After Ji Fei and Qin Xian finished their amicable conversation, the room fell into an eerie silence. Third Aunt Qin, Yu Xin, and Qin Han all showed fleeting signs of panic, quickly replaced by a mix of embarrassment and fury upon being exposed.
"What do you mean by that? Are you implying that we're acting?" Third Aunt Qin's voice suddenly rose several decibels, completely losing the delicate demeanor she had just moments ago.
Seeing her reaction, Third Uncle Qin, who had initially been unbothered, immediately darkened his expression.
Ji Fei chuckled. "What are you talking about, Third Aunt? I didn't mean anything by it. How could you think that? Such underhanded and shameless schemes to betray one's own family? That definitely couldn't be something you'd do. So, I said it was all just fate."
At this, Third Aunt Qin was nearly left gasping for breath, her mind short-circuiting from the blatant insult. Ji Fei hadn’t minced words—she was calling her outright deceitful and shameless.
The murmuring around them started to swell.
"I think there's something to it."
"Exactly, what are the odds of everything happening so coincidentally?"
"That platform—how exactly did someone fall off it? I don't get it."
"Who knows? The purpose is so obvious, it's hard not to speculate."
"I thought even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cub. But to risk her own baby for an outsider? Seeing how she treats her own daughter, I'm not so sure."
"Who is this Yu Xin? Not only does Qin Han defend her, but Qin's mother is out of her mind, defending her to such an extent."
"Don’t tell me she’s a love child~ but she doesn’t look like it."
As the speculation spiraled out of control, Third Uncle Qin had no choice but to step in and take charge.
“Enough. My wife has been standing too long and needs to rest,” he said, summoning the butler to escort her away.
Yu Xin, feeling guilty, also fled the scene, pulled away by Qin Han.
The small commotion didn't put a halt to the birthday celebration—after all, such events were rarely about the actual birthday. Music resumed, and although the guests continued to murmur, they quickly seized the opportunity to network with the powerful Qin Family.
But from Third Uncle Qin's handling of the situation, everyone could clearly see that he was now completely devoted to his daughter, Qin Jiaxi. Anyone who threatened her interests, even his own wife or son, would be cut off without hesitation. It was clear that in this branch of the Qin Family, Qin Jiaxi's position was unquestionable.
After settling everyone else, Third Uncle Qin immediately checked on Qin Jiaxi, having noticed her fall earlier.
"Are you hurt? Does it hurt?" he asked with genuine concern.
Qin Jiaxi smiled softly but also looked anxious. "I'm fine, Dad... What about Mom and the others?"
Third Uncle Qin patted Qin Jiaxi's head. "Don't worry about them. They've completely lost their minds. If you don't want to stay at home, you can stay at the ancestral villa. You don't need to come back. We won't involve ourselves with them anymore. If they don't change, it'll just be the two of us."
Though he spoke lightly, Third Uncle Qin had already been harboring some thoughts, especially after following Qin Xian's leads and uncovering a few things.
He thought they might actually get a divorce.
If Yu Xin turned out to be that man's child, he could never tolerate his wife favoring another man's daughter over their own.
He needed to speed up the investigation.
Qin Jiaxi no longer worried about those people. After all, they were so desperate to replace her with someone else as their daughter and sister. If she still had any expectations, it would truly be pitiful.
Deciding this, Qin Jiaxi began considering when the party ended, she would return to her room to pack and move out.
Meanwhile, the others were busy gossiping about what had just happened, unconcerned about Third Uncle Qin being present. After all, Third Aunt Qin's actions had already severed whatever remaining ties there were between them.
"Was it all an act?" Qin Yi asked.
"I saw it—she did it on purpose," Qin Zhao confidently claimed, as if he knew the truth.
"That's terrifying," Qin Jing said.
"Thank goodness she didn't succeed," Qin Xiaoyu added.
"I’m worried, like Sister-in-law said, that there might be more to it," Qin Rong mused.
Everyone turned to Ji Fei. Leaning on Qin Xian, she smiled and said, "Don’t worry. I already threw some salt on their game. If they try the same trick again, it won’t work. They’re probably raging in their room right now."
As she spoke, Ji Fei wanted to check on their current predicament to enjoy the spectacle.
But as soon as she did, her teacup almost slipped from her hand, only to be caught by Qin Xian.
Turning to Ji Fei, Qin Xian noticed her look of coldness.
"What's wrong?" Qin Xian gently stroked Ji Fei's tense face with his finger.
Ji Fei's expression was rigid. "N-nothing... no big deal."
[It's fine. As long as Qin Jiaxi stays in everyone’s sight, it’s fine! Damn it! Scumbags! Both that woman and her son are disgusting! They failed the adoption plan, so now they're rushing to execute a son-in-law plan.]
The Qin family, who were chattering away, suddenly fell silent, their eyes uncontrollably drifting toward Qin Jiaxi.
What did that mean? Were they trying to force a romance between them?
No, Ji Fei wouldn’t curse like that over something so trivial.
Could it be...?
[They want to drug them and get them into bed? Are you helping a revolting man to rape his own family member? Damn it... I really want to destroy them!]
The Qin family's faces went ashen. If before it was unintentional harm, indifference, or biased favoritism, now it was outright intentional persecution!
How could they be so heartless?
Or did they think doing this to Qin Jiaxi wasn’t a big deal at all?
It was unbelievable!
Third Aunt Qin, for her old flame, had gone so far as to completely lose her mind over love. But what about Qin Han? Could he really treat his own flesh-and-blood sister this way?
Everyone who heard the news felt their hearts race. Thankfully, Ji Fei had her system, or who knows what could've happened.
[No! We can't let them off the hook like this!]
The Qin family felt the same. But how should they act?
Ji Fei's eyes darted, and she quickly came up with a plan. She turned to Qin Jiaxi beside her. "Jiaxi, it seems my dress is a bit loose. Can you take me to your room to adjust it?"
Qin Jiaxi, who had been planning to find a chance to go upstairs and pack her things, immediately agreed and led the way.
Others wanted to follow, but it seemed too abrupt, so in the end, only Qin Xian tagged along.
They overheard Ji Fei's plan.
[While they haven't started yet, I need to record all their crimes.]
The Qin family figured out the general idea and sat back to watch the drama unfold.
Ji Fei and Qin Xian were led to Qin Jiaxi’s room on the second floor of the main building.
Ji Fei didn't want Qin Xian to see what she was up to, so she had him wait outside.
She then came up with various excuses to keep Qin Jiaxi distracted while she took out her phone, turned on the video, and placed it on the highest shelf, making sure it could capture the entire room.