"This must be a misunderstanding." Qiao Yu nervously held her phone away, her rosy lips pursed slightly. She stubbornly refused to admit it. "Someone must have seen that I'm getting too close to my two older sisters, so they deliberately spread these rumors to sow discord between our three families!"

"My dad is honest and kind, and my mom is gentle and kind. They would never do such a thing!"

Qiao Yu quickly took the initiative and criticized the radio broadcast, saying, "The mastermind behind this must be one of the shareholders behind this radio station. I'm going to have my dad investigate the actual controlling shareholder behind this broadcasting company right now!"

She was furious, but the two women didn't respond. Under their prolonged scrutiny, Qiao Yu gradually lost her confidence. She turned her face away guiltily, "Sisters, why aren't you saying anything?"

Lu Shangyi slowly picked up her teacup, her tone ambiguous, neither smiling nor joking. "The actual controlling shareholder you mentioned." She paused deliberately, until Qiao Yu's heart leaped into her throat, before finally uttering the last few words, "It's the Lu family."

A barely perceptible smile played on her cool tone as she casually flicked the tea leaves from the porcelain lid with her slender fingers. Lu Shangyi slowly lifted her eyelids. "So, according to you, I'm the one trying to sow discord between our three families?"

Qiao Yu was immediately filled with confusion. "???" Sorry to bother you.

Lu Shangyi spoke calmly, but Song Wanzi in the video believed her to some extent. Based on her understanding of Lu Shangyi, she knew that Lu Shangyi was a very cunning person and was capable of doing something that would harm both herself and her enemy.

"It's a misunderstanding, it must be a misunderstanding." Qiao Yu wished she could seal her mouth with tape. She quickly spat three times and coaxed softly, "Sister Lu, you are as gentle and kind as my mother. I believe you definitely didn't do this."

She said with a serious expression, "It must have been your brother who did it and then tried to frame you."

Song Wanzi's makeup was heavy today, and her cold and mysterious face revealed a hint of helplessness. After settling into her seat in the back, she stopped her manager from turning off the radio with a look. She smiled gently, her watery eyes appearing slightly hazy in the dimly lit car, "What if it wasn't Lu Shenghui who did it?"

this……

Qiao Yu maintained a strong and assertive demeanor. "Impossible. It was definitely him. No one but him could do something like this."

Seeing that the matter was getting worse and worse and was about to become unmanageable, Qiao Yu quickly held her phone away from the camera and bowed deeply, saying, "Sister Song, then it's settled. See you tomorrow, Sister!"

He'd already lost patience with chatting with her after just a short while. Song Wanzi pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, I'll drive over to pick you up tomorrow."

Qiao Yu quickly ended the video call, tossing her phone far away as if it were a hot potato. A moment later, however, she guiltily picked it up again and, under Lu Shangyi's watchful gaze, silently dialed Mrs. Qiao's number. Mrs. Qiao's calm voice rang out, "What is it?"

Qiao Yu glanced at Lu Shangyi tentatively, then quietly walked to a corner and pressed herself against the wall. "Mom, I just listened to a bit of a financial news broadcast..."

She was carefully choosing her words when Mrs. Joe's cold voice had already admitted, "I did it."

Qiao Yu stood there dumbfounded, asking, "Why?"

“If you take down the Song family, you won’t suffer any mistreatment in your husband’s family after you marry into the family.” Madam Qiao frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled that her daughter had called to ask her about this. “It’s just normal business competition. Besides, this time the Song family was simply not as skilled and couldn’t come up with that much working capital, so it’s understandable that I took their land.”

Qiao Yu was somewhat convinced, but then she asked, "What about the Lu family?" It seemed she wouldn't have to marry into the Lu family and suffer mistreatment, right?

She was an alpha, and Sister Lu was an ega. It was only natural for an alpha to marry an ega. No matter what, it should be Sister Lu who married into the family. She didn't believe she could be mistreated in her own home.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Just when she was wondering if Mrs. Qiao had hung up on her, she finally heard her mother say something shocking: "It's just that I've simply been a little annoyed with Lu Shenghui these past two days."

Qiao Yu choked up, "..."

Goodbye, Mom. Tonight I'm setting sail.

