My parents and my brother, Jiang Chen, were all putting their utmost enthusiasm into hosting.
I, following my mother's instructions, sat properly dressed and quietly to the side, smiling, pouring tea, playing the part of the perfect background accessory.
Jiang Xue had recovered from the last blow as well.
Today, she wore a white dress, her long hair cascading down her shoulders, looking pure and innocent, like a little white lotus flower untouched by the dust of the world.
The moment she saw Wang Siming, her eyes lit up. Wang Siming was indeed good-looking: tall, handsome, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, appearing cultured and refined.
At the dinner table, Jiang Xue pulled out all the stops. "Uncle Wang, I'd like to toast you! May your and Dad's collaboration be an instant success!"
"Auntie Wang, your necklace is so beautiful! It perfectly matches your elegance!"
"Brother Siming, I heard you also graduated from A University? Then we're alumni! You're my direct senior!"
Her voice was sweet, her smile charming, and she had the Wang couple beaming with delight. Even the usually discerning Wang Siming looked at her with increased interest.
My parents and Jiang Chen exchanged satisfied smiles.
Dad's Truth: "Xiaoxue is our family's lucky star! With her here, the atmosphere is perfect! This deal is practically in the bag!"
Mom's Truth: "Xiaoxue knows how to handle things! Jiangyue just sits there like a block of wood, utterly useless!"
Jiang Chen's Truth: "That Wang Siming kid has good taste. Who wouldn't like someone as adorable as Xiaoxue?"
I lowered my head to sip my soup, pretending not to hear the contempt in their hearts directed at me.
*No hurry.*
*The show's just beginning.*
As the wine flowed freely, the atmosphere grew even more lively. Chairman Wang was very pleased with our family's "harmonious atmosphere."
He smiled at Dad, "Old Jiang, you're truly blessed! Two daughters—one quiet and refined, one lively and charming—both so outstanding!"
Dad laughed heartily, "Oh, where, where! It's just the children striving on their own!"
Right at that moment, I "inadvertently" spoke up.
I smiled gently and said, **"How could I compare to Xiaoxue? She's not only a skilled pianist, but she's also an excellent painter."**
All eyes turned to me.
Jiang Xue's smile froze for an instant.
I continued in an utterly admiring tone, "Just a few days ago, our school held an art exhibition. Xiaoxue's piece was even selected to be displayed! It's hanging in the school's main art gallery corridor. So many people have gone to see it!"
After saying this, I added with an innocent expression, turning to Jiang Xue, "Isn't that right, Xiaoxue?"
Jiang Xue's face instantly turned paler than her white dress.
Because that painting wasn't hers at all.
She had paid a poor art student to buy it from them.
She thought she'd done it secretly, that no one knew.
Unfortunately, she forgot that the student who sold her the painting happened to be my classmate.
Just a few days ago, that classmate was complaining to me, saying Jiang Xue had not only bargained down the price harshly but also demanded she sign a non-disclosure agreement, forbidding her from ever revealing the transaction.
Wang Siming immediately showed interest. "Oh? Really? I'm quite interested in painting myself. What did Xiaoxue paint? Perhaps I could visit your school sometime to appreciate it?"
Jiang Xue's lips trembled.
She looked at me with pleading eyes, filled with terror and a desperate cry for help.
I returned her gaze with a helpless shrug.
*Sorry, dear sister.*
*I'm just naturally terrible at telling lies.*
*So, I can't understand the "lies" in your eyes either.*
**"Of course you can!"** I answered "enthusiastically" on her behalf. **"Xiaoxue's painting is in the most prominent spot in the gallery corridor! It's called 'Maiden Under the Starlight'—so dreamy, so beautiful! Brother Siming, you'll recognize it the moment you see it!"**
I poured fuel on the fire.
Because that painting wasn't called "Maiden Under the Starlight" at all.
It was called **"Captive in the Night."**
The girl in the painting, seemingly gazing at the stars, was trapped by invisible shackles, her eyes filled with despair and struggle.
The student who sold it said it was an expression of her state of mind at the time.
Jiang Xue bought it but took it completely out of context, bragging to others that it depicted her yearning for a beautiful future.
Now, in front of everyone, I had bestowed upon it this utterly "dreamy" title.
If Wang Siming went to see it, unless he was an idiot, he would sense something was wrong.
Jiang Xue's lie would collapse once again.
And this time, in a far more important setting where failure was not an option.
"A-Xue, what's wrong? You look so pale! Are you feeling unwell?" Mom also noticed her strangeness, asking with concern.
Jiang Xue looked ready to collapse, almost fainting on the spot.
What could she say?
Admit the painting wasn't hers?
Then her "talented artist" persona would be utterly destroyed.
Deny it?
What if Wang Siming went to the exhibition?
She was caught in an impossible dilemma.
And this trap was one I had crafted for her with my own hands.
Looking at her ashen face, a wave of vengeful satisfaction washed over me.
*Jiang Xue, this is only the beginning.*
*The pain you've caused me, I will repay you twofold, piece by piece.*
The latter half of that dinner passed with Jiang Xue barely uttering another word.
She sat there like a deflated balloon, listless and picking at her food without tasting it.
The Wangs didn't say anything explicit, but the doubt and scrutiny in their eyes spoke volumes.
After seeing the Wangs off, Dad's face instantly darkened like a thundercloud.
He sat on the sofa without a word, chain-smoking.
Mom and Jiang Chen's expressions were equally grim.
"Jiang Xue!"Dad finally spoke, his voice thick with suppressed rage. "What exactly is this business about the art exhibition?!"
Jiang Xue burst into loud sobs. "Dad, I was wrong... the... the painting... wasn't mine..." she confessed between hiccups.