take advantage of his power to bluff a little" or "use his influence to act imposing

He was just about to speak when Qi Yunmo's voice interrupted again. "Aunt Zhu, even if you don't accept it, that's still the choice of the Duke. And aren't you helping an outsider? Don't you think that's wrong? In my memory, Aunt Zhu has always protected the Long family. Even if you don't accept it, they are still part of the Long family. You're not protecting your own, yet allowing an outsider to bully them. Is this the new rule of the Long family?"

Zhu Wenyi was so sarcastically mocked by Qi Yunmo's words that she felt utterly ashamed. Her face stiffened, her forehead creased, and she fell silent.

This confirmed Qin Siyue's suspicion: Tang Mianmian was truly the wife of the Long family.

And more specifically, she was the wife of Long Yejue!

This realization stunned both mothers-in-law. How could Tang Mianmian possibly have the ability to marry the heir of the Long family, Long Yejue?

Now, how should they speak when they saw her?

Fu Ranzhan didn't want to argue with these people. Although she didn't quite agree with Zhu Wenyi's behavior, she couldn't help but mock her, "This is just the definition of betraying your own for the benefit of others. It's not something new. Mianmian, are you okay?"

Tang Mianmian had been rubbing her back, and her face was covered in cold sweat from the pain, but she still shook her head weakly, "I'm fine, really."

But Fu Ranzhan, who knew her well, couldn't believe she was okay. She pulled Qi Yunmo's possessive hand away and moved forward to check on her.

When Fu Ranzhan noticed that Tang Mianmian had been rubbing the same spot on her waist, her heart tightened. She anxiously lifted her shirt.

Tang Mianmian was startled by her actions and quickly shook her head, but Fu Ranzhan still saw the swollen, bruised area, with bloodstained beads of flesh—it was truly terrifying.

"Mianmian, you're hurt! Who did this to you? Tell me, I'll get revenge for you!" Fu Ranzhan exclaimed, her voice loud and frantic.

Qi Yunmo's brow furrowed tightly. He took out his phone and dialed Long Yejue's number. "Jue, it's on the third floor of Jing Sheng Plaza. Your woman has been hurt."

Zhu Wenyi, knowing he would call Long Yejue, coldly said, "I have other things to attend to, I'll leave first."

"Aunt Zhu, don't you think you should stand up for your daughter-in-law?" Qi Yunmo blocked her path, still speaking with a cold tone.

Zhu Wenyi snorted, "What do you mean stand up for her? I have nothing to do with Long Yejue. His business is not my business."

After leaving those harsh words, Zhu Wenyi turned and walked away without looking back.

Tang Mianmian felt a deep sense of helplessness. It seemed like she had ruined something again.

Qin Siyue and Yan Youlan were both nervous, especially after hearing that Tang Mianmian was Long Yejue's woman. They found it difficult to accept.

How could they dare to offend the Long family?

Not to mention, there was Qi Yunmo standing right there.

The Qi family, one of the four great families of Jiang City, wasn't as powerful as the Long family, but it was still far above the Su family.

In fact, many of the Su family's industries relied on the Qi family's business chain to survive.

Offending someone with such power wasn't something anyone could bear.

Yan Youlan nervously looked at Qin Siyue and whispered, "Mom, what should we do?"

Qin Siyue, equally panicked, shook her head, "If I knew what to do, I wouldn't be so anxious."

Fu Ranzhan, while still worried about Mianmian's injuries, said, "Wasn't that you protecting me just now? Why are you so foolish? Look at how swollen your back is—you can't even show your face now."

"I was afraid they'd hurt the baby in your stomach," Tang Mianmian admitted honestly.

As Qi Yunmo had just hung up the phone, his eyes narrowed dangerously. He coldly glared at Fu Ranzhan, "What did she say?"

Fu Ranzhan, clearly panicked, stammered, "Nothing… she didn't say anything."

"Your baby? You're pregnant?" Qi Yunmo's voice was cold and his expression dark, radiating an ominous aura.

Fu Ranzhan, though a strong woman, was unable to stand up to such a dominant man. She gritted her teeth, "So what if I'm pregnant? What's it to you? Why are you acting so fierce with me?"

"Good!" Qi Yunmo nodded repeatedly, but didn't get angry right away. Instead, he turned to Yan Youlan and Qin Siyue, "So, you dared to lay a hand on my woman? Didn't you know she was pregnant?"

Both of them shook their heads frantically, speaking in unison, "We didn't know."

Fu Ranzhan rubbed her forehead, feeling helpless toward Qi Yunmo.

He had only just found out, so how could these two have known?

And his woman? Was that how he saw it?

Just as Fu Ranzhan was about to argue, she saw Long Yejue hurriedly arriving, his face as cold as ice.

His coldness was even more terrifying than Qi Yunmo's.

When Tang Mianmian saw the grim expression on his face, she became too scared to speak, afraid of provoking the already furious man.

Long Yejue's brows were furrowed in anger, his tone colder than the frigid winds of a glacier, "Where are you hurt?"

Tang Mianmian felt guilty and didn't dare speak, only shaking her head, "It's not a serious injury."

"Where are you hurt?" The man repeated, his voice laced with barely contained rage.

Tang Mianmian, now too terrified to speak, could only point to her back.

Long Yejue took a deep breath and gently turned her around. His handsome face darkened as he lifted her shirt to inspect the injury.

His tall frame blocked everyone else's view, but it allowed him to clearly see the large swollen patches and bloodied wounds on her fair back.

