Chapter 146: Intervention Part 4

She paused, looking down at her gown. “This dress was borrowed. It costs five hundred thousand yuan; I certainly couldn’t afford to pay for it if it got damaged. So, I asked my junior if she was willing to take this part-time job.”

She looked at Jiang Rui. “She doesn’t need to borrow money from you because she’s using every spare second to work.”

As the top student in the Broadcasting and Hosting Major, her articulation was flawless. In just a few sentences, she completely flipped the narrative. The couple was left stunned, unable to find their tongues.

Xu Yinian’s tensed shoulders suddenly relaxed. Thank goodness for Senior Sister…

“Then… why is she dressed so seductively—”

“I arranged that. Formal attire is required to enter. Oh, I’m so sorry—” Qin Jiashu suddenly covered her mouth, her gaze drifting over their outfits with a look of feigned shock and “indescribable” judgment.

This subtle retaliation was a dagger to the heart.

Finding themselves losing face, the couple tried to reclaim their status as elders by lecturing her. “Even if it’s a part-time job, you could find work as a tutor or a translator. Is a place with so many rules somewhere you belong? What would you do if you offended a person of status?”

“If your mother—”

Before the threat could be finished, a cold, hard command rang out, dripping with aristocratic disdain and undisguised loathing.

“Who let people like this in? Are the security guards here just to watch the show?”

One sentence determined their fate. In the face of absolute power, even seeking “justice” was unnecessary.

Furthermore, these words came from the mouth of Shen Yi. Even before she reached the table, the sheer pressure she radiated made it difficult to breathe.

Jiang Rui and his wife went pale, their knees turning to jelly. Even the Qin family members were startled and fearful, standing up in unison, unsure of what the great CEO Shen intended by gracing them with her presence.

“CEO Shen…” Jiang Rui began, hoping to use his connection as a supplier of seized goods to beg for mercy.

But the secretary’s low voice cut him off: “If you say one more word, or leak a single detail about this banquet, the Jiang family’s situation will become far worse than it already is.”

The couple fell silent instantly, their faces ashen. They were forcibly dragged out of the hall by the arriving security guards. They simply thought their luck had bottomed out, that they had accidentally crossed a cold, unreasonable woman and were being crushed into the dust for offending her.

They had no idea that, from the very beginning, they had touched her Dragon’s Scale.

Unseen by anyone, Jiang Ke, who had been observing from the back, chased after them.

Shen Ruoshuang frowned. This was indeed consistent with Shen Yi’s usual ruthless and impatient efficiency. However… Shen Yi had forced her to come here under the guise of “testing” her, yet she hadn’t even waited for Ruoshuang’s reaction.

Was it because Qin Jiashu had already resolved the issue so easily?

Shen Ruoshuang had arrived just in time to hear Qin Jiashu’s natural-sounding explanation. If she hadn’t already known about the woman’s covetous intentions, she might have been fooled as well.

Qin Jiashu undoubtedly thought they were all bound by their families’ reputations while she alone could act without restraint. Little did she know that Yinian’s uncle was also here. Now, Xu Yinian wouldn’t dare be ambiguous with anyone; she’d finally learned to be “obedient.”

Ruoshuang looked up to see how Shen Yi would react. She saw the older woman looking back with an unreadable expression, her deep eyes narrowed slightly at the corners.

At the very least, Ruoshuang could be certain of one thing: Shen Yi’s suspicion of her was currently greater than her interest in Xu Yinian.

Xu Yinian didn’t want to deal with the Shen mother and daughter right after the Jiangs had been removed, but they arrived one after the other, giving her no room to breathe.

“Th-Thank you…” She stood up with a start, her soft, waxy voice a mumble. It was unclear who she was even thanking.

Finally, she managed to look up. She met Shen Yi’s blatant, burning gaze, which seemed to pull her in like silk, contrasted with Shen Ruoshuang’s calm, averted, and cold eyes.

Xu Yinian’s breath hitched. She was terrified by Shen Yi’s audacity; her heart drummed against her ribs.

How could she know that Shen Yi’s mind was so deep that, under the guise of a “test,” she was openly tasting and flirting with her through her gaze right in front of everyone—including her own daughter?

By now, Shen Yi was certain that the “female companion” was merely someone else who coveted Xu Yinian, just like the youngest daughter of the Bai family. Yinian had been easily coaxed into coming; being so naive and slow, she probably didn’t even realize the woman desired her.

Qin Jiashu should be glad she had claimed to be a “Senior Sister” providing a “part-time job.” At least on the surface, she wasn’t entangled with Xu Yinian. She wasn’t completely stupid.

Still, Shen Yi needed to investigate just how many “covetous gazes” were surrounding Xu Yinian. And how far they had gone.

Desire was one thing; daring to actually touch her person was quite another. If it weren’t for the fact that she couldn’t let Shen Ruoshuang know yet, it wouldn’t be this complicated. She could have just subtly announced her claim to the social circle.

With so many people eyeing her prize, Shen Yi’s possessiveness left her exceptionally displeased.

…Judging by Shen Ruoshuang’s reaction to that Qin woman, she clearly knew about it. Three years of unrequited love, and this was all the progress she had made? She didn’t even dare mention she was raising the girl’s cat, and she let a person like that walk all over her.

Utterly pathetic. A disgrace to the Shen family name. How did she expect to compete for Xu Yinian?

Shen Yi’s habitual, harsh criticism of her successor unconsciously bled into her thoughts. Amidst their competition, she found herself strangely unable to stand her daughter’s repeated failures.

It made the relationship between the three of them increasingly distorted and taboo.

The Qin family members seemed to wake from a daze, stepping forward with smooth, respectful words to offer a toast. To those who coveted Xu Yinian, Shen Yi might even strike them down, especially since that “affectionate private chat” from earlier was still fresh in her mind.

They were a real eyesore.

Shen Yi was cold and dismissive, not even taking a sip of the red wine in her hand. If she hadn’t been annoyed by the fact that Xu Yinian had to stand up with the rest of them, Shen Yi would have certainly given them a piece of her mind.