Chapter 145

"You think I didn't react? Are you sure?" 

He smiled, a smile that Lily found rather strange, almost as if it held some hidden meaning. 

She didn't get it, nor did she have the mind to think about it at the moment. "Speak plainly, no beating around the bush." 

Edmond leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Lily blinked in confusion and made a sound of surprise. 

"When you were holding me, what did you feel? My pants... and me..." 

Lily fell silent, and for a long time afterward, she didn't say a word. 

Edmond remarked that the bedroom wasn't very comfortable and that she shouldn't hold it in. In response, she bit his shoulder, telling him to shut up because he was annoying her to death. 

Later, Edmond lit a cigarette. 

Lily, feeling boneless in his embrace, saw how much he was enjoying his smoke and tried to steal it from him for a puff. She ended up coughing as the smoke caught in her throat. 

Edmond offered to get her a glass of water, but she, on a whim, said she wanted tea. 

"It's too late for tea; you won't be able to sleep." 

"Just one cup to soothe my throat. Please?" 

So, in the dead of night, Edmond got up to make her some tea.

Lily, dressed in a thin nightgown, sat on his lap and watched him work. 

His movements as he prepared the tea were just as graceful as she remembered. When he placed the tea leaves into the water, they immediately began to swirl and dance, trying to escape the boiling water. 

Lily stared at the cup, and just as a thought flashed through her mind, she heard a low chuckle beside her. 

"Just like you." 

Lily, now something of an expert, immediately understood his meaning. Her face flushed red, and she pinched his leg through his thin, loose pants. 

"Dirty old man!" 

Edmond scooped her up and carried her back to the bedroom, his laughter low and filled with a pleasant rumble. 

"Yes, I'm a dirty old man, and you're my little rogue. The dirty old man loves his little rogue." 

Lily: "..." 

Was that a confession?

Lily didn't see Wang Niannian's message until she woke up around noon the next day. 

Initially, she thought it was no big deal, but then reconsidered—why not take advantage of it? She could invite Franklin along to help things along. 

So she replied to Wang Niannian: "I'm free anytime. You pick the time." 

As soon as she sent the message, Leopold called. 

"Mom and Dad were both admitted to the hospital last night. The doctor said they're not in any immediate danger. I didn't want to disturb you, but now that they're awake, can you come to the hospital and maybe talk to them?" 

Lily didn't refuse. 

After breakfast, she instructed the butler to put some nutritional supplements and fruit in the car, and the driver took her to the hospital. 

Brooks and Layla were sharing a room. 

When Lily entered, Brooks' secretary was reporting to him about work, while Layla lay on her side with her eyes closed, and Leopold was sitting hunched over in a chair. 

"Second Miss," 

The secretary was the first to notice Lily and paused the report, nodding respectfully at her. 

Brooks immediately turned his head to look at her, as did Layla and Leopold. 

Lily walked in carrying the items and noticed the grim expressions on their faces, which brightened her mood considerably. 

"Well, you're all here." 

She glanced around the room, then shook her head. "No, wait, where's Zoya?" 

The room fell into a heavy silence; no one responded. 

Pretending not to notice, Lily addressed Brooks first. "Old Jian, where's your most capable daughter? Why hasn't she come to see you?" 

Brooks: "..." 

Oh, his heart hurt even more now. 

Lily turned to Layla next. "Mrs. Mei, where's your dearest little darling? You're in the hospital, and she hasn't come to visit?" 

Layla: "..." 

She felt like fainting again. 

Leopold, seeing Lily's gaze settle on him, immediately stood up, took the items from her hands, and led her out of the room by her wrist. 

In the deserted corridor, Leopold, with a cold expression, confronted her. 

"Zoya said you called Mom down. Why did you do that? Haven't you caused enough trouble already?" 

Lily didn't answer. She took out her phone and played a recording. 

It was Zoya's voice. 

"Angry, aren't you? When I first found out you were marrying Edmond, I was furious too, just like you are now." 

