Chapter 1627

With that, Mu Lan steeled her heart, turned abruptly, and with a loud thud, knelt before Su Jiaojiao. Tears streaming down her face, she cried out in a voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, "Jiaojiao, since your sister refuses to apologize, then I, as her mother, will apologize on her behalf. I'm so sorry! It's all my fault for spoiling her, letting jealousy cloud her judgment. I never imagined she'd resort to such vile tricks—luring you to that hotel last night, allowing Mr. Qiao to... to violate your innocence. Auntie... I truly don't know how to make it up to you." Su Jiaojiao tilted her head back, eyes shut tight, tears cascading down her cheeks like scattered pearls. The sheer anguish in her expression drew sympathetic gazes from the onlookers. "My God, Xiao Qingqing always seemed so quiet—who knew she could be this vicious?" "I heard she's the former heiress of the bankrupt Xiao Group. Even though the company collapsed, it seems she never outgrew that spoiled, ruthless rich-girl mentality." "How could a 20-year-old girl even think of something so horrible? Poor Jiaojiao, stuck with a stepsister like that—what rotten luck." "Exactly! Pretty face means nothing when you've got a heart full of poison." Listening to the murmurs, Su Jiaojiao hid a smirk. She quickly bent down to help Mu Lan up, her own voice trembling with feigned distress. "Auntie, please don't do this. I don't blame you, and I don't blame Qingqing either. We... we're stepsisters from a blended family. Someone has to compromise, and as the older sister, it should be me. Please, stop crying. Get up." As she wiped her tears, a glint of triumph flashed through her fingers as she shot a covert, taunting glance at Xiao Qingqing. *This worthless girl could never outmaneuver me.* Soon enough, she'd learn exactly what it meant to have her reputation torn to shreds. And when that happened, Samuel would dump her without a second thought! Xiao Qingqing watched the two of them perform their little act, shamelessly pinning the blame on her. No matter how hard she tried to suppress her disappointment in her mother, the desolation in her eyes betrayed the hollowness in her heart. This was the biological mother she had been striving to protect all along! How could it not hurt? Completely oblivious to the onlookers' gazes, she didn’t notice Samuel standing just beyond the crowd, his deep, icy eyes fixed intently on her face. He had arrived just in time to witness the commotion. Beside him, Feng Zixiu—nearly as tall as Samuel—crossed his arms and leaned in with a playful, sunlit grin, though his tone carried a hint of sympathy. "Samuel, your little friend’s mom is ruthless, huh? Cursing her own daughter like this—doesn’t she care about ruining the girl’s reputation?" Noticing Samuel’s darkening expression, Feng Zixiu chuckled and teased further, "Look at her—she’s practically on the verge of tears. Poor thing. Honestly, a fragile girl like this, with no ability to defend herself… she’s not really your type, is she?" Samuel’s earlier good mood had evaporated the moment he saw the look in Xiao Qingqing’s eyes. He shot Feng Zixiu a glare. "Shut it." With that, he strode forward into the crowd. Let’s see who dares lay a finger on what’s his. Feng Zixiu clicked his tongue and shook his head, settling in to enjoy the spectacle. But then—unexpectedly—Xiao Qingqing laughed. The sound made Samuel pause. Seeing the disdain and confidence flashing in her eyes, his brow arched slightly. Seems she doesn’t need his help after all. Xiao Qingqing clapped her hands slowly, feigning nonchalance as she sneered, "Su Jiaojiao, did you really think that just because my mom stepped in to play the victim for you, you’d get away with it? You’re dead wrong. There’s no washing yourself clean. Did you honestly believe I’d stay defenseless after all the abuse your family put me through?" The cunning glint in Xiao Qingqing’s eyes sent a jolt of unease through Su Jiaojiao. Did this woman have some kind of leverage? No—impossible. Even if she did, standing right in front of her was her own mother! In the past, although Xiao Qingqing had a sharp tongue, Mu Lan had always been the perfect pawn to manipulate her—every single time without fail. This time would be no exception! Her eyes instantly welled up with tears as she put on a pitiful act. "Qingqing... I don’t understand why you’re saying these things, but I—" Xiao Qingqing had had enough of this woman’s theatrics and cut her off coldly. "You don’t understand? Fine, I’ll make sure you do." With that, she pulled out her phone and played a recording. The audio was crystal clear—Su Jiaojiao’s arrogant taunts from last night and her own mother’s desperate pleas for Xiao Qingqing to take the fall for Su Jiaojiao. In an instant, Mu Lan’s face drained of color. Su Jiaojiao’s pupils dilated in shock as she stared at Xiao Qingqing in disbelief. This woman… this woman had lost her mind! This time, she had even dragged her own mother into the scheme. Xiao Qingqing had turned the volume up to the max, and the murmurs around them immediately shifted. "Wow, talk about a plot twist!" "Come to think of it, has anyone noticed that Senior Xiao has always lived on campus? Maybe the Su family really did treat her badly." "I heard the current Su Corporation only rose to prominence after the death of the former head of the Xiao Group. Xiao Qingqing’s mother remarried, bringing the Xiao family’s assets with her, and slowly built it up. The Su family probably saw Xiao Qingqing as a threat to their inheritance and kicked her out." "Oh my god, it’s like a Cinderella story. Poor Senior Xiao." Not far away, Feng Zixiu, who had been watching the drama unfold, clicked his tongue in amusement. "Well, well—a little wolf in sheep’s clothing? Seems even I can misjudge people sometimes." Samuel let out a derisive snort. "More like your judgment’s always been trash." Feng Zixiu raised his hand and playfully shoved Samuel. "Hey, you bastard!" He crossed his arms again, thinking to himself, Well, the Nelson family is in for even more drama now! The situation had shifted abruptly, and Su Jiaojiao was seething with rage. But she'd always played the role of the kind, virtuous elder sister at school—she couldn't afford to lose her composure now. "Qingqing, how could you fabricate a fake recording? Are you trying to frame me and Auntie? I don’t mind suffering a little injustice, but Auntie is your own mother! How could she ever harm you? How could you—" Xiao Qingqing didn’t get angry. Instead, she laughed coldly. "Then let’s send the recording for authentication. Surely the judicial authorities won’t get it wrong." Su Jiaojiao knew better than anyone that the recording was genuine—there was no way she’d actually let it be examined. Feigning overwhelming distress, she raised a trembling hand to her forehead, swayed unsteadily, and leaned against Mu Lan for support. Mu Lan, who had been standing frozen in shock, finally snapped out of it. She steadied Su Jiaojiao and snapped furiously, "Xiao Qingqing, you’ve disappointed me beyond words. How could I have raised such a malicious daughter?" With that, she swung her hand toward Xiao Qingqing’s face. Xiao Qingqing didn’t flinch. She simply stared at Mu Lan, her eyes brimming with sorrow and bitterness. She had no idea when the mother she’d always wanted to protect had become… this. Just then, a strong arm wrapped around Xiao Qingqing’s waist, pulling her back. She stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding the slap, and found herself pressed against a warm, solid chest. The feel of that embrace, the familiar scent of tobacco, the stunned expressions on Mu Lan and Su Jiaojiao’s faces as they looked past her—and the sudden eruption of awed gasps around them—