C5 Fake Sister!

Su Jin's gaze locked with Fu Siyan's, his eyes icy and laced with a warning that suggested trouble if she mishandled the situation.

Stepping out of Fu Siyan's embrace, Su Jin faced the crowd with an open and honest expression. "Mr. Fu has had too much to drink. I was merely assisting him to a place to rest. Is there an issue with that?"

"And your dress?" Su Nuo persisted, evidently eager to see Su Jin humiliated.

With a confident smile, Su Jin casually lifted the hem of her skirt. "I accidentally stained that dress."

The crowd's tension eased, understanding dawning on their faces.

"Fu Siyan is known to avoid the company of women, and he's still impeccably dressed. What could he possibly have to do with the Su family's Third Lady? It seems like someone might be trying to frame her," someone whispered among themselves.

"Who really knows? The affairs of the wealthy are complex," another voice scoffed. "We might as well enjoy the drama."

These murmurs reached Su Mingyuan, causing his complexion to shift between shades of red and white. He shot a stern look at Gu Xiangyun, who guiltily averted her gaze.

"Let's put this misunderstanding behind us and proceed to our seats," Su Mingyuan attempted to divert the conversation.

However, Su Jin was not ready to let the matter drop. With a look of hurt, she turned to her father. "Father, I've been maligned. Are you going to dismiss it just like that?"

"Who would malign you?" Su Jin's father asked, puzzled.

Su Jin's eyes turned to Su Nuo, her gaze sharpening with a chill. "Sister, why would you say such things and cause everyone to misunderstand me?"

Su Nuo's hypocrisy was nothing new to Su Jin, who had often been on the receiving end of her duplicity.

This time, Su Jin was determined to expose Su Nuo's false facade and reveal her true character to all.

As expected, Su Nuo's composure faltered, tears brimming in her eyes as she adopted a posture of injury. "Little sister, I was just concerned about you. How can you speak of me this way?"

When it came to acting, Su Nuo was indeed a master—her specialty being the art of feigning fragility and soliciting sympathy.

Unfortunately, that tactic was ineffective against Su Jin.

"You intentionally twisted the truth, leading everyone to believe I'm some kind of immoral woman. Isn't that enough?" Su Jin replied with composure.

"It's not like that," Su Nuo sobbed, gasping for air, her eyes red as she pleaded her case. "I was just overly concerned about you. Sister, you've got me all wrong. You know how I've always treated you."

Su Nuo dabbed at her tears. "Whenever there's something tasty, I always save some for you."

"Only your leftovers," Su Jin retorted with a cold huff.

"I've let you wear all my pretty clothes."

"Only the ones you've discarded."

"That's not true," Su Nuo protested weakly.

Su Jin cast her gaze downward, concealing her emotions behind her eyelids, a hint of sorrowful smile playing on her lips. "I'm aware I'm not our father's biological child. I've lived with a heart full of gratitude, never daring to expect more. Yet, you've always seen me as a hindrance, resorting to beating and berating me, treating me worse than the servants. If you despise me so deeply, why keep me around?"

Su Jin's even-tempered words dropped like a stone into a boiling cauldron, stirring the hearts of all present.

The banquet was filled with the elite, the wealthy and the noble.

The revelations in Su Jin's speech were enough to astonish the crowd.

"I never imagined the Su family could treat their foster daughter so cruelly."

"Indeed, I've heard Su Nuo has a heart condition, and her blood type is incredibly rare. They adopted Su Jin as a living blood reserve for her. How utterly heartless."

Seeing the tide turn against Su Nuo, Gu Xiangyun quickly intervened, taking Su Jin's hand with feigned affection. "It's not as everyone thinks. This is all one big misunderstanding, isn't it, Jin?"