Chapter 443: Offending a Villain

Chapter 443: Offending a Villain

Li Bihan's eyes darted around, a glint of malice flashing in them.

If they dared bully her son, she would make them pay!

"Come inside with me, son. I have a plan to help you get back at them!" She coaxed her son into the house, giving him advice, and before entering, she only instructed Cheng Lanying.

"Lan Ying, clean this mess up!"

Cheng Lanying was speechless.

Cheng Lanying watched her younger brother, who was always coddled by their mother, and then looked at the mess on the ground. A mix of emotions flashed in her eyes, and finally, she sighed and silently started cleaning up her brother's mess.

As she began cleaning up alone, a hand reached out to help her lift the large table.

Cheng Lanying looked up and met Wei Dahai's honest smile.

"Miss, let me handle this. You're too refined to be doing servants' work."

——————

Lu Lingyun was occupied at the Marquis's Mansion, preparing for Cheng Suying's wedding.

After five hectic days, everything was finally arranged, and Cheng Suying rushed to find her.

"Mother, something awful has happened!"

"What's the matter?"

"My best friend, Yin Yin, is in trouble!" Cheng Suying urgently told Lu Lingyun.

"What happened?" Lu Lingyun raised an eyebrow.

Cheng Suying was so anxious she was crying, she panicked, "Yin Yin has been falsely accused of sneaking around with Cousin Li late at night, being intimate, and getting caught red-handed! Her intimate garments and handkerchief were found and picked up by someone!"

"That's impossible!" Lu Lingyun was utterly shocked.

"Exactly! The intimate garments aren't hers, but the handkerchief is—it even has Yin Yin's name embroidered on it! Yin Yin told me that two days ago, she helped a child who fell on the street, and that's when she lost her handkerchief!"

After hearing this, Lu Lingyun frowned deeply, "Your friend, Miss Xu, has been set up."

Cheng Suying clenched her fists in anger, "Yin Yin has always been kind to everyone—who would want to slander her like this? And the rumor involves her and Cousin Li—why?"

This was baffling.

If the rumor had been about Xu Yinyin and another man, Cheng Suying and the others would have assumed the man had feelings for her and used underhanded tactics to force her into marriage.

But the rumor involved Li Shouye!

This was baffling.

Li Shouye would never do something like that!

Coincidentally, just a few days ago, Li Shouye had publicly helped Xu Yinyin out of a predicament, which many people witnessed.

Being linked with Xu Yinyin in the rumor suddenly made it seem highly credible.

Now everyone in the southern part of the city believes that Miss Xu, the County Magistrate's only daughter, and Mr. Li have been secretly intimate, even before any engagement or marriage.

While the undergarment didn’t belong to Xu Yinyin, the handkerchief did. In such a situation, there was no need to argue about its authenticity.

Her affair with Li Shouye was as good as confirmed.

After listening to Cheng Suying’s words, Lu Lingyun thought for a moment and said, “It seems someone is trying to smear both of them at once. Suying, go ask Miss Xu if she and Shou Ye have recently crossed anyone together.”

Lu Lingyun quickly connected the dots.

Hearing this, Cheng Suying stood up at once, “Mother, I’ll go now.”

“Good, I’ll go find Shou Ye too.”

Lu Lingyun went to Tong Nanyuan and had her summon Li Shouye.

Soon after, Li Shouye arrived.

He still had no idea about the rumors spreading outside.

He’d been studying at home for days, with the palace exam just three days away, and had no time for anything else.

When he arrived and saw Lu Lingyun, he paused in surprise, “Aunt.”

“Shou Ye, sit down,” Lu Lingyun instructed. Once seated, Lu Lingyun didn’t immediately mention the rumors but instead asked, “What’s your impression of Miss Xu?”

“Miss Xu?” Li Shouye paused, “The one from the County Magistrate’s family?”

“Yes,” Lu Lingyun replied with a faint smile.

“Miss Xu is quite admirable—kind, upright, and with a touch of boldness,” Li Shouye said.

Hearing this, Lu Lingyun asked, “Have you been in touch with Miss Xu lately?”

Li Shouye shook his head, “I’ve been studying at home and haven’t seen Miss Xu since.”

“But Shou Ye, the whole town is gossiping about you and Miss Xu,” Tong Nanyuan said, her voice filled with concern.

“What’s happening?”

“Well, it’s just…” Tong Nanyuan hesitated, struggling to find the words.

“Aunt, please, tell me what’s going on!”

Lu Lingyun then said, “Shou Ye, have you and Miss Xu upset anyone together recently?”

Li Shouye frowned and thought, “Upset someone? If I think about it, the last time I saw Miss Xu was five days ago. That day, she was falsely accused of impropriety, and I defended her by reprimanding the accuser.”

Li Shouye looked up, “Aunt, that person claimed to be the third young master of the Ningyang Marquis’s household.”

Hearing this, both Lu Lingyun and Tong Nanyuan frowned.

The third young master? Cheng Bingzhi?!

“Aunt, Aunt, what’s really going on?”

Tong Nanyuan turned to look at him, “Shou Ye! Everyone outside is saying that you and Miss Xu have been intimate, meeting secretly at night, and Miss Xu’s personal items have been found!”

“That’s impossible!” Li Shouye became anxious upon hearing this. While defending himself, he immediately understood, “It must be that scoundrel who framed us! We embarrassed him that day, and now he’s spreading rumors to tarnish our reputations! I need to go out and clarify!”

“Shou Ye,” Lu Lingyun called out to him, “The rumors are spreading fast, and it’s pointless for you to try to clarify things now.”

The current rumor is clearly of a higher level and more sophisticated in its methods.

Even if Lu Lingyun found out who the mastermind was and went to interrogate them, if they stubbornly denied it, she would be powerless.

What's more, this rumor is a blend of truth and lies. The other party first obtained Xu Yinyin's handkerchief, and then used something as embarrassing and intriguing as an undergarment to attract people's attention, making the rumor spread like wildfire.

Even if Li Shouye and Xu Yinyin tried to clarify, it wouldn’t make a difference.

This is why Lu Lingyun first asked Li Shouye about his impression of Xu Yinyin.

Given the situation, it is no longer something that can be resolved by clarification; the only way to silence it is by forcing the two to get engaged.

And even after getting engaged to silence the rumors, they’d still face criticism for having an affair before marriage...

And if they did not get engaged, Xu Yinyin would be left with no options.

This scheme is downright vicious and self-sabotaging!

It’s all about destroying others.

All because they crossed a petty person!

Li Shouye was momentarily stunned by Lu Lingyun's words.

At that moment, Cheng Suying rushed in.

"Mother! Something terrible has happened!"

"What now?" Lu Lingyun looked at Cheng Suying, who had come running, arching an eyebrow.

"Yin Yin, she... she has committed suicide!"

"What!"

Li Shouye was shocked, his eyes wide open.