Xia Chuyi grabbed the blanket and covered herself.
She glanced at Huo Shiqian. He had woken up earlier than her and was already dressed neatly.
Leaning on her hand, her body slowly wriggled backwards until she sat up against the wall at the head of the bed.
"There's no one..." Her throat was still very uncomfortable. She swallowed to moisten it, which made her feel somewhat better. She continued in a hoarse voice, "Believe it or not, I was also set up."
"I don't know you, and you don't know me. Why would I compromise my chastity to set you up?" She looked sincerely into his eyes, plainly interpreting the situation.
Now, it was a time when premarital loss of virginity could lead to public vilification.
Huo Shiqian's lips were tightly pressed together, his eyes, sharp as a hawk's, scanned her as if judging the truth of her words.
She met his gaze openly and without fear.
As she looked, she couldn't help but trace his features with her eyes.
He had fine, sword-like eyebrows, filled with a soldier's sharpness; his deep eyes were inscrutable, difficult to fathom; his high, prominent nose gave him an imperious air; his tightly set lips imparted an aura of authority; his chiseled jaw made him seem serious and no-nonsense.
This man truly had the kind of face that could frighten women and make children cry.
However, to tell the truth, he was quite handsome.
She found herself unconsciously smiling.
Huo Shiqian's expression changed slightly, his brows gradually knitting together.
The atmosphere turned somewhat awkward.
She withdrew her gaze.
She didn't get the information she wanted from his face. Of course, how could such a big issue be believed just from a few words?
No matter, she hadn't planned to resolve the issue right away.
Wrapped in the blanket, she got out of bed and picked up the clothes scattered on the floor, rustling as she put them on under the cover of the blanket.
Once dressed, she jumped off the bed and stood in front of him, tilting her head up slightly to look at Huo Shiqian.
The man was really quite tall.
"Anyway, this is what happened. Although a woman's chastity is important, neither of us did this willingly. So let's just pretend it never happened," she said casually, spreading her hands.
The air in the room suddenly felt degrees colder.
"What did you say?"
His sharp glance made her shiver, and she couldn't help but step back two steps, feeling inexplicably embarrassed, as if she had done something wrong.
"Cough cough, well, it's nothing, I'll be going now!"
She retreated to the wall, turned swiftly, and opened the window, using her hands and feet to climb onto the sill.
"What are you doing?"
Another stern and icy question came as her arm was gripped by him.
Looking back, Huo Shiqian's expression was extremely grim.
She struggled to pull her hand back but couldn't break free.
Fine, she pointed out the window of the inn.
There was a small portion of the balcony visible, with the building's pipes beside it. She planned to climb out there, and descend along the pipes to avoid exiting through the main door, where her fiancé and her "dear sister," Xia Lan, might be lying in wait.
"Don't overthink it. I just want to climb out from the balcony. Otherwise, if I go out the main door, my fiancé and my dear sister are waiting outside."
Her gaze flicked towards the currently quiet and closed door, which, if opened, could turn everything upside down.
"Fiancé?" Huo Shiqian echoed her words, his tone icy.