Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 237 Ye Xiaoman's Tears

It's Ye Xiaoman!

How could it be her? How could she be so drunk that she almost became the plaything of two blond-haired men?

Some time ago, she also visited Xindian Town and interviewed the town's nursing home.

Back then, she was capable and intelligent, a stark contrast to the woman before me, who was dead drunk and being "picked up" by two thugs.

A surge of heat rushed to my head.

"Stop right there!" Wu Zhiyuan shouted angrily.

The two blond-haired men were like hunters who had caught their prey. Seeing that someone had snatched it away, they were furious. How could they be willing to let their prey be taken away?

A blond-haired man yelled, "Where did you come from? Get out of my way! Don't get in my way!"

Another blond-haired man sized Wu Zhiyuan up and down. Seeing that he was dressed in a white shirt and casual pants, looking rather refined, he arrogantly waved the tattoo on his arm and sneered, "Kid, you want to meddle in other people's business? If you know what's good for you, get lost and don't delay me from doing what I'm doing!"

Wu Zhiyuan shouted sternly, "This is my friend! Put him down!"

"Your friend?" The blond guy on the left laughed loudly. "She said she doesn't have any friends! You think that's true? I could say she's my girlfriend!"

The blond guy on the right said arrogantly, "That's right, this girl is my girlfriend, it's none of your business!"

Get out of here right now, or I'll make you crawl out of there on your back!

These petty thugs are used to running rampant and have done plenty of dirty work like "picking up corpses." Most ordinary passersby would rather avoid them than get involved.

"I'll say it again, let her go!" Wu Zhiyuan shouted angrily.

"Damn it, you're asking for it!" The blond guy on the right had a violent temper. He let go of Ye Xiaoman's arm and threw a punch at Wu Zhiyuan's face.

However, he has met his true opponent today.

Wu Zhiyuan practiced Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) during his university years and spent two years in the national security system, so his skills are far beyond those of ordinary people.

Dealing with these two bullies who only know how to act tough is a piece of cake.

Instead of retreating, he slightly turned his body, his left hand gripping the opponent's outstretched wrist with precision, pressing down and twisting it, while his right leg quickly inserted behind the opponent's supporting leg and gently twisted it.

"Ouch!" The blond-haired man felt a sharp pain in his wrist, lost his balance, and fell with a dull thud onto the hard sidewalk, letting out a painful howl.

The other blond-haired guy was stunned, not expecting his companion to be taken down in a single move.

He roared, his voice laced with bravado but lacking any real courage: "Do you fucking know whose territory this is?"

Wu Zhiyuan said coldly, "Whose territory is this? Tell me, whose territory allows you to do such despicable things?"

The blond-haired man was intimidated by his imposing manner, and seeing the miserable state of his companion, he completely panicked, stammering and unable to speak, retreating step by step.

"Get out!" Wu Zhiyuan hissed.

The two blond-haired men, as if granted a pardon, scrambled away in disgrace.

"Zhiyuan, you're so skilled!" Lin Xue praised.

"These two blond-haired guys are only good at bullying weak women."

"Why don't you let the police arrest them?"

"Since it did not lead to serious consequences, it was difficult for the police to obtain evidence."

"Maybe when the police come, they'll claim they were doing a good deed, helping a drunk woman to the hospital."

"That's true."

Wu Zhiyuan and Lin Xue helped Ye Xiaoman up.

Ye Xiaoman's body was limp, her head resting on Wu Zhiyuan's shoulder, her warm breath carrying a strong smell of alcohol, spraying onto his neck.

"Xiaoman, wake up," Wu Zhiyuan called softly.

Ye Xiaoman opened her eyes groggily, her gaze unfocused. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she lacked the strength. In the end, she could only let out a muffled sob, and tears welled up and slid down her cheeks, wetting his shirt.

"Zhiyuan, what do we do now?" Lin Xue looked at Ye Xiaoman, who was completely drunk and unconscious, and was somewhat troubled. "We definitely can't leave her alone like this."

