id of backlash, so you chose to ignore the reputation of the Xiangfu?" Su Yiyi's voice was calm but sharp, causing the woman in the pink dress to freeze mid-sentence. "Yuanyuan, are you seriously saying I disgraced the Xiangfu?"
"If that's truly how you see it, then for the sake of the Prime Minister's Manor's reputation, you should've stopped me right then and reported it to Father immediately. Why did you only bring it up now, after I've been missing the entire night? Clearly, you didn't care whether I lived or died! And now that I've returned alive, you're adding insult to injury!"
Su Yiyi's voice was loud and forceful. The fierce glint in her eyes left Su Yuanyuan speechless.
What the hell?! Why is Third Sister's tongue so sharp today? Su Wanwan narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but still interjected, "Third Sister, must you humiliate Fourth Sister like this? She's still young. How could she fully understand the gravity of this matter? But you… as a lady of the Prime Minister's Manor, how could you possibly enter and leave a brothel like that?"
"Oh? Didn't my eldest sister go there too?"
What?! The room fell into stunned silence.
Standing upright and unfazed, Su Yiyi smiled knowingly. She was fully aware of what she was saying.
"Why did you go to the Red Street to look for me, Eldest Sister? Or… did you already know that's where I'd appear?" Su Yiyi stepped forward slowly, her tone laced with deeper meaning.
Su Wanwan's eyes widened slightly. For some reason, she felt an invisible pressure building in the air. Third Sister today… felt completely different.
Su Yiyi recalled the vague conversation she overheard when she regained consciousness—clearly, the Third Miss of the Xiangfu had been set up! And now… the truth was beginning to unravel.
"I-I heard from Fourth Sister that Father sent people to search all night but found nothing. So Eldest Sister took people to check the Flower Street… Who would've guessed that Third Sister really would do something like this…"
Seeing Su Wanwan's guilty expression, Su Yiyi became more convinced. "So, if the Xiangfu's reputation has suffered, Eldest Sister must bear some of the responsibility too!"
What?! Before anyone could react, Su Yiyi spoke logically and clearly, "Eldest Sister, you didn't even know the truth but still dragged people to Flower Street looking for me. Doesn't that mean you didn't care about my reputation at all? If word had gotten out, the Prime Minister's Manor would've been dragged into the mud! As the eldest daughter, shouldn't you be thinking about the family's future? Even if I was at the brothel, shouldn't you have sent someone discreetly to find me, rather than making such a big fuss under the manor's banner?!"
A flicker passed through Su Wen's eyes. It was his first time seeing this side of Su Yiyi. Her words... made perfect sense.
The pig-faced girl's voice trembled with sorrow. "Father, your daughter was kidnapped by evil men. To protect her chastity, she had no choice but to leap into the water and escape! Who would've thought that the moment she returned home, she'd be humiliated like this? Your daughter is so wronged… maybe I should've just drowned instead!"
Crying pitifully was her specialty. Su Yiyi pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes. Her already piggish face became even more unsightly when wet with tears. But only Su Wen would pity her.
"There, there. It's your father's fault. Don't cry," Su Wen murmured, gently reaching for her handkerchief.
Then…
GASP!
"…!"
What he picked up—wasn't a handkerchief! It was… underwear?!
All eyes locked onto him, shocked.
"F-Father!" Su Wanwan gasped in horror, a mix of revulsion and smugness twitching at the corners of her mouth.
She… she actually hid a man's underwear in her sleeve, and dares claim she didn't visit a brothel?!
Su Yuanyuan laughed, unable to hold back anymore. "Third Sister's taste in handkerchiefs is truly unique! I wonder which male prostitute it belonged to?"
Su Wen finally noticed the thing in his hand, and his face turned an alarming shade of green.
Su Yiyi froze. Ahem! A minor oversight! It was the underwear of a very beautiful man—and she'd forgotten to destroy the evidence. But she would never admit she kept it as a souvenir!
"T-this… wuwuwu… Father, I've suffered so much. That man… he must've tried to violate me! And—and maybe it fell into my sleeve during the struggle! I was terrified! What if he follows me home and tries to take my beauty again?!" Su Yiyi sobbed miserably, shrinking into Su Wen's embrace, her shoulders trembling.
The entire hall fell silent.
Take her beauty? Who would… want that?