Chapter 27 Breaking Apart

Chapter 27: Tearing Them Apart

"This is Qi family business. I'll deal with it myself. Give it to me." Qi Yun extended his hand toward her.

Su Mi couldn't help but sneer. "What do you mean your Qi family's matter? Su Ruanruan is also a member of our Su family. This concerns my sister's reputation and our Su family's reputation. I have every right to get to the bottom of this and clear my sister's name!"

Hearing this, the crowd buzzed with chatter, agreeing that she had a point. If his conscience is clear, why not clarify publicly? Why invite gossip?

The Qi and Su families were both well-established families with deep roots. They wouldn't be unable to tell what's important, would they?

"Qi Yun, what is going on?" Huo Xuan's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she emerged from the crowd in disbelief.

Listening to the harsh whispers around her, Su Ruanruan's face grew increasingly ashen. She was on the verge of collapsing, her gaze turning pleadingly toward the man behind her, as if hoping he would say something.

Under the weight of two different gazes, Qi Yun's brow furrowed slightly. He could only turn his gaze back to Su Mi, his eyes icy. "Hand it over."

The latter folded her arms and looked him up and down with disdain. "Who do you think you are? Why should I give it to you?"

"Or is it a guilty conscience? Miss Huo is standing right in front of you, yet you don't even have the courage to clarify. What's the matter? Is it that hard to get the words out?"

"Or perhaps you want to have your cake and eat it too, unwilling to take responsibility for either, just playing with the bodies and feelings of two women? And not just any woman—you had to steal from your own younger brother. Real exciting, huh?"

The onlookers' expressions shifted instantly, their gazes toward Qi Yun and Su Ruanruan now filled with suspicion.

Qi Yun took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. He suddenly stepped forward, closing in on her, and reached out to snatch the USB drive.

Then—*Slap!*—she slapped his hand away.

"This slap is for my sister!" Su Mi wiped her hand on her clothes with disgust. "You cheating womanizing scumbag! You've completely disgraced the Qi family!"

Qi Yun clenched his fist but still refrained from retaliating. He glanced at his assistant behind him, who, trembling, took out his phone to summon the bodyguards waiting outside.

To deal with this Miss Su, the CEO had specially hired some high-priced former special forces soldiers from abroad. This wasn't going to end quietly.

Suddenly, a group of imposing bodyguards stormed in. The crowd scattered in alarm. Who would have thought a perfectly good birthday banquet would turn into such a mess? The marriage alliance between the Qi and Su families was likely doomed.

But even more unexpected was witnessing such a spectacle today. Totally unexpected!

"What are you doing?!"

Madam Su suddenly stepped forward, her face stern, looking at Qi Yun with deep disappointment. "If you have nothing to hide, why fear others knowing? Mimi is right. Having it verified can clear Ruan Ruan's name. Your Qi family may not care about face, but our Su family can't afford to lose ours!"

Mr. and Mrs. Qi both stared at their eldest son with grim expressions. Anyone with half a brain could guess the truth. But they were even more shocked that their usually outstanding and sensible son would commit such a disgraceful act that tarnished the family's reputation!

He was already engaged to the Huo family. How could he be involved with another woman? How were they supposed to explain this to the Huo family?

What a pair of unfilial sons!

But no matter what, a son was still their son. If this incestuous affair were confirmed today, it wouldn't just ruin the Qi family's reputation—they would have absolutely no face left to show the Huo family.

"Today is also my father's eightieth birthday. Whatever needs to be discussed can wait until after the banquet. Rest assured, in-laws, we will definitely give you an explanation today," Mr. Qi said earnestly to Madam Su.

The latter remained cold-faced and silent, seemingly unwilling to push things to the extreme.

Just as Su Mi was about to say something, she sensed a rush of wind from behind. She swiftly dodged to the left as a fist the size of a sandbag grazed past her ear. Seizing the moment when her opponent reached for the USB drive, she spun around and delivered a powerful back kick, sending him stumbling back three or four meters.

In an instant, another gust of wind came from behind her ear. She swiftly pivoted and executed a high roundhouse kick to the head, *crash!* shattering a wooden chair.

