"County Magistrate, be careful!"
Xu Lu's eyes were filled with terror. She hadn't expected her usually gentle and refined husband to suddenly become so violent.
He even had a knife and was going to attack County Magistrate Qin!
It's over!
It's completely over!
If Chen Shuo really stabbed County Magistrate Qin, not only would Chen Shuo be finished, but she herself would be finished, and even County Magistrate Qin would be finished.
The reason was simple!
Chen Shuo was her husband, and she was County Magistrate Qin's subordinate.
If a female subordinate's husband stabbed her superior, even if the truth were revealed, the mere rumors would be enough to end the careers of both Qin Mu and Xu Lu.
The consequences of a damaged reputation are something most people can't bear.
Of course, Chen Shuo's fate was the least controversial; stabbing a sitting county magistrate was a grave offense.
"Bang!"
"You little punk!"
"Is that all you've got? You think you can kill me?"
Just as Xu Lu was lost in thought, Qin Mu kicked Chen Shuo in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
The kick was incredibly powerful; how could Chen Shuo, someone who sat in an office all day, possibly withstand it?
Thank goodness!
Xu Lu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Qin Mu was alright!
There was still room for things to calm down!
As for Chen Shuo lying on the ground, Xu Lu temporarily ignored him.
After all, as long as Chen Shuo wasn't dead, what did a little injury matter?
"County Chief Qin, are you alright?"
Xu Lu quickly stepped forward and asked with concern, "Please go back to your office. Leave things here to me!"
Her thinking was simple: get County Chief Qin out of here, then she could have a proper talk with Chen Shuo. If they couldn't reach an agreement, so be it; Chen Shuo wouldn't kill his own wife.
If they couldn't communicate, they could always get a divorce.
It was different with County Chief Qin here. Chen Shuo would only blame all the problems on him.
However, Xu Lu's actions enraged Chen Shuo again.
That damned woman!
Caring about this third party right in front of him?
Completely disregarding his life?
She really doesn't respect him!
If that's how it is, then they'll die together!
Chen Shuo's mind was already twisted. Now, enraged again by Xu Lu's behavior, he grabbed his knife and charged forward, intending to kill both Qin Mu and Xu Lu.
"Watch out!"
Qin Mu reacted quickly, immediately noticing Chen Shuo's actions. He grabbed Xu Lu's collar, pulling her behind him while he shielded her, kicking Chen Shuo away again.
"Thump!"
"Ah!"
The heavy impact sent Chen Shuo sprawling to the ground with a scream, writhing in pain.
The physical pain was nothing compared to the fact that he'd caught a glimpse of his wife hiding behind Qin Mu.
At that moment, he felt like a heinous villain, while Qin Mu had become the hero protecting the beautiful woman!
Why?
He was Xu Lu's husband, and Qin Mu was the third party!
"Are you alright?"
Qin Mu turned to Xu Lu, whose face was pale, and asked casually.
"N-no... I'm fine..."
Xu Lu was indeed dazed; she was confused. How had things gotten to this point?
Something seemed off!
Shouldn't Qin Mu and he have been trying to persuade Chen Shuo to reconcile?
How come they'd already started fighting before they even finished talking?
And every move was potentially fatal!
"You two adulterers, you just wait!"
"This isn't over!"
"I won't let you get away with this!"
…
Chen Shuo struggled to his feet, hurling a vicious remark before turning and leaving.
Because in his mind, Qin Mu had only called him over to show off!
He wanted to demonstrate to Xu Lu how powerful and skilled Qin Mu was!
And Chen Shuo had become a mere backdrop, someone else's stepping stone!
"I'm so stupid!"
"Why did I come to Huaining County, only to be someone else's stepping stone!"
"What a piece of trash!"
Chen Shuo was filled with regret. If he had known this would happen, wouldn't it have been better to stay in Jiangzhou?
Why did he have to come to Huaining to get beaten up?
"Xu Lu, you're such a heartless woman!"
"I'm still your husband, and you actually conspired with outsiders to harm me!"
"Do you even consider me your husband anymore?"
...
Chen Shuo felt increasingly resentful and distressed.
But the other party was the county magistrate, and Chen Shuo didn't know how to retaliate against them in the short term.
He could only think of a solution slowly.
"Comrade Xu Lu, I was careless this time."
Qin Mu watched Chen Shuo's retreating figure, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and quickly turned back to apologize to Xu Lu.
"I really didn't expect your husband to have such a violent temper, grabbing a knife and stabbing someone right away. Has he always been like this?"
Qin Mu couldn't help but ask another question.
Xu Lu is such a smart and capable person, and her husband is her college classmate. Chen Shuo himself is also highly educated and able to pass the civil service exam, which is enough to show that he is also a smart person.
Since they are both smart people, how could they be so impulsive?
This is so illogical!
"He wasn't like this before!"
Xu Lu quickly said, "He used to be such a gentle person. He never lost his temper, never yelled at me, and never got into fights or conflicts with anyone. He was just a bit arrogant and aloof…"
Hearing this, Qin Mu became even more curious. A gentle person suddenly becoming so irritable must have a reason.
"Perhaps because I've been working in the Municipal Party Committee's Organization Department these past few years, I've neglected him. He wanted me to ask Minister Chen for help to transfer him out, but you know Minister Chen—upright, incorruptible, and selfless. I couldn't bring myself to ask, so I didn't agree. This time you said you were willing to help, and I thought he would definitely be happy, but…"
Xu Lu said a lot in one breath, which gave Qin Mu some insight.
"I think I know a little bit of the reason."
Qin Mu had studied psychology before, and being a man, he inevitably understood some of Chen Shuo's problems.
"What's the reason?"
Xu Lu asked quickly. She felt her husband was becoming a complete stranger, almost like a familiar stranger.
"You've been rising rapidly through the ranks in the Organization Department, while he's stuck in the Sanitation Bureau's Management Section. He asked you for help, and you refused before. As a proud and aloof person, he must have felt humiliated. This long-term psychological repression, coupled with seeing our interactions, has led to misunderstandings. Now that you've offered to help him transfer, he's probably thinking something inappropriate has happened between us..."
Qin Mu analyzed simply, "Proud and aloof people are generally stubborn and only believe what they see. So... clearing up your husband's misunderstanding will probably be quite difficult."