Qin Wanru was lost in a daze. Chu Tiesheng’s words were like knives that cut deeply into her heart again and again.

When she was younger, she had fallen in love with Chu Zhongtian the first time she laid eyes on him. The two of them developed feelings for each other, and their wedding was one filled with happiness and bliss. This continued until he suffered a serious injury more than ten years ago…

She loved her husband deeply. Compared to her love for him, such an issue wasn’t a big deal at all.

It had still been bearable at first. However, she was a woman, and a mature woman at that.

From time to time, she would lie awake in the dead of night. However, she was afraid of expressing herself, as she did not want to hurt her husband’s feelings.

Such extreme and opposing feelings caused her temper to grow much hotter over the years. There were many instances in which she knew she could not act out, yet sometimes, she just couldn’t control her emotions.

If there really was a chance that she could somehow, secretly… And if it was never found out, perhaps it wouldn’t be completely unacceptable...

Qin Wanru was horrified as soon as this thought appeared in her head, and she strangled it immediately. She knew that the drug in her body had begun to take serious effect, and that it was even starting to affect her thoughts and judgment.

However, she knew that there was no way she could overpower Chu Tiesheng in her current state. She could only pretend to play along.

She brushed the strands of hair away from her cheeks and tucked them behind her ear. This simple movement was enough to make Chu Tiesheng’s eyes widen, his mouth feel dry, and his heartbeat accelerate. If he hadn’t been afraid that she would retaliate, he might have already pounced on her.

The desire in his eyes filled Qin Wanru with disgust. However, she maintained her composure and said, “How can I be sure that you won’t tell anyone in the future?”

“What?” Chu Tiesheng was stunned, momentarily unable to react. He thought that he’d somehow heard her wrongly.

Qin Wanru endured the terrible feeling surging within her. She deliberately made her tone sweeter as she said, “I’m asking you this: if I do obey you, how would I know that you won’t just go against our agreement and secretly let others know? Wouldn’t that completely destroy me?”

“So that was what you were worried about.” Chu Tiesheng finally understood. The goddess that he’d been yearning for day and night was finally loosening up. Ecstasy surged within him. “Don’t worry! I will never tell anyone about this!”

Qin Wanru scoffed. “The mouths of men are the most unreliable. Why would I trust your empty promises? That’s why… that’s why you cannot use the recording stone to record… record our deeds.”

Chu Tiesheng’s little brother saluted immediately when he heard this. Her tone clearly implied that she was agreeing to his request!

He quickly acceded to this. “Sure, sure, sure! I won’t use the recording stone!”

If Qin Wanru really agreed to be by his side, then recording the deed wouldn’t matter anymore.

The whole point of the recording stone was to be able to relive the experience of this one night, after all.

However, if Qin Wanru agreed to his conditions, he could just seek her out whenever he wanted her in the future.

Besides, once they’d done the deed a few times and became completely familiar with each other, she might not even refuse his advances anymore. After all, she had much to worry about right now.

“Then… you have to be a man of your word.” Qin Wanru said sweetly.

“Of course! Let the heavens strike me down with lightning if I go back on my word!” Chu Tiesheng said. “Sister-in-law, the only thing I’ve ever wanted is you… Since you’ve already agreed to my request, why would I still take such risks? Chu Zhongtian is practically finished, so I don’t mind taking you as my nominal wife. This will surely make things even more exciting for the two of us in the future.”

He couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He threw himself at her. “Sister-in-law, you don’t know how many years I yearned for this day…”

A small part of him still suspected her, since Qin Wanru seemed to be acting far too differently all of a sudden. However, lust had already overtaken him. Besides, she had already been afflicted with the ‘Bull’s Cream’. He let go of his lingering doubts and decided to believe her.

Seeing her lovely face and thinking about how this stunning, well-endowed body would soon be in his embrace made Chu Tiesheng so excited, he felt like he was about to explode. Clearly, he’d made the right choice this time.

While Qin Wanru may have looked coy on the outside, she was still ice-cold inside.

Just as Chu Tiesheng was about to embrace her, she sent her palm out, striking him in the middle of his chest. All of her pent-up rage was completely focused into this one strike.

“Ah…” Chu Tiesheng squealed miserably as he fell backwards. He hadn't expected this beautiful flower, which seemed all ready to be plucked, to suddenly turn into a man-eating plant.

Qin Wanru’s heart was full of regret. If she’d been in peak condition, her strike would have surely crippled him, if it hadn’t killed him outright.

However, her strength and speed had been reduced by the effects of the drug. That was why her palm strike only dealt a moderate amount of damage.

She was just about to seize this opportunity to end his life, but a wave of heat surged through her as soon as she took a single step, and her entire body grew limp.

“Damn it!” She steadied herself by leaning on the pillar next to her. If she had waited any longer, she might have actually been defiled by that disgusting man.

She’d lost her window of opportunity to kill her opponent, so she didn’t dare linger any longer. She quickly smashed a window and jumped through.

She looked around in confusion as she landed on the ground outside her room. There had been such a huge disturbance in the room—the guards should have rushed over immediately!

However, not a single guard was in sight. There wasn't even a single servant.

She was shocked. It seemed Chu Tiesheng’s scheme ran deep. How many people in Chu Estate had he bribed?

She didn’t dare waste any more time. She ran straight towards Hong Zhong’s residence.

There were two people Qin Wanru and her husband trusted the most in the Chu Estate: the butler Hong Zhong, and Commander Yue Shan. Yue Shan had been transferred away to investigate some matters recently.

Now that she thought about it, this distraction was likely a part of Chu Tiesheng’s scheme. He might have stirred things up precisely to draw Yue Shan away.

Thank goodness she still had Hong Zhong!

Without Yue Shan, the only one left in whom she had absolute trust was Hong Zhong.

While others might betray her husband or her, Hong Zhong definitely would not.

It wasn’t just because he had already served the Chu clan for many generations. She also had a clear understanding of his nature after so many years of interacting with him.

He was old, wise, and extremely meticulous. His character was upright and unwavering.

She sprinted frantically in the direction of his residence, stumbling several times along the way.

Strange feelings—familiar, yet unfamiliar—surged continuously within her, making her feel both ashamed and furious. The only thing on her mind right now was finding Hong Zhong and asking for his help. The Chu clan was facing a severe tribulation.

She ran straight into the courtyard and pounded on the door. “Elder Hong, Elder Hong!”

The door opened quickly. Hong Zhong walked out, a confused look on his face. “Madam, why are you here?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Chu Tiesheng has rebelled. I don’t know how many people have colluded with him. You need to quickly gather some men to arrest him…” Her eyes widened in shock, and she trailed off before she could finish. Hong Zhong's hand flashed out swiftly, striking her acupoints with deadly accuracy. She could no longer move.