Unworthy of Being a Gentleman

!!!

All the blood in Luo Zhao's body froze in an instant, only to explode a moment later, rushing straight to her head!

An unprecedented sensation washed over her, a volatile mix of absolute shock, the furious indignation of being violated, and a murderous intent that threatened to shatter her reason entirely.

In broad daylight, while she was completely lucid, this was a blatant violation—one that carried a clear undertone of probing, and even profound insult!

Luo Zhao's body convulsed violently, nearly springing away as if she had been seared by a branding iron!

Every nerve screamed, and every muscle instantly went as taut as iron! The true qi within her body surged in a primal reflex, ready to erupt and obliterate that audacious hand and its owner into dust!

Yet, in the split second before her instincts could fully unleash, absolute rationality forcefully intervened with cruel swiftness, mercilessly strangling her emotions by the throat.

Do not move! Do not show any extreme reaction!

Gu Chengyin was testing her! He must have noticed something was off!

This shameless scoundrel was using such a despicable method to verify if his control over her was still effective!

If she were to strike back in a blind rage now, or show any fierce resistance, it would be tantamount to telling him directly: I am awake, I know you are controlling me, and my earlier obedience was nothing but an act!

If that happened, all her previous endurance, all her meticulous plotting, and her entire plan to use him would instantly crumble to dust!

He would immediately sense the danger and perhaps resort to that eerie method of his once again.

The fog over the Divine Capital had yet to clear, her Imperial Father's intentions remained utterly opaque, the remnants of the Second Prince's faction were still lurking in the shadows, and dark currents surged beneath the surface of the royal court...

She could not afford to be hypnotized again! At least, not right now!

Endure! She had to endure! Even a humiliation far worse than serving him tea had to be swallowed!

Luo Zhao bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her cheek, the rusty tang of blood instantly filling her mouth.

Summoning the greatest willpower she had ever mustered in her life, she ruthlessly suppressed the true qi that threatened to burst from her body, forcing it back into her dantian. She locked away the violent urge to slice Gu Chengyin into a thousand pieces into the deepest, darkest corner of her soul.

Her taut body relaxed little by little at an excruciatingly slow pace, or rather, she forced herself to maintain a state of stiffness that could pass for normal.

She did not even lower her head to look at the hand resting on her leg.

Luo Zhao knew that if she even glanced at it, the murderous intent in her heart would become absolutely impossible to suppress.

Therefore, she slowly raised her gaze from the ground, looking back toward Shangguan Yunying, who was standing outside the pavilion watching her with deep concern.

She made it seem as though her body's earlier tremor was simply due to the shocking nature of the news they had just discussed.

Her face grew even paler, and her lips lost all their color, but other than that, she made no further movements.

There was no flinching, nor did she show any discernible awareness of the hand's existence.

She was like a delicate but insensate jade statue, silently permitting an insignificant insect to land upon her.

Gu Chengyin's hand rested steadily in place. Through the fabric, his palm could clearly feel the instantaneous tensing of her muscles, followed by an incredibly unnatural relaxation.

His sensitive fingertips captured every minute detail of her reaction.

There was no fierce resistance, no panicked flinching, and no looking down to check.

This perfectly aligned with the submissive response expected from a hypnotized subject toward their master's actions.

However, the sudden burst of stiffness and trembling, along with the astonishing tension that radiated through the fabric despite her best efforts to suppress it...

...did not seem at all like the reactions of a mindless puppet purely following commands.

It felt much more like a person with a fully conscious mind, enduring a massive violation and using every ounce of their strength to suppress their natural instincts.

Gu Chengyin's heart slowly sank as his suspicions deepened.

He did not remove his hand. Instead, maintaining his posture, he gave his fingertips a slight shift.

It seemed like an unconscious caress, but in reality, he was applying further pressure to test her.

Luo Zhao's body gave another uncontrollable, faint shudder, though the movement was even slighter than before.

Her arms hung by her sides, but her fingernails were digging so deeply into her palms that the sharp, stinging pain served as a constant reminder to stay lucid and maintain her facade.

Her gaze remained dead-locked onto Shangguan Yunying's face. She stared so hard she was practically carving the other woman's features into her brain, desperate to distract herself from the maddening, humiliating touch on her leg.

Time itself seemed to stretch out endlessly in that moment; every passing second felt like a century.

Shangguan Yunying finally seemed to notice the extremely bizarre atmosphere within the pavilion.

Her Highness looked terrifyingly pale, while Gu Chengyin's expression was unreadable. A silence flowed between the two of them that made her heart pound with unease.

She hesitated for a moment before asking softly, Your Highness, what should we do next?

It took every last ounce of Luo Zhao's strength to ensure her voice did not tremble or crack.

Director Gu, what are your thoughts?

Her voice was dry and hoarse, carrying an obvious exhaustion and the lingering tremors of shock. Ironically, this perfectly masked the true tempest raging within her heart.

Gu Chengyin slowly removed his hand.

The moment that warm, probing hand finally left her, Luo Zhao nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

The spot where he had touched her still felt as though it were burning, a searing reminder of the humiliating ordeal she had just endured.

Yet, overriding it all was the profound relief of having survived a deadly ordeal.

Gu Chengyin rested his hand back onto his own knee, lightly rubbing his fingertips together as if savoring the lingering sensation.

He looked toward Shangguan Yunying, his tone completely placid. Since someone wishes for nothing to have happened, then we shall act as if nothing happened.

Your Highness, whether this is a trap laid by His Majesty or not, none of that truly matters.

What matters is whether you possess the strength and the courage to flip the table entirely.

Gu Chengyin's words instantly cooled Luo Zhao's mind. In a mere fraction of a second, she grasped the underlying meaning of his statement.

A flicker of genuine approval flashed through her eyes. Setting aside his abhorrent character and lack of morals, his capability and foresight were truly formidable.

In this regard, everyone by her side—including Shangguan Yunying and Chen Busha—could not even compare to a single strand of Gu Chengyin's hair.

That is, if the bastard hadn't just touched her leg!

I understand what you mean.

Luo Zhao restored her usual imperious, disdainful gaze, and the lingering discomfort of being violated vanished without a trace.

It was enough to give Gu Chengyin the fleeting illusion that Luo Zhao truly was still under his hypnotic control.

Yunying, proceed exactly as we have been. Compile all the records of the major corruption case we investigated in Luodu.

Tomorrow, I shall take them to present my report to Imperial Father.

Seeing Luo Zhao return to her normal self, a glimmer of pleasant surprise flashed in Shangguan Yunying's eyes.

She cast a grateful glance at Gu Chengyin before bowing respectfully in compliance.

Had Gu Chengyin not pointed them in the right direction, they would likely still be running around blindly like headless flies.

I am tired. You may both take your leave.

Luo Zhao issued the command decisively to prevent Gu Chengyin from attempting any further offensive actions.

Fortunately, Gu Chengyin had no intention of lingering. He stood up, offered a bow, and departed alongside Shangguan Yunying.

Only when their silhouettes had completely vanished from sight did Luo Zhao finally let out a long breath of relief.

Gritting her teeth, she spat out with venomous hatred, Shameless scoundrel! You are no gentleman!