"Grandmother naturally believes you."
"Meiwei had no money for medical treatment. I offered to help her, but she refused—determined to rely on her own strength. Girls like her are rare these days."
Just as Lady Long finished speaking, her body convulsed violently. Her face twisted in pain as she clutched her throat. "Ah... I can't breathe…"
The room erupted into chaos, everyone rushing forward in concern—everyone except Gu Lili, who remained seated, calmly peeling her apple as if nothing had happened.
As they prepared to rush Lady Long to the hospital, Gu Lili finally spoke. "Don't waste your time or energy. She's possessed by something unclean. Where is the talisman she was supposed to wear?"
Long Fengxi replied, "My mother tore it up."
"Oh, well then, no wonder. If she disrespects my protections, there's little I can do."
From her purse, He Meiwei retrieved the talisman Gu Lili had once given her. The moment it touched Lady Long's body, she began to recover, gasping for breath.
"Thank you, Meiwei."
"It's nothing. I was only doing what I ought to."
Lady Long turned sharply to Gu Lili, her voice rising with accusation. "Did you bring this filth into the Long household on purpose? You wanted it to latch onto me, didn't you?!"
Gu Lili tossed the apple core into the bin and rose gracefully to her feet. "That unclean spirit is hardly the only one lingering in this house. On what grounds do you accuse me of inviting it in? And as for that talisman, Meiwei, I gave it to you at the hospital because of your frail constitution. But clearly, lending flowers to honor Buddha was your game. Now I must reclaim what's mine."
He Meiwei hastily tucked the talisman back into her wallet. "You gave it to me. How could you ask for it back?"
"I'm displeased. And when I'm displeased, I take back what is mine," Gu Lili replied coldly. "Hand it over."
"No."
"Then don't blame me for being ungracious." With barely a whisper of an incantation, the zipper of Meiwei's wallet opened of its own accord, and the talisman floated gracefully into Gu Lili's waiting hand, leaving the onlookers stunned into silence.
"I'd rather tear it to shreds than give it to you." Meiwei did just that—ripping the talisman into confetti.
"Brother," Long Fengxi called out softly.
Everyone turned to see Long Yubei descending the staircase. Though the flush of drink still lingered on his face, his gaze was as cold as ever.
"Yubei, why not rest a little longer?" asked the old matron gently.
"I'm fine," he replied, walking over to Gu Lili and naturally taking her hand in his. "From this day forward, He Meiwei is not to set foot in the Long household again. Grandfather, Grandmother, Lili and I will be leaving now."
"Yes, yes, go on," the old lady said with a nod.
"Wait." Lady Long stepped forward. "Give me another talisman!"
Long Yubei cast her a sidelong glance. "Lili prepared one for each of us out of care and concern. It is not something to be discarded and then replaced at will. Mother, since you tore yours up with full intent, then let it remain so. Better that her kindness not be wasted a second time."
As he led Gu Lili out the door, Lady Long stood frozen, a knot tightening in her chest, her emotions a tangled storm.
Sensing the tension in the air, He Meiwei quickly stepped forward. "Auntie, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have come—I truly feel terrible. I'll be leaving now."
Lady Long gave a weary nod, offering no words of comfort. She was too consumed with frustration to muster even a polite response.
Once Meiwei had left, she could no longer hold back her fury. "It seems Yubei has truly been utterly bewitched by that Gu Lili."