In the grand dining room of Leng Manor, the table was set with flawless precision—porcelain plates gleaming under the golden chandelier, silverware lined like soldiers awaiting command. But the atmosphere was anything but peaceful.
Leng Ruomo entered with her usual air of cold authority. Her heels tapped sharply on the marble floor as she strode in, her sharp gaze immediately finding Lu Jingyan seated quietly at the far end of the table.
"So," she said coolly, removing her gloves with slow, deliberate ease. "Another scene in the garden. You've been quite busy, Jingyan."
Lu Jingyan looked up. Her back was straight, shoulders poised. "I was just pruning the flowers, Madam Leng. Meixuan chose to join me."
"Don't play coy," Ruomo snapped, slapping her gloves onto the table. "You've been here barely a month, and already this house has turned upside down. Meixuan is upset. Yumo is tense. And my son—he's distracted. You've brought nothing but chaos."
"I've said nothing that wasn't provoked," Lu Jingyan replied, her tone steady. "If your daughter doesn't like the truth, perhaps she shouldn't throw insults so freely."
"Watch your mouth!" Ruomo's voice cracked across the room. "You think marrying into this family gives you power? You're here because Xuanmo made a mistake. And I've tolerated that mistake out of respect for him."
Leng Meixuan sat silently beside her mother, arms folded, watching with a smug smile. Lu Jingyan glanced at her but said nothing.
*You dare provoke me? Face her wrath"
"You carry yourself like you're one of us," Ruomo continued, eyes narrowing, "but deep down, you know what you are. A charity case wrapped in politeness. A fallen princess"
Before Lu Jingyan could respond, a voice rang out from the hallway.
"Enough."
Everyone turned.
It was Leng Xuanmo, standing tall with a shadowed expression. Behind him, Leng Yumo lingered by the door, her expression unreadable.
"You will not humiliate my wife in this house," Xuanmo said firmly. "Not in front of me. And certainly not for Meixuan's theatrics."
Ruomo's jaw clenched. "You're defending her over your family? That's too immediately you are back?".
"I am her family now," he said coldly. "And if anyone in this manor wants to stay in my house, they will respect my wife. That's included you mother"
Ruomo's glare cut toward Jingyan like a knife. "You've bewitched him. What kind of sorcery did you use?"
Jingyan finally stood, her voice soft but unwavering. "No, Madam Leng. I simply stood where I refused to fall. Maybe that's what you're not used to."
Silence stretched.
Ruomo turned away sharply. "I'll be staying the weekend. We'll talk again privately."
As she left the room, Leng Meixuan followed, tossing Lu Jingyan a final glare. But before she disappeared, Leng Yumo stepped forward, her voice calm but pointed.
"Mother," she said. "Maybe you should start asking why Jingyan stands her ground so well—rather than why you're losing yours."
Ruomo paused but said nothing.
"I wonder if your are still my daughter"
"Mom. I am always your daughter it's just that you–"
"Shut up" Leng Ruomo said sharply and walked into her room in the Leng manor
And with that, the air thick with words left unsaid, the family tension simmered—boiling just beneath the surface.