Chapter 72 My bones are straight for rebels!

The next day was the opening ceremony of the "Breaking the Cocoon" exhibition.

The Qingyan Art Center boasts a high, expansive dome, cascading with light.

The media was present with their cameras and microphones, and collectors and celebrities gathered in droves.

Su Ruan stood at the entrance, a gentle smile on her face, welcoming and seeing off the guests.

She wore a crisp ivory white silk shirt that concealed the bandage marks on her shoulders.

Her long hair was pulled back in a low bun, and the redness and swelling on her cheeks were softened by her makeup.

Yan Tingnan stood in the center of the crowd, wearing a smoky gray Burberry haute couture suit that accentuated his sharp shoulders and slender waist.

It was the set that Qi Zhu had bought for him that night, spending two hundred thousand silver dollars with gritted teeth.

The garment, worn by him at this moment, fits him perfectly, as if tailored to fit his body perfectly.

He was talking with several international curators, but his gaze seemed to sense something, passing through the crowd and landing on her.

Their eyes met briefly, and silence spoke volumes.

At this moment, Wen Shuheng and Shen Mingwei came arm in arm.

Wen Wanwan followed closely beside her parents, wearing a soft pink haute couture dress, her smile gentle and graceful.

Shen Mingwei's gaze fell on Su Ruan, and she suddenly froze.

The Su Ruan before them was calm and composed, no longer the impulsive and rebellious girl they remembered, the one who needed their tolerance.

Shen Mingwei said softly, "Ruan Ruan, congratulations."

Su Ruan's gaze swept calmly over the three of them, distant yet polite.

"Mr. Wen, Mrs. Wen, welcome to the 'Breaking the Cocoon' exhibition."

Wen Shuheng nodded with an elegant air, his voice gentle.

"Hard."

"SoftVoice's debut today is highly anticipated."

Wen Wanwan stepped forward, her face beaming with a smile of blessing.

"Ruanruan, congratulations!"

"It's truly remarkable that SoftVoice was featured at the Qingyan Breaking the Cocoon Exhibition!"

"All the attention today is definitely on you!"

Although he said that, he was very confused.

How can she still be standing here?

It shouldn't be...

"Ms. Wen is joking. The focus will always be on the artwork."

After Su Ruan finished speaking, she noticed the figures of the Su family of three behind them.

Su Shiwan, arm in arm with her parents, squeezed in with a gloating expression.

Su's mother's face showed undisguised disdain, while Su's father frowned.

Su Ruan stepped forward, her smile polite.

"Mom and Dad, sister, welcome."

"I hope that today's exhibits will meet your expectations."

Su Shiwan deliberately moved closer to Su Ruan.

He lowered his voice, a hint of smugness in it.

"Oh, you can still laugh? You're really good at keeping your composure."

"You don't look too good. Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Su Shiwan scoffed, her tone laced with malice.

"Could it be that you're having something on your mind and are too scared to sleep?"

"I heard that SoftVoice spent a lot of money on this grand finale product?"

"Tsk tsk, let's hope it's all for nothing."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for Su's parents and Wen's family members next to her to hear clearly.

Wen Wanwan cast a concerned glance at her.

"Ruan Ruan, don't put too much pressure on yourself, just do your best."

"After all, the starting point is low, so the requirements can't be too high."

The implication was clear from the conversation that SoftVoice was unworthy of its position.

“Ms. Wen, no matter how low SoftVoice’s starting point is, it still takes solid steps.”

Su Ruan spoke calmly, yet every word was sharp and piercing.

"It's better than some people who start from the sky but stand on an empty shell, swaying with the slightest breeze."

Wen Wanwan choked and her face turned red.

She was startled by Su Ruan's veiled words, and almost lost her smile.

Seeing Wen Wanwan humiliated, Su Shiwan felt even more humiliated and became even more arrogant.

"Don't you even know your own limitations? Your lousy, low-quality brand doesn't deserve to be the grand finale of Qingyan's exhibition!"

"Just wait, the bigger the scene today, the harder you'll fall!"

She got more and more excited as she talked, and she couldn't hide the schadenfreude on her face.

Su Zhenting frowned and scolded in a low voice, "Shiwan, mind your manners!"

There was little genuine intention to stop them in their tone.

Su Shiwan and Wen Wanwan were both waiting to see Su Ruan lose her composure, waiting to see her forced calm collapse.

Su Ruan raised her chin, her gaze calmly sweeping over Su Shiwan's smug face.

