Although they just gotten married, her husband was embracing another woman while she was napping alone. This woman happened to be his childhood sweetheart, who had a sincere affection for him. Anyone would think crookedly. If it were another woman, she might have immediately confronted them.

Since the seed of doubt had been planted in her mind, whether she listened to explanations or not, there would inevitably be knots in her heart. However, Shen Meng did not rush out.

She stood behind the artificial hill, seemingly unnoticed by Wang Shuyue, who was still embracing Liang Jue. Wang Shuyue was earnestly expressing his feelings, “Ah Jue, why are you doing this? I just saw it at the dinner table. That Shen Meng clearly doesn’t like you. Your constant efforts won’t win her heart. Besides, I heard…”

At this moment, Shen Meng stepped out, speaking in a cold tone, “What else did you hear?”

Liang Jue, who had been passively held by Wang Shuyue, turned to look at her, his face filled with shock and fear, resembling someone caught in the act by their spouse.

Wang Shuyue was clearly startled, but just as she released her grip, she felt Liang Jue about to fall. Subconsciously, she tried to protect him, inadvertently holding him even tighter.

This scene would be intolerable for anyone. If Shen Meng were still the same as in her past life, she might have been so angry that she would have left in a huff or even divorced her husband on the spot.

But Shen Meng didn’t. She just took two steps forward, opening Wang Shuyue’s grip on Liang Jue’s hand.

Wang Shuyue still held onto Liang Jue, and Shen Meng’s gaze was as sharp as a knife as she stared at the hand that was bothering her, her voice as cold as frost, “Wang Shuyue, have you had enough of holding onto my husband?!”

She emphasized the word “husband” heavily, each syllable piercing Wang Shuyue’s hand like fine needles. Clearly feeling guilty, Wang Shuyue immediately let go. Shen Meng smoothly pulled Liang Jue back, bringing him directly into her arms.

Of course, she wasn’t completely devoid of anger. At least, pulling him back required considerable effort, leaving vivid red marks on Liang Jue’s snow-white wrist.

Glancing at the silent Liang Jue, she lifted him up directly, leaving Wang Shuyue standing there in a daze.

On the way back, Shen Meng said nothing, asked nothing, simply placed him back on the bed, tucked a pillow behind him, poured him a glass of water, then asked, “Speak, what’s going on?”

Her face revealed no emotions, but her tone was icy without any warmth. Liang Jue, coming to his senses, cautiously asked her, “If I tell you, will you believe me?”

Shen Meng glanced at him. “If I didn’t trust you, I would have left on the spot or divorced you the moment I saw you embracing her.”

In this era, there were certain leniencies towards men, and there were no strict rules like “men against men.” However, regardless of leniency, the scenario of two individuals embracing, especially when they were not related by blood and were of similar age, was absolutely unacceptable.

Moreover, since women held higher status in society and could have multiple spouses, while men couldn’t marry multiple women simultaneously, the consequences for men involved in such situations were not favorable.

Liang Jue’s face turned pale, but with Shen Meng’s words, did she give him a bit of trust after all?

He regained some confidence and calmly organized his thoughts, explaining to Shen Meng in an orderly manner: “I was summoned to the backyard by a note. The Wang family and my family were old friends. After mother Wang passed away due to illness, Shuyue was fostered in by my family for a period of time.”

“In short,” Liang Jue had never mentioned these things in his life, but Shen Meng was well aware of them.

“What I mean is, although she once expressed her affection for me, I have rejected her. And now that I am married to you, it is naturally impossible for me to have any illicit affair with her, neither in the past nor in the future. I went this time to clarify things with her, so she wouldn’t get too deeply involved.”

While feelings could develop over time, there were some emotions that no amount of interaction could bring out. Liang Jue only had sibling affection for Wang Shuyue. If there were any romantic feelings between them, he wouldn’t have pursued this marriage with Shen Meng.

“You seem confident in yourself, and then what?”

“The handwriting on the note indeed belongs to her. Since you were asleep, I thought I could quickly sort things out and didn’t wake you up. But when we got there, I don’t know what happened to her, and we started arguing. Suddenly, I felt dizzy, and she gave me a hand. Then…” Liang Jue paused, then continued, “Then it’s what you saw. I felt weak all over. I originally wanted to push her away, but I had no strength. I also noticed a strong smell of alcohol on her. You should have been able to smell it just now.”

