After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

The Xue and Lin families were expelled from the Fang residence and left dejectedly with their betrothal gifts.

The Fang family finally calmed down, but Fang Zhengyong was still troubled. He never expected that the Fang family would bring such a disaster upon themselves, which was truly a headache.

Seeing this, the steward asked worriedly, "Master, what should we do?"

“What’s wrong with that? It’s their business to handle their own affairs,” Fang Zhengyong said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the steward's expression turned grave. "But it's best not to make the Fourth Miss's matter public, in case..."

“Their intentions are obvious. They will never break ties with us unless absolutely necessary. In that case, let’s just wait and see how they make their moves.” With that, Fang Zhengyong turned and left.

Soon, the news spread throughout the Fang family. After all, it had caused such a stir, and it had happened in public, so it was hard for people not to know about it.

As Fang Xiaoran had predicted, the Xue family was indeed unwilling to give her up, and even attempted to marry her and Fang Yunyao together, which showed the Xue family's greed.

She knew perfectly well that what these people valued was not her as a person, but the treasury she controlled. Coupled with her status as the eldest daughter of the Fang family, she was undoubtedly an excellent choice for both the Xue and Lin families.

Therefore, she was not surprised at all from the beginning. She just did not expect that the two families, who were related by marriage, would fight each other. It seems that in the face of interests, even the closest people can be abandoned.

"Fang Xiaoran, what exactly do you mean?" Just then, Fang Yunyao's angry shout came, her voice full of rage. She always pretended to be gentle and quiet, and this was the first time she had ever been so angry.

"Fourth Miss, my young lady is busy, you cannot enter..." The maid tried to stop the furious Fang Yunyao, but Fang Yunyao was so angry that she could not be stopped at all.

With a bang, Fang Yunyao kicked open Fang Xiaoran's door, stormed in with wide, angry eyes, and stared at her intently.

Fang Xiaoran didn't take it seriously, slightly raised her eyes, and chuckled, "What's wrong, Fourth Sister? Has someone angered you to the point that you're so upset?"

"How dare you say that!" Fang Yunyao walked straight towards Fang Xiaoran, her eyes blazing with anger. She roared, "I have no grudge against you, why did you do this to me?"

Seeing how angry she was, Fang Xiaoran calmly poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her, saying, "Fourth Sister, have a cup of tea to calm down."

"Don't try that on me." Fang Yunyao raised her hand, trying to push the teacup away, but the seemingly delicate teacup remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.

Just then, Fang Xiaoran, who had been wearing a faint smile, suddenly twisted her wrist, and the warm tea in her cup was instantly splashed towards Fang Yunyao like a waterfall. Fang Yunyao couldn't dodge in time and felt a stream of warm water rushing towards her face, which was instantly covered in wet stains.

The water droplets slid down her fair cheeks, some clinging to her long eyelashes, glistening and translucent; others dripped from her pointed chin to the ground, splashing up tiny water droplets. At this moment, Fang Yunyao was utterly disheveled, her carefully combed hair now wet, a few strands clinging messily to her face.

Fang Yunyao trembled with rage, pointed at Fang Xiaoran, and shouted angrily, "You!"

"Are you awake now?" Fang Xiaoran picked up a cup of tea expressionlessly, took a small sip, and her deep, unfathomable eyes calmly fell on her face. Her voice was like the water of a cold pool, icy and piercing. "Fourth Sister knows who harmed you. Why do you keep bothering me? Do you think I'm weak and easy to bully?"

Although Fang Xiaoran was sitting, her imposing aura was overwhelming, and Fang Yunyao felt a little afraid. Her lips trembled slightly, and the anger in her eyes not only did not subside, but became even more intense. "If it weren't for you, I would never have entered that room, let alone encountered such a thing."

"So Fourth Sister admits she was following me all along?" Fang Xiaoran raised an eyebrow slightly, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Upon hearing this, Fang Yunyao immediately shook her head in denial, "No, I just happened to pass by and saw you heading straight for Yuexian Residence. I was curious and followed you. Who knew... But no matter what, this matter was caused by you. I accept that it happened to me, but why did you have to humiliate me like this, and even try to marry Young Master Xue as his wife and make me your concubine? Fang Xiaoran, let me tell you, I will never be a concubine in this life!"

Fang Xiaoran smiled faintly and said, "It seems that Fourth Sister has approved of this marriage. That's good. Don't worry, the position of the young mistress of the Xue family is yours. I will not fight for it and have no interest in it. As for why the Xue family came to propose today, I really don't know."

"You don't know? If you and Young Master Xue hadn't been exchanging flirtatious glances, how could there have been so much trouble?" Fang Yunyao clenched her hands tightly, her eyes reddening, tears welling up in them, making her look incredibly pitiful.

Compared to Fang Menghe, this fourth sister is best at playing the victim and feigning innocence. It's a pity that no one in the Fang family indulges her, otherwise she would be as lethal as Fang Xiaoqi.

Fang Xiaoran found it laughable and said helplessly, "I only met him once, but in Fourth Sister's mouth, it became a story of flirting. No wonder Fourth Sister threw herself into her arms as soon as they met."

Enraged by Fang Xiaoran's words, Fang Yunyao gritted her teeth and said, "Don't go too far!"

"Am I being unreasonable, or are you being unreasonable, Fourth Sister?" Fang Xiaoran raised her eyebrows, a hint of a sneer in her eyes. "Instead of arguing with me here, you should go back and think about how to get the Xue family to accept you as their future daughter-in-law."

"I have suffered a loss here this time because I am not as skilled as you." After saying that, she sneered, "Don't be fooled by the fact that the Xue and Lin families are fighting for you now. If you choose one of them, you will inevitably offend the other. And no matter which family you join, you will not have an easier time than me. We'll see."

After saying this, Fang Yunyao glared at Fang Xiaoran and turned to leave. Just as she reached the door, Fang Xiaoran said calmly, "Fourth sister is absolutely right. However, I am different from you. I will not be manipulated by others, so what you expect will definitely not happen."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yunyao paused for a moment, then left without looking back. At the same time, Qinglan rushed over, looking anxious, and said to Fang Xiaoran, "Miss, the old lady of the Lin family has invited you to meet. I feel that she must have ill intentions. Should I refuse on your behalf?"

"No need, I also have something to ask." Fang Xiaoran shook her head, got up, tidied herself up, and then went out.

About half an hour later, Fang Xiaoran's carriage arrived at the Lin residence. As soon as she stepped off the carriage and onto the stone steps in front of the Lin residence, she bumped into Lin Cuilan, who was walking out with red eyes. A tear still clung to the corner of her eye, and her face was slightly flushed, clearly indicating that she had just had a heated argument with someone.

Upon seeing her, Fang Xiaoran merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment without speaking to her. She silently stepped onto the stone steps, and as she brushed past her, Lin Cuilan called out to her, "It's been several days since we last met, and you seem to have grown increasingly distant, Sixth Miss. Did Mother invite you here today?"