Volume One, Chapter 86: No Need

As Jiang Wan made her move and voiced her demand, Zhai Honghui was momentarily taken aback.

He took the pouch from her hand, opened it, and let his fingers circle inside. Then, pinching his fingers together, he brought them carefully to his nose and sniffed.

Because of his actions, the entire corridor seemed to fall silent. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Zhai Honghui, waiting for his judgment.

After a moment of careful consideration, Zhai Honghui glanced at Lu Wenzhou beside him and said, “There’s no obvious scent, but I’m certain it’s not traditional herbs. It’s likely a type of herbaceous plant.”

As soon as his words fell, Jiang Wan asked, “Could it be catnip?”

“Catnip?” Zhai Honghui frowned. “You mean the plant that excites cats?”

“Yes,” Jiang Wan nodded.

She spoke and turned her head to glance at Lin Zhi, who stood beside Lin Hongguang, looking for all the world like a victim. Yet as Jiang Wan recounted the story, those innocent eyes flickered with shock and panic, though she quickly suppressed it.

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Lin Hongguang scoffed. “To think you’re your mother’s own daughter, yet you don’t know she’s afraid of cats?”

“Of course I know,” Jiang Wan’s tone shifted, her gaze sharpening. “I also know Lin Zhi used to keep cats.”

“She should know better than anyone how to lure a cat, how to make it lose control and get excited, to create an accident and fulfill her intentions.”

Jiang Wan spoke with unwavering conviction. “She deliberately set the timing after I’d seen my mother, just to clear herself and make it seem like fate.”

“It was because I didn’t give my blessing, because I broke the established deadline, that the accident involving the cat happened and she lost the child she carried…”

Jiang Wan exposed Lin Zhi’s scheme with clarity and precision.

With her explanation, the atmosphere in the corridor grew tense and ambiguous. Faces became complicated.

Seeing Lin Zhi remain silent, Jiang Wan sought confirmation from Zhai Honghui. “Dr. Zhai, you were at the temple at the time. Did you see what happened?”

“Did the cat attack any random tourist, or did it specifically target my mother?”

“Well…” Zhai Honghui was caught off guard by her question, falling into deep thought.

After recalling, his expression grew grave. “I was indeed at the temple, though not keeping vigil in the hall. By the time I heard the commotion and rushed over, your mother was already on the ground.”

“As for the cat… it did seem a little odd, but I don’t keep cats and am not familiar with their habits.”

Zhai Honghui dared not speak with absolute certainty.

His ambiguous account was enough to prove something was amiss.

But before Jiang Wan could respond, Lin Hongguang, unable to bear it any longer, erupted in anger. “Jiang Wan, before anyone has blamed you, you’re already pointing fingers!”

“Lin Zhi knows your mother fears cats; she even gave away her own cat for her sake. Do you really think she’s petty and unreasonable like you?”

“I know you object to our remarriage, and you don’t want us to have another child. Otherwise… your mother wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to hide it from you, afraid you’d do something outrageous.”

“A mother knows her own child best.”

“If you want to hurt your mother and make her miscarry, don’t pin it on Lin Zhi!”

Lin Hongguang’s face was red with rage, his tone growing harsher. “This thing was found in your pocket. You say Lin Zhi put it there—do you have any proof?”

“In my eyes, it’s more likely you wanted to frame her, bringing up this catnip business.”

“Otherwise, how could you know something even Dr. Zhai can’t confirm?”

Lin Hongguang’s sharp retort carried the air of a man defending Lin Zhi and accusing Jiang Wan of being the villain.

“I…” Jiang Wan tried to argue, but as the words reached her throat, she couldn’t voice them.

Even if things were as she suspected, she had no proof that the catnip in the pouch was planted by Lin Zhi.

The pouch came from the temple, had been with Ji Jiali for nearly a month, touched by countless people, and who knew when the catnip was added… She knew none of it.

She could accuse Lin Zhi but couldn’t clear herself. She could only deduce the cause and method of the accident, not identify the perpetrator.

Jiang Wan bit her lip.

She looked at Lin Zhi, who was shielded by Lin Hongguang. Lin Zhi’s brow lifted slightly, and in the depths of those fox-like eyes, a hint of provocation flashed.

Faced with Jiang Wan’s accusation, Lin Zhi said nothing, but she already stood on the side of victory.

“What, did I hit the mark?” Lin Hongguang seized on her silence, sneering coldly. “I was even considering working with the Gu family on the land project for your mother’s sake, but now it seems a complete joke!”

He rebuked Jiang Wan publicly, taking the moral high ground.

“If I were your father, I’d be ashamed to have a daughter like you.”

Lin Hongguang shook his head, his tone full of regret and disdain. “You’ve made enough trouble, and now things have come to this. Isn’t your mother’s suffering enough?”

“She’s already in this state, yet you persist in tormenting her?”

“You’re her daughter—I have no say in that. But if you try to bully my daughter, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”

He issued his threat in a forceful tone.

With that, Lin Hongguang took Lin Zhi’s hand, shielding her as they walked toward Ji Jiali’s hospital room.

The two left together, Lin Hongguang protecting Lin Zhi as they passed Jiang Wan, vanishing from her sight.

It was a perfectly ordinary act between father and daughter.

Yet at this moment, Jiang Wan felt a sharp pain, unable to look directly.

Compared to Lin Hongguang’s open rebuke, his protective gesture toward his daughter hurt Jiang Wan more.

If her own father were still alive, he would’ve been even more passionate, fighting for her, believing her without reservation.

With Lin Hongguang and Lin Zhi gone, only Jiang Wan, Lu Wenzhou, and Zhai Honghui remained in the corridor.

The atmosphere was delicate.

Zhai Honghui broke the silence, saying, “I’ll take this back and analyze it with instruments. Then—”

He was interrupted by Lu Wenzhou. “No need.”

Zhai Honghui was startled.

Jiang Wan, too, looked at him in surprise.

Lu Wenzhou did not evade her gaze; his dark eyes were deep and composed.

“No need?” Jiang Wan could hardly believe her ears. “You think I’m making a fuss over nothing, too?”

Her heart suddenly felt hollow, as if she were nothing but a joke.

Lu Wenzhou’s eyes darkened. He sidestepped her question, only reminding her, “Even if it proves to be the culprit that attracted the cat, it won’t prove anything else.”

Just like the day she was followed by the renovation worker.

He had taken the same stance then.

The lines were familiar, and he remained unchanged.

Jiang Wan looked at the man before her and suddenly lost the strength to speak.

“Indeed.” She gave a self-mocking smile, withdrew her gaze, and leaned on her cane to leave.

Lu Wenzhou moved to help her.

Jiang Wan avoided him ahead of time, keeping her distance. “No need.”