No one can tolerate others speaking ill of their wife in front of them—I certainly cannot.
Especially since I deeply love my wife, I absolutely cannot stand it when others do that.
My gaze fixed on the dean before me, as if ready to burst with anger.
If he weren't my wife's superior, I would have rushed over to hit him by now.
I said, "For a school teacher, you actually say something like this? Has my wife ever offended you?"
The dean replied, "Of course. Lu Wan may look like a chaste woman on the surface, but behind the scenes, everyone knows what's really going on!"
I really couldn't understand why everyone around me spoke ill of my wife. Could it be that they all had grudges against her?
At this moment, I struggled to calm my emotions and said to the dean, "Then tell me, in what way is my wife unfaithful?"
The dean said, "Everyone at our school knows a strange man comes to see your wife every week, and they look quite close. Apart from an affair, I can't think of any other reason."
Hearing this, a stab of pain hit my heart.
I remembered what Lu Feng told me—that back in college, Lu Wan had lived with someone.
I clearly remembered Lu Wan's boyfriend in college was named Lu Feng, supposedly the school's most handsome guy.
The only reasonable explanation for why Lu Wan still remembered him so much was because of this "school heartthrob."
Seeing me silent, the dean thought he had hit a nerve. He continued, "Because Lu Wan's reputation precedes her and she's beautiful, that's why I set my sights on her. Otherwise, why would I bother making someone pester her?"
I couldn't believe these words actually came from a dean.
He went on, "I have some connections at school. If Lu Wan agrees to my request, I could find ways to get her some benefits—perhaps help her transfer posts or apply for an advanced worker award—so she wouldn't have to work so hard."
Regarding work, Lu Wan once told me that main subject teachers were always very busy.
She envied the assistant teachers the most—less pressure, less exhaustion, and decent pay.
But to become an assistant teacher, one had to have connections.
Since Lu Wan's family wasn't well-off, she naturally didn't qualify.
No wonder this guy dared to covet her—he clearly felt untouchable.
From the current situation, Lu Wan definitely hadn't agreed, or else he wouldn't resort to such underhanded tactics.
At this point, I thought Lu Wan was rather pitiful—at work, not only did she endure the dean's harassment, but other male teachers interested in her as well, and she could do little but respond gently.
Although I was unsure if my wife had actually cheated, one thing was certain: she was innocent within the school.
Hearing the dean speak so ill of my wife, I could no longer hold back and punched him right in the nose.
A man in his forties can't dodge a punch from a man in his twenties with greater agility and speed.
Blood immediately flowed from the dean's nostrils, and the disheveled female teacher nearby screamed in fright.
I said to the dean, "If you ever dare to set your sights on my wife again, don't blame me for being ruthless."
After that, I turned to leave, only to find my wife standing in the office doorway.
Maybe she had come in when I was too angry to notice, and I was caught off guard when she appeared there.
Her face looked pale. I wasn't sure if she heard what the dean said.
Perhaps those words reaching her ears would be a fatal blow.
I was about to say something, but she ignored me and turned away.
I grew anxious and hurried after her, grabbing her arm.
She became upset and said, "Let go of me!"
Knowing she was angry, I quickly said, "Honey, don't be mad. Getting upset isn't good for your health."
She turned her back and still refused to acknowledge me.
I knew my wife's personality well—she wouldn't listen to anything I said while upset.
Only after calming down could we have a proper conversation.
After a while, she said, "I know why you came to school today."
Thinking a moment, I said, "It's the weekend. I had nowhere else to go, so I thought to keep you company. Didn't expect to run into that bastard. How could I not beat him up after he said that about you? What man wouldn't?"
My wife said, "He was peacefully in his office with the door closed—why did you have to knock it open and ruin their business?"
This showed she was aware of the dean and that female teacher's situation but didn't expose it—showing she was quite clever.
She continued, "Zhao Jian, I know you love me in your heart. You came to school today because you're worried about me."
Seeing her uncover my thoughts, I felt a bit ashamed and said, "Honey, I should believe you, but it really feels like there's something wrong between us lately."
My wife looked at me and said, "That's because you've changed. My feelings for you have always been the same."
I thought carefully. It all began when I saw a figure in a red cloak at the bank entrance—someone very much like my wife.
Since then, because of mutual suspicion, she and I had grown further apart.
Actually, before that, I had always felt her enthusiasm during our intimate moments had cooled.
I thought of that tall figure and of the former school heartthrob, Lu Feng.
The school heartthrob would definitely be good-looking and well-built. Could he be Lu Feng?
If it was really Lu Feng, then all of this could be explained.
I wasn't sure how much I meant to my wife, but if she could secretly meet Lu Feng behind my back, that said a lot.
So I believed my wife was still lying.
Seeing my silence, she said, "Zhao Jian, don't make trouble for me. Go home early. I'll talk with you properly tonight. I have to go teach now—the students are waiting!"
I curiously asked, "But I saw no one in the classroom."
She said, "Are you stupid? The education department explicitly forbids make-up classes. But some of my students are underperforming, so I have to tutor them. I can't do it in the classroom or at home—it's too small—so I let them use the small conference room."
I remembered my own school days, where teachers focused on good students and rarely bothered with bad ones.
But my wife was the opposite—she tutored the underachievers and let the good students rest.
In the year-plus we had been married, I knew my wife worked hard but never earned any excellence awards.
Maybe her approach to work was flawed.
She said, "Enough, I really have to get to class."
After speaking, she headed toward the conference room.
I stood there dazed, not even knowing what I was thinking.
After a while, my phone rang.
I picked it up and saw that it was Gu Xiaofei calling.
As Gu Xiaofei and I grew closer, she had become a benefactor in my life, so I dared not offend her in the slightest.
I answered cautiously and said, "Sister Xiaofei, is there something you need?"
Gu Xiaofei smiled and said, "Of course. Why else would I call you if there was nothing?"
I frowned and asked, "So what is it?"
She said, "I heard you signed a procurement contract with Shen Minhong. Is that true?"
This woman was quite well-informed. It must have been Shen Minhong who told her.
Although they acted like good sisters on the surface, they harbored their own agendas. Business is a world of interests.
I said, "Yes, that's true, but I don't know how Shen Minhong found out I'm now the sales manager at Xingchang."
Gu Xiaofei said, "You guessed right. It was me who told her. And that contract—the one I arranged."
Hearing this, I was shocked, unsure why she would do that.
Her main goal now was clearly to absorb Xingchang. Giving them a procurement contract would be a lifeline.
As the person who signed the contract, I had read through its main contents—it was still favorable to Xingchang.
So I was just a pawn they could use.
Gu Xiaofei continued, "The reason I called you today is to tell you that I've already investigated the school heartthrob Lu Feng from Nanzhou University. If you want the information, you can come get it."
Right now, what worried me most was my relationship issue. Without hesitation, I said, "Okay, I'm coming right now."