The previously buzzing banquet hall fell into dead silence. Everyone stared, dumbfounded. Even Qi Yun, still lying on the floor with no one helping him up, couldn't help but suck in a cold breath, his anger gradually replaced by a sense of dread.

That chair was so thick, and she kicked it apart with one foot?!

The surrounding bodyguards also exchanged glances, seemingly surprised by her explosive power.

"Stop! What are you doing?! Haven't you embarrassed us enough?!" Mr. Qi's face flushed red with anger as he glared at his eldest son, wishing he could slap some sense into him.

What sin had he committed to deserve two such sons? They were going to be the death of him!

"Go!" The assistant quickly waved at the bodyguards. Hitting Miss Su would cause trouble; being beaten by Miss Su would be humiliating. Better to just take the humiliation.

"Chairman."

Sister Zhou suddenly walked over with several technicians, each holding a laptop, ready to conduct a video analysis at any moment.

Why were they so fast? Of course, there was a reason. Better safe than sorry. Su Mi had specifically arranged for them to wait outside the hotel in advance.

She knew the plot couldn't be changed. Even if she didn't release the video, someone else surely would. But in the end, the blame would likely fall on her. She could do unscrupulous things, but she refused to be falsely accused of doing them.

Acting crazy for the moment might feel good, but acting crazy with reason and evidence allowed her to enjoy herself while thoroughly ruining others.

"This..." Mr. Qi looked at Su Min with a troubled expression.

The latter was currently torn between anger and disappointment. He didn't react, mainly because he couldn't. His daughter was clearly on the verge of an episode; he had to stand by her side. Their reputation was already ruined, but he couldn't let his daughter's condition worsen.

"Here, check if the video on this is artificially synthesized," Su Mi said, handing the USB drive to the technicians.

It was their first time conducting an analysis in such a setting. The technicians broke out in a cold sweat, but they were paid to do a job. Seeing the Chairman didn't object, they opened their laptops on the spot and inserted the USB drive.

"There's no need to check."

Su Ruanruan suddenly spoke up, her face devoid of color. She looked at Qi Yun with profound disappointment, her lips trembling. "Why? I trusted you so much. You said you would break off the engagement with the Huo family as soon as possible. Were you lying to me all along? Playing me for a fool, making me spin in circles? Qi Yun, I hate you!"

With that, she covered her mouth and ran out of the banquet hall, sobbing. Everyone else was stunned. Clearly, no one expected the person involved to admit it herself.

So the video was real. Qi Yun really had been secretly kissing and embracing his brother's fiancée on the very day of their engagement?

Today truly was an extraordinarily dramatic spectacle!

"This..."

Qi Xi suddenly held his breath, as if his very soul had been sucked out. He stared blankly at his always-respected elder brother, then at the direction where his beloved had run off in despair. For a moment, he felt all the blood in his body rushing backward.

"This... this is fake! Brother, tell them it's all fake! How could you possibly have anything with Ruan Ruan?!" he roared in disbelief.

His most respected elder brother had been having an affair with his fiancée. And the most laughable part was that it happened on his own engagement day. Ruan Ruan had always refused his touch, not out of shyness, but because the one she liked wasn't him at all—it was his own elder brother!

"You unfilial son!" Mr. Qi couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward and slapped Qi Yun, his entire body trembling with rage. "You've completely disgraced our Qi family!"

"The video shows no signs of artificial synthesis. We can trace where it was copied from, but that will likely take some time," a technician reported, sweating profusely.

Su Mi waved her hand. "Keep investigating."

Hearing this, Huo Xuan stepped forward to support Mr. Qi. "While Qi Yun is also at fault in this matter, saying more now is meaningless. It's normal for men to succumb to temptation. As long as Qi Yun maintains distance from those women in the future, I will act as if nothing happened today."

Instantly, everyone looked at Huo Xuan with astonishment. No one expected her to be so magnanimous, so understanding, and even proactive in giving the Qi family a way out. With such a wonderful fiancée, what more could Qi Yun possibly be dissatisfied with?

"It must have been that Su Ruanruan who seduced Qi Yun. To hook up with her fiancé's own brother... who knows how promiscuous she is in private."

