Chapter 8

Tonight ｗａs destined to be another empty, silent night. Lim Toby won't be back. Cheng Lydia dｉｄｎ＇t expect him to come back either, what cｏｕｌｄ one expect from the future when the couple has come to this point? Mrs. Lim was so angry that she scolded Lim Toby in the living room, but no matter how hard she scolded him, he was her own son, so she had to go back to her room and go to bed afterward. Cheng Lydia thought she would have a sleepless night until dawn, but instead, she slept through the night. She hadn't been about to wake up if Lim Edith hadn't barged into her bedroom and peeled her out from inside the covers. In a daze, she saw a furious-looking Lim Edith waving the newspaper in her hand at her while screaming in a shrill voice, "Cheng Lydia! You shameless woman! How could you do such a scandalous thing?!" She had done something scandalous? Cheng Lydia was a little confused. Lim Edith, however, slammed the newspaper in her hand in her face and continued to rant, "You can tell me if you want a man! Why did you have to go and seduce him? Why him ......!" Cheng Lydia, baffled by her yelling, picked up the paper and was momentarily stunned by its contents. The city newspaper actually devoted its entire front page to her underground affair with Shen Ron, with fiery headlines and mean-spirited content that accused her of infidelity and infidelity in her marriage, with several large and small pictures below the content to prove the truth of the content. The pictures include Shen Ron hugging her, tenderly wiping her tears, and even a photo of a kiss taken at the wrong angle. And judging by the clothing and location of the photo, it was taken last night when she was stopped by her kidnappers and Shen Ron helped her getaway. Such a fake story ｗａs boring as hell. She flung the paperback into Lim Edith's hands and said blandly, "I think you should go to your brother and ask why." She and Lim Toby are not celebrities, and The Lim Family is not a mega-conglomerate, so what kind of newspaper reporter would be so bored to follow her private life? What kind of newspaper reporter would be so bored following her private life and spend so much space on a story to slander her? Lim Toby must have bribed the newspaper reporter and paid good money for the story to appear. What wouldn't Lim Toby do to get a divorce? "What do you mean?" Lim Edith asked through gritted teeth. "I said, go find your brother if you want to know why." With a wave of her arm, she pointed in the direction of the door, "I don't want to get up yet, can you please get out?" "Do you really have to ask me why?" As Cheng Lydia was about to lie back under the covers, a soft, teasing voice suddenly sounded from the bedroom doorway, followed by the figure of Lim Toby walking in. Lim Toby swept the newspaper out of Lim Edith's hand, his lips tilted slightly in a faint, cold smile, "Did I make you cuddle with Shen Ron? Did I tell him to wipe your tears? Was I the one who made him kiss you again?" "You ...... have no shame." Cheng Lydia was dumbfounded, while Lim Toby laughed even more. "Cheng Lydia! Stealing a man from me? I won't just let you go!" Lim Edith threw that out in exasperation and turned to walk out. The bedroom was instantly quiet after Lim Edith left. Lim Toby took a few steps towards the bed, leaned down, and picked her jaw with the palm of his hand, "Honey, I told you before, you can't play me." "So what? I'm just not getting a divorce anyway." She met his gaze, stubborn and subdued. "I'm afraid it's out of your hands this time." Lim Toby shook her off abruptly and stood up straight, "Freshen up, there's a good show waiting for you downstairs." Dropping that, Lim Toby turned and walked quickly out. Staring at his departing back, Cheng Lydia savored the implications of his words. Downstairs? When ｓｈｅ listened intently, ｓｈｅ could actually hear ｓｏｍｅ　ｎｏｉｓｅ downstairs. And just then, a small maid came into her bedroom and stood expressionless on the floor a few steps away from her, and said, "Young lady, madam wants you to come downstairs right away." Cheng Lydia's heart clenched and it would be a lie to say she wasn't scared. She quickly freshened up and with trepidation walked out of her bedroom and to the entrance of the spiral staircase. It did look like a good show was about to start downstairs, with all the elders of The Lim Family sitting or standing in the living room, and The Lim Family being a large family.　 Everyone was waiting to see a drama. Cheng Lydia saw the villainous look on Lim Toby's face as she walked down the spiral staircase, the disappointment on Mrs. Lim's face, and the look on Lim Edith's face that hated her alive. Cheng Lydia struggled to keep her composure, and after greeting the group once and for all, walked over to stand at Lim Toby's side. "Bitch, get away from me." Lim Toby took a step to the side in disgust. After a sultry sigh, Mrs.Lim stood up from the couch and walked over to Cheng Lydia, stared at her, and said, "Kneel down in front of all the elders and say that you are no longer the daughter-in-law of The Lim Family from now on." Cheng Lydia looked at Mrs. Lim in shock, even Mrs. Lim was kicking her out? "Mom, listen to me explain to you." Cheng Lydia was in a hurry, "What was written in the newspaper is not true, I was framed, just like last time ......." "Does Mom believe you work?" Mrs.Lim interrupted her, her eyes as helpless as they could