Song Yue sat in the back seat of Nie Rougang's car, her back stiff against the leather. An uneasy feeling crept slowly up her spine, growing heavier with every turn they took. When the familiar outline of the Song family mansion came into view, her heart sank completely.
And then she saw it.
The car parked at the gate.
Painfully familiar.
"Xu Feng," she said cautiously, leaning forward. "I don't really want to go home. Can we go watch a movie? Or go shopping. Anywhere is fine."
Xu Feng didn't even pause. His eyes stayed on the road. "No. The president said you must be home on time. Homework comes first."
"But just this once—"
It was already too late.
The iron gates were opening.
The car rolled in smoothly, carrying her straight toward disaster.
Li Meiran stood by the driveway as if he had been waiting for a long time. One hand rested casually in his pocket, his suit jacket unbuttoned. The ruby snake-shaped tie clip on his chest caught the light, gleaming like a quiet warning.
He stepped forward and knocked on the window.
"Should we talk here," he asked calmly, "or inside your house?"
Song Yue lowered the window just enough to glare at him. "Wait here," she said stiffly. "I'll get your wallet."
Then she slammed the window shut.
Xu Feng glanced at Li Meiran through the rearview mirror before driving forward obediently.
"Miss," he asked carefully, "why are you meeting him again?"
Song Yue forced a smile. It didn't reach her eyes.
She bolted into the house the moment the car stopped, ignoring Song Weisha's sharp remarks as she passed. Her steps echoed as she ran straight to her room.
The wallet was exactly where she had hidden it.
She grabbed it, turned around, and ran back out just as fast.
Song Weisha followed behind, suspicion burning in her eyes.
At the gate, Song Weisha stopped.
She saw it clearly.
Song Yue… sitting in Duke Li Meiran's sports car.
Her nails dug deep into her palms.
Song Yue shoved the wallet into Li Meiran's hand, and spoke quickly, not daring to pause, jumping out of the car,.
"This is your wallet. I kept the cash because you bought things from me. I didn't touch your cards."
Then she ran.
Li Meiran didn't stop her.
He opened the wallet immediately.
Cards.
Cash.
Receipts.
No photo.
His phone rang.
Song Yue snapped the moment he answered. "Stop calling me."
"Where's the photo?" His voice dropped, cold and dangerous. "Give it back."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Silence stretched between them.
Then his voice came again, low and lethal. "I'll come into your house and punish you."
"Go ahead," Song Yue shot back without hesitation. "Your earring is still with me. Step inside, and I'll throw it away."
She hung up.
Li Meiran stared at his phone, fury slowly curling at the corners of his mouth.
He lifted his gaze toward the Song family mansion.
So the girl wanted to play.
Fine.
Let's see who breaks first.
For the first time in his life, Li Meiran didn't get what he wanted.
The elegant, noble man sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel so hard that the veins on the back of his hand stood out sharply. His jaw was clenched, his expression dark with restrained fury. For a fleeting moment, he truly wanted to reach through the phone, grab that little brat by the collar, and shake her until she handed everything back.
The earring.
Only now did it fully sink in.
He had almost overlooked it, but losing that earring was absolutely unacceptable. Its importance was no less than the photograph. Perhaps even more.
"Stupid girl," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Just you wait."
He tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The red sports car shot forward, roaring down the road like a furious beast unleashed.
If she wanted to play games with him, then fine.
He would play along.
Upstairs, Song Yue stood by her bedroom window, arms folded as she watched the red sports car roar out of the Song family driveway. The sound faded into the distance.
She let out a sharp whistle.
Another win.
But the smile on her lips didn't last.
The Duke had deliberately forced her to drink. Just thinking about it made her blood boil. That humiliation alone was enough to make her furious.
After a brief pause, she turned and changed into the little dress he had bought.
If people wanted to call her shameless, then she would be shameless on her own terms.
Downstairs, the living room buzzed with tense voices.
He Fen and Su Xiao sat on the sofa, listening as Song Weisha complained loudly, her tone filled with righteous indignation.
"Grandma, you wouldn't believe it!" Song Weisha said, her voice sharp. "Song Yue embarrassed our family today. Everyone lined up properly when the Duke arrived, but she was unruly. She followed him everywhere and didn't even come home until late. She even went with him to the teacher's apartment!"
Song Yue walked in just in time to hear that.
She almost laughed.
"Cousin," she said calmly, "didn't the principal personally ask me to accompany the Duke? Or did you forget that part?"
Song Weisha stiffened, then sneered coldly. "Then do you dare deny that the Duke bought you that dress? It's a limited edition. There are only three in all of Asia. Why would he buy it for you?"
Su Xiao's expression darkened immediately. "How disgraceful. Members of the Song family are not cheap. You're supposed to behave like a proper young lady."
Song Yue raised an eyebrow. "If buying a dress means something improper, then cousin receiving so many gifts from the Bi family must mean everything has already happened."
Song Weisha's face flushed crimson. "What nonsense are you talking about? Grandma, I would never embarrass the Song family!"
Su Xiao snorted. "Weisha is engaged to the Bi family. That's proper. What are you to the Duke? You're strangers!"
Song Yue shrugged lightly. "I was just speaking casually. There's no evidence he bought me this dress."
"You still dare to argue?" Su Xiao snapped angrily. "Mother, you must punish her!"
"Punish me?" Song Yue shot back without hesitation. "Then what about cousin starting the trouble? How should she be punished?"
Song Weisha's lips curved into a faint smile as she looked past Song Yue. "The entire school saw you with the Duke all afternoon. And he bought you that dress."
A sudden chill crawled up Song Yue's spine.
She turned around slowly.
Nie Rougang stood there.
His expression was dark, his eyes unreadable.
"What dress?" Song Yuxuan asked sharply. "Who bought it for her?"
"Uncle," Song Yue said quickly, "they're talking nonsense—"
"Duke Li Meiran bought it for her," Song Weisha cut in sharply, not missing a beat.
Nie Rougang walked toward Song Yue, his steps slow and heavy. The pressure radiating from him was suffocating.
"Why were you with him again?" he asked coldly. "Didn't I tell you not to see him anymore?"
His gaze locked onto her.
"Will you never listen to me?"