Jing Min turned his head away, a clear red mark appearing on his cheek, half of his face burning hot.

He paused for a moment,

A brief moment of surprise flashed across his eyes.

But before anger could even rise, the emotions in her heart had already subtly changed—

Did she hit him?

Is she angry?

Is she...jealous?

The corners of her lips involuntarily turned up slightly.

He didn't even care about the pain on his face.

She felt a soft spot in her heart being mercilessly slapped open, creating a crack.

But before Jingmin could say anything,

Chu Wuyang had already shaken off his hand and turned to leave.

His face darkened, and with lightning speed, he pulled her into his arms.

He pulled her close, locking her slender waist in his arms, his voice low but filled with suppressed urgency.

You've misunderstood!

Chu Wuyang struggled desperately, her eyes icy cold.

"Misunderstand?"

"She's already in your bed, and you still want to deny it?"

Jingmin frowned.

"I never touched her, I didn't even see her face!"

Chu Wuyang sneered and looked up at him.

"Then how did she end up in your bed?"

He closed his eyes briefly, his fingers tightening as he suppressed the surging helplessness, but his speech unconsciously quickened.

"That woman has been drugged."

Chu Wuyang's expression changed slightly, and his brow twitched violently.

Jingmin noticed the subtle shift in her emotions and immediately continued,

"I was resting in my room when she suddenly barged in and tried to pounce on me."

"I knew something was wrong the moment I saw her, so I immediately tied her up and covered her with a blanket—"

"I was going to call someone to handle it, but then I heard a knock on the door, and just as I opened it—"

Chu Wuyang was stunned.

She turned around abruptly, her gaze falling once more on the large bed.

The raised curve under the blanket lay quietly, without making a sound.

She walked quickly over and lifted the corner of the blanket.

The woman was wearing a long, golden dress typical of chiefdom nobles, and still had a veil on her head.

Her wrists and ankles—

A white silk scarf tightly bound her hands, and the same way was tied around her ankles, leaving several faint red marks on her skin.

Her hands were trembling slightly, clearly still under the influence of the drugs, and she was disoriented and unable to move.

At that moment, his anger was extinguished instantly, as if doused with cold water.

Chu Wuyang stood blankly by the bed, her rationality returning.

Did she really misunderstand?

She turned to look at Jing Min, her voice lowered, tinged with obvious hesitation.

"...You're not lying to me?"

Jing Min looked at her, his dark eyes as deep as a still pool, his voice low and husky yet resolute.

"If you don't believe me, you can wake someone up right now and ask them."

The air in the room seemed to have been instantly sucked out, and then it became quiet.

Chu Wuyang was still standing blankly by the bed.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind me.

She came to her senses.

Jingmin had already turned and walked towards the restroom.

What are you doing?

She instinctively chased after him.

Jingmin stood in front of the sink, casually turned on the tap, and poured some water from a bottle next to him.

His tone was completely flat.

"Splash her to wake her up and prove my innocence."

He spoke as if it were perfectly reasonable.

Chu Wuyang immediately reached out to stop him, her eyes filled with suspicion.

"You don't know her?"

Jingmin stopped what he was doing.

He glanced back at her, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Why should I get to know her?

"Isn't he just a medical worker who took advantage of his job to have selfish motives?"

"Whether she's overthinking things or someone is instigating her—I'll figure it out after I find out."

Before he could finish speaking,

Chu Wuyang had already taken out his phone from his pocket, opened the chat page, and handed it to him.

"...No need to investigate, it was your maternal grandfather's idea."

Jingmin was taken aback.

"Um?"

She didn't say much, she just handed the phone to him.

Jingmin scrolled through his phone, his face darkening as he looked at the pictures.

He stared at the messages, his dark eyes seemingly covered in frost.

"They actually dared to plot against me?"

He spoke in a low voice.

"Did he think that by giving me a woman, I would easily give in?"

At this moment, Chu Wuyang had completely understood Old Master Jin's intention.

There are essentially two purposes.

Firstly, if Jingmin goes along with the situation and develops feelings for or makes physical advances towards that woman, it would be tantamount to acknowledging the relationship.

In the traditional aristocratic mindset of the chiefdom, since a woman "gives herself to him," he must take responsibility—so Mr. Jin could logically force him to marry a noblewoman of "equal social standing."

That would naturally be best to avoid all trouble.

She certainly couldn't tolerate this kind of "betrayal".

The two parted ways abruptly, and Jing Min, now free of any ties, returned to the Jin family.

Secondly, she caught them in the act.

An emotional outburst and a complete loss of control, a typical example of "making a scene," is something men find extremely annoying.

Even if the two don't immediately break up, they will still resent each other, and Jingmin will only become more and more annoyed.

In fact, she did indeed "make a scene".

Jing Min's reaction, however, was not what Mr. Jin had imagined.

Because he is not Mr. Jin Yong.

Not that cold-blooded, cunning businessman and politician who uses emotions as bargaining chips.

Jingmin is like his mother, like his maternal grandmother—possessing in his bones a gentle yet firm and unwavering emotional stubbornness.

Mr. Jin certainly understands the inherent flaws of men, but he doesn't understand Jing Min.

Originally, according to Mr. Jin's plan...

Regardless of the outcome, there will be a rift between her and Jingmin.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!