roccoschili Chapter 196 The Controversy Caused by the Photograph (1)
Chapter 196 The Controversy Caused by the Photograph (1)
Chi Moqing turned his head and squeezed her hand, saying, "It's company business. I'll take you home first."
Although Chi Moqing told her this, Yan Zuozuo didn't quite believe it. She opened her mouth to ask for clarification, but seeing Chi Moqing's cold expression, she obediently shut her mouth in the end.
Chi Moqing escorted her home, and just as he was about to leave, Yan Zuozuo suddenly grabbed his hand. "Don't lie to me, what happened?" Her heart was pounding, and she felt that something was about to happen.
Chi Moqing looked at her and said, "I'll be back soon. Wait for me at home."
The more he said that, the more Yan Zuozuo felt there was something wrong. But she knew she couldn't be a unreasonable woman, so she nodded and said, "Then I'll wait for you at home."
"Good girl." Chi Moqing smiled and left.
Yan Zuozuo watched him leave, her heart pounding, unable to sit still. She'd been overthinking things lately, wondering what had happened. She wanted to call Chi Moqing, but worried he might have something important to say, and that calling him might disturb him.
She waited there, lost in thought, until two hours later when Chi Moqing returned. She rushed over to ask what had happened. Chi Moqing simply looked at her, pursed his lips, and remained silent.
Yan Zuozuo frowned: "What does this have to do with me?"
Chi Moqing hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yes."
"What is it?"
“We’re afraid we’ll have to go back to the military compound. Mom found some photos of you and Ou Luhan somewhere, and she’s angry at home right now.”
Yan Zuozuo was taken aback: "A photo in the newspaper?"
Chi Moqing shook his head: "The one that was just eight carats, you and he are very likely to be followed and photographed."
Yan Zuozuo's heart clenched suddenly: "But I didn't do anything, what could they possibly film?"
"Let's talk about it when we get back."
Along the way, Yan Zuozuo was very worried. She kept thinking about it, but she couldn't figure out what she had done with Ou Luhan in Ba Kela, or what photos had been taken that would make Chi's mother angry.
She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, her face contorted with worry. Suddenly, Chi Moqing placed his warm, large hand on hers, smiling gently, "Wife, don't worry, you still have me."
Yan Zuozuo forced a smile, but her face quickly fell. "Honey, I really can't remember what I did, but I swear I really didn't do anything. Why am I being followed and filmed?"
Chi Moqing smiled faintly: "If someone is deliberately trying to frame you, even if you do nothing, they will always find a way. Don't worry, no matter what happens, your husband will take care of it for you."
Yan Zuozuo smiled, but she was still uneasy inside.
In the military compound, Meng Xinyu laid out all the photos she had taken in Bacarat in front of Chi's mother. "Auntie, I saw these with my own eyes. You care about me the most, so I took these photos because I couldn't bear to see you being deceived."
Holding a large stack of photos, Chi's mother saw the intimate photos of Yan Zuozuo and Ou Luhan and her expression changed drastically. She angrily threw the photos away, scattering all ten or so photos on the ground.
In the photo, Yan Zuozuo and Ou Luhan are arm in arm, and perhaps due to the angle of the shot, it looks like they are kissing. The photo is a bit blurry, but it's easy to recognize that it's Yan Zuozuo.
Meng Xinyu could tell that Chi's mother was very angry, so she quickly patted her back and said, "Auntie, don't get agitated. What's done is done. It's not worth getting yourself sick over this woman."
Chi's mother glanced at Meng Xinyu, narrowed her eyes, and something seemed to flash in them. She picked up the phone and immediately dialed Chi Moqing's number. "You come back here right now!"
Chi Moqing received the call while he was in the car with Yan Zuozuo, but he had to detour to another place and didn't come over immediately. Later, his mother called him again, "Look what your wife has been doing out there! Come back right now!"
