Chapter 14 He was being hypocritical again.

Her thoughts were like a jumbled ball of yarn, tangled together, and the various ideas that popped into Xia Li's mind were like hooked cat paws, getting more and more chaotic the more she tried to sort them out.

So she decided to end her workday early and, taking advantage of the ample time, returned to her previous residence, which she hadn't visited in quite some time. The moment she opened the door, a cloud of dust rushed out.

She has prepared for the worst.

If Ji Ling truly misunderstood the online public opinion and refused to listen to her explanation, and kicked her out of Yundingyuan in a fit of anger, then cleaning up the house now would at least give her somewhere to go and prevent her from ending up in such a sorry state.

After a flurry of activity, it was only afternoon when Xia Li finished cleaning up. She washed the dirt off her hands, changed into clean clothes, and called a car to go home.

She was filled with anxiety. When she arrived, her palms were sweating and she felt a mist of moisture on the cold handle. Fortunately, when she opened the door, the room was empty.

Xia Li breathed a slight sigh of relief and walked towards the living room. She noticed a stack of documents piled up in the center of the coffee table from afar and became somewhat curious.

As she got closer, she realized that the paper was covered with dense writing and some square-shaped items. She broke out in a cold sweat, her eyelids twitched, and she unconsciously swallowed. She slowly walked forward.

Is it a divorce agreement? Or...?

Upon closer inspection, her worries were laid bare by the clear and distinct photographs, becoming particularly striking.

Seeing the pile of photos of herself with the male celebrity on the table, along with the detailed investigation of their past interactions laid out before her, she felt utterly unfamiliar with him. Xia Li frowned, intending to pick him up and examine him closely, but her hand froze in mid-air, and she awkwardly withdrew it.

Forget it, she was somewhat resistant.

Just take a look from afar. Since Ji Ling already knows, there's no need for me to care about how he found out.

A moment later, Aunt Wang came in from the backyard. Xia Li snapped out of her daze, her eyes darting around as she pretended to be looking for something. She seemed nonchalant, but her words betrayed her. Her voice trembled, and she subconsciously asked Aunt Wang nervously, "Ji Ling is back?"

Aunt Wang nodded and pointed in a direction: "He just got back not long ago, he's in the study on the first floor."

Xia Li touched her nose guiltily after hearing this, and casually replied. Even though her hands and feet were already cold and a chill was spreading throughout her body, she still prepared to knock on the door.

In the study, Ji Ling stood by the window with one hand in his pocket, about to end a phone call.

"Mr. Ji, the information you asked me to investigate regarding Ms. Xia has been sent to you."

Ji Ling responded with a soft "hmm".

He sensed something was wrong and became suspicious when Xia Li questioned him in the car that morning.

On the day he reunited with Xia Li, he learned of Sheng Minyang's existence and that Sheng Minyang had gained Xia Li's trust. His sense of crisis instantly surged, and he immediately commissioned someone to secretly investigate and thoroughly uncover Sheng Minyang's background.

The online public opinion that is currently circulating does not match Sheng Minyang's situation. It is mostly aimed at Xia Li. He has been silently monitoring the trend of online information and refrained from interfering. Not long after, just as he expected, a video specifically targeting Xia Li was released.

He almost rushed to Xia Li's photography studio the next second to confront her and demand a satisfactory answer.

Fortunately, it was only for a moment. After regaining his senses, he immediately found someone to investigate the male celebrity's interactions with Xia Li, and at the same time arranged for someone to clean up all the negative public opinion about Xia Li. This was the best way he believed to protect Xia Li.

He tremblingly clicked on the full surveillance video. Even though he knew someone was plotting against him, the moment he received it, jealousy, resentment, and a variety of other inexplicable emotions surged into his heart, instantly robbing him of his reason.

Ji Ling's hands froze, his fingertips almost digging into his flesh. His lips trembled slightly, and hesitation and fear swirled in his pupils.

He himself requested the investigation, but now that he has received it, he dares not open it. His hand is already on the mouse, and with just a light click, the whole truth will be revealed effortlessly.

His breathing was heavy and rapid, as if someone were choking him, his brain was not getting enough oxygen and he could not breathe in the thin air.

Regardless of the outcome, act as if it never happened.

No, if Xia Li has been framed, we should help her settle the matter and give her justice.

If it were really as described in the trending searches a few days ago, and Xia Li really… He paused in thought, feeling restless and unable to catch his breath at the thought that Xia Li might have had intimate contact with other men. He knew all too well that he couldn't bear even a glance from someone else at Xia Li.

Xia Li can only be his, no matter what means he uses. Even if it's not very glamorous, at least he has achieved it. Xia Li will always be his. He will make Xia Li completely belong to him. He has plenty of time to keep her going.

In the spacious photography studio, Xia Li stood behind a fill light, adjusting the camera's display screen and focusing intently on the footage.

She is exceptionally gentle when she is serious.

This thought suddenly popped into his head, which was quite inappropriate. But it's true, no matter what Xia Li does, just standing there, she can attract his attention. Even after many years apart, her figure often appears in his dreams.

Xia Li's focused work expression lasted for several minutes in the video, during which Ji Ling watched intently.

First, she had captured my attention, and second, I was anxious about how things would develop.

He could have fast-forwarded, but he couldn't bear to.

He usually kept a competitive spirit, suppressing his desires and deliberately avoiding paying attention. Now that he had the opportunity, even if it was just a video, his greedy gaze seemed to have already pierced through the screen.

