Qin Man carefully fished out the invitation card from her purse and compared it with the one the stranger had brought.
Then she scoffed and held both of the cards up to show everyone.
“Look, look! Ranran’s invitation has a golden lace sleeve, but this one’s is red. It’s strange, isn’t it?
“Tell me, when did the Music Associationchange their invitation designs, huh? Why would they do that when they’ve already sent out a batch to their participants?
“You should be more meticulous with your forgery next time. I can’t believe you missed such a basic detail. In what world is gold the same as red?”
Unable to help herself, Qin ManthrustYao Ran’s invitation right atYao Tang’s face.
“I’m afraid you’re not cut out for fraud, either. You’re too sloppy. You should really look for another hobby.
“Well, what do you have to say for yourself? Just listen to me and prepare to learn the violin. Don’t even think about participating in an orchestra again. You don’t deserve to even dream of such a thing!”
Something else occurred to Qin Manthen. “Forget about that so-called mentor of yours. I’m sure anyone I hire will be a much better instructor than someone from your village.”
She turned to the invitation card that had just been delivered. “As for this one… Humph!”
Qin Man tossed the card to the floor and promptly stomped on it.
When Jiang Wansaw this, she couldn’t stifle an enraged cry.
“Sister-in-Law, you’re going overboard! How dare you do that to Tangtang’s invitation? Do you have proof that it’s fake, or are you now some counterfeit expert who could detect anomalies with your bare eyes?”
Jiang Wan stared at the crumpled invitation card on the floor withQin Man’s footprints on it.
It was brand new, too, and she didn’t even get the chance to look at it properly!
But Qin Manfelt no remorse whatsoever. She raised her chin atJiang Wanand challenged the other woman. “So I threw a piece of rubbish away, so what? How dare you question my judgment? That trash is nothing like myRanran’s invitation card!
“Oh, I think I see where this is going. You’ve been in cahoots with Yao Tangall along, haven’t you? Did you two conspire to lie to us? Country bumpkins are like that, after all. They get greedy pretty quickly, and they tend to resort to immoral means to get what they want. You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
Qin Man huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, daringJiang Wanto retort.
It was at that moment that the stranger finally spoke. His eyes were burning with anger as he addressed Qin Man. “With all due respect, Madam, I can vouch for this invitation myself.It is indeed from theMusic Association, and there has been no case of falsification involved. I would appreciate it if you take back your words. You cannot slander MissYao Tangand damage her reputation like this!”
Qin Man snorted and rolled her eyes. She glared at the man with disdain. “You’re a paid actor, aren’t you? You’re quite well-dressed, and you do look the part, but let me tell you right now—you’re not fooling anyone! A fake is a fake, and that’s that.
“How much are your fees, anyway? I’ll double whatever this chit is paying you, so you can just scram!”
All of a sudden, Old Madam Yaorose from her seat and banged her fist against the table. “Enough!”
“Mom!” Qin Manwhined. “You can’t keep spoilingYao Tang, you would only be doing more harm than good! You know this, too, right? If she can lie about such an important matter, who knows what sort of illegal activities she might get into in the future? By then, it would be too late for you to keep her in check!
“Just as I expected, you can try to dress up a bumpkin and integrate her into upper society, but her nature will always be the same. My Ranranis still the best. Not only is she smart, but she’s well-mannered, too.Yao Tangcan’t even compare!”
Qin Man was getting comfortable on her perch, thinking that she stood on the moral high ground.Old Madam Yaocould never change the truth, no matter how much she lovedYao Tang.
The man was rooted by the door as the fiasco unfolded in his eyes. He looked appalled. He had never witnessed something so horrible yet so ridiculous at the same time.