be. "It's not all in plain sight, and there are photos to prove it." Lim Toby's aunt, Lim Joan, was exasperated. "That's right, get on your knees!" Lim Edith yanked Cheng Lydia to The Lim Family ancestral shrine as she angrily scolded, "Get on your knees." Ｈer heart instantly flared up. But she didn't lose her composure, her face was full of stubbornness: "I did not do anything wrong. Why should I kneel?" "Unrepentant!" Lim Toby's eldest uncle thumped his cane hard into the ground, furious. "Cheating and still denying it? Get down on your knees!" Several slightly younger women stepped forward and forced Cheng Lydia to the ground. Cheng Lydia instinctively began to struggle, but she was no match for them, and as she struggled, she became furious and said, "Ｉt was Lim Toby who cheated on me, so why don't you criticize him instead of forcing me to admit a fault that doesn't exist? Is this how you act as elders?" Lim Joan snorted out, "Lim Toby's last name is Lim, he is The Lim Family's progeny, even if he cheated a thousand times, he is still The Lim Family's progeny Ｉs that something you can compare to as an outsider who married in?" Cheng Lydia's heart instantly went cold. Yeah, this is The Lim Family, how can she compare herself to Lim Toby who is right even if he's wrong! "Forget it, don't toss it, just get her out." Mrs.Lim said. Mrs.Lim finished turning to Lim Toby's uncle, "Dennis, you're not well, you'd better go back and rest, just let us handle it here." "Just do as you say, kick her out straight away and don't allow her in this house again." After everyone snapped, the head of the house turned around and headed for the door. "We can't let her go so ｅａｓｉly!" Lim Edith suddenly exclaimed as everyone was about to act as instructed. "Lim Edith," Mrs. Lim said, glaring warningly at Lim Edith. Although Cheng Lydia was reported, Mrs. Lim still believes that Lydia is innocent, and she has seen how Lydia is as a person for the past three years. She cant make the decision to keep her as The Lim Family's daughter-in-law, but she should make it easier for her to go. As the man in the newspaper was Shen Ron, Lim Edith, who had a lot of anger, would not let Cheng Lydia off lightly. She took a few steps forward and took the whip from the candlestick, which had not been touched for a long time: "According to the family law of The Lim Family, those who commit a big mistake must be punished by thirty lashes! " "What are you doing bringing out this century-old family law? Don't put the whip back yet!" "Mom, Dad beat me half to death with this whip for something as small as running away from home when I was a kid, and now Cheng Lydia does something so disgraceful, and you're actually defending her?" "I ......." Mrs.Lim was dumbfounded. "Auntie, you'll have to ｓｕｐｐｏｒｔ me." Lim Edith turned to Lim Joan next to her and cocked her little pout. Lim Joan had always loved her, and this would come in contact with her look of help, so naturally, she couldn't help but open her mouth to Mrs. Lim and say, "Yes, she must be punished." Cheng Lydia looked at the whip in Lim Edith's hand, and her mind went into a frenzy. She knew the whip, a centuries-old family torture device from The Lim Family, but in this day and age, family law was no longer practiced, so the whip had become an ornament, and now Lim Edith had taken it down, clearly to ｐｕｎｉｓｈ her. Mrs.Lim was already speechless. Lim Edith then handed the whip to Lim Toby and said impatiently, "Brother, she is your wife, and you should be the one to carry out the family law." Knowing that he hates her to the core, Cheng Lydia turns her help to Lim Toby. There was still a small hope in her heart that Lim Toby would find a conscience and avoid this punishment for her that was not hers. Instead, she was met with Lim Toby's cold gaze and heard his heartless words, "Id get my hands dirty beating her." With that, he walked away, leaving her with the fading sound of a string of air car engines. "Then I'll do it for you." Lim Edith smiled grimly at Cheng Lydia and swung the whip hard at Cheng Lydia's body, who let out a scream and prostrated herself on the ground. It only took one whip, and she was already trembling with pain. It wasn't in ancient times, after all, and Lim Joan couldn't look away and helped an equally unimpressed Mrs. Lim upstairs. Lim Edith, in a show of selflessness, gestured for a few of the family members to help Cheng Lydia up and looked at her coldly. "If you admit that you cheated on me with Shen Ron and apologize sincerely to The Lim Family ancestors, I will let you ｇｏ this time." Lim Edith knew Lydia's personality, stubborn and tough, and would never admit to stealing from someone. And Cheng Lydia didn't disappoint her. Not only did she not admit her mistake, but she also came back with a stiff upper lip, "I didn't-!" "Then don't blame me for not being polite!" Lim Edith resumed her swing of the whip with all the strength she could muster. As deep as her love for Shen Ron is, so is her hatred for Cheng Lydia. Legend has it that Shen Ron loves a woman deeply and with all her heart, and she doesn't believe it, as in she takes every opportunity to hit on him and express herself in front of him, but his eyes never really fall on her, not for a moment. When she thought the rumors were true, he joined hands with Cheng Lydia in the newspaper, hugging her with a tender face and wiping her tears. What did Cheng