Chapter 146: Chapter 146: She Has Always Been Seducing Lao San Lin Zhiyi had not expected Chen Sulan to suddenly pounce on her, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.
Her hand instinctively braced against the floor, and her palm landed right on the shattered pieces of Old Mr. Gongâs teacup.
Pain instantly spread throughout her body, robbing her of any ability to resist while Chen Sulan pulled and tugged at her.
As Liu He reacted, she hurriedly tried to pull Chen Sulan away.
"Let go of my daughter!"
But Chen Sulan, now obsessed with defending Gong Yan, possessed a startling amount of strength!
She clutched Lin Zhiyiâs scarf tightly, her voice shrill, "Dad, look! I have evidence! Iâll prove sheâs been seducing Lao San all along!"
The scarf tightened abruptly, making it difficult for Lin Zhiyi to breathe, just when she felt as though her neck was about to break.
Finally, Gong Shiyan managed to pull the frantic Chen Sulan away.
At the same time, the scarf was also torn from her grasp.
Liu He quickly shielded Lin Zhiyi, her voice filled with concern, "Zhiyi, are you alright?"
Lin Zhiyi was just about to respond, but a sharp pain in her throat made her cough.
"Cough, cough, cough... No, Iâm fine."
Liu He glared angrily at Chen Sulan, "Madam, have you lost your mind?"
"Heh, rather than talking about me, you should have your daughter think about how she will explain things to Old Mr. Gong! Since she claimed to have severed ties with Lao San long ago, why does she still have something of his?"
Chen Sulan held Lin Zhiyiâs scarf high.
Seeing this, Lin Zhiyi tensed up and reached out to grab her scarf, "No! Give it back to me!"
But because she had nearly suffocated earlier, her mind was still fuzzy, and she had no strength to compete for it.
Chen Sulan scoffed, "No? Then what are you afraid of?"
During the argument, even Old Mr. Gongâs face showed a shade of annoyance.
At that moment, a figure approached calmly.
A coat hung over the manâs arm, and his eyes, cold as frost, swept lightly over the people in the hall.
His gaze, upon seeing the marks on Lin Zhiyiâs neck, remained as calm as water.
He passed by the crowd and slowly sat down next to Old Mr. Gong.
With a light tap on the table, a servant brought him hot tea.
He sipped the tea and spoke softly, "Whatâs all this commotion?"
Old Mr. Gong adjusted his disheveled sleeve and said in a composed tone, "Your sister-in-law is spouting nonsense again, claiming that you are still in contact with Lin Zhiyi behind the scenes."
Gong Chen casually set down his teacup, "My sister-in-law is thoughtful, indeed. Besides caring about my job, she even takes such an interest in my private life. Sheâd better spend more time caring about the Chen Family."
Hearing the sarcasm, Chen Sulanâs lips trembled as she forcefully presented the scarf to Old Mr. Gong.
"Dad, this scarf is the evidence! Mom knitted this for Lao San before she died. The name on it was stitched by her, one stitch at a time! Itâs one of a kind!"
Lin Zhiyi was unfamiliar with Gong Chenâs mother in both her past and current life; no one in the Gong Family had mentioned her.
All she knew was that Gong Chenâs mother had struggled to conceive him close to age fifty and later damaged her health during childbirth, suffering for several years in bed before passing away.
Gong Chen seldom spoke of his mother, but he cherished the items she left behind.
So when she heard the phrase "one of a kind," Lin Zhiyi was momentarily stunned.
She didnât know these things.
But upon mention, she felt as if she had seen this scarf somewhere in her past life, yet she couldnât quite remember where.
She slightly raised her eyes to Gong Chen, their gazes meeting, his deep, ink-soaked eyes seemingly piercing when they stared back, unfathomable.
But as she thought of his previous usage of her, Lin Zhiyi unconsciously clenched her bleeding hand and quickly averted her eyes.
The man, however, did not withdraw his stare, exerting an invisible, dominating, and dangerous pressure, as if ready to devour her at any moment.
