This kind of fear Chu Ting had never experienced in her life washed through her. Staring back at Sun Feiyan, she finally understood why Sun Qiyan never dared to mess with this woman.
Fear ran through her veins, and she resisted from Sun Feiyan, letting out her urge to scream as Sun Feiyan dragged her hair painfully from her scalp towards the restroom’s door. The room was filled with Chu Ting’s cries for help, but Lu Xinyi remained standing in her place.
Ah, it sounded like a musical was being played at that moment; and the little devil hummed her approval on her cousin’s way of torture. In her ears, Chu Ting’s screams were far better than the music being played at the banquet hall—though her voice sounded like plates being smashed into pieces on the wall.
Chu Ting could only glare at Sun Feiyan through her watery eyes, but the scorching pain had reminded her that she’d brought this unto herself.
“Do you understand now, Miss Chu? Even if I don��t have the Sun family to back me up, I can easily crush you with my bare hands. Say, what do you think will happen if your father finds out he was raising a whore all this time? He pampered you so much that you chose to end up as a high-end bitch.” Sun Feiyan paused and smiled evilly.
“This is my last warning, Miss Chu. If I hear another nonsense word from you about me or Lu Xinyi, I’ll end your pathetic life. You’ll see Sun Qiyan sooner than you expected…”
Chu Ting shivered in fear. She tried to convince herself that Sun Feiyan was just bluffing, but the intense gaze that the latter had on her eyes told her everything. Sun Feiyan was dead serious. The look she shot onto Chu Ting was enough to freeze hell.
Sun Feiyan slowly released her hold on Chu Ting’s throat and stepped back, eyes ablaze. In Chu Ting’s eyes, Sun Feiyan was truly a demon.
“Go now and never show yourself to me ever again. This is my first and last warning to you, Chu Ting. Do not test my patience.”
Chu Ting didn’t need to be told twice. She hurriedly opened the door and ran outside, never looking back where she came from.
At that moment, Lu Xinyi chose to step out of the cubicle she was in and slowly gave her cousin a clap.
“This is surprising. Sun Feiyan knows how to counter bitchcraft?” She laughed. She was really amused by this cousin of hers.
Sun Feiyan eyed her before rolling her eyes towards her cousin. So Lu Xinyi had been there since the beginning.
“She started it anyway. I’m willing to end it for her,” she replied and adjusted the skirt of her black dress that reached down her knees. “Chu Ting wouldn’t bother us anymore.”
“Ah, you really don’t have to protect me from her. There’s nothing she could do to hurt me.” Lu Xinyi hummed before remembering something. “Feiyan, let’s talk.”
—-
Lu Xinyi led her cousin out of the banquet hall of the Li Manor and into the foyer. Moving at a slower pace, they greeted the other guests they met on their way. Lu Xinyi’s smile was starting to hurt her face from all these pleasantries she had to endure.
In contrast to her, Sun Feiyan easily ended the conversation the other guest tried to start up without offending them before leading Lu Xinyi to the garden where the guests were allowed to roam around.
Feet moved through the garden pathway with a light crunch sound. Their eyes then flickered at the stunning scenery the garden offered. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Lu Xinyi’s fingers lightly stroke a Plumeria on her way, its white petals and yellow-tinted center were beautiful under the moonlight.
Sun Feiyan remained silent as her eyes flickering from the garden surrounding them before turning to look at her cousin.
“What do you want to talk about?” She asked, taking a seat at one of the benches in the garden.
“How did Chu Ting find out about your parentage?” Lu Xinyi didn’t beat around the bush. She’d already released Sun Feiyan’s mother a few weeks ago.
Sun Feiyan shrugged and crossed her legs. She’d been standing for too long, her legs were starting to hurt. If it wasn’t for Ye Xingjie’s sake, she wouldn’t have agreed to attend this party with him.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. However, it must be my mother seeking media to leak the issue to destroy me,” she responded.
“And Meng Jiao?”
Sun Feiyan froze still for a moment before turning her head towards Lu Xinyi. There was a hint of desperation in Lu Xinyi’s voice as she regarded Sun Feiyan. She hadn’t expected that Lu Xinyi was still bothered about Meng Jiao’s death.
“Do you still blame me for her death? Xinxin, she’s a person of her own. While several factors affect a person’s decision—in the end, you cannot blame others for the choices you make.” Sun Feiyan brushed away a stray lock from her face before turning her cold gaze to Lu Xinyi.
“Just like how you’ve overcome the Sun family and haven’t become one.”
Lu Xinyi wanted to contest that if it wasn’t for the Sun family, her previous friend Meng Jiao wouldn’t have ideas to scheme against her; but what Sun Feiyan said was right. She, herself, couldn’t just blame others for Meng Jiao’s fate.
“Then, who killed her?” she asked instead. There was no way in hell that she’d believe that Meng Jiao died in a car accident.
“Do you really have to ask?”
Of course, Sun Feiyan knew the truth, but if she were to say that it was her and Ye Xingjie who forced Meng Jiao to her death to spare Lu Xinyi’s life, would Lu Xinyi believe her?
Sun Feiyan had taken an interest in Meng Jiao since the woman had proven herself a threat to Lu Xinyi. What’s the best way to keep an enemy but right by one’s side?
Didn’t someone say ‘keep your friends close, and your enemies closer’? In any case, she ought to watch her adversaries much closer than her companions so she could comprehend what they were doing.
That way, she wouldn’t have to worry if Meng Jiao did drastic measures against Lu Xinyi. However, what Sun Feiyan hadn’t expected was Sun Mingai’s involvement with Meng Jiao.
Meng Jiao’s plan to purposely lose Lu Xinyi in the wilderness wasn’t her idea. She wasn’t aware and only learned about it from the academy when Lu Xinyi went missing. A few days later, she found out that her aunt had met Meng Jiao the day before they left for their training camp.
“Do you really think I would harm that one person that Aunt Meixiu wanted to protect?”
At those words, Lu Xinyi stilled and looked at her cousin with bewilderment.
“Y-you…” She was lost in words and didn’t know what to ask her.
As if sensing her hesitation, Sun Feiyan let out a bitter smile, her cold expression slightly softened as she remembered what happened years ago. “I was there when your mom was dying. Xinxin, can you forgive me for my incompetence for not being able to save her?”
