I Do Not Admit

Moreover, once she confirmed Gu Chengyin's intentions, she no longer worried about being hypnotized again.

Naturally, she no longer feared meeting Gu Chengyin’s gaze.

Because she posed no threat.

Because she was useless.

Because in Gu Chengyin’s eyes, her threat level wasn’t even as high as that of a stray dog by the roadside.

This realization infuriated Luo Zhao, making her teeth itch with anger—so much so that she wanted to stab him again.

But as long as she remained weak enough, useless enough, and worthless enough,

Gu Chengyin would have no way to deal with her either.

It was precisely this indifference that finally gave her a sliver of an opportunity—

An opportunity to strike back at Gu Chengyin.

“Gu Chengyin, do you admit it?”

The atmosphere in the hall solidified like a block of ice, suffocating everyone in its grip.

Lin Qingyan’s gaze was locked onto Gu Chengyin, her cold, clear eyes swirling with emotions too complex to unravel.

Injured, doubtful, incredulous—and a trace of anticipation she herself hadn’t even realized.

Luo Zhao sat by the bedside, the faint, elusive smile still lingering on her lips.

Shangguan Yunying and Gu Xiaoli stood on either side, their eyes fixed squarely on Gu Chengyin, waiting for his answer.

Facing the pressure from four women, Gu Chengyin’s expression remained calm as still water.

He had to admit it—Luo Zhao’s counterattack was brilliant.

If not for the failed hypnosis, he would already have Lin Qingyan under control.

But in life, things rarely go as planned. Success had its strategy, and failure had its countermeasures.

Besides, he didn’t bow to any pressure.

“I do not admit it.”

Four words—firm, resolute, and ringing with certainty.

When Gu Chengyin spoke them, his face didn’t flush, and his heart didn’t race. His tone was as sincere as if stating an obvious fact.

Open and aboveboard, his gaze held no evasion, no trace of guilt—only an unshakable calm that no one could doubt.

Everyone in the room was stunned.

The smile froze on Luo Zhao’s lips; Shangguan Yunying blinked; Gu Xiaoli’s eyes were full of confusion.

Even Lin Qingyan’s pale face showed a flicker of hesitation.

Because Gu Chengyin’s attitude was too genuine—so genuine that they couldn’t help but start doubting themselves.

Could it be that Luo Zhao had been wrong?

Could it be that the reason Gu Chengyin had lifted the hypnosis in front of everyone was not to completely control Lin Qingyan?

Gu Chengyin looked at the varying expressions on their faces and let out a deep sigh.

This sigh carried helplessness and disappointment,

along with a weariness that was hard to describe—as if he were watching a group of unruly children.

“All of you,”

Gu Chengyin shook his head, his tone filled with resignation.

“Why do you always think so badly of me?”

His gaze swept slowly across the four women, finally settling on Luo Zhao.

“It’s true that I know hypnosis, and I’ve used it to control you all. But wasn’t it always for self-preservation?”

“Tell me—was there ever a time I used control to bully any of you?”

He said this with such frankness that no one could argue.

The women began to ponder, reviewing every instance Gu Chengyin had used hypnosis and its causes and effects.

In hindsight... it seemed he was right.

Every time, it was after being pushed into a corner.

Every time, it was when there was no other choice.

Gu Chengyin looked directly at Luo Zhao, his gaze unwavering.

“Let’s start with Her Highness,”

he said, his voice calm, as if recounting a well-known history.

“Yes, I hypnotized and controlled Her Highness—more than once.”

“But after that? Did I do anything excessive to her?”

He paused, then turned to Shangguan Yunying.

“Yunying, tell them—what did I do?”

Caught off guard, Shangguan Yunying stiffened, her spine snapping straight like a slacker called upon by a teacher in class.

She shot a nervous glance at Luo Zhao, then looked at Gu Chengyin. Her lips moved, and her voice came out as soft as a mosquito’s buzz:

“It seems... you didn’t do anything bad.”

“Gu Chengyin didn’t mistreat Her Highness. He even brought her safely back to the capital...”

Her voice trailed off, nearly inaudible by the end.

Gu Chengyin nodded with satisfaction, his demeanor like a tutor who’d heard the right answer in class.

“As for what happened later in the capital, I need not elaborate.”

His gaze swept over Luo Zhao and Shangguan Yunying, and his tone suddenly turned heavy.

“But you two—did you ever trust me?”

“Even though I did so much for you, even though everything I did was for you.”

“And you? What did you do? What did you think?”

“After the House of Xiao fell, weren’t you still plotting how to deal with me?”

At these words, Luo Zhao and Shangguan Yunying both guiltily averted their eyes.

Of course, they remembered—after the House of Xiao collapsed, the Crown Prince’s faction had gained new momentum and prestige.

Luo Zhao had already been scheming about how to lock Gu Chengyin away.

What they hadn’t expected was how fast his counterattack came—so fast it caught her off guard.

Those dark thoughts, those unspeakable machinations now laid bare by Gu Chengyin, revealed the stark truth beneath.

Seeing their guilty expressions, the disappointment in Gu Chengyin’s face deepened.

He did not press his advantage, but instead let out a deep sigh, even heavier than before.

"So, was it wrong for me to hypnotize you back then?"

Luo Zhao opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but found herself unable to utter a single word.

Was it wrong?

It seemed... not really.

He hypnotized her because she didn’t believe him.

He hypnotized Shangguan Yunying because she thought he meant to harm her.

Before Luo Zhao could think of a rebuttal, Gu Chengyin had already turned his gaze to Lin Qingyan beside them.

His tone grew earnest, like he was guiding a child stubbornly stuck in a dead end.

"Little Aunt, tell me—why did I hypnotize your inner demon? Was it because I wanted to control you?"

Lin Qingyan blinked, hesitating for a moment.

Her thoughts drifted back, following Gu Chengyin’s words, to that time when her inner demon ran out of control.

To be fair, if Gu Chengyin hadn’t intervened, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"Because my inner demon was out of control,"

Lin Qingyan said, a note of sudden realization in her voice.

Gu Chengyin clenched his right fist and pounded it into his left palm. The sound echoed clearly through the hall.

"Exactly!"

His voice rose half a pitch, carrying the relief of finally being understood:

"If your inner demon hadn’t gone berserk, Little Aunt, would I have hypnotized you?"

"You are the invincible Golden Core powerhouse Jingzhe of the Daoist Mansion—I wouldn’t dare even with a hundred times the nerve!"

Gu Chengyin’s gaze swept across the four faces before him, his voice growing heavier.

Heavy as the evening bell and drum, striking the heart with every beat.

"So, which time did I use hypnotic control except to protect myself?"

"And which time did I hypnotize anyone just to bully you?"

No one answered. No one even dared to look at Gu Chengyin.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and even the wind outside the window fell still.