And her attitude towards her was now cold, now indifferent, making her feel uneasy. What the hell was happening to him?

"Well, I’m going to bed. You should rest early, too." Yuan Jiayin wouldn’t dare offend her and made to leave.

Shang Jingchen sat at the bar, his eyes dark and thoughtful, reimagining that day’s events.

He pulled and dragged Ye Lu frantically, threatening to push her off, the sight of her breaking down, the despair and pain echoed in his mind, making him restless.

He hated her deeply, but he wasn’t sure if Third Young Master Jun hadn’t intervened, whether he would’ve actually let her fall.

Maybe he would have, or perhaps not. Either way, there was no chance to go back to that moment.

Shang Jingchen took a sip of his drink, remembering how he had accused her of being the one who had killed his grandfather.

She adamantly denied it, suggesting instead it was Yuan Jiayin.

"A person wouldn’t dare lie when in mortal danger." He murmured to himself.

When confronted with a life-threatening situation, people often react instinctively. If what Ye Lu had said was true?

But then, wouldn’t it mean that Jiayin was involved in his grandfather’s death? It was something he couldn’t bear to accept.

He’d always denied it, but Ye Lu’s words echoed endlessly in his head, involuntarily raising his suspicion.

Yuan Jiayin got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. She sleepily turned on the bedside lamp, put on her slippers, yawned and walked towards the bathroom. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

But as she passed, she caught sight of a hunched figure sitting on the sofa in a shadowy corner of the room, head bowed, wearing an oversized nightgown.

Her eyes widened immediately, her heart hammering so hard it felt as if it might stop. She let out a startled scream.

"Ah... Ah... Who are you?" She picked up a vase from the side table and threw it at the figure.

The figure dodged the vase and it smashed on the ground, its shattering eerily loud in the quiet night.

"Jiayin, what’s wrong?" Shang Jingchen looked at her with a somewhat grim expression.

When Yuan Jiayin recognized the person’s face, she breathed a sigh of relief, though her voice trembled, "Jingchen, I-I thought you were a thief. You scared me to death. It’s just you."

"Is that so?"

"Of course, Jingchen, what are you doing sitting here in the middle of the night?" She eyed Shang Jingchen suspiciously and noticed his clothes, which sent a chill down her spine.

This is his grandfather’s nightgown, isn’t it? Why was he wearing it? It had startled her into mistaking him for that old ghost.

"Jingchen, isn’t this your grandfather’s nightgown? Why are you wearing it?" She said, forcing a smile.

Shang Jingchen replied nonchalantly, "I missed my grandfather, so I wore it."

"But it’s the clothes of the deceased. It’s really ill-fated."

"He’s my own grandfather. What’s there to be afraid of?" Shang Jingchen finished speaking and got into the bed to sleep.

Yuan Jiayin turned pale. Was he going to sleep in the same bed as her wearing his grandfather’s nightgown?

Was he suspecting something? Otherwise, why would he behave so strangely? Her heart pounded in fear, but she dared not show the slightest hint of it.

...

After being released from jail, Dr. Du returned to his house to pack some things, planning to flee to another city.

Yuan Jiayin had given him a huge sum of money to get him out, on the condition that he vanished from the city.

It was night when he turned off the light and sneaked out.

"Dr. Du, where are you off to?"

A woman and several burly men suddenly appeared before him. Stunned, he recognized the woman as the former Young Mistress Shang.

That’s all for today’s update. The brutal part should be almost over. To show my gratitude for everyone’s enduring support, I’m planning a month-long comment to win Q coins event. Every day, I’ll randomly choose one comment to gift 10 Q coins, equivalent to 1000 book coins. I hope you all participate energetically, I’ll read every comment carefully. Today’s lucky winner is a rabbit who always leaves detailed reviews!