She looked at me, a cold sneer on her face. “Do I need to spell it out for you?” She leaned in, her voice dropping to a sinister whisper. “How do you think Li Mu found out about your sordid little affair with Gu Zhizhou? I only meant to give you a warning, Tang Li. I just never expected your father to have such a... dramatic reaction. To just drop dead like that. Call it retribution, I suppose.” *Smack!* The force of the slap rocked her head back. I used every ounce of strength I had. Blinded by rage, I grabbed her by the collar, my eyes burning. “Lu Ke’er, whatever happened between me and Gu Zhizhou is in the past. Hate me, envy me, take it all out on me—I can handle it. But you do not bring my parents into this.” She just sneered. “Oh? And what are you going to do if I do? Kill me?” Her eyes narrowed, her voice dripping with venom. “I heard you have a brother with leukemia. Tell me, if he were to suddenly die… what do you think that would do to your mother?” “You dare!” The taunt shattered my last shred of control. I shoved her, hard, sending her sprawling to the floor. For one terrifying second, I actually considered strangling her. Just then, Lu Yi appeared in the office doorway. His face was a thundercloud as he rushed over, helping Lu Ke’er to her feet and pulling her behind him. “Couldn’t this be settled with words, Miss Tang? Was violence really necessary?” Lu Yi’s tone was sharp, unfriendly. “Brother, I was just trying to give her our wedding invitation,” Lu Ke’er whimpered, leaning against him. Her voice was small and broken, the picture of innocence wronged. “I never thought she’d react like that… I don’t know what I did wrong!” I stood there, stunned. The woman was a phenomenal actress. Lu Yi’s expression hardened. He looked at me, and the man who was normally so composed now had a distinct edge of displeasure in his voice. “Miss Tang, you’re clearly not in a state to work today. I suggest you go home and rest.” So he was just kicking me out. My jaw tightened. I scanned the office, my eyes landing on the colleagues who had been watching the whole spectacle. I turned to Liu Xue, clinging to a final thread of hope. “Ms. Liu, tell them. Tell them if Lu Ke’er was really here to kindly give me an invitation.” Liu Xue glanced at Lu Yi, then at Lu Ke’er, before lowering her gaze to the floor. “I… I wasn’t paying attention.” Of course. It hit me then, how ruthlessly pragmatic people could be. Unimaginably so. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I grabbed my bag. I walked right up to Lu Ke’er, held out my hand, and offered a cold smile. “Since you were here to deliver an invitation, then please, give it to me.” Her face froze, and her wide, misty eyes darted to Lu Yi. Lu Yi frowned at me. “Miss Tang, must you be so aggressive?” I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Mr. Lu, you should really get your eyes checked.” Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I turned to leave. I couldn’t stand to be in that room for another second. I walked quickly, storming toward the exit. But I was moving too fast. I collided head-on with Lin Wan, who was just coming in. The impact was hard and unexpected. Lin Wan was older, and the sudden blow sent her staggering sideways. Instinctively, I reached out to steady her, but it threw me off balance. We both went down in a heap, and my bag flew from my grasp. The office erupted into chaos. Lu Yi and the others rushed over to help. They swarmed around Lin Wan, helping her up, Lu Yi anxiously checking if she was hurt. With all eyes on her, I scrambled to my feet. A sharp pain shot through my elbow; it felt dislocated. My bag had landed several feet away, its contents scattered across the floor. Wincing in pain, I knelt to gather my things. Once they saw Lin Wan was alright, their attention finally shifted to me. Lu Yi’s face was grim, and he looked like he was about to berate me. But Lin Wan cut him off. She walked over to me, her voice gentle. “Miss Tang, are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?” A knot of bitterness formed in my throat. I shook my head slightly. “I’m fine, thank you.” After all, I was the one who had been rushing. I looked at her, bowing my head to apologize. “I’m so sorry.” Before I could finish, her expression went rigid. Her gaze locked onto something in my hands. After a long moment, she reached out with a trembling hand and took the bracelet I had just picked up. Her eyes were red-rimmed as she stared at me, her voice catching in a sob. “Is this yours?”