"So I hit her, and I didn't need your permission?"
It was Xie Wanfei who spoke.
Dressed in a qipao patterned with peonies, she slowly descended the stairs, fanning herself lightly.
Xia Xiaoqiu, munching on potato chips, followed behind her.
"Great Aunt! She... she..."
Xia Chengye's fingers trembled with anger. "This woman..."
Su Hui seemed to be watching a joke. "Xia Chengye, how old are you to be running to Great Aunt to complain?"
Xia Chengye looked at her in disbelief, his voice changing pitch. "Su Hui, you've learned to slander me now?!"
"Isn't that the case? You're not here to ask Great Aunt to back you up, are you?"
"How come I never knew you were so eloquent before?"
"Indeed, just as I didn't know you couldn't distinguish right from wrong before."
"You..."
Xie Wanfei walked over and sat on the sofa. Xia Xiaoqiu plopped down opposite her.
"You two, the couple, settle down first. I have something to say."
Xie Wanfei held significant sway in the Xia family. Not only because of the vast fortune behind her, but also because of her contributions to the Xia children after her sister's passing, which commanded the respect of the younger generation.
Therefore, Xia Chengye, despite his immense resentment, fell silent.
Xia Yiran stared at Xie Wanfei, her eyelids twitching uncontrollably. She had a bad feeling that this old woman had sinister intentions!
"Dad, Mom, I have an announcement. I'll be heading back to the company."
As she made to leave, Xia Xiaoqiu let out a snicker. "You're effectively blacklisted by the company now. What announcements do you even have?"
Xie Wanfei also cast a dismissive glance at her.
Su Hui, exceptionally filial to Xie Wanfei, said, "Yiran, sit down and listen to what Great Aunt has to say."
Xia Yiran gritted her teeth, eyeing Xie Wanfei warily. Since she couldn't leave, she might as well see what this old hag was up to!
"Xiaoqiu."
"Yes!"
Xie Wanfei gave an order, and Xia Xiaoqiu sprang into action, her spirit ignited. "Uncle Er, Aunt Er, how are your hearts? If they are strong enough, then listen carefully to what I'm about to say!"
***
Xi En sat in the car, his eyes closed in rest.
Behind him, his assistant and makeup artist were speaking in hushed tones. "It seems Xia Yiran is completely finished this time!"
"Of all people to offend, why did she have to offend the Empress? I heard even President Liu has given up on her now."
"Exactly. With Brother Yi's backing, who in the entire entertainment industry dares to cross her?"
Xi En slowly opened his eyes.
His agent, Chacha, sat on the other side of the aisle. Seeing him awake, she cautioned, "I know you have some dealings with Xia Yiran, but I advise you not to get involved in her mess. You might end up losing the good reputation you've worked hard to build over the years."
Xi En removed his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled faintly. "So, you think I'm afraid of Xiao Yi too?"
"Alas, it's not a matter of fear! Look at you, attending the awards ceremony with her, yet she posts a selfie! Not only did she stir up trouble, but she also dragged you into the backlash!"
Chacha sneered, "Don't say the photo was accidental. We all work in the same circle, we know who's who!"
The assistant behind them nodded in agreement. "Some expert online has already analyzed the seating arrangement map and found that Xia Yiran's photo angle was indeed intentional. If she wanted to show off, she could have used Brother En as her background! But she specifically included the Empress in the frame, making it hard not to speculate about her intentions."
Chacha looked at Xi En. "Did you hear that? The public's eyes are sharp. Even if she didn't mean it, no one will believe it."
More to the point, there was no such thing as accidental.
Xi En remained silent.
He was there at the time. No one knew better than he did whether Xia Yiran was being intentional.
However, he had tacitly approved it.
He had a prejudice against Xia Weiliang from the start, which led him to jump to conclusions and not stop Xia Yiran.
In his eyes, which female celebrity didn't play little games? He could turn a blind eye to these subtle actions.
Upon reflection now, if he had stopped her in time, things might not have escalated to this point, and Xia Yiran wouldn't be in such a difficult position.
"Oh my god! Big news!"
"Ahhh! This is a bombshell!"
The makeup artist exclaimed, causing Chacha's eardrums to ache. She grumbled, "What's so shocking?"
"Chacha jie! Someone's leaked that Xia Yiran isn't Xia family's biological daughter either..."
"What?!"
Chacha was also stunned.
Xi En furrowed his brows, his expression growing serious. "How is that possible."
"It's true!"
The assistant was also scrolling through her phone. "Oh my god! The news just came out, and Weibo has exploded!"
Xi En immediately took out his phone and went to Weibo. The more he read, the more somber his expression became.
Chacha's phone suddenly rang.
She quickly answered it. "Ah, President Liu! I saw... Okay, okay, I understand... I'll tell En ge!"
After hanging up, she said sternly, "President Liu knows you have a good relationship with Xia Yiran, and the media will definitely seek your confirmation. He specifically instructed you not to speak!"
Xi En thought for a moment and then called Xia Yiran.
The call went straight to voicemail.
"I think..."
"You're not allowed to think!" Chacha was unusually firm, glaring at him. "Xia Yiran is a troublemaker! Ever since she joined the company, nothing good has happened. What she's done, others might not know, but we in the same company are clear. If it weren't for the Xia family backing her, how could she have lasted this long?"
Xi En remained silent, his brow deeply furrowed.
"I know you're sentimental and have taken good care of her, but others don't see it that way! If they spin some story about you at this critical juncture, all your efforts over the years will be for nothing! Can you bear to see all your hard work go down the drain because of a scandal?"
Xi En pursed his lips and finally asked after a long pause, "Is the company planning to abandon her?"
"President Liu can't wait to distance himself from her," Chacha said truthfully.
Xi En lowered his head and continued to read Weibo. The leak came from an ID named "Tian Liang Hao Ge Qiu," an ID he had seen before.
If this were a rumor, the Xia family would have responded immediately.
However, the Xia family remained silent.
The assistant had been closely monitoring Weibo. She suddenly exclaimed, "Chacha jie! The Xia family has spoken!"
"Quick, see what they said!"
"Okay!"
The Weibo post was from Su Hui.
The content was straightforward. Unlike her usual gentle, flowing narrative, she directly stated that Xia family matters were not convenient to disclose to the public and hoped for everyone's understanding.
Although this Weibo post was vague, the keen observers had grasped the key points.
What kind of family matter required no explanation?
If the previous Weibo post was a fabrication, and Xia Yiran was indeed from the Xia family, why the ambiguity? They would have issued a lawyer's letter immediately!
But the Xia family didn't do that. Instead, they implied that family matters should be handled internally.
So, you ponder, you analyze, and if you can't figure it out, ponder some more. If you still can't grasp the meaning, then I lose!