"Logically, she was raised by the Su family from childhood. How could she do such a disgraceful thing? Perhaps the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Su Mi's expression shifted sharply as she suddenly pushed through the crowd and zeroed in on the person who had spoken. "Who are you calling 'the upper beam is crooked, so the lower beam is askew'? And just how straight is your own old beam?"

Having apparently seen what she was capable of, the middle-aged woman who had spoken quickly waved her hands dismissively. "I... I was just joking, just joking!"

The onlookers were quick to agree, "Miss Su is still the picture of integrity and pride. Su Ruanruan isn't biologically from the Su family after all—you can't change what's in her blood. No matter how much you teach her, it's useless. Trash will always be trash!"

"Enough!"

Qi Xi suddenly stepped forward, grabbing the speaker by the collar, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at him furiously. "Who gave you the right to talk about Ruan Ruan like that?! She's my fiancée, no matter what, she'll always be my fiancée!"

As he spoke, he suddenly picked up a chair and began smashing it wildly around, sending everyone scrambling for the exit.

*Crazy. The youth today have all gone mad.*

Seeing this scene, Old Mr. Qi suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed straight to the ground. Those around immediately called for an ambulance, helped evacuate the guests, and tried to restrain the frenzied Qi Xi.

Su Mi frowned slightly at the second male lead. Was this kid stealing her lines?

"You all deserve to die! Die!" Qi Xi, eyes bloodshot like a madman, lashed out at anyone and anything within reach.

Su Mi suddenly walked over, raised her hand, and delivered a sharp chop to the side of his neck. Instantly, the previously frenzied man collapsed straight to the ground. Only then did the people around rush to lift him up and load him into the ambulance as well.

"We need to get to the bottom of this. We must find out exactly who seduced whom. As for the engagement between Qi Xi and Ruan Ruan, that's off the table." Su Min glanced at Mrs. Qi, then took his wife's hand and walked out.

"In-laws..." Mrs. Qi's face fell, wanting to explain something, but in the end, she could only glare angrily at her eldest son, whom she had always been proud of. "You... do you have to drive your father and me to our graves?!"

"Auntie, please, don't upset yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. As long as Qi Yun doesn't have any further contact with that woman in the future, it'll be fine." Huo Xuan immediately stepped forward, supporting her with concern.

The latter patted her hand apologetically. "It's all our Qi family's fault for letting you down. We have no face to see your parents. If you want to break off the engagement, we won't object."

Hearing this, Huo Xuan glanced at Qi Yun again. "Qi Yun and I know each other well. Who can guarantee that other men won't philander? It's just that this time, he went too far. I only hope that in the future, he'll consider the bigger picture and save some face for my family. Otherwise, it could affect the cooperation between our two companies."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qi immediately glared at her son and demanded, "How has Xuanxuan ever wronged you? How could you treat her like this? Ruan Ruan is your brother's fiancée! Don't you have even a shred of ethics or morality in your heart?!"

Just thinking about it made her head spin, and she had to be helped to sit down before she felt slightly better.

Qi Yun simply lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment before calmly looking at Huo Xuan. "I'm sorry. This time, it was my mistake."

Hearing this, the latter didn't say anything, merely helping Mrs. Qi into a room to rest.

After leaving the hotel, Su Mi saw her father calling the female lead, likely wanting to ask what exactly had happened. The adultery scandal was sticking to them, but they also couldn't let the Qi family pin the label of promiscuity on them—otherwise, it would still be the Su family's reputation that suffered.

In the original story, no one believed the video was real, so the original owner of this body took the blame. But now, the plot had indeed changed slightly, even though the accusation of secretly releasing the video still fell on her.

"Ding! Host's luck value +120!"

"Special reminder: The female lead's luck value is declining, so it can no longer support the original plot direction."

Hearing the prompt in her mind, Su Mi frowned slightly. "If the female lead's luck value can decline, does that mean it can also rise?"

"Yes."

Although the system didn't elaborate, Su Mi could still discern some patterns. Why was the female lead's luck value declining? Was it because of her influence?

That couldn't be possible. If that were the case, the other party's luck value would have started declining from the very beginning.