Qiao Yu returned home with mixed feelings, clutching her phone. Lu Shangyi slowly raised his eyelids to look at her, "What did you find out?"

She immediately shook her head vigorously, refusing to tell Lu Shangyi that her mother had targeted the Lu family simply because she disliked Lu Shenghui. However, after thinking about it seriously, Qiao Yu realized that Lu Shenghui was indeed not very likable, and he treated his own sister very badly.

After carefully inspecting the house, Qiao Yu clenched her fists with heartache, "Sister Lu, have you been living here all these years and can't go anywhere?"

The location is remote; it takes an hour to drive here from the city, not counting traffic. Thinking of how Lu Shangyi had been confined here alone for so long, isolated from the world, without playmates or anyone to confide in, Qiao Yu felt a pang of heartache. "Sister Lu, you've suffered so much."

"Sister Lu, you must wait for me. As soon as I separate, I will immediately come to your door with betrothal gifts to marry you."

The child was clearly overthinking things, but Lu Shangyi didn't correct her. Instead, she asked, "But I'm not on your match list, am I?"

Qiao Yu's pitying expression froze slightly. Lu Shangyi lowered her eyes, looking delicate and charming. Qiao Yu quickly explained, "Who said the matching result is necessarily correct? I just feel something's wrong with it." Qiao Yu argued, "I'll retest it when I have time in a couple of days."

"To be honest, I don't really believe in this kind of thing," Qiao Yu said seriously. "It's just a hoax."

She wanted to ask Lu Shangyi to judge, "How could an alpha like me be matched with a san... never mind." Qiao Yu quickly turned her head away, letting out a small breath with lingering fear. Luckily, she almost gave herself away. With a smile on her face, she turned back and concluded, "In short, the results from last time can't be trusted."

Lu Shangyi's gaze fell on her face, which was flushed from excitement. Because the child's skin was very fair, even a slight blush was particularly noticeable. She uttered an ambiguous "hmm," and Lu Shangyi's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly. "It's unreliable."

After having dinner at Lu Shangyi's place, it was already quite late. Qiao Yu fiddled with the ride-hailing app for a while before finally handing the screen to Lu Shangyi. "Sister Lu, no one has accepted the order yet."

Lu Shangyi lowered her head, pretending not to see through Qiao Yu's thoughts, "I'll have my driver take you."

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Qiao Yu blinked her eyes like stars. "It's so late, the driver should already be asleep. Besides, it's already after get off work hours, and he needs to spend time with his family. How can I trouble him?"

She kept talking, as if she wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted. Lu Shangyi finally looked at her properly and considerately relented, "Then you can stay here with me tonight."

Qiao Yu was overjoyed, but still pretended to be reserved. "Since you've said so, Sister Lu, it would be rude of me to refuse."

Fearing that Lu Shangyi might change her mind, Qiao Yu quickly ran into the guest room, lay down on the bed, and refused to move.

After thinking for a moment, Song Wanzi sent Qiao Yu a message: "Let's invite your friends together tomorrow."

When Qiao Yu promised to treat everyone to dinner in the lounge last time, both of her friends were present. As a wealthy and popular female celebrity, Song Wanzi naturally wouldn't hesitate to spend the money for two more people. After seeing the message, Qiao Yu went to ask Meng E and Jiang Mei, "Sister Song is treating us to dinner tomorrow, are you free?"

Jiang Mei replied quickly, "I need a part-time job."

Holding her phone, Jiang Mei frowned and pondered for a while. Thinking that Meng E might go with her, Jiang Mei felt slightly relieved. Song Wanzi's possessiveness towards Qiao Yu was undisguised and frightening; as long as the two weren't alone together, there shouldn't be any problems.

Although she was a little worried, she had no choice. Qiao Yu was about to differentiate, and she had to do her best to earn more money to nourish her body.

However, Meng E should have time. Even if she doesn't, given her infatuation with Song Wanzi, she would surely try to make time for a private meal with her idol.

Meng E replied much later, "I'm sorry, Yu Yu, although I'm very tempted, my father is sick and can't be left alone. I have to take care of him at the hospital tomorrow."

"You and Jiang Mei go together. Oh, and remember to get me an autographed piece of paper that says 'I love you'."

