"Hehe..." At this moment, however, she heard someone sneering coldly; the sound was piercing and unpleasant. In Qin Xiangnuan's ears, it was clearly like a hen cackling after laying an egg. Read full story at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✦𝓷𝓮𝓽 "Qin Xiangnuan, when did you also learn to lie with your eyes wide open? That wasn't embroidered by you, was it done by a ghost?" So what if it was done by a ghost? The corners of Qin Xiangnuan's lips curved slightly, but the colder light in her eyes grew even more intense, making Qin Xiangmei feel inexplicably as though a chill had crept up from her feet into her body. He Juan glared at Qin Xiangmei and urged, "Say something, speak up! If you won't speak, why are you even here? Are you playing dumb?" In her heart, Qin Xiangmei sneered, "Qin Xiangnuan, that was originally embroidered by you, yet you still refuse to admit it. How does that benefit you..." "It benefits me not at all. It's you and He Juan who stand to gain." Qin Xiangnuan bluntly jabbed further after Qin Tongmei's comments. Qin Tongmei's complexion changed, revealing an awkwardness as if she had been exposed. Qin Xiangnuan made it clear that she wouldn't admit to it; she claimed it wasn't her handiwork, that it was bought from outside, or given by someone else. Who could do anything to her? She's not the only one who can do double-sided embroidery. In any case, she is adamant in her denial, and no one can prove otherwise. "Quite the lively scene here today!" Just then, a voice came from outside. As the voice dropped, several people walked in, including Mr. Li, Mr. Sun, and Mr. Song. Upon seeing Qin Xiangmei inside, Mr. Sun's face turned sour. If it weren't for Qin Xiangmei's slight usefulness—that she bore The Jians a son and a daughter—Mr. Sun wouldn't even grant her a glance, nor would he acknowledge that the Song Family had such a daughter-in-law. As for Qin Xiangmei, she wanted to say more, but upon seeing Mr. Sun, she no longer dared to. Although Mr. Sun was merely Song Yuan's grandfather, he commanded a certain respect within the Song Family. This very reason compelled Song Wang to secure Mr. Sun's approval before getting married. Now before Mr. Sun, even if Qin Xiangmei felt resentment in her heart, she dared not utter another word about the matter. "Why have you all come?" Old Madam Bai's face fell upon seeing the three elders. "How could we not come? This is my home; what right do I have to not be here? And you, old hag, what are you doing at my home? You come here without bringing anything? Is this how you visit people's homes?" Mr. Li grunted forcefully, the air of violence from his military career lingering on him. Even in his old age, he still radiated an aura of ferocity. Old Madam Bai was sharply taken aback, her chest aching with stifled anger for quite some time. "Alright, let's get to the point," Mr. Song played the peacemaker. "Let's discuss what matters, and moreover, Old Lady Bai," Mr. Song gave no face to Old Madam Bai and spoke very bluntly. He scrutinized Old Madam Bai for a while and then sneered, "When did the Bai Family fall so low as to steal others' work for a competition? What good does winning do? And what if you lose? If you win, can your Bai Family turn into the Huang Family? If you lose, can your Bai Family turn into the Hei Family? Why don't you take a page from Old Man Shi's book? When the old Bai patriarch was alive, setting other things aside, the Bai Family was at least respectable. But now, you old witch, you're only tarnishing the Bai Family's name. Don't think I don't know what you're plotting—having a young girl solve your problems and then trying to coax her into giving away her craft—isn't that so? At your advanced age, you should at least hold some value in your old face, yet how can you stoop to such shameless acts of disrespect, without fearing becoming a laughingstock?" These remarks, one after another, made the Bai Family's faces turn ugly and awkward. It seemed they had been genuinely hit where it hurt, and everyone felt too ashamed to show their faces. This wasn't just a slap in the face; it was like having their faces scratched off. Old Madam Bai was so furious she could barely catch her breath, pointing at Mr. Song without being able to utter a single word. "Enough, don't talk to me, I find it annoying," Mr. Song said with a frosty face, warning Old Madam Bai. Others might not dare to speak up, but he did. If you dare curse at me, believe it or not, I will smash your old face with a brick. Old Madam Bai was clutching her chest, her face turning a ghastly shade from anger. Bai Xingqi hurriedly tried to calm Old Madam Bai down, but he couldn't blame anyone else. And seeing her , clearly struck by Mr. Song's words, he felt complicated inside. Could it be that Grandma truly harbored such thoughts? No wonder she wanted to take someone in as a foster great-granddaughter instead of a foster daughter. Perhaps she really did see value in that person's craftsmanship. "Girl," after scolding Old Madam Bai, Mr. Song then turned to Qin Xiangnuan. Qin Xiangnuan humbly accepted, regardless of what Mr. Song was about to say, she was prepared to take it. "Sigh..." Mr. Song patted Qin Xiangnuan on the shoulder. "You might have to suffer a bit this time. After you get through this, I will have the Bai Family apologize to you. Whatever happens, we can handle it, but we cannot lose face for our country." "Alright," Qin Xiangnuan, for her part, didn't deny anything this time. In fact, she had intended to help out from the start. As Mr. Song said, no matter what, they could not let down their country. With everyone making a fuss at her doorstep, if she didn't hit back hard, it would be a disservice to herself. The reason she had always refused before was because she remembered He Juan's grudge. Now, it's actually quite satisfying; their whole family is coming to bully her, threaten her, and scheme against her, as if she's made of clay. Right, she did it on purpose, but what can they do about it? Mr. Song was very pleased with Qin Xiangnuan's attitude. He had known this young lady for a few years, and her temper was quite stubborn. However, this time it was good, as the girl still considered the bigger picture. "Girl, you will have to pretend to be with the Bai Family first," Mr. Song sighed, they have to find an excuse, they can't just slap their own faces for nothing, and if they do slap, shouldn't they achieve something from it? "Fine," Qin Xiangnuan agreed as well, "but it's just for show." This was a point she would not compromise on. She wouldn't really become a member of the Bai Family, nor would she learn any of the Bai Family's embroidery skills. She also didn't want the Bai Family to take advantage of her. With such family values, how good could the family members really be? "All right then," Mr. Song didn't press further. "Did you all hear that?" he turned and asked the people of the Bai Family. Bai Xingqi felt a little disappointed; he really hoped to form some connection with Qin Xiangnuan. However, considering Qin Xiangnuan's attitude towards their Bai Family, it seemed extremely unfavorable. The young lady was prone to holding grudges and was quite strong-willed. Once she made up her mind about something, it wouldn't be easy to change. From their few encounters, this he had already felt. It was all He Juan's fault, Bai Xingqi narrowed his eyes, staring intently at He Juan. If it hadn't been for her giving that design to Grandma, how could Grandma have come up with such a scheme? Although she did it for the good of the Bai Family, it wasn't the right way. He only hated himself for somehow allowing his judgment to be clouded back then. Now he had hit a snag, and it was almost killing him.