Chapter 13: Miss Jiang Has Feelings for Him

“Ah, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Not long after Jiang Ming took a sip of her wine, a waiter accidentally bumped into her and Jiang Sheng beside her. The tray he was carrying wobbled, spilling wine all over both of them.

“What’s going on? How can you be so careless?”

Jiang Sheng glanced at his suit; the carefully pressed fabric was now stained a deep wine red. Jiang Ming’s shawl and the front of her waist were also soaked with the spilled drink.

“Sister, there’s a room upstairs. Let’s go change clothes.”

The banquet wasn’t ending anytime soon, and they couldn’t be seen mingling among the guests in stained attire.

“It seems that’s the only option,” Jiang Ming frowned delicately, the sticky sensation unpleasant. “Aman, wait here for me. I’ll change quickly and come back down.”

As she spoke, Jiang Ming subtly squeezed Jiang Man’s fingers, signaling her to stay calm; everything was going according to plan.

Then she followed Jiang Sheng upstairs.

“Sister, see you downstairs after you change.”

Jiang Sheng escorted her to the door, then went to another room.

The room was dimly lit, the heavy curtains pulled shut as if deliberately blocking out every ray of light.

Unfamiliar with the layout, Jiang Ming groped along the wall, trying to find the light switch.

In the darkness, she sensed a strange movement beside her, as if someone was secretly watching her.

Yet Jiang Shi had given her a reassuring look earlier, which made her drink the wine Jiang Sheng handed her without suspicion; she had trusted him and followed him upstairs, allowing herself to be led into this room.

Could it be that Jiang Shi was unreliable and intended to eliminate her under the guise of this opportunity? But what could his motive be?

Jiang Ming felt as if her heart was being tightly gripped by a giant hand, the unfamiliar surroundings making her afraid to breathe.

Someone seemed to be approaching from behind—one step, two steps…

Getting closer…

She had no weapon on her. Had she known, she would have pinned up her hair today so she could at least have a hairpin for defense.

Now, she had nothing but useless bracelets and earrings, no useful accessory at all.

The person behind her drew nearer step by step, but she kept her composure, pretending to notice nothing as she casually continued feeling along the wall for the switch.

There were so many people downstairs; surely whoever was behind her wouldn’t dare make a loud disturbance—they would quietly try to knock her unconscious or drug her.

Drug her?

Suddenly, Jiang Ming recalled the wine she had drunk. If Jiang Shi wasn’t helping her, then that suspicious wine had indeed been consumed by her...

Because of the tension, the shawl slipped from her shoulder into her hand.

Right, she still had her shawl.

If she used enough strength, maybe she could choke the person behind her unconscious...

Silently, she slid the shawl into her hand, tightening her grip slowly, ready to strangle whoever was behind her when the moment came.

She found the switch and stopped moving, waiting for the person behind to approach.

Just then!

Jiang Ming quickly pressed the switch, then turned around and circled behind the person, wrapping the shawl around his neck.

But the man was quicker; he grabbed the fabric, twisted it, and using his height advantage, pinned Jiang Ming in his embrace.

“Get lost!”

Jiang Ming lifted her leg to kick backward, but the other hand grabbed her ankle.

“Heh, you’re surprisingly calm.”

A familiar voice sounded above her head. Only then did Jiang Ming realize it was Jiang Shi playing a trick on her.

“Is this amusing to you?”

She bit down hard on the hand that restrained her, and while Jiang Shi winced in pain, she slipped out of his arms. “I almost thought you were a traitor!”

Recalling the perilous moment just now, Jiang Ming felt a chill run down her spine.

After all, the strength difference between men and women was vast. If it weren’t for Jiang Shi today, she would have truly suffered.

“How could you think that of me? I don’t look like a bad person, do I?”

Jiang Shi handed her back the shawl. “Your spare dress is in the bathroom. I’m guarding the door for you. Go change; there’s an exciting show waiting for you to take the stage later.”

“All right.”

Jiang Ming didn’t ask what the show was. Now, she only wanted to change out of her stained dress—it was unbearably uncomfortable.

While Jiang Ming changed, the drama downstairs was already unfolding.

Li Gongran, the elder brother of Li Bai Zhen’s choice for Jiang Man—the Li family’s young master—was loudly searching for someone.

“Have you seen my brother? He was just here.”

“Li Qiyi’s clothes got accidentally stained; he’s upstairs changing.”

Someone who had been standing with Li Qiyi knew where he had gone.

“He got stained too? What’s going on today? I heard the young lady of the Jiang family also got her dress stained earlier.”

Li Gongran pretended to talk to himself, but his voice was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, their expressions shifting.

“Why don’t we go upstairs and have a look?”

Some onlookers eager for entertainment, coupled with Li Qiyi’s earlier bragging that since yesterday the Jiang family’s young lady had been pestering him to date him, began to speculate maliciously.

Could it be that the Jiang young lady truly liked Li Qiyi and was trying to force herself on him?

Jiang Man, already anxious because Jiang Ming had been upstairs for a long time, heard Li Gongran’s words and her face went pale. Could Jiang Ming have really fallen into Jiang Sheng’s trap?

They all knew Li Qiyi was a notorious womanizer. If Jiang Sheng said the word, Li Qiyi would readily agree to help frame Jiang Ming.

Jiang Man was worried but had to keep it to herself, silently praying Jiang Sheng’s scheme would fail.

Soon, a crowd noisily headed upstairs. There were only two rooms at the top; Li Gongran vaguely remembered Jiang Sheng saying it was the leftmost one. They would just keep knocking—the louder the disturbance, the better.

“Qiyi, are you in there? Didn’t you get drunk and fall?”

Li Gongran feigned concern, pounding on the door to draw everyone’s attention.

Everyone in the circle knew Li Qiyi was a heavy drinker who often got thoroughly drunk. He seemed to have had plenty to drink downstairs.

“Qiyi, are you there? Say something!”

Like a caring older brother deeply worried about his sibling’s safety, he hammered on the door with all his might. “Is there a key? Can someone help me open the door? I’m afraid my brother might get into trouble drunk.”

His worry was fake; his intent to get someone to open the door was real.

With his loud shouting and banging, many people were drawn upstairs, including the elder gentlemen Jiang and Xie who were in the tea room and heard the commotion.

“Go find someone to open the door.”

Being in the Jiang household, nothing could be allowed to go wrong. The head of the family ordered the steward to fetch the key quickly.

“Excuse me, please make way. I’ll open the door.”

The steward struggled through the crowd to the door and unlocked it. The moment the door opened, a strange odor wafted out, and the dim room revealed two intertwined shadows on the bed.

“Ah! What’s going on? Why are there two people on the bed?”