Qiao Yu was troubled by their replies and had no choice but to honestly tell Song Wanzi, "They both have things to do tomorrow, so they probably can't go together."

Song Wanzi suppressed the corners of her lips that were turning up, and a smile slowly crept onto her cold and beautiful face. "Okay, I'll drive over to pick you up tomorrow at noon."

After agreeing with Song Wanzi, Qiao Yu suddenly realized: if Jiang Mei doesn't come and Meng E doesn't come, then it will only be her and Song Wanzi left! The thought of facing Song Wanzi's smiling yet domineering appearance alone made Qiao Yu tremble with fear, and she quickly drank two glasses of water in one go.

Qiao Yu hadn't slept well last night. When she came out, still half asleep, her fair face was framed by stray hairs that curled unruly. Qiao Yu sat down opposite Lu Shangyi, her mind blank. She felt as if she'd been beaten up, her body limp and listless. Her head drooped, and she spoke with a slight nasal tone, "Good morning, Sister Lu."

It was still quite early, but Lu Shangyi was already impeccably dressed. Her white undershirt accentuated her beautiful figure, and her smoky gray cardigan was fluffy and looked very high-quality. Today, her long, black hair wasn't styled in its usual elaborate updo, but rather casually cascaded over her shoulders, softening her aloof and unapproachable demeanor and making her seem more approachable.

Qiao Yu stared, completely mesmerized. She wondered what Lu Shangyi was thinking. She had gotten up early to put on light makeup, not heavy, but with a hint of coy allure that was incredibly seductive.

However, Qiao Yu quickly found out the reason. Before she could even warm her seat, Song Wanzi's Cayenne pulled up at the door. Song Wanzi opened the door, and upon seeing Lu Shangyi waiting, she instinctively pulled down her sunglasses, which were perched on her high nose bridge. "?"

With a slight lift of her delicate eyebrows, Song Wanzi asked, "You have plans today?"

Upon meeting Lu Shangyi's calm and collected gaze, Song Wanzi immediately regretted asking that question. Lu Shangyi's gentle and harmless face remained expressionless. "No appointment."

The first sentence had barely been finished when the next one followed immediately: "Are you going to eat?"

This guy was practically begging to come closer, but Song Wanzi remained expressionless. "Just eat whatever you want."

Qiao Yu had just woken up, her mind still a bit foggy. Hearing Lu Shangyi's envious question, she immediately recalled the past few years Lu Shangyi had spent eating soy sauce rice alone, looking rather pitiful. Feeling a pang of sympathy, Qiao Yu quickly invited, "Since you're alright, Sister Lu, why don't you join us?"

She looked at Song Wanzi expectantly and asked without asking first, "Is it okay, sister?"

Her dark eyes, glistening with a hint of moisture from a recent yawn, looked utterly innocent and naive. She gazed at her with a pleading look, like a puppy, and Song Wanzi's eye twitched slightly. "Okay."

She wondered why Qiao Yu was staying at Lu Shangyi's place, and why Lu Shangyi had gotten up early and dressed up so meticulously—it turned out she had planned this all along. Song Wanzi took off her sunglasses and casually placed them next to Lu Shangyi before sitting down, her gaze falling coldly on Qiao Yu. "Aren't you going to wash your face?"

Qiao Yu got up reflexively, and after washing her face, she belatedly realized that something was wrong.

If Sister Lu is going too, then today will be double the chaos!

The clown is actually myself.gif

After dawdling around the room for quite a while, Qiao Yu changed her clothes and cautiously peeked through the door. The two were still chatting happily, and the atmosphere seemed quite good. Qiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the chaotic scene must be just her imagination.

She took a step forward and obediently stood over, "Sister Lu, Sister Song, I'm all ready."

The private room at the Japanese restaurant that Song Wanzi had booked was very private; once the door was closed, the view was completely blocked. Qiao Yu politely ordered two dishes and then handed the menu to Lu Shangyi. Lu Shangyi was not polite at all; her red lips moved constantly as she recited the names of the dishes.

Song Wanzi remained unmoved, knowing that this person would use his position to settle personal scores.

After finally ordering, the private room fell silent as soon as the waiter left. Aside from her own barely audible breathing, the silence was so profound that Qiao Yu almost thought she was deaf. After a moment of suffocating silence, Qiao Yu nervously swallowed. "Sister Song, your new movie is doing so well at the box office, you'll probably win a big award at the end of the year, right?"