Lydia have? Pretty face? Sexy body ......? She had nothing but a failed marriage! What gave her the right? Cheng Lydia didn't know how many lashes she had received, only that the lashes burned her body like fire and hurt like hell, and as she was almost passing out from the pain, Lim Edith finally stopped, panting and sneering in her ear, "I'll see how you can seduce Ron again." Cheng Lydia used her last ounce of strength and struggled to lift her bloodied face to return her smile, "Kill me, and Ron still won't love you ......." "Bitch ......!" Lim Edith screamed, ready to slap her. Cheng Lydia, however, was the first to lose consciousness as her head dipped. Cheng Lydia had no idea what she had gone through afterward, how long she had been out, and it was nighttime when she woke up from the pain. A room of unfamiliarity and the smell of potions surrounded her, giving her the illusion of having traveled through time and space. It didn't look like a hospital or The Lim Family, it was a beautifully and elegantly decorated house, and the pain made her unmotivated to explore more truths as she flopped back onto the bed, unable to move a muscle. She figured she must have whip wounds all over her body because it hurt like hell everywhere. "You're awake?" A nice, familiar male voice came, followed by a slender male body reflected in her eyelids. Man ......? Cheng Lydia shifted her gaze upward with difficulty, landing on a handsome face that seemed to be smiling. "Why are you here?" She stared at him with a hostile look on her face. She's in this situation because of this man! "Young Lady Lin, this is my home." "Your house? Why am I here?" "What do you say?" "Would I ask you if I knew?" Cheng Lydia looked unimpressed. "You were the one who sent me the message asking for help. Did you forget?" "I sent you a message asking for help?" "Does that look on your face means you don't know? Or are you just sick and confused?" Shen Ron scowled at the confused look on her face and took the phone from the desk, and pressed the inbox to show her. The message read: please come to The Lim Family to save me ...... And the number showｅｄ none other than Cheng Lydia's cell phone. Cheng Lydia stared at her phone in a daze, wondering when she had sent such a message to Shen Ron. Why did she not remember anything about it? How could she possibly have the strength to send him a message when she remembered that she had clearly passed out under Lim Edith's whip? Ｗａs it really a painful confusion that you even forgot who you sent the message to? "There's no shame in being abused like this and asking for help; don't be embarrassed to admit it?" Shen Ron looked at her askance with a mocking smile. He was not a nosy person, but when he received the message, he drove to The Lim Family without saying a word. When he saw Cheng Lydia covered in blood at the entrance of The Lim Family, he again took her back to the apartment without saying a word and brought her to The Shen Family's family doctor. He helpｅｄ her because her face resembleｄ Yang June so much that it tugｇｅｄ at his heartstrings, that's all. "Why do you want to help me?" Cheng Lydia asked, looking at him. She and he ｗｅre just a casual acquaintance, no, just a one-night stand, no different from the games many thrill-loving men and women play out in the world, and when they're done, they part ways and go their separate ways. And the man in front of her, who doesn't seem to be short of women, not only helped her pay her kidnappers $200,000 but also lent her a helping hand when she was thrown out of The Lim Family and was desperate. If she were a woman of beauty and noble status, she would have thought he had something in mind for her, but she had nothing but the heavy status of an abandoned wife of a powerful family. "What need to ask? I'm in love with you, of course." Shen Ron leaned in, his breath brushing against her nose, gazing up close at her eyes, dark and crystal, smiling lightly. Cheng Lydia instinctively moved her face back and looked at him with a stunned expression. What did he just say? That he's in love with her? While she was stunned, Shen Ron laughed and lifted his palm to slap her on the head, "What are you thinking about? Not even that entertaining spirit, no wonder Master Lim threw you out." He gave Cheng Lydia a lot of discomfort with this shot and laughed. OK, he was entertaining. He had fooled her into thinking it was true. His slap on her head, though not too hard, had caused her to pull her wound． "Not angry, are you?" Shen Ron said with a smirk as he surveyed her with an annoyed face. "Master Ron, may I be willing to ask you to throw me out into the street?" Lydia looked at him askance and gritted her teeth. "See, there's really no spirit of entertainment at all." Shen Ron straightened his stance and shrugged, "If you really don't want to see me that much, I'll just leave." He said and leaned down again, gazing at her and said, "There are nurses here who will take care of you; remember to eat more when the porridge is cooked later, get well in order to continue fighting your marriage defense, as for why I should help you ...... don't think nonsense, I am not interested in you so far. " After saying that, Shen Ron threw her a bewitching smile and turned to walk out. As she watched his long, athletic back walk out of the bedroom, Cheng Lydia's mouth felt like an egg had been shoved in it, and she couldn't speak.