A pond full of blooming flowers, an ultimate addiction.

Yu Qingcheng was surrounded by several girls who fawned over her. She enjoyed their worship and, after being stunned by Chi Ruiche's words, now felt extremely satisfied with her sense of superiority.

"Sister, as long as you're here, all the attention is on you," Yu Shuqing pouted, complaining.

“Standing next to Miss Qingcheng, we are all insignificant,” the girl echoed.

Yu Qingcheng enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention; as long as she was there, she should be the focus: "You guys are exaggerating," she said modestly, making herself appear generous and poised.

"Did you see the news from a couple of days ago?" When girls get together, their gossip instincts are burning brightly.

"Did the Jiang family bid on a pink diamond?" The girl next to me suddenly became interested.

"Yes, Jiang Yi. We haven't heard from her in the industry for the past few years," the girl said casually.

The three Yu sisters exchanged glances. They already knew Jiang Yi's identity from Yu Shaohua. Today's stunt was simply a test of Chi Ruiche, and it would be best if they succeeded.

"I know that. Jiang Yi got into a fight with the mayor's son a few years ago, and was subsequently sent abroad by the Jiang family," the girl chimed in, joining the lively conversation.

"Does this message from the Jiang family mean they're going back to China?" a few girls chattered amongst themselves.

"Idiot, is that the point? The most explosive part of this news is that Jiang Yi is a girl." Yu Shuqing gave them a disdainful look, and seeing how clueless they all seemed, she couldn't help but show off her cultural refinement.

"Ah, how is that possible?" Several girls widened their eyes in surprise, hardly believing their ears.

"The age of peach and plum blossoms, in ancient times, was a euphemism for a woman's twenties." Yu Shuqing shook her head smugly, ignoring everyone's gazes. In truth, when she herself learned this news, her expression was just like theirs, like a piece of wood stuck to the ground.

"My goodness, everyone in the circle calls him 'Young Master'?" The girl was completely unaware that her voice was so jarring that it made Chi Ruiche stop in his tracks.

"Haha, could it be that she underwent gender reassignment surgery abroad these past few years? After all, Jiang Yi has an effeminate appearance, what's impossible?" One of the girls in a purple gauze dress said sarcastically, making vulgar remarks.

"How could you say such things?" Yu Qingcheng spoke up appropriately, rebuking them.

"Sis, just let them talk. Maybe they're telling the truth," Yu Shuli said with a mischievous grin, raising her eyebrows.

Hearing Yu Shuli's words, the girls became even more unrestrained, casually uttering those sharp and sarcastic words. Other girls nearby also gathered around.

"The incident involving Jiang Yi and Li Yue has caused quite a stir. The official explanation is a brawl between high school students. But is that really true?" It happened three years ago, at a school, and spread quickly. The victim was the mayor's son, so it couldn't be easily suppressed. Although there was an official clarification, the uninformed public still believed Jiang Yi was the killer, but the Jiang family's powerful connections allowed them to cover up the truth.

"That's right. Young Master Jiang has no scandals whatsoever; he's spotless."

"How could that be? I'm not a saint." The girl in the purple gauze dress felt satisfied with everyone surrounding her, and her smile grew wider and wider: "It's said that Jiang Yi's boyfriend was stolen by Li Yue, which led to all this."

"Does Jiang Yi really like boys?" the others asked gossipingly.

"Definitely, otherwise, wouldn't it be beneath a rich kid to get into a fight?" The girl in purple continued to smear Jiang Yi. "What's wrong with a young master like him having a few wild games?"

"It's all baseless." The others were skeptical of her words.

Seeing that they didn't believe her, the girl in purple fabricated an even more outrageous story: "Jiang Yi's private life is very chaotic. She's always the one who's on the bottom when she's abroad. You didn't know that, did you?"

"Who told you that?" Where there are people, there are objections. "After all, Chiang Kai-shek always kept his whereabouts a secret when he went abroad. How could you possibly know?"

“My family has a cooperative relationship with the Jiang family, so what’s a little bit of information?” The girl in purple glared disdainfully at the person who retorted.

"Lu Er, who is speaking?" Chi Ruiche's dark eyes concealed a murderous intent.

"The one in purple is Mo Ru from the Mo family." Lü Haotian had nothing to say about this; he knew almost every capable family member in Xijing like the back of his hand.

Chi Ruiche walked straight toward Mo Ru. The others looked at Chi Ruiche in surprise. Every step he took exuded a cold killing intent that made people want to stay away.

Chi Ruiche looked down at her condescendingly. "Defamation of others is punishable by imprisonment for not less than three years but not more than seven years." The chill in his eagle eyes deepened.

Mo Ru was intimidated by his imposing presence and felt an invisible pressure. She stammered, "Mr. Chi... Mr. Chi..."

"Qi Shenming will contact you later. I hope Miss Mo can be just as sharp-tongued." Chi Ruiche's sinister eyes were filled with threat and unpredictability, making it difficult to look directly at him. "The guilty should rot in prison."

Mo Ru sat there blankly. Qi Shenming was the most famous lawyer in Xijing; he had never lost a case he accepted. Hearing Chi Ruiche say this, she became frightened. "I...I'm...sorry," her voice trembling.

"Who are you apologizing to?" Jiang Yang's face was fierce, with no possibility of reconciliation. "The Jiang family will no longer cooperate with the Mo family."

“Jiang Yi isn’t someone anyone can fabricate,” Lü Haotian added.

No one dared to utter a sound until the group left the second floor. The others breathed a deep sigh of relief. Mo Ru sat dumbfounded on the sofa. She was finished, and the Mo family was finished too. Without the Jiang family as a powerful backer, no one would dare cooperate with her family anymore.

"Luckily I didn't say anything." The others took a sip of wine to calm their nerves. "Jiang Yi, that's Chi Ruiche's darling."

"Everyone says that Chi Ruiche and Jiang Yi have a good relationship, and it's true. He's really protective of his own. Anyone who dares to say a bad word about Jiang Yi will be wiped out."

"Mo Ru has offended someone and has no place in Xijing anymore." The people who were just surrounding her have all left, and the boy who was about to strike up a conversation with her is no longer paying attention to her.

"Miss Yu, please help me. I did exactly what you asked for." Mo Ru, having recovered her senses, pulled Yu Shuli aside and begged for her help.

"Shut up, what nonsense are you talking about?" Yu Shuli was startled by her action and pulled her arm back. "Speak properly."

"Miss Yu, you can't turn your back on me like this. You said it would be fine as long as these things were spread. Please save me." Mo Ru seemed to have grasped at a straw. "I even listened to the medicine you prepared. I'm willing to break the law for you."

Yu Shuli disgustedly shook off her hand, "If you still want to stay in Xijing, shut your mouth."

When Yu Qingcheng heard her mention medicine, she frowned. "Miss Mo, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

Mo Ru was so frightened by them that she dared not utter a sound; she was afraid of giving up on even the last straw.