Chapter 4 You Do Not Need A Reason To Protect

Huo Lichen took a look at the man in the picture, and his expression turned cold once again. He reached out and took the photo. Ou Nuoya was thrilled and started to speak, “Mr. Huo, I am telling you the truth. This photo is authentic, they...” Before she could finish, he did something that took her breath away literally. His delicate fingers moved swiftly and tore the photo up into several pieces. His gaze was intense, and the corner of his lips was raised to signify his immense dissatisfaction. “You have some nerve to stand here and tarnish my fiancée's reputation.” His actions shocked everyone. Without so much as a glance, he disregarded the photo and proclaimed Yan Wan's innocence. The manner in which he spoke left little room for discussion as if the matter had been concluded per his decree. The onlookers turned their attention to Yan Wan. Their judgmental eyes soon turned fearful as they quivered at the thought of their repercussions. Yan Wan stared blankly at Huo Lichen as she felt a rush of warmth, embracing her in a cocoon. So this is what it feels like to be protected unconditionally. It was enduring and pleasurable, she thought to herself. “Mr-Mr. Huo...” Ou Nuoya was dumbfounded. She did not see that coming at all. Did he believe Yan Wan, or did he simply not care? Huo Lichen casually chucked the torn pieces aside and stared at Ou Nuoya with contempt. “Wei Qi, take her away,” he instructed coldly. “Yes, sir,” Wen Qi said, as he gladly obliged and swiftly made his way toward Ou Nuoya. Ou Nuoya's legs turned to jelly as she struggled to come to terms with what had happened. She panicked and hid behind Si Nan. “Si Nan, help me!” She was terrified of what would happen to her if she was taken away by Huo Lichen and his men. Si Nan was in a dilemma and showed displeasure. He was furious at Ou Nuoya for offending Huo Lichen. She should have known better than to provoke Huo Lichen. Nonetheless, he apologized sincerely to him. “I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Huo. It was wrong for Nuoya to say those things and make you angry. On account of the relationship between our families, please forgive her.” Huo Lichen smirked at his reply, “Are you trying to get your family involved as well? And make me clean them up too?” It petrified Si Nan, who flinched as if someone had poured a cold bucket of water over him. Known for using ruthless and venomous means that knew no boundaries, he was definitely a man of his word. He tried to compose himself. “Please take it easy, Mr. Huo. It was just a slip of the tongue. Even though Nuoya is my wife, my family would not spare her the punishment she deserves for her wrongdoings.” Dumbstruck, Ou Nuoya glared at Si Nan with an incredulous expression on her face. A chill ripped across her body, from head to toe. Just like this, her husband had left her in the lurch. Wei Qi scoffed at the cowardice of Si Nan, whom he had seen plenty in his entire life. He moved forward and took Ou Nuoya by the arm. “Let's go, Ms. Ou.” “Let go of me! How can you treat me like this? Don't you know I come from the Ou family? I'm their eldest daughter.” As if she was fighting for her life, Ou Nuoya discarded her angelic image as she became embroiled in a tussle with Wei Qi, pulling and tugging like a wild woman. Her strength could hardly match Wei Qi's, who was fit and well-trained. She finally succumbed as he pulled her away with him. Out of desperation, she glared at Yan Wan scathingly and gritted her teeth. “Don't think you can cover up your shameful affair just by taking me away. You cheated with another man before your wedding and made Huo Lichen a cuckold. All your dirty laundry will be aired in public soon before you know it!” Ou Nuoya's wailing and yelling resonated across every corner of the main hall and attracted the curiosity of more people. Yan Wan threw a disgusted look at Ou Nuoya, who spared no effort to malign her even when she herself was in peril. What kind of resentment and grudge did Ou Nuoya possess that made her hate her so much? “Shut that big mouth of yours! Wan did not go to the hotel to fool around with He Feiyang. It was all set up by you.” Gu Zifei huffed and puffed as she scrambled into the hall with a stack of photos and files in her hand, which she passed promptly over to Huo Lichen. “These are what I've gathered, Mr. Huo. On that night, seeing that Yan Wan was dead drunk, Ou Nuoya took her to Shangpin hotel and handed her over to He Feiyang, who had been standing by. What they had done was an intentional drug rape set up on Yan Wan! But you should be glad to know that Wan had escaped from the hands of He Feiyang and even wounded him. I bumped into her at the elevator and took her home in one piece.” Gu Zifei winked at Yan Wan after she had explained everything. She had been working tirelessly these two days investigating this case, and thankfully she made it in time to reveal the truth. Yan Wan was shell-shocked as she realized the reason she ended up in Shangpin hotel with such a vicious trap waiting for her. It was all the wicked doings of Ou Nuoya! Ou Nuoya's face turned ashen as she tried to explain, “No, it's not what you think. I was just trying to send Yan Wan to rest at the hotel. It was out of kind intention. But Yan Wan insisted on going with He Feiyang.” Her explanation was lame and laughable, hardly convincing even for a kid. Everyone turned to look at her with contempt. Huo Lichen might have defended Yan Wan, but he wasn't entirely sure of her innocence. These photos were ironclad evidence of her innocence, which improved his impression of her. He passed the stack over to Yan Wan. “What do you intend to do with her?” Is Huo Lichen asking for my opinion? Do I have hearing loss? It overwhelmed Yan Wan to have someone powerful back her up, and she quite enjoyed it. A tiger never changes its stripes. Ou Nuoya should not be let off easily. Yan Wan thought briefly and decided, “Let's hand her over to the police.” Her words drained all the blood in Ou Nuoya's face as she cried out in desperation, “No, don't take me to the police. This would ruin my wedding and reputation. How could you do this to me, Yan Wan!” “You've brought this upon yourself, the architect of your own downfall.” “No, it isn't like that. It's all because of you.” As if suffering from a panic attack, Ou Nuoya sprang up and lunged at Yan Wan, but Wei Qi grabbed hold of her in midair and dragged her out of the hotel like a piece of trash. The patrolling police officers came in time to take Ou Nuoya from the hands of Wei Qi. The clanging of metal was heard when they placed the handcuffs on her. “No, let go of me!” With her hair and makeup all over her face, Ou Nuoya shrieked and struggled like a lunatic. Si Nan grimaced as he had been utterly humiliated. He could imagine this to be the biggest joke of the high society, with the bride being taken away by the police on his wedding day. He turned and looked at Yan Wan, who was abandoned by his family. She was now in the arms of the most powerful man in South City. As all eyes were on the elegant pair, she beamed with such noble radiance. A radiance that was out of his grasp. It opened up an inexplicable void in him, which elicited a strong desire to get Yan Wan back at all cost.