Gu Ziqian didn’t expect Beitang Yao would treat her this way. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she put on an innocent front to meet Beitang Yao’s cold stare. Her heart sank slightly, and she frowned lightly, retorting, "Brother Yao, are you doubting me? Sister Xia just said to me that she’s the woman by Brother Yao’s side. She said your heart belongs only to her, and without her, you can’t live. She told me to leave you, and she even hit me..." Gu Ziqian spoke passionately, a tear sliding down the corner of her eye.

His gaze darkened, "She really said that to you?" Beitang Yao’s grip loosened a bit as he let her go.

"Brother Yao, why would I lie to you? Sister Xia told me not to tell you. She said if I did, I wouldn’t meet a good end." Gu Ziqian saw that Beitang Yao’s tense nerves had eased a bit, so she seized the opportunity, rushing forward to embrace Beitang Yao, burying her head in his firm structure, sobbing, "Brother Yao, does Sister Xia dislike me? If my presence here will cause trouble for you, then we should annul the marriage. I think Auntie won’t blame us, right?"

Beitang Yao was so angry he could barely breathe. Listening to Gu Ziqian’s account, his blood began to boil, and his hands clenched slightly, his heart felt suffocated!

"Did you hit her?" Beitang Yao suppressed his anger and asked Gu Ziqian again. He didn’t want to blame anyone indiscriminately. He observed that Gu Ziqian’s body was perfectly intact, and her face showed no signs of injury. In contrast, the foolish woman had a swollen face that made his heart ache.

Gu Ziqian’s arms paused around Beitang Yao, then she whispered, "Brother Yao, I did hit Sister Xia, but she spoke ill of you, and I was so blinded by anger that I struck her unintentionally!" Her tone intensified slightly, trying to make the story seem more believable.

Turns out his suspicions were correct; Xia Qingqian indeed received a slap from Gu Ziqian. Was it truly as Ziqian said, that she believed he couldn’t live without her? This reckless woman was really unaware of her limits!

"You should leave now, I have work to do." Beitang Yao gripped her shoulders and moved her away from him.

Gu Ziqian gazed up at Beitang Yao, noticing his face full of gloom and tightly furrowed brows; she knew her scheme had succeeded.

"Brother Yao, I don’t want to go out. What if Sister Xia is fierce with me again? I’m very scared, why don’t you let Ye Feng escort me home, I don’t want to stay here." Gu Ziqian held onto the edge of the desk pitifully as she spoke to Beitang Yao.

Is Xia Qingqian really as repugnant as Ziqian portrays her? Did she really say such vile things to Ziqian? Was her gentle and refined demeanor a façade all along? Was she pretending from the start when approaching him?

Too many doubts were sprouting in his mind, leaving him restless and irritable. Although he was usually a calm person who could overlook trivial matters, now that Xia Qingqian had entered his heart, he couldn’t ignore issues concerning her.

"You will stay here. I promised Grandfather I’d bring you home, and I’ll handle these matters." Beitang Yao sat back at his desk, opened a document, and his hands swiftly tapped the keyboard, his face full of gloom, his features tightly tense!

Besides, given the current situation, he wouldn’t let Gu Ziqian go back either, as he needed to report back to Grandfather reasonably when he returned home.