Su Xingnuo closed her eyes briefly, lifting a hand to touch her forehead.
Her brother, really—why did he always bring up the most inconvenient topics? Today she could never appear as the Liu heiress.
Everyone had just forgotten about it, and now he brought it up again. Was he seriously planning to have someone impersonate her?
Su Xingnuo looked at Liu Yancheng, wanting to give him a subtle warning.
Now was not the time to reveal her identity.
Liu Yancheng glanced at her and gave a reassuring look.
Ji Wei, hearing his words, froze and a trace of embarrassment flashed in her eyes.
She didn’t want to leave a bad impression of bullying others in front of Liu Yancheng, so she fumbled for words.
“Liu Shao, we were just joking with Miss Su earlier.”
Su Tingting took a clean handkerchief from a waiter and cautiously wiped her face. Hearing this, she silently clenched the handkerchief tightly in her hand.
“That’s right, Liu Shao. We were just teasing my sister.”
Seeing Liu Yancheng defend Su Xingnuo from the splash earlier made her chest tighten with frustration.
Why did he have to protect her?
No matter how angry she felt, she could not show it in front of him.
Liu Yancheng lifted his eyelids, scanning Su Tingting with an unreadable expression. His voice was low and commanding.
“So you’re saying you were playing a splash game with Miss Su?”
Su Tingting turned pale. Was Liu Yancheng going to stand up for Su Xingnuo?
Onlookers loved drama, especially since Su Tingting and Ji Wei had tried to gang up on Su Xingnuo.
Yet Su Xingnuo was no saint, boldly claiming she was close to Miss Liu.
Now, with Liu Yancheng standing there, the truth would become clear at a glance.
Someone detailed the earlier events.
“You have your sister’s WeChat?” Liu Yancheng’s voice was icy, devoid of warmth.
Ji Wei quickly spoke.
“I genuinely get along with Miss Liu. I consider her a friend. I couldn’t stand Su Xingnuo spreading falsehoods outside, so I planned to teach her a lesson.”
“Message her now. Tell her I’m looking for her,” Liu Yancheng said.
Ji Wei dared not refuse and sent a WeChat message to Miss Liu, telling her she had met her brother.
No reply came. She tried to make excuses: “She must be busy…”
“Call her,” Liu Yancheng’s tone was concise and authoritative, commanding without anger.
Ji Wei reluctantly made a voice call in front of everyone. The call showed she had been blocked.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“What… what’s happening?”
“What’s happening? That person is a fraud. Don’t you get it?” Su Xingnuo answered for Liu Yancheng.
How could anyone be so foolish in this world?
“This is impossible,” Ji Wei refused to believe it. She sent another message, but a bright red exclamation mark appeared.
Everyone was incredulous, yet had to accept the truth.
“This Miss Liu is fake.”
Ji Wei still refused to believe it.
“But she didn’t scam me. She bought from my store, and even when I gave her a discount, she refused.”
Liu Yancheng’s gaze fell on Ji Wei, cold as a dagger.
“This will require Miss Ji to check recent return records. How could someone not see through such a crude trick? Eyes for what purpose?”
Ji Wei collapsed, as if her soul had been sucked out.
Liu Yancheng continued.
“Miss Ji must take responsibility for what she said. Go kneel at the main entrance. Tonight, I will not pursue further.”
Ji Wei widened her eyes, lips trembling.
“Liu Shao, I’m also a victim. Why punish me?”
Seeing Liu Yancheng unmoved, radiating an oppressive presence, Ji Wei gritted her teeth and suddenly pointed at Su Xingnuo, her voice rising.
“He said he’s close to Miss Liu, showing off here. If you punish me, punish this woman too.”
She wouldn’t let Su Xingnuo mock her alone; if she sank, she would drag her down as well.
Su Tingting chimed in.
“Yes, Liu Shao. We all heard what Su Xingnuo said. Clearly, she’s trying to attach herself to the Liu family. I was only teaching her a lesson on your behalf.”
“Teaching her a lesson?”
Liu Yancheng’s face remained stern, his dark eyes void of warmth.
He said, cold and resolute,
“With me here, who dares to bully her?”
The crowd was shocked. What did he mean?
What was the relationship between Su Xingnuo and him? Did she really know Miss Liu?
Su Xingnuo clenched her fists. It had been a long time since anyone had defended her.
So this is what it feels like to have someone back you up. Warmth slid through her heart.
After her parents died and her brother went missing, she had been enduring everything alone for years, forgetting what it meant to have family.
Ji Wei could hardly believe it. Just as she tried to speak, her phone rang.
After a few seconds, her face went deathly pale. The phone slipped from her hand, clattering to the marble floor.
She fell to her knees at Liu Yancheng’s feet, clutching his pants tightly.
“Liu Shao, my father just said the Liu family withdrew the Ji family’s brand from Liu Mall. I know I was wrong. Punish me however you like, please spare the Ji family.”
She kowtowed repeatedly.
“Please…”
Liu Yancheng slowly withdrew his pants from her grip, saying nothing, his cold eyes lowered slightly.
Ji Wei cried bitterly. Suddenly she realized something.
“Liu Shao, I’ll kneel at the hotel entrance now. Please don’t blacklist the Ji family’s brand.”
Earlier, her father had scolded her over the phone. The Liu family not only withdrew Ji’s brand but announced they would never cooperate again. In Gang City, this was equivalent to a soft ban. No one would want to work with the Ji family anymore.
Ignoring the mocking stares, she scrambled toward the hotel entrance like a broken dog.
Su Tingting watched Ji Wei’s pitiful state and snorted coldly.
The surrounding crowd whispered, enjoying the spectacle.
“This is what happens when you offend Gang City’s richest man. Stupid Ji Wei… better avoid her in the future, or you’ll get bad luck too.”
Ji Wei reached the hotel entrance and fell to her knees on the cold marble, under curious onlookers’ gazes.
Su Xingnuo looked at Liu Yancheng differently now. Originally, she had only intended to remove Ji’s brand from the mall, but he had directly blacklisted them in Gang City.
A waiter hurried over, bowing slightly, nervous yet respectful.
“Mr. Liu, I’ll take you to the VIP lounge so you can rest. I’ve prepared clean clothes for you.”
Liu Yancheng glanced at Su Xingnuo, then followed the waiter.
That glance was meaningful, shocking everyone.
Could it be that Su Xingnuo really had a close relationship with Liu Yancheng?
What exactly was their relationship?
Seeing Liu Yancheng leave, Su Tingting almost stomped her foot.
She had finally reunited with Brother Yancheng. How could she miss this chance?
Ignoring Su Xingnuo, she started to follow.
Su Xingnuo called out,
“Su Tingting, do you really want to end up like Ji Wei, making your father’s company unable to operate in Gang City?”
A small smile curved her lips, though her eyes remained cold.
Su Tingting halted, glared at Su Xingnuo, then restored her arrogant demeanor as Liu Yancheng left.
“Who do you think you are, daring to threaten me?”
In her eyes, Su Xingnuo was just a poor orphan.
“How dare you speak to me like that?”
Su Xingnuo sneered.
“I advise you not to provoke Liu Yancheng. He wouldn’t be interested in a woman like you.”
Su Tingting’s hands went to her hips, furious.
“What do you mean? Are you saying I’m not good enough for Liu Yancheng? Are you?”
No sooner had she finished, Su Xingde stormed over, furious, and slapped her hard across the face.
Su Tingting clutched her cheek in disbelief.
“Dad… you actually hit me?”