Chapter 259 A scheme

Chapter 259 A scheme　　Shen Li who was waiting for Fang Chi and Xiao Hua with others, witnessed a shocking scene when Xiao Hua returned with Fang Chi. The sight should have been quite normal if not for what Xiao Hua was dragging behind him. Shocked, Shen Li rubbed his eyes, and when he saw that Xiao Hua was indeed dragging a woman behind him, he couldn't help the sense of foreboding that rose in his heart, this mer- just what did he do in just half an hour?

When he turned to look at Chen Mi and Ye Liu, the two shared the same bemused look with him then without waiting for Fang Chi and Xiao Hua to walk over to them, the three rushed towards the two. 

" Xiao Hua, what happened?" Normally, Shen Li would have politely called Xiao Hua, Brother Xiao and patiently asked him if there was anything wrong with him but right now, he was too agitated to even think. Oh dear the woman was even bleeding and because Xiao Hua dragged her hair like he was dragging a rice sack, her entire appearance was messy, she looked so scary while bleeding and looking like that and what's more, everyone was looking at them with those strange gazes that were making him uncomfortable.

Xiao Hua shrugged and casually placed the hand which was holding to the other end of the rope on his hip while using the other to point at the woman who he was dragging around, "this woman just sneaked inside the mers restroom and tried to open the doors of the cubicles one after another, I and brother Fang caught her while she was doing this and took care of her, lest she tried to harm any mer who was just doing his business." 

He didn't mention that the woman was trying to open the door to Fang Chi's cubicle, because he knew that even the smallest possible thing can ruin a mer's reputation so rather than saying the truth outright, he said it with a twist. 

His voice wasn't loud and everyone who was looking at them heard what he said, those people who were disgruntled earlier and discussing about how mers were getting out of control and women should pay proper attention to their mers lest they became unruly choked and their faces turned purple. They shot Xiao Hua an annoyed look that he returned graciously with a smile, not looking bothered at all. 

Humph. They were still too fresh to fight with him, when he was in the tavern he used to fight every day for his pride compared to that, this was just child play to him.

The women all understood that though petite and dainty Xiao Hua wasn't as easy to deal with as he looked, so they all looked away and walked out of the circle that was surrounding the five of them, some lost their interest when they heard that it wasn't the mer who were in trouble and some just left altogether since they didn't want to get involved with such a messy thing.

Only a few women stayed behind but that was only because they were interested in how this situation would play out and not to mention they were indeed quite bored watching and doing the same thing, again and again, every day. This was something new and intriguing, a few mers beating up a woman, how can they miss such an opportunity?

Shen Li didn't know what was playing in the head of the women who stayed behind, his entire attention was on the woman whom Xiao Hua has caught, though Xiao Hua didn't say it outright. He understood what he meant, it wasn't some unlucky mers that this woman was targeting, but Fang Chi who was soon going to be their family member, his expression turned dark. If today something happened to Fang Chi, then they would have never been able to raise their heads in front of Yu Dong.

No matter how this engagement came through, the fact stayed that Fang Chi was Yu Dong's fiancé and they were the ones who took him out today, if anything befell on him while he was with them, then not only will Fang Chi lose his reputation even they would be called names.

The entire village and maybe even Grandma Fang would think that there was something wrong with them, and maybe they were the ones who did something like this to Fang Chi- just thinking about it made his heart go cold, thankfully, Xiao Hua caught the culprit or else, they wouldn't have been able to wash themselves even of they jumped down the yellow river right in front of everyone. 

Yu Dong would have trusted them but she wouldn't have been able to fight just everyone. 

Similar, to Shen Li, Ye Liu and Chen Mi's expressions were also not good. They were looking at the woman with reddened eyes as if they were looking at their enemy. Such a terrible scheme, just who came up with it? If things escalated then they would have to kill themselves to prove their innocence, what kind of horrible person was behind this?

They didn't have a feud with just Fang Chi but them also!! Since, when did they offend such a scheming person?

"Take her to Yamen," said Shen Li, his expression terrible, the matter wasn't small and neither was it simple they could have lost their lives one by one because of this scheme.  Even if Yu Dong trusted them the villagers wouldn't have let them go and they themselves would have been guilty throughout.

——

The five of them took the woman to the yamen who returned to consciousness the second, she was hit by the Yamen officer. But she insisted that Fang Chi was the one who deliberately seduced her by moving around with that shameless wriggle of his hips, she even blamed him for being dressed too lightly. 

And to make matter worse the yamen officers were partial, though they didn't say anything outright they seemed to have agreed with what the woman said and even fined Fang Chi for his ways. On the surface, they said it was for causing harm to that woman's face but their leer told them that just like the woman they thought that Fang Chi was a promiscuous mer.