Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s-Chapter 473 - 458 What does she count for (2)

Ji Qin carried a bag of Blossoming Youth skincare products and some expensive fruit supplements and finally arrived at the Hua Family, standing in front of Hua Jun. She bent over slightly, her face plastered with a sycophantic smile. "Prosecutor Hua, thank you for rescuing me. Such great kindness is beyond repayment, so you must accept these things. This is a token of my gratitude."

Hua Jun gestured for her to put the items down and raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased. "I rescued you?"

Ji Qin immediately nodded, "Yes!"

"Boss Ji, you’ve got it wrong." Hua Jun looked at her with a straight face, "It’s because you didn’t commit any crimes, and the police, understanding and reasonable, released you. It wasn’t me who rescued you."

Hua Jun emphasized lightly, "I’ve never saved you."

"Right, right, right!" Ji Qin nodded repeatedly, bowing and scraping as if Hua Jun’s words were the absolute truth. "I promise to behave well from now on, study hard, and never let anyone slander me or catch me slipping again."

Only then did Hua Jun’s expression ease slightly.

Ji Qin took the opportunity to flatter, "I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman as Prosecutor Hua. May I ask what skincare products you use? This is our Blossoming Youth rose moisturizing lotion, which has both whitening and hydrating properties. If Prosecutor Hua uses it, you’ll definitely look several years younger!"

"You’re too kind," Hua Jun replied.

Ji Qin quickly shook her head and said enthusiastically, "Not at all! I’m Hua Shao’s friend, and I treat Prosecutor Hua like my own elder sister."

After Ji Qin left, Hua Jun’s beautiful face immediately turned cold.

Her lips curled into a disdainful smirk as she reached for the skincare products on the table and tossed them directly into the trash can, muttering, "Who does she think she is!" Coming in with such an obsequious attitude, as if her intentions weren’t obvious to anyone! Rural merchants like her are all the same—so greedy and shameless!

She looked at the skincare products in the trash can with disgust. That low-grade skincare product, who would even use it? And sister? Who’s her sister? Younger-looking? As if! She’s obviously older!

"She really isn’t worth much," Hua Zifeng leisurely descended the stairs and said with a smirk, "But she’s dumb and exploitable. Sis, don’t act like you’ve suffered some huge loss here."

"Shut up, Hua Zifeng!"

"Oh, come now, don’t get angry. Getting angry makes you look older."

Hua Jun took a deep breath. "What’s the situation on the front lines?"

Hua Zifeng sat on the sofa, crossing his legs casually. "The donations from both Tian Sangsang and me have been delivered. But the situation isn’t great—some gains, some losses."

Hua Jun paused, her heart heavy with concern. She made a mental note to find a time to visit Ye Binyi. With her son on the frontlines, it was only natural for a mother to worry.

**

The incident of Ji Qin being taken to the station wasn’t widely known and didn’t spread, so it didn’t stir much trouble. Ji Qin continued running her Blossoming Youth store. Although business wasn’t as good as Tian Sangsang’s, it was passable. Some uninformed customers still went to Ji Qin’s store to make purchases.

Tian Sangsang kept an eye on Ji Qin’s actions, but Ji Qin seemed to have genuinely calmed down a lot. She spent her days behaving honestly, without causing any trouble.

Life moved along, filled with writing scripts, taking care of her pregnancy, and managing her store. Slowly, at some point, gossip started circulating on the street.

"Have you heard? The boss of Yi Pin Xiang Ju, Tian Sangsang, was kicked out by her husband for cheating."

"Cheating? Tian Sangsang looks so young. She’s married?"

"Of course! Not only is she married, but she also has a son. The little boy she used to carry around, that’s her son. And she’s pregnant again now."

"Then why did she cheat?"

"That’s not something you should say casually."

"We all know what kind of person Tian Sangsang is. She’s beautiful, gentle, and sells amazingly trustworthy products. I really love using her stuff."

"Look, I’m just repeating what I heard. And anyway, products and character are two separate things."

"After her husband kicked her out, she’s been living in a courtyard house. Her neighbor often visits her home, staying for long periods. Who knows what’s going on between them? And have you watched *Lushan Love*? She starred in that. She was already married during the filming of *Lushan Love.* Her husband’s family found her behavior completely unacceptable and hasn’t acknowledged her since. What kind of married woman acts so liberated?"

"But she’s pregnant!"

"Maybe the kid’s not even her husband’s, which is why she got kicked out. If the baby were her husband’s, she’d have no reason to stay away from her family’s home."

"No wonder she’s heavily pregnant but her husband’s nowhere to be seen."

"So that’s what happened."

"I can’t believe Tian Sangsang is that kind of person."

Tian Sangsang, of course, had caught wind of some of these rumors. The talk was unpleasant, and if left unchecked, it could ruin her reputation and drag her store down with it.

She lived a proper and respectable life every day. Her attire was somewhat fashionable, but her demeanor was always proper. At the shop, she managed accounts; at home, she kept to herself. Interactions with neighbors were limited to polite nods and friendly exchanges. Zhao Chun helped her with cooking every day—he even had a key to her house. He made meals, ate, cleaned up, then left, never staying overnight. There was no gossip among the neighbors, yet rumors had arisen anyway.

She couldn’t help but suspect that someone might be intentionally fueling these rumors. But why? What was the purpose of starting such talk?

One time, Zhao Chun heard some rumors on his way to Yi Pin Xiang Ju. He was so mad that after dinner that same day, he immediately told Tian Sangsang about it.

He and Tian Sangsang were truly just clean, platonic friends!

Tian Sangsang wasn’t unconcerned, but being anxious wouldn’t solve anything. Should she jump out and refute the rumors? That wouldn’t work—nobody would believe her anyway. On the contrary, they’d think she was making excuses.

She ate a bayberry, chewing it slowly. "Don’t be in such a rush. Getting anxious won’t help. Let them talk. Gossip is just nonsense spread by uninformed people. As long as the people around us trust us, that’s all that matters."

"How can you let this slide?" Zhao Chun’s face turned red with frustration. "You’re a married woman! If you let them keep talking, your reputation will be ruined. Yanyan and the child you’re carrying now—they’ll both grow up being judged by others!"

"Was I..." His voice lowered, and his dark eyes fixed on her. "Was I the one who caused this? Maybe I shouldn’t have been coming by your house every day." He had never considered the issue of societal judgment before. The glare of social norms was so irritating. They hadn’t done anything wrong—why should they care what people said?

But it was different now. Tian Sangsang was a pregnant woman. His intent had been good: to take care of her as a friend. Yet he hadn’t expected it to invite such malicious talk.

Tian Sangsang furrowed her brows on purpose, looking at him sideways. "I say, you’re not trying to use this as an excuse to stop cooking for me, are you? What a conveniently timed excuse."

"No, no!" Zhao Chun hastily denied it.