Chapter 160: Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When Wen Nuan saw Gu Yinian’s gloomy expression, she coldly remarked, “Unhappy, are you? Perhaps you should exercise caution with your words in the future. Baseless accusations won’t serve you well.”
Gu Yinian, equally provoked by Wen Nuan, smirked and retorted, “Miss Wen, ever heard of ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’?”
Wen Nuan’s face instantly grew darker, and she taunted, “Of course I have. Otherwise, why would the media frenzy about your alleged plagiarism of medical research papers become headline news? It might not be illegal, but it certainly reeks of copyright infringement!”
Gu Yinian fell silent, his face turning grim.
Accusations, this was a blatant accusation!
Wen Nuan, in a chilly tone, kept on, “You don’t seem too pleased, huh? But where there’s smoke, there’s fire, isn’t that what they say?”
Defensive and enraged, Gu Yinian snapped back, “What do you know? They were trying to frame me!”
Wen Nuan smiled. “There’s no smoke without fire. If you hadn’t done anything amiss, why would the media dare to spread such rumors?”
After a pause, Wen Nuan continued to mock, “Besides, you’re the eldest young master of the Gu family. Who would dare to frame you? You must have done something to warrant this kind of media scrutiny, am I right? Certain truths might be uncomfortable, but you’ll have to get used to it.”
Just then, Jiang Ling’er noticed their chauffeur approaching in a car.
Jiang Ling’er interjected, “Nuannuan, the car’s here; let’s go.”
Wen Nuan nodded and looked at Gu Yinian once more. She said, “Young Master Gu, in the future, when you’re unsure about the situation, it’s best not to speak without understanding.”
Jiang Ling’er paid no heed to Gu Yinian’s words, not even bothering to glance in his direction before climbing into the car.
The corner of Gu Yinian’s mouth twitched. He was nearly seething with anger. But he had dug this pit himself. With no room for rebuttal, he had no choice but to endure it.
As the car pulled away, Li Yu seethed with annoyance.
“I must be out of my mind to have brought you along,” Li Yu muttered under his breath.
Gu Yinian clenched his fists, exclaiming, “I’m still furious! That Wen family heiress is utterly ruthless. How dare she question my medical expertise? There’s no smoke without fire. If I were dealing with a man, I’d teach her a lesson she’d never forget, maybe even put her in the hospital.”
Gu Yinian seethed with anger. Had Wen Nuan not been a member of the Wen family, he would have certainly given her a piece of his mind.
“Just because she doubts your medical skills, she’s a bad person?” Li Yu inquired, unfazed. “You willingly believe bad rumors about Jiang Ling’er but you can’t accept equally bad rumors about yourself? Gu Yinian, why didn’t I realize how double-standard you could be?”
Gu Yinian was speechless and he looked at Li Yu with resentment.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Li Yu queried. “You can criticize others, but they can’t criticize you? Don’t be so overbearing.”
Gu Yinian felt a profound sense of injustice. He knew he shouldn’t have said what he did, but it was a casual remark, made without malice. Who knew that the people around Jiang Ling’er couldn’t take a joke?
Gu Yinian mumbled, “I just took a swipe at Jiang Ling’er. Why are you attacking me? Do you think Jiang Ling’er is such an upstanding person? When she pursued Li Yan, she practically shadowed him every day. No amount of scolding would shake her off him.”
When Li Yu heard this, although he was very unhappy, he still said calmly, “Since you’ve said so, how would Ling’er have the time to go to the bar and play until late at night if she was busy shadowing Li Yan?”
Gu Yinian cleared his throat, realizing he had walked right into his own trap again.
Gu Yinian admitted, “I understand it’s my fault this time. I didn’t mean any harm; I just didn’t expect the Wen family to be so touchy.”
Li Yu sighed in self-derision, saying, “Gu Yinian, don’t you recognize that the problem might be your own loose tongue? I considered you a friend, but you’re dragging me into this mess.”
With disappointment etched across his face, Li Yu cast a disappointed glance at Gu Yinian and continued, “I’ve been back for only a short while, and I can already tell that something’s amiss here. You’ve never left this place, so why can’t you see it? Most of the rumors about Ling’er were fabricated!”
Gu Yinian instantly felt guilty. He had said all that just now to provoke Jiang Ling’er and see how she would react. In the end, Jiang Ling’er did not show any signs of guilt at all, nor was she angry. The only ones he had successfully angered were Wen Nuan and Li Yu.
Gu Yinian conceded, “I usually focus on medicine. How would I have time to delve into such matters? I merely heard things from others. Please don’t be angry. I’ll be more cautious in the future.”
Li Yu added, “Most of the rumors about Jiang Ling’er were concocted by Jiang Jun to curry favor with Bai Xue.”
Puzzled, Gu Yinian inquired, “But isn’t Jiang Jun Jiang Ling’er’s older brother?”