Chapter 278
Cen Ting's father was getting anxious and immediately demanded, "Where have you been? We couldn't find you. Who are you with right now? Why didn't you pick up your phone!"
Cen Ting remained silent for a moment, and everyone's hearts were in their throats.
"What's the situation? I just suddenly got inspired and went to the car to create. My phone was on silent, as it often is. Isn't my presence not needed here anymore?"
The person speaking sounded a bit bewildered.
The Cen family members remembered that Cen Ting was indeed like this and immediately relaxed. They quickly said, "Daughter, come back first. There are some troublesome matters. By the way, have you seen Jing Yan?"
"No, what's the matter?"
The Cen family members on the phone seemed to find it hard to speak, so they just said, "Come back and we'll talk."
After the call ended, the Cen family immediately confronted Wan Ru and Jing Yu, "You heard that."
Wan Ru and Jing Yu's faces were not looking good. It felt too fast, and something was off.
"Who knows," Wan Ru stubbornly retorted.
Jing Yu, though not speaking, was full of disbelief.
"Then I'll just have to see how you continue to spread rumors during the confrontation later. I think this engagement might need to be reconsidered."
After being so insulted, the engagement was indeed worth reconsidering.
At that moment, Cen Ting didn't return, but Jing Yan did.
As soon as he arrived, all eyes were on him.
Seeing Jing Yan in different clothes, everyone couldn't help but think the worst.
Madam Xie trusted Jing Yan, so she directly asked, "Didn't I ask you to handle something? What happened? You were gone for so long and couldn't be reached."
Jing Yan put on an innocent expression and raised his hand, which had just been bandaged, with blood seeping through the bandage.
"Sorry, Auntie, I went to handle it, but I accidentally fell. Not only did I get my clothes wet, but I also injured my hand. I had no choice but to deal with it first before returning. My phone... it got wet and seems to be broken," Jing Yan said, holding up his dripping phone with a helpless expression.
Madam Xie was satisfied and let out a sigh of relief.
But Jing Yu couldn't hold back and jumped out, "What a coincidence! I don't believe it. Both of you just happened to be out, and both of your phones happened to have issues. Are you treating us like three-year-olds?"
"What? Why are you bringing up Cen Ting?" Jing Yan asked, puzzled.
"Stop acting! Did you sleep with my fiancée? You actually did that to me, on my engagement day! You're a beast!" Jing Yu shouted.
Jing Yan immediately became furious. "What are you talking about? Can someone tell me what's going on here?"
Madam Xie coldly looked at Jing Yu, realizing that he still didn't know when to stop. He was really going to ruin the reputation of the Jing family.
A kind acquaintance explained the situation.
Jing Yan laughed directly. "Just because of these baseless speculations, you've decided to convict us? You should try calling everyone's phones here. If someone left early or was out playing and didn't pick up, would you also accuse them of having an affair?"
"I saw it with my own eyes," Wan Ru retorted, not giving Jing Yan a chance to argue.
Jing Yan looked at his sister. He thought his heart wouldn't hurt anymore, but it still felt like being pricked by a needle. His sister actually hated him so much? That ugly, vicious expression was just like their mother's.
Not to mention, the mastermind behind this was his mother.
He felt incredibly tired, utterly exhausted.
"Just because I told Mother about your misbehavior and stopped you from entering the entertainment industry, you're treating me this way? Although it's well known that our relationship is bad, we're still siblings! Pranks should have limits!" Jing Yan's tone carried genuine disappointment.
This made people believe him a bit more. After all, Wan Ru did seem like a selfish and malicious girl who didn't care about others' feelings. And their sibling relationship was indeed strained.
"You!" Wan Ru, though purely malicious, still stammered a bit. She could only stubbornly shout, "I'm telling the truth! It's the truth! You're both unclear! You're coveting your brother's fiancée!"
Jing Yan's face darkened immediately.
Seeing this, Jing Yu made up his mind. Judging from Jing Yan's reaction, something must have happened. If something happened, there was a way to deal with it!
"Hmph, I don't believe anything you say. We'll confront each other when Cen Ting returns!" Jing Yu didn't believe they could get away with it. There was no such thing as a coincidence in the world, unless the heavens were helping him.
As soon as he said that, Jing Yan's eyes flashed with panic. This made Jing Yu even more smug.
"We're innocent. You can make a fuss all you want, but now you need to come with me. Auntie gave me a task that hasn't been completed. Come and help me," Jing Yan said.
This move puzzled people.
Some thought he was confident in his innocence, so he prioritized important matters.
Others thought Jing Yan might be feeling guilty and wanted to settle things privately with his cousin, using threats or bribes.
Jing Yu thought the latter. Seeing the usually composed Jing Yan so eager, he felt truly satisfied.
"What could be more important than proving your innocence?" Jing Yu said, raising his chin.
"Family matters. Come with me," Jing Yan said, his tone a bit anxious. Jing Yu felt even more triumphant.
"I'm not going. I'll wait here for Cen Ting to return," Jing Yu said, feeling like he was on top of the world.
"Auntie, I can't do it alone. I need Jing Yu's help," Jing Yan directly appealed to Madam Xie.
Madam Xie was also guessing that Jing Yan might be trying to find a way to get Jing Yu to change his story, to downplay the matter. So she nodded and cooperated, "Jing Yu, go. Don't be willful. We'll talk about it later."
Jing Yu became even more resentful of his mother, feeling that she was always biased towards Jing Yan. But then he thought, it didn't matter. As long as he went with Jing Yan, the suspicion about Jing Yan and Cen Ting would be planted in everyone's minds forever. Even if they had any tricks to force him to change his story, it wouldn't matter.
Unexpectedly, in his panic, Jing Yan had made the worst move.
So he'll go with him. He just wanted to see Jing Yan's ugly defeat.
"I have to make it clear. If you want me to cover up your scandal, I won't agree," Jing Yu said boldly, making the onlookers even more inclined to believe the rumors.
As Jing Yu passed by Jing Yan, Jing Yan didn't immediately follow. Instead, he came to Madam Xie's side, his expression unreadable. Finally, he whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I'm sorry, Auntie. This time, he's gone too far. I can't let him off."
Madam Xie's body swayed, and her wise eyes gradually filled with helplessness and sorrow. "I understand."