As soon as Li Ting spoke, everyone turned to look at her, including Li Zhi.

"Do you guys need anything else? Like fermented bean curd, is there a specific kind you like? If so, I’ll just have Sister Gu’er go buy some."

But Li Ting seemed completely oblivious, continuing to ask her two friends.

"I want Wang Mazi’s fermented bean curd. I like Wang Mazi’s, not this stuff. I don’t even know what brand this is; it’s gross. Oh, and I want some cuttlefish roe, so have her buy a box of that. And the mutton... I think this mutton is too gamey. The kind I had last time wasn’t gamey at all. Have her buy that, too."

Xiao Hong spoke bluntly. She and Li Ting were good friends, and she knew the Li Family was wealthy. Since she was a guest, it was only natural that she should get to eat well. Whatever she wanted, they should buy. She didn’t care in the slightest that Gu’er had just sat down to eat. In her mind, Gu’er was just someone trying to suck up to the Li Family, so running errands for them was only right and proper.

"Sorry, but I have no obligation to go downstairs. If you can’t stomach the food, feel free to go buy your own. If you don’t want to go, then just make do with what we have."

Gu’er couldn’t be bothered to say anything more. ’These three girls are way too full of themselves.’

"Why don’t I go?"

Zheng Xinghua, sensing the tense atmosphere, spoke up. Though she disliked Li Ting’s attitude, she knew Gu’er wouldn’t pick a fight with her for Li Zhi’s sake.

"No, don’t. Just eat."

Gu’er shook her head at her. She wasn’t going, and she wouldn’t let Xinghua go either. ’They’re just spoiled rotten.’

"Sister Gu’er, now you’re the one in the wrong. My brother gives you money, and even if he didn’t, he helps you all the time! Without him, would you be where you are today? You’d probably still be selling your wares on the street. What’s the big deal about running a little errand for us?"

Li Ting felt that Gu’er had made her lose face, and she was furious. In her mind, she was the princess of the Li Family; her brother was supposed to treat her the best. But Gu’er was just some girl from a backwater village with no class at all, yet her brother hung out with her all day and completely ignored his own sister. She was already unhappy about it, and Gu’er’s retort just now made her explode.

Gu’er glanced at her.

"That’s right! You only make money by sucking up to Brother Li. Our Tingzi is his sister, so what’s wrong with her asking you to do a little something for her?"

Xiao Li added with her chin held high, speaking to Gu’er. She had no idea who Gu’er really was; she had only heard bits and pieces from Li Ting and assumed Gu’er was just some nobody who had to suck up to Li Ting. As a result, she and her friend also looked down on Gu’er.

Gu’er laughed out of sheer anger. She wanted to say something, but looking at Li Ting, she decided against it. ’It’s pointless.’

Gu’er didn’t say anything, but that didn’t mean others would stay silent. Sun Jiaming kept quiet out of respect for Li Zhi, but how could Li Zhi possibly tolerate this?

"Li Ting, who taught you to talk like that? Do you have any idea that your Sister Gu’er paid for and prepared everything you’re eating and drinking today? This is our home! You should have been the one helping out, but what have you been doing? You haven’t lifted a finger! Forgetting to thank Sister Gu’er is one thing, but to stand here starting trouble and saying such awful things... And don’t give me that crap about Wang Mazi. Do you realize the sesame paste and fermented bean curd Gu’er brought are the absolute best? One jar of this costs more than ten of Wang Mazi’s! This mutton is the most authentic you can get. What even is that stuff you’re talking about that isn’t gamey? And you still have the nerve to ask Gu’er to go run errands for you? Apologize to Sister Gu’er. Right now. And let me tell you something else. If you want to eat, then eat. If you don’t, then don’t. But from now on, you’d better start behaving yourself while you’re living here."

Li Zhi felt his sister had gone too far. He had always tolerated her little tantrums in the past—she was his sister, after all. But he never imagined she would become like this. Her actions and words were completely out of line.

