Su Jin's eyes met Fu Siyan's.
His gaze was cold, unreadable—but deep in his eyes, there was a warning.
Handle this well, it said, or you'll be in trouble.
Understanding the unspoken message, Su Jin stepped out of his arms and turned to face the crowd calmly. Her voice was steady, composed:
"Mr. Fu had too much to drink. I helped him to his room so he could rest. Is there a problem with that?"
Su Nuo was still unwilling to let it go. Her tone was sharp, eyes full of provocation.
"Then what about your skirt, sister?"
It was clear—if Su Jin didn't fall today, Su Nuo wouldn't be satisfied.
But Su Jin simply lifted the hem of her skirt with graceful ease and smiled, her confidence growing:
"It was accidentally soiled. I had to change."
The crowd collectively exhaled in understanding.
So that's all it was.
"Fu Siyan never gets close to women," someone whispered from the side.
"And he's always so well-composed. There's no way he'd be involved with the Su family's Third Miss. This had to be a setup."
"Exactly. These wealthy families have too many schemes." Another person scoffed, smirking.
"Sit back and enjoy the drama."
The murmurs weren't loud, but they reached Su Mingyuan's ears all the same—each word striking his pride.
His face turned red, then pale.
He shot a furious glare at Gu Xiangyun, who quickly lowered her head, guilt spreading across her face.
"Ahem—well, well… it's all just a misunderstanding." Su Mingyuan forced a smile and waved his hand.
"Please, everyone, return to your seats."
But Su Jin had no intention of letting things slide so easily.
She looked at Su Mingyuan with hurt in her eyes and asked, her voice clear and sharp,
"Father, someone tried to slander me. Are you really just going to brush it off as a misunderstanding?"
"Slander you? Who would slander you?" Su Mingyuan replied, frowning in confusion.
Su Jin's gaze turned icy as she turned to Su Nuo.
"Sister, why did you say those things to mislead everyone into thinking the worst of me?"
In her previous life, Su Nuo had played the role of the innocent white lotus—delicate, kind, and pitiful.
And Su Jin had suffered because of it again and again.
This time, she would tear off that beautiful mask and show everyone Su Nuo's true face.
As expected, Su Nuo's expression changed.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she quickly put on her usual act, trying to look pitiful and hurt.
"Sister, I was just worried about you," Su Nuo said, voice trembling.
"How can you say that about me?"
She had always been a skilled actress.
Playing the weak, wronged victim was her favorite trick.
But this time, it wouldn't work. Not in front of Su Jin.
"Sister," Su Jin replied calmly, her voice clear and poised,
"Isn't it enough that you deliberately twisted the truth and made everyone misunderstand me—painting me as a woman with no morals?"
"N-No! That's not what I meant!" Su Nuo cried breathlessly, eyes reddened and voice cracking.
"I was just worried about you, sister. You're misunderstanding me… You know how I care for you…"
Su Nuo wiped her tears and began to list all the "good" things she had supposedly done.
"If there was something delicious, I always saved a portion for you…"
"That was just the food you didn't want," Su Jin said coldly.
"I let you wear my pretty clothes…"
"Only the ones you'd already tossed aside."
"You… No, it wasn't like that…" Su Nuo stammered, unable to defend herself.
Su Jin lowered her gaze, concealing the pain and fury in the depths of her eyes. A faint, bitter smile curved on her lips.
"I know I was adopted," she said softly, her voice calm yet piercing. "I've been grateful ever since I was a child. I never dared to ask for anything. But my 'sister' has always seen me as an eyesore—as a thorn in her flesh. She would scold me, beat me… treat me worse than a servant. If you all hate me so much, why let me stay in this house at all?"
Her words fell like a drop of water into a pan of hot oil—quiet, but explosive.
The crowd stirred. Many of the banquet guests were high-society elites—wealthy, powerful, and well-connected.
Su Jin's calm statement hit like a storm.
"I had no idea the Su family treated their adopted daughter like this," someone murmured in disbelief. "You really can't judge people by appearances…"
"I heard Su Nuo has a rare blood type—panda blood. And she also has heart problems. Don't tell me… they adopted Su Jin just to use her as a blood bank?" another whispered, eyes wide with horror.
"What kind of vicious family would do that?" someone else muttered.
As the murmurs grew louder and the judgmental stares began to fall on Su Nuo, Gu Xiangyun quickly stepped forward, trying to salvage the situation.
She reached out to take Su Jin's hand and forced a gentle smile.
"Everyone must've misunderstood. It's not what you think. The girls were just having a childish quarrel—right, Xiao Jin?"
She looked at Su Jin expectantly, as if willing her to play along and help calm the storm.