Soon, Gu Jin arrived in Long Yifan’s room. Colin was still struggling inside the vines, his mouth sealed by thick, poisonous leaves.
The moment Long Yifan saw her step in, he gave her a wide grin.
"Ah, I was about to come to your room myself," he said, his voice full of fake fright.
He quickly clung to her arm, pretending to tremble. "But this girl interrupted me halfway. She wanted to molest me without even a reason! I almost cried! You need to get justice for me!"
He pointed dramatically at Avery, who stood frozen in the corner of the room.
Her body was stiff, her eyes blank, as if someone had pressed the pause button on her entire being.
Gu Jin raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she asked calmly, rolling her eyes at Long Yifan’s exaggerated act.
He was pretending to be scared, but she could see the smirk threatening to appear on his lips.
She turned her attention toward Avery.
Gu Jin sighed softly. "It would be better," she said, her tone cold and sharp, "if you people start learning how to treat both partners with respect."
The moment she said the word partners, Long Yifan’s expression changed.
His playful smile vanished, and his eyes turned sharp. He glanced behind Gu Jin and finally noticed Colin bound tightly in her vines.
His face darkened. "Colin," he muttered, his voice laced with fury.
He immediately looked at the Avery. "Why were you in my room?" he asked.
"Shouldn’t you have gone to Gu Jin’s room instead? From a logical point, she is the one you should have targeted first. And Colin should have entered my room."
Colin and Avery’s eyes flicked with panic.
They wanted to run, to escape through the shadows, but with one simple wave of Long Yifan’s hand, a spatial lock appeared, trapping them inside his room.
Both Avery and Colin couldn’t move. They couldn’t breathe properly.
His aura pressed down like a mountain.
Long Yifan’s gaze was colder than winter itself. "I will ask once," he said slowly. "What is happening here?"
Silence filled the room. No one dared to answer.
Colin, however, could not bear the vines wrapping around his body.
He struggled violently, muffled sounds escaping from his covered mouth. His eyes screamed desperation.
Long Yifan shifted his gaze toward Gu Jin. She understood at once. With a snap of her fingers, the vines covering Colin’s mouth withered away.
Colin gasped for air, then shouted,
"It is because we wanted to make sure that even if we were caught, we could blame it on you both!"
His words spilled out quickly, almost too quickly.
But Long Yifan shook his head. His sharp eyes narrowed as he studied Colin.
"There is something amiss," he said. "That is too shallow a reason. If you do not tell the truth, Colin, I will personally make sure that neither you nor Avery walks out of this mansion alive."
His words were like a death sentence.
Both Colin and Avery froze. Fear swept across their faces, draining all the color from their cheeks.
They exchanged a quick glance, panic flashing in their eyes.
Finally, Avery forced a smile. "You are overthinking," she said carefully. "We never intended to do anything serious."
Long Yifan chuckled darkly. The sound was humorless, filled with hidden danger.
"Overthinking? I have already given you two chances. If you continue to circle around the truth, I will make sure you regret every single word you are saying right now."
The pressure of his aura grew even stronger. Colin’s knees buckled, Avery’s forehead broke into sweat. Their bodies shook as if they were being crushed under invisible chains.
Unable to bear it any longer, Avery finally blurted out,
"Fine! We will tell you! We had planned to frame you both! To make it look like Gu Jin had... had slept with Colin, while you forced yourself on me!"
Her words pierced the room like knives.
Gu Jin’s eyes turned ice-cold. A dangerous glint flashed across her crimson gaze.
Long Yifan’s fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked. The mere thought of Gu Jin’s name being dragged through the mud with Colin’s made his blood boil.
Without hesitation, he waved his hand.
Both Colin and Avery flew backward, slamming into the hard wall. The force shook the entire room.
They groaned in pain, but Long Yifan was not finished.
His eyes glowed faintly as his psychic power wrapped around them like chains.
He forced their bodies together, making them collide again and again before dropping them into a deep illusion.
Their eyes rolled back, their bodies twitching, trapped inside a nightmare they could not escape.
