"What’s in it?" Mo Qian asked again.
"It’s something Xiao Zhang sent me. I asked him to look for the videos on Jin Xuan’er’s computer, and he actually found them," Ji Wei answered apprehensively, her hands subconsciously gripping the hem of her pajamas.
"That actress came to see you?"
"Yes." Ji Wei nodded. "She threatened that if I didn’t help her arrange for Ye Cheng to be her companion at the banquet, she’d bully Xia Duoduo. So I thought I’d try to find some leverage against her..."
Her voice trailed off as she spoke. Ji Wei hadn’t told Mo Qian the truth, and she could feel her confidence crumbling.
But Mo Qian didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. His gaze was dark as he spoke: "Leave Jin Xuan’er to me. Daring to threaten my woman—looks like she thinks she’s been in the entertainment industry for too long."
From beginning to end, Mo Qian didn’t mention anything about the video. Every word he said was solely to protect her.
Ji Wei’s heart clenched painfully. She felt miserable; she couldn’t bear lying to Mo Qian.
Having been spied upon by another man—a secret she’d intended to bury forever—she decided, in this moment, to confess it to Mo Qian.
Ji Wei lifted her head to gaze at him, her voice trembling slightly as she prepared to speak: "Mo Qian, there’s something I need to tell you..."
Mo Qian looked down at the woman in his arms. The unease flashing in her clear eyes made his heart tighten.
It seemed he already had an inkling of what she was about to say. Instead of pressing her, he drew her closer, his voice low and calming as it drifted down from above her soft hair: "If you don’t want to say it, then don’t."
Ji Wei shook her head lightly, with a touch of stubbornness: "No, this is something I must be honest with you about."
She bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and finally forced the words through her teeth: "That video... it was secretly filmed by Huo Yan. He sneaked into my room when I wasn’t paying attention..."
As Ji Wei spoke, her body began trembling uncontrollably, as if remembering something terrible.
Mo Qian lowered his gaze to her pale little face, his eyes filled with tenderness: "You don’t have to say anymore. Let the past stay in the past, as long as you’re safe by my side."
His low, soft voice carried a reassuring strength, gradually calming the trembling woman in his arms.
Ji Wei looked at him: "We’re husband and wife. I don’t want to hide my past from you."
Feeling Mo Qian’s warm and steady heartbeat, Ji Wei finally recounted the events of that day to him.
Because Old Madam Ji and Grandma Huo were close, Huo Yan had been one of Ji Wei’s childhood playmates.
But back then, Ji Wei was a headstrong young lady, mischievous and full of whimsy. When playing with Huo Yan, she often made a game out of bullying him.
Huo Yan, with his mild and somewhat shy personality, would never fight back, often returning home dirty and earning scoldings.
As they grew older, Huo Yan developed feelings for Ji Wei that went beyond friendship, though Ji Wei had no such thoughts about him.
On Ji Wei’s eighteenth birthday, Huo Yan confessed to her in front of their families, only to be harshly rejected. She even smashed a birthday cake onto his face.
Despite the humiliation, Huo Yan didn’t get angry. He kept trying to confess to her again and again, even pleading with Grandma Huo to speak on his behalf.