Upon hearing that it concerned Yan Zuozuo, Chi Moqing asked a few more questions before going home to pick her up. As soon as he entered, he saw his parents and Meng Xinyu there.
Mrs. Chi looked very angry, while Mr. Chi seemed completely calm and collected, and then there was Meng Xinyu...
Seeing Chi Moqing return, she was about to happily call him "Cousin," but when she met his cold expression, her heart trembled and she immediately shrank back.
Chi Moqing sat on the sofa, holding Yan Zuozuo's hand. Looking down, he saw the mess of photos scattered all over the floor. He picked them up, glanced at them briefly, and then put them back on the table.
Yan Zuozuo also saw it; it was when she first entered the eight-carat range, and Ou Luhan was playfully putting his arm around her shoulder. She hadn't expected that such a simple scene, captured by someone with ulterior motives, would turn into such an intimate moment.
She frowned and looked at Chi Moqing, who squeezed her hand, smiled at her, and gestured for her to calm down.
Mrs. Chi, who had always been a fiery and outspoken woman, didn't mince words and went straight to the point, "You've seen the photos, haven't you? What do you want to say?"
Yan Zuozuo opened her mouth to explain, but was stopped by Chi Moqing. He smiled and said, "Did Xinyu bring these photos?" As he spoke, he looked at Meng Xinyu with a cold gaze. She lowered her head guiltily and did not say a word.
"Yes, if Xinyu hadn't happened to pass by, I wouldn't have known you, you guys were out there... it's simply outrageous!"
Chi Moqing's eyes flickered, his deep gaze fixed on Meng Xinyu. "Xinyu, you haven't met your cousin-in-law yet, have you? Let me introduce you. This is my wife, Yan Zuozuo." After speaking, he looked at Yan Zuozuo and smiled gently. "This is the cousin I mentioned to you, Meng Xinyu."
Yan Zuozuo didn't understand what Chi Moqing meant, but she still smiled politely at Meng Xinyu.
Meng Xinyu's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Chi Moqing with confusion.
"My wedding photos with Zuo Zuo are hanging in the bedroom. They've all been retouched with makeup. I never expected my cousin to have such a good eye. She could recognize Zuo Zuo without makeup just by looking at the photos. I never knew you were so clever."
Chi Moqing's words startled Meng Xinyu. She couldn't possibly admit that she had secretly gone to see Yan Zuozuo, or even followed her, could she? She panicked and quickly lowered her head.
"Is this the time to talk about this? How do you explain these photos!" Chi's mother interrupted Chi Moqing unhappily.
"I'm explaining these photos." Chi Moqing's expression hardened as he looked at Meng Xinyu. "Do you recognize the man in the photos?"
Meng Xinyu nodded: "Ou Luhan, known as the Third Young Master Ou, is the heir of the largest Chinese conglomerate. It is said that he is very likely to become the president in the future."
"My cousin isn't in business, but she seems to know a lot about it. I heard that after I left last time, you had dinner with Young Master Ou, got his autograph, and took photos with him. What, do you have feelings for Young Master Ou?"
"I..." Meng Xinyu was about to speak, but suddenly realized what she meant and immediately said unhappily, "What does cousin mean by this? Does he suspect that I am jealous and framed this woman? So what if I am jealous? If she hadn't done this kind of thing, would I have been able to take the picture?"
“Cousin, watch your manners. Zuo Zuo is my wife. You should call her sister-in-law. That’s the bare minimum of politeness!” Chi Moqing’s face turned cold.
Meng Xinyu turned her head away, looking at Chi's mother with a wronged expression, "Auntie, look at my cousin. The evidence is right here, and he still yelled at me to protect her. But the facts are the facts, and it's no use for my cousin to protect her."
Looking at Meng Xinyu's aggrieved face, Chi's mother felt a pang of heartache and immediately launched an attack on Chi Moqing, "You brat, the facts are right in front of you, and instead of letting your wife explain, you're bullying Xinyu. Do you want to drive your mother to her death?"
