There was another reason: this was truly not Cheng Ying’s fault. Chi Wu’s large movements had startled Cheng Ying awake.

She awoke with a throbbing hangover, unable to recall the previous night’s events. The outside world was noisy, and Cheng Ying frowned, pushing herself up on an elbow, intending to rub her forehead.

Her hand felt warm, soft, and fleshy. Had the quilts been changed? What material was this?

The scene that greeted the old lady as she entered was her own granddaughter practically sprawled on top of a man—what sort of a situation was this? She was too mortified to face anyone; her blood pressure spiked.

Then she looked at the other one: even in sleep, he looked miserable, his face like a bitter gourd, etched with the burden of saving the nation and the people, the look of someone utterly sacrificed. He clearly looked like the one who had been bullied.

Chi Wu felt genuinely miserable inside. Why did fate have to be so coincidental? If Cheng Ying found out, would she let him off lightly?

It was true that he had wanted people to see the fruition of their endeavors, but he hadn't wanted them to see him being dominated by Cheng Ying.

Whether Cheng Ying forgave him was a minor issue; as a man, he had lost all face.

He was as miserable as one could be, but regrettably, he had to pretend to remain asleep.

Seeing that there were no outsiders, and then observing her granddaughter still clinging to the man, the old lady snatched up a feather duster and began to swing it.

Chi Wu genuinely didn't know the old lady was hitting first; he was keeping his eyes closed, unable to see.

Then came Cheng Ying’s sharp shriek, and Chi Wu shot up instantly, his state at that moment too shocking to behold.

Cheng Ying woke up, and the surrounding environment felt eerie. "Grandma, you hit me?"

Her words sounded pitiful, but her expression was utterly pathetic. In any other scenario, the old lady would have held and comforted her for a while, but now, she had no patience.

The old lady snapped, "I’ll beat the shame out of you, you disgraceful thing! All that studying done for nothing! You dare do something like this?"

This was the most refined, least hurtful language the old lady possessed in her vocabulary. If it were someone else's child, the things the old lady would say would be far more vile.

The crucial point wasn't just that they both felt affection; her granddaughter was the one doing the bullying. No matter what, she shouldn't have been on top.

Cheng Ying wanted to ask what she had done, but a quick glance made her suck in a sharp breath.

The feeling was akin to, Earth is too terrifying; I want to go back to Mars.

In Cheng Ying’s view, this was even more serious than a sex tape scandal. What was truly terrifying was that the other party was Chi Wu—in her eyes, he was practically a god. Oh my heavens, I’m in big trouble.

The old lady didn't give her a chance to zone out; the second strike came down, solidly intercepted by Chi Wu.

Chi Wu’s reaction didn't seem like that of someone just waking up. But blocking disaster for Cheng Ying was second nature to him—a physiological response.

Chi Wu felt this time it truly hurt. "Grandma, Yingzi drank too much yesterday."

Chi Wu genuinely wanted to explain the situation to Cheng Ying, but in the old lady’s eyes, it was merely an excuse that Cheng Ying had taken advantage of someone while drunk—adding fuel to the fire.

Everyone knew that in their usual interactions, their granddaughter was the dominant one.

Chi Wu obeyed everything Yingzi said; a single look from Cheng Ying, and even if he was unwilling, he would do it, often without a word spoken—a complete telepathic understanding.

One could say the old lady’s misunderstanding was entirely justified. Who could help it when her beloved granddaughter usually behaved with such strength?

Cheng Ying didn't want to dwell on the issue of the act itself; she needed to navigate the immediate crisis.

She felt no physical discomfort; surely, nothing had happened.

It was just that she had undressed too much while sleeping. Cheng Ying’s initial deduction was perfectly accurate.

Before the old lady could strike again, Cheng Ying quickly interjected, "Grandma, you're overthinking this. Nothing happened; we drank too much and ended up sleeping close together."

Chi Wu raised an eyebrow. She could spin such a casual explanation; truly worthy of Yingzi. If this wasn't serious, Yingzi wouldn't care and could easily brush it off.

Chi Wu knew Yingzi had a bold spirit. If the old lady hadn't caught them red-handed—no, that’s ‘catching them in the act’—Cheng Ying might have managed to cover it up entirely. His entire effort might have been in vain.

Chi Wu stopped shielding Cheng Ying. Let everything be revealed. See how you argue your way out of this.

The old lady had seen plenty since childhood; there was little need for modesty now, especially when they were engaged in shameless behavior.

She might as well follow the old lady’s line of thinking, even if it meant Cheng Ying would deal with him later. It would be worth it. "Grandma, I really didn't mean to upset Yingzi; it’s because we drank too much yesterday."

Saying this, he lowered his head, looking utterly ashamed and wishing he could disappear.

The old lady, sitting on the floor, lost the energy to hit. "What sin have I committed? You wretched child, and you still say nothing happened?"

Then came the old lady’s crying—a suppressed, stifled sob.

Cheng Ying was bewildered. Seeing the disarray of their clothes, even if she wasn't a truly innocent young woman, any sensible girl who had gone through puberty would understand what had occurred.

Cheng Ying’s mind raced in complex directions—a moment of Spartacus-level cognitive load. She thought, Could the Spatial Dimension have this ability? That my first night was painless? Is this a benefit?

Cheng Ying moved her body slightly and confirmed there was absolutely no internal discomfort. Heavens, so the greatest use of the Spatial Dimension was here! From now on, she could engage in harmonious activities without any repercussions.

Cheng Ying’s mind went blank; she felt she had finally uncovered the truth.

