Ming Yutong's family had managed to keep the information secret for so many years, so it was unlikely they had made a mistake.
The only possibility left was Jiang Lulian himself. He had a vague recollection of seeing Nie Yalin that night when he was drunk, and he knew how much she resented Ming Yutong and was fixated on him.
That's why he was so anxious to call Ming Yutong. He feared he might have inadvertently revealed something to Nie Yalin, which was why he was desperate to clear his name.
When Ming Yutong asked if Jiang Lulian had verified the details with Nie Yalin, he admitted he had.
Nie Yalin denied knowing anything about it, which did not reassure Jiang Lulian.
"I'll get to the bottom of this," Jiang Lulian promised. "I need to clear my name. Please believe me. I didn't tell anyone."
Ming Yutong sighed, feeling the weight of the situation. "I understand. I'll investigate this myself too."
Jiang Lulian seemed to want to say more, but Ming Yutong cut him off gently. "I'm tired and need to rest. There's a big event tomorrow."
Jiang Lulian, sensing her exhaustion, ended the call and promised to investigate further.
Ming Yutong took a deep breath after hanging up, feeling the stress of the situation weigh heavily on her.
Ming Yuqian brought up an important event the next evening. "There's a big dinner tomorrow. Are you going?"
The timing of the dinner seemed inconvenient given the current turmoil, but Ming Yutong's character was not one to shy away from challenges.
She replied, "Of course, I'm going. If I hide at home, it'll only make people think I'm guilty. Better to face them head-on. The media might make claims, but if I don't show up, it will look like I'm avoiding the issue."
Ming Yuqian smiled, knowing well that Ming Yutong would not choose to avoid the situation. "Alright, I'll be there with you."
"Thank you," Ming Yutong said, appreciating his support.
After preparing for bed, Ming Yutong felt exhausted from the day's events. Managing the kids and dealing with the unexpected trouble had left her drained.
Despite her fatigue, she couldn't fall asleep.
She put on her comfortable pajamas and lay in bed, feeling restless and empty.
She had missed a call from Fu Yinxiu earlier due to the noise at the amusement park. Ming Yutong stared at her phone, feeling a sense of loneliness as she pondered what to do next.
As Little Jingshi and Mo Jinxi started their game, Ming Yutong checked her phone and saw a missed call from Fu Yinxiu.
When she tried to call him back, she found that he had set his phone to silent and was unavailable.
The entire day passed with neither of them managing to connect. Now, Fu Yinxiu still hadn't reached out to her.
Ming Yutong felt heavy-hearted and frustrated.
The Alpha Guards were protecting her, which was clearly under Fu Yinxiu's orders.
He couldn't possibly be unaware of her current troubles, yet he hadn't called her after the incident. She wondered if he was so busy with work that he hadn't had the time to call.
Ming Yutong turned over in bed, lying on her side and staring at her phone on the pillow.
Although Ming Yutong had Ming Yuqian by her side, she still wanted to hear Fu Yinxiu's voice.
Yet, she felt too prideful to call him first. If he cared, he would contact her.
She found herself increasingly irritated as she thought about Fu Yinxiu. Turning away from the phone, she tried to stop thinking about him, but his face kept appearing in her mind, making her more upset.
She decided to open her eyes and tried to distract herself. Just then, her phone rang with a message alert, which she initially dismissed as likely being an advertisement.
To her surprise, it was a message from Fu Yinxiu.
Ming Yutong grumbled about receiving a message instead of a call.
She opened the message and saw that Fu Yinxiu was asking her to join him on WeChat.
Noticing the red notification on the WeChat icon, she realized she had turned off message alerts and hadn't checked her phone.
Ming Yutong opened WeChat and reactivated notifications, so she wouldn't miss Fu Yinxiu's messages in the future.
She thought for a moment, found Fu Yinxiu on WeChat, and sent him a question mark.
Fu Yinxiu quickly sent a video call invitation. He wanted to talk face-to-face rather than just over the phone.
Ming Yutong sat up and accepted the invitation.
Shortly, Fu Yinxiu's face appeared on the screen. He was dressed in a black wool coat over a formal suit and shirt, looking as he would for work.
The background showed he was in a car, with the lights from the car windows and streetlights visible.
"Just finished working?" Ming Yutong asked.
The video had no filters or beautification, and Ming Yutong could clearly see the shadows under Fu Yinxiu's eyes, indicating he hadn't rested properly.
Fu Yinxiu had been rushing through his work to get back sooner.
Fu Yinxiu, who had been somewhat sleepy, instantly became alert upon seeing Ming Yutong. "Yeah."
He glanced at his watch and smiled, "It's not too late yet."
Ming Yutong pursed her lips, thinking it was already past 10 PM, and she didn't consider that late.