Professor Fang locked eyes with Director Duan.
Director Duan’s gaze was flustered.
Professor Fang’s mind buzzed.
Wasn’t it supposed to be Yu Tianlin?
How could it be her Old Duan!
Old Duan and Pan Li in the room… They were all adults; the noises earlier left no room for self-deception.
Worse, Director Duan, interrupted mid-act, had hastily ended things, his shirt buttons misaligned. As he raised his hand to adjust, a glaring red smear on his cuff—lipstick—stood out.
Even if Professor Fang wanted to make excuses for her husband, the blatant evidence was undeniable.
When had Old Duan gotten involved with Pan Li?
How could Old Duan get entangled with her!
If it was Old Duan in the room, why was Yu Tianlin’s assistant standing guard outside?
The assistant looked innocent.
He just wanted to catch some gossip.
Why was everyone glaring at him like that?
He had no idea how it felt to have gossip hit so close to home.
Professor Fang and Xu Mei had hoped to catch Yu Tianlin, only to be caught in this mortifying scene by his assistant.
Director Duan, buttoning his shirt while facing his wife head-on, was utterly dumbfounded.
Normally sharp, he couldn’t think of a better plan now, only wanting to get his wife away from the scene.
Trying to stay calm, he grabbed Professor Fang’s arm, “Aren’t you heading to the celebration? Let’s go together. I can introduce you to a couple of people. I had a meeting in Hunan and dropped by to surprise you…”
A surprise by sneaking off for an affair?
This wasn’t a surprise—it was a shock.
Professor Fang trembled with rage.
Wen Ying was right: if no outsiders were present, a man could sweet-talk his way through, make promises, and a woman, wanting to keep the family intact, might swallow her anger. But with others around, the fury doubled.
This was betrayal, trampling Professor Fang’s dignity as a woman.
With Xu Mei and Yu Tianlin’s assistant watching, her anger hit its peak.
…Blame Director Duan for crafting a “devoted husband” image. Honestly, if Xu Mei had caught Cao Bo fooling around, she wouldn’t have been surprised—Cao Bo never hid his playboy nature.
Director Duan was different. He’d always seemed upright, with no scandalous rumours over the years.
At least, Xu Mei hadn’t heard any.
And he’d always supported Professor Fang’s career.
To be caught with Pan Li, her own student, was something Xu Mei couldn’t accept.
Why her, of all people?
In that moment, Xu Mei didn’t even think about how this affected her. As a woman, she felt heartbroken for Professor Fang and loathed Pan Li.
Pan Li could no longer be her assistant.
A woman who’d betray Professor Fang could just as easily betray her.
“Fang Jie, don’t make a scene here. Don’t let people laugh at you,” Xu Mei advised kindly.
Director Duan’s eyes also pleaded. But Professor Fang, stubborn by nature, was too consumed by rage to listen.
She shook off her husband’s hand and stormed into the office.
Pan Li, still dressing, hair dishevelled, wasn’t particularly flustered seeing Professor Fang.
Sooner or later, this day would come.
She hadn’t expected it so soon, but caught she was.
Her affair with Director Duan wasn’t about being smitten and playing secret lover—it was about gaining benefits.
“You… shameless!” Professor Fang, furious and hurt, slapped Pan Li with all her might.
Pan Li didn’t cry out, just clutched her face and wept.
Professor Fang dragged her into the corridor. Director Duan, guilty and anxious, followed.
An affair on someone else’s turf was thrilling, but being caught by his wife and risking public exposure was not what he wanted.
With the celebration next door full of industry peers, getting seen would ruin him.
Fearing for his career, Director Duan softened his tone, “It’s a misunderstanding. Let me explain, it’s really a misunderstanding!”
He signalled Pan Li to leave with his eyes—her presence was only provoking Professor Fang further, making it impossible for her to calm down.
But with Professor Fang gripping her arm, Pan Li couldn’t leave.
Seeing Pan Li’s feigned fragility, Professor Fang’s blood boiled, her usual composure gone. She slapped Pan Li several more times.
Pan Li didn’t fight back, just cried and hid behind Director Duan.
Yu Tianlin’s assistant was practically gleeful watching the drama.
Looking at Xu Mei, who tried to intervene, his eyes darted mischievously.
—Brother Tianlin didn’t want to work with a newbie of her calibre, yet she shamelessly tried to spark a scandal with him for clout. She should look in the mirror!
—Compared to her, the newbie Mr. Jin’s backing is at least smart enough to suck up to him, not daring to target Brother Tianlin.
—If I can use this to push Xu Mei out, Brother Tianlin will be pleased, right?
With a plan in mind, the assistant secretly texted Yu Tianlin.
At that moment, Wen Ying’s trio returned, witnessing Professor Fang furiously beating the mistress. Their vantage point let them see the corridor’s chaos without being spotted.
The farmer and the snake story was finally playing out.
Professor Fang had once dismissed Pan Li’s family-wrecking behaviour, urging Wen Ying to forgive and forget, not to ruin her completely.
Don’t preach kindness until you’ve felt the pain!
Once an onlooker, now the victim, why wasn’t Professor Fang graciously accepting Pan Li now?
Wang Shuang devoured the gossip, whispering, “Why only hit the mistress and not the man?”
An affair takes two. If Director Duan wasn’t willing, could Pan Li have forced his trousers off?
The innocent teen couldn’t grasp a married woman’s mindset.
Wen Ying didn’t know how to explain to pure-hearted Wang Shuang—this topic was a bit beyond her, too. She didn’t fully understand some married women’s actions either.
“Maybe deal with the outside vixen first, then handle her man behind closed doors…” she ventured.
Seeing this, Xie Qian felt no schadenfreude, instead understanding Wen Ying’s earlier wish to spare Professor Fang some dignity.
Betrayed like his mother, Zou Weijun, Professor Fang was pitiable—no need to kick her when she was down.
Wang Shuang couldn’t fathom why she only hit the mistress, just as Xie Qian couldn’t understand why there were so many fools in the world. His father, Xie Jinghu, was one, and so was Director Duan!
Men who can’t control their desires will fall to them.
As if to prove Xie Qian’s point, footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor.
Director Duan’s face paled.
Yu Tianlin appeared with several others, looking shocked. “What’s going on?”
Behind him were Cao Bo, General Manager Guan, and even Director Fan.
Director Fan understood instantly.
This was awkward—no way to greet Deputy Director Duan now.
Unable to stop the fight and spotted by peers, Director Duan, speechless, turned and fled, leaving his furious wife and pitiful mistress behind.
Everyone was a gossip-hungry beast in this melon patch, united in one thought:
—Director Duan’s got no spine!