She tried hard to find a topic to talk about, and didn't forget to smile with her eyes crinkling, "Sister, you're so amazing! You've won so many gold awards at such a young age!"

Song Wanzi brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her fair earlobe adorned with diamond earrings. "It's alright." After a pause, Song Wanzi changed the subject, her tone light and emotionless. "Just a little better than Chu Mi."

Chu Mi? Upon hearing this unfamiliar name, Qiao Yu was stunned for several seconds before finally racking her brains to remember that this was the second-tier female celebrity who debuted under the banner of "Little Song Wanzi," not only riding on Song Wanzi's popularity but also competing with Song Wanzi for endorsements.

Qiao Yu turned her head shakily. Wasn't this the beta female artist from Lu Shangyi's company?

Lu Shangyi clearly hadn't forgotten how Qiao Yu's actions had caused her artists to lose valuable endorsements. Her usually cold and aloof expression softened slightly, but Lu Shangyi remained calm and composed on the surface. "Congratulations."

She looked at Qiao Yu as she spoke, and Qiao Yu quietly held her breath, lowered her head, and bit her lip nervously. She almost bought a standing ticket and left the city that very night. She shouldn't have put Lu Shangyi and Song Wanzi together.

Qiao Yu weakly and helplessly raised her hand to cover half of her face. Just when she didn't know how to continue the conversation, the dishes were finally served, and the conversation came to an end.

The atmosphere relaxed considerably afterward. As long as work wasn't mentioned, Lu Shangyi and Song Wanzi didn't argue, and Qiao Yu was happy to remain silent. However, before the meal was even finished, Meng E's messages kept coming in. Embarrassed, Qiao Yu picked up her incessantly ringing phone and quickly put it on silent mode.

Meng E: "Yu Yu, did you go on a date with Sister Song and Sister Lu today?"

A date? Qiao Yu pursed her lips and couldn't help but correct her seriously, "What date? We're just meeting up for a meal."

After thinking about it, she felt that Meng'e wasn't the type to say such things. "Who told you that? My best friend in the world?"

Aside from Tang Shu, Qiao Yu couldn't think of anyone else who knew her situation so well.

Wait! Qiao Yu's eyes widened in shock, a sudden sense of foreboding rising in her heart. Her phone vibrated again. Meng E didn't say a word, only sent a news link. Before even opening it, Qiao Yu felt a wave of suffocation upon seeing the UC-style headline: Shocking! Multiple heirs from the Lu, Song, and Qiao families involved in extramarital affairs?!

Today, I spotted the eldest daughter of the Qiao family, popular actress Song Wanzi, and her rumored boyfriend Lu Shangyi chatting and laughing intimately as they entered a high-end Japanese restaurant, seemingly two-timing and playing with adults' feelings...

She remained silent for a long time, her expression particularly intriguing. Lu Shangyi's gaze drifted over, taking in the entire news headline and content. Her soft voice carried a hint of intrigue or amusement, "Two-timing?"

Qiao Yu was startled and quickly placed her phone face down on the table. "Sister, you've got the wrong phone."

Song Wanzi put down her chopsticks with interest. "What do you mean by 'two-timing'?"

Qiao Yu opened her mouth, but Lu Shangyi raised his calm gaze, and Qiao Yu dared not say a word, only shaking her head to indicate that it was all a misunderstanding. However, such a big matter could not be kept from Song Wanzi. Her agent called soon after, and after a few words, Song Wanzi understood the reason.

Holding her phone and staring intently at Qiao Yu, Song Wanzi said casually, "It's fake."

Qiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's right. How could I, a minor, possibly be two-timing and playing with my older sisters' feelings?"

She spoke with righteous indignation, but Song Wanzi just chuckled and said, "Let's issue a statement using the studio's account."

Qiao Yu was glad she had brought Lu Shangyi along; otherwise, if the paparazzi had only photographed her and Song Wanzi having dinner alone, she would have been in deep trouble. Song Wanzi was incredibly popular, and if such a scandal were to spread, she would definitely be dragged down by Song Wanzi's large fan base.

