Spellbound Hearts - Chapter 48 - No Fear of Losing Face

Xiao’s Mother was already stunned by the slap Ji Xuan had delivered.

Hearing Ji Xuan’s words, she froze for a good seven or eight seconds.

When she finally snapped out of it, she unleashed the full force of her rural-woman dramatics. Slapping her thighs with both hands, she dropped to the ground with a thud.

Then came the wailing.

“What did I do to deserve this? How could I end up with a daughter-in-law like this?”

“Everyone, come and see! My daughter-in-law hit her mother-in-law!”

“We’re just a poor family. It wasn’t easy for us to save up and put my son through college, the only one in the family with prospects, and now she’s ruined everything!”

“My son was so young and already a Vice President at a big company. But then she went and seduced some random man, schemed with him to frame my son, and got him fired!”

“Tell me, everyone, isn’t this woman a curse? Isn’t she heartless and cruel?”

Xiao’s Mother was nothing short of a masterful actress.

With tears and snot streaming down her face, she cried as though her very soul were being torn apart.

Her performance was so over-the-top that even in the entertainment industry, she’d be a sensation. If she didn’t win a Best Actress award, it would be clear the judging panel was rigged.

As the crowd around them began to murmur and point fingers at Ji Xuan, Wu Shu stepped forward, visibly furious. “What’s wrong with your family? Are you all insane? You-”

Before Wu Shu could finish her rant, someone in the crowd interrupted. “Young lady, you’ll be old one day too. Talking to an elder like that isn’t right, is it?”

The speaker was a man in his thirties. After his comment, he shot Wu Shu a disdainful look.

Wu Shu, being the hothead she was, was instantly enraged. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to confront the man. Fortunately, Ji Xuan reached out and stopped her just in time, preventing a full-blown disaster.

After all, Wu Shu was a Taekwondo black belt. Most people wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

Once one person spoke up, others in the crowd chimed in.

“Exactly. Everyone gets old. Bullying an elderly person like this is just too much.”

“Birds of a feather flock together, huh? First, that one slapped the old lady, and now this one wants to attack someone just for speaking up.”

“Girls these days, I tell you. No manners whatsoever.”

The onlookers’ comments came one after another.

Wu Shu glared at the speakers, so furious she didn’t even know who to argue with first. She turned to Ji Xuan, trying to push her aside. “Move.”

Ji Xuan remained calm. “Not worth it.”

With that, Ji Xuan lowered her gaze to Xiao’s Mother, who was still sitting on the ground. Her voice was cold and measured. “You just said I caused your son to lose his job, didn’t you?”

Xiao’s Mother looked up. “Yes, you did. You ruined his career.”

Ji Xuan nodded. “Since you’re so eager to make a scene, I won’t stop you. After all, it’s not my reputation on the line.”

She then turned her attention to the so-called righteous individuals in the crowd. “Would you mind calling the police? We wouldn’t want this elderly lady to suffer any injustice.”

The self-proclaimed justice warriors, eager to uphold their principles, immediately pulled out their phones to call the authorities under Ji Xuan’s steady gaze.

Seeing this, Xiao’s Mother froze. Her entire body stiffened, and her expression turned awkward.

Perhaps it was the sight of someone actually calling the police that caused the previously noisy crowd to quiet down significantly. Seeing this, Ji Xuan spoke in a calm tone, “Since the police aren’t here yet, why don’t we continue our little discussion from earlier?”

Xiao’s Mother glared at her. “What’s there to talk about, you jinx?”

Ji Xuan replied evenly, “You just said I was the reason your son Xiao Jin lost his job. But as far as I recall, wasn’t it because he was fooling around with his boss’s wife?”

The moment those words left her mouth, Xiao’s Mother’s face turned a mix of green and white. “You’re lying!”

Unfazed, Ji Xuan maintained her composure. “Whether I’m lying or not, you know better than anyone. Also, you accused me of cheating on Xiao Jin. Auntie, last week when you and Uncle were at my house, I made it crystal clear-we broke up a month ago. And the reason for the breakup? I caught him in his rental apartment, in bed with his boss’s wife.”

Xiao’s Mother’s face flushed a deep red. “You-you stop spouting nonsense!”

Ji Xuan’s tone remained steady. “Whether it’s nonsense or not, you know the truth better than anyone.”

There’s an old saying: Those who falsely accuse you often know better than anyone just how innocent you are. It’s precisely because they know the truth that they’re so adept at twisting it to smear you. In a way, you could almost call it “knowing your enemy.”

Ji Xuan’s words silenced the crowd that had been buzzing with chatter just moments ago. Even the so-called “justice warriors” from earlier began inching backward, as if terrified Ji Xuan might turn her sharp gaze on them next.

A few minutes later, a police car pulled up at the edge of the crowd. Four or five officers stepped out and pushed their way through the onlookers.

“What’s going on here?” asked the officer in charge.

It turned out to be the same officer Ji Xuan had encountered the last time she reported an incident. He paused for a moment when he saw her. “You again, young lady?”

Ji Xuan hadn’t expected to run into a familiar face either. A hint of awkwardness crossed her expression. “Sorry to trouble you again.”

The officer gave her a once-over, noting her bloodstained clothes and disheveled appearance. His brows furrowed. “What happened this time?”

Ji Xuan explained, “It’s my ex’s mother. I broke up with him a month ago because I caught him cheating-with his boss’s wife, no less. Now that he’s been fired for the affair, they’re blaming me for it.”

The officer’s expression froze for a moment. “…”