"I'm telling you, these aren't mine!" Shen Xinrou was trembling, whether from anger or embarrassment, she didn't know.
The fury inside her was burning, but she forced herself not to lose her composure in front of so many people.
She tightly clenched her hands, her neatly trimmed nails digging deep into the flesh of her palms, the dull pain keeping her calm.
She grabbed Xingkong's wrist, tears welling up in her sharp phoenix eyes, full of unexplainable grievances. "I don't know, these really aren't mine. I don't know why they were in my bag. Xingkong, do you believe me, big sister?"
Of course, Xingkong believed her.
Shen Xinrou wouldn't put these things in her bag, she wouldn't give anyone the chance to embarrass her.
Qiao Yunxing didn't need her to prepare these things either.
Unfortunately, her judgment in making friends wasn't very good.
Xingkong's black and white pupils moved as she looked at He Yajing.
He Yajing felt guilty under her gaze, lacking confidence. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Shen Xinrou also looked at He Yajing.
Suddenly, she understood.
It was her.
These things were hers, she had prepared them to lure in a wealthy man from the Golden Turtle List.
But why were they in her own bag?
What did she say again? She said she lost her ring, and hinted to herself that Shen Xingkong had stolen it. And then?
Oh right, she told Shen Xingkong that her bag hadn't been searched.
And then, she told Qi Xingkong that she must search her own bag and let him take out everything.
It turned out that she was trying to frame herself all along!
"Rou, why are you looking at me like that? Why do you have these things in your bag? I, I don't know." He Yajing avoided eye contact, she couldn't let anyone know that these things were hers.
The most important thing now was to find the ring sponsored by Song's Jewelry.
"We don't need to investigate these irrelevant things now. My ring hasn't been found yet. Can you guys help me find it? This ring was sponsored and cannot be lost." He Yajing pleaded.
Shen Xinrou closed her eyes. If this matter was spread out, what face would she have left?
She was not favored by the Qiao family to begin with. If this matter was spread to the Qiao family, they would definitely think that she was playing both sides.
While seducing the rich and powerful, she also kept these things with her, ready to seduce a wealthy man at any time. They would never agree to her and Yunxing's affair.
"Yes, these things are irrelevant. Your ring is important." Huo Mingzhu couldn't bear to see Shen Xinrou in this state.
Although what she did was despicable, she shouldn't be humiliated in public like this.
"Give me your bag." Huo Mingzhu reached out to He Yajing.
"My bag?"
"Thieves always shout 'catch the thief'. It's not impossible for someone to steal from themselves. You said this ring is worth several million, I think this price should be very attractive to a small-time actress like you."
"Miss Huo, how can you say that? Do you think I would steal a ring?"
"You, a D-list celebrity, wouldn't steal a ring for a few million, but Miss Shen, the third daughter of the Shen family, would?"
"What kind of Shen family daughter is she? She's just an adopted daughter."
"If I remember correctly, she's also an adopted daughter," Huo Siye, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.
His aura was very low, so low that no one dared to breathe for fear of offending him.
"How can they be the same?"
"Sister, am I not the same as you?" Upon hearing this, Xingkong looked at Shen Xinrou with a sad expression.
Shen Xinrou had already regained her senses and was convinced that she had been tricked by He Yajing. She couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
What did He Yajing mean by "how can they be the same?"
What's the difference between her and Shen Xingkong?
Or is she trying to remind everyone that Shen Xingkong is a pure and innocent adopted daughter, while she is a dark and illegitimate daughter dragging the family down?
She couldn't let He Yajing step on her to climb up, nor could she let people think that she, as an older sister, looked down on Shen Xingkong, who was also an adopted daughter.
So she smiled and affectionately took Xingkong's wrist. "No, we're the same. We're sisters, and we have no difference."
"Xinrou!"
"Yajing, she's my sister. You can't say that about her. You have to apologize to her."
"Apologize? Xinrou, are you out of your mind? Why should I apologize to her?" He Yajing looked at Shen Xinrou in confusion. What's going on?
She was doing this to get revenge for herself.
Wasn't she angry because Shen Xingkong had framed Shen Xinai and caused her to lose several resources? How come she was now standing with Shen Xingkong?
"Yajing, don't make things too embarrassing. Apologize to Xingkong and let this matter end here."
"Why should I? I'm the victim. Why should I apologize to a thief?" He Yajing didn't understand what had happened to Shen Xinrou.
"If you keep accusing me of being a thief, show me the evidence." Shen Xingkong's gaze was cold as he stared at He Yajing, enunciating each word clearly. "If you can't produce any evidence, I'll sue you for defamation. There are so many people, including my sister and Qi Rongchen, who are witnesses!"
"You!"
"Yajing, since you're so stubborn, I can't let my sister suffer. Since both of our bags have been searched, for the sake of fairness, your bag needs to be searched too."
"I'm the one who lost something. Why should you search my bag?"
"Because I understand one thing."
"What thing?"
"Thieves often cry 'stop thief' to divert attention from themselves and commit theft themselves." Shen Xinrou repeated what Huo Mingzhu had just said.
He Yajing's face changed slightly. Although her expression looked calm, only she knew how nervous she was inside.
On the one hand, she was worried that the ring would be hidden by Shen Xingkong, and she would not be able to explain it to the Song family.
On the other hand, she was also worried that the ring was really in her bag, although she didn't know why she had this feeling. She just had a hunch that the ring might be in her bag.
"Like I said, for the sake of fairness, I'll search it myself." Qi Rongchen stood up from his chair, flexed his wrist, and snatched the bag from He Yajing's hand.
He Yajing instinctively tried to grab it back, but was suddenly intimidated by Qi Rongchen's indifferent gaze.
Qi Rongchen shook his head. Who was this woman? She had no sense of propriety.
Of all people to frame, she chose Shen Xingkong, the poisonous apple.
If she didn't poison him to death, it was because she had accumulated good karma in her past life.
Once the bag was opened, she would have no way out.
"Qi, are you showing favoritism?" Shen Xingkong laughed leisurely when he saw Qi pause in his actions.
Qi Rongchen immediately shuddered. "You must have misunderstood."
"Well then, hurry up. Don't waste everyone's time. We're here for charity, not for entertainment," Shen Xingkong said.
"You're right."
Qi Rongchen nodded in agreement and, under everyone's curious gaze, opened the bag.
With a clatter, something fell out of the bag, rolled onto the dining table, and then onto the ground.