How Can Two Women Commit Adultery?

"What nonsense are you spouting? Which eye of yours saw me having an affair?" Lily Evans glared at Mrs. Thompson.

Mrs. Thompson snorted smugly, "The waiter at Savory House said it himself—Mr. Charles was in the same room as you! The two of you, a man and a woman, alone together for so long—who would believe nothing happened? You little hussy, let me tell you, today you won't get away with it! All these villagers saw it with their own eyes!"

"Pfft..." Lily Evans laughed so hard she could barely stand up straight, pointing at Mrs. Thompson.

Mrs. Thompson felt a chill run down her spine from Lily's laughter and stiffened her neck, "You little hussy, what are you laughing about when you're about to die?"

"Mrs. Thompson, your imagination is incredible! You missed your calling as a storyteller at the teahouse, hahaha!" Lily Evans laughed until tears nearly came out, then turned to the room and called, "Mr. Charles, did you hear that? She says we were having an affair! An affair! Hahaha!"

Mrs. Thompson lifted her chin, "All these villagers heard it! Mr. Charles is right in that room! Caught red-handed, you two aren't going anywhere!"

"Oh? Caught doing what?" From the side room, Jean Zhao walked out, linking arms with Lily Evans and standing beside her, her face full of mockery as she looked at Mrs. Thompson. "So it's you, you shrew, claiming I was having an affair with Lily?"

"What?" Mrs. Thompson's eyes widened in shock when a delicate young woman stepped out of the room. "Wait—wasn't Mr. Charles supposed to be in there? Lily and Mr. Charles having an affair!"

"I'm Mr. Charles. Mr. Charles is me." Jean Zhao glanced at Mrs. Thompson. "Go ahead, explain—how exactly do two women have an affair?"

"You're Mr. Charles? No way!" Mrs. Thompson could never have imagined that the owner of Savory House was actually a woman!

"Why would I lie to you? All the waiters and managers here know me." Jean Zhao gestured to the staff carrying dishes around them. Each one bowed respectfully and greeted her, "Mr. Charles."

Billy King and the rest of the villagers were dumbfounded. He tugged at Mrs. Thompson’s sleeve and whispered, "What’s going on? You tricked us again! How could Lily have an affair with another woman?"

Mrs. Thompson’s lips trembled. "I—I don’t know either… Mr. Charles, how—how could she be a woman!"

Billy King raised his eyebrows, "Mrs. Thompson, you didn’t even know Mr. Charles was a woman, yet you went around saying Lily was having an affair and dragged us here for an adultery accusation? So you think we’re all fools?"

Mrs. Thompson yelped and covered her face, "Enough, enough, I made a mistake, okay!?"

"You barged into my Savory House to cause trouble and slander me for having an affair, and you think a simple ‘mistake’ can settle it? I’m an honest businesswoman—my reputation matters! If you ruin it and my business suffers, can you afford to pay?" Jean Zhao’s gaze turned cold as she stared at Mrs. Thompson, who shivered and collapsed to the floor.

The manager, Zhang, stepped forward and bowed, "Mr. Charles, how should we deal with this woman? Should we tie her up and send her to the authorities for slander and defamation?"

When Mrs. Thompson heard about being sent to the authorities, her face turned pale. She sat on the ground and wailed, "Oh heavens, the big boss wants to kill me! The rich bully the poor!"

"Enough with the wailing—you’ve disrupted my business. Someone, gag her and toss her out after a good beating." Jean Zhao was not one to show mercy. At her command, several waiters stuffed a dirty rag in Mrs. Thompson’s mouth, beat her soundly, and threw her out the back door. Mrs. Thompson was left lying on the ground, unable to get up for a long while.

The rest of the villagers from Clearwater Village stood uneasily, afraid they’d be dragged into trouble too.

"Alright, you can all leave now." Jean Zhao decided to let it go, waving her hand for the villagers to leave. "I hit it off with Lily the moment we met. I’m only letting you off because of her; otherwise, I would’ve sent you all to the authorities long ago."

"Thank you, Mr. Charles! Thank you, Lily!"