"Are you here to apologize?" Xuejiao chuckled.
Her expression, in Cheng Mingjiao's eyes, was the smugness of a winner.
Cheng Mingjiao was almost shaking with fury, but with Bai Xiumei standing beside her, she held back and gritted her teeth. "Yes, I'm here to apologize."
Cheng Shuo and Cheng Mingze were seated on the sofa, while Li Sitong poured tea for the old lady, her expression conflicted.
Cheng Mingjiao felt humiliated, but she remembered every sharp word the old lady had said to her the previous night.
"Cheng Mingjiao," Bai Xiumei had said, "you are Miss Cheng, and this family treats Xuejiao fairly. In the past, it didn't matter what she did because her surname was Gu, not Cheng. You've been a model of gentleness and intelligence for 16 years. If you destroy your reputation over this incident with Gu Xuejiao, do you think it's worth it?"
The old lady's words echoed in her mind. "If people see that the 'gentle and sensible' Cheng Mingjiao suddenly changed as soon as Gu Xuejiao improved herself, they'll think your kindness was fake all along. Do you really want to ruin everything you've built?"
It wasn't worth it. Not at all.
Taking a deep breath, Cheng Mingjiao looked at Xuejiao and forced herself to speak. "Cousin, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I wasn't thinking clearly yesterday and spoke carelessly. I didn't mean it! I hope you can forgive me."
Bai Xiumei smiled in satisfaction, as did Li Sitong.
Xuejiao, however, remained calm and composed. She tilted her head slightly. "Cousin, since you've realized your mistake, you'll need to read a review in class today. I thought about it all night and still don't see what I did wrong. Since you're taking responsibility, you should explain it publicly. I'll skip my review."
Cheng Mingjiao's eyes widened, her face pale with disbelief. "What? Read a review?"
"Yes," Xuejiao replied, blinking innocently.
"You… you want me to apologize in public?"
Xuejiao nodded.
"Dream on! Teacher Yin didn't say anything about reading a review in class!" Cheng Mingjiao's voice rose in outrage.
"But I did," Xuejiao said lightly, smiling.
"Jiaojiao," Bai Xiumei interrupted gently, trying to smooth things over. "Mingjiao already knows she was wrong. She's still young, and reading a review in front of her classmates might be too harsh."
Li Sitong, noticing the old lady's discomfort, almost instinctively said, "Jiaojiao, Mingjiao has already apologized. There's no need to make her review it in class, right?"
"You can't embarrass her like this," Bai Xiumei added, stepping forward to take Xuejiao's hand with an apologetic smile. "Mingjiao has already admitted her mistake. Be the bigger person and let it go."
Xuejiao coolly pulled her hand away. "Grandma, this isn't about embarrassing Mingjiao. Last time, she publicly called my mother and me foxes. If my classmates don't know the truth, they might believe her words."
She paused, her tone calm but firm. "If they believe her, it will make my life at school difficult. And more importantly, I don't want anyone misunderstanding my mother. Asking Mingjiao to review this publicly isn't to humiliate her—it's to set the record straight."
Li Sitong's face froze. No one wanted to see their reputation tarnished. As someone who prided herself on being upright, she couldn't bear the thought of people believing she was dishonorable.
So, Li Sitong said nothing, but her silence signaled her agreement.
Bai Xiumei's expression darkened for a moment, though she quickly forced a strained smile. She had hoped to smooth this over without escalating it further.
"Jiaojiao, can't we handle this privately? Mingjiao is still a young girl and might be too embarrassed to speak in public," Bai Xiumei coaxed.
Xuejiao shook her head. "A private explanation isn't strong enough. What if someone doesn't hear it? A public review ensures everyone knows the truth and understands that Mingjiao simply made a mistake."
She added with a faint smile, "It's not just about apologizing—it's about clarifying the facts."
"No way!" Cheng Mingjiao suddenly exploded. She could no longer contain her anger.
Xuejiao tilted her head slightly. "You don't want to?"
"No! Absolutely not! You must be dreaming if you think I'll apologize publicly!" Cheng Mingjiao's voice was loud with defiance.
"Grandma, what do you think?" Xuejiao asked, turning to Bai Xiumei with a calm but pointed expression. "If Mingjiao doesn't explain this publicly, people will continue to misunderstand my mother. And with the next parent-teacher meeting coming up after the exams, what will other parents think of her?"
Li Sitong visibly stiffened. Parent-teacher meetings often included many prominent families in the city. If everyone thought of her as a disgrace, how could she hold her head high?
"Grandma," Xuejiao continued, "this is all because of what Mingjiao said. A public review is the best way to resolve it."
Bai Xiumei's forced smile faltered as she realized the conversation was slipping out of her control.
Cheng Mingjiao, however, was seething with rage. "I'm not apologizing publicly! And I'm not wrong! Your mother and you are foxes!" she screamed in a fit of anger.
