Rong Yu drained her glass of wine.
She cast a cool glance at Tang Tang. "Are you sure you want to do this? Have you considered the consequences?"
Tang Tang pressed her lips together.
She intended to report today’s incident in full detail to the family patriarch, ensuring Rong Yu would lose his trust and never swindle another penny from him.
"Miss Rong, it’s not an unreasonable request. Just open your bag and let us check. If it’s not there, I’ll apologize."
Her little clique of friends chimed in.
"Exactly, it’s not like you’ll lose anything. Unless you’re guilty."
"That bracelet is extremely valuable. Someone like Miss Rong, a minor celebrity, probably hasn’t seen anything like it. It’s understandable if she wanted to admire it—just hand it over."
"Don’t make this uglier than it needs to be."
"..."
Ji Zhouye was itching to throw a punch.
Ji Jingchuan, who had been standing quietly in the background, suddenly stepped forward. His usually gentle face broke into a smile as he spoke. "May I ask, Miss Tang, before you demanded to search someone else’s bag, did you check your own handbag?"
Tang Tang scoffed. "Of course I did. It wasn’t there."
"Is that so? I don’t believe you," Ji Jingchuan said, his smile widening. "Unless you search it again, right here in front of everyone."
Tang Tang disliked that smile.
It looked sweet and harmless, but there was something lurking beneath it—something she couldn’t quite decipher.
With a stiff smirk, she grabbed her handbag, flipped it open, and turned it upside down, dumping its contents onto the bar counter. "Fine, take a good look. See if it’s—"
Her words died in her throat.
Amidst the scattered lipsticks, compacts, and cosmetics lay a crystal-clear bracelet.
"How… how is this possible?" Tang Tang’s eyes widened. "It was never in my bag! I swear—"
She clapped a hand over her mouth.
Ji Jingchuan smiled. "Miss Tang, next time you try to frame someone, make sure you haven’t misplaced the evidence first."
From the moment he saw Tang Tang sitting beside the family matriarch, his gaze had never left her.
He had his own dark side, so he believed everyone else did too—and this Tang Tang’s darkness was vast. She was bound to stir trouble.
Sure enough, he witnessed her slip the bracelet off her wrist and stealthily drop it into the matriarch’s bag.
The matriarch had noticed too.
She’d been about to grab Tang Tang’s wrist, but Ji Jingchuan thought better of it.
Catching her red-handed would only give Tang Tang an easy out—she’d claim it was an accident, feign innocence, and walk away unscathed.
Only public humiliation would make her pay.
And it worked.
The circle of friends around Tang Tang instinctively took a step back.
The onlookers whispered and pointed.
"Wow, she hid it herself and then tried to blame someone else?"
"She was so confident just now, accusing her of stealing, but it was all an act?"
"Isn’t she the youngest Tang heiress? How could someone raised by Chairman Tang and Madam Tang turn out like this?"
Tang Tang’s fingers clenched her skirt, her nails digging into her palms. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but the mocking stares silenced her.
Most people here were wealthy, but none matched the Tangs or the Ji Family’s elite status.
Seeing the Tang heiress exposed as a schemer gave them a twisted sense of satisfaction, their smiles dripping with scorn.
"That’s not what happened!" Tang Tang shook her head. "I just… I misremembered! It wasn’t intentional!"
Tears welled in her eyes.
"Now she’s crying? She was so bold a second ago."
"Tried to ruin someone and ended up embarrassing herself."
"How could someone like Chairman Tang have such a disgraceful descendant?"
"Well, she’s not blood-related…"
The taunts were too much. Tang Tang spun around to leave.
Ji Jingchuan’s voice, soft yet cutting, stopped her. "Miss Tang, don’t forget your bracelet."
Sobbing, she turned back and snatched the bracelet—only for it to slip from her fingers and shatter on the floor.
Ji Zhouye immediately raised his hands. "I was standing far away. Not my fault."
Others followed suit, scrambling back to avoid being blamed—or extorted.
Tang Tang completely broke down.
A bracelet worth nearly ten million, gone in an instant.
Not only had her scheme failed, but she’d also lost a priceless heirloom. Tears streamed down her face as she covered it and fled.
Ji Yanting, who had been sipping his drink at the bar, leisurely stopped recording. He sent the incriminating video straight to Tang Youyi.
Tang Youyi was in the middle of a board meeting in his study.
Under his leadership, Tang Corporation hadn’t thrived as it once had. He struggled just to maintain its standing among the four great families.
If his uncle ever passed, he dreaded to think what would become of the Tangs.
By the time the meeting ended, he was exhausted.
He finally checked his phone—only to find a video from Ji Yanting. He tapped play and saw his granddaughter, Tang Tang.
By the time it finished, his face was thunderous.
He disliked Rong Yu, that little starlet, getting close to his uncle—but no matter how much he despised her, he would never resort to underhanded tactics.
Tang Tang was only eighteen. How could she do something like this?
"Waaah—!" Tang Tang’s wails echoed from the courtyard. "Grandpa! Grandma! Someone bullied me!"
Madam Tang rushed to embrace her. "What’s wrong, darling? Who hurt you?"
"It’s that Rong Yu! The one the Ji Family treats like a treasure!" Tang Tang bawled. "She broke my bracelet! The one you gave me! It’s ruined!"
Madam Tang’s expression darkened. "How dare she! A nobody from the Rong Family, bullying our Tang heiress? That bracelet was worth a fortune! I’ll make her pay!"
Tang Tang sniffled. "No, Grandma… maybe it was an accident… And Grandpa likes her so much. If he finds out, it’ll be bad…"
Madam Tang scowled. "He should know exactly what kind of vile creature she is!"
Just then, Tang Youyi stormed out of his study.
He glared at Tang Tang. "Tell me the truth. How did the bracelet really break?"
Tang Tang flinched. "I-it was Rong Yu! She—"
SLAM!
Tang Youyi slammed his palm on the table. "Liar! If I hadn’t seen the video, I’d have believed you! At your age, you’re already scheming and framing people? What kind of monster has this family raised?"
"Don’t you dare shout at her!" Madam Tang snapped. "She was scared of being scolded for breaking the bracelet! That’s all!"
"This is why our younger generation is useless!" Tang Youyi roared. "They’re spoiled rotten—by you!"
"You dare to blame me for this?!" Madam Tang gritted her teeth. "And what about you? Can you even shoulder the responsibility yourself..."
Tang Youyi's fury seemed to vanish in an instant.
His eyes widened, his breath came in ragged gasps, and his fists clenched so tightly they trembled.
