Song Zeqian: "I drank too much last night."
"You usually don't come back for ten days or half a month, and the moment you do, something like this happens," Grandmother said, looking at him with a faint sigh. "Forget it, you're over twenty now, it's normal to have needs."
The Song Family was the top-tier wealthy clan in Linhai City, and she held this grandson in particularly high regard, intending for Song Zeqian to become the heir.
If he were in a proper relationship, that would be one thing, but if someone with ulterior motives tried bed-crawling and caused a scandal, that would be disastrous.
Since he got drunk on his own, he couldn't really blame the girl.
Grandmother asked, "So how do you plan to handle this?"
"It was dark, I didn't see her face clearly."
Just as he said that, the sound of high heels clicking grew closer from afar.
Then the door was pushed open, and a young woman in a purple bodycon skirt walked in.
Rong Yue's almond-shaped eyes were tinged with anger.
As soon as she entered, she went straight to Song Zeqian and sat down beside him without any hesitation.
"Cousin, I heard someone crawled into your bed last night?"
Lin Yingyue almost choked on her saliva.
Rong Yue didn't even notice Lin Yingyue in the corner and started complaining on her own:
"If you ask me, it must have been some scheming bad woman deliberately seducing you!
Cousin, your alcohol tolerance has always been excellent. How could a little drink make you lose your composure?"
As she spoke, she shot a meaningful glance at Lin Yingyue and slammed the table in anger: "If I find out who it is, I'll break her legs!"
"Rong Yue." Grandmother frowned, cutting her off. "Young lady, watch your language."
Only then did Rong Yue rein herself in a bit and obediently called out, "Grandmother."
Turning her gaze to Lin Yingyue, as if just noticing her, she gave a haughty nod.
Lin Yingyue forced a smile: "Cousin Rong Yue."
Grandmother looked at Song Zeqian, her tone gentle but probing: "Is what Rong Yue said true? Has your alcohol tolerance always been good?"
Song Zeqian's expression was calm, revealing nothing.
"She remembered wrong. My alcohol tolerance isn't that good. I really was drunk last night."
Rong Yue was taken aback, then stomped her foot in defiance:
"How is that possible! At the last company annual party, you drank so much and were fine..."
"That was an act," Song Zeqian cut her off coldly. "At social events, you can't let people see your true limits."
Rong Yue wanted to say more, but Song Zeqian suddenly turned his head, his gaze landing on Lin Yingyue.
That faint smile sent a chill down Lin Yingyue's spine.
"Why is little sister wiping sweat?" he asked casually. "Is it really that hot?"
Lin Yingyue's hand, which was wiping cold sweat, froze instantly.
A good woman has ambitions far and wide, and keeps her troubles to herself.
Everyone's eyes turned to her.
Grandmother looked over with concern: "Yingyue, are you feeling unwell?"
Rong Yue also stared at her, a murderous glint in her eyes mixed with a hint of scrutiny.
Lin Yingyue's voice was soft and sweet as she acted spoiled toward Grandmother: "It is a bit hot, Grandmother. Maybe I walked over too quickly."
As she spoke, she pretended to fan herself with her hand.
Luckily, she really had broken out in a cold sweat; fine beads of sweat seeped on her fair cheeks, making it look like she was just hot.
Grandmother instructed Steward Xu beside her: "Turn the air conditioning down a bit. Don't let the child get too warm."
Steward Xu acknowledged and went to do it.
Lin Yingyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a gaze fixed on her, prickling like needles on her back.
Grandmother picked up a piece of braised pork belly for Lin Yingyue and said affectionately, "Eat more. Look how thin you are."
Lin Yingyue obediently agreed and lowered her head to hurriedly eat her rice.
Suddenly, she was called out.
"Little sister, what's wrong with your mouth?"
Rong Yue suddenly spoke, her eyes fixed straight on Lin Yingyue.
Lin Yingyue's heart skipped a beat.
Rong Yue tilted her head, looking curious: "Your lips are swollen. How did that happen? Did you get heatiness?"
Lin Yingyue felt all the blood rush to her face, and her cheeks instantly turned red.
"I..."
She opened her mouth, her mind racing.
"I'm asking you a question, why are you stammering?" Rong Yue said displeasedly.
Song Zeqian lowered his eyes, his well-defined fingers stirring the spoon. "Rong Yue, show some manners in front of Grandmother. Otherwise, you can leave."
Not understanding why he suddenly got angry, Rong Yue immediately backed down and replied listlessly, "I was wrong."
Before seeing Lin Yingyue, she had never known that innocence and allure could coexist in one person.
Lin Yingyue had a small, palm-sized face, grape-like eyes, and a fair, translucent complexion.
A small red mole at the corner of her eye added a touch of seduction to her delicate, charming face, stirring people's hearts.
Both beautiful and tempting, like a vixen.
Song Zeqian was a workaholic and used to rarely come home, staying outside.
Lin Yingyue had only moved into the house a few months ago, and coincidentally, during these months, Song Zeqian's frequency of coming home had increased significantly.
This gave Lin Yingyue an opportunity to constantly hover around Song Zeqian, making it hard for Rong Yue not to suspect Lin Yingyue's intentions.
But Rong Yue didn't know that Lin Yingyue now wanted nothing to do with Song Zeqian.
In fact, she wished she could draw a clear line with Song Zeqian and never cross paths again.
Lin Yingyue racked her brains for an excuse, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Heatiness? Right, I'll say it's heatiness—
"Maybe the food I ate last night was too spicy."
Rong Yue said suspiciously, "Last night? Weren't you eating at the Old Residence last night? Our family chef's cooking isn't spicy."
Suddenly, Song Zeqian, who had been drinking soup all along, spoke up.
"It doesn't look like it's from spice. It looks more like it was bitten."
Before his words faded, Lin Yingyue was so startled she almost dropped her chopsticks. Her limbs stiffened as she shot him a surprised glance.
Song Zeqian calmly ladled a bowl of white fungus soup and handed it to Grandmother.
Sensing Lin Yingyue's gaze, he looked back, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Its meaning was unclear.
Under that gaze, Lin Yingyue felt her heart pounding in her chest, about to leap out. She quickly shifted her attention away.
She felt that if she looked at Song Zeqian one more time, her heart would race so fast she'd faint.
She clenched her fists in frustration.
Damn it, of course it wasn't from spice. How could chili peppers break the skin on your lips?
It was clearly Song Zeqian who bit it!
Fragmented images exploded in her mind again—Song Zeqian biting her lips, grinding against her, clinging to her relentlessly.
Tearing open her skirt.
In the darkness, the man's hoarse voice taught her various positions.
And he tied her hands with his belt...
Lin Yingyue bit her lower lip.
Something's off. Song Zeqian keeps hinting at me again and again?
She had clearly decided to let Song Zeqian go and let him be with the female lead who hadn't appeared yet.
What was he doing!
✦✦✦