Chapter Fifty: The "Public Trial"

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Kang Ning rested his injured right arm and lounged comfortably in the bathtub, soaking in hot water. His gaze drifted once more to the set of pink lace lingerie hanging conspicuously on the slanted stainless steel rack above, its prominence impossible to ignore. Shaking his head, he let out a long sigh.

Carefully, Kang Ning stood and stepped out of the tub, taking a large bath towel from the rack with one hand and drying the droplets from his body. Only after he was completely dry did he realize he had no clean clothes to change into. Looking around, he found nothing but the owner’s pink lace lingerie, a few towels of various sizes, and his own dirty clothes.

He knew the three women had bought him new clothes, and after some thought, decided it was better to ask directly rather than be awkward about it. Wrapping the large towel around his waist, he walked to the heavy white wooden door and opened it a crack. “Excuse me, is there any clean clothing?”

The three women had already noticed Kang Ning didn’t bring the new clothes they’d bought into the bathroom and had been waiting for this very moment. At his inquiry and seeing the door open just a sliver, they all burst into hearty laughter.

Lu Jing, sensing Kang Ning’s embarrassment and ignoring Zheng Yi and Qu Mengmeng’s protests, grabbed the prepared Adidas tracksuit, walked to the bathroom door, and handed it through the gap. She then returned to the sofa and said to the other two, “Don’t go too far. He may have a good temper, but if we scare him, he might never come out again.”

Though Zheng Yi and Qu Mengmeng felt their fun wasn’t over, Lu Jing’s words struck home, and they reluctantly stopped teasing, turning their attention to the silver-gray suit set with shirt and tie they’d also bought for Kang Ning, appraising it once more.

Inside the bathroom, Kang Ning dressed, blow-drying his hair while pondering the new clothes. He was keenly aware of the value of the outfit—even the branded T-shirt and boxer shorts beneath were not cheap. The entire ensemble fit him perfectly, neither loose nor tight, and spoke volumes of the women’s care and attention. He felt a rare warmth of friendship, even if Zheng Yi and Qu Mengmeng enjoyed teasing him. Having studied psychology, Kang Ning understood the subtle dynamics and knew how to handle it.

Once he finished tidying up, Kang Ning opened the bathroom door to step out, only to find a brand new pair of Adidas sneakers and white socks from the same brand neatly arranged on the floor. He looked up at the three women with gratitude before sitting on the white leather stool by the door, wiping his feet and changing shoes.

As Kang Ning strolled over, the three women were momentarily stunned. In the past, Kang Ning had always been neatly dressed, but his simple clothes and slightly disheveled appearance had never left much impression. Now, the fitted athletic wear accentuated his upright, athletic build, and beneath his flowing hair, his handsome, resolute face shone with a quiet charm. When they saw his slightly smiling, sensuous lips and the gratitude in his deep-set eyes, the hearts of all three women skipped a beat.

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Face flushed, Kang Ning walked over and sat on the sofa, murmuring a soft “thank you” before picking up the teacup prepared for him and taking a sip. Examining the tea leaves in his cup, he set it down and nodded in praise, “Excellent tea! The finest Junshan Silver Needle—quite rare.”

The three women snapped back to reality, a bit flustered, but Lu Jing regained her composure first, brushing a lock of hair from her forehead as she asked in surprise, “How did you know it was Junshan’s best? Do you drink tea often?”

Kang Ning realized his slip and smiled lightly. “My father is in the habit of drinking tea, so I picked up a few things from him. Did I get it wrong?”

“Junshan’s finest isn’t something most people would be willing to drink. Seems your family must be quite well-off,” Zheng Yi remarked, eyeing him with evident curiosity.

“My father is a traditional doctor, and people often bring him good tea as gifts, so I’ve had the chance to taste many kinds at home. As for the prices, I honestly have no idea,” Kang Ning replied softly.

Lu Jing’s doubts finally eased. “No wonder! I was thinking, someone who drinks tea that costs nearly a thousand yuan for just a tael shouldn’t have to work odd jobs and drift around. Your father must be a renowned physician. But why didn’t you follow in his footsteps and study medicine, instead of learning to repair cars?”

“What’s wrong with fixing cars? Every job needs someone to do it. Besides, I’ve loved mechanics since I was a kid. Fixing cars makes me happy, so that’s what I chose. You don’t need a reason to have a passion for something.” Kang Ning smiled at Lu Jing, then picked up his teacup and sipped leisurely.

Qu Mengmeng, who had been staring at Kang Ning in a daze, now spoke in surprise, “Every time I see you, I get the strangest feeling. The more I look, the more I don’t think you’re the type to do manual labor. Judging by your manners and the way you speak, you must have had a good education. How many blue-collar workers have your sort of refinement?”

“Exactly! I’ve felt the same way. Isn’t this guy hiding something from us?” Zheng Yi, clearly having noticed as well, shifted her gaze from Kang Ning and voiced her suspicions to Lu Jing and Qu Mengmeng.

Lu Jing, who had just set aside her doubts, found herself agreeing with Qu Mengmeng. Now, hearing Zheng Yi, she recalled Kang Ning’s heroic rescue of Huang Yuanqing that afternoon, and her brows drew together in contemplation.

The three women exchanged glances, nodded in perfect unison, and declared with one voice, “Put him on trial!”

At the sight of their expressions, Kang Ning inwardly cursed his luck. When he heard the words “put him on trial,” he startled instinctively.

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Setting down his cup, Kang Ning sighed in resignation, “Ladies, spare me! If the three of you put me on trial, even the strongest man would end up with a nervous breakdown.”

The three burst into laughter. Qu Mengmeng, still giggling, pressed on, “Nonsense! Tell us, which university did you attend?”

“I studied two years at an automotive technical school in Guilin,” Kang Ning replied, shaking his head.

Zheng Yi half-closed her charming eyes and sized Kang Ning up for a moment before saying, “I don’t believe that for a second! Look at your posture, your manners, your looks—no way someone with just two years of technical school could have your bearing. You’d better come clean, or don’t blame me if I resort to harsher methods!”

Kang Ning, having just taken a sip of tea, almost spat it out at Zheng Yi’s words.

He set the cup down, took a tissue to dab his lips, and looked seriously at the three women. “You win! No need for torture, I’ll confess. My family was very strict. If I so much as said a rude word, I’d get slapped. My father made me study constantly as a child, but I always loved tinkering with mechanical toys and couldn’t stick to the books, so I ended up at technical school. I have an older brother who got into university. I really have read a lot, though—‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms,’ ‘Journey to the West,’ ‘The Three Heroes and Five Gallants,’ ‘Stories of the Sui and Tang Dynasties,’ plus all the novels by Jin Yong and Qiong Yao. I read them all, and got punished by teachers more than once for it in middle school. That’s about it.”

Qu Mengmeng, barely containing her laughter at Kang Ning’s pitiful look, asked, “So you’ve read ‘The Plum in the Golden Vase’ too?”

Lu Jing and Zheng Yi, seeing Kang Ning’s crestfallen expression after his confession, burst out in laughter. Kang Ning couldn’t grasp why these three women found everything so amusing. Once their laughter finally subsided, he called out loudly, “I’m really hungry!”

Only then did Zheng Yi remember she’d already asked the maid to prepare dinner. Glancing at the glass clock atop the small bookcase, she saw it was already ten past seven. She quickly stood and invited everyone downstairs to eat, and Kang Ning finally felt a measure of relief.