This was a group pampering novel, so it was likely that the people around the female lead had changed their feelings toward her, which in turn affected her luck value to some extent.

After all, at the beginning, everyone adored the female lead. But now, those relatives knew the old patriarch intended to give his shares to her, and they probably wished for her death rather than still liking her.

Mr. and Mrs. Qi only learned about the eldest son and the female lead's affair later on. By then, they had also discovered the third female lead's true colors, so their affection for the female lead remained unchanged.

But now, with things having escalated to this point, both the Qi and Su families were busy slinging mud at each other. Coupled with Huo Xuan's understanding and tactful behavior, the Qi elders would surely side with her and likely feel somewhat disappointed in the female lead. After all, no matter how you looked at it, the fact that she was entangled with both sons was right there in front of them. No parent would accept such a relationship.

Where did the plot start to deviate?

Probably from the point of the video.

Actually, she didn't need to think hard to know who had released the video. The villain wouldn't do something so reckless—he'd only put the original host up to it. That left only the third female lead.

By doing this, she deliberately played on the male lead's guilt, since it had also caused the Huo family to be humiliated for no reason. And with the third female lead being so understanding, any man would feel remorseful.

Even if only for the sake of cooperation between the two families, the male lead would likely restrain himself in the future and not carry on with the female lead so openly.

As long as the male lead felt guilty, the third female lead could slowly chip away at him, and she might actually succeed in winning him over.

Under normal circumstances, that would be the case. But this was a pampering novel—the male lead only had eyes for the female lead. Right now, he might feel guilty toward the third female lead, but that wouldn't stop him from later having her thrown in jail to die. Only then would it highlight his devotion to the female lead.

It was just a bit nauseating.

This fig leaf still had to be torn away by her. So, no one was willing to break off the engagement, huh?

Once she traced the video's source and exposed the third female lead's true colors, what reason would the male lead have not to break off the engagement?

Then, the cooperation between the two families would also fall apart. That was what she wanted to see—letting the male lead's company continue to grow? Impossible!

"Are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere just now?"

In the car, Su's mother pulled her close, examining her carefully, momentarily forgetting to scold Su Ruanruan for her actions.

Su Mi shook her head calmly. "I'm fine, of course. You should go check on Grandpa instead."

It was a pity she hadn't beaten up the male lead, but sure enough, that scumbag had brought new bodyguards. Still, gaining so much luck value wasn't bad. She could always beat him up later, but changing the plot was the most important thing.

The old man, upon hearing such disgraceful news, might have his blood pressure skyrocketing again.

"I've already called the hospital. Ruan Ruan didn't go there, but Dad still found out about what happened. He's currently in surgery for emergency treatment." Su Min rubbed his temples wearily.

"How could Ruan Ruan do such a thing? All these years, we've always asked her if she liked Qi Xi, and she never objected to marrying him. If she had just been honest, would we have sold her off or something?" He grew angrier as he spoke, never having imagined that his always obedient and sensible daughter could do such a thing.

Now she was even being labeled as promiscuous. Who knew what people outside were saying about the Su family's lack of morals, and it had even dragged Mimi's reputation down for no reason.

"What's the use of saying all this now?" Su's mother's expression darkened. "No matter what, we can't let the Qi family pin false accusations on us. They might not care about their reputation, but we do. I've always said there isn't a single decent person in the Qi family. Several grown men couldn't even beat Mimi, so they called in reinforcements. I find it embarrassing."

"Alright, alright. I'll handle things with the Qi family. Right now, we need to find Ruan Ruan first. She shouldn't be someone who doesn't understand the gravity of things—how could she do something so foolish?!" Su Min patted his wife's arm helplessly.

They were going to the hospital to see the old man, so Su Mi had the driver drop her off halfway. No one objected.

She had no desire to see that old man. Of course, if he were on the verge of death, that would be a different story.

Now that the third female lead had achieved her goal, successfully gaining the Qi family's support and affection, she probably wouldn't try to harm the old man for the time being.

She hailed a taxi halfway and headed to the riverside, then called Sister Zhou. Whether those technicians could trace the source was another matter—the third female lead didn't seem flustered at all, so it was likely they wouldn't find anything in the end.

