Her memory became a blank at the crucial point, and Shen Heyu stared at Pei Yansi, hoping to hear the truth about last night from his lips.
"Nothing happened last night, right?" Shen Heyu asked, somewhat apprehensive as she looked at Pei Yansi.
Meeting Shen Heyu’s gaze, spikes of discomfort jabbed at Pei Yansi’s heart.
"What do you think happened last night?"
"I remember I drank a glass of water that Chen Wenzhou had drugged, and then I passed out. I don’t know what happened after that, I only know that when I woke up, only you were beside me."
"You absolutely wouldn’t do anything to me, right?"
As Shen Heyu spoke these words, her heart was somewhat uneasy. Pei Yansi stood up and slowly walked to the bedside; he grasped Shen Heyu’s wrist tightly, pulling her to his side.
His grip on Shen Heyu’s wrist was so strong that she couldn’t break free, she could only watch helplessly as he dragged her to the edge of the bed.
Pei Yansi’s other hand pinched Shen Heyu’s chin, forcing her to look up at him. He raised his brow handsomely and asked her, "Even if something did happen last night, what about it?"
"Pei Yansi you bastard, get this straight—there’s nothing between us two right now, you absolutely cannot mess around!"
Shen Heyu was slightly agitated; she struggled to break free from Pei Yansi’s hold, but as Pei Yansi tightened his grip on her chin, she couldn’t escape his clutches.
"Shen Heyu, the person who needs to face reality is you. Even if something did happen, what about it? Haven’t we already had a child together?"
Pei Yansi squinted at Shen Heyu, his eyes dangerously emotive.
Shen Heyu clenched her teeth and forcefully pried his hand from her chin, moving several steps back to maintain a safe distance from Pei Yansi.
The more she tried to escape from Pei Yansi, the less he allowed her to move away. He grabbed Shen Heyu by the ankle and dragged her back to him.
Such was reality; as much as Shen Heyu tried to flee from Pei Yansi, she could do nothing but watch herself being pulled closer and closer.
"Even if there was something between us, that was in the past, and the two cannot be conflated. If you really dared to do something to me last night, then you’re worse than a beast!"
Unable to escape Pei Yansi’s hold, Shen Heyu could only watch as she was dragged back to his side, yet she still refused to concede verbally.
Each word she spoke felt like a slap to Pei Yansi’s face. His hand tightened on Shen Heyu’s ankle, but fearing he’d hurt her, he reluctantly loosened his grip a little.
Pei Yansi chuckled coldly, "Your desperate attempts to sever ties with me, could it be because of Lu Yi? Well, reality might disappoint you. Do you know why you ended up in this state yesterday?"
Pei Yansi looked at Shen Heyu sarcastically, and upon hearing his words, Shen Heyu paused, a bad premonition rising in her heart.
"What do you mean by that?"
"My point is that you were deceived," Pei Yansi coldly told Shen Heyu the truth. "The reason you were framed yesterday lies solely with Lu Yi. You should stay far away from him."
But Shen Heyu didn’t believe it. "You’re lying to me, right? I’ve known Lu Yi for a long time. He couldn’t possibly do such a thing. Moreover, I remember clearly that it was Chen Wenzhou who did it."
"Shen Heyu, aren’t you always so clever? How can you be so foolish about this? I’ve warned you before, people change. Even if the Lu Yi you knew was harmless, you can’t be sure he will always be that way."
Pei Yansi intensified his tone, wanting Shen Heyu to come to her senses.
"If you can’t provide solid evidence, I won’t believe what you say."
Shen Heyu looked up into Pei Yansi’s eyes.
"You want evidence, right? I’ll show you the evidence right now." Pei Yansi picked up a nearby cellphone and opened a surveillance clip to show Shen Heyu.
Shen Heyu took his phone and watched the edited surveillance footage.
"After you drank that glass of water yesterday, it wasn’t long before you got a call from Lu Yi. He asked where you were, worried something might happen to you, so he offered to come find you, right? But the truth is, he had already arrived at the hotel before you did."
"This surveillance footage is an edit of the journey from your house to the hotel after you ended the call. Look carefully, is the man in the driver’s seat of Lu Yi’s car really Lu Yi?"
Shen Heyu watched the surveillance footage he provided intently, careful not to miss any detail.
The surveillance video lacked a frontal shot of the man in the driver’s seat; even the profile was blurry. However, the man’s build and clothing indeed matched Lu Yi’s.
"You’ve spent more time with Lu Yi; you know him better than I do. Touch your heart and tell me, can you deceive yourself by saying that the man driving is Lu Yi?"
"Even I can tell, he’s just a puppet."
The surveillance footage lasted only five minutes. Shen Heyu held her breath, watched the five minutes carefully, and then handed the phone back to him.
"You’re wrong. The surveillance you showed me doesn’t clearly show the man’s face in the driver’s seat, not even his profile. While I cannot confirm that the man is Lu Yi, I can’t deny that it very likely could be."
Pei Yansi frowned and snatched back the phone that Shen Heyu returned.
"Shen Heyu, have you lost your mind? If you’re not careful with this matter, it could very well threaten your safety. At this moment, are you still going to defend Lu Yi? Think carefully, hasn’t Lu Yi acted suspiciously these past few days?"
Shen Heyu took a deep breath. Indeed, Lu Yi had been somewhat strange these days.
But his odd behavior and words weren’t enough to make Shen Heyu suspect that Lu Yi had completely changed or was colluding with her nemesis, Chen Wenzhou.
"This is my business; I’m curious why Mr. Pei is so concerned. If I remember correctly, our relationship has completely ended; it’s not your place to interfere." Shen Heyu coldly set boundaries with Pei Yansi.
This statement almost drove Pei Yansi insane. He grabbed Shen Heyu’s hand, his eyes blazing with a volcanic eruption of love.
"Shen Heyu, must you treat me this way? Don’t you understand my feelings for you? I’ve already made it very clear to you that you’re the only one in my heart; I can’t lose you."