Volume 1, Chapter 28: It is fine to play games, but you must clean up your own mess!

Just as Jiang Yunyao was praying desperately for Lu Congzhi to reject the proposal, Lu spoke in a low, resonant voice, "It is no trouble at all. It will only take a minute."

The night air was chilly, and his voice seemed to drift in from the darkness—polite, yet imbued with the cold, distant detachment of winter.

Jiang Yunyao thought to herself, "I am doomed."

"That is perfect, then. Yunyao, don't just stand there, go sit down." Zhou Manhua urged her to take the seat previously occupied by the matriarch.

Every eye in the room turned toward her, making her feel as though she were sitting on needles. Lu Congzhi’s gaze was even more complex and inscrutable—was it inquisitiveness, confusion, or subtle mockery? Jiang Yunyao had no choice but to bite the bullet and face the situation as it came.

Once seated, she took a deep breath.

"No need to be nervous," Lu Congzhi said, his thin lips curling slightly as his tone turned somewhat languid.

Jiang Yunyao’s entire body was tense; how could she not be nervous? If Lu Congzhi exposed her in front of everyone, how would she ever talk her way out of it? Her brain was working so hard it felt like it was about to overheat.

Lu Congzhi accurately found her pulse, his long, clean middle finger pressing on the *guan* pulse point, his ring finger on the *chi* pulse, and his index finger on the *cun* pulse.

Jiang Yunyao’s heart hammered like a drum. If there were an EKG monitor nearby, the line would surely be a chaotic, jagged mess of ups and downs.

As expected, within two seconds of feeling her pulse, Lu Congzhi sensed something was wrong. Under normal circumstances, at this stage of pregnancy, the "slippery pulse" should be prominent. Yet, her pulse was not slippery at all; it was weak—a classic sign of qi and blood deficiency. He instinctively lowered his eyes to gaze at her large belly. What on earth was going on?

Lu Congzhi stared at her, perplexed.

"What is it? Is she alright?" Seeing the peculiar expression on Lu's face, Zhou Manhua asked immediately.

Knowing he had figured it out, Jiang Yunyao felt her heart jump into her throat from anxiety. She instinctively grabbed Lu Congzhi’s hand, looking at him with intense, burning eyes. "Dr. Lu, am I alright?" she asked, nervously cutting in and giving him a subtle, pleading look.

"Don't disturb Dr. Lu. He hasn't even had enough time to make a diagnosis yet!" Duan Mingrui said, gesturing for them to calm down with a look of annoyance.

A minute later, Lu Congzhi slowly withdrew his hand.

"How is it? Is she okay?" this time, it was Duan Yixiao who asked.

Lu Congzhi glanced at Jiang Yunyao. She stared back, her heart pounding, sending him a silent plea for help.

Then, she heard Lu Congzhi speak slowly: "There is nothing to worry about. It is just a minor case of qi and blood deficiency. Just ensure she gets proper nutrition and enough rest."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Jiang Yunyao finally let her guard down, her entire body relaxing.

Shortly after, Lu Congzhi took his leave, and Duan Yixiao prepared to take Jiang Yunyao home.

"I need to go to the restroom first," Jiang Yunyao said.

As she stepped out of the restroom, she overheard Duan Mingxian speaking quite bluntly to Duan Yixiao: "It doesn't matter how wild you want to be, Duan Yixiao, but at least clean up after yourself! Jiang Yunyao is the only foolish woman who would have worked alongside you from when you had nothing, helping you climb to where you are today. Have you really forgotten your own worth?"

Duan Yixiao felt that Duan Mingxian was deliberately picking a fight. "What do you mean? I haven't provoked you, have I?"

Duan Mingxian tossed her phone directly in front of him. "Stop playing dumb. See for yourself!"

On the phone was a photo of Duan Yixiao having lunch with Chen Nianke. They were both smiling brightly, looking deeply affectionate. Chen Nianke was toying with the bracelet on his wrist, looking as if she couldn't get enough of him.

Duan Zhenhong frowned as he looked at the screen. "What is the meaning of this? Who is this woman?" His face darkened, a storm brewing in his expression.

Duan Yixiao glared at Duan Mingxian with resentment, convinced she was trying to stir up trouble, and made a mental note to settle the score later. He explained, "I was just having lunch with her as friends..."

Duan Mingxian cut him off: "Whether we believe you or not is irrelevant. What matters is that others believe it! Although you and Jiang Yunyao haven't held an official wedding, several executives know about your relationship. Your ambiguous connection with Chen Nianke now makes people doubt your integrity. You wanted to facilitate the cooperation between the Chenxing Group and the Duan family, but now they are all questioning if you have an ulterior motive."

Duan Zhenhong was clearly deeply dissatisfied with the mess Duan Yixiao had created, his expression growing increasingly cold. "Does this—whatever her name is—Chen girl, know that you are a married man?"

Zhou Manhua gave Duan Yixiao an angry swat. "How old are you? Why can't you give your father any peace of mind?"

She then put on a forced smile and tried to smooth things over: "I know about the situation between the two of them. It happened five or six years ago. They were young and naive then, and her family looked down on A-Xiao’s status, so they broke up. The girl went abroad. Now, they are just ordinary friends; there is nothing to it. This photo is being exploited by someone with malicious intent."

Zhou Manhua’s words were calculated. She first played the victim, highlighting the hardships Duan Yixiao endured as an illegitimate son, and then shifted the blame onto Duan Mingxian, implying she was creating trouble out of thin air.

Duan Mingxian blinked her lashes, her gaze turning cold. However, she quickly regained her composure. "I heard that Miss Chen often shares her daily life and relationship updates on her social media, where she has tens of thousands of followers. Her followers treat Duan Yixiao as their 'brother-in-law,' and I haven't seen her deny it once."

"Nonsense!" Duan Zhenhong roared, pointing at Duan Yixiao and commanding with thunderous authority, "Cut ties with that woman surnamed Chen immediately! And drop the idea of collaborating with the Chenxing Group. The Chenxing Group is already a sinking ship; there is no need for us to wade into those muddy waters."

Jiang Yunyao, hearing that the conversation was winding down, emerged like a clumsy penguin. "What happened? Why does everyone look so serious?" she asked, pretending to be ignorant.

"It is nothing. It is getting late, you two should head back," Duan Zhenhong said, his anger subsiding as he spoke to her with relative calm.

Although Jiang Yunyao’s family background was unremarkable, Duan Zhenhong wasn't particularly dissatisfied with his daughter-in-law. After all, Jiang Yunyao possessed strategy and vision; the executives who had dealt with her all spoke highly of her. He did not want his rebellious son to ruin the reputation of the Duan Group or undermine the confidence of the shareholders through his recklessness.

The next day, as soon as Jiang Yunyao woke up, she saw an unread message from her close friend, Wen Ying: "Give me a call when you are free."

After confirming with Sister Xu that Duan Yixiao had gone out and was not at home, she dialed Wen Ying’s number.

The call was answered quickly.

Jiang Yunyao said, "To what do I owe the honor of the great film star calling me?"

The beauty’s voice was melodic, yet carried a hint of concern. "What is going on with your pregnancy?"