[171: Better Than Wearing a Green Hat]

She informed Su Hanyan about the training schedule and location, which would last approximately five days, asking her to prepare toiletries and clothes to depart together.

After lunch, Su Hanyan left the factory to buy some things. Unexpectedly, at the factory gate, she ran into her elder brother, Su Jingrui.

He was registering his name as a visitor to enter the factory to find Lin Zhiquan.

Su Hanyan glanced at him but said nothing, walking straight past him. After Su Jingrui finished registering, he headed towards the factory, and the two happened to walk face to face.

"Su Hanyan!" He shouted sternly, grabbing Su Hanyan's collar roughly and pulling her against the wall, "Have you gone crazy? What did Zhiquan do to you that you're bullying her like this!"

"Let go of me!" Su Hanyan was extremely repulsed by his behavior, "If you continue like this, I'll call for help!"

"Call for help? Do you have the nerve to call for help?" Su Jingrui was so angry he could strangle her on the spot, "I went through all kinds of trouble to get Zhiquan in here, and she's been fired in less than two months! Yesterday, Zhiquan came back crying so hard she almost couldn't breathe. She said if things continue like this, our marriage is over!"

"Heh." Su Hanyan chuckled coldly twice, "If it's over, it's over. It's still better than you wearing a green hat!"

"What do you mean?" Su Jingrui frowned deeply, his eyes glaring like copper bells, "Explain yourself clearly!"

"Figure it out for yourself. Let go of me; I have things to do!"

Some things were futile to say more about; Su Jingrui had to figure it out for himself. Otherwise, no matter how much she said, it would just be a waste of breath.

"If you won't explain clearly, I won't let you go!" Su Jingrui gritted his teeth.

"Then you really won't be able to stop me." Su Hanyan's lips curled into a faint smile, "Call me 'Elder Brother Three,' hurry up and let go of me. Otherwise, I won't be polite either."

"Are you threatening me? Huh! Mom was right; you've really grown wings. Apart from Dad, you really want to be enemies with the whole family!"

"It's your fault, not mine! Stop saying useless things. Will you let go or not? If not, I'll really shout!" Su Hanyan was thoroughly disgusted with Su Jingrui. This guy seemed smart on the surface but was actually brainless. He was causing a scene in such a place, really annoying. It was time to teach him a lesson.

So, she cleared her throat and shouted loudly, "Help! Someone help me! Someone is attacking!"

The gatekeeper heard someone shouting and hurriedly ran out. His first glance was at the visitor who had just registered from outside the factory who was here to bully female workers.

He decisively called the security department and then rushed out to help.

Su Jingrui was so angry when he saw her shouting that he actually raised his hand to hit Su Hanyan. The gate security just arrived in time to stop him.

With Su Hanyan free, she took the opportunity to run out, leaving Su Jingrui alone to reason with himself.

The security department also arrived and took Su Jingrui away, directly to the factory to investigate.

No matter how Su Jingrui tried to explain, the security department refused to let him go.

"I really am her brother! Her real brother! We both have the surname Su! Otherwise, call her over and ask!" Su Jingrui explained desperately with a dry mouth.

The security department sent someone to look for Su Hanyan, but after searching for a long time, they couldn't find her; she had already left.

Su Jingrui stood blankly in place, waiting. He waited from noon until evening. The security department was about to get off work when they finally let him go.

He had originally come to pick up Lin Zhiquan. Hearing that she had come to the factory today to handle formalities and pack her things to leave, he was worried that she would be in a bad mood. So, he specially came to pick her up and even bought movie tickets and a small gift to cheer her up.

Unexpectedly, he ended up being detained until now.

[172: Caught in the Act]

He stood at the security department for the entire afternoon, not even allowed a bathroom break.

He was so frustrated, feeling both angry and resentful. Finally allowed to go relieve himself, he asked around and found out that the restroom was quite a distance away.

Su Jingrui was truly discontented. Standing in place, he looked around and spotted a small grove not far away.

Damn it all, he decided to just go solve his problem in the grove.

Since it wasn't his own workplace, he couldn't vent his frustrations there. He found a random spot to relieve himself.

Su Jingrui entered the small grove alone, casually found a tree root, unzipped his pants, and was about to urinate when he heard voices coming from within the grove.

