The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 838 - 837: Zhao Yun Defends His Comrade

Hearing Dong Jiao speak like that, Xu Yuting and the others deeply concurred.

"To buy an air conditioner worth tens of thousands just like that, it seems NBA players really do have a good deal. Ren Jingshu’s life is too good. Before, she had the Commander looking out for her, and now she has this wealthy boyfriend who dotes on her."

Dong Jiao sneered, "He’s fresh on her now, so of course he’s good to her. Wait until he’s tired of her, he’ll kick her aside like trash. These athletic types, with their messy private lives, not one of them is decent."

"That’s true. He’s abroad. She doesn’t know what he’s up to; maybe he’s already given her several green hats."

The conversation gradually veered off.

As for Ren Jingshu having an NBA player as a boyfriend, everyone went from envy to schadenfreude.

Downstairs in the rehearsal room.

After watching Ren Jingshu practice her dance for a while, Zhao Yun turned and headed outside, dialing a number on his mobile phone.

The noon performance went very smoothly.

The boss was generous, not only providing a separate table for the dance troupe but also giving each person a red envelope with twenty yuan.

After eating, the rest of the dance troupe took the minibus back, while Ren Jingshu took a taxi with Zhao Yun.

Waiting for the taxi took some time, and by the time Ren Jingshu returned to the troupe, she could hear a noisy disturbance coming from the office far away, with quite a crowd gathered outside the office door.

She wasn’t someone who reveled in gossip; she turned and headed towards the changing room right away.

She had classes in the afternoon at school and had to rush back.

After changing her clothes and removing her makeup, Ren Jingshu took the performance costume back to the wardrobe room to return it. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Coming out of the wardrobe room, she ran into Dong Jiao and several others head-on.

Dong Jiao’s face was as cold as ice, her eyes filled with hatred when looking at her.

Xu Yuting and the others had red-rimmed eyes, a look of grievance and anger on their faces.

"Ren Jingshu, you really are something!"

Dong Jiao’s words were abrupt, and Ren Jingshu did not intend to pay attention, but the other party stubbornly blocked her way.

"Just because we used your rehearsal room, Commander Si actually dismissed all of us. He’s obviously favoring you—could it be that you have something going on with him?"

Slap!

Ren Jingshu sent a slap straight across.

Dong Jiao was caught off guard and took a solid hit, but she laughed rather than getting angry, "What, did I hit a nerve, and now you’re lashing out in embarrassment? Tell me, if your boyfriend knew that beneath your pure exterior, you’re actually a slut that everyone can get a piece of, what would he do?"

Ren Jingshu looked at her opponent, "Dong Jiao, you really are incorrigible, still so fond of spreading rumors."

"What rumor have I spread? You have no special relationship with Commander Si; if you didn’t take some advantage of him, why would he care so much about you?"

"Jingshu!"

Turning her head, she saw Zhao Yun striding toward her, and Dong Jiao’s face suddenly showed a malicious smile.

Guessing the other party’s vile intentions, Ren Jingshu’s expression turned cold.

As expected, once Zhao Yun got close, Dong Jiao took the lead in "exposing" the "improper relationship" between Ren Jingshu and Commander Si Weijian.

After she finished speaking, Xu Yuting and the others also testified, confirming that Commander Si Weijian had always given "special attention" to Ren Jingshu.

They thought that after hearing these things, Zhao Yun would be angry and confront Ren Jingshu, but Zhao Yun looked at them with a mocking gaze.

"I’m telling you few, being ugly is one thing, but to also be dumb and poisonous, it looks like my decision to fire you was the right one."

Dong Jiao and her group were baffled.

Although they were indeed dismissed from the troupe, what did it have to do with Zhao Yun?

Ren Jingshu, however, seemed to guess something, her eyes flashing with astonishment as she looked at Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun crossed his arms over his chest, a playful expression on his face, "You all are so curious, so today I’ll satisfy your curiosity. Not only am I Jingshu’s boyfriend, but I’m also the silent owner of the dance troupe. The decision to dismiss you was mine, and the reason is simple: I won’t allow anyone to bully Jingshu."

"I bought this dance troupe so Jingshu could dance in peace. The lot of you have been fed and nurtured by the troupe all this time, all thanks to Jingshu’s fortune. Not only are you ungrateful, but you also dared to bully her. Where do you get the nerve?"

Dong Jiao and the others looked at each other, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

"Psh, keep bragging. Commander Si founded and has run the dance troupe all along, what’s it got to do with you?"

"Exactly, do you think we’ll believe whatever you say just because Commander Si isn’t here?"

Zhao Yun didn’t bother with more words and directly took out his phone to call Si Weijian.

"Boss Zhao, what can I do for you?"

Hearing the familiar voice over the phone, Dong Jiao couldn’t help but call out, "Commander Si?"

"Dong Jiao?"

"Commander Si, this Mr. Zhao says he’s the owner of the dance troupe, is it true?"

"Ah, yes, I’ve never told you all, but Mr. Zhao acquired the dance troupe the year before last. I’m just an employee now."

Knowing that Zhao Yun really was the true owner of the dance troupe, Dong Jiao and the others’ faces turned as colorful as a palette knocked over.

Dong Jiao, being proud and competitive, saw that she had no chance of winning and promptly turned to leave.

But Xu Yuting and others couldn’t bear to give up their jobs in the dance troupe. They apologized one after another to Ren Jingshu, asking for forgiveness and hoping they could stay.

With the others from the troupe pleading on their behalf, Ren Jingshu agreed to give Xu Yuting and the others one more chance.

With Dong Jiao gone, Xu Yuting and the rest were but fair-weather friends, posing no threat to her.

On the other hand, she considered that if Xu Yuting and the rest were to leave, they would have to recruit and train new members, which would be time-consuming and laborious. And who was to say there wouldn’t be another Dong Jiao among the newcomers?

All things considered, it was better to keep Xu Yuting and the others.

...

"Jingshu, are you angry?"

After leaving the dance troupe, Zhao Yun had been waiting for Ren Jingshu to ask him about buying the dance troupe, but Ren Jingshu had been silent the whole time, prompting him to lose his patience and take the initiative to explain:

"I didn’t mean to keep it from you; I just wanted you to be able to dance wholeheartedly and do what you love."

Ren Jingshu stopped walking, looking up at him earnestly, "I’m not angry, nor do I blame you for not telling me sooner. I naively thought I’d gotten to where I am on my own, but now I know it was you helping me from behind."

"Jingshu, I did all this just so you wouldn’t have to suffer too much. I can’t be by your side all the time, so this is the only thing I can do."

Ren Jingshu was noncommittal, "I’m going back to school for class."

"I’ll come with you."

"No need."

Ren Jingshu turned and flagged down a taxi, saying to him, "You’re rarely in the Capital, let Ziheng show you around instead. I’m a bit tired today; after class, I’m going back to rest."

Watching the taxi drive away, Zhao Yun stood in place feeling gloomy for a while, then he also flagged down a taxi and headed to Pei Ziheng’s place.

He had just arrived at Pei Ziheng’s residence when Dai Yu showed up.

But Dai Yu didn’t come alone; he brought Wen Bingdong with him.

Upon learning that Zhao Yun had just returned from abroad to visit his family and was an NBA player, Wen Bingdong grandly decided to take Zhao Yun out to experience the Capital’s nightlife.