The teachers' room was heavy with silence after Song Mei stormed out.
Her sharp words still lingered like shards of glass in the air.
Across the desk, the senior teacher pressed his fingers to his temple. "This matter is getting out of hand," he muttered. "We can't let it spread further. It's already reached the school's online forums."
Another teacher sighed. "But the girl wasn't wrong. The boy, Muchen, was the one who leaked the photos. She has every right to demand action."
"Yes, but this doesn't just involve her," the headmistress said gravely. "It involves the Song family. We all know who her mother is—and what Madam Song asked us to do."
The room fell quiet.
Everyone remembered the strict instructions Madam Song had given at the start of the year:
If anything happens that concerns my daughter, Song Ning, you must inform me immediately.
And this time, it involved not just Song Ning, but also Song Mei, her twin.
The headmistress reached for the phone with a trembling sigh.
"Then we'll do as she asked. Inform the Song family."
By the time the call ended, the wheels of power were already turning.
At the Song Mansion, the atmosphere shifted like a storm rolling in.
Madam Song's calm mask cracked as the teacher relayed the events— the photos, the fight, the humiliation, the tears.
She was silent for a long time after the call ended. then with heavy footsteps she reached the study
Her eyes darted toward her husband, who sat in the study, his brows furrowed.
"What happened?" he asked sharply.
"Something at the school," she said, trembling slightly. "Song Mei… there was a scene. A fight. Rumors—pictures. And Ning Ning—she was there too."
Mr. Song's face hardened immediately. "Call the guards," he ordered. "Bring her home. Now."
"But—" Madam Song hesitated, torn. "She's been living separately. She won't come willingly."
"Then make her," he snapped. "If she can disgrace this family publicly, she can face us publicly too."
Night had just fallen when the black sedans pulled up outside the small villa on Sun Hill Road.
Song Mei was sketching by the window, her room dim except for the soft light of a desk lamp. She didn't hear the engines at first — not until the doorbell rang, once, then twice, then louder.
Her housekeeper appeared at the doorway, pale. "Miss Mei… someone's here."
Song Mei's pen froze mid-stroke.
"Who?" she repeated softly, though she already knew.
Before she could move, heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway. Two men in black suits entered — the Song family's private security.
"Miss Song Mei," one said with a polite but firm bow. "The Old Master and your Father has ordered your presence at the mansion. Please come with us."
"I'm not going anywhere," she replied coldly. "Tell him if they wants to see me, they can come himself."
The guards exchanged looks, clearly uncomfortable. "Forgive us, Miss, but we have our orders."
When she didn't move, one reached for her arm. The moment his hand brushed her sleeve, she jerked back, eyes blazing.
"Don't touch me!"
But it was no use.
Within seconds, one guard gripped her wrists while another opened the car door. Her protests echoed through the hallway, sharp and furious.
"You think dragging me back will fix your reputation?!" she shouted as they forced her outside. "Tell my dear father that controlling me won't make him a better man!"
Her sketchbook fell to the floor behind her — a torn page fluttering out, a half-drawn portrait of Song Mei staring up at the empty room.
The grand hall of the Song mansion glowed with cold, golden light.
Everyone was there—Old Master Song, seated at the head of the long table, his cane resting beside him like a silent judge.
Mr. Song, her father, sat to the right, face taut with restrained fury.
Madam Song, elegant as ever, held her teacup but didn't drink.
Beside her stood Song Feng and Song Lei, and finally, near the far end, Song Ning, eyes red from crying.
When Song Mei entered, the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Her shoes clicked lightly against the marble floor as she stopped at the center, unflinching before the family's collective glare.
Old Master Song's voice cut through the air.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Song Mei's gaze lifted. "About what exactly, Grandfather? The fake photographs? The public humiliation? Or the part where everyone in this family already believes I caused it?"
Her words rippled through the hall like the lash of a whip.
Mr. Song slammed his palm against the table. "Watch your tone! You've already caused enough disgrace to this family!"
"Disgrace?" Song Mei's laugh was soft, bitter. "I wasn't the one spreading lies. I wasn't the one who leaked anything. But of course, when it's me, it's always my fault, isn't it?"
Madam Song's lips trembled. "You've always been stubborn, Mei'er. Can't you see what your actions do to Ning Ning? She's been crying since morning! How could you—"
"Because of something she thought I did?" Song Mei's voice rose, sharp as broken glass. "If she chooses to cry for everyone else's sins, that's her problem, not mine!"
Song Ning's eyes filled again. "Meimei… please don't say that. I didn't mean—"
"Don't call me that," Song Mei snapped. "Don't act like we're sisters."
Song Lei stepped forward, fists clenched.
"Enough! You talk like you're the victim, but you're the one who's been bringing shame to us since the start! Every time there's trouble, your name is involved!"
He turned toward his grandfather. "Grandfather, do you know what the students are saying? That she seduced Hao Ran! That she humiliated our family in front of the entire school!"
Song Mei's expression didn't waver. "Those same students saw the truth. The real culprit was Muchen—Hao Ran's friend. But I suppose facts don't matter to the Songs when it's about me."
"Mind your tongue!" her father shouted again.
The Old Master's cane hit the marble. Thud.
"Enough," he said in a gravelly voice. "Song Lei, tell me what truly happened."
Song Lei hesitated, looking at Song Mei with contempt. "She claims she was framed, but there's no proof. She's always had a problem with Ning Ning. Ever since the summer camp—"
"Summer camp?" Song Mei interjected, her tone suddenly dangerous. "Oh, you mean when Ning Ning nearly fell off a cliff? The one you helped orchestrate?"
The room went deathly still.
Song Lei's face twisted. "What nonsense are you talking about!"
"I have proof." Song Mei's voice was low but steady. "A recording of your little pawns talking about it. They admitted it was your plan to 'teach me a lesson.' And in your grand genius, you almost got your Ning Ning killed instead."
Gasps echoed across the hall. Madam Song's hand trembled, and even Old Master Song's expression shifted.
Song Lei's voice broke through, louder now, desperate. "That's not true! I—I didn't mean to harm Ning Ning! It was only supposed to scare you!"
"So you did plan it." Song Mei's words struck like lightning.
He froze, realizing too late what he'd said.
Song Mei took a step forward, her gaze sweeping over the entire family.
"Do you all hear him now? He wanted to hurt me, and instead he almost killed your precious Ning Ning. But you won't blame him, will you? Because I'm the disposable one."
Her voice cracked—but not from weakness, from fury.
"If I'm such a stain on this family… if my existence offends you so much…"
She met Old Master Song's eyes.
"…then just expel me. Strike me off your family registry. That way, you can all sleep peacefully at night knowing the problem's gone."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
The servants by the doorway froze in disbelief. Song Feng stared at her, stunned. Madam Song covered her mouth in horror.
Even Old Master Song, usually cold and composed, looked shaken and cracked.
Mr. Song tried to speak, but no words came.
Song Mei gave one final bow—a shallow, mocking gesture—and turned away.
Her last words, calm and bitter, echoed behind her:
"Don't worry. I'll make sure the world remembers me—not as your daughter, but as the girl you cast away."
And with that, she walked out of the Song mansion, the echo of her footsteps lingering long after she was gone.