Standing behind her were three elegantly dressed young ladies, each looking at her with anything but kindness.
She was quite familiar with these three faces.
The companies of two of them had once sought favors from the Nan family in business cooperation.
Toadying to the powerful and despising the weak was also a rule in this circle.
Nan Yu's gaze swept indifferently across their faces. Not wanting to get into a conflict, she was about to turn back the way she came.
But the three of them had come specifically to pick on Nan Yu and immediately blocked her way.
"I said, aren't you taking yourself a bit too seriously?"
The woman standing in the middle crossed her arms over her chest. "With all the trouble your family's in, you still have the nerve to come and have afternoon tea with us?"
"Look at how shabby she is. Not a single designer item on her. So cheap," the woman beside her chimed in.
"Exactly. She reeks of bad luck," said another, even fanning the air in front of her nose as if she'd really smelled something foul.
Nan Yu just looked at them, her calm gaze making them feel uneasy.
They had expected Nan Yu to be humiliated into embarrassment or to throw a tantrum without any manners, so they could seize the opportunity to kick her out.
But instead, she just quietly stared at the three of them.
The three exchanged glances. Although they felt a bit nervous, they still put on a tough act, clearly determined to bully Nan Yu.
"Are you done?" Nan Yu suddenly spoke.
The girls were taken aback and felt a bit uncomfortable. "…Y-yes, we're done."
Nan Yu nodded slightly. "Then it's my turn."
She turned to the first woman who had provoked her. "Miss Tong, your family still runs a seafood business, right? Your father sent some seafood to our family a few years ago. Too bad it wasn't very fresh. We had to throw it in the trash."
Miss Tong frowned. "So what?"
Nan Yu hooked the corner of her lips. "Nothing. I just wanted to remind you that the fishy smell on you is so strong that even your perfume can't cover it."
As soon as she said this, Miss Tong's face paled. She kept sniffing her clothes and wrists.
Having a stinky odor was shameful enough for any woman.
Before the woman beside her could laugh, Nan Yu turned her fire on her. "Has the problem with Miss Wen's family coal mine been solved? I heard your father was still in a lawsuit last month, the kind that might land him in jail."
Miss Wen couldn't laugh anymore. But Nan Yu didn't stop. "The families of the workers must have caused quite a stir, right? I also heard that your family's mine is almost exhausted. I'm really curious how you can still be so calm having afternoon tea here?"
"As for you, Miss Song." Nan Yu smiled, but her words were terrifying. "Do I need to tell the world that your mother is a mistress?"
"I heard that the life of a bastard child is quite embarrassing. You must have suffered a lot since you returned to the Song family."
Nan Yu shook her head pretending to be regretful. "A lifetime of not being allowed to sit at the dinner table must be tough."
"Oh, by the way, do I need to tell Miss Tong that you've been having an affair with her fiancé recently?" She blinked.
These things about Miss Song were just gossiped to her by Qu Jiaran while they were shopping. She didn't expect they would come in handy.
As soon as she said this, Miss Tong looked at Miss Song in disbelief and shock. "Song Yuqing, you dare…"
Miss Song's face instantly turned deathly pale.
…
These young ladies were no match for Nan Yu. After just a few rounds, they fled in a huff.
Nan Yu let out a long sigh.
Fortunately, she was used to bickering with Tan Linyuan. Her tongue was more flexible than before. Otherwise, it would have been really difficult to "defeat the crowd with her words".
Finally, she had vented her anger. Nan Yu felt much better than before. Just as she was about to turn back, she saw Tan Linyuan standing there.
He was in casual clothes, neither a suit nor a long gown, but his natural elegance still couldn't be concealed.
"You're quite sharp-tongued," he said. It was hard to tell if he was complimenting or criticizing. "You're not willing to let yourself be bullied."
Although she didn't know when he had been standing there, she guessed that he had heard most of the conversation.
"Thanks to Uncle Tan's good teachings," Nan Yu replied calmly.
At this moment, meeting Tan Linyuan here didn't surprise Nan Yu.
Looking at his cold face and thinking about what Qu Jiaran had told her about his past, she felt a bit guilty towards him.
She remembered him asking her if she thought Wen Ruoyi still cared about the car accident back then.
He wasn't just asking for her opinion. It was more like he was examining his own sins from an outsider's perspective.
What had Nan Yu said back then?
Oh, she had said -
"If there hadn't been that car accident, their family would still be happy and complete, right?"
This might also be a question that Tan Linyuan had asked himself countless times.
Had he also examined his own soul countless nights?
"What are you still standing there for?"
Looking into his deep, misty eyes, Nan Yu opened her mouth, wanting to say sorry to him.
However, before she could say the words, Qu Jiaran came over.
"Yu Yu, you walked so far away—" Before she could finish, her eyes lit up when she saw Tan Linyuan. "Linyuan, you really came!"
Then she rushed over and hugged Tan Linyuan's arm. "I knew that as long as I told you Nan Yu was here, you would definitely come."
…
The group walked back to the other end of the corridor.
The hostess of the manor was Miss Alicia. She was the younger sister of the former Austrian queen Diana and had married a wealthy and doting businessman in the country a few years ago.
Miss Alicia had the elegance and romance of the royal family and often held afternoon tea parties at home.
Today, she had specially invited a pianist to play for the young ladies as entertainment for the afternoon tea.
A classic grand piano with a white lacquer finish was placed on the lawn. The pianist in a tailcoat sat on the stool and pressed the keys.
Soon, the melodious sound of the piano filled the air above the manor.
Nan Yu closed her eyes and quietly enjoyed the music, humming the notes softly in her heart.
Only music could give her ultimate enjoyment.
After the piece ended, she opened her eyes and happened to see three people staring at her, as if they were plotting something.
Nan Yu felt a sense of unease.
At this moment, Miss Alicia made a grand entrance, smiling and greeting every guest.
She was elegant, with golden hair and blue eyes. She looked extremely noble. Every step she took, a servant carefully held up her skirt.
"Beautiful girls, I hope you'll have a great time today," Miss Alicia nodded to everyone, a smile on her face.
Just then, someone suddenly shouted, "Miss Alicia, among the guests today, there's a young lady whose piano skills are even better than the pianist you invited!"