The large stone within the Dimension was no longer red; it was pitch black—serves it right for letting others ‘blacken’ it.

That single sentence was deeply carved into the stone.

Chi Wu found the situation bizarre. Why was Cheng Ying showing no reaction? How could she drift off at a time like this?

He tried to nudge Cheng Ying, glancing sideways—she was completely unclothed. What was there to grab?

Only now, from last night until this moment, did Chi Wu consciously realize Cheng Ying wasn't wearing anything. It was a relaxation that followed the settling of an issue, and he finally felt shy.

He finally started looking around cautiously.

Cheng Ying shivered; something felt wrong, and her grandmother was breaking down in tears.

Cheng Ying quickly commanded, "Get dressed! What are you thinking about?" Her tone was sharp.

Chi Wu obediently started dressing. The old lady paused for a long moment because of her granddaughter’s words, then began crying even harder.

Look how obedient Wu Zi was, doing whatever she asked. This must be exactly as she saw it. How could she face the Old Mrs. Chi now?

She had always looked down on the Old Mrs. Chi; at least before, she could hold her head high in front of the Chi family matriarch. Now, she would never be able to lift her head in front of the Chi family again. What a disaster! How could this child have taken such a huge leap into wrongdoing?

Cheng Ying felt the matter with Chi Wu could wait; the priority was soothing her grandmother. "Grandma, please don't cry. This isn't what it looks like."

The old lady brought her large fist down onto Cheng Ying's back. You wicked child, even now you’re trying to fool me.

Regardless of who did what to whom, if they were seen like this in the village, they would never hold their heads up again. This was something that would invite endless gossip! Does this wretched child understand?

Cheng Ying’s back ached, but she thought to herself, At least Grandma is robust; she still has the strength to hit, so she won’t die of anger over me.

The old lady railed, "Do you think I’m easily fooled? Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think what I feel doesn't matter? You wicked child, with the wicked things you’ve done, how am I supposed to show my face outside?"

Cheng Ying countered, "To put it mildly, no one else knows. Rest assured, you can go out." This was the truth, a solution to the problem.

This was Cheng Ying’s plan—what was the big deal? She and her sister used to bathe together when they were little. As for the rest, could they just pretend they hadn't seen it?

The old lady hit her harder. "Do you think everyone outside is dead?"

Cheng Ying’s mind went blank. Besides her grandmother, someone else knew?

Chi Wu gave a cold sneer inwardly. Let’s see you deny it now. He completely forgot that he was the architect of this entire scheme. Chi Wu was angered by Yingzi’s reaction; although it was expected, it still hurt him. Why didn’t you just go with the flow and marry me? Do you truly have no feelings for me? Such are the sensitive thoughts of a young man.

Cheng Ying ignored trying to placate her grandmother and peered out the window. Several older craftsmen were standing outside, looking deeply awkward. Their faces were redder than hers, the face of someone freshly embroiled in a scandal. She truly couldn't bear to look at them.

Killing them to silence them—Cheng Ying lacked the will for such drastic measures. With a crestfallen face, she pleaded, "Grandma, what do we do?"

Finally, she looked like a proper young girl, completely panicked.

Chi Wu lowered his head. "It’s all my fault, Grandma. This has nothing to do with Yingzi; I drank too much."

Saying this was practically reminding the old lady that her girl had been taken advantage of by someone else, and furthermore, that the man was being magnanimous, taking all the blame. What a good child!

Pah! A good child wouldn’t do such a thing; she should have resisted to the death. The old lady felt conflicted facing Chi Wu.

The old lady covered her face. She truly had no face to show anyone this time.

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu. His words sounded right, but considering his practical experience, there were many parts that didn't add up. Even if she had drunk too much, could a woman really overpower a man? How difficult would that be? Did she possess that ability? For a fleeting moment, Cheng Ying’s thought process focused on her own capabilities. For now, she needed to resolve the current situation; everything else could wait.

The old lady lamented, "Why couldn't you use a normal path? If you liked Wu Zi, if you two were fond of each other, that could have been discussed! Why are you so thoughtless? How am I supposed to explain this to the people outside?"

As the old lady spoke, she was already trying to leave an escape route for her own family. The two children were fond of each other.

Cheng Ying thought that if no one were outside, the old lady would definitely try to cover things up. It was hopeless now; anger had forced the issue, bringing about this mess.

Cheng Ying tried to comfort the old lady. "Grandma, what is there to be ashamed of? Aren't all the village couples together once they get engaged? We are both unmarried, and we grew up together. We aren't closely related within five generations, right? We aren't siblings, are we?"

She sounded particularly unsure on that last sentence.

Chi Wu turned away, and where others couldn't see, his teeth almost split from suppressing a grin.

How wonderfully optimistic Yingzi’s words sounded for the future! He kept his head down, silent.

The old lady looked from Chi Wu to Cheng Ying. "My old face! The face of our Old Cheng family!" Then she looked at Chi Wu. "Wu Zi, I've failed you. What do you say?"

Chi Wu lowered his head, biting his lip. It was so hard to keep the joy suppressed. "I will listen to whatever you say, Grandma. I will handle things at home. Don't worry, Grandma, no one is to blame. Yingzi and I grew up together; I know what kind of person she is. Yingzi will treat me well in the future."

Cheng Ying felt as if she were the one who was about to marry a wife. This was infuriatingly bothersome—was she going to have to raise this child for a lifetime? But Chi Wu’s reaction seemed strangely off. Could he be shy, scared off by her? This felt incredibly ridiculous.