Long Yifan’s chest rose and fell with fury.
"I do not want to let them go," he said, his voice low and dangerous.
Gu Jin’s cold gaze did not soften.
Especially when she heard Avery claim she would make it seem like Long Yifan slept with her. That alone is enough to make her furious.
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Both of their hearts burned with rage.
Finally, Long Yifan spoke again.
"It would be better if we force them to confess. We can record a video of them admitting their scheme, and then spread it online. With a little push, their reputation as a mighty mage couple will be destroyed."
Gu Jin nodded slowly. "Agreed. That will ruin them more than killing them."
She waved her hand and pulled out a small vial filled with shimmering liquid.
"This is a truth potion," she explained. "Once consumed, it forces the drinker to speak only the truth. They will not even realize they are confessing until it is too late."
She pried open Colin’s mouth and poured the potion down his throat.
Avery tried to resist, but Gu Jin’s vines tightened around her, forcing the liquid past her lips.
Moments later, their eyes cleared as the illusion faded. Confusion filled their faces. They blinked, looking around, unaware of what had just been forced upon them.
Then their mouths opened, words spilling out without hesitation.
"We planned to ambush Gu Jin and Long Yifan tonight," Colin said flatly. "We wanted to make it look like they were unfaithful, so the world would reject them as the next mighty mage couple."
"We planned to spread rumors, fake evidence, and destroy their names. We wanted everyone to see them as weak, unworthy, and scandalous."
Gu Jin’s recording crystal glowed faintly, capturing every word.
Her face remained calm, but inside her, flames of rage burned hotter than ever.
When the confession ended, both Colin’s and Avery’s eyes widened. "What... what did we just say?" Colin stammered.
Gu Jin slipped the crystal into her pocket with a faint smile. "Exactly what we needed."
Long Yifan sneered. "With this, you two are finished."
Panic surged in Avery’s face. "If you dare torture us, we will file a case against you both! The council will believe us!"
Gu Jin’s lips curved in a cold smile. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novelꞁire.net
"You are the ones at a disadvantage, not us. Do not forget, your confession has already been recorded. We can make sure your names never rise again."
Colin’s fists clenched. His eyes filled with hatred as he glared at them. Avery did the same.
Both of them were trembling with anger, confusion, and fear.
"How..." Avery whispered. "How did you both grow so strong in just one year? We guarded the Mage God for so many years and never reached such ranks. How can you surpass us so easily?"
Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed. Not finding them worthy of giving them a reply.
The words cut them deeper than any blade.
The next morning, Gu Jin and Long Yifan dragged Colin and Avery to the Mage Council Association. They handed over both the culprits and the crystal recording.
By noon, the video was already circulating on the internet. It spread like wildfire.
Public outrage erupted.
"This kind of couple should never become mighty mage couple!" one voice shouted.
"They are a stain on the title!" another cried.
"Are all the mighty mage couples ? Arrogant, shameless, acting like gods?"
The narrative shifted quickly. Soon, not only Avery and Colin but even other mage couples from past years were under investigation.
A fire had been lit, one that others in politics were eager to use for their own advantage.
But Gu Jin and Long Yifan were unconcerned.
"As long as Avery and Colin are destroyed, nothing else matters," Long Yifan said.
Gu Jin nodded. "Exactly."
When the Gu family learned of the scandal, they were furious. They immediately used their influence to make sure both Avery and Colin received the harshest punishment possible.
But later that night, Gu Jin and Long Yifan invited the family into a private room.
Everyone was curious. Why had Gu Jin chosen a private room instead of the mansion?
Inside, they found Gu Jin and Long Yifan looking strangely nervous.
It had been years since the family saw Gu Jin . Mrs. Gu’s heart softened instantly.
She walked over, wrapped her arms around her daughter, and whispered, "What is it, Jin? Why do you look so nervous?"
Gu Jichun quickly hugged her from the other side.
"Sister, what is wrong? Did you... Did you sleep with Long Yifan? Are you going to tell us you are pregnant?"