It was one thing to feel unworthy of someone, but to discover that the man she had admired for years was so despicable and shameless was like swallowing a fly—utterly disgusting. What made it worse was that he had schemed against an innocent girl just to protect the woman he loved. Such behavior was something even she found contemptible.
The female classmate angrily pointed at the two of them. "You couldn't bear to let your precious one get hurt, so you pushed Qin Jiaxi to the forefront as a scapegoat! Su Ze, you have such a cruel heart, so vile. How could you be this kind of person? You knew perfectly well that Qin Han deceived everyone, making people misunderstand their identities, yet you still went along with it. Aren't you afraid we might ruin Qin Jiaxi's life?"
Yes, if it were just about identity issues, Su Ze's reluctance to openly date Yu Xin and instead choose someone of higher status as a shield wouldn't be so despicable.
But because of Qin Han's underhanded tactics, the identities of the two girls had been completely reversed in everyone's eyes. Yet Su Ze still went ahead with his plan, showing no regard for Qin Jiaxi's well-being. Such behavior was worse than that of an animal.
The Qin Family members trembled with rage upon hearing this.
This was simply too much bullying.
Su Ze hadn't expected his hidden motives to be completely exposed. His face flushed with shame and anger. "You're talking nonsense! Shut up!"
"Su Ze, do you still think we're fools?" the female classmate roared. "You thought right—I will target the person you love. As you wish, from now on, Yu Xin can wait for it! If you dare play me like this, even if I can't touch you, I can certainly make her suffer!"
"You..." Su Ze was furious and was about to issue a warning when he heard Qin Jiaxi's voice.
Guilt and fear gripped him, and he couldn't help but shudder at the sound of her soft voice.
“Why me? What have I ever done to you to deserve this?” Qin Jiaxi finally couldn't hold back her question.
Facing Qin Jiaxi, Su Ze wanted to deny everything, but he was truly at a loss for words. After all, his secrets had been completely laid bare. He had never felt so humiliated before, and this situation was driving him to the brink of madness.
Meanwhile, Ji Fei felt something flash through her mind, but with so much drama unfolding, she couldn't spare the mental energy to dig deeper. In response to Qin Jiaxi's question, Ji Fei gave the most straightforward answer.
"It's laughable, but it's probably because you're from the Qin Family," Ji Fei said.
"Because the Su Family wants to arrange a marriage alliance with the Qin Family?" Qin Yi interjected.
Qin Zhao sneered, "Oh, I see. People at school might not know, but those in our circle are well aware of who's the pearl and who's the fake. He had to put on a show for his family, lest they find out he's messing around with a fake and take action against her. What a devoted lover, protecting the fake in every way."
Choosing Qin Jiaxi was probably Su Ze's only option, but it was still a cruel and heartless move.
So, what was said in the woods was likely about waiting until the fake became the real deal, then switching girlfriends. By then, the Su Family would also assess who held a higher position in the Qin Family. If Qin Han took over the power of the Qin Family's third branch, Yu Xin might actually surpass Qin Jiaxi, and the fake would outshine the real pearl.
With every word they spoke, Su Ze felt as though another layer of his dignity was being stripped away.
His thoughts were laid bare for everyone to mock, and he couldn't stay any longer.
"Think whatever you want. I... I know I'm innocent," Su Ze said stiffly. "If you don't believe me, then let's just break up."
Yu Xin, who had been called a fake, couldn't contain her resentment. She had hoped Su Ze would at least admit something to salvage a bit of dignity, but she was disappointed. She knew Su Ze wanted to figure things out later, as today's events had caught them off guard. They could only retreat for now and come up with a plan later.
But when Su Ze said that, Ji Fei and the others burst into laughter.
The mocking laughter felt like a series of slaps to their faces.
Su Ze turned to leave, but then he heard Qin Jiaxi call out, "Wait."
Su Ze's heart stirred, thinking Qin Jiaxi might still have feelings for him.
But as soon as he turned around, a harsh slap landed on his face.
Su Ze's head snapped to the side, and after the initial shock came anger. He turned back, only to see the usually meek Qin Jiaxi raise her other hand and deliver a slap to Yu Xin, who was standing beside him.
Yu Xin was stunned. After all, she was usually the one bullying Qin Jiaxi, never the other way around.
Even though she had falsely accused Qin Jiaxi of hitting her before, she had never actually been struck!
Qin Jiaxi's actions left Su Ze momentarily dazed, but before he could react, he received a second slap from her.
Yu Xin, who was about to retaliate, saw Su Ze get hit again and froze, giving Qin Jiaxi the chance to deliver a second slap to her as well.
The sound of these four slaps drowned out all other conversations.
Everyone stared in shock at the usually timid Qin Jiaxi.
Qin Jiaxi, who had never done anything like this before, was left panting after delivering the four slaps.
Ji Fei shook her head and tutted, "Tsk tsk tsk, that's not enough!"
Qin Jiaxi had tears in her eyes as she delivered the slaps, but once she caught her breath, she exhaled deeply, feeling as though a weight had been lifted.
"You... you dare hit me!" Su Ze finally reacted, looking as though he was about to charge at her.
Yu Xin also covered her face, glaring venomously at Qin Jiaxi.
Qin Jiaxi glared back. "You've treated me like this, so what's wrong with me hitting you? If you dare bully me again, I... I'll fight back with everything I've got!"
Perhaps it was the lack of someone to protect her that made Qin Jiaxi instinctively think of fighting back with her life.
"Our little sister doesn't need to risk her life for this," Qin Yi said with a smile, stepping forward. Before Su Ze could react, Qin Yi punched him, sending him staggering. Qin Yi shook his hand, which hurt from the impact. "Bullying the Qin Family's young lady—do you think we're dead or something?"
"If our sister has to fight back on her own, doesn't that make us, her brothers, look like useless scum?" Qin Zhao said pointedly. Without waiting for Su Ze to recover from the punch, he kicked Su Ze squarely in the stomach.
Su Ze was sent flying backward, landing hard on the ground.
He was completely dazed, unable to react for a moment. When he looked up, he saw the two brothers standing protectively in front of Qin Jiaxi, as if saying, "You think you can bully our sister and get away with just a couple of slaps? We're the Qin Corporation of Y City. Do you think we need to think twice before beating you up?"
It seemed that Qin Han had given him the illusion that he could mistreat a girl from the Qin Family without facing any consequences.
But at this moment, Su Ze didn't dare fight back. Deep down, he knew that if he clashed with the Qin Family, his parents would tear him apart.
