Chapter 568: Chapter 559: The Stepmother Who Refuses to Be a Stepping Stone 47
Seventh Uncle Li shouted through the village loudspeaker, and it wasnât long before many people gathered from the village committee.
Once Li Zhifang, Wang Baozhu, Li Baolai, and Zhang Fengfeng had all arrived, Seventh Uncle Li cleared his throat: "Today, I have gathered everyone here because thereâs something we need to discuss."
Once the crowd fell silent, Seventh Uncle Li asked Anning to come forward.
After Anning stepped forward, she scanned the crowd and directly confronted Wang Baozhu: "Wang Baozhu, I have something to ask you today."
Seeing Anning filled Wang Baozhu with extra animosity as if seeing her nemesis: "You still have the face to come, you... you have done such disgraceful things..."
Before she could finish, Anning slapped her across the face, leaving five finger marks on Wang Baozhuâs delicate cheek.
Seeing this, Li Zhifang felt distressed and came forward to defend Wang Baozhu.
Li Baolai grabbed Li Zhifang while Zhang Fengfeng held onto his arm to stop him from getting closer.
Anning coldly stared at Wang Baozhu: "I ask you, when did you arrive in Provincial City?"
Wang Baozhu was actually feeling guilty, but then thought that Anning was just a rural woman, who like most others, only knew hard labor and couldnât even dress up properly; she wouldnât know anything about photo editing, so she brazenly responded: "June 5th, why?"
Anning immediately turned and asked a few women: "To your knowledge, when did Wang Baozhu return from Provincial City?"
Actually, few people remembered clearly: "Perhaps the 7th."
Anning smiled: "Wang Baozhu, do you dare to take out the photos and let everyone see?"
Wang Baozhu snorted: "Why wouldnât I? Iâm just afraid that someone wonât have the face to be seen once the photos are out."
Anning didnât waste time arguing with Wang Baozhu, instead she asked someone to retrieve the photos from Li Zhifangâs house.
At that moment, Zhang Fengfeng stepped up: "Iâll get them."
After she was told where the photos were, she quickly went and brought them back.
Anning pointed at the photos and asked Wang Baozhu: "Are these the photos you secretly took during those two days in Provincial City?"
Wang Baozhu nodded: "Yes."
Anning just laughed, showing a photo to the crowd: "Everyone knows what the weather was like on the 5th, 6th, and 7th, right?"
Seeing no one speak up, Anning continued: "Those days were extremely hot; the weather forecasts reported 39 degrees Celsius. Yet, this man in the photos is obviously outdoors but wearing a thick suit, and his face doesnât even have a single drop of sweat. Do you think thatâs possible? Is there anyone who can wear a suit in such high temperatures and not sweat at all? Is that even possible for a human?"
Having Anning pointed it out, everyone indeed agreed.
Anning further pointed out a few leaves in the photo: "Look at these leaves again; do they look like theyâre from the summer?"
A few people came together to discuss: "No, they look like they are from spring. I have this type of tree at home; the leaves are much larger in the summer."
Anning then showed another photo: "The background of this photo is a famous bathing center in Provincial City. Itâs membership-based, and Iâve only heard about it. Itâs not easy for ordinary people to get in. How was Wang Baozhu, a woman, able to enter?"
She took out another photo: "And this photo, the background obviously isnât the Provincial City. How did Wang Baozhu manage to travel to another place within a couple of days to take a photo of me?"
As she pointed out each flaw in the photos, she sneered coldly: "I might be a country woman, but over the years, I have continuously learned and managed businesses with Li Zhifang in cities and Provincial City. Iâve been there not once or twice; I know well enough, these photos are clearly fabricated by Wang Baozhu."
As soon as Anning said this, the crowd burst into an uproar.
Many people began discussing, isnât it true, those photos do not seem like they were taken in one season, and many details just donât align. Initially, nobody looked into it closely or thought much about it, just assuming the people in the photos were Anning and some man. Driven by certain hidden motives, rumors began to spread wildly. Now that Anning has pointed it out, everyone starts to think, something is definitely not right. How could Wang Baozhu get her hands on photos of Anning with another man?
Does Wang Baozhu truly have that capability?
Also, the fact that Anning had supposedly been with so many men in just two or three days is definitely not right.
Furthermore, even if Anning were with other men, it would certainly be very secretive. How could Wang Baozhu possibly know about it, and not only know but also take so many photos?
If she had spent year or half a year to collect these photos, that might be normal, but in just two or three days? Thatâs not right.
"Youâre talking nonsense."
Wang Baozhu was afraid inside, but still put on a calm facade to accuse Anning: "You clearly did something shameless, and now youâre trying to argue..."
Li Zhifang also looked at Anning with a face full of disappointment: "I didnât expect you to be this kind of person."
He had just spoken when Li Baolai slapped him.
Anning looked at Wang Baozhu: "Who really did the shameless deed, everyone has an idea in their heart. Who could be more shameless than you? You abandoned your husband and child in the past, everyone knows about it. What, just because you are filthy, you want to drag everyone down into the mud with you?"
While speaking, Anning also took out a stack of photos from her bag: "I have some photos here as well, everyone please have a look."
She spread out the photos, and the villagers came over to look and passed them among each other.
In the photos were Wang Baozhu and various men in intimate poses. Not only Wang Baozhu, but also other members of the Wang family, there were Wang Baozhuâs brothers hugging other women, and Wang Baozhuâs sisters-in-law with other men.
When everyone had seen the photos and gathered around discussing, Anning said with a smile: "These photos were photoshopped by me last night. How about it, they look more real than the ones Wang Baozhu made, clearer right? Let me tell you all, the technology to photoshop has been around for a while. Think about those TV dramas about immortals, all those Somersault Clouds, flying and escaping, Transformation Techniques, arenât they all made up? Nowadays in the Provincial City there are people who specialize in photoshopping for others. As long as you pay, they can photoshop anything for you, even putting a person together with a pig."
"Ah?"
Someone exclaimed: "Is such a thing really possible?"
Anning nodded: "What? Should I make one for you?"
That person hurriedly waved his hands: "No need, no need, I was just asking, just asking."
"Anyone who doesnât believe it, I can take his picture and it can be photoshopped by tomorrow into many unspeakable things about him. Anyone want to try?"
Anning asked loudly.
Not a single person dared to say they wanted to try.
Anning collected the photos, and borrowed a lighter from Uncle Qi, then burned the photos in front of everyone.
"Wang Baozhu framed me, I donât know what kind of mindset drove her, I have retreated to such an extent, yet she is still relentless against me. If I were not strong, I might have been ruined by her already."
Anning was burning the photos while talking to some villagers standing beside her, her voice choking.
"If I were as petty as Wang Baozhu, I could also photoshop many photos of her and her family members. I could make these photos known to our town and the surrounding villages. But Wang Baozhu is unscrupulous, I, Geng Anning, cannot be unrighteous. I know too well how devastating such photos could be for a person, especially for a woman. Wang Baozhu wronged me, yet I canât resort to such vile methods to harm people."
Anning wiped her tears, and only stood up after watching the photos burn completely: "I, Geng Anning, walk upright and sit squarely. I only made these photos to prove my innocence, because this was something done by Wang Baozhu, so I photoshopped her and her maternal familyâs pictures. Those who spread rumors and slander about me, I havenât held them accountable. I am a mother, and I know many who spread those words are mothers too. I donât look at anything else, for the sake of the children, I canât do such things."
Her words made most people lower their heads in shame, not daring to speak.
Many faces turned red, feeling guilty towards Anning.
Wang Baozhu, being harshly retorted by Anning, couldnât even lift her head, but her hatred deepened even more.