Zhan Mohan gazed at Wei Yumeng's earnest face. He had initially intended to refuse, as if she had heeded his advice from the beginning, she wouldn't have found herself in such a predicament.
She had not only pushed herself into the eye of the storm but also caused his grandfather to lie in bed sick. If it weren't for the good impression she had made on him, she probably wouldn't be standing here properly right now.
She was facing a tempest, with no chance to even catch her breath.
The words of refusal were on the tip of his tongue, but his heart softened, and he changed his tune: "Unless you can provide evidence that convinces me, I can consider it."
"I hope you'll keep your word then."
He let out a sarcastic laugh, "It's not that I won't keep my word, I'm just afraid that you, like last time, will end up with Xin Ran."
"I wasn't with Xin Ran, I wanted to take my mother away."
Wei Yumeng suddenly felt this man was so petty. Such a long time had passed, and he was still bringing it up to settle old scores. What was the point?
"I don't care if you wanted to take your mother away. What did I tell you back then? Wei Yumeng, no matter how many reasons you have, you still lied to me."
He, Zhan Mohan, hated deception the most in his life, yet this woman in front of him had done it more than once.
Wei Yumeng was rendered speechless by Zhan Mohan's words. She no longer knew how to explain it to him, because no matter what she said, he would never believe her.
She nodded thoughtfully, clearly having given up on arguing with him.
"Fine, you, Mr. Zhan, are eloquent. I can't win against you, so I won't speak, alright?"
Wei Yumeng turned her head away petulantly, her heart churning with frustration. She couldn't explain, and she couldn't not explain. What did he truly want?
She hadn't even questioned him repeatedly about Jiang Siyu and his affairs. Yet here he was, fixated on those groundless matters.
Her relationship with Xin Ran was clearly innocent. As for why she had woken up in the same bed with Xin Ran that day, with nothing on, she also had many doubts. Before she could even investigate, she came to explain to him. Wasn't that enough to prove her sincerity?
Who knew, he didn't care at all.
Zhan Mohan looked at her small retreating figure, able to imagine her angry expression. Her delicate brows were furrowed, her almond-shaped eyes filled with anger, her lips pouting, her cheeks flushed, and she was probably silently complaining about him in her mind.
Thinking of her angry state, he felt a trace of pleasure. Did this mean she still cared about him, at least a little?
The corners of his lips curved upwards unconsciously, unaware that he had pulled at his wound. His cheek twitched, and a sharp intake of breath escaped him as he winced in pain.
Wei Yumeng heard the noise and instinctively turned her head. She saw Zhan Mohan frowning and holding his wound. Without a second thought, she rushed forward and grabbed his hand.
"Don't touch it. It needs to be disinfected."
Zhan Mohan's deep gaze was focused intently on her. He spoke in a low voice.
"There's no mirror here. You apply the medicine for me."
Although it should have been a gentle request, it carried an irresistible force when spoken by him.
Wei Yumeng hadn't intended to help him, but then she remembered that this slap was originally meant for her, and Zhan Mohan had taken it for her.
On his account, she still got up and went to the next examination room, asked the nurse for disinfectant and anti-inflammatory medicine, and then walked back to Zhan Mohan with the tray.
After she had prepared everything, she saw Zhan Mohan still standing over her. She raised her hand downwards.
"Sit down. I can't reach you."
The man sat on a chair. Wei Yumeng, holding a cotton swab dipped in disinfectant, approached Zhan Mohan and bent down, gently rolling the swab on his red, swollen face.
Zhan Mohan's facial muscles twitched, and he flinched.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
"You'll know if you try. I, Zhan Mohan, have never been slapped by anyone before. I don't know what bad luck I've had these past two days. Not only was I slapped by you, but now I've been slapped by Wen Yulan."
Fortunately, Wei Yumeng hadn't hit him too hard, but Wen Yulan's slap was a solid one.
He dared not imagine what would have happened if Wen Yulan's slap had landed on Wei Yumeng's face just now; she would probably have been knocked to the ground.
Wen Yulan truly detested Wei Yumeng, otherwise, no one else would have resorted to such a cruel blow.
Wei Yumeng knew very well how much Wen Yulan disliked her. Otherwise, Zhan Mohan's face wouldn't be so swollen.
Her movements became gentler as she carefully treated his wound.
"Thank you, just now."
Zhan Mohan's expression remained impassive. "No need. If she had slapped you, and the reporters had taken pictures, they would have said I was abusing you."
Wei Yumeng let out a soft scoff.
"True. Men usually hit women on the face during domestic violence, don't they?"
In the past, Wei Anguo would slap Gu Shuyi repeatedly for Yin Fang. Every time she saw Gu Shuyi, her face was covered in injuries.
Zhan Mohan saw the dejection in her eyes. Although he didn't know what was wrong with her, her lonely expression stung his eyes and his heart.
He suddenly raised his voice: "Make it clear, who is domestically abusing whom? If this face of mine is seen by the media, they might think I'm the one being abused."
Wei Yumeng glanced at him sideways.
"If you were truly being abused by me, would you not fight back?"
"Am I the kind of man who hits women?" He originally wanted to say that if he truly had violent tendencies, upon seeing the two of them naked in bed at the hotel, he would have beaten Wei Yumeng and Xin Ran black and blue.
Would they have been able to walk out of the hotel unharmed?
It was his reason, his upbringing that stopped him. To say he was calm; who could remain calm when encountering such a situation?
Even if he had no feelings for Wei Yumeng, he couldn't accept such a thing. This was challenging his masculine pride, yet she not only crossed his bottom line but also hurt his heart.
Wei Yumeng didn't know what Zhan Mohan was thinking at that moment. She only felt that the atmosphere had suddenly turned stiff. She threw away the cotton swab, picked up another, dipped it in anti-inflammatory ointment, and carefully applied it to his wound.
She even blew lightly on his wound. Zhan Mohan felt his burning cheek instantly soothe a lot.
His gaze was fixed on her, watching her fair cheeks and her focused expression as she applied the medicine. How he wished that what happened in the hotel that day was just a dream.
But he was no longer a child and knew it was real. Moreover, his pride couldn't forgive Wei Yumeng's betrayal and deception.
His grandfather would definitely not be able to accept such a thing. The Zhan family's reputation couldn't be ruined by his hand.
Wei Yumeng was almost done. Suddenly, Zhan Mohan grasped her wrist.
She looked at his serious expression. "What, does it hurt a lot?"
"Wei Yumeng, let's get a divorce. Sign it tomorrow."