Lu Yi paused for a moment as he treated Shen Heyu’s wound. In his heart, he had already guessed what Shen Heyu was about to say to him.
He steadied his own emotions; Chen Wenzhou had already assured him that this matter would be executed flawlessly, without affecting his relationship with Shen Heyu.
Thinking of this, Lu Yi allowed a trace of a gentle smile to appear as he lifted his gaze to Shen Heyu’s anxious expression.
"What’s wrong with you? Ever since you returned from seeing Pei Yansi at the hospital today, you’ve been acting strangely, getting lost in thought even while drinking water, and even hurting yourself."
Lu Yi had finished treating Shen Heyu’s wound. She watched him wrap the injury with great care and delicacy, curling her fingers slightly.
"Today, I saw Pei Yansi at the hospital, and he told me something."
"What’s that? It scared you to such a state?" Lu Yi’s face still held a smile as he put away the items he had taken out back into the medicine box.
Shen Heyu, seeing Lu Yi’s gentle and suave demeanor, found it hard to bring herself to say what was in her heart.
Noticing Shen Heyu’s hesitation, Lu Yi looked up with an encouraging look.
"Why have you stopped talking? You had something you wanted to tell me, didn’t you? Go ahead, there’s no one else here."
Shen Heyu looked into Lu Yi’s eyes, clenched her teeth hard, and mustered the courage to say to him, "Didn’t you tell me that the kidnapping last time was a staged drama directed by Pei Yansi himself? So today, I went to confront him face to face at the hospital."
"Even if Pei Yansi did that, how could he possibly admit it? And maybe knowing that I told you, he might even turn the tables and throw dirt on me."
Lu Yi had finished cleaning up the medicine box and placed it under the coffee table. Hearing Lu Yi say this, Shen Heyu became even more unsure how to continue.
Lu Yi looked at her and smiled gently, "What’s this now? Finish what you were saying. What did Pei Yansi say afterward? If he really did this, I wish he’d be straightforward and admit it. Maybe I wouldn’t think so poorly of him then."
"Zhao Jin investigated and found out that it was you who did it, saying you framed and set Pei Yansi up."
The smile on Lu Yi’s face froze, and his eyes widened in shock.
"What did you say? Are you sure I heard that right? Did Pei Yansi really say that?" Lu Yi’s reaction seemed exceptionally earnest.
"It wasn’t Pei Yansi who said this; it was his trusted assistant."
"Zhao Jin is Pei Yansi’s man. What’s the difference between him saying it and Pei Yansi saying it?"
"I can’t believe he’d actually try to throw dirt on me. If he had generously admitted to doing it, maybe I wouldn’t have such a low opinion of him."
"But if he’s so vile and shameless as to try to pin the blame on me, I absolutely won’t admit to it. Heyu, I’m even more concerned about him continuing to entangle you. Pei Yansi is a man who will stoop to any means to achieve his goals."
"Heyu, do you believe me? I have absolutely nothing to do with this."
Lu Yi was telling the truth with those words because he indeed had nothing to do with it personally, but he wasn’t completely uninvolved.
He knew who had done it, it was the Chen family. He knew the actual perpetrator, yet he conspired with them, hoping to use this incident to drive a wedge between Shen Heyu and Pei Yansi.
"I believe that you didn’t do this." Shen Heyu looked into Lu Yi’s eyes and, after two seconds, ultimately chose to trust him.
Lu Yi took a deep breath and raised his hand to grasp Shen Heyu’s shoulder, "Heyu, you must believe me, I really have no connection with this. I will find more compelling evidence to prove that this was all Pei Yansi’s doing."
"But this incident has made me see what kind of person Pei Yansi really is. Heyu, I don’t feel safe with you continuing to be involved with him. Can you keep your distance from now on? I’m worried he’ll hurt you."
Shen Heyu, looking at Lu Yi’s earnest expression, simply turned her head away and didn’t agree to his request.
With her silence, Lu Yi’s heart burned anxiously, and he gently shook Shen Heyu’s shoulder.
However, Shen Heyu merely replied softly, "I’m sorry."
Lu Yi looked at Shen Heyu, disappointed, and slowly let go of her shoulder.
"After all that Pei Yansi has done, you still refuse to cut ties with him. Do you really miss him that much?" Lu Yi’s voice could not hide the sorrow.
He felt more justified in his actions, as he knew it’d be difficult to win Shen Heyu over by himself, so he had to choose to collaborate with the Chen family.
"I don’t believe that you would do such a thing, nor can I believe that Pei Yansi would. Clearly, the person behind this plot wants to see our relationships break down."
"I can’t let the true perpetrator get away with this, so I must get to the bottom of it."
Lu Yi smiled faintly, "Since that’s the case, you should head upstairs and rest."
"Tomorrow I’ll accompany you to the hospital and ask Pei Yansi to clarify things face to face. I want to see what kind of evidence he can produce to prove it was me." Lu Yi knew Pei Yansi wouldn’t be able to produce any evidence, and any he might present would be fabricated.
He looked confidently into Shen Heyu’s eyes, and she simply acknowledged before heading upstairs.
After Shen Heyu left, he called Chen Wenzhou.
"Your plan isn’t so flawless, you may have underestimated the importance of Pei Yansi and Shen Heyu to each other. Even now, Shen Heyu still chooses to trust Pei Yansi." Thinking about this, Lu Yi unconsciously clenched his teeth in hatred.
"As long as she doesn’t suspect you, that’s enough. It seems this tame approach isn’t very effective on them; it’s time to deliver a heavier blow."
Hearing these words, Lu Yi felt an ominous premonition and curiously pressed, "What do you mean by that?"
"You’ll know tomorrow."
Chen Wenzhou made the plan sound mysterious, leaving Lu Yi curious about what he might do next day.
But he could never have imagined Chen Wenzhou to be so ruthless, actually planning a staged car accident.
Just as Shen Heyu and Pei Yansi were leaving the house, a car out of control hurtled towards them.
To save Shen Heyu, Lu Yi pushed her aside.