Chapter 28: The Switch

"Oh, why are you back so soon, sister? What about the items?" Xia Yu’s face betrayed a sense of guilt, the kind that follows a misdeed. Seeing Xia Rusheng, she chattered incessantly, trying to curry favor to mask her unease.

"I remembered wrong; I have already retrieved them." Xia Rusheng ignored her and went straight into the inner room to change. Xia Yu followed without hesitation, enthusiastically offering to help. Once they emerged, Xia Rusheng sat on a stool and remarked, "Let’s do her makeup first. I’ll sit for a while longer."

Her act complete, Xia Yu had no desire to wait, so she readily agreed. She produced a set of cosmetics from her bag, making it clear she had no intention of using what was provided here—she had come prepared.

Xia Rusheng feigned curiosity and reached for the bottle of liquid foundation in Xia Yu’s hand. Her hand suddenly slipped. Xia Yu turned pale with fright and snatched the bottle back. A mocking smile flickered across Xia Rusheng’s lips. She stood up and, while passing the vanity, carelessly knocked over a glass of water onto Xia Yu.

"Ah!" The tea was warm, though not enough to scald, but Xia Yu let out an exaggerated shriek, her face full of fury. "Sister, what are you doing? Are you trying to burn me to death?"

"It was just an accident. Why make such a fuss? It’s just a wet dress; go blow-dry it, and you'll be fine." Xia Rusheng’s haughty, indifferent attitude left Xia Yu speechless.

Xia Yu stifled her rage, lifted her hem, and headed to the inner room to dry her clothes. Taking advantage of this, Xia Rusheng opened the foundation bottle Xia Yu intended to use, emptied half of it, and filled it with the foundation she had already spiked with medicinal powder.

Yan Xiaoli, keeping her promise to Xia Rusheng, acted as if she saw nothing, even standing guard. However, she failed to notice two men standing outside the room.

The two men, one around thirty and the other looking about Lin Yichen’s age, were dressed in black and white tailcoats, respectively, with matching overcoats. Their features were somewhat similar, though one appeared dissolute while the other seemed composed.

They had been outside since Xia Rusheng knocked over the tea. Seeing everything through the mirror, they did not intervene, choosing instead to walk away as if they had seen nothing.

"Big brother, it seems the woman your brother-in-law is about to marry isn't quite as respectable as she seems." The man smiled with a rakish air, looking at his elder brother with a playful, provocative gaze, as if waiting for a good show.

"Lu Si'ang, it seems even you can be wrong about someone." The handsome, composed man was Lu Siyun, the eldest son of the Lu family and the son-in-law-to-be of the Lin family. He smiled calmly, seemingly ignoring Lu Si'ang’s provocation, though his slightly narrowed eyes betrayed his thoughts.

That woman had clearly faked the slip; she had no intention of breaking Xia Yu’s things. The smile he had caught on her lips proved she was merely toying with her. Xia Yu’s extreme nervousness was enough to show that she herself had something to hide, which was why the woman had intentionally spilled the tea to get her out of the way.

She appeared clever and cunning. Though he didn't know the full story, he was certain that Xia Yu had acted out of malice first, and that the woman had long since seen through everything, launching a silent, calculated counterattack.

"Wrong about her? Are you sure, brother?" Lu Si'ang was skeptical, but his brother’s words made him doubt his own judgment.

"Your eye for women has never been particularly good," Lu Siyun replied, ending the debate.

Lu Si'ang rubbed his chin. Wrong about her? Then he would watch closely today and see who exactly had misjudged whom.

Inside the room, Xia Yu finally dried her gown. Upon returning, she checked her cosmetics with forced composure. Seeing everything was still there, she let out a sigh of relief.

Once Yan Xiaoli finished styling Xia Rusheng, guests began boarding the yacht one after another. Seeing the time, Lin Yichen prepared to head to the top deck to call for Xia Rusheng. Xia Yu, who had just come downstairs, volunteered to go instead. Lin Yichen hesitated for a moment before agreeing, though he followed her slowly from behind.

He knew Xia Yu too well, and the sisters had always been at odds, so he followed to see if she was up to any tricks.

Lin Yichen did not know that just as he followed, Lu Siyun and Lu Si'ang had also reached the top deck.

"Miss Xia, your dress—"

"Ah—Sister, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Before they even reached the deck, two exclamations reached the ears of the three men. Lin Yichen rushed forward, while the two Lu brothers stopped at the corner of the stairs.

"What's going on?"

Before Xia Rusheng could speak, Lin Yichen saw Xia Yu’s foot planted firmly on the hem of Xia Rusheng’s dress. The gown, a piece of high-end, handmade couture, had two massive tears running from the waist to the back. It shouldn't have ripped from a simple step; someone had clearly tampered with it.

Lin Yichen looked at Xia Yu with suspicion.

"I really didn't mean to! I just accidentally stepped on it. Who knew the quality of sister’s dress was so poor?" Xia Yu continued to play the innocent victim, though her eyes held a triumph she couldn't hide.

Let’s see how Xia Xia faces everyone now!

Though she had wanted to humiliate her in the main hall, doing so might have made others suspicious. This was the next best thing. Now that Xia Xia had no dress, and she herself was dressed to perfection, she would make sure everyone remembered the second miss of the Xia family today, not that brat Xia Xia!

All the glory would belong to her alone!

Xia Rusheng looked at the back of her dress, half of which was hanging loosely from the seam. There was no time to repair it. She knew Xia Yu’s game; she had heard of such tactics before. Although she looked disheveled, her eyes were cold and calm. She sneered.

"Xia Yu, can you be a bit more creative?"

As she finished speaking, Xia Rusheng yanked her skirt violently. Xia Yu, still standing on the hem, lost her balance, her body swaying dangerously. Behind her lay the staircase leading down.

"Ah—"

"Lin Yichen, dare to catch her and see what happens!"

With one shriek and one threat, Lin Yichen instinctively pulled back the hand he had reached out. Yan Xiaoli watched coldly, making no move to help. Xia Yu tumbled down the stairs without resistance.

"The stairs aren't long. This is just a lesson. I believe you will deeply understand that those who sow evil will reap the consequences." It was only a five-step staircase; it wouldn't kill or cripple her. It was Xia Xia’s birthday, and she didn't want a scene, but Xia Yu needed to be taught a lesson.

Xia Yu rolled to the feet of the Lu brothers. They looked at each other, uncertain whether to help her up. When Xia Yu looked up and saw Lu Si'ang watching from above, her carefully maintained composure shattered, and her face turned ashen.