She has a slender waist and delicate bones, and is able to seduce the ascetic horse.

Chapter 24 Never happened
After a long silence, Shen Jiaojiao realized that Meng Hui would not answer her questions, and the light in her eyes went out little by little.

It was as if all her strength had been drained out of her, her head hanging limply, almost drooping on the bed.

"Brother, I won't ask you anymore, and don't ask me either. Let's just pretend this never happened, okay?"

The voice was extremely soft, revealing a sense of weakness.

If Meng Hui hadn't held her wrist, she might have fallen onto the bed.

"Jiaojiao."

Meng Hui gently called Shen Jiaojiao's nickname.

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and the light of hope ignited again, just like she relied on Meng Hui when she was a child, looking at him trustingly.

"Brother, you will help Jiaojiao, right?"

As he spoke, tears slipped from the corners of his eyes again.

She knew in her heart that today was different from the past. The two of them were no longer the childhood playmates of their childhood sweethearts, and the adopted brother was no longer her elder brother.

After all, Meng Wan's surname was Meng, so it was normal for her adopted brother to protect her.

What's there to complain about? She just wanted to admit once again that Shen Jiaojiao was not loved by her family.

Thinking like this, the light in her eyes went out again.

Meng Hui's eyes darkened slightly, and he held her shoulders with both hands, forcing her to straighten her waist.

"Jiaojiao, I won't hurt you."

A low voice sounded from his throat.

Shen Jiaojiao lowered her eyes and said nothing.

He said he wouldn't hurt her, but in fact he collaborated with Meng Wan to plot against her, causing her to lose her innocence and her most precious family member.

She even opened her mouth to question him, but her adopted brother refused to explain. What else could this mean if it wasn't acquiescence?
How else do they want to hurt her?
The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. She couldn't help but shrug her shoulders, trying to break away from her stepbrother's two powerful hands.

Tears fell from his eyes, and occasionally one or two dropped on the back of the man's generous hand.

Meng Hui glanced at the hot water drops on the back of his hand, let go, and then raised his hand to pinch her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Why haven't you ever believed in me since you were a kid?"

The man held her eyes tightly, and there seemed to be some emotion surging in his eyes, but upon closer inspection, there seemed to be nothing there.

Shen Jiaojiao looked at him blankly with a blank expression.

What is the stepbrother talking about? Why can't she understand?
Seeing her like this, Meng Hui seemed to be even more angry, and the force on his hand became heavier, as if he was going to crush her jaw.

"Don't you want the tea from last night? Ask Yuzhu for it." As he said that, he shook off his hand, stood up, and looked down at her indifferently.

"Instead of being wary of Meng Wan all day long, you should think carefully about whether there are people outside you can mess with."

After saying these words, Meng Hui walked away with a puff of his sleeves.

Shen Jiaojiao lay on the bed as if she had taken root, and remained motionless in this awkward posture for a long time.

It wasn't until her exposed skin was blown by the cold wind and her hair stood up that she shivered and shrank into the thin quilt.

"What do you mean by your sworn brother's words? Are my suspicions wrong? Your sworn brother did not collaborate with Meng Wan to plot against me?"

"That's right, even if my sworn brother wants to plot against me, he won't do it himself."

Shen Jiaojiao murmured to herself, remembering what happened last night, it must be the first time for her sworn brother.

The sworn brother has not yet taken a wife and taken concubines. Now that he is twenty years old, the Qinghui Courtyard is still clean and tidy. There are even few maids, let alone those who are married to his wife.

The adoptive mother often complains that her adopted brother is all alone while the children of his own age can go out to make soy sauce.

The adoptive father was so angry that he said that no matter where he went to find a woman, even if it was a prostitute, as long as he could bring her home, the Meng Mansion could afford her as a concubine.

Even if the requirements were lowered to such a low level, the sworn brother still didn't have a confidante around him.

Shen Jiaojiao had to admit that what happened last night was not a nightmare for her adopted brother?
As she thought about it, she suddenly straightened her body and turned her head sharply to look in the direction of the main house.

