Inside, the mansion opened into a vast, gleaming foyer. A grand chandelier cascaded light across polished floors, while twin staircases curled upward like sweeping ribbons.
Portraits of the Song ancestors watched solemnly from the walls, reminders of the family's long, unshakable legacy.
Her mother's voice carried from the sitting room, elegant and faintly sharp.
"Ruoxi? You are back home so late!"
Ruoxi turned, spotting Madam Song reclining gracefully on the velvet sofa, a porcelain teacup in hand. Even at home, her mother's appearance was flawless, her poise unyielding.
She was elegant and sophisticated, very beautiful, and had a striking resemblance to her.
"I had some things to finish at the office before coming back home and that's why," Ruoxi replied smoothly, slipping off her coat and handing it to a waiting maid to put it away carefully.
"You shouldn't be working at all," Madam Song chided gently, though her tone carried that usual edge. "We have enough money to feed you until old age. I have told you this countless times, why bother exhausting yourself? Tomorrow, make sure you submit your resignation letter."
Before Ruoxi could respond, a lilting voice drifted from the opposite sofa, it was soft and endearing.
"Mother is right, Ruoxi. You don't need to play office worker. Leave that place immediately and just stay at home. If you need any money, just tell us; you don't have to strain yourself."
It was her second sister, Song Yulan, draped elegantly in a pale lilac gown, flipping lazily through a glossy magazine. She lifted her eyes, smiling indulgently. "Our baby sister should be enjoying life, not filing papers for other people in the office!"
"Mm, I agree," came another voice, this one was warm, yet authoritative.
Song Yuhan, the eldest, set aside her teacup with calm precision. In her tailored suit, she radiated the air of someone who ran empires, and perhaps she did. Yuhan had always been the most business-savvy of all the siblings. "If you truly wish to work, Ruoxi, there are plenty of positions in our own enterprises. Why lower yourself elsewhere?"
Ruoxi's lips curved faintly, but she said nothing. She crossed the room with measured grace, setting her bag down as a maid brought her tea.
Then came the sharp click of polished shoes against marble.
Song Yichen descended from the staircase, his expression stormy as always when it came to her. Her elder brother carried the same air of command as their father, his tailored black suit crisp, his jaw tight with suppressed temper.
"Lowering herself?" he scoffed, his voice laced with scorn. "You don't even know the half of it all of what I have just found out!" His gaze pinned Ruoxi with quiet fury. "She didn't just 'take a job.' She chose Mo Conglomerate, of all places. She went to our rival!"
The air in the room shifted immediately.
Yulan gasped, her hand flying to her lips. "Mo Conglomerate? Ruoxi, are you insane? That's...."
"Enough, Yulan." Yuhan's voice was calm but her brow furrowed, her sharp eyes turning toward Ruoxi. "Is it true? You are working there as an intern?"
Ruoxi lifted her teacup with steady fingers, her expression serene and calm, like it wasn't that surprising. "It's true."
Yichen's hand curled into a fist at his side. "I told you to resign immediately, write an email. That company is not a place for you....."
"Ge." Ruoxi's voice cut through his anger, soft but unyielding. She set her cup down with a delicate clink. "I am not a child. You don't get to dictate my life choices...."
Yulan groaned dramatically, pressing a hand to her temple. "Heavens, you're going to give us all heart attacks soon, you are always oppositely doing things!"
Yuhan, however, studied her youngest sister with a calculating expression, saying nothing.
Madam Song broke the silence with a sigh, her tone layered with resignation. "You will be the death of me, Ruoxi. You need to leave that job!"
Ruoxi smiled faintly at that, but her eyes flickered with the same restless fire that had carried her this far.
"I will be changing," she said softly, rising from her seat elegantly. "There's a dinner party tonight. And I cannot be late."
Her words left a ripple in their wake, though she didn't wait for questions. Instead, she glided toward the staircase, her composure flawless even as her siblings exchanged troubled glances behind her.