Shen Nian'an's gaze shifted slightly and landed on Su Qianqian standing beside Qin Yuwei.
What a beautiful girl.
Her heart sank as a wave of displeasure and jealousy surged within her.
The girl before her wore no makeup, yet her skin glowed like snow, her delicate features radiating an innocent allure that effortlessly outshone Shen Nian'an's carefully curated appearance.
Damn Qin Yuwei. Since she couldn't compare to Shen Nian'an herself, she'd deliberately brought along this pretty little sidekick to humiliate her?
Shen Nian'an rolled her eyes and was about to call her brother to leave when she noticed Shen Que's gaze practically glued to that girl. Her irritation instantly peaked.
She broke the silence first, directing her venom at Qin Yuwei: "Oh, look who it is. The Qin Family's adopted daughter."
She deliberately emphasized the words "adopted daughter."
Then, drawing out her tone with contempt, she continued, "What, here to buy a swimsuit? Did you chicken out because your figure pales in comparison to your little friend here?"
Her malicious gaze then turned to Su Qianqian, scrutinizing her from head to toe, her disdain unmistakable.
"And where did you crawl out from?"
"You don’t look familiar—probably not from any well-off family. How did you even get into Yunzhi Realm? Unless..."
Shen Nian'an paused deliberately, her eyes flicking to the membership card still clutched in Qin Yuwei's hand. She scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm:
"Unless you sweet-talked someone into sneaking you in to gawk at luxury items and mooch off their money?"
She lifted her chin, sweeping a disdainful look over both of them as if they were trash:
"Qin Yuwei, you’ve really hit rock bottom, bringing along stray cats and dogs and splurging the Qin Family’s money on them. Shameless."
The insults were vicious. Qin Yuwei's face paled with anger, and she was about to retort when Su Qianqian gently tugged her arm.
Turning to face the haughty Shen Nian'an, Su Qianqian spoke in a clear, composed voice, carrying a hint of the detached calm Gu Chengyu often used with others:
"Miss, mind your words."
"What happens between us is none of your concern."
"Don’t go picking fights for no reason."
Shen Nian'an hadn’t expected this seemingly delicate girl to talk back—and with such an imperious tone, no less.
Her temper flared. "Who do you think you are? You dare demand respect from me? Some nobody who—"
"Nian'an."
Shen Que, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. His voice was low but carried an icy authority, cutting off her stream of venom.
Shen Nian'an shot her brother an indignant look but met his warning gaze—those peach-blossom eyes now sharp with reprimand.
Her words died in her throat.
Fine. Since her brother seemed interested in the girl, she’d let it slide that she was prettier.
After all, she was just a plaything.
Shen Que’s eyes lingered briefly on Su Qianqian before shifting to the fuming Qin Yuwei.
His tone returned to its usual nonchalance, deftly diffusing the tension: "Nian'an was out of line. I apologize on her behalf."
"Yuwei, it’s been a while. You’ve grown even lovelier. Here shopping with a friend?"
Qin Yuwei snorted, shooting Shen Nian'an a glare before replying to Shen Que. Though her tone was sharp, she didn’t dare overstep:
"What else? Unlike some people who come just to stir trouble."
Shen Que pretended not to catch her jab and smiled, his gaze drifting meaningfully to the shopping bag in Su Qianqian’s hand.
"Good taste."
It was unclear whether he meant the swimsuit or the person.
Su Qianqian felt uneasy under his scrutiny and inwardly pouted.
Second meeting, and he was still just as arrogant and rude.
She could tolerate it from the chosen one of fate, but from anyone else...
Hmph. Now that she had the upper hand over the man at home, she had no reason to fear Shen Que.
Without another word, she tugged Qin Yuwei’s arm and walked past them, not even sparing them a glance.
Qin Yuwei was stunned. In their social circle, decorum was everything.
Petty squabbles between girls were one thing—families didn’t fuss over minor clashes as long as they didn’t escalate.
But Shen Que was still here.
The heir of the Shen Family—already practically its acting head.
Girls like her, destined only for trust funds, knew better than to openly disrespect him, no matter how much they seethed inside.
Yet Su Qianqian had just... walked away without a care?
For a moment, Qin Yuwei was speechless.
Then came the rush of exhilaration.
No need to play nice in front of people she despised—it felt incredible.
This friend? Worth keeping.