"He won't let me go, but so what? Your brother will protect me. No matter what I do wrong or who I offend, your brother will always stand up for me." 

Lily stopped the recording after those two sentences and looked directly at Leopold. 

"Men understand men, women understand women. Let me explain what she meant from a woman's perspective." 

"First, she was angry that I married Edmond, which means: she wanted to marry Edmond, not you." 

"Second, no matter what she does, you'll protect her, which means: you're just her devoted lackey. No matter how low she stoops, you'll always back her up." 

Lily took a step closer, raising her arm to poke his shoulder forcefully. 

"Leopold, I tolerated you two because I didn't want to destroy you. You know how much Grandma expects from you; she hopes you'll support L&S, and you know that too..." 

"I've been saving your face all this time. But now, Zoya is going to ruin you, so I won't back down anymore." 

"Rather than letting Zoya ruin you, I'll do it myself." 

"You should understand what I'm saying. Take care of yourself."

Leopold, exhausted from a sleepless night, finally went home to rest. 

Lily stayed behind for the afternoon. 

Brooks dismissed the secretary, and as soon as the door was closed, he couldn't help but ask Lily, 

"Was last night's mess your doing?" 

Brooks had woken up that morning and immediately scolded his son. After venting his anger, he listened to Layla, who said it was Lily who had called her down to catch them in the act the night before. 

So he couldn't help but wonder, was Lily behind it? 

Lily was lounging on the sofa, settling into the most comfortable position. 

"My doing? How could it be? Did I make Zoya kiss Leopold?" 

Brooks: "..." 

Good point. 

Lily had certainly called Layla down with the intention of stirring things up, but no one had forced Zoya and Leopold to kiss—they had done that on their own. 

Layla sat up in bed, her first thought being of Wang Niannian. 

"Lily, that Wang Niannian, isn't she your classmate? You should talk to her and make sure this doesn't get out. Especially her stepmother—she's got a big mouth and a venomous nature. We can't let her find out." 

Lily assured her. 

"You don't need to tell me. If the story of Leopold and Zoya gets out, it'll embarrass me too. What kind of family is the Zhou family? If my family's name gets dragged through the mud, my reputation will be ruined." 

"Wang Niannian swore on her late mother's grave that she wouldn't say a word." 

Layla finally breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear Lily add, "I gave her five million in hush money. You'll need to reimburse me." 

Layla: "..." 

Money, money, money. That's all she ever thinks about. She swindled her out of a huge sum not too long ago, even though she had already taken the earrings Grandma left behind. And now she wants five million more. 

Layla didn't believe Wang Niannian would demand money. "She's a wealthy young lady from the Wang family; why would she need hush money?" 

Lily retorted, "I'm a wealthy young lady from the Jian family, yet all I ever think about is money. Who wouldn't want more money?" 

Layla was about to argue when Brooks interrupted her impatiently. 

"It's just five million. Stop whining. You've spent more than that on jewelry for Zoya before. If Lily wants it, just give it to her and stop complaining." 

Layla fell silent, her resentment towards Zoya growing with every passing moment. 

After scolding Layla, Brooks turned to Lily. "Lily, what should we do now?" 

He meant that Zoya should be sent abroad. Such a disgraceful incident must be kept far away. 

He had told his son this in the morning, but the fool had opposed the idea. 

His son had said, "The occasional business trip is fine, but you can't leave Zoya alone in a foreign country for an extended period. She's a woman with no one to protect her there." 

Hearing this, Lily clicked her tongue. 

"I was sent away for five years when I was eighteen. I, a teenage mental patient, could go. Why can't she, a thirty-year-old normal person, go?"

Hearing her mention the incident of that year, Brooks opened his mouth but suddenly didn't know what to say.

Lily looked at Layla.

"Oh, Ms. Mei, your son loves your adopted daughter so deeply. Why don't you just fulfill them and let them get married."