Wu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and said, "Let's take her to a hotel first. Get her a room and let her sober up."

Lin Xue nodded: "How about this, just take it to my hotel room, that way we can keep an eye on each other."

"Alright."

The two men helped Ye Xiaoman walk slowly toward the side of the street.

Ye Xiaoman was not light, and after getting drunk, she was unable to exert any strength, so most of her weight fell on Wu Zhiyuan.

He could clearly smell the alcohol on her hair, along with a faint scent of shampoo.

Wu Zhiyuan hailed a taxi.

After all that fuss, Ye Xiaoman regained some consciousness and mumbled incoherently.

"Why...why did you lie to me..."

"I trusted her so much...she's my best friend..."

"And you...you liar...I hate you..."

Wu Zhiyuan vaguely guessed that Ye Xiaoman must have encountered some heavy blow, and it was very likely related to her personal emotions, otherwise she wouldn't have drunk so much.

Once inside the room, the two men helped Ye Xiaoman to bed.

She lay down on the bed, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep again, still muttering something under her breath.

Lin Xue poured a glass of water and placed it on the bedside table, looking at Wu Zhiyuan: "She drank so much, she must feel unwell. Let her drink some water when she wakes up."

Wu Zhiyuan nodded, looking at Ye Xiaoman on the bed, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

During his university years, Ye Xiaoman was his dream girl.

A few years ago, Wu Zhiyuan actually had the opportunity to win over Ye Xiaoman, and Ye Xiaoman also showed her affection for him.

However, due to Lin Keke and other reasons, he had to keep his distance from her, so that when they met again, she was already a married woman.

How did she end up drinking heavily in a nightclub and almost get "picked up" while drunk?

Lin Xue murmured, "Xiaoman must have encountered an insurmountable obstacle. Alas, in one's life, there will always be setbacks and blows, some of which are fatal."

Wu Zhiyuan chimed in, "Yes."

Su Taohong's betrayal was a heavy blow to him back then.

The woman he cared about so much and cherished so much was having an affair with an older man behind his back.

After chatting about work for a while, Lin Xue suddenly asked, "Zhiyuan, have you resolved your personal life issues?"

Lin Xue's question actually touched a raw nerve.

His scars are far from healed.

Han Tingting passed away.

Lin Keke has been missing for nearly two years. Although he is unwilling to admit it, it is highly likely that he is no longer alive.

Wu Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Not for now."

Lin Xue was taken aback: "What? You didn't find a girl you liked?"

Wu Zhiyuan said ambiguously, "Perhaps it's just not meant to be."

At this moment, Ye Xiaoman on the bed let out a soft hum and slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze was somewhat unfocused as she stared blankly at the ceiling. After a long while, she slowly turned her head and saw Wu Zhiyuan and Lin Xue sitting on the sofa.

When her gaze fell on Wu Zhiyuan's face, she was stunned for a moment, then her eyes reddened and tears welled up again.

"Zhiyuan, where am I? What are you doing here?"

Ye Xiaoman also recognized Lin Xue. Because of her work, she had interviewed Lin Xue more than once. She couldn't say she was very familiar with her, but she knew her at least.

"Secretary Lin, you're here too?"

Lin Xue smiled slightly: "Reporter Ye, why did you drink so much tonight?"

Ye Xiaoman seemed confused, as if she was trying hard to recall what had happened before.

Wu Zhiyuan handed Ye Xiaoman a glass of warm water: "Xiaoman, are you awake? Have some water."

Ye Xiaoman took the water glass, but her hands trembled so badly that a lot of water spilled out.

"I... how did I get here?" She rubbed her throbbing temples, as if she remembered. "I remember... I was drinking at the Blues Bar... and then... and then..."

Her memory was fragmented; she couldn't remember anything that happened afterward.

Lin Xue whispered from the side, "Reporter Ye, you drank too much. You were almost taken away by two thugs at the bar entrance. It was Zhiyuan who saved you."

