The clicking of camera shutters rose and fell, creating a symphony of its own in the grand hall.
On the stage, Xiao Tang’s expression grew increasingly grim, and the smile on Su Xiaomo’s face froze.
Below the stage, Mr. Su, who cared deeply about his reputation, was being scrutinized by the crowd, and his face flushed red with suppressed anger.
In the end, it was Su Xiaomo who had the stronger mental fortitude.
She had never wanted to impersonate Su Youning in the first place. She felt that heaven had let her transmigrate so she could be the Female Lead, to live a good life, to experience the dazzling nightlife of the Republican era, the lofty status of the Young Marshal’s wife, and the decadent glamour of a wealthy lifestyle—not to live using someone else’s name.
Therefore, she was unwilling to take Su Youning’s identity!
The current scene, however, presented an opportunity for her to establish her own benevolent image.
With this in mind, her thoughts raced. Principal Tan’s words went in one ear and out the other as she placed a delicate hand over her chest, striking a pained, dramatic pose.
“Sister! You were the one who didn’t want to marry the Young Marshal. Father tried to persuade you many times, but you wouldn’t listen. Instead, you moved out of the house. Today, Father sent people to ask you to come home, but you didn’t return. How could you collude with this woman to twist the truth? Yesterday at the hospital, you were even unwilling to take care of the Young Marshal. I had no choice but to help you take care of him! Sister, I know you’ve never liked the Young Marshal and have always wanted to escape the marriage, but you can’t ruin my reputation like this!”
Tears streamed down her face on command, her pale little face filled with aggrieved forbearance. It was quite a convincing and intimidating performance.
But, unfortunately for her, she hadn’t paid close attention to what Principal Tan had just said. Nor had she considered that everyone present, to a man, was not the same group from Liu City Girls’ Middle School or the Su family’s original servants. She was a newcomer here, and these people had brains; they could observe how things were developing.
Besides, if it was a matter of acting? Ting Wan was even better at it!
“Su Xiaomo! When did I ever say I didn’t like the Young Marshal?” Ting Wan’s tears also began to fall again. “It was clearly you and your mother who kept telling me how cold-blooded and merciless, how cruel and tyrannical Hong City’s Young Marshal Xiao was. You said I should pursue my own love and escape the cage of an arranged marriage. But, that was the engagement my mother arranged for me! It’s the last memento my mother left for me! Sob sob sob!”
Ting Wan completely avoided mentioning whether she had any special feelings for Xiao Tang. She only loudly emphasized that Su Xiaomo and her mother had slandered Xiao Tang’s image to her, and that this engagement was arranged by her own mother. She was a filial daughter, she missed her mother, and therefore she was not unwilling.
As she spoke, Ting Wan buried her face in Principal Tan’s embrace and continued to cry. Her wails sounded tragic, but in reality, Ting Wan, hidden in Principal Tan’s arms, had run out of tears and was just hiding her face.
Principal Tan patted Ting Wan’s back and picked up where she had left off.
“Mr. Su calls a stag a horse, and Second Miss Su is truly skilled at turning black into white! Are you treating all of us like fools, or are you questioning my, Tan Yuwen’s, character? When did your Su family ever come to the school to look for anyone? Youning even handled her own enrollment all by herself; not a single person from your Su family came to see her off! A student who went home with Youning to get her luggage told me that Youning’s family treated her poorly, that her own father was helping her younger sister secretly plot for her engagement. I thought she must have misheard, but now it seems it couldn’t be more true! Such a good child, truly an outstanding girl! And Young Marshal Xiao is outstanding as well. Youning did go to the hospital to see you yesterday. Don’t you dare say you don’t know which of these two is which!”
Principal Tan’s every word was forceful and resonant. After finishing with Su Xiaomo and Mr. Su, she didn’t forget her original goal and pointedly called out Xiao Tang.
This was no joke. The Defense Commissioner from the Military Faction had to be sent this time!
There had to be someone from their Red Faction Organization among Hong City’s high-ranking officials! This was to prevent their fine Organization, dedicated to saving the nation, from being sacrificed to their own side’s partisan struggles before they could even accomplish anything.
