Nan Ya was truly driven mad by Nan Song. With the vase raised high, she was certain that smashing it down would shatter Nan Song's skull.
But in the blink of an eye, just as the vase was about to hit the back of Nan Song's head, it was as if Nan Song had eyes on the back of her head. She tilted her head to the side and accurately caught the vase Nan Ya had raised.
In the next moment, the vase somehow ended up in Nan Song's hand. A sharp gust of wind followed as Nan Song swiftly slapped Nan Ya across the face, sending her tumbling to the ground with a cry of pain, "Ah—"
Nan Ya saw stars, her face burning, and she couldn't get up from the floor for a while.
"Not much skill, but quite the audacity."
Nan Song's expression was icy. She threw the vase to the ground, and with a loud "crack," the porcelain shattered, sending shards flying. Nan Ya screamed, covering her ears and curling up in fear.
Nan Song stepped closer, one step at a time. With each step she took, Nan Ya retreated until she was backed into a corner, looking at Nan Song in terror. "Y-you... stay away..."
"Weren't you just trying to ambush me? Scared now?"
Nan Song reached out, and Nan Ya, thinking she was about to hit her again, tightly shut her eyes. But Nan Song only gently smoothed her disheveled hair.
"You were once a sister I genuinely cared for. Even though we're only cousins, I never treated you poorly. Can I ask why you hate me so much, even to the point of conspiring with Qin Jiangyuan to kill me?"
Nan Ya finally opened her eyes and looked up at her. Meeting Nan Song's questioning gaze, she sneered, "Don't you know?"
Nan Song looked at her calmly. She knew there was no hatred without reason, so she wanted to understand.
Nan Ya tilted her head back, staring at Nan Song's face, which remained stunning even in the dim light. The flames of jealousy almost consumed her, and the darkness she had buried in her heart for years finally spilled out.
"You, me, and Nan Lin—we're all cousins, but our upbringings were worlds apart. Your father is the chairman of Nan's Group, and your mother only had you, their precious daughter. Since childhood, you've been their treasure, getting everything you wanted. You didn't want to go to school, so they hired private tutors for you, giving you the best education. They even bought a rose garden for you. Everyone in Nan City knows the eldest daughter of the Nan family, but who knows me? My parents divorced when I was young. My father was just a small manager in a state-owned enterprise. Every year, the new clothes I got for New Year's were your hand-me-downs..."
As Nan Ya spoke, she began to cry. "We're both daughters of the Nan family. Why do you get to live in luxury while I have to struggle in poverty?"
Nan Song listened for a while but found no logic in her words. She frowned, "Is that my fault?"
Her kindness, it seemed, had been seen as charity.
"Your biggest mistake was rejecting Qin Jiangyuan!"
Nan Ya wiped her tears, a smug smile appearing on her face. "You didn't expect him to end up with me, did you? Who told you to reject him? Brother Jiangyuan is the heir of the Qin family. So many socialites in Nan City want to marry him, but you, Nan Song, foolishly turned him down! You didn't know, did you? Brother Jiangyuan and I are getting married soon. From now on, I'll be the young mistress of the Qin family. The Qin Group is much more powerful than Nan's now!"
"Utterly illogical. Like playing the lute to a cow."
Nan Song couldn't get a clear answer and shook her head helplessly.
She had wasted her time asking.
Nan Song looked down at Nan Ya. "You're so obsessed with a piece of trash. Once you marry into the Qin family, call yourself Mrs. Qin. Don't say you're a daughter of the Nan family. I can't bear the shame."
...
In the study of the Yu family's old mansion, the conversation between grandfather and grandson had reached a boiling point.
"If you insist on marrying Zhuo Xuan, then go ahead and marry her. But don't invite me to the wedding! I can't bear the shame!"
The old man stormed out.
"Oh dear, what's going on?"
The old lady was sitting in the pavilion with her daughters-in-law, enjoying the cool breeze and flowers. She had been listening to the commotion in the study and quickly went to comfort her husband. "Talk things out properly. Why get so angry?"
The old man was hot-tempered. He glared and said, "How can I not be angry? He's throwing away such a good granddaughter-in-law for a fox spirit. Has he gone mad? He must be mad!"
The old lady watched her husband leave in a huff and sighed helplessly. Yu Jinwen also walked out of the study and met her gaze. He softly called, "Grandma."
"For the sake of a woman, things have come to this. Is it worth it?"
The old lady sighed. "Lust is a dangerous thing. Remember how your father treated your mother all those years. If you remembered that, you wouldn't be chasing after the Zhuo family's daughter."
Yu Jinwen pursed his lips, a hint of restraint and determination in his eyes. "The Zhuo family is one thing. Zhuo Xuan is another. They're not the same."
"Not the same? I don't see any difference."
The old lady's lips curled into a mocking smile. Knowing her grandson was stubbornly set in his ways, she didn't press further. Instead, she asked, "I heard Little Song left without taking anything. Do you know where she went?"
Yu Jinwen shook his head. "Still looking into it."
"Ah, such a good girl. What a pity." The old lady gently tapped him with her fan. "It's your loss, after all." Yu Jinwen frowned. Everyone spoke so highly of Lu Nansong, but it only made him feel increasingly uncomfortable.
That woman had always been so quiet. When had she managed to win everyone over?
"Mr. Yu, something's happened."
He Zhao rushed over, interrupting Yu Jinwen's thoughts. He reported, "Madam went to see Miss Zhuo and... hit her."
Yu Jinwen's eyes darkened, and he immediately hurried out.
*
Zhuo Xuan was currently staying in an apartment Yu Jinwen had arranged for her. It was a spacious three-bedroom unit, over 120 square meters, more than enough for one person. But Zhuo Xuan wasn't satisfied. She preferred Yu Mansion.
She was waiting for the day she could officially move in and become the mistress of the house, finally able to hold her head high and erase her past shame.
Using her newly bought coffee machine, Zhuo Xuan brewed a cup of coffee and elegantly sat on the sofa. She opened her phone, thinking that the post she had made earlier must have caused quite a stir by now.
But the trending list showed nothing about her and Yu Jinwen. Zhuo Xuan grew uneasy and kept scrolling down. She thought the热度 might have died down after a day, but it couldn't have disappeared entirely.
When she checked Yu's Group's official account, the post she had written was also gone, replaced by an official statement claiming a hacker attack.
How could everything change so much after just one nap?
Zhuo Xuan's mind was in a fog. She called a few bloggers she was familiar with, and as soon as the call connected, they complained bitterly, "Sis, please don't come to us with fake news like this again. Do you know how much trouble you've caused us? Are you so desperate to marry into a wealthy family that you've lost your mind? I must have been out of my mind to believe you. I've been cursed at all day, and my account got banned. I'm so frustrated... I took the money, but from now on, whoever deals with you is an idiot!"
That was one of the more polite responses. The others either cursed her out or blocked her outright.
Zhuo Xuan furrowed her brows, feeling panicked. What was going on? How had things turned out like this?
She tried to calm herself and was about to call Yu Jinwen when a dignified woman in a wheelchair was wheeled into the room.
Zhuo Xuan's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly stood up. "M-Mrs. Yu."