"You... why are you suddenly saying these things? How can you casually investigate someone else's private matters?"

Cheng Miao's forehead was covered in fine sweat. Her reaction wasn't one of feeling offended, but of utter guilt.

"Guess," Qin Zhao smiled mischievously.

Cheng Miao's face turned pale, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Ji Fei was also surprised. [Why did Qin Xian suddenly bring this up? Had he already investigated something and suspected their sibling relationship wasn't normal? But weren't they very discreet, with no one noticing? How could he have found any clues? Impressive!]

Qin Xian: ...I'm ashamed to say I didn't find anything. My fault for not thinking enough.

Qin Family: No, no, no, who could have thought of that?

[Qin Rong is truly unfortunate, encountering such an odd pair of siblings. They clearly have mutual feelings and attraction, and although their blended family relationship is an obstacle, it's not an insurmountable one. But they've lived together with their parents since childhood, appearing completely as one family, so they're afraid to face their parents and friends, and don't dare to defy social norms and gossip.]

[Sneaking around long-term isn't a solution either. Since Cheng Yue is always irresponsible, the family hopes he'll mature after marriage, so they've been frantically pushing for it. Naturally, Cheng Miao doesn't want a stranger to steal her brother away, so she came up with this vicious plan.]

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, their gazes sweeping towards Qin Rong.

Qin Rong's expression was full of numbness and bewilderment. She felt as if she were listening to someone else's story; this couldn't possibly be happening to her.

[Qin Rong happened to become roommates with Cheng Miao, and she looked so naive and easy to fool. Plus, she knew Cheng Yue hated rich good girls the most, which is why she chose Qin Rong to be her future sister-in-law.]

[Bah! What a psycho! Did she have to drag an innocent person into their weird play?]

[According to Cheng Miao's thinking: Since I can't be with my brother, I'll find someone stupid and easy to control who can also support my brother.]

[Because she also couldn't bear to see her brother work hard outside, goodness, she's love-brained too, thinking of tricking another woman to help her take care of her brother. In one word: Unbelievable!]

The others felt shocked, and couldn't help but look at Cheng Miao. So young, yet so devious, it was truly spine-chilling. The more they looked, the more she seemed like a lunatic.

Cheng Miao, already feeling guilty, saw the increasingly strange looks in everyone's eyes and couldn't help but want to run away.

Just as she was about to step back, Qin Rong suddenly grabbed her arm.

Cheng Miao looked at Qin Rong in fright, only to find Qin Rong's eyes empty and unfocused, not looking at her at all.

Could she have sensed something was wrong? Impossible, she's too stupid!

"Rong Rong, my brother and I grew up together. Though we're not blood-related, we're the closest of family. And you're my best friend. I just wanted to help you two, but since your family is giving us such a hard time, I should probably leave first."

[Heh, indeed she's been helping all along. At first, I was quite puzzled. There are plenty of young gentlemen in the same social circle, even if Qin Rong didn't like them, surely she wouldn't fall for a good-for-nothing loser, right?]

The Qin family members suddenly sat up straight. That's right, this was the most baffling part. How could such a good girl be so blind?

Surely it wasn't just for one meal? It couldn't be that simple!

They were unwilling to believe that Qin Rong was truly brainless.

[Cheng Miao is very clever, never actively promoting Cheng Yue, but because this undercover best friend was around, Cheng Yue could fake all his hobbies, habits, and style. Every smile, every move was designed to make Qin Rong fall for him.]

[Take that meal for example. Qin Rong was probably marveling at how attentive Cheng Yue was, knowing her tastes so well. He knew nothing! It was all planned and orchestrated by Cheng Miao, with Cheng Yue passively cooperating. That's why his emotions were so unstable; there were many things he had to humble himself to do that he was unwilling to.]

[Qin Rong probably never imagined that those sleepless nights, those passionate and loving text messages that kept her awake, were actually Cheng Miao chatting on Cheng Yue's phone, easily worming her way into Qin Rong's heart.]

[Living together but in separate rooms wasn't out of respect for her either. It was because Cheng Miao wouldn't allow it. Although she found this sister-in-law herself, she still couldn't bear to see them together, so she threw tantrums to make Cheng Yue promise not to touch Qin Rong until she went abroad.]

[This woman is quite formidable in a way, wanting to have both career and love. On one hand, she's tricking Qin Rong to give her the spot and sponsor her studies abroad; on the other hand, she's trying to secure Cheng Yue and Qin Rong's marriage. After all, compared to other unknown women, Qin Rong will always be too brainless to become an obstacle in her and Cheng Yue's illicit relationship.]

[In Cheng Miao's eyes, Qin Rong carries the dual buffs of 'scapegoat' and 'ticket abroad'.]

[Tsk tsk tsk, what a twisted and perverted psychology, as if getting together with her own brother behind her best friend's back was somehow thrilling.]

After hearing this, the Qin family members were beyond furious. Everything had been a scam targeting Qin Rong.

These siblings had some nerve, treating Qin Rong like a fool.

This just goes to show, be careful when choosing a boyfriend, and be even more careful when choosing friends!

Qin's Father said with a gloomy face, "Qin Rong, your friend wants to leave. Are you going to let her go?"

Cheng Miao was stunned. What did he mean? Surely they couldn't stop her from leaving?

But when she turned her head, she saw Qin Rong's blood-red eyes, her pupils shaking, her head shaking slightly as if unable to accept something, constantly in self-denial.

Cheng Miao inexplicably felt afraid and couldn't help but try to pull her hand away.

"Rong Rong, my brother wouldn't cook for anyone else, he only cooks for you, so don't try to make things difficult for him... It's an insult to your relationship... I'll, I'll come see you another time."

With that, she actually broke free and ran.

Qin Zhao angrily jumped up but was stopped by Qin Xian. Qin Xian directly said to Qin Rong, "We suspect you've been deceived from beginning to end. You don't want to admit it?"

All color had drained from Qin Rong's face. Her unfocused eyes swept across everyone, then she silently walked back to her room step by step.

The other Qin family members knew what Qin Rong was struggling with.

They had initially struggled too, because all the truth just revealed was merely Ji Fei's statement, without any evidence to prove it, unless they caught them in the act or those two confessed themselves.

So it was hard for Qin Rong to accept defeat, but was she really unwavering?

At least Ji Fei couldn't resist. She deliberately ordered the three dishes and soup from the chain restaurant, had them replated, and told Auntie that she personally cooked it for her unhappy fourth sister.

Auntie praised her repeatedly, and while others who saw it would also compliment her, their expressions were quite peculiar.

Three days later, Qin Rong ran away from the estate.

It's unclear whether it was the three dishes and soup that triggered her, or if her mind still wasn't clear and she wanted to elope with someone.

But looking at the surveillance footage, with no one there to meet her, it clearly wasn't an elopement.

The Qin family quickly located Qin Rong's position but didn't immediately apprehend her.

They wanted to see exactly what Qin Rong was going to do.