Ye Xiaoman was terrified when she heard this.

She subconsciously touched her clothes and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they were intact.

But then, as if remembering something, her eyes reddened even more, and tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.

"Thank you, Zhiyuan," she said, her voice choked with emotion.

Wu Zhiyuan felt very sad seeing her like this.

He knew that Ye Xiaoman was not someone who easily showed weakness, and for her to cry like this, she must have suffered a great injustice.

"Xiaoman, what exactly happened?" Wu Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment before asking, "If you trust me, tell me."

Ye Xiaoman lowered her head and remained silent for a while, then raised her head and looked at Wu Zhiyuan.

"My husband cheated on me. The woman he cheated with is my best friend and also my colleague at the newspaper."

"One night last week, I was away on a business trip and came home early, wanting to surprise him without telling him beforehand."

It turned out they were having an affair in bed, which was our wedding bed…”

Wu Zhiyuan was astonished.

Ye Xiaoman's experience was practically a carbon copy of his.

That night, he also came home early from a business trip, wanting to give Su Taohong a surprise, only to find that Su Taohong was cheating on him.

The only difference is that Ye Xiaoman caught her husband and that woman in bed together, while Su Taohong's lover jumped off a building and escaped.

Ye Xiaoman suddenly burst into tears.

Wu Zhiyuan and Lin Xue were at a loss for words.

For a woman, this is undoubtedly a devastating blow.

Betrayed by both her husband and best friend, no one could bear it.

No wonder she went to the bar to drown her sorrows, no wonder she drank so heavily, no wonder she was so desperate.

Wu Zhiyuan stood by the bed, looking at Ye Xiaoman who was crying bitterly, feeling a mix of emotions.

When I last saw Ye Xiaoman in Jiangzhou, she said she was married and looked very happy.

But now, the happiness they once shared has turned into a complete joke.

"I trusted them so much..." Ye Xiaoman sobbed uncontrollably, "I thought we would love each other forever, but they all lied to me..."

Lin Xue walked over, gently patted her back, and softly comforted her.

Wu Zhiyuan remained silent, but felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart.

He could empathize with Ye Xiaoman's pain; the feeling of being betrayed by a lover was more painful than being cut by a knife.

After a while, Ye Xiaoman's crying gradually subsided.

She wiped away her tears, her eyes still red and swollen, and looked at Wu Zhiyuan. "Zhiyuan, I'm so sorry you had to see this."

"Xiaoman, don't say that." Wu Zhiyuan looked at her and said seriously, "This isn't your fault. They're the ones who are wrong; they're the ones who have wronged you."

Ye Xiaoman shook her head: "It's all in the past... I won't talk about it anymore."

She paused, then looked at Wu Zhiyuan with a hint of gratitude in her eyes: "Zhiyuan, thank you so much this time."

If it weren't for you, my body would have been defiled by that scoundrel.

"Xiaoman, what a coincidence! I was accompanying Secretary Lin to see the night view of Qingshan when we bumped into each other."

At first, your long hair covered your face, but the evening breeze made it clear that it was you.

Ye Xiaoman looked at him, her eyes reddening again.

"By the way, Xiaoman, what brings you to Qingshan County?" Wu Zhiyuan changed the subject.

"I'm here for an interview. I arrived this afternoon, and I felt really down tonight, so I wanted to find a place to have a drink. I didn't expect to end up drinking so much..."

"Don't drink so much alone in the future, especially in a bar," Wu Zhiyuan said softly, looking at her. "There are all sorts of people there."

Ye Xiaoman nodded and said softly, "I understand. It won't happen again."

Silence fell over the room again.

After a while, Ye Xiaoman asked, "Which hotel is this?"

Wu Zhiyuan said, "Qingshan Hotel."

"What a coincidence, I'm also staying at this hotel," Ye Xiaoman murmured. "Zhiyuan, please take me back to my room. We shouldn't disturb Secretary Lin's rest."