Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

Seeing her relentless attitude, Qi Lei knew that the relationship was completely over. A wave of regret washed over him; he regretted crossing the line out of curiosity. Looking back, he couldn't even understand his own actions, but what was done was done, and no amount of regret could undo the damage.

Qiangwei followed Xiaoqiu to her best friend's rented apartment for a temporary stay. That evening, she told her parents everything. Upon hearing of their prospective son-in-law's outrageous behavior, the two elders trembled with rage, finding Qi Lei utterly despicable. Initially, they were somewhat incredulous, until Qiangwei sent them the secretly filmed video. After watching it, the couple were so shocked they couldn't utter a word for a long time.

On the other hand, the marriage that had been discussed suddenly fell through. Qi Lei's parents were full of doubts and kept asking for the reason for the breakup. They even called Qiangwei directly.

Rose coldly retorted, "You should ask your own son about the specifics," refusing to reveal another word.

Qi Lei's parents immediately realized that their son must have done something wrong to make their daughter so resolute. They quickly apologized on his behalf over the phone, promising to discipline Qi Lei properly, and tentatively inquired whether there was any possibility of reconciliation. Qiangwei's attitude was very firm, stating bluntly that there was absolutely no possibility between them.

Qi Lei's parents were frantic and rushed to the house where the two were living together, forcing Qi Lei to tell the truth. Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Qi Lei could only lower his head and confess everything. Qi Lei's parents were ordinary people with traditional and simple values. Upon learning of their son's absurd and shameful act, the elderly couple were so ashamed they couldn't lift their heads. That very day, they hurriedly returned to their hometown, publicly declaring that they were severing ties with Qi Lei, stating that they had no son who could bring shame upon them. Driven by a moment of curiosity and indulgence, Qi Lei ultimately destroyed his engagement and family ties, swallowing the bitter fruit of his own actions.

The focus shifts back to the third case, involving Xiaoting with the ID "Qian Duoduo". After Shen Jingshu's definitive statement in the live stream, she hung up, her forced composure crumbling instantly, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

She had long harbored some doubts, but had deliberately avoided them. She had previously deceived herself into believing that the way her mother looked at her boyfriend, Tang Jun, was simply the affection of an elder for a younger person. Now, she suddenly realized that it was clearly the ambiguous affection a woman felt for the man she admired.

After sitting there for more than ten minutes, Xiaoting forced her restless mind to calm down and made two phone calls in a row. She first called her boyfriend Tang Jun and invited him to her home for dinner in the evening. Then she called her mother and told her that she would bring Tang Jun home with her.

The mother on the other end of the phone was overjoyed, even scolding her for not informing her in advance, and hurriedly said that she would buy more good dishes to treat Tang Jun.

Xiaoting felt a chill in her heart. Her mother's joy at hearing that Tang Jun was coming far surpassed her joy at welcoming her own daughter home. Only when all the incongruous details of the past came together did she realize with a self-deprecating laugh that she had been kept in the dark by the two of them from beginning to end, like a ridiculous fool.

After hanging up the phone, Xiaoting drove home. As soon as she reached the entrance, she saw the neatly arranged men's leather shoes; Tang Jun had already arrived. From the kitchen came the sounds of the two chatting and laughing, their intimate conversation resembling that of a family.

Xiaoting slammed the door shut with a loud bang, startling the two people in the kitchen. Her mother strode out, her brow furrowed, and scolded, "You're so clumsy! Slamming the door like that—are you in a bad mood today and taking it out on the door?"

"It's nothing, I'm just too tired from work," Xiaoting replied casually.

The mother turned her head and gave Tang Jun, who was standing at the kitchen door, a subtle look. Tang Jun immediately came out and said in a gentle voice, "Tingting, you've worked hard. Let me massage your shoulders to help you relax." As he spoke, he reached out to pull her to the sofa.

Xiaoting forcefully pulled her hand away from his, her tone distant: "No need."

Tang Jun noticed that she was acting strangely today, but he didn't think much of it and casually said, "Then I'll go to the kitchen and help Auntie. She bought a lot of ingredients, she definitely can't manage it all by herself."

Xiaoting, expressionless, uttered a single word: "Go."

Looking across the living room at the two figures that were faintly visible in the kitchen, Xiaoting felt nothing but overwhelming irony.

Before long, a table full of dishes was served. Xiaoting washed her hands and sat down. The three of them sat around the table, with her mother sitting directly opposite her, and Xiaoting and Tang Jun sitting side by side.

There were six dishes in total, which looked very sumptuous, but Xiaoting felt a chill in her heart when she glanced at them—five of them were Tang Jun's favorite flavors, while her preferences were completely ignored.

During the meal, his mother kept putting food into Tang Jun's bowl, and only symbolically gave her a little bit as well.

In the past, Xiaoting would have jokingly expressed her jealousy, teasing her mother for doting on her future son-in-law far more than her own daughter, making her feel like an outsider. Each time, her mother would roll her eyes and laugh, explaining that it was simply a matter of loving the house because of the child; she only treated Tang Jun well because her daughter liked him.

But looking back on those words now, I find them utterly ridiculous. It wasn't about loving someone because of their family; all my mother's concern, favoritism, and care were never out of consideration for me.

At the dinner table, the mother once again skillfully served Tang Jun food, her movements natural and affectionate.

Finally, Xiaoting could no longer keep up the act.

With a sharp "smack," she slammed her chopsticks down heavily on the table, the force causing the bowls and plates to tremble slightly.

Her inner forbearance, restraint, and self-deception finally snapped. She had overestimated her endurance; knowing the whole sordid truth, she still had to sit there, watching her two closest friends act, flirt, and show favoritism before her very eyes. The thought of them shamelessly and openly cheating on her day after day filled her with a bone-chilling nausea.

The sudden noise startled Xiaoting's mother, Liu Xiujuan, and Tang Jun, who both froze.

Liu Xiujuan immediately frowned, about to scold her daughter for being disobedient and throwing a tantrum while eating properly, but before she could finish speaking, Xiaoting's icy voice cut her off.

"Aren't you two tired of putting on this act every day?"

Xiaoting raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping coldly over the two of them, her words clear and devoid of any warmth: "No need to act anymore, I know everything you've done behind my back."

These words struck like a thunderbolt, landing heavily on the dining table.

Tang Jun's face suddenly turned pale, and panic flashed across his eyes. He stood frozen in place, completely unable to meet Xiao Ting's gaze.

In contrast, Liu Xiujuan, after a brief moment of surprise, inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had been relieved of the burden of a long-standing pretense.

She softened her tone, with a hint of feigned helplessness and guilt: "Tingting, we...we didn't mean to hide it from you, we just didn't know how to tell you about it."

"Don't know how to bring it up?" Xiaoting chuckled softly, her laughter filled with sorrow and irony. "You were capable of betraying me, and now you're afraid to speak up?"

"We were afraid of hurting you..."

"Afraid of hurting me?" Xiaoting's eyes instantly reddened, and her long-suppressed grievances and humiliation erupted. "If you're afraid of hurting me, why did you do such a despicable thing?!"

"One is my biological mother who gave me life and raised me, and the other is my boyfriend to whom I have entrusted my heart and intend to spend my life."

Looking at the two hypocrites before her, she spoke with a voice dripping with pain and piercing her heart: "You two have been entangled behind my back, treating me like a fool, keeping me in the dark and toying with me. I'm almost thirty years old, and I've never felt like the biggest, most ridiculous joke in the world before!"