lin was a bundle of nerves, frantically calling in favors until he finally reached someone at the Chengzhong District Police Station. But as soon as the station chief heard he was trying to plead for the assailants, he refused outright.

Assaulting someone in a government agency and verbally abusing state officials—especially with the deputy director of the Education Bureau personally demanding accountability—was not something the police would dare to smooth over.

Guo Lin was now truly beside himself with fury at Xue Guilan. This woman was always more trouble than she was worth. It was one thing to make a scene at home, but now she’d caused an uproar at the Education Bureau. If word got out, he would be utterly ruined.

Even Li Mu hadn’t foreseen that Xue Guilan would be so reckless. He’d directed Zhao Kang to expose Zhao Lina, intending to spark internal conflict between the couple and put Guo Lin under siege from all sides. But he had assumed that for the sake of her husband’s safety, Xue Guilan would keep things private and take it out on Guo Lin at home. Yet by that afternoon, local forums and chatrooms in Haizhou were already buzzing with eyewitness accounts, and the farce at the Education Bureau had exploded online.

Now the real uproar had begun.