Su Xiao paused, then asked carefully, “May I ask… which young lady are you proposing to?”
Elizabeth lifted her hand and gestured lightly toward her son.
“The eldest Miss Song,” she said with a smile.
“This is my son, Li Meiran.”
Su Xiao’s eyes lit up at once.
The eldest Miss Song.
That meant Song Weisha.
Her smile bloomed instantly, bright and eager, like spring arriving early.
“Duke Li Meiran!” she exclaimed.
“Please, come in! Quickly, come in!”
Inside the mansion, He Fen hurried out upon hearing the commotion.
She looked surprised, but her expression quickly settled into calm composure.
Tea was served, polite greetings exchanged, and the atmosphere appeared harmonious on the surface.
Elizabeth didn’t bother with small talk for long.
She set her teacup down and said directly, “I’ve brought my son today to propose marriage to Miss Song.”
He Fen hesitated, her fingers tightening slightly around the cup.
“Our Miss Song,” she said slowly, “is already engaged—to the Bi family.”
Su Xiao leaned forward at once, anxiety flashing across her face.
“Mother, how can the Bi family possibly compare to a Duke? That engagement can be broken.”
Elizabeth laughed lightly, her tone relaxed and confident.
“The Bi family?” she said dismissively.
“If they dare stand in our way, they’ll regret it.”
At those words, Li Meiran’s shoulders finally relaxed.
Engaged?
That was perfect.
“Mother,” he said quickly, seizing the opportunity, “since she’s already engaged, there’s really no need for us to—”
“No,” Elizabeth interrupted firmly.
“I want to see who dares compete with us.”
Su Xiao nodded eagerly.
“Of course. I’ll handle everything. Please don’t worry.”
Not long after, a maid hurried over and whispered that Miss Song had returned home.
Su Xiao sprang to her feet.
“Weisha!” she called excitedly.
“The Duke is here to propose to you! Go change—quickly!”
Song Weisha lifted her chin, pride shining in her eyes.
As she turned, she spotted Song Yue standing nearby.
Her smile sharpened instantly.
“The Duke proposed to me,” she said smugly.
“Did you hear that? Even if you follow a man around shamelessly, he still chose me.”
She swept past without another glance, leaving Song Yue standing where she was.
Song Yue didn’t move.
Li Meiran… proposing?
The words echoed in her mind.
Slowly, a crooked smile curved her lips.
She almost felt sorry for Song Weisha.
Almost.
After all, some surprises were best discovered… later.
When Song Weisha entered the living room in her long lace gown, she lifted her chin proudly.
Since the Duke had come specifically to ask for her hand, she intended to savor every second of this moment.
Su Xiao beamed as she guided her forward.
“Madam,” she said warmly, “this is my daughter, Song Weisha.”
She had spared no effort in preparing her.
The dress, the jewelry, the carefully styled hair—every detail had been chosen with care.
Song Weisha felt radiant, certain that this was her moment.
Elizabeth, however, froze.
Something felt wrong.
Mr.
Yun had clearly told her that the girl’s mother was dead.
If the mother hadn’t died, how could it possibly be her son’s destined marriage?
The question slipped out before Elizabeth could stop herself.
“Am I mistaken?” she asked slowly.
“Isn’t her mother… deceased?”
Su Xiao nearly screamed.
It was Song Yue’s mother who had died, not hers.
But for the sake of her daughter’s future, she swallowed her fury and forced a smile.
“Who spread such ridiculous rumors?” she said smoothly.
“I’m alive and well, Madam. Please don’t be misled.”
Elizabeth’s eyes flickered with doubt.
Had Mr.Yun been wrong?
She hesitated, then asked, “Does the Song family have another granddaughter?”
Su Xiao’s heart sank.
Were they actually here for Song Yue?
She exchanged a quick look with He Fen.
He Fen immediately understood.
“We do have another granddaughter,” she said calmly, “but she’s terribly mischievous. Not worthy of the Duke’s attention. She’s usually fooling around at school with boys… or getting detained by teachers.”
She paused deliberately, then added, “And didn’t you say you were here for Miss Song? Weisha is Miss Song.”
Outside the door, Song Yue, who had been quietly listening, curled her lips slightly.
Her grandmother truly had a silver tongue.
In just a few sentences, she had painted Song Yue as a delinquent girl who flirted with boys and caused trouble everywhere she went.
Song Yue let out a soft breath.
For once, she wasn’t angry.
The moment that sharp-eyed woman asked whether Song Weisha’s mother was dead, Song Yue had already understood.
Li Meiran wasn’t here for Song Weisha at all.
And clearly, her grandmother had no intention of letting her anywhere near the Duke.
Perfect.
Song Yue smiled faintly and turned to leave.