"Su Shiwan, you really worry yourself sick over me."

"I advise you to worry about yourself."

"The mad dog will be punished by heaven."

"If you jump around like a sour chicken, you'll only end up hurting yourself."

"You might as well open your eyes and watch carefully how SoftVoice flies today."

Su Zhenting's face turned ashen: "Enough! Su Ruan!"

Cen Xue shrieked, "This is outrageous! How dare you speak to your sister like that!"

Shen Mingwei, who had been silent all along, finally frowned.

She took half a step forward, her voice not loud.

"Ruanruan, even if you have achieved something today, you shouldn't be so disrespectful to your elders and speak such harsh words."

"After all, the Su family gave birth to you, and Wanwan and Shiwan are just confused because they care too much."

"The Wen family taught you from a young age to win people over with virtue, not to be quick-witted with words."

"Too much sharpness is easily broken."

“You should learn from Wanwan’s gentle and dignified manner; that is the foundation of one’s character.”

Su Ruan listened quietly to the end.

Oh.

Winning people over with virtue? Gentle and dignified?

She'd heard Shen Mingwei's line of reasoning countless times since she was a child; her ears were practically calloused from it.

It's nothing more than making her endure, making her yield, making her put on a sensible facade like Wen Wanwan, so that others can easily manipulate her.

The naive Su Ruan of the past might feel sad and reflect on herself.

But what about Susoft now?

Screw gentle and elegant!

My bones are straight out of a treachery!

After today's opening ceremony, Yan Tingnan's reckoning will begin.

She wanted to see just how much trouble Shen Mingwei's supposedly gentle and dignified daughter had caused the Wen family!

Today, let the Wen family see for themselves what kind of junk their treasure really is!

Let's see what happens when Wen Wanwan gets involved with Yan Tingnan!

Then we'll see how gentle and dignified you are!

Let's see how the Wen family maintains its standing!

Just wait and see.

The best is yet to come.

Su Ruan suppressed her turbulent emotions and put on a smile again.

"I have taken Madam Wen's teachings to heart."

"However, my principle is to protect what I should protect with my life and earn the position I deserve with my strength."

"It's not about that empty, gentle, and dignified air you're talking about."

As soon as she finished speaking, she stopped looking at the pale and ashen faces of the three members of the Su family and the awkwardness of Wen Wanwan's forced composure.

She turned slightly to the side, her back straight as a pine tree.

"The welcoming remarks are finished."

"The focus today is on the exhibits, not me."

"Please come this way, everyone. The main exhibition area is in the southeast corner of Hall A."

"Go and take a look, I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

Su Ruan's words were exactly what she wanted to hear.

Wen Wanwan and Su Shiwan exchanged a glance and walked forward gracefully.

Each of them had their own thoughts as they headed towards the southeast corner of Area A.

The closer you get to the core exhibition area, the denser the crowds become.

Wen Wanwan felt a vague unease in her heart.

Su Ruan's reaction was too calm, so calm that it made her a little uneasy.

Could it be...?

Su Shiwan couldn't suppress her schadenfreude, and her steps became lighter.

Finally, the independent exhibition area of ​​"Spring's Passing" came into view.

Inside the bulletproof glass display case, "Spring's Passing" hangs safely.

The canvas is a tapestry of the poignant beauty of spring's decay and the vibrant life within, rendered with delicate and expressive brushstrokes, without a single flaw.

There were no corrosive stains as expected!

Su Shiwan's smug expression froze instantly.

It felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water on my face.

He swayed slightly, but Cen Xue caught him.

"Shi Wan?" Cen Xue asked in surprise.

Su Shiwan's pupils suddenly contracted as she stared intently at the painting, as if she had seen a ghost!

This painting...

Are you alright?!

Where is Liu Hu?!

Where's that bottle of strong acid?!

The plan failed?!

Su Shiwan's mind was buzzing, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Liu Hu was arrested? And he implicated her?

wrong!

If I had been arrested, the police would have come knocking on my door long ago!

She hasn't received a single word from them!

It must be that gambler Liu Hu!

They ran off with the money!

Yes! That must be it!

Thinking of this, Su Shiwan's heart, which had been in her throat, settled back into her stomach.

She clenched her fists, feeling both fear and hatred, her body trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Wen Wanwan's gaze was also fixed on the painting.

Intact and undamaged!

There wasn't a single trace of damage!

The plan failed! Utterly and completely!

The person that idiot Su Shiwan chose was definitely unreliable!