Chapter 53: Su He’s Public Apology on the Radio
At this moment, a crowd began gathering after hearing the commotion. Su He instantly transformed into a pitiful, delicate little white rabbit — the very image of a helpless victim.
Some people recognized Lin Bo and began pointing and whispering.
“That Lin Bo always plays heroes in the movies, but who knew he’d do something so disgraceful in real life!”
“You really can’t judge a book by its cover. My daughter even idolized him — turns out he’s just a wolf in sheep’s clothing!”
“Molesting someone in broad daylight? He’s got some nerve! If her second uncle hadn’t shown up, who knows what might have happened!”
…
Lin Bo was nearly seething with rage.
Su He was absolutely shameless!
He had only wanted to give her a small gift to win her favor, yet she not only had someone beat him up but also accused him of being a pervert!
If he’d known she’d turn it into this mess, he might as well have taken her by force. At least she wouldn’t be chirping like this afterward.
At that point, someone had already gone to report it to the police.
Soon, Lin Bo, Su He, and Su Yongshi were all taken to the local station.
After a round of questioning and statements, the final conclusion was that it was all a misunderstanding.
Lin Bo sneered, “If it’s just a misunderstanding, what about my injuries? I demand an apology and full reimbursement of my medical expenses!”
Su Yongshi instinctively looked at Su He. He thought to himself — Girl, he was only pursuing you romantically. Why the hell did you scream “pervert”? Now you’ve brought trouble on yourself!
Now that the truth was out, how were they supposed to clean up this mess?
Su He looked thoroughly ashamed as she said to the officers at the station:
“It seems I really did misunderstand. As long as there’s a hospital receipt, I’ll cover the entire cost. And tomorrow, I’ll issue a public apology to Comrade Lin Bo to restore his reputation.”
The officers saw that Su He had a sincere attitude, and since Lin Bo agreed to settle privately, the three of them were released.
Lin Bo felt smug — This little brat really thought she had the upper hand, huh? Chickened out in the end, didn’t she?
Just wait — when she shows up at the county troupe tomorrow, I’ll slap her then sweet-talk her. She won’t be able to resist me!
*
On the way home, Su He ran into Qian Huifang.
“Xiao He, I heard something happened? What was it?”
Su He’s eyes instantly reddened.
“Aunt Qian, I told you before — Lin Bo had been making inappropriate remarks to me. Today, he cornered me again and said some nasty things. He even tried to touch me. Luckily, my second uncle happened to pass by, so I had him beat Lin Bo up.”
“Things escalated to the police station, and I had no choice but to agree to pay for his medical expenses and issue a public apology.”
Qian Huifang was livid.
“Unbelievable! He harassed you first — why the hell should you apologize?! I’m going to the station to demand justice!”
Su He tugged her arm.
“Aunt Qian, I’m in the right morally, but it was still wrong to use violence. The police handled it fairly.”
“It’s just an apology. Next time, I’ll be smarter and avoid him altogether. I’m just worried people might start gossiping about me. If that happens, I’ll need you to speak up for me!”
“Don’t worry! If anyone dares to smear your name, I’ll be the first to shut them down!”
Qian Huifang comforted her a bit more and even offered to accompany her to the county theater for the apology, but Su He politely declined.
*
Back home, Cao Hongmei was pacing nervously.
Once Su Yongshi explained what had happened, she finally understood why Su He had asked her to spread rumors.
She was quicker on the uptake than Su Yongshi and asked Su He:
“Could it be… Lin Bo was sent by Shen Ruyi?”
Su He was indeed very attractive, but Lin Bo wasn’t some nobody — there was no reason for him to act so obsessively… unless he was sent.
Seeing Su He nod, Cao Hongmei was both angry and scared.
Angry at Shen Ruyi’s two-faced betrayal, and scared because Shen Ruyi was far too scheming and venomous.
Su He reassured her.
“It’s alright. If soldiers come, we’ll deal with them with generals. If water comes, we’ll use earth to block it. We’ll adapt to whatever trick they throw next.”
Cao Hongmei sighed. That was really all they could do.
“Xiao He, are you really going to the theater tomorrow to apologize to Lin Bo?”
Su He gave a half-smile.
“Why would I go to the theater? If I’m making a public apology, I’m going to the county radio station so everyone can hear it.”
Cao Hongmei and Su Yongshi were stunned.
The county radio station?!
Most people would try to hide such shameful matters — why on earth would she broadcast it for all to hear?
Besides, the radio station wasn’t their personal playground. Who said she could just go use it for an apology?
Even their textile factory’s director didn’t have the privilege of speaking on the air.
Su He didn’t explain further. She simply took out paper and pen, wrote something down, and then went to sleep.
Su Yongshi and Cao Hongmei were dying to peek at what she had written, but didn’t have the guts to snoop.
*
The next morning, Su He went to the County Women’s Federation.
With her work ID from the Huaihua Commune, she was let in after registering.
When she met with Sister Zheng from the Women’s Federation, she immediately teared up.
“I’m Su Yufen’s niece, Su He. If it weren’t for the Women’s Federation, my aunt would still be suffering.”
“Although my uncle and aunt already sent a thank-you letter, I felt it still didn’t fully express our gratitude or the achievements of women’s work.”
“So I pulled several all-nighters to write this news report. I was originally going to submit it directly to the provincial newspaper, but I thought it’d be better to have you review it first. Sorry to trouble you!”
Sister Zheng read it over and nodded approvingly.
The article was full of heartfelt emotion and in tune with the national climate. Aside from a few typos, there were no major issues.
Sister Zheng circled the errors with a pen and encouraged her:
“Comrade Xiao Su, if you keep studying hard, you’ll improve a lot more in the future.”
Su He blushed, slightly embarrassed.
“Yes, I’ll definitely work hard! Sister Zheng, since it takes time for the provincial paper to review submissions, how about we first broadcast this on our county radio station today?”
People are naturally vain, and Sister Zheng was no exception.
After a moment of hesitation, she agreed.
She called the radio station and said:
“There was supposed to be a music program at noon. We’ll replace it with your article. Go over there quickly!”
Su He nodded enthusiastically.
“Also, can I share my thoughts after reading the article aloud?”
Sister Zheng didn’t think it was a big deal and agreed.
“Sure! Just be mindful of what you say. Don’t go overboard.”
She had full confidence in Su He — the article alone showed she was a deeply conscientious young comrade.
Su He thanked her and left.
Of course, the typos were intentional — she had to give the leader a chance to “correct” something!
*
Su He then bought some candies and sunflower seeds from the State-owned Mall before heading to the broadcast station.
Although it was her first time there, her naturally charming personality quickly won over the staff.
After familiarizing herself with the process, she waited patiently for her time slot.
*
At the county theater, Lin Bo, with two swollen red eyes, was bragging loudly:
“Yesterday, Su He tried to seduce me. When I rejected her, she got her uncle to threaten me.”
“Then she cried wolf and accused me of being a pervert — ridiculous!”
“But once we got to the station and the truth came out, she chickened out and promised to apologize at the theater today!”
“I bet that last time with Zhao Bin, she was the one who seduced him too, then turned around and acted all innocent!”
“Still, I’m not the type to hold a grudge. If she shows sincerity, I’ll let it go. She’s just a girl — I’ll save her some dignity.”
…
Just then, the loudspeaker in the theater crackled to life:
*“Now broadcasting: Huaihua Commune’s Comrade Su He with her news report, ‘Ideological Work Blooms, Women’s Federation Bears Fruit.’”