Chi Moqing sneered: "What do you mean it's true? In my cousin's eyes, besides romantic love, men and women can't be friends, and they can't go out to eat and sing together?"
Meng Xinyu was taken aback: "But their actions were intimate, clearly indicating something was amiss!"
Upon hearing this, Chi Moqing's face darkened. "Watch your words!" He picked up the photos on the table and handed them to his father, then said, "Dad, the photographer from Zhitu Company is quite good. Why don't we ask him to authenticate these photos? I think you should know what kind of person Zuo Zuo is. I have serious doubts about these photos."
"What do you mean by that, cousin? Are you saying I photoshopped these pictures to frame this woman?" Meng Xinyu panicked and immediately retorted fiercely.
Chi Moqing glanced at her indifferently: "If you don't have it, it just confirms your statement. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
Meng Xinyu was stunned, opened her mouth, but couldn't refute it.
Chi's father called Lu Zhitu and asked him to bring a photographer over. Lu Zhitu received the call from Chi's father, unaware of what had happened, but still came over quickly.
Feeling a little guilty, Meng Xinyu quickly said to Chi's mother, "Auntie, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. Do you want everyone to know that my cousin's wife has cheated on him and made him a cuckold?"
"Xinyu!" Chi's father, who hadn't said much until now, suddenly turned grim. "Is this your family's upbringing?"
Meng Xinyu didn't expect Chi's father to scold her, so she shrank back and quickly snuggled into Chi's mother's arms, pouting as if she was about to cry, "Auntie, I was only doing it for my cousin's own good."
Seeing that her husband's face was ashen, Mrs. Chi didn't know what to say. She simply comforted him, "The matter hasn't been investigated yet. It's too much for you to talk about your cousin-in-law like that."
"Auntie, don't even you believe me?" Meng Xinyu was on the verge of tears, and stood up to leave.
Chi Moqing was one step ahead of her and stopped her directly. "No one is allowed to leave here until things are cleared up!" After saying that, he turned to the nanny and said, "Go and close the door. Don't open the door for anyone except Zhi Tu!"
Meng Xinyu's eyes darted around in panic: "Cousin, what do you mean by this?"
"You'll find out what I mean in a moment." Chi Moqing sneered, told the nanny to make tea, and then looked at Chi's parents, "Mom and Dad, have some tea first and wait a bit. Zhi Tu should be here soon."
Chi's father nodded and smiled at Yan Zuozuo, saying, "Haven't you been eating properly lately? How come you've lost so much weight?"
Yan Zuozuo smiled back at Chi Fu's kind smile and said, "Dad, you're joking. I feel like I've gained weight recently." After a pause, she remembered the supplements from before and quickly asked, "Do you still have the nutritional supplements from last time? I'll buy some more when Mo Qing and I come over this weekend."
"And also, your mother and I aren't sick, so don't bother spending money," Mr. Chi said cheerfully.
Seeing Chi's father's kind manner towards Yan Zuozuo, Meng Xinyu gritted her teeth in anger.
Not long after, Lu Zhitu arrived with a photographer. Chi Moqing gave a simple and clear explanation and then asked the photographer to make the appraisal.
The photographer spotted the problem almost immediately and said very seriously, "These photos have all been photoshopped."
"You're talking nonsense! Your cousin must have bribed you. I didn't Photoshop anything!" Meng Xinyu stood up and said excitedly.
The photographer shrugged: "If you don't believe me, you can ask any photographer to take a look. This kind of Photoshop is very basic. Anyone in our industry can tell the difference at a glance."
"Shut up, shut up!" Meng Xinyu shouted, her eyes brimming with tears as she nestled in her mother's arms. "Auntie, nobody believes me, you have to believe me! I really didn't photoshop anything, and I didn't frame her, you have to believe me..."
Chi Moqing didn't speak, but looked at his mother. He knew very well how much his mother doted on this niece, and was just waiting for her reaction. "Mom, what do you think?"