The ancient war between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in a wealthy family

I suppressed my inner uneasiness and followed Relative Zhou out of the bar. A limousine was parked on the curb, its door already open. Relative Zhou politely gestured, "Miss Bai, please get in. Don't keep Madam and everyone else waiting."

I gave him a long look, then finally bent over and got into the car. The car quickly drove away from the bar. The neon lights on the street flashed quickly on the car window, but none of them caught my eye. Where's Model Lin? Where is she now? Is she okay? My heart was in a tangle, as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand, making it almost impossible to breathe.

The car finally pulled up in front of an upscale hotel. As soon as I stepped out, I was dazzled by the sight of elegantly dressed people. Celebrities from all walks of life were in their finest attire, chatting and laughing, while champagne shone hazily in crystal flutes. If I hadn't been preoccupied with Model Lin, I might have been struck by the grandeur of this charity dinner.

"What are you standing there for? Come on in!" Relative Zhou's impatient voice rang out behind me, interrupting my thoughts. I suppressed my uneasiness and followed him into the banquet hall.

As soon as I entered, I saw my mother-in-law standing in the center of the crowd. She was dressed in a perfectly tailored cheongsam, elegant and regal, with a dignified smile on her face, chatting and laughing with several other ladies. Upon seeing me enter, she simply nodded briefly, a hello, and then continued chatting and laughing with the ladies around her, as if she had completely forgotten that I, her daughter-in-law, existed.

My heart sank slightly. The party had already begun, but I couldn't contact Model Lin at all, which made me even more uneasy. Suppressing my anxiety, I walked to the corner, trying to find Zhan Yu.

At that moment, the lights on the stage suddenly dimmed, and the spotlight shone on the center stage. My mother-in-law stood at the microphone and began to speak. She looked around gracefully, her voice gentle but full of power: "Dear guests, good evening! Welcome to this charity dinner..."

Next, my mother-in-law began to recount the entire process of preparing for the charity dinner, from choosing the venue to inviting guests, from collecting items for the charity auction to arranging the dinner process. She recounted every detail, as if she had done it all by herself.

The Zhan family's friends and relatives in the audience nodded in praise, expressing their gratitude and admiration for Grandma's dedication. I stood in a corner, listening to Grandma take all the credit, feeling a mixture of emotions.

At that moment, I felt a gaze on me. I looked up and met Zhan Yu's gaze. He stood in the crowd, his brow slightly furrowed, a look of worry and distress in his eyes.

I forced a smile at him, wanting to tell him I was fine, but my smile was uglier than crying. Zhan Yu seemed to want to say something else, but was stopped by a sharp look from my mother-in-law.

My heart ached as if it had been pricked by a needle. I lowered my head and tried hard to hold back my tears.

At this moment, the door to the banquet hall was suddenly pushed open, and a tall figure appeared at the door, instantly attracting everyone's attention...

The door of the banquet hall closed again, but the noise did not stop. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the figure at the door, and even the mother-in-law's speech seemed to be paused.

It’s Model Lin.

She wore a fiery red, high-slit gown that trailed the floor, swaying gently with her steps. Her long, white legs were even more alluring against the backdrop of the red dress. Her makeup was exquisite, her lips were fiery red, and her eyes were full of charm and provocation.

She was like a dazzling ruby, suddenly falling into this magnificent banquet hall, attracting everyone's attention. I noticed that even the ladies around me who had originally expressed their admiration for me could not help but whisper about Model Lin's beauty and boldness.

My heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, and it was hard to breathe. What was she doing here? Didn't Relative Zhou stop her?

Model Lin ignored everyone's gazes and walked straight to the center of the crowd. As she passed, people automatically and consciously made a path for her. She moved gracefully among the guests, clinking glasses with them from time to time and chatting and laughing, as if she were the host of the party.

My eyes followed her all the time, watching her approach Zhan Yu step by step. Zhan Yu also saw her, without showing too much surprise on his face, but just frowned slightly, as if he was a little unhappy with her appearance.

"Mr. Zhan, long time no see." Model Lin walked up to Zhan Yu, her red lips slightly parted, her voice charming and attractive.

I noticed that she deliberately moved her body closer to Zhan Yu, almost touching him. Zhan Yu took a step back without leaving a trace, keeping a distance from her, his face still with that calm expression.

My heart felt like it was being pricked by a needle, a dull pain. I clenched my fists tightly, my nails almost piercing my palms, but I felt nothing.

"Miss Bai is so lucky, marrying into a wealthy family and having such a beautiful woman throw herself into his arms."

"That's right. I heard that this Miss Bai was just a small doctor before. I don't know what tricks she used to bewitch Mr. Zhan."

"Shh, be quiet, be careful not to be heard..."

The sounds of discussion around me reached my ears, and I looked up suddenly. I saw my relative Zhou standing not far away, chatting and laughing with several guests with a smug look on his face.

I immediately realized that these rumors must have been spread by my relative Zhou! He was so determined to discredit me that he even fabricated such lies!

I was so angry that I was shaking all over. I wanted to rush up to him to argue, but a hand held me back. I turned around and saw it was Zhan Yu.

He looked at me with a complicated expression in his eyes, and his thin lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing. He just held my hand tightly, as if to give me strength.

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger and resentment I was feeling. I knew now wasn't the time to act rashly. I couldn't let my cousin Zhou succeed, and I couldn't put Zhan Yu in a difficult position.

Just then, I saw a few familiar faces appear at the banquet hall entrance... It was them! The vendors who had helped me before! Why were they here? Just as I was wondering, they were already walking towards me, their faces filled with undisguised anger... There was a sudden commotion in the crowd, and I saw a few familiar faces appear at the banquet hall entrance. It was Xiao Zhang, Aunt Wang, Uncle Li... the vendors who had helped me in my most difficult times!

