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

The door to the banquet hall slowly opened, and a familiar figure appeared. I recognized him instantly; it was the vendor who had brought me a dress and whom I had kicked out. Why was he here? Could it be... My heartbeat quickened, and a sense of foreboding washed over me.

Zhan Yu also noticed the movement at the door. He stopped talking and turned to look at the door. Everyone looked over curiously, and whispers spread throughout the banquet hall.

I took a deep breath, walked quickly to the vendor, and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here? Who asked you to come?"

The vendor's eyes were evasive, not daring to look me in the eye. He stammered, "I... I came here on my own accord. I can't let you take the blame..."

"Take the blame? What does that mean?" My heart tightened and I asked.

Before the vendor could answer, my mother-in-law and a group of guests gathered around me. She pointed at me with a smug look on her face and said, "Look everyone, the truth is out! I told you there was something else going on, and now she's got someone to act out this. Are you still trying to deny it?"

Only then did I realize that my mother-in-law had planned all this long ago! She had deliberately arranged for someone to act out this drama, wanting to expose me in public and ruin my reputation!

Anger and humiliation surged in my heart. I clenched my fists and tried to control my emotions. I couldn't lose my composure. I had to stay calm!

"That's not the case, I didn't..." I tried to explain, but my voice was drowned out by the discussions around me.

"I was wondering, how could a woman who just married into a wealthy family be so capable of hosting such a grand charity dinner? Turns out she's playing dirty!"

"You really can't judge a person by his appearance. He seems so gentle and kind, but I didn't expect him to be so scheming!"

……

All sorts of questions and accusations came flooding in like a tide, leaving me breathless. I felt extremely wronged and angry, but powerless to refute them.

At this time, Zhan Yu came over and protected me behind him. He glanced coldly at the guests around him and said in a deep voice: "Please be quiet, everyone. I believe my wife. She is not that kind of person!"

"Yu'er, you..." The mother-in-law wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Zhan Yu.

"Mom, I will get to the bottom of this matter and give justice to the innocent people." Zhan Yu's tone left no room for doubt.

I took a deep breath and knew that now was not the time to argue with my mother-in-law. All I had to do was produce evidence to prove my innocence!

I took out the document bag I had prepared earlier from my bag, handed it to Zhan Yu, and said in a deep voice, "It contains the contracts I signed with all the small vendors, as well as the communication records with the charity. Every payment is clearly stated. You can find someone to verify it."

Zhan Yu took the document bag and was about to open it to check, but his mother-in-law suddenly rushed over, snatched the document bag, and said with a sneer: "Who knows if these things are forged by you?!"

"You..." I was so angry that I couldn't say anything.

At this time, Zhou, a relative who had been standing in the crowd, also stood up to help. He shook his head and said, "Alas, young people nowadays will do anything to achieve their goals!"

His words were like sharp thorns, piercing my heart. I felt so hopeless and helpless. Was I really going to be wronged by them?

I looked at Zhan Yu in despair, but found that he was frowning and lost in thought, and did not believe me immediately.

At this moment, model Lin, who had been silent all the time, suddenly walked up to Zhan Yu and said pitifully: "Mr. Zhan, don't blame Miss Bai, it's all my fault..." As she spoke, her tears fell "pat".

Lin Model's words were like a bomb, exploding in the crowd. The guests looked at me with even more contempt, as if I were the vicious woman with a heart of a snake and scorpion, and Lin Model was the innocent and pitiful victim.

"Boss Zhan, you don't know, Miss Bai is jealous of me and has always been targeting me..." Model Lin cried, glancing at me with eyes full of "grievance", as if to say: "Let's see how long you can pretend!"

I was so angry that I was shaking all over, but I couldn't refute him. I had never seen such a person who could confuse right and wrong and speak nonsense like that!

Zhan Yu looked at the tearful Lin model, then glanced at me, his eyes complicated and difficult to decipher. He pursed his lips tightly, remained silent, and exuded an icy aura, making it impossible to fathom his thoughts.

My heart went cold. Didn't even he believe me? Did he really think I would do such a thing?

"That's enough!" Grandma shouted, interrupting Model Lin's performance. "Yu'er, what are you still standing there for? Why don't you deal with this quickly?"

Zhan Yu withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and seemed to have made some decision. He was about to speak when the door of the banquet hall was suddenly pushed open and a staff member ran in hurriedly, sweating profusely and pale.

"Boss Zhan, something bad has happened!" the staff member gasped, "The originally scheduled performance guests...they...they..."

"What's wrong with them? Stop hesitating!" Zhou Qingqi asked impatiently.

"They canceled the performance at the last minute, saying that there was a car accident on the road and the student has been sent to the hospital..." The staff member's voice became smaller and smaller, as if they were worried that they would be blamed.

"what?!"

"how so?!"

"What should I do?!"

The guests immediately became excited and talked a lot, and the originally festive banquet scene suddenly became a mess.

Seeing this, Relative Zhou immediately jumped out and pointed at me, saying, "I told you, there's definitely something wrong with this matter! It must be your poor planning, sister-in-law, that has offended them. Now look, they're not coming anymore. Let's see what you can do!"

My heart shuddered, and a bad feeling washed over me. This happened too suddenly, too coincidental. Could it be someone deliberately arranged this?

I forced myself to calm down and looked around, searching for a solution. However, the dinner was getting closer and closer, and finding a suitable guest performer on short notice was no easy task.

I suddenly felt caught in a dilemma, like a trapped animal in this gorgeous cage with nowhere to escape.

