Zhuang Xiao was utterly baffled.
Rubbing her eyes vigorously, she strained to see clearly in the dim light.
Then, she saw it—the man with an air of noble elegance stepping into the backseat of a car alongside Sang Lu.
Zhuang Xiao let out a startled gasp.
Her hands clenched the steering wheel.
Her mouth hung open for a long moment before she could finally speak.
"...Feng Yan?!"
There was no mistaking it—that man was Feng Yan!
She had once spent a good while admiring his face during an online search.
What on earth was going on?
How could Feng Yan possibly be getting into the same car as Sang Lu?
Wasn’t it his younger brother, Feng Yi, who was fooling around with Sang Lu?
Zhuang Xiao watched as the black sedan drove away from the TV station, its taillights disappearing into the distance. Yet, she still couldn’t figure out where her judgment had gone wrong.
With a furious slam, she pounded the steering wheel.
A sharp honk blared—
Her freshly manicured nails dug into the leather.
A brittle snap echoed.
One of her nails broke.
She winced, clutching her finger, but her eyes remained fixed on the direction the car had gone.
Suddenly, a thought struck her.
Could it be… that Sang Lu was playing both brothers?
How could Sang Lu, of all people, be worthy enough to set foot on both of the Feng family’s prestigious ships?
Jealousy flooded her mind.
Zhuang Xiao’s brows knitted tightly together.
She couldn’t bear the thought of Sang Lu surpassing her even slightly.
And now, the gap wasn’t just slight—it was like heaven and earth!
No!
Absolutely not!
A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes.
She had to drag Sang Lu down from the clouds!
Think of a way.
There had to be a way.
Ah!
Sang Lu had no shame—first seducing the younger brother, then clinging to the elder.
Did the Feng family know?
She would expose her scandalous behavior!
...
Yile Residential Complex.
Central Garden.
Zhuang's Mother pieced together the fragmented rumors she’d heard.
Embellishing them, she relayed the story to Lin Yueyin.
The old neighbors had already gathered in a tight circle.
Chipping in with their own comments:
"No way! Are you talking about Old Sang’s daughter, Lu Lu?"
"That girl grew up right before our eyes. She’s a good kid—she wouldn’t do something so foolish, would she?"
"Exactly, you shouldn’t spread baseless gossip."
Zhuang's Mother grew impatient. "Why would I make this up? My daughter and I saw it with our own eyes!"
"Saw what?" someone asked.
Zhuang's Mother: "Just the other day, when Sang Lu came back to the complex, she stepped out of a luxury car worth over 80 million! Could she afford that on her own?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, I do remember seeing a fancy car I didn’t recognize."
"That’s the one! It was white!" Zhuang's Mother declared firmly.
The neighbor nodded. "Now that I think about it, it was white..."
With others backing her up, Zhuang's Mother lifted her chin triumphantly.
Lin Yueyin had always flaunted her husband’s doting and her daughter’s filial piety, acting all high and mighty in front of her.
Hah.
Now she’d be humiliated in front of everyone.
Look at the kind of daughter you raised!
Gold-digging! Scheming to seduce men!
Like mother, like daughter.
The whole family was just putting on an act.
Zhuang's Mother crossed her arms, waiting.
The thought of her rival Lin Yueyin being left speechless filled her with satisfaction.
But…
After a long pause, Lin Yueyin still hadn’t uttered a word in defense.
That wasn’t like her.
How strange.
Zhuang's Mother glanced over—and froze.
Huh???
Why did Lin Yueyin look completely unfazed?
Instead, she was whispering something to her husband… and then she smiled?
Even Sang Changfeng was acting odd.
Just moments ago, he’d been seething with anger, but now he looked completely at ease?
"Yueyin, Changfeng," Zhuang's Mother pressed, stepping forward. "Did you hear what I said? Sang Lu’s been messing around with some man named Feng, and it’s costing her her job! How can you just laugh? Unless… you already knew?"
The old neighbors exchanged puzzled looks.
What was going on with the Sang family?
Their daughter was caught up in such a scandal—why weren’t they worried?
Finally, Lin Yueyin turned to her, her gaze so calm it sent a chill down Zhuang's Mother’s spine.
Her tone was casual, as if discussing the weather:
"Oh, you’ve got it all wrong. The one driving that 80-million-yuan car is our son-in-law, Feng Yan. Stop spreading nonsense."
Son-in-law?
Feng Yan???
Zhuang's Mother recalled her daughter mentioning that the wealthy man Sang Lu was involved with was surnamed Feng, but she didn’t know his full name.
Now, Lin Yueyin was stating it so matter-of-factly—as if it were true.
What a joke!
Son-in-law?
A young master from a wealthy family as their son-in-law?
She wouldn’t even dare dream of such a thing, yet Lin Yueyin was claiming it?
"Ha! Don’t lie to cover for her. Even if you want to protect your daughter, this is going too far—"
Zhuang's Mother scoffed.
"—When did Sang Lu even get married? You’ve never mentioned it before!"
"Since when do we need your permission to marry off our daughter? It was an arranged marriage set by her grandfather. What, do you want to go up to the heavens and ask him yourself?"
Lin Yueyin remained unshaken.
Her words were rapid but crystal clear.
"You—" Zhuang's Mother was left speechless.
The more confident Lin Yueyin sounded, the heavier her heart sank.
Could it actually be true?
After a stunned silence, she still refused to believe it.
After all, she’d gotten the news firsthand—Little Jun had clearly said he saw Sang Lu being called into the boss’s office.
Finally, she forced out another retort:
"I… I was just passing along what I heard, out of concern. But rumors don’t come from nowhere—shouldn’t you at least call Sang Lu and ask? What if she’s hiding it from you—"
"I know my daughter. We share a bond—I don’t need to ask. Lu Lu is smart and knows what she’s doing. She’s never given us reason to worry." Lin Yueyin cut her off without hesitation.
"But—" Zhuang's Mother tried to interject.
Lin Yueyin: "Enough. Instead of meddling in my daughter’s life, maybe you should focus on your own family affairs."
The neighbors chimed in, their criticism now directed at Zhuang's Mother.
"That’s right. Your family’s always the first to gossip about others."
"Lu Lu’s a good girl—kind and sensible since she was little. I don’t believe a word of this nonsense."
"Exactly. She’s always exaggerating things, making a big deal out of nothing."
"Honestly, can’t trust a thing she says..."
An elderly man coughed, stroking his beard as he recalled, "Back when Old Sang was alive, I remember him mentioning an arranged marriage for his granddaughter."
The tide had turned in an instant.
Humiliation and shock churned in Zhuang's Mother’s chest, leaving her speechless.
She shot Lin Yueyin a glare, venomous curses bubbling up inside her—but she swallowed them all.
Just then—
Her phone rang.
Amid the neighbors’ scolding, Zhuang's Mother seized the chance to escape, answering the call with a hasty retreat.
The moment the call connected, Zhuang Xiao’s voice came through:
"Mom, I’ve found something huge. Sang Lu’s done for this time..."
"Don't you dare say you found out—you found out nothing!" Zhuang's Mother shrieked, abandoning all decorum. "I’m the one who’s realized I raised you for nothing! You’re nowhere near as good as your cousin, and you’ve made me lose face in front of the whole neighborhood!"
She unleashed all her fury onto her daughter.
"After days of running around, what did you even accomplish? That wealthy man you’ve been investigating for days—he’s your cousin’s legitimate husband!"
"What? Legitimate husband???" Zhuang Xiao was stunned, her world collapsing around her.
Zhuang's Mother roared, "Get back here this instant! You disgrace!"
