Sweetie, don't look at him, kiss me.

"It's not difficult for the Ji family to investigate someone," Ji Linzhou said casually, as if he were just arranging a normal trip. "Don't worry too much, get some sleep, and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Lin Qingmian looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded gently.

She didn't go to sleep immediately, but sat for a while longer, staring blankly at the organized evidence on the computer screen.

The night outside the window pressed down heavily, and the city lights in the distance spread across the horizon like shattered diamonds. Suddenly, she thought of something and turned to look at Ji Linzhou, who was reading documents on the sofa.

"Ji Linzhou".

"Um?"

"Don't you feel..." she paused, her voice light and airy, "that I always seem to be causing you trouble."

Ji Linzhou looked up at her, closed the document in his hand, and stood up to walk in front of her.

He looked down at her, his gaze earnest and focused, his voice deep yet clear: "You are my wife."

"Your business is my business."

"It's not a problem."

Lin Qingmian looked up at him, her eyes suddenly stinging.

She quickly lowered her head, pretending to tidy up the documents on the table, and said in a muffled voice, "Then if you find me troublesome in the future, you should just tell me."

"Won't."

Ji Linzhou reached out and pulled her up from the chair, drawing her into his arms. His chin rested on the top of her head, his voice carrying a reassuring warmth: "I never do anything I'll regret."

"Marrying you is not an option either."

Lin Qingmian buried her face in his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and closed her eyes.

The night outside the window was gentle, and the warm yellow light in the study shone on the two of them.

She suddenly felt that even if Lin Qingqing was still hiding something, she wasn't so afraid anymore.

The following evening, Ji Linzhou received the investigation results.

He sat behind his desk, a thin document spread out in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed. When Lin Qingmian entered the study with a cup of hot tea and saw his expression, her heart skipped a beat.

"Found it?"

Ji Linzhou looked up at her, closed the file, and gestured for her to come and sit down.

Lin Qingmian sat down next to him, and he pushed the document in front of her: "Look at it yourself."

She looked down and opened the report, which detailed Lin Qingqing's whereabouts and contacts over the past two weeks. To Lin Qingmian's surprise, one name was highlighted in the report—Chen Zhi Qiu.

"Chen Zhi Qiu?" Lin Qingmian frowned. "Who is this person?"

"The marketing director of a domestic apparel company." Ji Linzhou's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable chill. "This company is also vying for a partnership with that Italian buyer. If you're exposed for plagiarism, they'll have one less competitor."

Lin Qingmian stared at the report for a long time, her fingers slightly clenching the edge of the paper.

"So... those materials in Lin Qingqing's possession weren't her idea alone?"

"It seems someone has offered her assistance," Ji Linzhou said, leaning back in his chair, his gaze fixed on her face. "Chen Zhi Qiu's company introduced her to lawyers, media outlets, and may even have prepared some 'evidence' for her."

"They want to ruin your reputation so that the buyers will automatically drop you."

Lin Qingmian took a deep breath and put the document back on the table.

"So what should we do now?"

Ji Linzhou was silent for a few seconds, then picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Attorney Liu, you can start preparing for the case I mentioned to you last time." His voice was calm and confident. "I've compiled the evidence and will send it to you tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, he looked up at Lin Qingmian: "I'll have my lawyer send a lawyer's letter to Lin Qingqing, and also copy it to Chen Zhiqi's company."

"A lawyer's letter?"

"It's for deterrence," Ji Linzhou explained. "It lets them know we have evidence and are prepared to take legal action. Most people back down at this point because they know they won't gain anything from a real lawsuit."

Lin Qingmian thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay. Let's try this first."

The day after the lawyer's letter was sent, Lin Qingqing called.

Lin Qingmian was in the last class of the afternoon at school. Her phone was on silent, and the screen was flashing more than a dozen missed calls, all from Lin Qingqing's number. Without changing her expression, she flipped her phone face down on the table and continued listening to the lesson.

When the bell rang, she slowly picked up her phone, walked to the end of the corridor, and called back.

"Lin Qingmian!" The moment the call connected, Lin Qingqing's voice came through shrilly, a far cry from the composure and elegance she displayed in the coffee shop last time: "You actually hired a lawyer? Are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy." Lin Qingmian leaned against the window in the corridor, her voice calm. "Weren't you going to expose me? Isn't it normal for me to prepare for the lawsuit in advance?"

"You—" Lin Qingqing's voice trembled with anger, "You think you can scare me by hiring a lawyer? If what I have gets out, even if you win the case, your reputation will be ruined!"

"Then go ahead and release it," Lin Qingmian said calmly. "Try it."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Lin Qingmian continued, "Lin Qingqing, I spent the entire night yesterday organizing evidence. From the original photos of my drafts from university to the original emails I sent you, I've marked every timeline clearly."

"Do you think the timestamps on those photocopies you have, the so-called 'annotations' and 'revisions,' match? Do you think the court will believe a photocopy without a time record, or the original files on my computer that have timestamps?"

The voice on the other end of the phone became even quieter, with only Lin Qingqing's suppressed breathing remaining.

"Also," Lin Qingmian paused, her voice softening slightly, "I also know about Chen Zhiqi's matter."

"Your company is trying to work with the same buyer, right?"

Lin Qingqing finally spoke, her voice tight: "How...how did you know?"

"How I know is unimportant," Lin Qingmian said calmly but firmly. "What's important is that if you really release my information, I will also release evidence of your company's schemes to frame our competitors."