Reborn as a concubine's daughter and entering a noble family: Xie Lang, don't be too seduc

Why did you just say that?

Back in the courtyard, Xie Lin pretended to cover his face and tried to run away, but he was too slow and was stopped by Huo Sanghua.

There's no one else here now.

Hawthorne desperately wanted to know why he had acknowledged... in front of Madam Xie just now.

Such a thing!

"What did you say?" Xie Lin, as always, was "unreliable," grinning and trying to dodge the question.

He hadn't expected that Hawthorne would ask about this matter.

But under those circumstances, he couldn't think of a better excuse at the time.

Seeing Huo Sanghua's serious expression, he realized that it wouldn't be so easy for him to coax him.

I had no choice but to get serious.

"Do you have a better explanation for what happened just now?"

"But you..." Huo Sanghua blushed with anxiety. Why this particular matter... was so difficult for her to bring up. But seeing Xie Lin's nonchalant attitude, seemingly unconcerned about the matter, she steeled herself and blurted out, "Could it be that you, like the old lady, doubt me?"

Besides this possibility, Hawthorne could not think of a more reasonable explanation.

Why did Xie Lin, who was completely innocent with her, admit that he was the man she had been intimate with when she was questioned by Madam Xie?

Unless, Xie Lin also suspects that she has a problem.

But after she finished speaking, Xie Lin thought about it carefully and vaguely understood something from her words.

He couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips, raising an eyebrow as he stared at her with interest. "What, are you concerned about whether I doubt you? Between us..."

"Of course I remember!" Huo Sanghua thought Xie Lin was going to remind her of their one-year agreement, so she hurriedly clarified. "Even though we are just business partners, some things still need to be made clear! Although our marriage is fake, I would never do anything to tarnish your reputation or cause you to be ridiculed. I have never done such a thing; I am innocent. I just don't understand why you admitted to the old lady that you had... ...Originally, once I found evidence in the future, I could naturally prove my innocence and explain it clearly to the old lady. But your admission today makes it even more difficult to explain!"

Even if it is later proven that the bracelet was defective and that she was framed, Xie Lin admitted to Old Madam Xie today that he and she had an unusual relationship in the palace... ...Even if she had a mouth full of mouths, she couldn't explain it clearly.

She had meticulously planned everything, but Xie Lin's recklessness still disrupted all her plans.

If she hadn't planned ahead and thought out what to do next, she wouldn't have obediently let the old lady punish her with family discipline!

"As expected." Xie Lin only raised his eyes for a moment, glancing at the expression in Huo Sanghua's eyes. He seemed to be doing it casually, but he immediately figured out the little thoughts she was hiding, and couldn't help but smile. "You really aren't pretending to be as stupid as you seem."

Hawthorne was alert.

She believed she hadn't shown much in front of Xie Lin, and that she had only said she wanted to prove her innocence.

Regarding her plans for the future, and how she will proceed step by step...

She didn't reveal a single word to him.

How come he seems to know everything?!

Hawthorne was a little nervous. "What did you say? I don't understand."

"So, you did it on purpose... ...You probably also realized that when the old lady threatened you with family discipline, her real purpose wasn't to beat you, but to use you to force you to reveal that the 'lover' you had an affair with was none other than Consort Qi's beloved fourth prince. The old lady wanted to use your relationship with the fourth prince to threaten Consort Qi." Xie Lin said to himself, without even glancing at her again.

Hawthorne also avoided eye contact.

Xie Lin continued, "...So you deliberately showed weakness in front of the Old Madam, putting her in a difficult position with the servants, leaving her no choice but to punish you. On your three-day homecoming, you naturally had to go to the palace with me to express your gratitude. At that time, you would be injured, and no matter how the Old Madam threatened Consort Qi afterward, Consort Qi would definitely believe that the Old Madam had tortured you into confessing... Although you were beaten, you successfully shifted the conflict to Consort Qi and the Old Madam, effortlessly escaping unscathed, letting the two of them fight it out..."

What a clever ruse! He easily withdrew from the power struggle between the two, saved his life, and now sits back and watches the two fight.

From the very beginning, he never underestimated Hawthorne.

But only today did I realize that this seemingly harmless, innocent, and naive little girl in front of me has a mind that is anything but ordinary.

The matter has already been discussed to this point...

Huo Sanghua turned around, a sly, fox-like smile spreading across his face. "And what about you? Everyone in Shengjing thinks you're the second young master of the Xie family of the Marquis of Anding, a good-for-nothing who idles away his days in brothels, a spoiled brat who only knows how to get into trouble and run to his brother for help. Little do they know you're a very cunning fellow..."

In his attempt to expose Hawthorne's "true colors," he inadvertently revealed his own true nature.

His meticulous and thoughtful nature might not necessarily indicate that he is a kind person.

Last night, they shared the same clothes and slept side by side, but today, because of such a trivial matter, they've exposed each other completely...

"So... what exactly is your purpose in insisting on marrying me?" Xie Lin remained suspicious that she knew something, that she had deliberately set up that trap, making her appear the most innocent one, while in reality everything was part of her scheme...

Did Hawthorne really marry him just to escape the palace?

"I clearly told you..." Huo Sanghua was puzzled. Yesterday morning, she had clearly told him about her rebirth. Sure enough, he still didn't believe her... "I just wanted to survive. The palace is too dangerous. Li Lang wants to kill me. I want to live..."

Xie Lin couldn't find a single flaw on her face.

Knowing full well that Xie Lin was probing her, Huo Sanghua did not shy away and met Xie Lin's probing head-on.

Xie Lin believed it.

However, just as Hawthorne breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Xie Lin say—

"Do you think you can hide forever? You have a lot of plans, but you are cowardly and can only live a life of hiding. Since you know that the Fourth Prince wants to harm you, you should know why he wants to harm you. If you think you can hide in the Xie family for a year and leave Shengjing safely and stay away from trouble, you are too naive."

He's right...

Hawthorne was no ordinary woman.

She was the last surviving member of the Huo family, the last bloodline of General Huo.

With hundreds of thousands of former members of the Huo family, and such powerful connections and background, even if she were just a pitiful girl with no strength to even kill a chicken, Li Lang would never let her leave Shengjing unharmed.

If she cannot be used by him, then no matter who she ends up with in the future, or for what reason, it will be of no use to Li Lang, who covets the throne.

These are all enormous threats.

Li Lang wanted her to die in the Xie family. She escaped once, but she might not be able to escape a second time.

Even if...

She had Xie Lin's promise that he would protect her.

It's not certain that they can escape Li Lang's every vicious attack...

As long as she remains silent and only tries to evade the issue, Li Lang will have plenty of opportunities to make a move on her.

Huo Sanghua stroked her wrist, which had been firmly locked by that bracelet. The truth, which she knew all too well, was still revealed to her by Xie Lin so unexpectedly.