Chapter 255: Is It a Green Hat, a Mistress, or Something Like That?

Xia Madam's voice message, filled with concern, sank like a stone into the sea, temporarily unable to reach Xia Wan, who was trapped in the dangers of Kunlun. Yet in the increasingly vast and socially complex micro-society of the New Era, secrets rarely stay hidden long—especially when they involve the supreme leader, Qin Feng.

Although Xia Madam was introverted and disliked socializing, that brief encounter with Qin Feng at her doorstep, and Qin Feng's unusual attention to the old leather stool, had not gone unnoticed by some observant eyes.

Guanlan Yuan, as a core residential zone, had low population density; neighbors weren't overly familiar, but encounters were inevitable. Xia Madam's nervousness in front of Qin Feng, and Qin Feng's pause to touch the stool, caught the attention of certain sharp-witted residents living nearby—becoming material for whispered speculation.

Soon, embellished rumors began to spread quietly through Guanlan Yuan and even the outer residential zones.

"Did you hear? Mr. Qin personally went to Xia Gong's house a few days ago!"

"Really? Why?"

"He just stood at the door, didn't go in. But… Mr. Qin seemed especially interested in that broken stool outside Xia Gong's place—he touched it for a long time!"

"What? A stool? What's that got to do with anything?"

"It's not about the stool! It's about Mr. Qin's attitude toward Xia Gong's household! Think about it—Xia Gong is important, but not important enough for the boss to show up in person himself! And I heard Xia Gong's eldest daughter, Xia Wan, used to call Mr. Qin 'brother'!"

"Yes, yes! I heard that too! I thought I misheard at the time!"

"There's definitely something going on here… Do you think… maybe…?"

As the rumors spread, their tone gradually twisted. More vile, even malicious speculations began to fester in dark corners.

One afternoon, in a corner of a café in the residential zone, several well-dressed women—apparently wives or relatives of senior officers or researchers—gathered to chat, and the topic naturally returned to this.

"In my opinion, this isn't as simple as it seems," said a woman with curled hair and perfect makeup, lowering her voice, her face alight with the thrill of uncovering a secret. "Mr. Qin is the kind of man who's seen every luxury under the sun. Why would he suddenly care about a broken stool? I think that stool's just a cover."

"A cover? What do you mean?"

"It means the wine isn't the point—the drunkard's after something else!" The curled-haired woman sneered, her eyes gleaming with self-satisfied insight. "Think about it—Xia Gong's always at the construction site. At home, there's only Xia Madam, who has no worldly experience, and a little child. Mr. Qin suddenly shows up, fixating on an old object… Is that normal?"

She paused, her voice dropping even lower, laced with ambiguity and malice:

"Do you think… what Mr. Qin was really interested in wasn't the stool at all… but… the person?"

"The person? Xia Madam?!" Someone gasped, then quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

"Who else?" The curled-haired woman shrugged. "How old is Xia Wan? And I heard she's on assignment. The only adult woman left at home is Xia Madam… Mr. Qin is young, strong, powerful, and high-ranking—two people alone together…"

She didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear. The other women exchanged glances, their faces showing varying degrees of shock, disdain, or schadenfreude.

"Oh my god… if that's true, then Xia Gong…"

"Tsk tsk… who would've thought Xia Madam, who looks so gentle and meek, would…"

"Does this count as… what's that word again? Green…"

"Shh! Lower your voice! Don't say such nonsense without proof!"

"What proof do you need? Mr. Qin showed up at her door himself—how much clearer could it be? I bet that's exactly what happened! Xia Gong's probably wearing a green hat—and not a nice shade!"

Malicious speculation spread like poison ivy through hushed whispers. Some began to stare oddly at Xia Madam when she occasionally went out shopping, pointing and whispering behind her back.

"Look at her—acts so pure, but who knew…"

"Exactly. Always quiet and unassuming, yet her methods are impressive—she even managed to hook Mr. Qin."

"Poor Summer Engineer—working his life away outside, while at home…"

These rumors inevitably reached Summer Engineer, who was fighting at the Deep Space Mothership Construction Base.

When a familiar coworker, half-joking and half-sympathetic, subtly hinted for him to "go home more often," the straightforward, honest man froze—then his face turned instantly ashen!

He knew his wife; he refused to believe she would ever betray him. But the rumors surged so violently, even implicating Mr. Qin, filling him with rage, humiliation, and a faint sense of helplessness against a towering force.

He longed to rush home and demand answers—but feared hurting his wife, and worse, feared provoking Qin Feng…

Meanwhile, Xia Madam, alone at home with Nannan, had not directly heard the vile gossip—but from the occasional strange glances and suddenly distant attitudes of neighbors, she sensed something was wrong. Already anxious over her daughter, she now carried an unspoken burden of injustice and pressure, growing ever more haggard and silent.

A malicious rumor storm, sparked by Qin Feng's unintentional act, was quietly brewing beneath the seemingly calm surface of the New Era.

"Is it a green hat? Or a mistress? …"

This slanderous speculation, laced with insult and malice, wounded the innocent and tested the heart and morals of this emerging city-state.

Xia Wan, far away in Kunlun, knew nothing of the turmoil at home.

Qin Feng, seated at the core, paid no attention to these ant-like whispers.

But the seed of the storm had already been sown.

It waited only for a trigger to erupt fully.