How did they appear here? I opened my mouth in surprise, and before I could react, they had already passed through the crowd and walked towards me aggressively.

"Miss Bai, we're all here!" Xiao Zhang blushed and said excitedly, "We all believe in you!"

"That's right, we don't believe a single word of those rumors! We all saw how much effort you put into preparing for this charity dinner!" Aunt Wang also said indignantly.

My heart warmed, and my eyes moistened. It turned out that even in this world of fame and fortune, there were still people who remembered my efforts and believed in me.

"Thank you..." My voice choked, but I didn't know what to say. All the grievances and pressure I'd endured these days seemed to have found an outlet at this moment. I desperately wanted to tell them the truth, tell everyone!

"Miss Bai, don't be afraid! We all support you!" Uncle Li's words gave me great encouragement. I took a deep breath, clenched my fists, and secretly made up my mind: I must find an opportunity to explain everything to everyone!

I looked around, finally settling on the stage in the center of the banquet hall. It was originally the podium for my mother-in-law to give a speech, but now it was empty.

I was about to walk over when I was stunned by the scene in front of me.

Model Lin suddenly lost her footing and fell uncontrollably towards Zhan Yu! "Ah!" she exclaimed, and the champagne glass in her hand flew out. The golden liquid drew a parabola in the air and eventually splashed onto Zhan Yu's suit jacket.

The crowd erupted in an uproar, everyone's attention riveted by this sudden turn of events. I froze in my tracks, and before I could react, I heard a flurry of accusations echoing around me.

"Oh my God, why did she fall?"

"You're not doing this on purpose, are you? Do you want to take this opportunity to get close to Mr. Zhan?"

"I think it's probably true! Look at the look in her eyes, she's clearly pretending to be weak to gain sympathy!"

Only then did I notice that Model Lin was half-leaning in Zhan Yu's arms, her face showing a hint of pain and helplessness, but with a subtle smugness in the corners of her eyes. Zhan Yu, on the other hand, had a frown on his face, as if he was very annoyed by the woman's unrestrained embrace.

"Miss Bai, you didn't arrange this woman, did you?" Relative Zhou's voice was filled with undisguised gloating. He walked up to me and said in a sharp tone, "You want to use such a despicable method to drive away your love rival? Don't you think you have the ability to do it?"

I immediately understood that this was all a trap set up by my mother-in-law and Model Lin! They deliberately created this accident just to make me the target of public criticism!

My heart sank to the bottom, but I couldn't defend myself because I knew that even if I told the truth, no one would believe it.

"What? You have nothing to say?" Seeing my silence, relative Zhou became even more complacent. "You must be feeling guilty!"

I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging deep into my flesh, but I didn't feel a trace of pain. My eyes swept across the crowd, and I saw the sinister smile on my mother-in-law's face, the smug look that flashed across Lin's eyes, and the complicated look in Zhan Yu's eyes.

I took a deep breath, turned around and walked towards the side door of the banquet hall. I knew that now was not the time to act rashly. I had to find evidence first to expose their conspiracy!

My hand had just touched the doorknob when a deep voice suddenly came from behind me: "Where are you going?" I turned around and found Zhan Yu standing behind me. His deep eyes were like the night sky, making it impossible to see his emotions. I avoided his gaze and said calmly: "Nothing, I just want to go to the bathroom."

"The bathroom is not here." His tone was indifferent, but with unquestionable certainty.

I knew he must have seen through my intentions. This man always had this way of seeing through people's hearts. I took a deep breath and simply stopped trying to hide it. I looked him straight in the face. "I know this is a trap set by my mother-in-law and Model Lin. I won't let them succeed."

"So, what are you going to do?" Zhan Yu did not show any surprise, as if everything was within his expectations.

"I want everyone to know the truth!" I said in a firm tone. At this moment, my heart was filled with strength. All the concerns that once made me hesitant disappeared at this moment. I can no longer let others manipulate me. I want to clear my name!

Zhan Yu didn't say anything, just looked at me quietly, his deep eyes seemed to see through my soul. I felt a little uncomfortable with his gaze, and just as I was about to speak, he suddenly turned around and walked towards the center of the banquet hall.

I was stunned for a moment, wondering what he was going to do, when I saw him walk straight onto the stage and pick up the microphone. Suddenly, everyone's eyes were focused on him.

"Dear guests, I'm sorry to bother you all." Zhan Yu's voice was as deep and magnetic as ever, but it carried an aura that could not be ignored. "Tonight's charity dinner was planned and organized by my wife, Miss Bai."

His words were powerful, echoing in the silent banquet hall. I looked up at him in surprise, a mixture of emotions. Was he helping me? Yet, he knew perfectly well that by saying this, he was challenging my mother-in-law's authority.

"Zhan Yu, what nonsense are you talking about!" Sure enough, the mother-in-law's face turned pale in an instant. She quickly walked onto the stage and tried to stop Zhan Yu from continuing.

However, Zhan Yu ignored her anger and continued, "I know there have been some false rumors about my wife recently, but I can tell you responsibly that those are all rumors! My wife is kind-hearted and generous. She has devoted a lot of effort to this charity dinner..."

As he spoke, he pulled out a USB drive from his suit pocket and handed it to the staff member beside him. "This contains all the information my wife used to prepare the dinner, including contracts with small vendors, communication records with charities, and so on. You can check it out for yourself."

My heart was completely shaken at that moment. I never thought that he would stand by me so unreservedly and use his actions to declare his trust and support for me to everyone.

I clenched my fists tightly and looked at Zhan Yu on the stage with a determined gaze. I knew that my counterattack had just begun... At this moment, the door to the banquet hall was slowly pushed open, and a familiar figure appeared at the door. I recognized it at a glance. It was...