With her grandmother and second aunt framing her like this, the Duke would never want to marry her.
Exactly what she wanted.
But just then, Li Meiran finally opened his mouth.
“It’s Song Yue,” he said coolly.
“Call her out. She’s at home.”
The room fell completely silent.
From the moment Song Weisha walked into the living room, Li Meiran knew they had the wrong person.
One glance was enough.
The posture, the eyes, even the way she carried herself—it was all wrong.
He deliberately stayed silent, leaning back and watching the scene unfold, hoping this ridiculous misunderstanding would end on its own.
Being forced into an engagement with that trouble-seeking girl?
He wanted absolutely no part of it.
But earlier, when he casually turned his head and caught sight of a small figure peeking from outside the door, everything changed.
Song Yue.
What truly angered him wasn’t that she had been excluded.
It was the smile on her face when she turned and left.
She was happy.
Happy that his mother had mistaken someone else for her.
Happy that the trouble had passed her by.
Did she despise marrying him that much?
Li Meiran’s jaw tightened, a sharp chill settling in his chest.
If he let her get what she wanted so easily, then he wouldn’t be Duke Li Meiran.
Inside the living room, He Fen’s expression stiffened for a brief moment before she regained her composure.
She turned and ordered calmly, “Go find Song Yue.”
Su Xiao immediately stepped forward, smiling as she tried to smooth things over.
“Ah—this must be a misunderstanding. I’ll go fetch her myself. That girl is unruly; the servants won’t be able to control her.”
She turned to her daughter quickly.
“Weisha, isn’t Young Master Bi coming later? Go prepare some desserts.”
With that, she pulled Song Weisha away, rescuing her from further embarrassment.
The moment they stepped into the corridor, Song Weisha ripped the pearl necklace off her neck in fury.
The string snapped.
Pearls scattered across the floor, rolling in every direction.
Su Xiao gasped, her heart aching as she stared at the mess.
“What are you doing?! This necklace is worth hundreds of thousands! Your father bought it for my birthday!”
She spun around and barked at the servants, “Hurry, pick them up!”
“All you care about is money!” Song Weisha shouted, her eyes red with rage.
“You completely embarrassed me! If you’d just said I was engaged, I would’ve dumped Bi Ge on the spot!”
Her hands clenched tightly.
“I still want Li Meiran, but he doesn’t want me! Song Yue will laugh at me! What am I supposed to tell Bi Ge if he finds out?”
Su Xiao’s gaze hardened.
“I did this for your own good,” she said coldly.
“How can the Ha family compare to a Duke? Don’t worry. I snatched Bi Ge for you back then, and I can snatch Duke Li for you now.”
Song Weisha let out a bitter laugh.
“Yesterday I said that slut slept with the Duke. Grandfather didn’t believe me. now the duke even asked for her by name! How are you going to stop him from seeing her?”
Su Xiao fell silent.
Madam Elizabeth was clearly not an easy woman to deal with.
If she met Song Yue, the engagement might be settled on the spot.
Just as anxiety crept in, footsteps sounded nearby.
Song Yue walked out of the kitchen leisurely, a piece of sugarcane in her hand, chewing without a care in the world.
Her gaze swept over the pearls scattered across the floor, and a wicked smile slowly bloomed.
“Aiyo, Cousin,” she said lightly, “your aura doesn’t look like someone who just got engaged. Even your pearl necklace couldn’t survive it.”
Song Weisha nearly exploded.
That casual, uncouth way of eating sugarcane—nothing like a noble lady at all.
And yet, this was the girl the Duke wanted?
She forced a smile.
“Song Yue, didn’t you hear? Something happened to your best friend, Lan Xia.”
Song Yue froze mid-bite.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you forget?” Song Weisha said lazily.
“Lan Xia was responsible for drawing for the bulletin my fiancé was overlooking with his people.”
Song Yue spat out the sugarcane.
“What did you do to her?”
Song Weisha sneered.
“Nothing. She’s not worth it. However, I also heard that Mr. Sikong went to the school and caused trouble for her. I’ve delivered the message. Whether you save her or not is your choice.”
Song Yue’s heart lurched violently.
She tossed the sugarcane into the trash without another word and ran straight out of the villa.
Behind her, Song Weisha twisted her lips into a cold smile and pulled out her phone.
She sent a message to Bi Ge.
Weisha: Get a few boys.
Teach Song Yue a lesson.
She’s heading to school.
Su Xiao returned to the living room, her face filled with grievance as she spoke to the elders.
“Mother, Song Yue is far too unruly. I told her to come see the Duke, but she ran away. She even told him to go to hell.”
Li Meiran’s expression darkened instantly.
That stupid girl.
It seemed she truly didn’t want to live anymore.