Jiang Meiling's voice was icy and sharp."This first slap—" Smack! "—is for Cici. You stole her identity as a wealthy heiress for twenty years. Every bite you ate, every piece of clothing you wore, every luxury you enjoyed… all paid for by her rightful status. You owe her this."
Qianrou's head snapped to the side. "Third Aunt—"
Smack!
The second slap landed even harder.
"This one is also for Cici. You've lived so long behind that false mask you think you truly have noble blood. But in truth, you're just a clown from the countryside. No amount of elite education can hide your roots. And your heart—utterly rotten."
Before Qianrou could recover—
Smack!
The third slap rang out like a gunshot.
"This is for how you tried to turn public opinion against Cici, telling her to go back to the countryside. It's you who should go back!"
Then came the final blow—
Smack!
"This fourth slap is for the poison in your heart. Listen to the words you just spat at your father—encouraging that beast of a stepfather to ruin your so-called stepsister. Do you even have a conscience?"
By the end, Qianrou's face was swollen, blotched red, her pride in tatters. She covered herself with trembling hands, but there was no hiding from the crowd's eyes—full of contempt, disgust, and rejection.
"I never thought Su Qianrou could be this kind of person…""She's worse than I imagined."
Jiang Meiling turned toward Su Changrong and Li Lan, her presence like a blade. The couple shrank back—this eldest daughter of a powerful capital family was not someone to provoke.
"You've been blinded by greed," Jiang Meiling snapped. "Mistaking a fake for a pearl while pushing away your true daughter. You'd better reflect on yourselves and beg Cici for forgiveness."
"…We will," they murmured.
Jiang Meiling went back to Celia's side. "Cici, leave that trash to me. I wouldn't want you to dirty your hands."
The frost that had long encased Celia's heart began to thaw. She slipped her hand through her aunt's arm. "Thank you, Third Aunt."
"Silly child," Jiang Meiling said warmly.
Su Mo's voice cut through the moment. "Take that man to the police station."
Li Chong's eyes widened. He spun to run, but a wall of burly security guards closed in, grabbing him by the arms. He threw Celia a last, venomous glare before being dragged away.
······
The entire confrontation was streamed live. By the afternoon, Yecheng's streets were humming with the news—
"So Su Qianrou's the fake countryside daughter, and Celia is the real one.""That lowlife actually dared to tell the true heiress to go back to the village? Unbelievable.""They call the Su family a model household? More like a disgrace. Favoring a fake over their own child.""Qianrou's vicious to the core. Anyone still a fan of hers must be blind."
In a single day, Qianrou's carefully built image crumbled. The "beautiful, kind goddess" was gone—replaced by the public's scorn for a shameless schemer.
At the Su family mansion, Old Madam Su hurled her phone to the floor. Her gaze burned into Qianrou, whose swollen face was still mottled from the slaps.
"We don't keep parasites in this family," she barked. "Pack your things—and get out!"