[man ur nasty]

He immediately held it in, holding his breath to listen carefully. It was a man and a woman speaking. The voices weren't loud but still audible.

The man's voice was unfamiliar, but the woman's voice... inexplicably familiar...

"Are you really okay? You've been crying for so long..."

"Zhou Gong, I really feel wronged." Her voice sounded soft, carrying a hint of pitifulness, "I did it for her own good. You know, how much gossip can a single young girl cause by going to a married man's house? I just wanted to kindly remind her, but it turned into such trouble... I got beaten up, and now everyone misunderstands me. No matter how much I explain, it's useless... Zhou Gong, now I've lost my job, lost my friends... What should I do?"

[lmao, suddenly jingrui knows the color of his hat]

"Don't be sad. I didn't expect her to be this kind of person." Zhou Ning sighed with a heavy heart. He looked at the woman crying under the moonlight, feeling even more guilty towards her, "I've seen this woman's true face clearly now. I understand your grievances. I regret not helping you twice, letting you get beaten... Does it still hurt?"

"It hurts a lot..." Lin Zhiquan said, pointing to her cheek and then to her neck, "You see, these bruises... and here..."

As she spoke, she unbuttoned her collar, revealing her slender neck and snow-white collarbones. Above those collarbones were several red scratches...

"Do you see them?" She tearfully looked at Zhou Ning, feeling wronged, "It hurts a lot, really..."

"Does your boyfriend know about this?" Zhou Ning stared at her collarbone. Despite the injuries, it didn't diminish her beauty.

Lin Zhiquan shook her head slowly, "He doesn't know... I haven't told him. Last time, because of this incident, he was upset. He clearly trusts his sister more. We haven't seen each other in a long time and haven't spoken. I have a feeling that it's over between us."

"Are you feeling down?" he asked.

"Are you feeling down?"

Zhou Ning thought of Su Hanyan and sighed, "I used to feel down, but not anymore. Now that I see clearly, that kind of girl isn't suitable for me..."

She treated him coldly and had a temper, far less gentle than the girl in front of him.

"That's good." Lin Zhiquan wiped her tears and smiled at him, "I don't regret it either. I found a better man than him. Zhou Gong, you're much better than him. Since I met you, I realized what an outstanding man is like. I shouldn't think so much, but I can't help it. You're so dazzling, like the sun, your brilliance attracts attention. You're my role model, I admire you... I know I'm thinking too much, but I can't help it. Do you hate me?"

Zhou Ning, who had faced setbacks with Su Hanyan, found the admiration from Lin Zhiquan a refreshing feeling. He suddenly felt exceptionally outstanding in Lin Zhiquan's eyes, flawless and better than Jin Chen.

"I don't hate you." Zhou Ning smiled, his eyes revealing a burning gaze, "You're more like a girl than Su Hanyan. You're gentler, and being with you feels comfortable!"

"Thank you." Lin Zhiquan smiled with lowered head, her fair hand gently reached out to hold his hand, "Could you help me apply some medicine to my wounds? I think that way, I'll recover quickly."

Zhou Ning's heart raced, readily agreeing, "Okay."

Su Jingrui hadn't expected that he wouldn't even finish urinating before stumbling upon Lin Zhiquan seducing another man. This fiery anger, if he could swallow it down again, he wouldn't be a man!

[173: Cunning Tactics]

Su Jingrui held back his urge to urinate and rushed out, afraid of scaring away the couple. Under the moonlight, he witnessed a scene that deeply agitated him—Lin Zhiqiu had undone her collar, exposing her neck, while letting the man apply ointment to her.

The man's fingers gently caressed between her neck and collarbone. Was this really about applying ointment? Clearly, he was taking advantage under the guise of ointment application.

Burning with anger, Su Jingrui strode towards them.

Zhou Ningkai was in the midst of applying ointment to Lin Zhiqu when suddenly, he heard a crunch of dried branches underfoot. He abruptly stopped and looked up, only to see a dark figure approaching them.

"Who's there?" he asked nervously.

Seeing the situation, Lin Zhiqu hurriedly fastened her buttons. If this were discovered, Zhou Ningkai's reputation would be ruined. She no longer worked at this factory, but she couldn't let Zhou Ningkai get into trouble because of her.

"Who? I'm your ancestor!" Su Jingrui, like a powder keg, strode forward and slapped Zhou Ningkai to the ground with one big hand.

