The crowd had no idea what Yu Yarou was talking about. Seeing her pitiful appearance, they assumed it was just a joke between sisters.
However, Yu Nianqing raised an eyebrow and asked, “Being wrongly accused and being framed don’t seem to mean the same thing.”
Yu Nianqing’s appearance was fundamentally different from Yu Yarou’s. Yu Yarou was the gentle, sweet, approachable girl-next-door type, while Yu Nianqing possessed a beauty with a slightly intimidating edge.
As a result, Yu Nianqing now appeared to be the one being aggressive and refusing to let the matter go.
Yu Yarou’s little face paled. “Sister…” She suddenly put on an expression of guilt. “I’m sorry, Sister. I didn’t know that your mental power had dropped to E-rank because of the explosion, so I thought you were the one who attacked me with your mental power.”
Not only did these words fail to reveal that she had deliberately framed Yu Nianqing, but they also informed everyone that Yu Nianqing’s mental power was only E-rank. Among powerful families, personal strength was what mattered most. So what if Yu Nianqing was Yu Tiancheng’s daughter?
People would still regard her as a good-for-nothing!
An uproar broke out in the hall. Zhang Yunhua, who was standing beside Chen Huan, let out a mocking laugh. “With mental power at only E-rank, she’s probably less useful than an intelligent robot, isn’t she?”
Hearing this, Chen Huan glanced at Yu Yarou and hurriedly chimed in, “Exactly, exactly! How could she ever compare to our Yarou?”
Their voices were neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
Yu Yarou thought Yu Nianqing must be in complete disarray by now. However, perhaps because Yu Nianqing had only recently arrived in this era, she simply didn’t feel particularly involved in any of it.
She had no deep understanding of mental power ranks either, so she felt not the slightest discomfort. Instead, she deliberately put on a sorrowful expression. “I was injured in the explosion, yet Aunt Feng and my father went ahead with their wedding as usual.”
“My half-sister framed me by taking a self-made, short-acting mental fluctuation potion. If it weren’t for the aftereffects of the explosion, no matter how much I explained myself, Dad wouldn’t have believed me.”
Although Yu Nianqing didn’t cry, she had successfully established her image as a beautiful but tragic figure, now one who was both beautiful and vulnerable.
Someone immediately sighed. “I knew she couldn’t possibly be that kindhearted. A stepmother is a stepmother, after all.”
“Poor Yu Nianqing. Madam Gu passed away before she was even a year old.”
Even that wasn’t enough for Yu Nianqing. She raised her chin slightly, her eyes reddening as she stubbornly refused to let her tears fall. She looked aloof and defiant.
“Dad said you would apologize and told me not to hold it against you. So this is what he meant by an apology? Twisting the facts?”
Seeing the situation turn increasingly unfavorable, Feng Yue hurried forward and gave Yu Yarou a shove. “You did something wrong, so you need to apologize! Yarou, hurry up and apologize to your sister.”
Yu Yarou had never intended to apologize in the first place. She had assumed she could simply offer a few perfunctory words at the banquet and get away with it. After all, it was Yu Nianqing’s own birthday party, and she surely wouldn’t want to make a scene and embarrass everyone.
But she hadn’t expected Yu Nianqing to be completely unafraid of making things ugly. This family had never given Yu Nianqing any reason to hold on to hope in the first place, so she had no intention of showing them any consideration either.
“I… I… Big Sister, I’m sorry. I was wrong,” Yu Yarou said in a delicate voice.
“What exactly were you wrong about?”
“I shouldn’t have framed you, Sister.” Yu Yarou gritted her teeth. Under Feng Yue’s stern gaze, she had no choice but to apologize, however unwillingly.
Yu Nianqing nodded in satisfaction. Just then, a camera floated over from a distance. “Since you’ve apologized to me in front of the entire interstellar world, as your older sister, I shouldn’t be too petty either.”
As it turned out, Yu Nianqing had been livestreaming the entire time. Chen Huan tapped on the livestream with her smart terminal and exclaimed in astonishment, “There are so many people watching her livestream!”
