Gong Juese stepped out and didn’t care about Meng Zhuqing’s reaction as she lay outside the door; he merely closed the room door behind Gong Juese and Meng Lanqing.
Then, he crouched beside Meng Zhuqing without untying her but patted her shoulder and said, "Don’t worry, my sister will be very gentle with your brother."
When Meng Lanqing returned to dressing as a man, An Jing discovered that Meng Lanqing had changed.
It wasn’t his appearance that had changed but the feeling he gave off.
The former Meng Lanqing, even if not talkative, would initiate conversation; but the current Meng Lanqing, if he could avoid speaking, he would. When he didn’t speak, there was not a trace of expression on his face.
But because Meng Lanqing was especially handsome, his current state made him seem truly cold and alluring.
For three consecutive days, Meng Lanqing maintained this cold and alluring state.
That day, An Jing and Xiao Changyi were sunning themselves in the courtyard with their four children, while Meng Lanqing stood not far away, brushing a horse in the stable.
Seeing Meng Lanqing still in that cold and alluring manner, An Jing finally couldn’t suppress her curiosity and asked Xiao Changyi, "Husband, could Meng Lanqing be imitating you? Look at him, he seems like a completely different person now."
Xiao Changyi, without even glancing at Meng Lanqing, said, "He’s been shaken."
An Jing fell silent for a moment before inquiring with a gossip’s interest, "Shaken by what?" She was quite idle at the moment and didn’t mind delving into some gossip.
Xiao Changyi didn’t answer but instead summoned Meng Zhuqing and directly asked her, "What has shaken your brother?"
An Jing: "..." Husband, is it really okay to be so direct?
Meng Zhuqing looked at her brother near the stable with a complex expression, and after a long moment, she whispered with great difficulty, "I dare not say."
Seeing Meng Zhuqing so troubled, An Jing thought about letting it go, but Xiao Changyi spoke again, his tone indifferent, "At most he will beat you up again, what is there to fear?"
In the end, Meng Zhuqing still decided to whisper very softly, "My elder brother was forced by Gong Juese."
An Jing: "..." It’s not what I’m thinking, is it?
After exchanging glances with Xiao Changyi, An Jing lowered her voice and asked, "What do you mean by forced... exactly?"
Meng Zhuqing glanced at Meng Lanqing by the stable again with a complex look, and then quietly replied, "It means Gong Juese forced my elder brother into a marital relationship with her."
However, An Jing was confounded, "How can such a thing be forced?" Isn’t it generally men who force women? Can a woman do that to a man?
Meng Zhuqing said sorrowfully, "Gong Juechen drugged my elder brother, and Gong Juese tied him up with a rope. Then, Gong Juese forced herself on my elder brother. Even if he was unwilling, he had no way to resist."
An Jing: "..." This Gong Juese, really is...
Meng Lanqing hated most being told he was good-looking, in essence because he detested being seen as a woman by others; now, Gong Juese had actually forced herself on him, a man being overwhelmed in such a way. No wonder he was shaken, and his temper significantly altered.
Presumably, Meng Lanqing now detested Gong Juese to death.
With that thought, An Jing grew serious and asked, "When did it happen?"
Meng Zhuqing replied, "It was three days ago, on the night when my elder brother learned that the young master no longer needed Gong Juechen. My elder brother asked me to help deal with Gong Juechen and Gong Juese, but to our surprise, Gong Juese alone managed to subdue both me and my elder brother."