Startled, Lin Zhiqu cried out in surprise.

Seeing Su Jingrui's menacing face, her heart pounded heavily. She cautiously called out, "Su... Su Jingrui..."

Su Jingrui grabbed her clothes and pulled her towards him, his dark eyes blazing with anger. "Lin Zhiqu, what have you been doing behind my back? Do you have any respect for me?"

"Jingrui, calm down, let's talk calmly," Lin Zhiqu knew Su Jingrui's temper well. He was a streetwise guy who spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun in the alleys.

It was only to pursue her that he temporarily restrained himself from hanging out with his dubious friends.

If he really got angry, she might end up getting beaten.

"Talk calmly? How do you expect me to talk calmly?" Su Jingrui clenched his teeth, his expression fierce. "Lin Zhiqu, I've laid my heart bare for you! I like you, I want to marry you, and I believe everything you say. I've even fought with my own sister for you. And now you say I trust her more than you! It's so difficult for me just to touch you a little. We're not even married, I can't touch you. I've pursued you for so long and I haven't even kissed you once, holding your hand is like a distant dream. But when it comes to him, you unbutton your clothes, letting him look and touch. If I hadn't come out, would you have taken off your shirt and let him hold you, nibbling on you for a while?"

"Su Jingrui! Don't talk nonsense, Zhou Ningkai isn't that kind of person! We were just applying ointment..." Lin Zhiqu defended Zhou Ningkai, knowing she was embarrassed, but the more she defended Zhou Ningkai, the more grateful she felt towards him.

"Shame on you!" Su Jingrui almost spat in Lin Zhiqu's face. After all, she was the woman he had always loved, and he struggled between wanting to hit and wanting to scold her, but in the end, he couldn't bear to do it. "Lin Zhiqu, you're really cunning! When did you start liking him? Huh? Zhou Ningkai from the Technology Department? No wonder Su Hanyan was right. You really had your eye on him!"

"I knew you'd believe her!" Lin Zhiqu retorted.

"Shut up!" Su Jingrui erupted in anger. "Lin Zhiqu, you're really cunning, keeping me while hooking up with him! This move of 'riding a donkey while looking for a horse' is really clever! I'm not good enough, but he is, right? Did you even tell me it's over? Are you flirting with him behind my back?"

[174: Injured Pride]

Zhou Ningkai couldn't bear to see Lin Zhiqiu being bullied again. He got up from the ground and intended to reason with Su Jingrui, "What gives you the right to bully women? Can't you talk things out?"

Su Jingrui turned around and swung his fist at Zhou Ningkai's face once again.

Poor Zhou Ningkai had just gotten up from the ground, only to be knocked down again by the punch.

"Zhou Gong!" Lin Zhiqiu saw him being hit and quickly crouched down to help him, tears streaming down her face. "Are you okay? It's my fault, I've implicated you!"

"Zhiqiu, why are you following such a man?" Zhou Ningkai wiped the blood from his mouth, speaking roughly, "He deserves to be single!"

This sentence angered Su Jingrui.

He raised his foot and kicked Zhou Ningkai squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling on the ground unable to get up for a while.

Lin Zhiqiu was heartbroken. She stood up abruptly and slapped Su Jingrui hard across the face, scolding loudly, "Su Jingrui, you've gone too far! You resort to violence at the slightest provocation, it's outrageous! I must have been blind to think of marrying you! Now I declare our relationship over. Get lost, I never want to see you again!"

Su Jingrui was deeply shaken. It felt like a knife had been plunged into his heart hearing these words from Lin Zhiqiu, someone he had always loved. He couldn't bear it.

In a fit of impulse, he raised his hand and slapped Lin Zhiqiu hard.

A man's slap was much more forceful than a woman's, and her mouth instantly began to bleed from the impact. Lin Zhiqiu covered her face, crying out in pain.

"Lin Zhiqiu, we're completely done now. You, a woman who flirts around like this, I don't want you!" Su Jingrui spat directly at her, "Shameless, you make me sick!"

"Don't insult her!" Zhou Ningkai felt that if he didn't intervene now, he would be a coward.

So, he got up and confronted Su Jingrui head-on, and the two of them fought fiercely, causing a commotion in the small grove that didn't settle down for a while.

It wasn't until Zhou Ningkai was beaten to the point of spitting blood and unable to get up that the fight finally ended.

