Reborn to Outshine My Ex and His White Moonlight-Chapter 262: The Extortion Trap

Lin Zhiyi rushed to the hospital in a panic and just happened to see a group of reporters surrounding two people as they walked out.

Gong Chen and Sang Ran.

Sang Ran held a bouquet of roses in her arms, making her cheeks slightly flush with red.

A reporter asked, "Miss Sang, why were you hospitalized?"

Sang Ran paused, hugged the roses tighter, and instinctively looked towards Gong Chen.

Gong Chen extended a hand to protect her and said indifferently, "It’s nothing serious, just a little health regulation."

When health regulation was mentioned, everyone naturally thought of the wedding that was more than a month away and immediately understood the implication of his words.

The reporter smiled and pressed on, "It seems Third Young Master is looking forward to a double celebration."

Gong Chen did not respond, as if acquiescing to the reporter’s words.

Sang Ran felt her cheeks grow even redder when she noticed everyone staring at her belly.

After getting into the car, Sang Ran had to bury her face in Gong Chen’s chest because the flash from the cameras was uncomfortable.

She apologized, "Sorry, that just caused a misunderstanding."

"Say what they want to hear, and they won’t bother to investigate everything at the hospital."

Gong Chen saw she was distressed and still raised his hand to embrace her shoulder, shielding her from the flashing lights.

Sang Ran felt his tenderness, listening to the sound of his heartbeat by her ear, and couldn’t help but snuggle closer.

Actually, she could see that Gong Chen wasn’t without feelings for her.

After they married, they could gradually cultivate those feelings, and everything would get better.

Sang Ran wrapped her arms tightly around Gong Chen.

As the car drove past Lin Zhiyi, she caught a glimpse of the two huddled together in the backseat.

She stepped back to make way, not looking back as she entered the hospital.

Gong Chen noticed something and looked up towards the car window, just as the last streak of light sank in the sky.

The afternoon passed just like that.

...

In the hospital room.

Lin Zhiyi pushed open the door and found Liu He completely hidden under the blankets.

As she drew nearer, she saw that Liu He was shivering uncontrollably.

"Mom?"

Lin Zhiyi called out softly, not expecting Liu He to shiver even more violently.

She hurried forward to pull away the blanket, "Mom, it’s me, what on earth happened to you?"

Liu He resisted for a moment, but she didn’t have the strength to match Lin Zhiyi’s, and the blanket was forcefully pulled away.

Liu He curled up and lifted her head, choking up, "Zhiyi, don’t look..."

When Lin Zhiyi saw Liu He’s face clearly, her blood rushed to her head, and she trembled all over.

She lifted a hand to comfort Liu He but dared not touch her face, which was covered in wounds.

Apart from some suspicious red marks, the deepest one was a clear slap.

So deep that there were specks of blood within the flesh where the fingers had struck.

It showed how much force the assailant had used.

Lin Zhiyi asked in a panic, "Mom, what happened?"

"I don’t know what to do now that I look like this."

Liu He cried, pulling open her clothes to reveal her body was without a single untouched spot, all covered in... ambiguous marks.

Lin Zhiyi inhaled sharply, several images tumbling through her mind, causing her to stagger a bit.

But she quickly forced herself to calm down.

She couldn’t fall apart, or else Liu He would be even more scared.

Lin Zhiyi bit her lip silently and hurriedly pulled Liu He’s clothes back into place.

She spoke softly to comfort her, "Mom, calm down for a moment, and tell me what happened?"

Liu He gripped Lin Zhiyi’s hand tightly, biting her lip as she recounted, "I received an invitation from the ladies to play mahjong; even though I don’t manage the household, I can’t ignore their social invitations."

Lin Zhiyi understood this.

To decline was to snub them, which would make it difficult to speak up about anything in the future.

It was just a matter of playing mahjong politely, chatting about gossip, and losing some insignificant amount of money.

Liu He was not new to these gatherings; she knew the other players, there was no reason for something to go wrong this time.

"Mom, then what happened?"

Liu He’s face was ashen, struggling to speak, "We were halfway through the mahjong game when President Wen arrived. She took Mrs. Wang’s place at the table, I just had a cup of tea, and then I don’t remember anything."

"When I woke up, I was bruised all over and lying in a hotel room with a man!"

"I was so terrified that I fainted. When I came to again, I was in the hospital."

Having said that, Liu He started crying through gritted teeth.

Lin Zhiyi suddenly zeroed in on the crucial point.

"President Wen? Wen Qing?"

"Yes, she knows Mrs. Wang. Even though there was unpleasantness over the engagement gift box previously, since she is Xiao Ran’s maternal aunt and also the president of the Wen Group, I didn’t say anything."

Mentioning Wen Qing made Lin Zhiyi’s expression darken.

She remembered the relationship between Wen Qing and Gong Shiyan.

She absolutely did not believe Wen Qing’s appearance was a mere coincidence.

But she had no evidence, nor did she dare tell Liu He.

She furrowed her brows and continued to ask, "Mom, did you contact the ladies from the mahjong game to ask about what happened?"

Liu He’s complexion grew even uglier, "I contacted them, but they all insist I left on my own. Zhiyi, how should I explain this to your uncle?"

How could all those people possibly not ask a single question when a grown person suddenly leaves?

Clearly, the mahjong game was also a trap.

Lin Zhiyi became even more certain that this had something to do with Wen Qing.

At that moment, Liu He received a text message on her phone.

Liu He glanced at it and was so frightened that she threw the phone away, covering her head in a complete panic.

"It’s him!"

"Who?"

Lin Zhiyi picked up the phone and discovered numerous indecent photos of Liu He with a man sent from an unknown number.

The man was clearly a paid young man.

But the angle from which Liu He was photographed was particularly tricky.

Although Liu He’s face was clearly visible, it was hard to discern whether she was conscious.

While Lin Zhiyi was inspecting the photos, another message came from the number.

"I still want three million, or else..."

Lin Zhiyi scrolled through and found that the man had previously been demanding money.

She was suddenly struck by an ominous premonition.

"Mom, did you send this man money?"

"Yeah, he threatened me! If I don’t pay, he’ll release the photos and videos. I absolutely couldn’t let those things get out."

"Mom, did you not realize that his way of asking for money didn’t actually mention any threats? He’s simply leading you to give him money, turning it into a seemingly consensual transaction. Even if we report it to the police, if that man insists you gave the money willingly, how will you explain yourself?"

Lin Zhiyi pointed to the records on the phone.

Liu He turned deathly white and exclaimed, "What? Isn’t that a threat?"

What threat?

The man had neither said what would happen if Liu He didn’t pay nor mentioned spreading the photos.

Instead, Liu He, out of fear, had directly transferred a large sum of money after leaving the hotel.

Now, Liu He also realized what had happened.

She had been set up!

Now, even diving into the Yellow River wouldn’t cleanse her!

"Wuu wuu wuu, what do I do? I’ve let Shi Yan down!"

Liu He’s tears fell, making the handprints on her face even more apparent under the light.

Just as Lin Zhiyi was about to sigh, she suddenly stared intently at Liu He’s cheek.

"Mom, don’t move."

"What’s wrong?"

As she spoke, the tears at the corner of Liu He’s eye just happened to slide down, magnifying the subtleties of the handprint.

Lin Zhiyi hurriedly lifted her mother’s face.

"Mom, are you sure that everyone at the mahjong table said you left of your own accord?"

"I called each of them and they all gave me that same response," Liu He choked out.

"Good. I know who to look for now."

Lin Zhiyi stared at the handprint, lost in thought.