The sudden thought caught her off guard. Yeri blinked, momentarily surprised by herself.
It seemed that little by little, she was losing whatever reservations she had once held toward him.
In fact, she found herself relying on him more and trusting him more with each passing day.
Perhaps "like" was no longer enough.
Maybe...
She already loved him.
"Princess? What's wrong?" Mother Zhi asked, noticing her daughter's dazed expression.
Yeri quickly forced a smile and shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside.
Mother Zhi looked at her suspiciously before changing the subject. "That's right. Tomorrow is your graduation trip with your classmates. Have you packed already?"
Yeri looked toward the mountain of clothes she had randomly thrown across the bed.
"I'm doing it now. Mom, can you help me?"
Mother Zhi immediately nodded. "Of course."
--
That evening, Xian came over after hearing that Yeri was back home and joined the family for dinner.
Unexpectedly, Venice and Linda also arrived for no apparent reason.
The moment they entered the house, both women immediately locked onto Xian.
Yeri: "..."
"And this is?" Linda immediately asked before covering her mouth apologetically. "We didn't expect you to have visitors."
'Well, no one expected you either,' Yeri thought inwardly.
Mother Zhi was also displeased, but knowing the shamelessness of the mother and daughter, she simply said, "Xian is a neighbour."
"A neighbour? Which neighbour?" Venice asked with a smile, secretly stealing glances at Xian as she tried to recall whether she'd ever seen him before.
Yeri also looked at Xian.
Remembering the files he kept in his basement, including one on Venice, and knowing he was the person behind the mysterious baby recording that had nearly sent Venice to an asylum, she couldn't help but watch his reaction.
As expected, the moment Xian laid eyes on the two of them, especially Venice, his smile disappeared, and a trace of hostility flashed across his eyes.
However, he immediately concealed it and greeted them politely.
"Hello. I'm Xian Song, Yeri's childhood friend from next door. I just returned recently."
Venice suddenly remembered that there had indeed been a boy a few years older than Yeri who lived next door. Back then, whenever she tried to tag along with Yeri out of curiosity, a servant would always stop her at the gate, saying that only Yeri was allowed inside.
So this was the jerk who used to live next door?
"A Song?!" Linda almost shouted, startling everyone.
Realizing she had overreacted, she quickly laughed awkwardly before taking a seat across from Xian.
Mother Zhi could only sigh in displeasure. Sure enough, this mother and daughter never needed an invitation. They simply made themselves at home and even welcomed themselves to the dining table.
As the food was served and everyone continued eating, Linda acted like a gossip reporter, asking Xian one question after another.
Upon learning that Xian was actually the youngest son of the prestigious Song family, her eyes practically glittered with calculation and greed.
Venice, meanwhile, shot Yeri a resentful look, having already forgotten that it was Yeri's parents who had bailed her out of detention and hired a lawyer for her case.
Why did all the outstanding men always seem to revolve around Yeri?
If she had been born into a wealthy family, she too would have a vast network of elite men.
Yeri was simply lucky to have been born into the Zhi family.
"The Song family has very strong roots in politics. Correct me if I'm wrong, but your older brother is Xavier Song, right? What government position do you currently hold?" Venice asked curiously.
Xian shook his head. "I have no interest in politics. If anything, it wouldn't be wrong to say that I'm the family's parasite."
"Hahaha!" Linda laughed exaggeratedly, sounding every bit like someone trying to curry favor. "Young Master Song certainly has a good sense of humor. Besides, with the Song family's influence, having one son who doesn't follow the family's footsteps isn't a big deal. Let him carve out his own path! Only when a tree has weathered the wind and storms can it stand firm, tall, and proud."
Yeri: "..."
She couldn't help but stare at Linda in disbelief.
If she was capable of saying something so wise, why hadn't she used that wisdom to teach Venice?
Even Mother Zhi looked surprised, though she couldn't help thinking that Linda had probably read those words somewhere or heard someone else say them.
Xian merely smiled politely without responding.
He glanced at Yeri's plate, then quietly picked up a few shrimp from the dish nearest him and placed them onto her plate.
"Thank you," Yeri muttered before continuing to eat.
Naturally, the small gesture didn't escape Linda and Venice.
Venice immediately smiled and remarked, "You two really are close. You even know that Yeri likes shrimp. I remember back then she would often go next door and spend the entire day there."
Linda also chimed in. "Being close is perfectly fine, but Yeri... does your fiancé, Shin Keir, know that you have a childhood friend?"
Sensing that Linda was about to stir up trouble, Mother Zhi spoke first.
"Xian isn't just Yeri's friend. He's also Jj's friend. In fact, Jj is especially close to him."
"Auntie is right," Xian said simply.
