Chapter 14: Rescuing the Scene

After the door was closed, only Ruan Li remained sitting on the bed, staring at the floor, lost in thought. The floor-to-ceiling window was covered by curtains, but moonlight seeped through the gaps, casting a cold glow on the floor.

The sound of the man’s footsteps in the hallway grew fainter. Ruan Li shifted her body slightly; though the bath had refreshed her, the feeling of the earlier roughness on her skin was now even more intense.

“Even though I said the experience wasn’t great, didn’t I also praise him for lasting long enough?” Ruan Li muttered to herself. She always used a method of combining criticism with a bit of sweetness, yet Fu Huaizhou still seemed displeased.

Maybe his experience wasn’t good either, Ruan Li thought absentmindedly. Just then, the door was pushed open again—it was a hotel attendant.

“Miss, Mr. Fu has instructed us to tidy up for you.” Several attendants picked up the torn dress from the floor. Ruan Li dressed up again, and when she left through the back door, a car was already waiting for her.

She figured it was arranged by Fu Huaizhou. Since it was the back door, it meant that no one else, including the Ruan family, knew about this.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Zhou Min was attending to Ruan Shu, who had light sweat on her forehead and was biting her lip in discomfort due to the presence of the doctor and others.

Fu Xingchuan had just been about to leave the banquet hall when he bumped into the doctor. He hadn’t planned on asking any questions, but the servant walking with the doctor said, “It must be something with the drinks—Miss Shu is almost fainting.”

Recognizing the servant as being from the Ruan family, Fu Xingchuan stopped them, “Who called the doctor?”

“It was Miss Shu.”

Fu Xingchuan recalled the drink Ruan Shu had just in front of him earlier, a drink he had almost given to Ruan Li. Realizing he might also be involved, he quickly followed the doctor. When he arrived, he saw the scene before him.

“There was something wrong with the drink?” he asked, taking in Ruan Shu’s state and piecing things together.

After receiving a calming injection from the doctor, Ruan Shu’s body gradually relaxed. Zhou Min, filled with worry, cried, “We’ve already detained the involved servant. I can’t imagine who would want to harm our Shu Shu.”

Fu Xingchuan had always seen Zhou Min as a calm and poised woman. It was his first time seeing her so anxious. Still, his mind turned back to the drink that he had nearly given to Ruan Li.

“Where’s Ruan Li? And my uncle?”

The first thing Ruan Shu heard when she regained consciousness was Ruan Li’s name. A shadow crossed her eyes, but her tone remained soft and pitiful. “My sister didn’t drink any, so she’s fine. I heard she already left with Shi Xun.”

“As for your uncle, he called the doctor and has already left.”

Fu Xingchuan finally let out a breath of relief. Noticing Ruan Shu’s still-weak appearance, he reassured her, “This matter also involves me. I’ll help investigate it thoroughly.”

“How could this have anything to do with you? It must have been someone with malicious intent,” Ruan Shu said softly. She could have used this incident to deepen her relationship with Fu Xingchuan, but she chose not to, believing that she would soon be able to reclaim the engagement properly.

But now, she wasn’t so sure.

After Fu Xingchuan left, the mother and daughter exchanged glances. Ruan Shu looked at Zhou Min. “Mom, do you think he no longer wants to call off the engagement?”

“If he still has feelings for her, we need to completely cut off that impression.”

---

The next day, Ruan Li didn’t have any filming to do, so she rested. Three or four days later, when she returned to the set, the makeup artist gasped upon seeing the red marks on her neck. “Did you have some nightlife?”

“Busy getting my beauty sleep, no nightlife,” Ruan Li said nonchalantly. In reality, her makeup skills weren’t good enough to cover the marks.

The makeup artist, who was familiar with her, didn’t suspect anything. “You really are born to be a lady. Every time you come into contact with something unfamiliar, you get an allergic reaction.”

Nearby, a crew member scrolling through her phone suddenly exclaimed, “Jingluan has officially announced its cast!”

“Haven’t they been stringing everyone along for ages? It’s such a big IP of course, people are paying attention.”

“Who’s playing the lead? It’s not Shi Xun, is it? There were rumors flying around a few days ago.”

The crew member shook her head. “Shi Xun is only making a guest appearance, probably helping out. The male lead is Pei Ze, but the female lead is a newcomer—never heard of her.”

“Pei Ze’s already a rising star. This show’s gonna be a hit. What’s the female lead’s name? How can she be a newcomer?”

“They say her name’s Ruan Shu—never heard of her, but she landed the role out of nowhere.”

Ruan Li, who had been reading her script, froze. She hadn’t expected the Ruan family to allow Ruan Shu into the entertainment industry. She herself had to struggle to get in.

After all, in the capital, joining the entertainment industry didn’t bring much benefit to a family. Of course, Shi Xun was an exception. Not only was he wildly popular, but his family was managed by his older brother, and Shi Xun had never shown any interest in finance.

“You share the same last name. That’s rare could she be your relative?” the makeup artist teased.

At that moment, Jing Yi, the second female lead, entered the room, her face smug and her tone full of mockery. “Same last name, but completely different lives. A true daughter of the capital can just swoop in from the sky.”

“As if you know her personally,” the crew member shot back. She never liked this troublemaking second lead.

Ruan Li didn’t even look up. She lazily responded, “Same name, different lives—but at least I’m not a dog who bullies the weak. Oops, did I just insult dogs?”