Feng Yue heard her from the side. She was furious inside, but still had to maintain a gentle demeanor.
“Nianqing, what exactly do you mean by this?”
Yu Nianqing casually answered a few questions from her Star Network followers as she replied, “Aunt Feng, is there anything wrong with me livestreaming my birthday party?”
Feng Yue clenched her hands tightly, forcing a smile. “Of course. As long as you’re happy, Nianqing.”
“Aunt Feng, you’re so wonderful!” Yu Nianqing said with a sweet smile.
Compared to the tense atmosphere at the birthday banquet, Yu Nianqing’s livestream was much more relaxed.
In fact, even more people were watching than when she usually streamed her cooking. After all, not everyone cared about what ancient humans ate, but most people were interested in the lifestyles of the prominent families on Kloss Star.
“So her father was getting remarried on the day of the explosion? I suddenly feel sorry for her.”
“Could she have deliberately gotten herself injured in the explosion to stop her father from marrying again? My heart aches for this poor girl…”
“You know what? That’s actually possible.”
“Nianqing is too naive. You can’t stop the rain from falling, just as you can’t stop your father from remarrying.”
“Who is this woman? Did she really say that someone with E-rank mental power is less useful than an intelligent robot? Does everyone on this planet have A-rank mental power now?”
“If you don’t understand the struggles of us ordinary people, then stop spouting nonsense!!”
“Am I the only one envying the fact that they can actually drink milk tea?!”
“Me too…”
“Do wealthy people always speak in such official, diplomatic ways…? That stepmother doesn’t look like someone to be taken lightly.”
Watching the comments fly by, Yu Nianqing was in an excellent mood. Yu Yarou’s expression had changed completely. Being forced to admit her mistake and apologize in front of so many people had already been the limit of what she could tolerate.
Yet now, the entire interstellar world had witnessed the scene. Yu Yarou was burning with rage. “Isn’t Sister being a little too high-profile? Having E-rank mental power isn’t exactly something to be proud of.”
“How is our Yu family’s little princess not worthy of pride?”
A tall figure strode into the banquet hall from outside. He had clearly come straight from a long journey, yet his refined, gentle demeanor still made him stand out at first glance.
Everyone turned to look at him. He wore a dark blue suit and gold-rimmed glasses. When he was still a few steps away from Yu Nianqing, he stopped.
Yu Nianqing’s three older brothers were all outstanding. In her eyes, they were equally remarkable, but to outsiders, Yu Ningsui was the most dazzling of the three.
He was gentle and courteous, the youngest and most accomplished diplomat on Kloss Star.
“Second Brother.” Yu Nianqing recognized Yu Ningsui at once. He walked over and affectionately ruffled her hair before turning to Yu Yarou and addressing her warmly.
“You must be Yarou.”
Yu Yarou was so stunned that she even forgot to be angry. Ever since she had joined the Yu family, from Yu Ningyan to Yu Nianqing, not a single person had welcomed her. But Yu Ningsui seemed different.
His attitude was like a gentle spring breeze, and she froze in surprise. Feng Yue patted her. “Call him Brother.”
“Second Brother,” Yu Yarou said.
Yu Ningsui smiled faintly. “You haven’t gotten used to life in the Yu family yet, have you? It’s all right. Give it a few more days, and you’ll settle in.”
At a loss for what to do, Yu Yarou nervously fidgeted with her fingers. Yu Ningsui truly showed not the slightest trace of malice, allowing her to experience the warmth of having an older brother for the first time.
Seeing Yu Yarou nod, Yu Ningsui said nothing more to her and turned to Yu Nianqing. “As for your mental power, Second Brother will ask you about it later.”
Although his tone was gentle, Yu Nianqing couldn’t help feeling a chill run down her spine. Her two older brothers had both been openly cold toward Yu Yarou, so why did her second brother seem so willing to accept her?
Yu Ningsui adjusted his glasses and smiled. “No matter what becomes of our Yu family’s little princess, she’ll always be the pride of the Yu family. As long as your brothers are here, Nianqing, you never have to worry about anyone bullying you.”