CHAPTER 183: CHAPTER 183: INFIGHTING

Lian Yingya was so infuriated that his head ached.

Li Qing covered her face the entire time, not daring to let Lian Yingya see her.

Lian Yingya had always had everything go his way since childhood. Bolstered by the fact that he was a child of the Lian Family, no one dared to bully him.

In short, tonight was the first time in his life he had been so embarrassed.

Consequently, You Nie, the one who had embarrassed him, remained silent. After getting into the car, she kept her back to him and wept quietly.

Lian Yingya couldn’t contain his anger.

"Why were you silent just now? The other person was a woman. I can’t hit women—couldn’t you have done something?"

Lian Yingya found a reasonable excuse to berate her.

Out of Lian Yingya’s sight, Li Qing’s eyes simmered with venomous resentment.

She said softly, "Brother Yao, are you blaming me now? Was that girl really not one of your ex-girlfriends? When she appeared, the shame of feeling like I was stealing someone else’s boyfriend overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t speak. I was afraid my presence had truly hurt another good girl."

Li Qing knew Lian Yingya’s personality.

He was used to being coddled. He’d suffered such a huge humiliation tonight; if she couldn’t find an excuse to push all the blame onto him, there was no guarantee he would be willing to make her his wife in the future.

Lian Yingya said angrily, "I’ve told you I don’t know her at all! How many times do I have to say it before you’ll believe me?"

"It’s not that I don’t believe you. If I didn’t trust you, why would I have agreed to return with you to a place that was once my nightmare? My master drilled into me from a young age that I must respect and cherish myself. I unknowingly interfered in someone else’s relationship; how could I have reacted quickly and confronted that girl?" she finished, her voice urgent and filled with grief and indignation.

Her words struck Lian Yingya like a bolt of lightning, instantly dispelling his anger.

He sobered up instantly.

"You Nie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I was just..."

Tears welling in her eyes, Li Qing said, "I don’t blame you; it’s my own incompetence that I can’t avenge my master. I originally thought you sincerely respected Master and wanted to seek justice for him with me, to restore his lifelong reputation. I was too naive. From now on..."

She paused deliberately, keeping Lian Yingya in suspense.

Lian Yingya held his breath, waiting for her to continue.

"From now on, you don’t need to trouble yourself with Master’s affairs. I will work hard on my own. Even if it costs me everything, I will make Fu Bing pay!"

"Don’t say such things in anger. Tonight was my fault; I didn’t protect you properly. You should get some rest now, and we..."

Before Lian Yingya could say more, his phone rang. Lian Yingya glanced down; it was a call from his elder brother. Lian Yingya dared neither hang up nor answer, letting the phone continue to ring inside the car. The person on the other end was persistent, calling again immediately when he didn’t answer.

Frustrated, Lian Yingya parked the car downstairs and said curtly to Li Qing, "You go up first. I still have things to deal with."

Li Qing went upstairs without a word.

The moment she was inside, she called her plastic surgeon, asking him to come and examine her face.

Only then did Lian Yingya brace himself and answer Lian Yingting’s call.

"Mom and Dad want to see you. Come back immediately."

Lian Yingting’s voice was very calm.

He had long given up on this younger brother.

But for his brother to stoop to two-timing and even cause a young girl to undergo surgery—that was truly going too far.

Lian Yingya didn’t dare to argue and headed home, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Lian Xiao and Tian Yun had already seen the video and had flown into a rage. They had already smashed everything breakable in the house. Lian Xiao was so furious he felt dizzy.

Li Shen consoled them, "What’s done is done. The most important thing now is to minimize the damage. Mom, Dad, it would be best if you went upstairs to rest. Yingting and I will talk to Yingya later."

Tian Yun replied, "It is said, ’An uneducated child is the father’s fault.’ Your father and I cannot shirk our responsibility. Having Yingting call him just now has already created a rift between the two brothers. If you two talk to him about this now, it will only worsen your relationship with him."

Lian Xiao clutched his chest and nodded.

Li Shen continued, "You are both being very considerate. If either of you feels unwell and it’s not suitable for you to speak with Yingya further, please tell us immediately. Don’t force yourselves."

Lian Xiao and Tian Yun nodded. Li Shen then looked at Lian Yingting, and the two of them went upstairs before Lian Yingya returned.

Soon, the sound of a car engine came from the yard. The mere thought of the impending argument made Lian Xiao’s chest ache.

Tense, Lian Yingya got out of the car and slowly walked into the house. Seeing Lian Yingya’s cowering demeanor infuriated Lian Xiao even more.

"Why are you cowering like that? Can’t you walk with your chest held high?"

Scolded, Lian Yingya straightened his spine and cautiously sat opposite them.

His eyes darted around, and he noticed that not only was his elder brother absent, but his sister-in-law wasn’t home either.

"My elder brother and sister-in-law aren’t home?"

"You’re still in the mood to worry about others? You’ve utterly disgraced the Lian Family! If you can’t even control your own affairs, what good are you?"

Lian Yingya hadn’t done any of these things, yet he was not only condemned by outsiders but also berated by his own family, who didn’t bother to understand the truth.

Lian Yingya had always been hot-tempered. Now, he felt not only furious but also deeply wronged.

"What can you do besides lecture me? I love painting, but you adamantly refused to let me study it formally, even freezing my cards and cutting off all my funds!"

"If you had used the family’s connections back then to let me study under Master He, I would have already become a new-generation master of traditional Chinese painting by now!"

"It’s you who look down on my choices! You always prioritize my elder brother; whatever he wants, you’re willing to give him."

"And what about me? Apart from hearing you call me ignorant and good-for-nothing, what else have I ever received from you?"

"I suffer injustice outside, and without asking a single question, you just assume I’m in the wrong! Can’t you have even a shred of trust in me?"

"You’d rather believe some stranger’s nonsense than believe me!"

The more Lian Yingya spoke, the more aggrieved and resentful he became.

For his elder brother, the Lian Family was his greatest support and backing. But it wasn’t for him.

He had an overly outstanding elder brother; no matter how hard he tried, he could never even come close to matching his brother’s achievements.

Lian Xiao said, "Then tell me, why would that young woman, out of all people, single you out from the crowd to slander? What does she gain by defaming you in public and exposing her own private matters?"

"Go ask her! Why are you asking me? I only met her for the first time today. How would I know what schemes she’s up to?" Lian Yingya retorted.

"It seems you still don’t realize what you did wrong."

"I don’t think I did anything wrong tonight! I was shopping with a woman I have good feelings for, and suddenly some lunatic shows up and slanders me. Now I have to explain why she slandered me?"

Tian Yun frowned. "Xiaoya, are you telling the truth?"

Although their younger son was unreliable, he was inherently simple-minded and pure.

And as an art student, he possessed some of the characteristic unworldliness and naivety of an artist.

"You still don’t believe me? I’ve never met that crazy woman! I truly have nothing to do with her. I don’t even know her name; how could I possibly have any involvement with her?"

"What if she’s mentally ill and just latches onto any random passerby to spout nonsense? How is an innocent bystander supposed to prove their innocence then?"