Duan Zhuo’s sudden ridicule caught Duan Xingning completely off guard.
Although the two brothers had never gotten along well and often exchanged sharp words, this was the first time they had clashed over An Li.
“Duan Zhuo, what do you mean?” Duan Xingning’s jaw tightened, his brows slightly furrowed. “Everything I did today was for An Li’s own good.”
“For her good?” Duan Zhuo didn’t hide the mockery in his eyes. “So framing her is for her good? Punishing her and deducting her bonus in front of everyone is for her good? That kind of ‘good’—most people really couldn’t handle it.”
“Then what do you think I should’ve done?” Duan Xingning countered. “Mom and Madam Wen have always had a good relationship. Should I ruin ties with the Wen Family over this?”
Whether An Li had been wronged didn’t matter.
The truth didn’t matter.
What mattered was what Duan Xingning said—resolving the matter quickly and keeping things quiet.
Otherwise, the Jingbei social circle would start gossiping again.
Duan Zhuo was about to speak again when An Li lightly tugged at the corner of his clothes.
Her strength wasn’t much, but it was enough to stop him.
Even though the immediate conflict had subsided, the dimness in her eyes hadn’t faded. They looked unfocused. “Stop arguing. This small matter isn’t worth the two of you fighting.”
She felt so insignificant.
She hadn’t expected to have such “ability”—to be framed by Wen Shuyi, to alert Madam Wen, and to cause the Duan brothers to argue in a hospital corridor.
“Brother Xingning, I didn’t properly explain things today. Now… I want to tell you.” An Li spoke slowly, but clearly and steadily. “First, I handed over the photoshoot task to Wen Shuyi. If something went wrong, that was her responsibility, not mine.”
“Second, she took the mango pomelo sago herself. I didn’t know she was allergic to mango, and I don’t know why she would switch the drinks to frame me.”
“Third, if you don’t believe either of these, then I will resign as your assistant. From now on, let Miss Wen take over your assistant position.”
All these years—
It was the first time she had spoken so clearly and at such length.
And the first time her mind felt this clear.
She didn’t want Duan Xingning to smooth things over anymore. Since he trusted his fiancée Wen Shuyi, then her staying as a marginal assistant would only bring her more trouble.
Duan Xingning rubbed his temples. “An Li, I always thought you were obedient and sensible. Why do you insist on taking such a small matter so seriously?”
An Li said nothing more. She only looked at him with disappointment before turning away, leaving him with her back.
At this moment, Duan Zhuo suddenly became a bystander, no longer speaking up for her.
Originally, it had been a dispute between the brothers, but now it had turned into a rift between Duan Xingning and An Li.
And An Li had drawn a line.
If Duan Xingning still chose to wrong her, she would distance herself from him.
Which was exactly what Duan Zhuo wanted.
“Did I really wrong An Li?” Duan Xingning muttered softly.
“No, brother,” Duan Zhuo said, switching his tone instantly. “An Li has just been a bit unreasonable lately. Wen Shuyi is your fiancée—you siding with her is only natural. What is An Li anyway, right?”
The two of them absolutely must not reconcile. Let the misunderstanding deepen.
An Li’s gloomy mood lasted until evening.
She couldn’t understand why Wen Shuyi was targeting her.
She had already suspected something during the photoshoot incident, but after the milk tea incident, she was certain—Wen Shuyi had framed her.
In fact, the setup had likely started the day she joined the band.
Wen Shuyi had pretended to treat everyone to milk tea, then spoke with An Li privately, pretending to like mango pomelo sago and encouraging An Li to order one too.
That way, today she could justifiably order the same drink again, switch the cups, and drink the mango pomelo sago herself, triggering an allergic reaction.
It was a flawless trap. If Duan Zhuo hadn’t been there, An Li wouldn’t have known how to resolve it.
After all, she had indeed ordered mango pomelo sago, and Wen Shuyi had indeed suffered an allergic reaction. Without witnesses, even with a hundred mouths, An Li wouldn’t have been able to explain herself.
But why would Wen Shuyi do this?
Dinner time.
Madam Duan had returned.
In recent years, Duan’s mother had been managing coastal trade operations and often traveled around the country, rarely coming home.
This time, her return was clearly purposeful.
When a servant called An Li to the dining room, the three of them—mother and sons—were already seated.
“Lili, you’re here,” Madam Duan greeted gently.
She sat at the head of the table. Under the dazzling lights, her attire appeared even more luxurious, and the priceless royal ruby necklace from the last century around her neck gleamed brilliantly.
Every gesture of hers exuded elegance and composure.
“Madam Duan.” An Li nodded politely.
“Come sit and eat.” Madam Duan gestured.
The seats on either side were occupied by Duan Zhuo and Duan Xingning.
Usually, An Li would sit beside Duan Xingning.
But this time, after a brief hesitation, she walked toward Duan Zhuo.
As soon as she approached, Duan Zhuo pulled out a chair for her with a casual, improper smile, yet making a gentlemanly gesture. “Long time no see. Sister Li has become even prettier.”
In reality, they had seen each other constantly over the past two days.
But in Madam Duan’s eyes, her younger son had been out fooling around recently and wouldn’t have paid attention to An Li, so she naturally didn’t suspect anything.
“Don’t flirt with your Sister Li,” Madam Duan warned lightly.
Duan Zhuo lightly held his wine glass, his tone lazy. “How would I dare flirt with her? She doesn’t even spare me a glance.”
An Li lowered her head even further at that.
“Mom, why did you suddenly come back?” Duan Xingning asked, changing the subject.
At the mention of business, Madam Duan’s expression turned serious. “You still ask? It’s because of your situation.”
“What happened?”
“Madam Wen already called me,” Madam Duan sighed softly, glancing at An Li. “I didn’t expect such a small matter to escalate like this.”
Duan Xingning had expected this would reach the elders sooner or later. He remained calm. “What did she say?”
“What else could she say? Just that An Li and Shuyi took the wrong milk tea,” Madam Duan frowned. “That’s a small matter. The real issue is that you, as her fiancé, didn’t take better care of Shuyi.”
Madam Wen had complained, but she didn’t dare distort the facts completely. Still unwilling to let her daughter suffer for nothing, she subtly implied it was An Li’s fault—and that Duan Xingning was being biased.
As for Duan Zhuo turning things around earlier, she didn’t mention it at all.
Duan Xingning responded calmly, “What exactly should I have done?”
“You’re her fiancé. Of course you should take care of her. At the very least, you should comfort her more,” Madam Duan said. “I also heard you argued in the hospital room.”
“We didn’t argue. Our voices were just a bit raised.”
“That’s good.” Madam Duan nodded. “Your wedding with the Wen Family is approaching. Don’t strain relations between the two families during this time.”
“I understand, Mother,” Duan Xingning replied promptly.
“Madam Wen also said something rather odd,” Madam Duan continued with a faint smile that carried deeper meaning. “She said your relationship with An Li is too close and might affect your relationship with Shuyi.”
She chuckled lightly. “I told her that’s impossible. Since childhood, both you and Duan Zhuo have only treated An Li as a younger sister.”
At that—
Duan Xingning choked on his food.
Duan Zhuo choked on his drink.
The two brothers coughed almost in unison.