The room fell silent.
And then, suddenly, a loud "SLAP" echoed through the air.
Li Sitong had slapped Cheng Mingjiao.
Everyone froze.
Even Xuejiao looked stunned. Li Sitong, who had always been cautious and submissive in the Cheng family, had raised her hand against Cheng Mingjiao.
Li Sitong's hands trembled as tears filled her eyes. "Cheng Mingjiao! Why would you say such horrible things about me and my daughter?"
"You hit me! You hit me!" Cheng Mingjiao screamed, holding her cheek in disbelief.
"Cheng Mingjiao!" Cheng Shuo's voice boomed. "Do you even realize what you just said?"
"You all bully me! Everyone is bullying me!" Cheng Mingjiao shouted hysterically before running out of the house.
"Mingjiao!" Liu Yazhen's voice echoed as she rushed after her daughter.
Cheng Shuo sighed and turned to Bai Xiumei. "Mom, I'll go find her and send her home."
Bai Xiumei nodded weakly, looking pale and shaken. "Go. Don't let anything happen to her."
Cheng Shuo grabbed his coat and left. Bai Xiumei sat heavily on the sofa, looking older than she had moments ago.
Meanwhile, Xuejiao quietly stood, picked up her schoolbag, and headed for the door.
"Jiaojiao, where are you going?" Li Sitong called after her.
"School," Xuejiao replied simply, walking outside.
Cheng Mingze, who had remained silent throughout the ordeal, quickly grabbed his own bag and followed her. As they sat in the car, he hesitated before speaking.
"You…" he began, glancing at Xuejiao.
She turned to him, her expression cold and distant. "What? Are you going to defend your sister?"
Cheng Mingze frowned, looking uncomfortable. "You're my sister too," he said softly.
Xuejiao's lips curved into a sarcastic smile, but she said nothing.
The car ride was silent, and Xuejiao's thoughts drifted back to Lin Zhihua's message.
Everything had unfolded just as he predicted.
And yet, she couldn't help but wonder—how did he know her family dynamics so well?
As the car approached the school, Xuejiao stared out the window, lost in thought. Cheng Mingze occasionally glanced at her but remained silent. He had never seen her like this—so indifferent yet so composed. It made him feel both uneasy and guilty.
When the car finally stopped in front of No. 7 Middle School, Xuejiao opened the door and stepped out. Cheng Mingze followed but hesitated before calling out, "Xuejiao."
"What? Help your sister get ahead?" Xuejiao's words were laced with irony, and the faint smile on her face carried a sharp edge. Yet, her appearance was so striking that even such an expression seemed dazzling.
Cheng Mingze shifted uncomfortably, averting his gaze. He frowned and finally said, "You're my sister, too."
"Oh." Xuejiao's tone was indifferent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Silence settled between them.
Xuejiao turned her attention to the window. The soft light of dawn bathed the city, and the road to No. 7 Middle School was already bustling with traffic. Her thoughts wandered aimlessly, detached from the scene outside.
Cheng Mingjiao had not only lost but had also turned against Li Sitong. Could they all stop being a burden to her, just for a while?
Her eyes remained unfocused, staring blankly at the moving vehicles. Suddenly, her mind drifted to the message she had received earlier that morning—from that cunning man.
When she informed him that Cheng Mingjiao was accompanied by Bai Xiumei, his reply was swift and precise:
"Since her grandmother came along, it means Cheng Mingjiao didn't come willingly to admit her mistake. She likely still believes she wasn't wrong. She will apologize, but if you refuse to accept it, the perception of being 'unreasonable' will shift from her to you. However, you shouldn't accept it outright either—doing so would resolve the matter, allowing her to feel vindicated. Next time, she will be even worse."
His next message followed:
"I suggest shifting the focus of the conflict. Your mother's attitude is a problem—she often sides with Cheng Mingjiao because of her precarious status between you and her niece. Since Cheng Mingjiao hasn't realized her mistake, keep reminding her of what she said. Push her with what she finds most intolerable. When her anger boils over, that hateful sentence will surface in her mind again, and she'll say it aloud.
If she repeats it in front of your mother, it will serve as proof that she disrespects your mother. At that point, your mother's attitude won't matter anymore. Once she says it again, your stepfather will step in, furious. His anger will shift the family's attention from you to your cousin. Your grandmother will no longer be able to protect Cheng Mingjiao unconditionally.
The core conflict in the Cheng family will no longer be between you and your cousin—it will be between your mother and your cousin."
Xuejiao replayed those words in her mind, her lips curving into a faint smirk. Lin Zhihua's plan was meticulous and precise. The more she thought about it, the more brilliant it seemed. At the very least, it had created a long-overdue reprieve for her.
Still… if he ever found out she had called him "cunning," would he glare at her in annoyance?
The thought made her chuckle quietly to herself.