However, while this hotel's surveillance was faulty, the surveillance from the previous engagement banquet hotel wasn't. Whether the third female lead accessed the hotel surveillance through staff or went herself, there would be traces. She just needed Sister Zhou to follow the clues and check who had accessed the corridor surveillance footage that day. Surely, they'd find something.

The third female lead doing shady things was one thing, but pinning the blame on her—that was absolutely unacceptable. If the other party had given her a heads-up, maybe she wouldn't have said anything, since the video's impact was indeed greater.

As for why she was going to the riverside—that was because, in the original story, after the banquet, the female lead also disappeared alone. She felt that the truth would come out sooner or later, and since the male lead hadn't openly acknowledged their relationship, she was deeply upset.

The original host was essentially a plot device, not only pushing the male and female leads' relationship forward but also serving as the villainess who gets her comeuppance. Since her actions were all instigated by the antagonist and didn’t involve any loss of life, the author mercifully spared her, leaving her only isolated and imprisoned.

But the third female character was involved in kidnapping the female lead. Even behind bars, the male lead would ensure her demise, just to flaunt his devotion.

Oh, so the scheming, domineering CEO thinks he's in control? She’d like to see who ruins whom first.

Planning to marry the third woman to bolster his company, while still trying to win the female lead’s heart? Go eat shit!

The car stopped by the riverside. Scanning the crowd, she quickly spotted the female lead, who at least had the sense to wear a mask—not due to any protagonist's halo, but because she was still in her evening gown, making her impossible to miss.

Sure enough, the plot hadn't strayed too far. The female lead was actually here, deep in soul-searching.

As she drew nearer, she saw tears streaking the female lead’s face, her hair disheveled, eyes red-rimmed and heart-wrenching. Yet her gaze seemed vacant, as if clouded with uncertainty about the future.

“Do you think running away solves anything? Have you considered the pressure you’re putting on Mom and Dad? Grandpa is still in surgery, his fate hanging in the balance. What good is regret now?” she said coldly.

Su Ruanruan turned in shock. Recognizing the speaker, she hastily wiped her tears, but the words unleashed a fresh wave of weeping.

Yes, she had fled, but her parents were now bearing the brunt of the scandal.

What must everyone think of her? Her parents must be utterly disappointed. She had single-handedly tarnished the Su family’s reputation…

“I… I’ll go see Grandpa!” she choked out, moving to leave.

Su Mi yanked her back. “What will that achieve? Will it make everyone forget today’s disgrace?”

Their eyes met. Su Ruanruan wept as if her heart would break, her slender shoulders quivering, her whole person like a shattered doll. “I don’t know… I truly don’t know what to do…”

As she spoke, she sank into a crouch, sobbing. Bystanders began to stare.

“I came to solve this. The Qi family called you loose, and Qi Yun said nothing. From start to finish, he was just toying with your feelings. Can’t you see that yet?”

Su Mi pulled out her phone. “I told you he was a scumbag. If he truly cared, would he keep you as his dirty secret? Forget ‘company interests’—those are just excuses. Ultimately, he puts himself first. Look, he hasn’t even come for you. Isn’t that proof enough?”

Hearing this, Su Ruanruan’s eyes sharpened. Memories surfaced—each time she mentioned breaking the engagement, he had dodged the subject. How right it was that those involved are blind while outsiders see clearly. She’d never imagined trusting such a liar!

Moments ago, she’d desperately hoped he would publicly acknowledge their relationship. Seeing him evade the topic again was her moment of clarity. From beginning to end, she alone had refused to see the truth. Qi Yun had never cared for her. Never.

“But… what should I do now?” she asked, flustered once more.

Su Mi thrust the phone forward. “Call him and curse out that fucking scumbag, then break up.”

Hearing this, Su Ruanruan seemed resolved. She snatched the phone and punched in the number. But then, a flicker of guilt crossed her face. “But… will that help Grandpa recover?”

Su Mi’s expression remained blank. “Just do as I say. First, pull up your call logs and chat history with him. Then I’ll have Dad arrange a meeting with the Qis. When the time comes, shove all those inappropriate messages in their faces. Then they’ll have nothing to say.”