Lin Zhiqiu was frightened and cried non-stop. She told Zhou Ningkai, "Hang in there, I'll go get help for you! Hold on!"

She was terrified seeing Zhou Ningkai coughing up blood, fearing he might be seriously injured by Su Jingrui.

Zhou Ningkai was completely immobile now. He described it as a fight between him and Su Jingrui, but in reality, it was one-sided abuse. He was a scholar since childhood, nowhere near as experienced in fighting as Su Jingrui.

Su Jingrui looked at the man lying on the ground, moaning in pain, and snorted disdainfully, "You deserve it, you brought this on yourself!"

With that said, he suddenly felt a discomfort in his abdomen. He realized he had been holding his urge to urinate all this time.

Without further ado, he pulled down his pants and relieved himself right next to Zhou Ningkai, splashing him with urine.

[nooo, bro that's disgusting, i—]

Feeling relieved after emptying his bladder, Su Jingrui adjusted his pants and swaggered away from Zhou Ningkai.

[175: Reporting to the Police]

Zhou Ningkai was taken to the First People's Hospital. After an examination by the emergency department doctors, it was found that he had two fractured ribs, a minor concussion, multiple soft tissue bruises on his body, and he had been vomiting blood due to a mouth injury that affected his clotting function. Fortunately, there were no internal organ injuries.

The doctor called his family overnight to come and sign for surgery. After the operation, Zhou Ningkai was transferred to a hospital room and carefully nursed.

Zhou Ningkai's mother, He Sulan, was heartbroken, almost in tears. He was their only child, adopted from the Zhou family's main house. She had raised him with great effort and never scolded him once, but now he had been beaten like this.

Seeing He Sulan so upset, Lin Zhiqiu hurriedly comforted her, "Auntie, please don't cry. Ningkai will be fine. If he sees you so distressed when he wakes up, he'll feel even worse!"

"Miss, who are you?" It was only now that He Sulan noticed the girl who had been by his side since the surgery began.

"I'm his friend."

"Do you know what happened to him?" He Sulan asked anxiously.

"Yeah." Lin Zhiqiu briefly explained the situation.

He Sulan couldn't swallow this anger after hearing that her son had been beaten like this. She tightly grasped Lin Zhiqiu's hand and asked, "Where does that person live? Why did he dare to beat my son like this? I won't let him get away with it!"

"Auntie, please don't rush. Let's wait for Ningkai to wake up and see what he decides... Besides, it's already late. Please don't act impulsively."

He Sulan thought about it and nodded in agreement.

The two stayed by Zhou Ningkai's side through the night. At dawn, as the sedative's effects wore off, he woke up, and piercing pain began to assail him.

Seeing her son awake and in such pain, He Sulan's eyes were on the verge of turning red. "Ningkai, it must hurt a lot, right? Tell Mom, what happened last night? Mom will seek justice for you!"

In truth, Zhou Ningkai felt deeply embarrassed to be in this state.

But last night, Su Jingrui had urinated next to him, splashing him all over. For Zhou Ningkai, this was an utter humiliation. If he didn't resolve this grievance, he would never find peace in the latter half of his life.

"Mom, it was Su Jingrui!" Zhou Ningkai gritted his teeth. "Call the police! Arrest him! Call the police and arrest him!"

"Alright!" He Sulan nodded. "Mom will call the police right away!"

"What about Dad? Does he know?" Zhou Ningkai asked.

"He's away attending a seminar out of town. He won't be back for a while. Don't worry, as long as Mom's here, no one can hurt you!"

---

Su Hanyan received a call from the dormitory guard that someone had delivered a package for her and asked her to come down to collect it.

She hung up the phone and hurried out. She saw her elder brother, Su Jingheng, waiting outside with a large package in his arms.

She walked over and reached out both hands. "Package."

Su Jingheng handed the package to Su Hanyan and said, "Little sister, Dad made pork buns for you! They're filled with cabbage and pork. He said you love them! There are also a few jars of pickled radish made by Mom, enough to last you for a while!"

"Okay, thanks." She replied, and without further ado, turned and walked towards the factory.

She had little to say to this family.

"Wait." Su Jingheng stepped forward and said to her, "Hanyan, are you still mad at Big Brother and Sister-in-law? Your sister-in-law doesn't talk much. Don't be like her."