☆, Chapter 276 Getting Out of the Way

Upon hearing this, An Li was momentarily stunned. She was only concerned about the relationship between Jiang Ran and Si Yanxiao, but forgot that she was the younger sister of the president of Jiang's Group.

The relationship between Jiang Ran and Jiang Yuechen was also suddenly revealed. Only a few people knew the secrets of that year. After all, family scandals should not be aired in public. If the fact that she abandoned her child because of her strong destiny was exposed, she would be criticized.

Not to mention that the Jiang family's roots are in other provinces, so they don't pay much attention to news here. Even if they hear a little bit of news, they won't come forward to explain, much less belittle it.

With a century-old business empire, it's understandable that the Jiang Group has entered high society.

Anli suddenly realized she had said the wrong thing. Her eyes flashed, and she forced herself to continue, "Well, it's a fact that you're involved with other men, right?"

"You were the one who, in a fit of rage, secretly had someone beat him up, weren't you?"

An Li laid out the truth one by one, and Jiang Ran's gaze suddenly sharpened as she listened.

Those standing nearby looked surprised, never expecting such a secret to exist.

"You mean... Lu Ziyi?" Jiang Ran hesitated slightly, feigning confusion.

An Li lowered her eyes and remained silent, replying coldly, "Who else could it be?"

Jiang Ran listened as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, and burst into laughter. Then she said sarcastically, "So you're just standing up for your sweetheart..."

The words had barely left his lips when they exploded in everyone's hearts like a thunderclap, leaving those around him looking astonished.

"What's going on?"

"How did the man who had an ambiguous relationship with Mrs. Si become An Li's sweetheart?"

"Tsk tsk, who knows what really happened?"

The surrounding area instantly erupted in discussion, and all eyes turned to An Li with scrutiny.

An Li suddenly felt like she had become the target of everyone's criticism. Her eyes darkened, and a look of displeasure flashed across her face. Then she said sharply, "Don't change the subject!"

"You like Lu Ziyi but can't have him, and you can't stand seeing him with me, so you maliciously slander him, isn't that right!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran's face flashed with disdain, and she suddenly scoffed, "Do you really think he's some kind of hot commodity?"

"Si Yanxiao is handsome, rich, and powerful. Why would I ignore him and go after a phoenix man who only knows how to climb the social ladder? Am I blind or something wrong with my brain?"

While making self-deprecating remarks, his words were also full of sarcasm towards Lu Ziyi.

His expression hardened, and seeing An Li's unpleasant look, he continued, "And do you really think I'm someone to be manipulated just because I'm defending myself? Those previous rumors were just malicious fabrications."

“Lu Ziyi and his lover pretended to be strangers in front of me. That woman deliberately flattered me to lower my guard, all in order to ruin my reputation and transfer my assets.”

Jiang Ran briefly recounted the events in a few words, and also took the opportunity to remove herself from her previous notorious reputation.

Her explanation alone seemed like a cover-up, but if it were spread by someone else, the nature of the matter would be completely different.

Those watching nearby scoffed at Lu Ziyi upon hearing this, and their gazes toward An Li took on a different character.

An Li noticed their scrutiny, her eyes narrowed, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed between her brows.

Then he coldly retorted, "Nonsense! It was clearly Ziyi who rejected you, and you're making up stories on him!"

"Tch..." Jiang Ran sneered, her face showing disdain.

I originally thought Lu Ziyi had some kind of personal charm that could make a wealthy heiress like An Li so devoted to him.

Now it seems that besides his desire to curry favor with the powerful, the more crucial factor is that he is also a bit dim-witted. Even after telling her the whole truth, he still firmly believes Lu Ziyi's one-sided story.

A typical example of someone blinded by love.

Seeing that Jiang Ran remained silent, An Li continued, "Now that Si Yanxiao has woken up, you definitely need to sever ties with him. Everyone knows what kind of person you were before."

"Now you're putting on this sanctimonious act? What's the point?"

Jiang Ran listened to her cold sneer, clearly knowing that she wanted to embarrass her in front of everyone, but she chose the wrong person and ended up getting herself involved.

His gaze sharpened slightly, and he disdained to argue with her, replying coldly, "Don't say I have nothing to do with him. Even if we did, so what? You're all lovey-dovey with him now, do you think other people's leftovers are so delicious?"

