Rong Shaoze’s face darkened as he firmly gripped her chin, his thin lips pressed against hers, menacingly warning:
"Lin Xinlan, let me tell you! Even if I, Rong Shaoze, don’t love you, as long as you are the Young Madam of the Rong Family, you’d better watch your own behavior! If you dare to cheat on me, I won’t let you get away with it!"
Lin Xinlan was stunned for a moment: "Who was it that called just now?"
"Ha, still playing dumb with me? Weren’t you two supposed to have a meal together, or perhaps it was a date? You were afraid I would find out, so you secretly deleted the call log, but you didn’t expect he would call again, did you? Lin Xinlan, tell me the truth, how far have you gone with him?"
That last question Rong Shaoze asked very softly, yet chillingly cold.
Lin Xinlan felt a chill all over, but she also roughly understood that the second phone call wasn’t from a family member.
As long as it wasn’t, that was good.
In her heart, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Facing Rong Shaoze’s brooding eyes, she stated calmly, "Who was it? Mr. Qiao Yiyang?"
Today, he was the only one who had looked for her, saying he had something to tell her, but the conversation had not happened.
It must have been him calling to arrange a time.
Rong Shaoze’s eyes grew colder, his expression even more sour.
Knowing she had guessed correctly, Lin Xinlan explained, "I have nothing with Mr. Qiao, he came to see me today for business, not to invite me to a meal. I was supposed to discuss things with him, but then you took me away. He is probably calling now to ask when I’m free. Rong Shaoze, I swear, I have nothing to do with him. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do."
"Do you think I should believe you? How do you explain the panic you showed earlier?" he asked coldly.
Lin Xinlan was no longer uneasy; after all, as long as Xiaocong’s issue wasn’t exposed, she had nothing to fear...
"I wasn’t panicking, I was just angry that you took my call without permission. I don’t like others prying into my privacy. If you insist on suspecting that I’ve cheated on you, I can’t explain it away. However, I’m innocent and would even swear to Heaven."
Seeing he was still looking like he wouldn’t drop the issue, Lin Xinlan raised her hand solemnly and said, "I, Lin Xinlan, swear that if I have done anything to wrong Rong Shaoze, may I..."
"Enough," the man released her, his expression returning to one of nonchalant amusement, his smile hiding a hint of mockery, "It’s just a couple of questions; do you have to make an oath? Don’t make it so severe; I believe you don’t have the nerve to go behind my back with another man."
He ruffled her hair, laughing as if nothing had happened.
Yet Lin Xinlan couldn’t laugh, wondering if he would have easily believed her without pushing her to the point of making a solemn oath.
Tao Hua was right again; once Rong Shaoze became suspicious of something, he wouldn’t rest until he had clarified it.
His jealousy and stubbornness were frighteningly intense.
Lin Xinlan’s phone had been smashed by him, but Rong Shaoze soon had a new iPhone delivered for her. After inserting her SIM card and while Rong Shaoze was busy in the study, she took the phone to the garden.
Sitting on a swing, she gently kicked her legs and called her family’s number.
"Hello, Xinlan?" Lin’s mother habitually started the conversation in this way.
"Yes, Mom, it’s me. Did you call me for anything?"