"Oops! Mrs. Jiang is still waiting!"

At this moment, she didn't care to think about the meaning of her adopted brother's last words. She quickly stood up, wiped off the water stains on her body, and changed into clean clothes. Putting on her fox fur, she hurried out.

In the distance, before approaching the main house, I heard Guangshan's voice.

After walking into the main house, she found that all the servants in the Pearl Courtyard were waiting in the main house.

Mrs. Chiang, who was supposed to be sitting at the top, was nowhere to be seen.

Ke Xin's eyes were sharp, and the moment she saw Shen Jiaojiao, she came out and asked in a low voice while helping her go inside.

"Miss, are you ready to take a bath so soon?"

"Well, your hair is still wet. Wring it out for me later." She took off her fox fur, revealing her long, semi-wet hair.

Kexin reached out and touched it, and saw that water was still dripping from the ends of her hair. She was surprised and said, "Ah! Miss, this can't be done, it will cause cold!"

Then she went to the house to find a clean cloth towel and wrapped it in her long hair.

Shen Jiaojiao walked up to the table and sat down. Before she could wave to Guangshan, the other party came over.

"Miss, I have been ordered by the young master to tell each hospital what is happening outside."

"What's the matter?" Shen Jiaojiao asked.

The sworn brother is indeed a decent person.

She had been thinking about what reason the sworn brother would use to gather everyone from the Pearl Courtyard to the main room, fearing that he would leave a mess to her.

Unexpectedly, the sworn brother has already arranged everything and asked Guangshan to announce the matter.

No wonder he was so confident that he broke into the east chamber to look for her.

Guangshan bowed respectfully and said carefully: "There was a thief in the prefect's house last night and a very important item was lost. We are currently searching the whole city, door to door."

Having said this, he paused and looked around at everyone.

"It is said that this person is good at hiding, and he especially likes to hide in big houses. The young master asked me to spread a message to all the houses. If you find a suspicious person, you must report it. If you see him, be sure to report it. Do you hear me?"

The latter words were addressed to the servants in the house.

Everyone responded in unison: "I heard it."

Guangshan nodded with satisfaction and waved to everyone, "You don't have anything to do here, so go down first."

The servants looked at each other and looked up at Shen Jiaojiao from time to time. No one dared to leave first.

"Look at me, I'm so used to staying in Qinghui Courtyard that I almost forgot that this is the eldest lady's courtyard. I should be beaten! I should be beaten!" After Guangshan finished speaking, he raised his hand and slapped himself.

The voice was clear and strong, and a slap mark quickly appeared on his cheek.

Kexin, who was standing next to him, shook her body, with a little fear in her eyes.

This man was so cruel to him, he would hit him whenever he asked, and he would show no mercy at all.

Shen Jiaojiao glanced at Guangshan and said, "You don't have to play tricks here. My sworn brother respects you, so I naturally trust you." She nodded to the others and said, "You guys can go down first."

Only then did everyone dare to leave.

Ke Xinli stood beside Shen Jiaojiao confidently and did not go down.

Guangshan glanced at her several times, and seeing that she wouldn't leave and Shen Jiaojiao didn't speak, he had to give up.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Shen Jiaojiao looked at Guangshan.

"Miss, this is the portrait of the thief. It looks familiar to you, so be careful." Guangshan took out a roll of paper from his sleeve and unfolded it into a painting.

There was a drawing of a masked man on the paper, and the only exposed eyes were featureless, the kind that could not be found in a crowd.

Shen Jiaojiao pursed her lips and was speechless.

She knew that her sworn brother asked Guangshan to come to each hospital to preach in order to take the opportunity to send Kexin and the others away, but this portrait... was too perfunctory.

Later, she had to tell Kexin to be wary of the people in her sworn brother's yard and not to be deceived in just a few words.

After thinking about it, Shen Jiaojiao carefully remembered the person in the portrait, just in case.

(End of this chapter)