As Su Ming slapped herself. I was stunned, watching her crumble into her exaggerated performance.
Before I could even react, Han Sheng rushed over, his face filled with concern as he tried to comfort her. It clicked in my head. "Oh! this was the plan." She wasn't done, though. Han Jiang joined the scene, stepping in as her accomplice.
Together, they started spinning their story to Han Sheng. "She got angry over the necklace," Han Jiang accused, pointing at me. "She even hit Su Ming!"
"What?" I blinked in disbelief, then pointed at myself. "Me?"
"Yes, you!" Su Ming sobbed, clutching her cheek for extra effect.
Han Sheng turned to me, his face a mix of disappointment and disbelief. "Why are you treating your sister like this? Apologize to her!"
I couldn't help it—I started to laugh. A low, incredulous chuckle fizzed up, then full-on laughter. It didn't sit well with the crowd, and Han Sheng grew more serious.
"Apologize," he insisted again.
Su Ming's act only intensified. "Sister, you don't have to apologize," she whimpered, her hands clasped together. "I know you hate me… I can take it."
The crowd was eating it up, but I had a plan. I squatted down in front of her, my face twisted into a fake sorrowful expression. "Sister, I'm so sorry for hurting you," I said, my voice dripping with mock regret. I reached for her hands, clasping them tightly, and began to press them firmly, my grip hidden from the others.
Su Ming flinched, trying to pull back, but I didn't let go. The panic in her eyes was priceless. When she finally shoved me away, I took the opportunity to act, staggering dramatically and falling back hard onto the floor.
"Sister!" I cried, my voice trembling with fake hurt. "I know I was wrong, and I just wanted to apologize… but why are you so cruel to me?"
Gasps filled the room as I kept my expression pitiful, letting my tears well up. Just then, Han Sheng's grandfather entered the scene, his commanding voice cutting through the tension. "What happened here?" he asked, hurrying to help me up.
I looked at him, my lips trembling, and put on my best puppy-dog eyes. "Grandfather, I only wanted to apologize to Sister," I said softly, my voice breaking. "But she got angry and pushed me away."
Before Su Ming could defend herself, Grandfather turned on her with fury. "You! How dare you behave like this toward my granddaughter-in-law?"
"Grandfather, no, she's the one—" Su Ming started, but he wasn't having it.
"Silence!" he thundered, his voice filled with authority. "You are just an illegitimate child, a mistress's daughter. How dare you speak like this to her!"
The room fell silent as his words rang out. Then, he turned his attention to Han Sheng, his glare sharp. "And you! How could you let this happen? Is this how you protect your wife?"
I bit back a smile, keeping my face pitiful and innocent as the chaos unfolded around me. Su Ming was left standing there, her elaborate act crumbling under Grandfather's wrath.
While the commotion swirled around us, my father and stepmother joined in, their smiles painfully artificial as they faced Han Sheng's grandfather. "Don't worry, Mr. Han," my father said, his voice smooth and full of insincere sincerity. "I'll ask my daughter to apologize right away."
Stepmother added, with a forced sweetness that made my stomach turn, "Yes, Su Ming is just young and impulsive. We'll make sure she apologizes properly to her sister."
Their words were hollow, their eyes betraying the act they were putting on for the crowd. Su Ming glared at me with fiery resentment but muttered, "I'm sorry," though it dripped with insincerity.
I turned to Han Sheng's grandfather, lowering my gaze and softening my voice. "I'm sorry, grandfather, for all of this. It's your special day, and I hate that I've ruined it like this."
But he simply took my hand in his, patting it gently with a warmth that dissolved my guilt. "It's nothing, my dear. These things happen. You've done nothing wrong, my good granddaughter-in-law."
As the chaos began to settle, the room shifted focus to showering grandfather with gifts. Guests presented him with extravagant items—jade pendants, luxury cars, rare artifacts. Then Han Sheng stepped forward with his gift, unveiling a thousand-year-old Jinshan, said to be beneficial for heart health. Everyone murmured in awe at the thoughtfulness and rarity of the gesture.
When it was my turn, I pulled out a carefully wrapped painting. It was an original from one of Han Sheng's grandfather's favourite artists, something I had painstakingly sourced. His eyes widened as he took it in, and his face lit up with pure joy.
"This…" he murmured, almost breathless. "This is the best gift I've ever received on my birthday. How did you know? It's perfect. Truly perfect."
His words were like fuel to Su Ming's jealousy. She stepped forward, her face flushed with anger. "This has to be a fake," she spat. "There's no way she could afford something like this. Where would she even get the money? She is just showing off!"
The room grew tense as her words echoed. I stood calm, about to respond, when the door to the hall opened. A commanding voice cut through the air. "It's not fake."