Venice did not have nearly as many followers as Yeri.
In the past, because she hated being compared to her cousin, she had deliberately avoided doing anything that might link her name to Yeri's.
But things were different now.
Yeri had attached herself to Shin Keir, so why couldn't she do the same?
Besides, she was no longer just the daughter of a mistress hiding in the shadows. Now she could openly use the Zhi surname.
During her livestream, Venice maintained a gentle and calm demeanor.
She casually mentioned that Yeri was her younger cousin and began talking about their childhood and past.
She did not openly insult Yeri like the netizens had been doing. Instead, she spoke in a subtle way, weaving implications between her words.
According to her, Yeri had always been rather spoiled growing up, someone who was used to being the center of attention. Her tone was light, but the suggestion of arrogance and a "princess syndrome" was hard to miss.
She also mentioned that Yeri had been a famous campus beauty, admired by countless boys.
However, the way she said it made it sound as though Yeri had enjoyed the attention a little too much, casually stringing along many admirers.
At one point, Venice also brought up the night market incident.
Her voice trembled slightly as she recalled the terrifying ordeal, her eyes reddening just enough to look convincing.
How a madman suddenly began shooting people, eventually even pulling out a bomb.
Then she quietly hinted that during the chaos, Yeri had pushed her forward toward the madman, nearly causing her death.
She did not dare involve Tristan or any of the other influential men connected to Yeri, fearing backlash from their fans.
Instead, she shifted the focus toward family matters, joking that her entire family had been shocked to learn about Yeri's engagement to Shin Keir, and they had been completely unaware of the relationship beforehand.
Her words subtly suggested that Yeri's side of the family had little regard for their relatives.
At the same time, she hinted that Yeri had always treated her like a rival, worried she might caught Shin Keir's attention.
The livestream ended soon after.
Venice was not discouraged when she saw that it had only gathered a few thousand views at first.
Without hesitation, she paid to promote the clip and even sent it to several large marketing accounts to spread it further.
After all, the public still knew very little about Yeri and what exactly Shin Keir had seen in her was probably the question netizens wanted answered the most.
With Venice presenting herself as a close relative, she was confident that many people would be eager to hear her side of the story.
---
The next day, just when the controversy had begun to calm down, Venice's livestream stirred the waters again.
A fresh wave of accusations flooded the internet.
With careful makeup and beauty filters, Venice appeared exceptionally gentle and beautiful on camera, which only made her words seem more convincing.
Netizens began praising her endlessly.
Some called her humble. Others described her as innocent and magnanimous. A few even declared that she was more beautiful than Yeri.
Not only did Venice's livestream go viral, her follower count also climbed rapidly.
"No surprise there. A beauty like that usually believes the world revolves around them. If not delusional, then just a hypocrite."
"I was one of the victims of the night market tragedy. I'm still undergoing PTSD treatment. Being betrayed by someone close to you must be heartbreaking. I'm sorry for you, Venice."
"So she's been sick since birth? Then why bother living? If it were me, I'd give my parents a way out and end things long ago."
"Lmao. No wonder no woman has caught Shin Keir's attention before. Turns out he has a thing for short-lived women. If I get cancer, will he finally notice me?"
"Shin Keir didn't want a wife. He got himself a patient. What's he planning? Did the CEO of Zhi Corporation sell his daughter to him because he can't afford the medical bills anymore?"
Nina's face flushed red as she read through the comments.
She nearly slammed her phone onto the table.
"Yeri! You still have time to study?" she burst out. "Look at the nonsense they're saying about you! Are their brains filled with water?"
Yeri only shrugged.
That day, she had to attend school as usual.
When she arrived on campus that day, the atmosphere felt noticeably different.
Almost everyone's attention was fixed on her.
No one dared to openly slander her to her face. After all, she was now the fiancée of Shin Keir.
Even so, students were at an age where emotions ran hot and impulsive. Their thoughts were practically written across their faces: envy, curiosity, contempt.
If anything, the boys who had once fawned over her, the ones who used to leave love letters and small gifts in her locker, now looked especially uncomfortable.
Some gave her snide remarks as they passed by. Others simply stared at her with wounded expressions, as if their hearts had just been shattered.
"There's nothing you can do," Yeri said calmly after a moment of silence. "Someone is clearly directing all the issues online."
Even if she tried to defend herself, she had a feeling it would only start another round of attacks.