Originally, since the matter involved the Su family’s domestic affairs and no one had mentioned him, Xiao Tang had planned to remain silent. That way, everyone’s focus would be on the Su father and daughter. If he were implicated, he could feign ignorance and act like a deceived victim.
He was the Young Marshal of Hong City. No one would dare “spout nonsense” that would disrespect him.
But, Principal Tan had called him out directly.
He could handle other people, but he had to think twice when it came to Tan Yuwen, the principal of Hongcheng Women’s University.
This woman had a very deep background, with the covetous Military Faction, which had its eyes on Hong City, backing her.
Xiao Tang did have a slight fondness for Su Xiaomo, but that fondness was nothing in the face of his own interests.
Ultimately, alongside his coldness and tyranny, he was also selfish.
“I Do Not Know their Plan. They said that the eldest Miss Su was unwilling to appear. The second Miss Su admired me, and the photograph had already been published in the papers. Mr. Su also said he was willing to change the subject of the marriage to the second Miss Su. But, since the person publicly announced as my betrothed has always been the eldest Miss Su, a sudden change would make people think the second Miss Su stole her sister’s engagement. That was why they substituted one for the other. Mr. Su’s profound love for his daughter is something I, Xiao, naturally had to fulfill.”
Xiao Tang knew well that saying more was pointless, and staying here would only lead to more questions. So, after finishing his speech, he turned and left.
Su Xiaomo never imagined that her Male Lead, her Young Marshal, would just leave like that. She wanted to chase after him but was blocked by the men Xiao Tang had left behind to clean up.
Follow Xiao Tang’s departure, Ting Wan emerged from Principal Tan’s embrace. Her eyes were as red as a rabbit’s. As if holding her breath, she staggered forward two more steps.
“Father, since you want to give my engagement to my younger sister, then so be it! But, the dowry my mother left for me can only be mine!”
After speaking, she turned to face the side with the most reporters, stood up straight, and bowed deeply.
“It is our fault that today’s banquet was disrupted by my family’s affairs. Since there are so many friends from the press here, I will be so bold as to implore you to help me publish a clarification in the newspapers. From this day forward, I, Su Youning, in accordance with my father’s wishes, am no longer Young Marshal Xiao’s betrothed. Apart from my mother’s dowry, I will leave the family with nothing. Young Marshal Xiao’s betrothed will be my half-sister, Su Xiaomo. Thank you!”
Ting Wan didn’t want to pay to publish a notice, so she simply made a plea on the spot.
Who would turn down a free headline and all the buzz that came with it?
One could say that the moment her voice fell, the group of reporters, their sense of justice flaring, agreed.
Mr. Su and Su Xiaomo had not expected Ting Wan to pull such a move.
Su Xiaomo, in particular, felt more and more that something was not right with this elder sister.
But, she knew that this was not the right situation for her to speak.
However, while she couldn’t, Mr. Su, as the father, could! She immediately ran to Mr. Su’s side and tugged on the sleeve of the still-dazed man.
Mr. Su was still trying to figure out how things had developed to this point. Pulled by Su Xiaomo, he came back to his senses and then called out Ting Wan’s name, “Youning, you…”
How could Ting Wan give him a chance to say more?
“Father, I have already given the engagement to my sister!”
Tears streamed down her face. Then, with a dramatic gasp as if she couldn’t catch her breath, she fainted in the next second.
“Youning!” Principal Tan rushed forward to catch her, her accusing gaze fixed on Mr. Su. “Mr. Su, you’ve already forced the child to this state. Isn’t that enough? If you don’t want a wonderful child like Youning, we at Hongcheng Women’s University do!”
With that, she and some enthusiastic onlookers helped carry Ting Wan to the hospital.
Principal Tan could tell that Ting Wan was faking it, but a performance had to be seen through to the end. She was a principal, after all; how could she not have connections at the hospital?
This was perfect. Now that the matter had blown up, the Defense Commissioner from the Military Faction would arrive even faster.