After Li Zhi’s outburst, Xiao Li and Xiao Hong stared at Li Ting in disbelief. They couldn’t believe Li Zhi wasn’t taking his own sister’s side.

"Tingzi, how could your brother treat you like that? You’re his sister! How can he side with an outsider against you?"

Xiao Li stupidly chimed in.

Li Ting’s eyes reddened. She felt her brother had been way too harsh. And for her friends to witness this humiliation... ’How am I supposed to face anyone after this?’

"It’s because she’s a seductress."

Li Ting spat out in a fit of rage.

Sun Jiaming’s face darkened. As a man, he didn’t want to argue with a young woman, but Li Ting had now resorted to personal attacks.

"Shut up! Apologize! If you say one more word of nonsense, you can go home. And don’t ever come here again."

Li Zhi truly couldn’t believe his own sister was capable of saying something so vicious.

"You’re not my brother! You’re siding with an outsider over me! Brother Liu Yuan, you tell me! You be the judge. Am I in the wrong here? What’s so bad about asking Lin Gu’er to run one little errand? Is she really that precious?"

Tears streamed down Li Ting’s face as she looked at Liu Yuan, pleading for him to take her side.

Gu’er, on the other hand, wasn’t particularly bothered. ’Li Ting is just a spoiled kid. She’s not a bad person, just arrogant and thinks too highly of herself.’ She wouldn’t stoop to her level, so she remained silent. ’Wait a minute... could it be that Li Ting has a crush on Liu Yuan?’

’Li Ting wasn’t unattractive, though not exactly beautiful. But she came from a well-off family and dressed well. Coupled with her age, she had a certain youthful vibrancy.’

’Li Zhi had mentioned that plenty of suitors had come calling, but Li Ting had rejected them all, insisting she wanted to find someone she truly clicked with.’

Gu’er’s gaze shifted to Liu Yuan. ’He was undeniably handsome, the most striking man in the room. He had also become far more mature and steady than before. He owned shares in the mall, his family had bought a house, and he was quite well-off now. On top of that, Liu Yuan himself was just a genuinely good person with a great temperament and strong character. In anyone’s eyes, he was a great catch.’

’Li Ting certainly had good taste in setting her sights on Liu Yuan. If she were a better person, Gu’er would be happy to see them get together, since they were all friends. But with Li Ting’s princess attitude... could Liu Yuan really put up with that?’

"I wasn’t going to get involved," Liu Yuan began, his expression serious, "but since you asked me, I’ll speak my mind. You’ve gone way too far today. Gu’er has been busy since this morning, preparing everything. Why? She did it so we could all have a good time together. But you girls just had to stir up trouble and even demanded she go downstairs to buy things for you. By what right? If you’ve never had these things before, you can ask about them. But don’t use your ignorance as an excuse to make a fool of yourself. Li Zhi is right. Even if Gu’er lets it slide, your actions were wrong. You owe Gu’er an apology."

Liu Yuan spoke with a serious expression. It wasn’t his or Sun Jiaming’s place to interfere. Even though Sun Jiaming was clearly displeased with Li Ting and her friends, they had to respect Li Zhi’s position. Liu Yuan felt the same, but since Li Ting had forced the issue by asking him directly, he told her the truth.

Li Ting never expected Liu Yuan would say such things to her. She genuinely had a crush on him. In fact, the whole reason for her behavior today was to put Gu’er down in front of Liu Yuan, to show him that Gu’er was nothing more than a gofer to her. She never imagined it would provoke such a strong backlash from everyone.

"You... you’re all ganging up on me! I’m going to tell Mom!"

Li Ting was heartbroken.

Li Zhi felt a sense of helplessness. Their mother was a good woman who doted on her daughter. If Li Ting really went tattling, even though she was completely in the wrong, their mom would still nag him about it. After all, a mother always sides with her own child.