Chapter 14 Rumors

She looked Song Zhiwei up and down.

He then coldly questioned, "How did you get in? This isn't a place just anyone can enter."

Yu Shi Fu is a top-tier upscale restaurant in Yancheng.

Not only are they expensive, but they also have a strict entry mechanism.

It's not something you can get in just by having money.

Here, one's identity, background, and connections are important, and one must even undergo multiple layers of vetting.

Someone like Song Zhiwei, whose identity is ambiguous, shouldn't be in this kind of situation.

However, faced with this blatant humiliation...

Song Zhiwei remained calm and composed, even offering a slight smile.

"I walked here. What about you? You didn't crawl in, did you?"

Zhou Xiaolu froze on the spot, her eyes widening in disbelief as she stared at her.

Her face flushed instantly, and her chest heaved violently.

She never expected that the pushover who had always been tolerant in the Zhou family would dare to respond to her with such a sarcastic tone in front of so many people after returning from five years abroad.

Song Zhiwei immediately saw the shock in her eyes.

She is no longer the girl who lived under someone else's roof.

She experienced so much during those five years abroad.

Loneliness, betrayal, struggle, growth.

In countless late nights, she repeatedly asked herself the same question.

Why keep your head down?

She eventually came to her senses.

No matter how hard she tries or how obedient she is, she can never truly become a daughter of the Zhou family.

Blood ties cannot be changed, and a sense of belonging cannot be forced.

She never expected to receive a single penny from the Zhou family.

If that's the case, why bother humbling yourself in front of others?

Why endure their condescending mockery and humiliation?

Zhou Xiaolu was so angry that she was panting heavily, her face turning pale and then red. She gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at the large black men's coat she was wearing.

The clothes were clearly not her size; they hung loosely on her body.

Zhou Xiaolu immediately seized on this point, sneered, and spoke with extreme sarcasm.

"Could it be that she hooked up with some middle-aged man? Is that how she got in?"

"Oh my, you're already so cunning as soon as you get back, you've got some nerve."

A wealthy young lady standing nearby immediately chimed in to curry favor with Zhou Xiaolu.

"Look at her, with those sly eyes and brows, she's clearly not a decent person. What man wouldn't be tempted by her?"

Song Zhiwei stood there, listening to these harsh words, and smiled slightly, the corners of her mouth turning up.

"What, are you upset because I'm prettier than you?"

"But don't be too sad. Knowing that you're not good-looking is at least a sign of self-awareness, which means you're ahead of others."

The young lady immediately turned red with anger.

She wasn't considered a top beauty in the industry.

He barely manages to maintain a semblance of dignity thanks to his family background and the support of his friends.

But when Song Zhiwei pointed it out to his face, he instantly exploded.

She was furious, her voice trembling sharply.

"Song Zhiwei, who do you think you are? Someone with your background, even if you do know a rich man, he'll just be playing with you! You think you can turn the tables just because you've hooked up with someone?"

But these words meant nothing to Song Zhiwei.

She used to be a lawyer, and going to and from court was a daily routine for her. She had seen far too many malicious attacks.

I've experienced being verbally abused to my face.

She was still smiling, her eyes clear.

"You're so nosy about other people's private affairs, even asking who eats with whom and what they say. All the busybodies in the community should give way to you. Should I help you register for the title of 'enthusiastic citizen' at the neighborhood office?"

Then, she slowly turned to Zhou Xiaolu.

"And you, Xiaolu, although I'm not your biological sister, I'm nominally considered family."

She slightly raised her eyes and looked directly at the other person.

"You're spreading rumors that I'm having an affair with an old man, trying to make outsiders think that the Zhou family is on the verge of collapse and is even selling their adopted daughter for money?"

"If Uncle Zhou knew that these rumors were affecting the company's stock price, causing investors' confidence to waver, or even triggering a stock price crash, and he got so angry that he ended up in the hospital, would you be happy?"

"Or are you hoping the company will collapse so you can divide the assets sooner? After all, once a family business goes bankrupt and is liquidated, some people can take the opportunity to seize the assets, right?"

Zhou Xiaolu's face flushed red, her breathing became rapid, and she opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found that she couldn't utter a single word.

She looked at the faint smile on Song Zhiwei's lips.

"Even if you didn't seduce the older man, isn't it disgusting enough that you fell for your own uncle?"

Song Zhiwei was startled, her pupils contracted slightly, and the smile on her face froze instantly.

A cold draft seeped in through the cracks in the corridor windows.

She pinched her palm hard.

Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the surging emotions in her heart and took out her phone.

Does your uncle know about what you're talking about?

"Should I call him now and tell him exactly what you said? Let him judge for himself whether your unfounded speculations are based on anything?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaolu's body stiffened slightly, and her pupils contracted sharply.

She originally thought Song Zhiwei would panic and deny it.

But to her utter surprise, the other party did not back down in the slightest.

Instead, they seemed determined to bring the matter to the forefront.

Her eyes immediately became suspicious as she looked Song Zhiwei up and down.

Actually, she stumbled upon this incident by chance.

That day she passed by her father's study.

I only intended to bring in a cup of tea, but I overheard hushed conversations coming from inside.

She subconsciously stopped and eavesdropped through the crack in the door, hearing the words "Song Zhiwei," "Zhou Yuce," and "like" intermittently.

The sounds inside were extremely faint, and she couldn't hear the whole thing clearly.

She simply pieced together what she considered a reasonable deduction based on her consistent prejudice.

Song Zhiwei fell in love with her uncle, Zhou Yuze.

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and the more disgusted she felt.

But now, looking at Song Zhiwei's calm and composed demeanor...

Her heart suddenly pounded, and a strange unease crept over her.

She began to wonder if she had made a mistake.

Song Zhiwei had no time to pay attention to Zhou Xiaolu's inner struggle.

She didn't want to let the rumors fester any longer, and she didn't want unfounded stigma to continue to haunt her.

She opened her phone's contact list without any expression.

With precise fingertip selection, he selected the name "Zhou Yuce" and pressed the call button without hesitation.

The phone then rang with a clear "beep-beep" sound.

This matter must be clarified today.

She could no longer remain silent, nor could she back down.

Otherwise, once the rumors spread...

The scandal of "Song Zhiwei being shameless and coveting her brother-in-law" will spread throughout the entire high society.

Upon hearing the dial tone, Zhou Xiaolu's face turned deathly pale.

She rushed forward, snatched the phone from Song Zhiwei's hand, her hand trembling, and pressed the hang-up button hard.

She knew it all too well.

If Zhou Yuze, the younger brother, really received this call, he would find out that she was spreading such absurd rumors everywhere.

The Zhou family rules will never let her off easily.

Her status, resources, and even her future in the Zhou family will collapse as a result.

Just thinking about the consequences made her break out in a cold sweat and her limbs go weak.

"I'm sorry, Zhiwei... I... I was just talking nonsense, please don't take it seriously, really..."