"If you want… I can pretend Levi is my boyfriend to clarify your closeness with him," Nina muttered, looking like she was about to make the greatest sacrifice of her life.
Yeri laughed lightly.
If Levi were here, he would probably start a fight with Nina on the spot.
"Why pretend?" Yeri teased. "Don't you two already like each other?"
Nina rolled her eyes dramatically and muttered something under her breath that Yeri couldn't quite catch.
"Yeri Zhi, can you take me seriously?" Nina said, frowning. "I know all those things online are lies. Maybe it's those obsessive fans of Shin Keir behind this. Don't underestimate people like that. They have that mindset of 'If I can't have him, then no one else can.'"
"Which drama did you binge-watch this time?" Yeri asked casually as they walked toward the music room.
"I'm not talking about dramas," Nina insisted. "Haven't you heard of obsessive fans? Your fiancé may not be a celebrity, but he's practically more famous than one. Of course you'd become a target."
Just then, a boy passing by suddenly said loudly,
"No wonder she never paid attention to any boys at school. Turns out she has quite the big appetite."
Nina instantly stopped walking.
"What did you just say?!" she snapped. "Are you some kind of vengeful ghost? You've been lurking around Yz since this morning. Why don't you say it to her face directly? Coward!"
The boy stopped and glared at Nina.
"What's it got to do with you? Are you her dog?"
"What right does a loser like you have to complain?" Nina fired back without hesitation. "Did you raise Yz with your own money? Did she eat your food or wear your clothes? People can like whoever they want as long as that person isn't taken. Or do you actually think you could compete with Shin Keir?"
She looked him up and down with exaggerated scrutiny.
"Damn it, don't you look in the mirror before leaving for school?"
The boy's face turned red with anger.
Furious from Nina's sharp remarks, he stepped forward as if to confront her physically.
By now, several students had already gathered nearby after hearing the commotion.
Yeri quickly pulled Nina back and looked straight at the boy, her gaze calm but sharp.
"If I remember correctly," Yeri said evenly, "I already rejected you politely last year. As for the gifts you gave me, especially the expensive ones, I always made sure to return them."
The boy's face flushed when she looked at him directly, and he quickly averted his eyes.
"What exactly did I do to make you hold a grudge against me?" Yeri continued. "Or is it because people online are hating me that you think it's acceptable to join the crowd?"
The boy opened his mouth, then closed it again, unable to think of a proper response.
"If that's the case, then I believe I made the right decision in rejecting you."
She paused briefly.
"You can't even handle a single rejection, and you're quick to believe slander about someone you once claimed to like. I really can't imagine dating someone who is both resentful and so easily manipulated."
The boy's face burned bright red as the surrounding students watched the scene unfold.
From the crowd, another student suddenly spoke up.
"Then you could've at least said you were already dating someone. Why were you pretending to be single?"
A murmur spread through the students.
Some nodded in agreement. Others began chiming in with their own opinions. A few simply stood quietly, enjoying the unfolding drama.
"Right… she didn't have to say it was Shin Keir…"
"How did she even meet Shin Keir? Have they been together for a long time already?"
"Judging by how close she is to Shin Keir's elite circle, even if the slanders were fake, she must've been dating him for a while."
"Didn't people here used to call her a snowflake flower? What if she holds a grudge and tells Shin Keir about it?"
"Yeri, you can't blame us. If you truly cared about your admirers' feelings, you shouldn't have given us hope."
"Exactly! We're all students. She probably enjoyed the attention here while also enjoying the attention of those big shots outside. She really had it all planned, benefiting from both sides."
Yeri slowly swept her gaze across the crowd.
Many of these students had once been friendly toward her. Some had even looked at her with admiration.
"Bah! I've seen shameless people before, but I didn't know there were this many at our school,"
Nina suddenly exclaimed, planting her hands on her hips.
"Talk about entitlement! So what exactly did you all do for Yz that makes you think you're entitled to know whether she's dating or not? That she should care about your feelings? That she should report her life updates to you?"
The hallway fell noticeably quieter with only a few students continued muttering, trying to justify themselves.
"I gave you hope? How? In what way?" Yeri said calmly, turning to the person who had said that.
"In the first place, we came to this school to study, didn't we? Whether I'm dating or not, I've always made it clear that I just want to focus on my studies. Am i wrong for that reason?"