Everyone was on Qin Jing’s side, and there was a collective disdain toward the Yao mother and daughter. No one in attendance would even think of receiving them into their homes at this point, much less invite them to special events.

Yao Ran’s face went from a sweet, pinkish blush to a furious shade of red. She was mortified. She lowered her head and tried to cover her face with the table napkin she was holding.

Her fists were clenched tightly, and she bit her lips so hard, they almost bled.

“Uncle Wang, kindly escort these two out.” Qin Jing ordered.

Her voice rang loud and clear, so everyone was sure to have heard it.+

Not that she cared. She was already extending the Yao family more courtesy than they deserved.

They should be thankful she hadn’t ordered her servants to drag them out to the street.

Several heads turned to Uncle Wang with similar looks of eager anticipation.

Uncle Wang then waved over four more servants. “If you please,” he said to Yao Ran with a sneer.

Qin Man was decidedly upset with this development.

So what if they had come without an invitation? They had already gone through the door, and had even bought presents with them. Why were they still being thrown out?

Was the Qin family so prejudiced that they would act so unreasonably toward their guests?

“How dare you!” she shrieked. “Is this how you treat your guests? You even berated my helpless Ranran in front of so many people! I can’t believe that yo—”

“Do you mean to say that you refuse to leave?” Qin Jing interrupted.

She signaled at the security guard nearby, who immediately whipped out his baton and approached.

The rest of Qin Man’s tirade died in her throat. Instead, she screamed and scrambled away.

Needless to say, she had well and truly lost her face with her reaction. To think that she was the mistress of the Yao family, a notable family that could have potentially become a formidable force in all of City A.

And here she was, being chased out by some lowly guard, even threatened with force.

Yao Ran rushed after her mother and stood between her and the burly man with the baton.

“We’re leaving, all right? You don’t have to be so cruel, Qin Jing. We didn’t come here with bad intentions.”

Unfortunately, her reaction only prompted the other security personnel to take out their batons as well.

They stood at the ready, waiting for Qin Jing to give her orders.

But before she could say anything, Yao Ran let out yet another pitiful sob. “I’ve always wanted to get along with my sister, and I hoped that we could make friends together. Now I understand that you aren’t willing to give me a chance, so Mom and I will be taking our leave now.”

She made a show of squaring her shoulders, then looked at Qin Jing defiantly. “I do hope that we haven’t ruined the rest of your evening. Please enjoy the party with your guests.”

With that, she took her mother by the arm and assisted her toward the door.

Qin Man glared one last time at Qin Jing, then she looked around at the nosy bystanders who had been mocking and cursing at them.

They weren’t even half as rich or as influential as the Yao family!

How dare they laugh at her…

Mother and daughter supported each other as they made their way outside. Qin Jing’s face slowly broke into a grin as she watched them go.

Then, she gathered her skirts and strode over to the reception area where Yao Tang was.

The crowd slowly dispersed and went off in clusters, though some of them remained on the spot and continued to ridicule Yao Ran long after she left.

“Ugh, now that was just embarrassing! I would hate to be in the Yao family’s shoes at the moment.”

“That’s right, they’re nothing more than clowns, making a circus out of this party. It’s good that they were put into their place.”

“I know, they really thought they could fool everyone here!”

“Well, they could have easily tricked gullible people by playing the victim cards. They probably never expected us to see through their facade, though, those idiots. Why, after so many years in this game, I can spot a fake gold-digger with a single glance!”

“I never thought that Yao Ran was a troublemaker. She always looked gentle and proper, but it’s all just an act.”

“Yes, what a shame. I used to consider her as my goddess, you know. We attend the same school. But now, everyone in my circle prefers Yao Tang to her. Yao Ran is practically a washed-up nobody at this point, haha!”

They shared a round of disdainful laughter and took pleasure in the Yao family’s imminent downfall in high society.

…

The guest room upstairs.

Cheng Zhou had just finished changing. He was folding the suit that had been stained, intending to take them home with him.

He wasn’t keen on the idea of leaving his clothes at the Qin residence.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

It was followed by the sound of heavy footsteps pacing out in the hall. It sounded like that of an adult man.

“Who is it?” Cheng Zhou called out.