The Frail Guide Who Devoured an Entire Pollution Zone

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: How Much Is Your Character Worth?

”Xu Qingsui, I was too cowardly before, and that’s why you could always bully and torment me. But I’ve come to my senses, and from now on, I will never let you mistreat me again.”

Xu Ruming’s voice was firm and resolute, perfectly casting herself as a long-suffering victim who had suddenly awakened.

Liang Xiaoxiao, standing to the side, even gave her a gesture of encouragement, playing along with her performance.

Seeing one of them putting on an act and the other offering clueless support, Xu Qingsui laughed.

’The actress is so good it’s a shame she isn’t a professional,’ she mused. ’And the supporter is so simple-minded she’d help count the money after being sold.’

Seeing Xu Qingsui laugh out loud so brazenly, Liang Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in anger.

’How can anyone be this shameless?’ she thought. ’How can she still be laughing at a time like this?’

”Xu Qingsui, what are you laughing at? Are you trying to play dumb now that you’ve been exposed?”

Xu Qingsui shook her head with a smile. ”I’m laughing at you! I originally thought you were just a spoiled little princess, so it was normal for you to be a bit arrogant and willful. But now I see you’re just a hopelessly naive girl, coddled to the point that you’ve lost the basic ability to tell right from wrong. All you can do is be led by the nose.”

Liang Xiaoxiao was genuinely shocked that Xu Qingsui had turned on her, let alone insulted her in front of so many people.

This was the first time anyone had ever spoken to her like that, and she felt utterly humiliated.

”Xu Qingsui, you’ve gone too far! It’s one thing to show no remorse at a time like this, but to launch a personal attack against me? That really shows your character!”

Liang Xiaoxiao was, after all, just a flower raised in a greenhouse. She wanted to fire back, but after racking her brain, her retort was pathetically weak.

However, the onlookers began to defend her, and a new wave of ugly accusations reached Xu Qingsui’s ears.

”She’s so shameless. The victim herself pointed her out, but she’s still spouting nonsense. The nerve!”

”She’s clearly a repeat offender. She knows her actions are shameful and that people will call her out, so she’s mastered the art of being shameless. But she shouldn’t get too smug. Heaven is watching. She’ll get what’s coming to her.”

”I can’t listen to this anymore. People like her make me physically sick. Get her out of the safe zone! Don’t let her stand here and pollute our land.”

Listening to the various accusations, Xu Qingsui slowly narrowed her eyes.

Her smile vanished. Her face cold, she scanned the crowd and said to everyone, ”You think I was only insulting her and not all of you? Since when does one person’s word count as fact?”

”If this is the extent of all your intelligence, you should just stay home instead of coming out here and embarrassing yourselves.”

As Xu Qingsui’s furious rebuttal to the crowd rang out, even Xu Ruming’s eyes went wide.

’Is she just throwing caution to the wind?’

’Instead of explaining, she insulted everyone. How does she expect to stay here after that?’

The insulted onlookers grew furious, their resolve to drive Xu Qingsui out of the area hardening.

Some were even moved to murderous intent, thinking it would be better if a person like her just disappeared from the world.

But among all the onlookers, there was one who, instead of getting angry, actually smiled.

This person, however, was not on site, but was watching the events unfold on a phone.

Xu Ruming’s story had made Shen Yan think that the person she described was truly awful.

But unlike the others, he hadn’t automatically equated that person with Xu Qingsui.

Xu Ruming’s testimony alone didn’t prove anything.

In a proper investigation, even if there’s an eyewitness, that witness must be a third party. You’d even have to ensure they have no conflict of interest that might lead them to commit perjury.

And with Xu Ruming being one of the involved parties, her word against the other involved party was hardly enough to prove anything.

On site, the onlookers, unable to suppress their anger, began to close in on Xu Qingsui.

Faced with the mounting pressure, Xu Qingsui remained unfazed, simply placing a hand on her waist.

”Think I insulted you? Let me give you an analogy. If a murderer killed someone, then stepped forward and accused an innocent person of the crime, would the police just take their word for it? We’re both parties in this. Without concrete evidence, what does one person’s word truly prove?”

After all, there were still some among the onlookers who retained a shred of reason, and upon hearing Xu Qingsui’s words, they realized the problem with the situation.

Seeing that some people were starting to waver, Xu Ruming grew anxious. She quickly stepped forward again and declared, ”I swear on my honor—”

”Pah! You have honor? And even if you did, how much would it be worth?” Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but shoot back.

Xu Ruming froze for a second, but with so many eyes on her, she could only brace herself and continue, ”I swear that everything I just said is the truth. If I’m lying, then may I...”

”Do you dare swear this: if you were lying, you’ll run into a Mutant the second you step outside; that when you try to help someone, they’ll go berserk; that nothing you do will ever go right; and that in your next life, you’ll be reincarnated as a source of pollution.”

’The original owner of this body was bullied so horribly.’

’But the current Xu Qingsui would not let herself be pushed around.’

’Since Xu Ruming was like a persistent ghost, following her even here just to make her sick...’

’...Xu Qingsui decided she might as well get revenge for the body’s original owner at the same time.’

With just a few sentences, Xu Qingsui left Xu Ruming completely dumbfounded, the words of her oath stuck in her throat.

Seeing her blinking silently, Xu Qingsui sneered. ”Xu Ruming, did you think that just because no one here knows what you’ve done, you could turn black into white?”

”Too bad for you. You’ve only got your words, but I have actual, concrete evidence. Everyone will know exactly what happened once they see it.”

At these words, the color instantly drained from Xu Ruming’s face. Her mind raced like a computer, trying to figure out what evidence Xu Qingsui could possibly have.

The sight of Xu Qingsui’s smiling face was exceptionally jarring to her.

”Please wait a moment, everyone. I’m going to go get the evidence.”

With that, Xu Qingsui turned and went back to her room.

With one of the involved parties gone, all eyes fell back on the one who remained.

At that moment, Liang Xiaoxiao was also a bit stunned. ’Xu Qingsui went to get evidence? Could I have really gotten it wrong?’

Indignant and finding it hard to accept, Liang Xiaoxiao walked over to Xu Ruming.

”Everything you told me was true, right? You weren’t lying to me, were you? She really is that serial homewrecker, right?”

Liang Xiaoxiao’s three rapid-fire questions left Xu Ruming at a loss. She subconsciously took a few steps back.

At this point, those who’d had a moment to process everything noticed Xu Ruming’s reaction, and an answer began to form in their minds.

But Liang Xiaoxiao clearly hadn’t caught on yet. She grabbed Xu Ruming’s arm.