Chapter 74: Chapter 63: The Slandering Male Has Confessed

She’d never expected to have guests, so she hadn’t prepared anything.

But now, watching the two of them eagerly take the flower tea and gulp it down, seemingly unafraid of the heat...

Oh well.

’Perhaps they really do like it,’ she thought.

Yu Lan happily accepted this conclusion.

She settled onto the other side of the sofa.

The plush sofa sank the moment Yu Lan sat down.

It made Yu Lan look like a beautiful, soft dumpling nestled within it. She looked so plush, it made one want to give her a little pinch just to see if she was truly as soft as she appeared.

For a moment, the air grew exceptionally peaceful and warm.

Just then, the villa’s doorbell rang,

shattering the rare tranquility.

’Who could be so tactless? Of all the times to show up, they had to come now.’

The two males glared toward the door, their dissatisfaction palpable.

"Coming!"

Yu Lan was already on her feet and at the door.

Her hand on the knob, she opened the villa’s large door.

She was met by a pair of black eyes, bloodshot with exhaustion and filled with worry.

"Lanlan, you’re back."

The visitor was none other than Shen Zueran.

He was completely disheveled and utterly exhausted.

He looked as though he hadn’t slept for days.

The moment Shen Zueran heard that Yu Lan had returned to her villa, he had rushed over in a panic.

He hadn’t even taken a moment to tidy his appearance.

The white lab coat over his suit looked as if it hadn’t been changed in days.

Where was the calm, composed, and elegantly restrained intellectual from the Science Research Institute he usually was?

It was only when he saw his own wretched reflection in the beautiful female’s eyes that Shen Zueran seemed to snap back to his senses.

He hastily raised his hands, trying to fix his appearance, his voice laced with anxiety.

"I’m sorry, Lanlan. Just a moment, I’ll fix myself up right away."

"Right away. I’ll be presentable in a second."

It was as if he was terrified Yu Lan would be repulsed by his unkempt state.

The hands he usually used for experiments were now tightly clutching the hem of his coat.

There were even frightening traces of blood on his long, well-defined fingertips. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Yu Lan sighed.

’How could she not understand the reason for his panic?’

She reached out, placing her small hand on the back of his, then took his larger hand and began to lead him inside.

Her voice was gentle and soothing.

"You don’t need to fix anything. How about you come in and have some flower tea first?"

The anxiety radiating from Shen Zueran was instantly calmed by the beautiful female’s gentle words.

He dazedly followed her, but just as he was about to step into the villa, he suddenly seemed to remember something and cried out.

"No, no, no."

"I forgot someone."

"Hmm?"

Yu Lan tilted her head in confusion, her clear, amber eyes fixed on him.

Shen Zueran quickly turned and went back to the hovercar parked nearby.

When he got out again, he was dragging a male covered in blood.

Looking at his face, Yu Lan frowned. He looked a bit like the male on the first floor of the Science Research Institute who had handed her the Human-shaped Recovery Potion.

’Could it be that the Human-shaped Recovery Potion wasn’t shattered by accident?’ she wondered.

While Yu Lan was lost in thought, Shen Zueran had already strode back to her, dragging the man.

His face was alight with a triumphant joy, as if seeking praise.

"Lanlan, ever since you were taken by Li Yufei,"

"I’ve been gathering all the research data from the lab, trying to replicate another Human-shaped Recovery Potion."

"At the same time, I’ve been poring over the institute’s surveillance footage and interrogating every person involved."

"And I finally found him."

"That day, it looked like you were the one who failed to catch the bottle of Liquid Gold Human Recovery Potion, but that’s not what really happened."

As Shen Zueran spoke, his voice filled with overwhelming rage. He hatefully hoisted the male, who he’d already beaten half to death.

"It was this *thing*," he spat, "He deliberately chose that exact moment to frame you, all so he could become one of Louisa’s Male Servants."

"Now, the whole truth has come to light."

"Lanlan," Shen Zueran said, his gaze fixed on her, his dark eyes full of earnestness.

"Since you weren’t the one who did this, and I’ve found the real culprit,"

"I’ve already compiled all the relevant evidence. I’ll send it to the Li Family shortly."

"I doubt they’ll dare to think of keeping you tied to Li Yucheng’s side after this."

Heaven knows, when he received the news from the Li Family that Yu Lan had ’voluntarily’ stayed behind to treat Li Yucheng until he regained his human form, Shen Zueran’s heart had been filled with regret and rage.

He was regretful because the incident had happened at the Science Research Institute, which was under his jurisdiction.

And he was furious because the Li Family must have threatened Yu Lan, forcing her to agree.

’It was one thing for Lanlan to choose to stay behind because she cared for Huo Zhanting and Su Xingye and didn’t want to see them get hurt. But now, he had proven Lanlan’s innocence. What right did the Li Family have to keep Yu Lan any longer?!’

The Li Family should count themselves lucky he wasn’t actively looking for trouble with them.

A vicious glint flashed in Shen Zueran’s eyes. To stand by and watch the female he liked be taken away... no male, no matter how good-tempered, could ever accept that.

Especially not a proud, 3S-level male—a chosen one who had always stood above all others.

A towering inferno of rage burned hot in his chest.