Chapter 413

Chapter 413

Blaming the Victim

Lin Nannan had a keen sense for ill intentions. From the start, she knew this woman disliked her, her eyes full of clear dislike. Lin Nannan figured it was best to steer clear rather than pretend to be friendly.

The woman probably knew Lin Nannan wasn’t to be messed with, so she had never dared to show her face—until now.

Lin Nannan narrowed her eyes at her, making Zhu Xiaojin visibly uncomfortable. Still, Zhu fumbled out an excuse: "A Chun and the others went into the mountains today and gathered herbs along with some other good finds. They made a pot of mushroom soup—rich and flavorful. A Chun was busy with the child, so I thought I’d bring a bowl up to your windowsill. But I accidentally spilled it, and the bowl broke."

"When did this happen?" The excuse sounded smooth, but Lin Nannan wasn’t buying it.

"Just now. I meant to clean it up, but the child started crying, and I forgot." Zhu Xiaojin looked apologetic.

Others might’ve fallen for it, but not Lin Nannan.

Her dark eyes fixed on Zhu Xiaojin, wondering why she would want to harm her. If she had rushed upstairs carelessly, she might not have noticed the slippery mess—one misstep, and she could have fallen. Who knows what could’ve happened to her baby?

She’d fought tooth and nail to keep this baby safe. She wouldn’t tolerate anyone threatening it. Zhu Xiaojin was clearly guilty but doubling down—Lin Nannan stared her down and asked, "Where’s Niu Achun?"

With all this racket, why hadn’t she shown up?

"The child is sick. She went to buy medicine!" Zhu Xiaojin puffed up with fake confidence—after all, she was just looking after her grandchild.

"Then why didn’t you say anything?" Xiao Pei cut in, fed up. "Even if you were busy with the child, you could’ve called out. Someone in the yard would’ve pitched in."

"Exactly! You knew Nan Nan was pregnant, yet you did this. What were you really thinking?"

Lin Nannan’s friends among the army wives jumped in first, while others chimed in. Xiao Pei’s words were undeniably fair.

Everyone knew Commander Lu had personally asked them to keep an eye on Lin Nannan before he left.

Truthfully, Lin Nannan rarely needed help—she was always busy, hardly home, ate at the canteen, and handled everything else herself. Even if she didn’t do things perfectly, Lu Hang never complained, so no one else had the right to criticize. In reality, they hadn’t done much for her.

This might’ve looked like an accident, but it reeked of something worse.

Zhu Xiaojin hadn’t expected her explanation to backfire. Cornered, she lashed out, "I told you, it wasn’t on purpose! Hmph, no good deed goes unpunished. If A Chun hadn’t told me to keep an eye out, I wouldn’t have bothered bringing you soup. Besides, you’re fine now—why bully an old lady like me?"

It was a classic case of blaming the victim. But without proof, Lin Nannan couldn’t fathom her motive. She simply stated, "I won’t argue with you. But from now on, don’t come near me with any excuses. Otherwise… I don’t care how old you are. Anyone who threatens my child will regret it!"

Her sharp glare made Zhu Xiaojin shrink back. Zhu muttered under her breath, sneering, "So dramatic. Probably just some useless girl anyway."

Lin Nannan could tolerate people provoking her—but insulting her child was unforgivable.

Boy or girl, this baby was hers, and she’d love it no matter what.