Meanwhile, Chen Sulan had searched the entire front side of the scarf and had not found the embroidered âChenâ character.
"Itâs impossible! It must be on the other side!"
Inside and out, just so much fabric, Chen Sulan had turned it over three times but still hadnât found the evidence she wanted.
Old Mr. Gong was gradually losing his patience, "Have you found it?"
Chen Sulanâs eyes were on the brink of splitting, repeatedly insisting, "I will find it! I definitely will find it!"
"Madam, is this what you are looking for?"
From beneath his overcoat, Gong Chen pulled out a scarf, prominently embroidered with the character âChenâ.
"How could this be? It shouldnât be!" Chen Sulan stared at Gong Chen in disbelief.
Gong Chen casually draped the scarf over the arm of a chair and said lightly, "Everyone knows this scarf is very important to me; how could I possibly just give it away?"
Lin Zhiyi wasnât sure if it was her imagination, but she felt someone watching her; however, when she slightly lifted her eyes, there was nothing in sight.
Chen Sulan was caught off guard and snarled at Lin Zhiyi.
"Lin Zhiyi, if youâre so innocent, why the rush just now?"
Lin Zhiyi came back to her senses and stepped forward to explain, "Madam, wouldnât you be anxious if someone just snatched something of yours?
Moreover, how could my fifty-dollar scarf compare to your brother-in-lawâs? You could feel the difference just by touching them. How could you not tell, Madam? Or did you do it on purpose?"
Lin Zhiyi had been uneasy ever since she left the tea shop.
When she saw the scarf in the glass reflection, she worried that Old Mr. Gong might recognize it.
So she randomly bought a similarly colored scarf at a clothing store to cover the bite marks on her neck.
Then she had the desk guard return the packed scarf to Gong Chen.
She never imagined her caution would save her.
However, now was not the time for Lin Zhiyi to feel relieved; deep bite marks still marred her neck.
Though currently concealed by her hair, any slight movement would surely expose her.
She had to get the scarf back to cover them.
As Lin Zhiyi pondered how to surreptitiously retrieve her scarf, Chen Sulan, usually as mild as a chrysanthemum, clutched her chest, gasping for breath, infuriated by Lin Zhiyiâs words.
"Mom!" Gong Yan didnât kneel; he rushed to help Chen Sulan, angrily reprimanding Lin Zhiyi, "My mother isnât in good health! Is this how you speak to your elder?"
Lin Zhiyi took a deep breath and countered, "Young Master, wasnât it Madam who hurt me first?"
"You..."
Gong Yan frowned, and his gaze became colder.
Suddenly, a subtle sound came from the head seat.
Gong Chen set down his teacup, slightly lifted his eyelids, and looked down at Gong Yan with a cold, commanding air that involuntarily instilled a sense of submission.
"So you still know to respect your elders, but youâve been here half the day and havenât even apologized to me, your uncle, or your grandfather; were you just going to gloss over it?"
His tone wasnât loud, but the voice contained an undeniable intimidation.
Gong Yan looked at him, his shoulders slightly shrunk, and he subconsciously looked toward Old Mr. Gong.
He hoped that Old Mr. Gong, considering that he was the eldest grandson, would give him a pass this time.
Reborn to Outshine My Ex and His White Moonlight ï¤Chapter 145: Killing Intentions Rebirth of a Village Girl ï¤Chapter 1123 - 286: Retribution, Recognizing Each Other_3 Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress ï¤Chapter 828 - 825: Prosperous Mountains and Rivers But Old Mr. Gong remained unmoved and continued drinking tea.
Gong Yan clenched his fists, his neck and face growing red, and knelt stiffly on the ground.
"Grandfather... Uncle, Iâm sorry."
His teeth were clenched as he uttered the word âUncleâ.
Hatred throbbed in his heart like thorns, his sinister eyes scanning around as if looking for a vent.
His gaze then caught Lin Zhiyi making a slight gesture.
A fierce look instantly flashed in his eyes.
Lin Zhiyi, Iâve been so good to you, yet you subjected me to such humiliation!
You should be supporting me...