Gu Xiangyun shot a meaningful glance at Su Jin, subtly signaling her to back down.
But Su Jin pretended not to see it—ignoring her completely, which nearly made Gu Xiangyun explode on the spot.
Trying to sweep everything under the rug after framing her?
What a joke.
Su Jin calmly pulled her hand away, turned her cold gaze on Gu Xiangyun, and smiled faintly.
"My sister is already twenty years old, two years older than me. Are you saying she still doesn't understand the difference between right and wrong?" she asked, voice sweet but laced with sharpness.
"Or… is her mind just not very clear? Is that why she would do something so foolish?"
Her words landed like a slap.
Gu Xiangyun's face froze. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
She glared at Su Jin, her eyes brimming with fury and humiliation.
This little brat dares to mock Su Nuo—treating her like a toddler in front of all these people?!
Unforgivable.
Su Jin added fuel to the fire, her expression full of false innocence.
"Mom, why are you looking at me like that? Even though I'm not your biological daughter, I've always treated you as my own mother. You wouldn't be the kind of person who favors one child over another, would you?"
The words were gentle, but every syllable was a blade.
Gu Xiangyun nearly choked with rage.
Su Jin—this adopted daughter—was openly challenging her in front of everyone, even hinting at favoritism.
But even so, she refused to make Su Nuo apologize. That would mean admitting everything.
Panicking, Gu Xiangyun turned toward Su Mingyuan for help.
But Su Mingyuan, clearly unwilling to escalate things further or embarrass the family name any more than it already was, chose to evade.
"The banquet is about to begin," he said with a forced smile, trying to smooth things over.
"Let's all take our seats."
The crowd paused in stunned silence—then quickly understood what Su Mingyuan was doing.
He wanted to downplay everything.
To turn a scandal into a "misunderstanding," and a deliberate setup into nothing more than a small family quarrel.
For the sake of appearances—and out of deference to the Su family's status—no one said a word. One by one, the guests turned and began making their way downstairs.
Su Jin, however, didn't react.
She had already expected this outcome.
Her eyes lowered slightly as she stood silently in the corner, like a shadow easily overlooked.
Her lonely, delicate figure tugged at something in Fu Siyan's chest.
So that's why she was injured…
That's why she looked so disheveled when she entered his room…
She hadn't been reckless.
She had been framed.
Just then, a deep voice rang through the hall—low, calm, but carrying unquestionable weight.
"The Su family's discipline is… truly impressive."
Fu Siyan had finally spoken.
The room fell dead silent.
All eyes turned to him in awe and apprehension.
As the heir of the Fu family—one of the top four families in Fengcheng—Fu Siyan's words carried tremendous power.
Now that he'd chosen to speak, it was no longer possible to sweep this under the rug.
Su Mingyuan's expression faltered, but he quickly recovered and forced a smile.
"Mr. Fu must be joking. The Su family has always had strict rules. As for me—I'm always fair and just. I don't show favoritism."
"Oh?" Fu Siyan raised an eyebrow, his smile cool and unreadable.
"That's strange. We businessmen value fairness above all. If Mr. Su can't uphold that standard… then I may need to reconsider our cooperation."
The smile on Su Mingyuan's face froze.
His heart sank.
Fu Siyan was clearly siding with Su Jin.
And if he didn't give a proper explanation—if he didn't handle this right now—he could forget about any future dealings with the Fu family.
Su Mingyuan's expression turned awkward. With so many eyes on him, his anger needed an outlet—and he turned it all on Gu Xiangyun.
"Look at what you've done!" he snapped.
Gu Xiangyun was scolded in front of everyone, but she couldn't bring herself to sacrifice Su Nuo. Gritting her teeth, she took the blame herself.
"Yes, yes, it's all my fault. I listened to a servant and ended up misunderstanding Su Jin."
A practiced actress, Gu Xiangyun walked up to Su Jin with a falsely warm expression and pretended to be concerned.
"Xiao Jin, I'm sorry," she said softly. "Mom misunderstood you. We can't let outsiders laugh at our family, right? Let's just move on, okay?"
She reached for Su Jin's hand, but her nails dug sharply into her skin—hidden malice lurking beneath her gentle tone. Her eyes gleamed like a snake's, cold and dangerous.
In her past life, Su Jin would have let it go. She would've smiled, forgiven, and continued chasing the illusion of family.
But not this time.
Rebirth had shown her just how dark the human heart could be.
From now on, she would expect nothing from the Su family—not love, not fairness, not even basic decency.
"A 'misunderstanding'?" Su Jin pulled her hand back, her expression cold.
"Do you think a misunderstanding can erase the harm done to me?"
She took a step back, the corners of her lips curling into a faint, mocking smile.
"Also… the three men upstairs—do you want to know how they got in?"
Her words struck like thunder.
The room went completely silent.