Qiao Yu looked at Lu Shangyi gratefully, her eyes shining faintly. She looked innocent and adorable. Lu Shangyi raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't say anything.

Qiao Yu had drunk a lot of water during her nervousness. Near the end of the meal, she went to the restroom alone, and coincidentally, ran into Tang Shu, whom she had just mentioned. Tang Shu frowned and took two steps back upon seeing her. "What are you doing here?"

"You were following me?"

She gripped her bag tightly and involuntarily looked behind Qiao Yu. After confirming that Qiao Yu was alone, she unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at Qiao Yu dressed like a little vixen, Tang Shu, though envious, had to admit that the vixen was indeed alluring. A sudden sense of unease washed over her, and Tang Shu quickly held her breath, averting her gaze from Qiao Yu. "How did you know I was eating here?"

Her friends wouldn't easily reveal their information to others, especially Qiao Yu.

Tang Shu looked displeased, but Qiao Yu ignored her expressionlessly, simply explaining, "I'm eating here too."

"She's eating here too?" Tang Shu was skeptical, but seeing that the person was about to leave, she quickly grabbed the other person's slender, white wrist with one hand. Although she had known Qiao Yu for so many years, Tang Shu rarely had close contact with her. The soft, tender feeling in her palm made her pause for a moment, and another frail face unexpectedly flashed through her mind.

However, the tenderness didn't last long. Qiao Yu's delicate eyelashes drooped slightly, and her tone was filled with disbelief, "You molested me?"

Her voice was quite loud, and Tang Shu felt a burning sensation in her hand. She instinctively and hurriedly shook her off. "Who molested you?" She straightened her neck, her ears slightly red, clearly visible against her fair skin. "Who would want to molest you?"

"Besides, what reason would an EGA like me have to molest you? In the end, you'd be the one who benefits, wouldn't you?"

Qiao Yu was surprisingly convinced; it seemed to make some sense. But that still wouldn't do. "Alphas are also vulnerable; alphas are easily harmed. Indecent assault is indecent assault. Where do you get so many excuses?"

She was clearly cheating, which infuriated Tang Shu, who wished she could send her flying with a box of firecrackers.

Just as Tang Shu was about to explode, Qiao Yu stretched out a hand and said, "Touch it, five hundred."

Tang Shu: "…………" What bad luck.

Although unwilling, Tang Shu had no choice but to swallow her anger and pay to avoid trouble, fearing that Qiao Yu would cling to her. She slapped five hundred yuan into Qiao Yu's palm and ran away as if fleeing. She looked back as she ran, only feeling relieved when she was sure that Qiao Yu hadn't chased after her.

Qiao Yu happily took the five hundred yuan she had earned for free back home. Lu Shangyi noticed her slightly red wrist and suddenly realized something. His dark eyes flashed with a sharp meaning. "Come here."

Soon, Song Wanzi reacted as well, reaching out to pull out a chair and forcing Qiao Yu to sit down. The two of them surrounded her from both sides, making it impossible for her to escape. Lu Shangyi usually seemed gentle and weak, but when she got serious, she had a cold and imposing aura. Qiao Yu could smell an indescribable domineering aura mixed with the faint lady's fragrance on her body.

Qiao Yu was trapped between two men with nowhere to escape. Just as she was feeling lost and helpless, Lu Shangyi grabbed her wrist, revealing a red mark, while Song Wanzi's cold voice rang in her ear, "Did Ye Yunjian do this?"

Judging from her tone, it was as if she would fight Ye Yunjian to the death if he really did it.

Qiao Yu glanced at Song Wanzi secretly, then at Lu Shangyi, wondering why they were acting so defensively. "No, it's Tang Shu, my best friend. We just ran into her in the restroom."

Tang Shu? Song Wanzi and Lu Shangyi frowned simultaneously. Why is there another one?

Author's Note: I made a minor revision to the ending, and as compensation, I'll be giving out red envelopes (cash gifts) to everyone. You can leave one in the comments below this chapter.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2021032614:21:18 and 2021032716:35:55!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 1 femme fatale;

Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Yingxi (30 bottles); Chai Chai and Ningyin (20 bottles each); Xingyu (10 bottles); Shuai De Yi Pi (2 bottles); 15470342 and Yin Xiaochu (1 bottle each);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!