Hearing that fiery, chili pepper-like voice, Chen Bin’s heart instantly trembled.
He sensed something was about to go terribly wrong.
He quickly got up and ran toward the sound.
Between two rows of clothing racks, Ma Juan stood with her hands on her hips, glaring wide-eyed at Zhao Xinmei.
Her puffed cheeks made her look both angry and adorably cute.
Zhao Xinmei, however, frowned slightly, staring at Ma Juan with a face full of confusion.
Ma Juan snorted coldly, raising her delicate face proudly.
"I’m Brother Bin’s girlfriend. If you’ve got any sense, you’d better..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Chen Bin rushed over and interrupted her directly.
"Are you crazy? That’s my mom!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Juan’s expression shifted instantly from anger to utter panic.
"Brother Bin, you... you’re saying this old lady—no, Aunt—is your mom?"
Zhao Xinmei also turned to Chen Bin. "This girl is your girlfriend? Why haven’t you mentioned her to me before?"
Before Chen Bin could explain, Ma Juan hurriedly grabbed Zhao Xinmei’s hand and began apologizing profusely.
"Auntie, I’m so sorry—really sorry. You look so young, I didn’t realize... I truly, deeply apologize for what I said just now."
That day, Ma Juan had planned to go shopping with her best friend. Since she was half an hour early, she sat in the rest area downstairs to wait.
She hadn’t expected to see Chen Bin walk in with Zhao Xinmei soon after.
The two looked very close, which led her to believe Zhao Xinmei was a mistress.
Not wanting to embarrass Chen Bin publicly, she seized the chance to confront Zhao Xinmei when the two separated.
She never imagined that the woman would turn out to be Chen Bin’s mother.
With a faint smile, Zhao Xinmei said in response.
"It’s fine. Come over to my house with Xiao Bin sometime, and I’ll cook for you."
Ma Juan quickly nodded and smiled sweetly, looking obedient and utterly charming—completely unlike her fiery demeanor from moments earlier.
Seeing the tension between the two ease, Chen Bin finally started grumbling to Ma Juan.
"Don’t go spouting nonsense. Who said I’m your boyfriend?"
Ma Juan, however, stubbornly snorted lightly in defiance.
"You are! Anyway, I’ve set my sights on you for life. If any other woman dares to hit on you, I swear I’ll beat her teeth out!"
Sighing, Chen Bin felt utterly speechless.
Ma Juan was only ladylike on the bed—once she left it, she transformed into a complete tomboy!
"Alright, I don’t even care to argue. Are you coming shopping with us or not?"
Without any hesitation, Ma Juan shook her head rapidly.
"Some other day. I’ve got something to handle today."
After speaking, she waved at Zhao Xinmei.
"Goodbye, Auntie! Goodbye, Brother Bin!"
On her way out, seemingly worried, she suddenly planted a bold kiss on Chen Bin’s face in front of Zhao Xinmei.
Watching her fiery figure disappear in the distance, Chen Bin couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and amused.
"Mom, she’s really not my girlfriend. She likes me, but I haven’t agreed."
Zhao Xinmei didn’t respond, only murmured an indifferent "Hmm."
And with that, they continued shopping.
Later that evening, after eating at the mall, they returned home.
After preparing medicine for Chen Bin, Zhao Xinmei quietly retreated to her room, saying nothing more about his illness.
Chen Bin thought about reconnecting, but the day’s events had been so bizarre, he didn’t dare shamelessly knock on her door.
Quietly, he dumped the medicine into the restroom and went back to his room to sleep.
The next morning, everything seemed unchanged.
Zhao Xinmei still woke up early to make breakfast.
But Chen Bin quickly noticed her eyes avoided him whenever she looked his way.
This made him feel vaguely uneasy.
Clearly, the incident with Ma Juan had affected Zhao Xinmei.
But Chen Bin didn’t know how to begin explaining.
As he wrestled with his thoughts, Qingshi County was already in an uproar.
Villagers, learning that someone had been arrested, gathered in groups of threes and fives, marching resolutely to the Tianhai Municipal Committee.
Upon hearing the news, Xie Shan immediately panicked.
He hurriedly reported the situation to Huang Ming.
Huang Ming, too, was overcome with terror. Without even scolding anyone, he immediately called Mayor Wu Liang.
Finding out about the incident, Wu Liang exploded with rage.
Screaming into the phone, he barked, "I don’t care what it takes. If you can’t resolve this properly, prepare to lose your position!"
For officials like them, public outrage was the most terrifying thing.
Handling this poorly could result in widespread changes within Tianhai City’s leadership.
By noon, dozens of people had gathered at the gates of the city government.
Each person radiated fury, clearly here to make their grievances known.
Upon learning of the gathering, Li Lu, the Municipal Party Secretary, immediately dispatched his secretary to investigate.
Once the secretary uncovered the details, Li Lu directed him to escort the detained villagers from the county police station to his office.
When the five villagers entered, Xu Tai followed closely behind.
Li Lu promptly invited the group to sit down and share what had led to their arrests.
As soon as the villagers finished speaking, Xu Tai asked a question.
"So you’re saying the people in your county are all against coal mining?"
One of the men nodded firmly.
"Mining for coal affects our health. And the elderly have always said Qingshi Mountain protects the county’s feng shui. If it’s damaged, disasters will follow. No matter what, we can’t allow something our ancestors left us to be ruined."
Frowning slightly, Li Lu probed carefully.
"Where did these rumors start?"
"At first, people just said coal mining would harm the county’s kids’ health. As for Qingshi Mountain’s feng shui, that’s what the older generations have always believed."
"But have you considered that mining coal could help develop the economy? That would bring prosperity to everyone."
"We don’t care about that. We think life here is already decent enough, and destroying Qingshi Mountain is absolutely unacceptable!"
Li Lu and Xu Tai exchanged glances, both nodding slowly.
"Alright, don’t worry. The Municipal Committee will reevaluate mining operations and provide Qingshi County with a satisfying answer. For now, ask the villagers to return home."
As the villagers departed, Xu Tai finally spoke up.
"Judging from the current situation, it seems unrealistic for Qingshi County to continue coal mining."
Li Lu nodded in agreement.
"We’re public servants. Since the locals feel so strongly, we won’t push forward."
"But Mayor Wu might not be pleased, considering he’s been backing coal mining in Qingshi County."
"He can go ahead and support it, but he must ensure the villagers are properly appeased. Incidents like today’s must never happen again."
With a sly smile, Xu Tai posed another question.
"So, what should we do about the assaults?"
"Handle it strictly! In this day and age, people who act lawlessly must be punished severely!"
"I think this matter should be passed to Wang Jun for investigation. How could a county police deputy director dare to behave this way? There must be someone pulling strings behind the scenes."
After some thought, Li Lu nodded.
He then grabbed his phone and dialed Wang Jun’s number.