Bai Shuqin spoke with absolute confidence, but Guan Ruirui didn't feel even a modicum of relief. Even if they could use money to make Lin Ruirui go away, Guan Ruirui's reputation was already in tatters.
In that recording Jiang Xuxu had posted online, Guan Ruirui had been so desperate to rid herself of Lin Ruirui's ghost that she had laid bare her darkest, most venomous thoughts. She had admitted to feeling that a lowly commoner wasn't worthy of sharing her name, and that Lin Ruirui's seduction of Qin Haowho was supposed to be hers alonewas an utter humiliation...
All morning, she had been scrolling through various social groups for second-generation socialites, watching them tear her apart.
[I never expected Guan Ruirui to be so tyrannical behind that fragile exterior. Women really are terrifying.]
[I've said it before: Guan Ruirui is nothing but a green tea bitch.]
[She put on such an act every day. Who would have guessed her heart was this twisted?]
[The other girl just happened to have a name that sounded like hersit wasn't even the same charactersand she wouldn't even let the girl live? Does she think she's some ancient princess? Is she claiming a naming taboo? It's honestly hilarious.]
[You guys are being pretty blunt. Isn't she in this group?]
[So what if she is? My family isn't afraid of hers.]
[Exactly! We're saying it so she can hear it!]
[@GroupOwner, given our status, why are we even in the same group as her?]
[+1. What kind of people are we to be in a group with her?]
Then came the system notification.
You have been removed from the group.
While she wasn't kicked out of every single groupsome second-gen kids who shared Qin Hao's temperament didn't think it was a big dealit was still enough to send Guan Ruirui into a complete breakdown.
"Jiang Xuxu! Argh!"
Seeing Guan Ruirui descend into another fit of madness, Bai Shuqin felt her head throb. She hadn't slept well these past few days either, and she had even sprained her ankle while heading down the stairs this morning.
Subconsciously, her gaze drifted to the Protective Jade Plaque hanging around Guan Ruirui's neck.
It was the plaque Guan Qishen had found in the corner of a drawer. Fearing that Guan Ruirui's Calamitous Constitution would only worsen her injuries, Bai Shuqin had done everything she could to convince Guan Qishen to give his plaque to his sister.
As for the other plaque, Guan Baocheng had kept that one for himself. Since he was the head of the household, Bai Shuqin didn't dare challenge him for it.
Initially, she hadn't thought it was a major issue. But it turned out exactly as that little brat Jiang Xuxu had predicted. Over the past two days, without the plaque, she and her son had been plagued by a constant stream of minor misfortunes. Despite how much she doted on her daughter, she was starting to feel overwhelmed.
"Ruirui, stop screaming. Mommy has a headache..."
She tried to soothe her daughter again. "Your father won't let those who bullied you get away with it. Once this is all over, our family will make that Lin Ruirui and her entire family pay the price."
Guan Ruirui stopped screaming, but she suddenly fixed her bloodshot eyes on Bai Shuqin.
"And Jiang Xuxu!"
Bai Shuqin knew Jiang Xuxu had to be dealt with, but Jiang Xuxu was part of the Jiang Family now. Aside from the power of the Jiang Family backing her, Jiang Xuxu's own supernatural abilities weren't something they could easily handle.
Guan Ruirui saw the hesitation in her mother's eyes instantly. She knew that Jiang Xuxu was only acting so brazenly because she had the Jiang Family behind her. She also knew that in terms of wealth and influence in Haishi, the Guan Family was no match for the Jiangs.
However, she couldn't just swallow this resentment. It was bitter in her throat.
"I'm going to sue her for fraud!"
Guan Ruirui grabbed onto this idea like a lifeline, her eyes suddenly sparkling with malice. "Jiang Xuxu took five million from our family! She conspired with Lin Ruirui to set me up and swindled us out of five million and Grandma's bracelet. I can absolutely sue her for fraud!"
Bai Shuqin's eyes lit up at the suggestion, but caution soon returned to her expression. "With only a transfer record, wouldn't it be difficult to win a case against her?"
Moreover, the legal team at Jianghai Group was not to be trifled with. For all her arrogance, Bai Shuqin still possessed a shred of rationality.
Guan Ruirui didn't care. She was desperate to see Jiang Xuxu suffer.
"I don't care! I want to sue her! Our family raised her for eighteen years, yet she treats me like this! What right does she have?! Mom! You have to help me sue her! I insist on it!"
As Guan Ruirui's agitation grew again, Bai Shuqin was forced to coax her once more.
"Fine, fine. Mommy will help you sue her. My little ancestor, please don't get worked up again. It's bad for your health."
Having finally heard what she wanted, Guan Ruirui grabbed Bai Shuqin's hand, tears streaming down her face as she played the victim.
"Mom, why won't she just let me go... Why are they all ganging up on me? It hurts... It hurts so much..."
If her earlier tantrum had only made Bai Shuqin reluctantly agree, this display of fragile vulnerability completely swept away the last of her mother's logic. Bai Shuqin was instantly filled with a mix of heartache and indignation.
"Don't cry, Ruirui. That little ungrateful wolf... Mommy won't let her get away with this! I won't let anyone who dares to bully my daughter have a single moment of peace!"
With that, Bai Shuqin let go of Guan Ruirui and marched out of the hospital room in a rage.
Guan Ruirui watched her leave with red-rimmed eyes, a smug, satisfied smile slowly curving her lips.
At the Guan residence.
Guan Qishen was currently walking through the house with a Master, inspecting the Feng Shui. Since Jiang Xuxu had left the hospital that day, her parting words seemed to have planted a seed in his mind.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with the house. For one, he had started having nightmares.
In the dreams, he would wake up and see a woman lying beside him. Initially, she had been on the far side of the massive bed. But each time he "woke up" from the dream, only to realize he was still dreaming, he would find her lying closer.
This had happened several nights in a row. What truly terrified him was that each time he startled awake within the nightmare, the woman on the bed had shifted even closer to him.
His fear was beyond words. He was terrified that one day he would wake up to find her pressed against his side. The mere thought sent shivers down his spine.
He had even tried staying in hotels, but the womanor rather, the female ghost in his dreamsseemed to have locked onto him. No matter where he was, every night, she was there, and every night, she was closer.
He wondered if this was what Jiang Xuxu had meant when she said he was too close to Ruirui's Calamitous Fate.
He had considered taking back the Protective Jade Plaque he'd given to Ruirui, but Bai Shuqin had scolded him relentlessly for even suggesting it. Left with no choice, he had sought out another Master to inspect the house. If the ghost could be exorcised, he might finally escape the terror of his dreams.
"Master, what do you see?"
Given Guan Ruirui's unique fate, Guan Qishen was a firm believer in the metaphysical, and he had paid a high price to hire this particular Master.
The Master completed a circuit of the villa before doing a final walkthrough of Guan Qishen's room. Finally, he gave a slow nod.
"There is indeed something unclean in this room."
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