He pressed down gently on one of the wounds, and Tang Mianmian screamed in pain, "Ah, it hurts, it hurts…"

"Still feel pain?" Long Yejue asked, his tone neither warm nor cold.

"..." Of course! She wasn't dead.

And what was with the way he was pressing down so hard?

Tang Mianmian winced in pain, her tears almost spilling out.

"Jue, how do you plan to handle this?" Qi Yunmo asked, his face cold.

Long Yejue let go of her clothes and finally looked up at the two women, his eyes sharp and chilling, making them feel like prey.

Qin Siyue nervously spoke up, "Young Master, we didn't know she was your wife, that's why the argument started. And she also hurt us."

As she spoke, she showed the scratches they received from Tang Mianmian.

But compared to Tang Mianmian's injuries, theirs were nothing.

Long Yejue glanced at the red eyes of the woman in his arms, and a strange stirring surged in his chest. He spoke in a low, cold voice, "This matter won't just be let go."

Upon hearing this, Qin Siyue's legs went weak in fear. "Young Master, let's talk this out. We're willing to apologize, but please don't involve the Su family's businesses."

"People are injured. How do you plan to apologize?" Long Yejue asked, his tone as harsh as a ruler's, intimidating and unyielding.

"Mianmian, I acted impulsively just now. Please forgive me," Yan Youlan immediately started playing the emotional card.

Unfortunately, Tang Mianmian had long been immune to her "pure lotus" tone and wasn't swayed. She simply shrank further into Long Yejue's embrace, unwilling to hear any more explanations.

Fu Ranzhan couldn't hold back her sarcasm, "Impulsively? We just came in to buy a few clothes, and as soon as you saw us, you started cursing us out, calling Mianmian shameless and accusing her of trying to seduce your Su Shijie. I just have to ask: is Su Shijie, that scumbag, really worth Mianmian's attention? Why don't you go take a look in the mirror and see what kind of person you are! He doesn't even deserve to carry Mianmian's shoes!"

At this point, Fu Ranzhan was venting all the frustration she'd been holding back.

Qi Yunmo couldn't help but chuckle at her sharp tongue.

It was quite different from the women he'd interacted with before.

Long Yejue's cold, brooding gaze darkened further, becoming more menacing.

But the more ominous his presence, the lower the air pressure around him seemed to drop, leaving everyone feeling suffocated.

Even though Yan Youlan was filled with anger, she didn't dare make a scene in front of such a man.

Inwardly, she cursed fate's unfairness.

How could a woman abandoned by Su Shijie end up with such a perfect man?

And that man was so protective of her—his affection was obvious.

Meanwhile, she herself had been subjected to coldness after marrying Su Shijie, and that only made her resent her situation even more. Her fists, which hung by her sides, clenched tightly.

But on the outside, she still had to speak in a tone of appeasement, "Young Master, we really were impulsive. Please, let this go."

Qin Siyue immediately nodded in agreement, "Yes, Young Master, you're a bigger person, please forgive us."

Long Yejue's dark eyes were unfathomable as if he were contemplating something. Then, he looked down at the woman in his arms and asked, "And you? Do you want to forgive them?"

Tang Mianmian didn't realize this was a test from Long Yejue. After thinking for a moment, she gently shook her head, "My back hurts so much. I don't want to forgive them."

Call it unkind, call it relying on his power.

Right now, she simply didn't want to forgive them. Moreover, Yan Youlan's words earlier had been so hurtful that she wanted them to learn a lesson.

Upon hearing her response, Long Yejue's lips curled up slightly, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "Alright, I know what to do."

Yan Youlan turned pale and trembled, pleading, "Young Master, it was truly an accident."

"Young Master, please let it go. Think of how long my mother and you have been friends. We're willing to apologize," Qin Siyue quickly brought up Zhu Wenyi.

Qi Yunmo added a cutting remark, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, your mother was also here earlier, but she didn't help your wife. Looks like she's not too fond of her. Aunt Zhu is quite a ** person, not someone who holds grudges. So why is she making such a big deal out of your wife? Could it be that they were gossiping behind your back?"

"Ha!" Fu Ranzhan couldn't help but laugh.

Although she had never had much of an opinion about Qi Yunmo, this time he landed a perfect hit. She wanted to give him a thumbs up!

Qin Siyue was scared out of her wits when she heard Qi Yunmo's words, almost begging for mercy, "No, no, we didn't do anything, really."

"Didn't you? Just now, you said this was to ruin Mianmian's reputation in front of her mother-in-law. I think you did it on purpose," Fu Ranzhan shot back, unrelenting.

After all, this was her moment to use her power. She wasn't going to let her grievances slide.

She was a person who would settle any score, so what?

Long Yejue's face grew even darker. Even Tang Mianmian could feel the hidden threat in his demeanor.

"Mo, handle this. I'm taking her to check her wounds." Concerned about her injury, Long Yejue didn't say much more, but his eyes made it clear what he meant.

Qi Yunmo smiled wickedly, "Don't worry, my methods will definitely make this interesting."

Long Yejue gave a slight nod and, without looking back, left with Tang Mianmian.

Meanwhile, Fu Ranzhan felt that it was time to leave. She walked up to ask a store assistant for her things, paid, and prepared to leave.

But suddenly, one of the women who had been abandoned by Qi Yunmo earlier walked up with a smile, "Sister-in-law, where are you going?"

Sister-in-law?