"Or... I'll go find my friends and see if they have time..." Model Lin suddenly said weakly, looking "understanding", but actually adding fuel to the fire.

I looked at her coldly, sneering in my heart. She was trying to take advantage of the situation and make me owe her a favor, so that she could continue to sow discord between me and Zhan Yu!

"No need," I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself calm, "I'll find a way to solve it."

Just when I was getting anxious and at a loss, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Let me do it."

I turned around suddenly and saw the vendor I had kicked out earlier standing firmly in the crowd, looking at me with burning eyes...

His appearance was like a piece of driftwood cast into the midst of a raging sea, giving me a glimmer of hope amidst despair. I stared at him blankly, speechless for a moment. Why had he returned? Wasn't he afraid of offending the Zhan family, of being driven out again?

He seemed to see my confusion and smiled at me, his eyes firm and calm. "Miss Bai, you helped me before, I can't just stand by and watch you get into trouble. Although my performance is a bit crude, it can still hold up for a while, you see..."

His words were simple and unadorned, yet they brought a surge of warmth to my heart. In this cold, wealthy family, at this banquet filled with calculation and hypocrisy, his sincerity and kindness seemed especially precious.

"Okay!" I took a deep breath and nodded gratefully. "Thank you for your help."

He said no more and walked straight to the stage in the center of the banquet hall. He took out his "musical instrument" - several porcelain bowls of different sizes - from the bag he carried with him.

The guests were still immersed in the disappointment and dissatisfaction of the cancellation of the performance, but when they saw the "folk artist" suddenly appear on the stage, they were very curious. The discussions gradually subsided and their eyes were focused on him.

He didn't seem to be affected by the surrounding environment. He adjusted his "instrument" with a focused expression, then took a deep breath and began his performance.

The clear and melodious sound of the bowls echoed in the hall, sometimes high-pitched and passionate, sometimes low and gentle, as if telling an ancient and mysterious story. The guests were all attracted by this unique performance and gradually immersed in it, forgetting all the unpleasantness before.

I watched the man performing diligently on stage, my heart filled with gratitude and admiration. I secretly resolved to help him, so that he would no longer be bullied and could live a better life.

Taking advantage of the fact that the guests were all attracted by the performance, I walked over to Zhan Yu and said in a low voice, "Ayu, I have something very important to tell you. It's about Model Lin and everything that happened at tonight's dinner..."

Zhan Yu was a little impatient at first, but seeing my serious expression, he finally nodded and followed me to the garden outside the banquet hall.

I took a deep breath and told Zhan Yu how Model Lin had deliberately approached me, how she had tried to sow discord between me and my mother-in-law, how she had acted out the role of "victim", and how the guest performer at tonight's dinner had to cancel his performance at the last minute. I suspected that someone had deliberately arranged this just to embarrass me... I told Zhan Yu everything without hiding anything.

I finished speaking in one breath and looked at Zhan Yu nervously, hoping to see a hint of trust and support from his face. However, his face was still expressionless and cold, making it impossible to see his true thoughts.

"Ayu, do you believe me?" I couldn't help but ask, with a hint of trembling in my voice.

Zhan Yu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Do you have any evidence for what you said?"

I knew it would be hard for him to completely trust me based on my one-sided story. I took a deep breath, tried to stay calm, and said, "I'll find the evidence, but right now, I hope you can give me some time, and yourself some time, to think carefully. Is Model Lin really approaching you just for love?"

I looked at Zhan Yu steadily and said word by word, "Ayu, don't be blinded by appearances. See clearly who is the one who truly treats you well!"

After saying that, I turned and left the garden, heading towards the banquet hall. My eyes swept over the elegantly dressed crowd in the banquet hall, and finally landed on an unremarkable waiter in the corner...

The banquet hall was filled with clinking glasses and laughter, as if all the unpleasantness had never happened. I tried hard to control my inner anxiety, forced a smile, and wandered among the crowd.

My eyes kept scanning every corner of the banquet hall, searching for that familiar figure. He was the waiter in charge of the banquet drinks, and the only possible witness who might have been present when I overheard the conversation between my mother-in-law and Model Lin in the garden that day.

However, I searched the entire banquet hall but couldn't find him. Could it be that he didn't come to work today? Or that he no longer worked at the Zhan family? My heart sank. Was I really going to watch my mother-in-law and Lin Model succeed in their scheme?

"Young Madam, what are you looking for?" A slightly hesitant voice sounded behind me.

I turned around suddenly and saw a young man in a waiter's uniform standing behind me, holding a tray with several glasses of champagne on it.

"You are..." I tried hard to recall, trying to find a trace of familiarity on his face.

"I'm Xiao Liu. Don't you remember me? Last time you accidentally sprained your ankle in the garden, and it was me who helped you back home." He scratched his head embarrassedly.

I remembered, it was him! That day in the garden, I was so shocked by the conversation between my mother-in-law and Model Lin that I twisted my ankle. He helped me to a bench nearby to rest and even poured me a glass of water.

"Xiao Liu, it's really you!" I excitedly grabbed his arm, my tone full of surprise and anticipation. "I have something very important to ask you. Can you come with me?"

He seemed startled by my sudden action and looked at me somewhat at a loss, but finally nodded and followed me to a secluded corner outside the banquet hall.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, then told him what I had heard in the garden that day and confirmed with him whether he was there that day.

After listening to my story, his face turned pale and his lips trembled slightly, as if he was trying hard to control his emotions.

"I..." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seemed to be hesitant about something, and in the end, he said nothing.

I looked at him anxiously, waiting for his answer.