Venice immediately waved her hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just saying it casually. Besides, Mom is only worried. With all those netizens constantly watching Yeri, we're just concerned that your closeness might spark another misunderstanding."
Linda nodded vigorously. "Come to think of it, we're actually here because of the rumor that Yeri is pregnant. Are you really pregnant?"
"Of course it's not true. Some people simply can't stand seeing others happy, so they throw mud at them," Madam Zhi said unhappily.
"It was because I had the misfortune of running into Hadi Keir when I went out with my classmates," Yeri said softly.
The moment she heard that name, Venice, as expected, stared at her with scrutiny.
"We were at a bar in the central district, and unexpectedly, Hadi Keir was there too. He suddenly approached me while drunk... Ah, did you already know he was temporarily disowned by the Keir family?"
"You- What do you mean?!" Venice exclaimed through gritted teeth, slamming her fork onto the table. "Did he do something to you?"
Yeri raised an eyebrow.
The way Venice asked wasn't out of concern but sounded almost confrontational.
She hadn't even dwelled on the fact that Hadi had been temporarily disowned.
Instead, what bothered her was that he had his eyes on another woman, and of all people, it had to be Yeri, whom Venice had long harbored resentment toward.
Although Venice hated Hadi for not only ruining her reputation and her life but also trying to make her Calin's scapegoat, she hated even more that he had those kinds of thoughts toward Yeri.
To her, it wasn't just a betrayal. It was Yeri stealing the affection of her ex-boyfriend.
Before Yeri could respond, Xian suddenly spoke as though he had just realized something.
"Ah, no wonder you looked familiar. You're that Venice... the one who got involved with Hadi Keir, got stabbed by his other mistress, and suffered a miscarriage. That man really isn't human, is he? I also heard he's accusing you of assault... or was it reckless endangerment? By the way, how's the case going?"
"...."
The dining room fell silent, with only the occasional clink of utensils breaking the silence.
Venice's eyes instantly turned red, yet instead of looking at Xian, she glared accusingly at Yeri.
"Ah, my apologies. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just saying it casually." Xian waved his hand as if only now realizing he had said something inappropriate. "It was all over social media, so it was impossible not to know."
Not only had he returned Venice's own words from earlier, but he had also made it clear that Yeri hadn't been going around badmouthing her.
Venice was left speechless, unable to direct accusations or blame at Yeri.
Embarrassed, she wanted to get up and leave, but Linda discreetly kicked her under the table.
"So that's what happened!" Linda blurted out, sending a warning glance toward her daughter. "That Hadi Keir really is a scumbag. He wouldn't even spare his cousin's fiancée. But you said he was temporarily disowned? So the news circling around was true?"
Yeri briefly explained what had happened at the bar, deliberately omitting certain details. The important part was that Shin Keir had arrived in time to rescue her.
Linda and Venice were visibly displeased, was she bragging?
If anything, they would have celebrated had Yeri been disgraced. Instead, not only had nothing happened to her, but Shin Keir had also personally come to protect her, proving just how much he cared about her.
Xian was equally displeased and angry, though he showed none of it.
Once again, Yeri had nearly been harmed. He refused to believe Shin Keir lacked the ability to prevent something like this before it even happened.
"That's good news... really good news," Linda said with a consoling nod.
At least if Hadi was in trouble, he probably wouldn't have the time or ability to continue pursuing the case against her daughter.
Venice also understood her mother's cue. Without another word, she lowered her head and began to cry, looking thoroughly wronged.
"I'm a victim too! I didn't know he was that kind of person!"
Just like during her livestream, she shifted all the blame onto Hadi while portraying herself as an innocent victim who had simply been taken advantage of.
Meanwhile, Linda occasionally chimed in while discreetly observing Xian's reaction.
Unfortunately for her, Xian remained politely distant throughout.
"By the way, Xian, do you have a girlfriend?" Linda finally asked.
"No," Xian answered shortly.
Linda's eyes nearly lit up, making Madam Zhi increasingly uncomfortable. She wasn't foolish enough to miss Linda's intentions.
"That's surprising for someone of your status. Perhaps your parents have already arranged a marriage for you?"
Xian shook his head once more. "No. I'm practically the family's outcast."
But Linda clearly didn't take his words seriously.
Smiling warmly, she continued, "Don't mind this auntie asking, but what's your ideal woman?"
Xian smiled meaningfully. "Someone who shares the same hobby as me."
Recalling the crawling "collections" hidden in his basement, Yeri immediately shot him a warning look, silently telling him not to ruin her appetite.
In the end, dinner came to an uneventful close with Xian leaving shortly afterward. Yeri went straight to her room, Madam Zhi headed to her flower garden.
Linda remained immersed in the delightful delusion that she had found another excellent match for Venice.
And Venice, unsurprisingly, ended the evening resenting Yeri all over again.