They were also afraid of those few seconds of ambiguity, which could lead to misunderstandings and cause Xia Li to be misunderstood, dragging their already deteriorating relationship into an even deeper abyss.

The video had no sound, but he could see that the male celebrity called out to Xia Li. Xia Li froze for a moment, then obediently responded and walked towards the male celebrity.

They are

What they talked about remains unknown. The next second, they were no longer face-to-face, but instead moved closer and closer, almost touching, and the exact same thing that went viral happened.

Xia Li hooked her finger around the man's Adam's apple.

Ji Ling couldn't take it anymore and immediately pressed the pause button.

Why don't we just pretend it never happened? At least Xia Li is by his side now, she's his person.

He was thinking about quitting, but he unconsciously pressed the play button again, as if possessed.

In the video, Xia Li's movements changed the instant he clicked the mouse.

She suddenly grabbed the male celebrity by the neck!

With all five fingers straining, the veins on the back of her hand bulged, and her knuckles dug deep into her fragile throat. The male artist coughed violently, then, regaining his senses, he yanked her away and slapped her fiercely.

Xia Li staggered and leaned against the wall for support.

Even though it was something from the past, Ji Ling felt extremely heartbroken, even through the screen. His brows furrowed, his teeth clenched tightly, and his body trembled slightly.

That slap felt like it hit him directly.

His eyes were sinister, and his aura was extremely low, carrying a chilling aura.

Then a girl suddenly appeared from behind the softbox, rushed forward anxiously, helped Xia Li up, and then angrily berated the male artist, kicking him hard.

Ji Ling sized up the girl supporting Xia Li. She looked somewhat familiar, but he didn't think about it too much. Apart from Xia Li, he didn't care much about anything else.

Seeing that the girl was about to fight with the male celebrity, Xia Li remained silent and pulled her away.

Black screen, playback finished.

Ji Ling's cold face was reflected on the dark computer screen. After a long period of contemplation, an unnamed anger had nowhere to be vented.

He calmed himself down and came out of the study to find Xia Li standing in the living room.

Ji Ling frowned, scrutinizing Xia Li, wondering where she had gone and why she had changed her clothes. She hadn't worn this outfit this morning.

At this moment, Xia Li was also preparing to go find Ji Ling to explain the matter online. Unfortunately, just as she was struggling with how to start the conversation, Ji Ling came out of the study.

Their eyes met briefly before they both turned away. The air seemed to freeze, pinning them to the spot. In the lingering silence, only the ticking of the grandfather clock could be heard, stretching the awkwardness further and further.

Xia Li's throat bobbed, and she could feel her voice hoarse as if it were being torn apart: "You knew everything?"

Ji Ling asked knowingly, "Know what?"

Xia Li turned her head and pointed to the photo in the center of the coffee table. In the photo, she was openly hooking the Adam's apple of a strange man, which was very ambiguous.

Ji Ling stood still, glanced at it from afar, then looked away without answering.

Humans are an extremely complex species. Everyone expresses their feelings differently. If emotions are not conveyed properly, misunderstandings and conflicts can easily arise. Just like Xia Li, who could not fathom Ji Ling's thoughts, could only smile bitterly, raise her eyes, and, as if making up her mind, boldly asked, "Did you settle this?"

Xia Li hoped he wouldn't pretend to be ignorant, she thought.

Ji Ling snorted softly, crossed his arms over his chest, and turned his head to avoid eye contact. He was about to respond, but after thinking about it, he decided to be too proud to answer: "I won't help you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that Xia Li's question was a question, implying that Xia Li had never regarded him as her first choice or her first reliance. Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little suffocated, and even his breathing felt oppressive.

Then she added, "If I don't help you, who are you going to rely on? The pretty boy in the video? Sheng Minyang? Or some other man?"

His words revealed a jealousy he himself was unaware of. He feared she was seeing someone else, while he was empty-handed and had nothing but a marriage contract, with no leverage to keep her by his side.

Xia Li, however, could not discern the intimate thoughts he was hiding.

Xia Li knew that Sheng Minyang was an obstacle between them, and every time something involved Sheng Minyang, there would inevitably be an argument.

She didn't want to say more. She raised her lowered eyes, revealing a glimmer of hope, the only light in them: "You'll listen to my explanation, won't you?"

Ji Ling raised his chin slightly, a fleeting tremor flashing in his eyes, his heart melting as well. But the words that came out of his mouth were against his will: "What do I need you to explain? What does it have to do with me? It's best if no more explosive news comes out. I can't guarantee I won't do something."

Xia Li smiled wryly: "No, it won't happen."

Because this is something that simply cannot exist.

No one else could ever enter her life like Ji Ling. And the suspicion between her and Ji Ling had reached a point where even fabricated rumors could easily destabilize their already fragile relationship.

She gave up on explaining. Misunderstandings piled up, so one more wouldn't make a difference. Given the current situation, even if she explained things beautifully without any evidence, Ji Ling probably wouldn't believe her. Instead, he would think she was cunning and calculating.

Ji Ling, however, did not think so. At this moment, he deeply regretted the words he had blurted out in his jealousy. He stood there for a long time, racking his brains to think of what to do.

He was waiting for Xia Li's explanation.

Although the results were the same, Xia Li's personal explanation to him and his own investigation were completely different concepts. The former proved that Xia Li cared about their relationship and about him, while the latter only showed that he was deluding himself and being wishful.

He believed Xia Li, but Xia Li really didn't explain anymore.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He coldly said to Xia Li, "Starting tomorrow, don't go to work."

A note from the author:

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