Xie Yu was taken aback by the retort, then forced a rather awkward smile.
"Miss Qi, there must be some misunderstanding. Did you hear someone spreading false rumors?"
She looked extremely respectful on the surface, but between the lines, she was clearly insinuating that Xu Tingyu was the one sowing discord.
She was trying to persuade Qi Ruixi not to be used as Xu Tingyu's pawn.
But Qi Ruixi was a big fan of her sister - in - law. How could she fall for such a ploy?
"What misunderstanding could there be? When your sister pointed at my nose and called me uneducated, she didn't say it was a misunderstanding!"
"Moreover, I'm in a bad mood today. Please leave quickly. Don't get in my way."
She was already annoyed enough. She really didn't have the mood to watch Xie Yu act.
Xie Yu's previously amiable face immediately fell. But she didn't leave. Instead, she bit her lip, looking aggrieved yet stubborn.
"Miss Qi, my younger sister has been spoiled by our family. So sometimes she gets angry easily, but she's not like that at heart."
"She now realizes her mistake. She shouldn't have lost her temper with you that day. She's just too straightforward and doesn't understand all the subtleties."
She was using the strategy of retreating to advance. Seemingly apologizing for Xie Shu, in fact, every word was aimed at Xu Tingyu.
She was also reminding Qi Ruixi not to be deceived by Xu Tingyu.
"Do you mean that I can't tell right from wrong, or that I should be like you and spoil a drama queen who is two years older than me?"
Qi Ruixi wasn't taken in at all. She also had no intention of involving Xu Tingyu.
She was the eldest daughter of the Qi family. Since childhood, she had been taken by Liu Ning to meet all kinds of ladies. What kind of people hadn't she seen?
Xie Yu's little tricks were really nothing. Only her second brother was willing to indulge her.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Qi Ruixi no matter what, and that if she continued, she would only humiliate herself, Xie Yu forced another smile.
"I was being presumptuous. Miss Qi, I apologize to you again on behalf of my sister."
"She will reflect on her actions. I hope Miss Qi can be magnanimous and not take it to heart."
She had lowered herself to such an extent that anyone would usually give her some face.
But Qi Ruixi hated this look of hers.
Even on her usually smiling face, there was an undisguised look of disgust.
"Stop putting on this act and disappear from my sight immediately."
Xie Yu seemed to be shocked by her rudeness.
She subconsciously glanced at Xu Tingyu. Seeing that the latter ignored her, she left reluctantly with a pale face.
Xu Tingyu had been listening on the side. She didn't interrupt because she didn't want to fall into the other's trap.
Now seeing Qi Ruixi looking unhappy, she immediately asked, "What's wrong?"
Qi Ruixi ordered another glass of wine and forced a sad smile.
"I don't know why, but seeing her, I suddenly remembered my father's mistress when I was five."
"Just thinking about that woman makes me feel like I can't breathe."
When Qi Ruixi was five years old, her father had an affair with his new secretary.
This wasn't his first affair. No one even knew how many there had been.
The new secretary was very beautiful and young.
Qi's father doted on her and gave her a lot of things.
She got carried away and even had the idea of taking Liu Ning's place.
Liu Ning at that time also knew about the secretary.
When Qi's father wanted to go on a date, she would tell the innocent Qi Ruixi to cling to him and go along.
Qi's father's favorite child was Qi Ruixi.
So sometimes he couldn't resist her coquetry and would take her with him.
Every time the new secretary saw her, she would be very embarrassed.
But in front of people, she would speak softly to Qi Ruixi. Behind her back, she would cause all kinds of trouble.
No matter how smart Qi Ruixi was, she was still just a five - year - old child.
When she was secretly bullied, she couldn't explain the whole thing clearly.
Later, Qi's father got tired of the secretary and had a new target. He wanted to get rid of her.
But the secretary thought her true feelings had been wasted. Since she couldn't win the man back, she took it out on Qi Ruixi.
She took Qi Ruixi to a hotel room, filled a bathtub with water, and tried to drown her in it.
But she wasn't willing to kill her immediately. It was like she was having fun, pushing her under the water and then pulling her out.
Qi Ruixi was so scared that she cried loudly.
If the Qi family had come a little later, she would definitely have died there.
After that, she received one year of psychological counseling, but she still occasionally felt a sense of suffocation.
"Xie Yu doesn't look like that secretary, but they have the same greedy eyes."
"She thinks she's hiding it well and always puts on a hypocritical act. In fact, she's full of schemes."
Qi Ruixi drank the wine in one gulp and put the glass down heavily to hide the trembling of her fingers.
Even though many years had passed and she could talk about this matter lightly, she still couldn't overcome the impact it had on her.
Xu Tingyu didn't know that behind this seemingly carefree and straightforward girl there was such a tragic past. She couldn't help but feel心疼.
"It's okay, Xixi. If you don't like her, just ignore her."
"You're a very powerful young lady now. No one can hurt you anymore."
She wrapped her arms around Qi Ruixi and gently patted her on the back, soothing her softly.
Qi Ruixi also hugged her tightly and let out a laugh.
"To be honest, sister - in - law, I really don't understand how someone could prefer a fish's eye to a pearl."
She really liked Xu Tingyu the first time she saw her. It wasn't a joke.
From the first sight, Qi Ruixi knew that this was a girl who had grown up in love.
Her eyes were clear, bright, and inclusive.
Sure enough, the Xu family had a harmonious relationship. Apart from Zhang Qiu's preference for sons over daughters, there were no major conflicts.
Xu Jianmin was elegant and interesting. There were many women approaching him, not all for money.
But he never overstepped the line.
He was self - disciplined and rarely attended useless social events. He said he had a son and a daughter and wanted to set a good example for them.
Over time, the social circle excluded him. So when something happened, no one really came to help.
And Xu Jia really loved Xu Tingyu.
Qi Ruixi once saw the frail young man kneeling devoutly in front of the Buddha.
"Please, Buddha, bless my sister to have a smooth and happy life."
Kneeling and kowtowing step by step, the young man climbed 81 steps on his knees, gasping and pale - faced, just to pray for his sister's safety.
Even Zhang Qiu, who preferred sons over daughters, would carefully plead in front of Liu Ning.
"Sister - in - law, my daughter has been well - behaved and outstanding since childhood."
"If there's really something she did wrong, please be lenient and don't punish her."
"Send her back home. We'll teach her well."
On the surface, the words didn't seem to be on Xu Tingyu's side, but it was obvious that the Xu family was telling the Qi family that they would teach their own children.
They wouldn't allow the Qi family to make things difficult for her in the name of education.
...
Growing up in such an environment, Xu Tingyu was so dazzling.
It seemed that she was born with the ability to love others and had a natural healing effect.
It was a pity that she had married the cold - blooded and heartless second brother who didn't know how to cherish!