Her words were clearly a sarcastic remark implying that Lu Ziyi was a secondhand person, while she was a garbage collector.

"You!" An Li was furious. She took two steps forward, ready to attack in a fit of rage: "You're asking for it!"

Jiang Ran watched coldly as she approached her, her eyes narrowing. Just as she was about to get up, a sharp shout suddenly came from behind her.

"stop!"

Upon hearing the sound, An Li paused, following everyone's gaze toward the source of the sound.

Si Yanxiao walked in slowly, his black shirt making him look even taller and more upright. However, his face was cold and his eyes were icy, which made them shiver involuntarily.

Among them were some people who had seen him before, and a look of surprise flashed across their faces before they exclaimed in astonishment, "It's Si Yanxiao!"

Why would he come?

An Li's expression suddenly turned ugly. The reason she dared to target Jiang Ran so recklessly was because she was certain of Si Yanxiao's attitude towards her.

Why is Si Yanxiao suddenly coming to her banquet?

Before she could finish her thoughts, Si Yanxiao had already walked over slowly and sneered, "Is this how the An Group treats its guests?"

Anli didn't understand the meaning behind it, but those watching from the sidelines exchanged bewildered glances, a look of surprise flashing in their eyes.

This banquet was undoubtedly just a gathering for the younger generation to pass the time when they had nothing to do, but Si Yanxiao's words instantly elevated it to a higher level.

Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow, surprised that he would come all this way for her. Si Yanxiao noticed her gaze on him, his eyes narrowed, and he gave her a warning look.

Anli watched their interaction, barely regaining her senses, her face darkening.

Then, with a slight pursing of his lips, he asked in a low voice, "What brings Mr. Si to our private gathering?"

"What? You can't come?" Si Yanxiao retorted directly.

An Li choked on her words, a look of unease flashing across her face, and replied repeatedly, "How could that be?"

Her words carried a hint of flattery; she dared to be stern with Jiang Ran, but dared not speak recklessly in front of Si Yanxiao.

Everyone has heard of his reputation as a cold-faced devil, and everyone is eager to curry favor with him.

If it weren't for Lu Ziyi, she would never have wanted to have anything to do with him.

Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao's face showed displeasure. He parted his thin lips slightly and said coldly, "Is that so? But why do I feel like you're using your numbers to target my wife at every turn?"

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly turned sharp, sweeping across the surroundings. Upon seeing this, everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.

Upon hearing this, An Li was startled. Si Yanxiao's actions were undoubtedly a way of clearing Jiang Ran's name in front of the outside world.

His brow furrowed slightly, and a sinister look flashed across his face. The current situation was clearly not what he had expected.

Cheng Shuyu, who had been jumping around, didn't dare to utter a sound and stood timidly to the side.

The Cheng Group can't afford to offend even the Jiang family, let alone go against Si Yanxiao!

For a moment, no one dared to say a word in defense of Anli.

Seeing that she remained silent, Jiang Ran recalled her arrogant and domineering demeanor just now, and then added fuel to the fire, saying, "I kindly told her Lu Ziyi's true colors, but she still insisted on accusing me of being angry out of embarrassment."

"You've really misunderstood my good intentions!"

Hearing Jiang Ran's accusations, An Li's expression changed drastically. Her face darkened, and she coldly rebuked, "You!"

Before she could refute him, Si Yanxiao interrupted An Li.

“Lu Ziyi?!” Si Yanxiao’s tone instantly turned cold, a hint of displeasure showing on his face. He then looked at An Li with a cold eye and spoke sarcastically.

"You actually like that kind of stuff?"

Si Yanxiao showed no mercy in his words, and An Li's face instantly darkened.

The barrage of questions made her abandon all pretense and she coldly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Si Yanxiao raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, and casually listed a few pieces of evidence against Lu Ziyi.

He then slowly approached Anli, his eyes filled with coldness. Anli felt a sudden panic and didn't even dare to look him in the eye.

With his eyes slightly lowered, Si Yanxiao slowly stood in front of her, his brows furrowed, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and he warned in a cold voice: "You'd better make sure he hides well enough, or I'll make him pay the price!"