It's been a week since the conversation between madam Leng and Lu Jingyan and she has been the perfect woman the old woman wished for the perfect granddaughter in law
The garden at Leng Manor was quiet, save for the soft hum of bees circling the rose bushes and the distant rustle of wind through the trees. Lu Jingyan stood by the pond, trimming a few overgrown stems. Her reflection in the water was still composed, serene.
The calm shattered with the sharp click of heels on stone.
"Well, isn't this a pretty little picture?" came the drawling voice of Leng Meixuan. "The new madam playing house in our family's garden."
Lu Jingyan didn't turn around. "Morning, Meixuan."
"Oh, no need to be so formal," Meixuan sneered, approaching with her arms folded. "I was just wondering how it feels, wearing a title you clearly don't deserve."
Jingyan turned slowly. "If you have something to say, say it. No need to wrap it in poisoned niceties."
Meixuan laughed bitterly. "Straightforward, aren't you? Fine. You're not one of us. You never will be. A fallen heiress marrying into a family she has no business stepping into? It's pathetic."
Lu Jingyan met her eyes. "I married Xuanmo, not you. If he didn't have a problem with me, I don't see why you do."
"He pities you," Meixuan said coldly. "And you cling to that pity like it's salvation. You're nothing but a burden dressed in silk."
Jingyan stepped forward. Her voice dropped—quiet, but dangerous. "You think power comes from blood. I've seen what it does to people who think that way. They rot from the inside out."
Meixuan's eyes narrowed. "Don't get brave with me, Jingyan. You may fool Xuanmo with that composed act, but I see through it. You're just desperate. Clawing your way up with the only tool you have—sympathy."
A faint smile curved Jingyan's lips. "And yet, here you are. Coming to me. Picking fights. If I'm as insignificant as you claim, why are you so bothered?"
Meixuan faltered for a second. Just a second. But it was enough.
"Let me guess," Jingyan continued, stepping closer, "You've always been the golden one. Untouchable. And now someone you consider beneath you—someone 'unworthy'—holds the attention and respect you think you deserve."
Meixuan's hand twitched, but she didn't speak.
Jingyan's tone turned steel-cold. "I've fought harder battles than your shallow insults. Lost more than you'll ever understand. If you think a few words can break me, you're giving yourself too much credit."
For a moment, there was only the sound of leaves rustling around them. Meixuan's expression tightened, her pride warring with something she refused to name.
"Careful, Jingyan," she said at last, voice low and clipped. "Your place here isn't as secure as you think."
Jingyan gave her a calm look, unshaken. "Neither is yours."
She turned and walked past Meixuan without another word, her footsteps sure against the stone path. Meixuan remained standing in the garden, jaw clenched, staring after her.
The roses swayed in the breeze, as if they too had witnessed a silent war and knew exactly who had won.
Leng Yumo gave lu Xinyan a look and she smiled she looked at Leng Meixuan who is fuming with anger and she gave a satisfied smile.
*You think you are powerful and provocative? Now you've met your boss* she smirked as she eat her cookies and drag her orange juice