Chapter 8 So you want an explanation? Here you go.

Ali was utterly heartbroken. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, and with a sniffling voice, she protested, “Lu Jinyan, am I just your tool for aggravating Liu Mengwan?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“You’re being so unfair!” Ali sobbed, her body trembling as she cried. “Even if I have no family background, when you couldn’t walk and your temper was awful, everyone else was terrified of you—it was me who stayed by your side and took care of you. Even if you don’t love me, you shouldn’t treat me like this. How can you be so cruel?”

Seeing Ali cry so hard she was nearly fainting, the hardness in Lu Jinyan’s heart softened once again. With a sigh, he reached for her arm, intending to pull her into his embrace.

Ali struggled fiercely. “Let go of me! Don’t touch me!”

But Lu Jinyan was unyielding; he pulled her forcefully into his arms and landed a slap on her backside.

A sharp smack rang out.

Ali’s whole body trembled. To be spanked at her age was deeply humiliating. With red-rimmed eyes, she glared at the man, but Lu Jinyan looked at her sternly and asked, “Are you still going to make a scene?”

“You’re saying I’m making a scene?” Ali’s sense of grievance was about to overflow. “You treat me like a pawn to provoke Liu Mengwan, tie me to your side—am I just a prop in your game? Have you ever thought about how I feel? Whether I want to be wedged between you two? Just because I have no relatives, does that mean I don’t deserve dignity?”

“Why is that little mouth of yours so sharp?” Lu Jinyan sighed, then pinched Ali’s earlobe, his gesture tinged with intimacy.

He coaxed her, “I lied to you. I never saw you as a tool. Why are you so convinced I’m only staying married to you to spite Liu Mengwan? Haven’t you considered I might simply not want to divorce you?”

Ali was taken aback. “How could that be? You love Liu Mengwan!”

“Who told you that?”

“If you don’t love her, why did you sleep with her?”

Silence.

This girl’s questions could be brutally direct at times.

“Whether things went all the way is another matter, and besides, there was something wrong with the wine last night.”

Lu Jinyan explained patiently.

Ali recalled how confident An Yu had seemed and suddenly realized, “An Yu put something in the wine?”

“Most likely.”

Ali seethed with anger. She wished she’d had the strength earlier—she would have made sure An Yu never had descendants! That spoiled brat was truly insane! Insane! To think he’d stoop to drugging someone—couldn’t he be reported to the police?

“I’ll handle this, so you are not to cause any more trouble, and you’re absolutely forbidden from mentioning divorce again,” Lu Jinyan commanded.

Knowing that Lu Jinyan had been drugged and hadn’t acted of his own will, Ali’s heart softened. Sniffling, she asked for reassurance, “Uncle, you truly never thought of divorcing me?”

“Never,” Lu Jinyan answered with unwavering certainty.

Ali’s eyes grew misty. She threw herself into his arms, clinging to him tightly, her shoulders shaking as she cried, “You must never forget what you said!”

After a tender moment, Ali realized that something was happening with the man’s body.

Lu Jinyan, the gentlemanly scoundrel, looked completely unruffled and, with composure, said, “It might be a side effect of the drug. Mrs. Lu, please do your duty and help your husband.”

She still had gauze wrapped around her forehead! What a beast!

**

Ali had thought her marriage was definitely over.

She hadn’t expected that, with just a few words, the man would coax her back into good spirits.

But the matter was far from resolved.

When Ali entered the Lu family’s home with Lu Jinyan, they found Grandma Lu, the father and daughter from the Liu family, and An Yu with his older brother, An Qi, all gathered in the hall.

Seeing so many people, Ali instinctively shrank back and wanted to leave, but Lu Jinyan held her hand firmly and led her in.

“Jinyan! Ali!” Grandma Lu hurried over as soon as she saw them. When she noticed the gauze on Ali’s forehead, her heart ached as she embraced her. “My poor darling, who was so cruel as to hurt you like this?”

“Grandma, it was An Yu who hit me,” Ali said, pointing at An Yu.

An Yu couldn’t sit still and hastily tried to defend himself. “Madam, she hit me first! She nearly crippled me! I even have a medical report from the hospital!”

“That’s your own fault,” Lu Jinyan interjected lightly, making his support for Ali clear.

At that moment, Liu Heping led Liu Mengwan over. With a stern face, he said, “Lu Jinyan, you promised to give the Liu family an explanation! Now that everyone knows about what happened between you and Mengwan, what are you going to do about it?”

Grandma Lu was furious. “What can be done? Are you suggesting Jinyan should divorce Ali? It’s your daughter who doesn’t know how to behave herself—what does that have to do with our Jinyan?”

“Madam, that’s not fair! If Lu Jinyan wasn’t willing, could Mengwan have forced him?” retorted Liu Heping.

“You—!”

“There’s no need for this argument,” Lu Jinyan interrupted.

Liu Heping pressed on, “Lu Jinyan, how are you going to explain this?”

Liu Mengwan said nothing, her eyes brimming with sorrow as she gazed at the man. She knew Lu Jinyan was not someone who would shirk responsibility. After such an incident, he would never treat her poorly.

Lu Jinyan fixed his gaze on Liu Heping, his voice calm. “Uncle Liu, we live in a society governed by law. For certain explanations, the police are best equipped to provide them.”

“What are you talking about?” Liu Heping demanded.

“The wine at last night's gathering was drugged by An Yu. I’ve already had the evidence collected and found those he bribed. All this incriminating evidence will be handed over to the police. As one of the victims, I will formally press charges against An Yu. That should also serve as the explanation the Liu family is owed.”