Lin He genuinely wanted to return to her parents' home for a few more days; there were many lingering matters there she hadn't sorted out. However, with such a major incident occurring at the Wen household now, there would surely be repercussions in the coming days, and it wouldn't look good if the two of them slipped away at this time.

Besides, she had already visited her maternal home this time—she had seen everything necessary and learned all she needed to know. As for how things would be handled, she couldn't interfere too much; matters concerning her family were ultimately for her parents and elder brother to manage.

Thinking this, Lin He said, "I won't go back to my parents' home. I'll have Lingxiao send our regards to them later. Since we are in the same town anyway, we can visit when we have time. If you're free, we can rest at home this morning; it's rare for you to have time off. We can go out for a stroll this afternoon."

Wen Ningxuan didn't really care; he had only suggested it for fear that Lin He would be too bored at home. Hearing her say this, he smiled and replied, "Mmm, that sounds good. Then we won't go anywhere this morning, just rest at home."

After speaking, the two began eating breakfast while chatting, in quite good spirits; the morning's events hadn't affected them much.

However, while peace reigned on their side, pandemonium had broken out in the courtyard belonging to Madam Wen and her son. Returning to her own courtyard with a group of people trailing behind her, the gentle, orchid-like demeanor Madam Wen usually maintained completely vanished from her face, replaced instead by an ugly, ferocious expression.

Madam Wen instructed Wen Ningchen and Li Yuzhen to wait in the outer room, while she took Ningnuo back into her private chamber. Looking at Ningnuo, who was quietly sobbing, Madam Wen said impatiently, "Stop crying. Who are you still putting on an act for? I asked you to do one small thing, and you couldn't even manage that. How dare you cry in front of me."

Hearing Madam Wen’s words, Ningnuo looked at her adoptive mother with utter astonishment. She had recognized Madam Wen as her godmother for several years and had been in the Wen family for quite some time. Usually, Madam Wen presented herself as gentle and refined both publicly and privately, speaking in soft tones. Even when extremely angry, her face would only darken somewhat; even when dealing with servants, though her methods could sometimes be cruel, she rarely used such harsh words.

Furthermore, Madam Wen had always treated her with genuine affection; though she was an adopted daughter, she was treated no differently than a biological one. Otherwise, Ningnuo wouldn't have been able to remain in the Wen family for so long.

Now, to hear such cutting words from Madam Wen left Ningnuo momentarily stunned. Seeing Ningnuo’s deeply wronged expression only fueled Madam Wen's anger further. She spoke again, "Ningnuo, was what I told you yesterday unclear? I told you to seduce Wen Ningxuan. Today, you've given me quite a surprise. I always saw you as docile and obedient, but I never expected your thoughts to be so deeply calculated. You went and seduced my Chen'er! What, are you aiming to become the Eldest Young Mistress of the Wen family, perhaps the future matriarch? If that is truly your plan, I advise you to extinguish that thought immediately."

Ningnuo still hadn't fully processed the situation, saying with extreme grievance, "Godmother, it’s not like that. I truly don't know what went wrong in the middle; how the Eldest Young Master ended up there—I genuinely don't know, and I never intended..."

"Enough. I will find out exactly what happened when I question Chen'er later. But now that this fiasco has erupted, what do you plan to do? I doubt you'd be willing to become a mere concubine for our Chen'er, given your family background. How about this: I will send someone to escort you back tomorrow. Your family is quite far away, and I will ensure everything here is kept strictly confidential; I guarantee not a single word will reach anyone's ears." Madam Wen said coolly to Ningnuo.

Ningnuo truly had no idea how matters had escalated to this point. Following Wen Ningxuan back yesterday, Ningnuo had been quite pleased internally. With Lin He absent and Wen Ningxuan having been drugged, she figured a woman would be needed to resolve the situation. Since Wen Ningxuan had taken her back, he naturally must have required her assistance.

However, since this was her first time handling such an affair, she remained somewhat nervous. After Wen Ningxuan brought her back and settled her into the guest room, he left immediately. She didn't ask what he had gone out to do, simply sitting anxiously and uneasily in the room.

Later, a servant brought tea, and Ningnuo took a few sips. But shortly after drinking the tea, Ningnuo felt her body growing hot, her mouth dry and parched. Suspecting nothing amiss, Ningnuo took a few more sips from the tea on the table. But the more she drank, the thirstier she became, and the hotter her body grew, accompanied by a strange, unfamiliar desire threatening to burst forth from within.

If Ningnuo had been calm, she would certainly have realized something was wrong with her condition, but at that moment, her mind was incapable of rational thought; her body had been hijacked by an alien craving, stripping away her composure.

Just as Ningnuo could no longer endure the mounting desire and began to tear at her own clothes, the room door opened. A man stood in the doorway. Ningnuo lifted her hazy eyes to look. The man looked exactly like Wen Ningxuan, who had just left, though he had changed his clothes. Ningnuo turned toward the man at the door and offered an intensely seductive smile.

In that instant, the man at the door hesitated not at all. He lunged forward, pulling her close, his scorching kiss covering her body with intoxicated fervor...

An agonizing, bone-deep moan involuntarily escaped Ningnuo’s lips. Clinging to his shoulders, she returned his kiss clumsily, her mind swimming only with the image of Wen Ningxuan, while her lips kept murmuring, "Brother Xuan." The man on top paused briefly, but then let out a wicked chuckle and began moving roughly again...

It was unclear how long they struggled, but they did not stop until dawn. When Ningnuo finally regained consciousness, there were sounds of activity in the courtyard. Ningnuo narrowed her eyes, and the memories of the night instantly flooded back. She froze—her objective for the night had finally been achieved; she and Brother Xuan had finally...

She tried to push herself up, but every bone in her body felt as if it had been disassembled and reassembled, so sore she couldn't muster any strength, especially her waist, which felt nearly numb from the ache.

After several failed attempts to rise, she painstakingly forced her eyes open. She stared blankly for a long moment before finally noticing the burning discomfort between her legs. Her head throbbed violently, her throat felt like it was on fire, and her lips were cracked. Despite her extreme physical discomfort, Ningnuo’s heart swelled with elation. She turned her gaze tenderly toward the person beside her.

Since the man had his back to her, Ningnuo naturally assumed it was Wen Ningxuan. Recalling the commotion in the courtyard, and remembering the plan she had hatched with her godmother—the next step was to ensure people discovered her involvement with Wen Ningxuan—she ignored the need to wake the man beside her and deliberately made noise, intending to draw someone over.

Then, thinking someone would arrive soon, Ningnuo intentionally left her clothes haphazardly draped over her body instead of fastening them properly, and lay back down ** as if asleep, figuring this arrangement would make it instantly obvious what had transpired. She then planned to feign sleep, waiting for someone to discover them.

This turn of events had been entirely within her calculations. Before long, someone did indeed come and discover them. After the person left, Ningnuo intended to wake the man beside her. But upon looking, she was so shocked she nearly screamed, quickly clamping a hand over her own mouth.

How could the person in the bed be Wen Ningchen, not the Wen Ningxuan she thought of day and night? This was indeed Wen Ningxuan’s courtyard, and it was the same room she had entered last night. She had clearly seen Wen Ningxuan enter this room yesterday—so why was it him?