Huo Shiqian stood with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable, pretending not to notice He Qing's surreptitious movements. "Looking for someone? To my place?"
"No, no, that's not it. We had no idea you were here..." He Qing could only admit defeat, as the situation had progressed this far.
Huo Shiqian's eyes were like sharp swords, sweeping over the three people.
His companion, kicked to the ground, shrank back in fear, swallowing hard.
He Qing could only stiffen his resolve to explain, "Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding... it's my friend, my friend said, said her sister entered your room, so we..."
In his haste, he pushed Xia Lan forward.
Xia Lan was pushed to the front.
She looked at Huo Shiqian with her mouth agape, stunned.
Who was this? This was not at all the man she had originally designed for the plan!
How could she hate Xia Chuyi so much and then arrange for her a man with such good looks? She was really making it too easy for her!
The man in front of her was tall and strong, with a commanding presence. Xia Lan was so frightened that her legs trembled.
Soon, she steadied her mind, squeezed out some tears, and looked at Huo Shiqian with a pitiable, pear-blossom-in-the-rain expression. "It was, it was me who saw it. I saw Xia Chuyi enter this room last night with my own eyes, and she stayed the whole night until this morning without leaving. I was so worried about her..."
"Sister Lan, what are you doing here?"
A crisp female voice echoed down the corridor.
Xia Chuyi, playing with the braid at her chest, smiled and walked over at a leisurely pace.
"Xia Chuyi? Impossible, impossible, I clearly saw you..." Xia Lan shook her head violently.
"Saw what?" Xia Chuyi's eyes curved like little boats.
"No, no, it can't be..." Xia Lan's face was filled with disbelief.
"What's going on? What happened?" Xia Chuyi asked again, feigning the innocence of a young girl.
Beside her, Huo Shiqian emanated coldness, He Qing wore an awkward expression, and the person on the ground appeared completely confused.
"Chuyi, I, I, you didn't come back all night yesterday... I was worried about you..."
She interrupted Xia Lan, "Sister, what are you saying? Weren't we together last night?"
"No, no, you went out, didn't you? I saw you..." Xia Lan, anxious, tried to interject.
"What do you mean, I went out? Where would I go? How could I possibly... Sister Lan, you must be sleepwalking. I came here with you to visit relatives, unfamiliar with the place, and as a girl, how could I dare go out alone at night? More importantly, you've been so good to me, so caring, how could you possibly allow me to do something so dangerous, right?"
Xia Chuyi fixed her gaze on Xia Lan like a nail, her barrage of questions leaving Xia Lan at a loss for words.
Indeed, wasn't she her good elder sister? Then why would a good elder sister stand by and watch her younger sister go out at night, not returning until dawn before finally reacting with apparent worry and looking for someone?
It was only because in her previous life, when Xia Chuyi experienced a huge change and her mind was full of the previous night's events, that she had not noticed this point.
Later, she merely suspected that Xia Lan had allowed the situation to escalate, not knowing that it was all carefully orchestrated by her.
However, this matter was not to be brought up at this moment.
The debts of the past life, the accounts of this life, in the future, she would settle them one by one.
Xia Lan, refusing to give in but also not daring to say more, clenched her teeth, revealing a pitiable look of I've-seen-better-days as she lowered her head.
Catch the thief with evidence, catch the adulterer in the act, her plan had completely failed.
Playing with her braid and looking as if she enjoyed the show, Xia Chuyi pretended not to see the malicious glint in Xia Lan's eyes. She was curious to see how Xia Lan would explain herself to her.