The Cold Beauty's Rebirth

Ruolan walked away stiffly, her posture perfect, but Qingxue could see the barely concealed tremor in her fingers. She had always been good at controlling the narrative, turning herself into the victim in any situation. But today, she had been openly challenged—first by Lihua, then by the Xu siblings.

And she hated it.

As soon as she was out of sight, Lihua let out an exaggerated sigh and dropped into the seat across from Qingxue. "I swear, that girl is exhausting to watch."

Qiuhan smirked. "You should try dealing with her for years."

Li Shen, who had been silently observing, finally spoke. "She won't give up so easily. A girl like that thrives on attention." He leaned forward slightly, his golden eyes sharp with amusement. "You two must have made her life miserable by being more talented and untouchable."

Qingxue gave a slight tilt of her head. "It wasn't intentional."

Tianyi let out a short laugh. "Sure, sure. You both just happened to be smarter, colder, and completely uninterested in playing her little game. How tragic for her."

His sister, Yiran, set her cup down delicately. "Regardless, she'll find another way. Desperation makes people reckless."

The group fell silent for a moment, each lost in thought. The Xu siblings had been watching for some time, quietly observing the tangled web of politics within the Leng family. But this was the first time they had spoken out against Ruolan so openly.

It was a shift.

Qingxue's silver-blue eyes met Yiran's. "Why now?"

Yiran smiled faintly. "Because now it's interesting."

Tianyi grinned. "And because we don't like fakes."

There was an unspoken understanding in their words. They weren't fully revealing their hand yet, but they had chosen a side.

And Ruolan?

She would soon realize that she was no longer the only one skilled at playing the game.