"Take your hands off me."
The girl's voice was firm and cold—clear as a bell, with an edge that cut through the noisy living room.
Wanda Su froze, staring at Celia in disbelief. She had never once taken the so-called clown girl from the countryside seriously. But now, looking into those cold and luminous eyes, she felt a flicker of uncertainty.
"You dare talk to me like that, Celia?"
Before Wanda could react further, Celia reached out and firmly grabbed her wrist. With a swift twist—
Crack.
A sharp snap echoed in the room.
"AHHH!" Wanda screamed, her voice piercing. The sharp pain radiated from her wrist, sending beads of sweat down her forehead.
"Wanda!" Matriarch Su and Jason Su rushed forward, pulling her into their arms as she trembled in pain.
"Her wrist—she broke her wrist! Someone call a doctor!"
"Celia, how dare you!" Matriarch Su thundered. "You laid hands on your own cousin? Do you even realize who she is? Wanda is a top model—she's about to marry into the Fu family! If anything happens to her, you won't be able to pay the price in ten lifetimes!"
The entire living room descended into chaos.
Celia, standing calm and composed, met their outrage with an indifferent gaze.
"She struck first," she said plainly. "I warned her to let go. She didn't listen. I was defending myself."
"You—you ungrateful—!"
Wanda, pale and sweating from the pain, gritted her teeth and glared at Celia. Then she noticed something glinting on Celia's head.
The pearl hairpin.
Delicate and stunning—definitely expensive.
Where did she get that? Wanda's jealousy burned hotter than the pain in her wrist.
"You all enjoy the celebration," Celia said coldly. "I'll take my leave."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away, leaving the Su family stewing in the mess.
Matriarch Su slammed her cane onto the floor in fury. "Unbelievable! A perfectly fine family dinner, ruined by that wretched girl from the countryside!"
The doctor arrived not long after. Fortunately, Wanda hadn't fractured any bones, but she would need several days of rest.
Back in her room, Wanda immediately opened her laptop and began searching for the pearl hairpin she'd seen on Celia. It didn't take long before she found it—a Princess Hairpin, designed with pearls sourced from the East China Sea and inspired by the British royal family.
When she saw the price tag, she sucked in a breath.
How did that clown girl get her hands on something this expensive?
Was it that bald old man again?
Even though Wanda looked down on that man, her heart twisted with jealousy. A man had gifted Celia something so delicate, so valuable—something he had personally clipped into her hair.
No man had ever done that for Wanda.
No one had ever treated her like that.
Suddenly, a cruel idea took root.
She picked up her phone and made a call.
"Hello? Mr. Song? I need a favor."
On the other end of the call, Zane Song was lounging in a private suite with Shaun Wen when his phone rang.
He listened silently, then narrowed his eyes.
Wanda's voice came through the receiver, venomous and calculated:
"Celia—the girl from our Su family, the clown-faced one from the countryside—checked into a hotel with a bald old man last night. Her private life is disgusting, and my family's decided to teach her a lesson. I heard she has a grandmother in the hospital. Mr. Song, could you... remove her grandmother's oxygen supply and throw the old woman out of the hospital?"
Zane's lip curled in disgust.
So this was the girl his second brother had shown interest in?
"A clown girl with that kind of past?" he muttered. "Gross."
He didn't hesitate. "Fine. I'll handle it."
He hung up.
From the sofa, Shaun Wen looked up, brows slightly raised. "Zane, I'll tell you now—Nancheng's on a business trip, but if you touch that girl, you're going to regret it."
Zane scoffed, completely dismissive. "Relax, Brother Shaun. I'm just teaching a country girl some manners. She needs to understand not to mess with my second brother."