“You!” Jing Yi stomped her foot in fury, but she couldn’t out-argue Ruan Li.

Chen Jing entered the room and whispered in Ruan Li’s ear, “Your family called—they want you back tonight, and they sounded pretty serious. Did something happen?”

“I figured,” Ruan Li nodded. It must be about that banquet. She had realized afterward that the whole thing had been aimed at her.

The wine had originally been intended for her, and there was something off about the scent in the room as well.

That evening, when she returned to the Ruan family’s villa, she walked into the main hall and found Fu Xingchuan already there.

Upon seeing Ruan Li, Ruan Cheng’s face darkened further, but he still addressed Fu Xingchuan respectfully.

“Mr. Fu, it was our negligence that night.”

Fu Xingchuan replied, “My uncle has business to attend to. Once the Ruan family has a conclusion, I’ll relay the message to him.”

Ruan Li had no idea what was going on, but she knew they wouldn’t truly implicate Ruan Shu. She calmly sat on the sofa, waiting to see how things would play out.

“How dare you sit down! Get on your knees!” Ruan Cheng roared.

A servant, well-practiced in the routine, brought over a ruler and a kneeling cushion. Ruan Li couldn’t even remember the last time she had seen these tools.

The cushion wasn’t filled with cotton but with coarse grain husks, making kneeling on it twice as painful. When she was a child, every time she failed at something whether it was etiquette or music this was her punishment.

“Uncle, there must be some misunderstanding. Ruan Li was almost harmed that night too,” Fu Xingchuan interjected. He knew that the Fu family had strict rules, but women were usually not subjected to beatings—only confinement or being forced to copy texts. This was his first time seeing the Ruan family’s methods.

“You’ll understand soon enough,” Ruan Cheng said curtly, signaling for someone to bring in the servant. The bound servant was brought forward and immediately fell to his knees in front of Ruan Li.

“Miss, please save me! It was you who told me to drug the wine and trick Miss Shu into drinking it. Please, you have to save me!”

Both Ruan Li and Fu Xingchuan recognized the servant as the one who had served them the drinks that night. Unhurried, Ruan Li asked, “You’re saying I ordered you? Did you forget that someone else gave me that drink?”

Fu Xingchuan was also baffled.

“You told me that Miss Ruan Shu would definitely propose a toast to you, and that I should spike the red wine. At that point, you could use seniority as an excuse to make her drink first, while you would either pretend to take a sip or decline it altogether.”

“You’re still denying it?” Ruan Cheng pointed at Ruan Li, his eyes red with anger. “I’ve already investigated! This servant suddenly came into a large sum of money, and it just so happens that you recently made a significant withdrawal from your account. Why would you do this to your sister?”

Ruan Shu, sitting next to Fu Xingchuan, cried pitifully, like a delicate flower in the rain. Even Fu Xingchuan was starting to waver. In a small voice, Ruan Shu said, “I must have done something to make my sister dislike me, but she shouldn’t have ruined the recognition banquet—it’s about the reputation of the entire Ruan family.”

Zhou Min added fuel to the fire, “I told you before that I was against adopting a daughter to change our fortune, but you insisted. Are you satisfied now?”

Even Ruan Cheng hadn’t expected Ruan Li to have such audacity.

“My expenses were for buying a car. Why don’t you check if any money went missing from the family’s accounts? If I were the one who spiked the drink, where did I get the drug? How did I contact the servant at the banquet? There’s no evidence. In fact, I’m starting to think that Ruan Shu and Mrs. Zhou might be behind all this,” Ruan Li retorted, shocked that they had the nerve to completely reverse the truth.

“Then why are you unharmed, while she was drugged?” Fu Xingchuan suddenly spoke up. Since it was Ruan Shu’s recognition banquet, Ruan Li had the strongest motive. “No one would want to ruin their own event. Besides, didn’t you tell me recently not to get involved?”

“Is it so unusual to use self-harm as a tactic?” Ruan Li snapped, growing increasingly furious. “Fu Xingchuan, are you brainless? If I knew there was something wrong with the wine, why didn’t I stop Fu Huaizhou from drinking it? It was only by accident that he ended up drinking the spiked wine.”

Her eyes showed no attempt to hide her disappointment. The once rational and discerning Fu Xingchuan had long been turned into someone who believed whatever he was told, a shadow of his former self.

Fu Xingchuan was stung by the mockery in her gaze.

“Maybe she was trying to go with the flow and make it seem like she was helping someone else…” Zhou Min added softly. “People are greedy, Ruan Li. If you can’t provide evidence, you can’t clear your name. The disgrace brought upon this family means you can’t stay here any longer.”

Fu Xingchuan was astonished by the insinuation that she might be seeking someone else’s favor.

“Kneel down already!” Zhou Min ordered, signaling for the servants to press down on Ruan Li’s shoulders.

“So, you’re saying I have no right to be involved in investigating this matter? Should we then discuss who granted me that right in the first place?” Ruan Li dodged the approaching servants and stood up calmly.

The people around her didn’t dare touch her anymore.

Fu Xingchuan had never seen Ruan Li like this before. Gone was the spoiled girl he knew; her face now carried an air of indifference.

“Wait,” a man’s voice cut through the tension. Everyone turned to look.

Fu Huaizhou entered the room at a leisurely pace. Glancing at the ruler and the tense atmosphere, his gaze swept over everyone but did not linger on the standing girl.

He looked directly at the servant.

“You say the drug was in the wine?”