Zhan Yichen found his deduction to be reasonable, but even if they knew someone had arranged it, what could they do now?
"The problem now is that this has happened between us. I can't let her be pointed at, nor can I let Mu Linjing pay for my mistakes. I don't want to marry her, but I have no right to refuse. This is the current situation."
He was in such a dilemma, unable to satisfy everyone.
He hit the nail on the head, leaving Zhan Mohan at a loss. What's more, Qiao Ningzhi had no feelings for him. If he were to marry Qiao Ningzhi, it would ruin the lives of three people.
They looked at each other, neither able to come up with a good plan.
Zhan Mohan rubbed his forehead. Unless the person who had an intimate relationship with Qiao Ningzhi was not Zhan Yichen, this matter would truly be unsolvable.
Zhan Yichen stayed awake almost all night, unsure of how to resolve the situation or how to explain it to Mu Linjing.
He recalled what Wei Yumeng had said yesterday about the rumors. He investigated and found out what Mu Linjing had gone through at the company yesterday. Not only had he failed to support her, but he hadn't even offered a word of comfort. Instead, when she found him, she saw that scene.
He couldn't imagine how disappointed Mu Linjing must have been in him. If he were in her shoes, he felt he would be unforgivable.
Therefore, although he hadn't intended to go to the company the next day, after learning about these events, he changed his mind and went to the company with great fanfare, officially refuting the rumors.
"I know many people have been discussing my personal life recently and even involving others. I can only tell you that the company is not a place for you to gossip about others. If you have time for gossip, it means the company hasn't given you enough tasks. If you want to work overtime, I'll accommodate you!"
He could loudly announce to everyone that he liked Mu Linjing and had been diligently pursuing her.
But given their current relationship, doing so would likely only make things worse, and Mu Linjing wouldn't appreciate his method of handling it.
He glanced from afar at Mu Linjing's office, knowing she hadn't come to work today. At that moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Mu Linjing would come to work even with injuries. As long as she wasn't bedridden, she would be at work. The fact that she wasn't here today showed how much she had been wronged.
But he was the one who had made the mistake, and the guilty party had no right to complain.
He didn't stay at the company. After leaving, he called Wei Yumeng to inquire about Mu Linjing's condition.
On the other end of the line, Wei Yumeng spoke to him in a hushed voice, "She didn't sleep until midnight yesterday. When I went to her room this morning, her pillow was still wet. Yichen, don't blame me for not helping you; you've gone too far!"
Zhan Yichen repeatedly agreed, "Sister-in-law, I'll have to trouble you to take care of her for a few more days. I'll handle it as soon as possible."
Wei Yumeng hung up without saying anything. Hearing the busy signal, he felt a dull ache in his heart. He wished he could apologize to Mu Linjing in person, wished he could hear her voice, even just her breathing.
But when he learned about the rampant rumors at the company and that Mu Linjing hadn't complained to him, he knew how hollow that "apology" would be.
What Mu Linjing needed was far more than a mere apology.
Meanwhile, at Mu Linjing's home, Wei Yumeng quietly entered her room and covered her with a blanket. She noticed tears on the corner of her eyes sliding down her cheeks and disappearing into the pillow.
Wei Yumeng sat by the bed and couldn't help but sigh, "Linjing, you don't have to pretend to be strong. If you want to cry, it's better to cry out loud than to hold it in."
Mu Linjing didn't open her eyes. Instead, she quietly hid her head in the quilt, curling herself into a ball. She began to tremble, and finally, she couldn't help but let out sobs from her tightly closed lips.
She covered her mouth, and her heart-wrenching cries came from beneath the quilt.
"Why? I could have trusted him. I promised I would always trust him, but why can't I?"
Hearing her question, Wei Yumeng's eyes welled up. She embraced her body through the quilt, "This is not your fault. He should be the one to give you an explanation. Linjing, please don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"
They embraced each other, but it couldn't warm Mu Linjing's chilled heart.
Hearing the cries of two children from the next room, she quickly pushed Wei Yumeng and hoarsely asked her to check on the children.
Wei Yumeng reluctantly got up to see the children. As soon as she left the quilt, she leaned against the headboard, weeping silently.
Her phone, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly rang. She saw a message from Amy and instinctively opened it.
"The Zhan and Qiao families are seeking a strong alliance. The second young master Zhan took the overseas-returned Miss Qiao away after drinking. Does this mean the rumors are true?"
This was a link to a news article. When news aggregators draft headlines, they directly highlight the article's main point. Clearly, this article reported the exact opposite of what she wanted to see.
Despite not wanting to, she couldn't resist clicking to read the details.
Seeing the photos of Zhan Yichen escorting Qiao Ningzhi into a car, she couldn't clearly see his expression, but it was enough to prove that he had brought Qiao Ningzhi to the apartment himself.
She had considered the possibility that Wen Yulan had deliberately set up this false scenario while Zhan Yichen was drunk to make her back down.
But now, it seemed she had been deceiving herself.
When Wei Yumeng returned after pacifying the children, she saw Mu Linjing holding her phone, staring blankly out the window.
Snatching her phone away, Wei Yumeng saw the news.
"Linjing..."
She raised her hand to interrupt Wei Yumeng, "Yumeng, you don't need to say anything. If he calls you again, please tell him for me that we are completely finished."
They both knew that Amy was working for Wen Yulan, and sending this link was undoubtedly Wen Yulan's doing. This article was certainly written intentionally by Wen Yulan to stir up trouble.
But none of that was the main point. No matter how Wen Yulan made things difficult for her, she could ignore it. All of this stemmed from the fact that Zhan Yichen would always choose her resolutely, no matter what.
But now it was different. Zhan Yichen's choice was no longer just her.
When she realized she was replaceable, she lost the will to fight for anything more.
Wen Yulan didn't like her, so she could strive to gain her approval. The gap between her and Zhan Yichen was too large, so she could strive to narrow it.
But who could tell her how to fight for something when, in a relationship, she was no longer the other person's only choice?
Should she strive to be more valuable than Qiao Ningzhi, or should she strive to make Qiao Ningzhi disappear?
If a relationship had to be maintained through such struggles, what was the point of it all?