“She hadn’t been drinking earlier.” Although she said so, Shen Meng did indeed smell a strong alcohol scent on the other person, and perhaps due to drinking, the other person seemed timid when facing her, acting entirely on instinct.

Liang Jue looked somewhat embarrassed. “Perhaps it was drowning sorrows in alcohol.”

He paused, then continued, “I was negligent this time. If you want to punish me, I have no objections. Whether it’s copying sutras or taking a beating, there’s only one thing I ask: trust me. I really haven’t done anything with her, and I don’t want to divorce you either.”

Shen Meng, who was originally sitting on a chair by the bed, stood up and scrutinized him from a superior position. “You are indeed at fault! You shouldn’t have gone to see her alone, let alone let such a thing happen. I can overlook it, but if others see it, what about your reputation? What about the reputation of the entire Liang family?”

“It was an accident to begin with. I’ll see who dares to spread rumors?!” Liang Jue’s expression turned slightly fierce, adding a touch of cruelty to his demeanor.

Being from a prominent family, he had seen various dirty things since childhood, and although he was unwilling to resort to those disgraceful means, it didn’t mean he was truly weak and easily deceived.

In fact, he was just soft-hearted and easily deceived when it came to those he cared about.

Shen Meng sighed. “I don’t distrust you.”

It wasn’t that she trusted Liang Jue so much, or that she was overly confident in herself. It was just that in her previous life, she had divorced Liang Jue ten years before her death, and he had never had the intention of remarrying.

In such a situation, Wang Shuyue’s repeated proposals had been rejected. How could she believe there was really something between two people? After all, if Liang Jue had genuine intentions, he could have remarried after their divorce, instead of being so bold with affection just after their marriage. And Liang Jue was right; his body was indeed in a limp state.

Although he could move now, it seemed like he had been drugged.

Liang Jue’s face flushed slightly, and his eyes lit up. “Do you really believe me?”

“Really. But if you say that note was written by Wang Shuyue to you, where is that note?”

Liang Jue hurriedly rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper to hand to Shen Meng, looking at her eagerly and carefully observing her expression. “It’s this one.”

Shen Meng took a look. There were no signs of splicing on the paper, and the ink was fresh, indicating that it was indeed freshly written.

“Are you sure this is her handwriting?”

Liang Jue shook his head. “She hasn’t been living in the Liang Mansion for several years. Although there have been some interactions, we haven’t had deep connections. I remember her handwriting from before, but if someone imitated it, I might not be able to tell.”

Finally, he added hastily, “If it was your handwriting, I would definitely be able to recognize it clearly. It wouldn’t work for anyone to impersonate you.”

Shen Meng pondered, it seemed like this was a trap set up against Liang Jue. However, the trap was full of coincidences. If she hadn’t been so keen to follow Liang Jue, it wouldn’t have caused any particularly serious consequences for him.

No, not necessarily. If she hadn’t followed, Liang Jue would have been weak all over, and Wang Shuyue, who had long admired him, was in a drunken state. They might not have done anything out of the ordinary. But if things escalated, it would be worse.

Could it be that someone was targeting her? But considering that whether it was discovered by her or spread by someone with ill intentions, Liang Jue would be the unlucky one. She would only receive some sympathy and wouldn’t suffer much damage to her reputation. So, the goal of this person was still Liang Jue.

As for Wang Shuyue, he could be an innocent victim inadvertently involved, or perhaps the mastermind behind this incident. After all, appearances can be deceiving, and she had seen many people who appeared upright but were actually corrupt in private. The real villains never reveal their true intentions on the surface.

If she were to divorce Liang Jue, and his reputation was tarnished, Wang Shuyue would definitely seize the opportunity to propose. If she were to commit a serious mistake under the influence of alcohol, taking advantage of Liang Jue, the outcome might be similar to the former scenario. In both cases, Wang Shuyue would benefit, especially considering his familiarity with the Liang family and his long stay in the mansion, which provides him with both motive and means.

Shen Meng asked him, “Have you ever had any enmity with anyone?”

Liang Jue shook his head. “I don’t know who it could be.” He hadn’t deliberately made enemies, but there were always jealous people and past grievances with the Liang family that might have caused him to become a target.

He cautiously sought Shen Meng’s opinion, “Can we stay at the mansion for another day and return the day after tomorrow?”

In two days, Shen Meng’s day off would end, and she would have to return home regardless.

“What do you want to do?”

Liang Jue’s voice turned serious. “Whoever plotted against me must be prepared to face double the retaliation. I will personally root them out.”