Flying Slap

Zhou Xinhe and Zhou Wanwu were slightly surprised by Zhou Lin's question. They finally turned to Ye Ningjie, who was sitting in a dark corner of the room. Zhou Xinhe, who didn't know Ye Ningjie, became curious.

"Who is that girl?" He stepped closer to Zhou Lin.

"Jie'er, come over here. Why must you lower yourself by sitting there? One must know that even if the front table were handed over to you, it would still not be enough to give you a face," Zhou Lin said sweetly. She didn't even bother to answer Zhou Xinhe's question.

Ye Ningjie immediately smiled upon hearing that. She replied, "Aunt Lin, I'm afraid it will offend someone. I'm here alone. You haven't even come after a few days. Apart from Grandfather Zhou and Lord Zhou, I'm afraid that other people won't like my existence."

"What kind of nonsense is that? Who's been causing trouble with you?" Zhou Lin stepped closer to Ye Ningjie. She held out her hand to the girl, pulling her up. "Tell me."

Zhou Yingyi, in her seat, became anxious. If Ye Ningjie pointed at her, then it would end badly. Before anyone else could answer, she immediately interrupted, "Aunt Lin, haven't you just arrived? Why don't you greet Grandpa Xinhe first?

Ye Ningjie glanced at her. She became more and more eager to teach the woman a lesson. She grinned silently. Let's see whether that woman will be able to escape punishment tonight or not.

"That's right. Aunt Lin, don't mind me," Ye Ningjie said softly.

Zhou Wanwu, who saw that, felt that the situation was not right. After all, Ye Ningjie was an honored guest in his family. How could he allow that girl to be in a meaningless corner of the room?

He might not be that familiar with Ye Ningjie's character, but she had come up with a plan of her own, which meant she couldn't possibly be a meek, obedient girl. Then Ye Ningjie sat there on purpose. Who has offended her?

Zhou Wanwu wasn't the only one who thought that way. Zhou Lin also considered the possibility. Someone must have caused trouble for Ye Ningjie.

Zhou Lin then turned to look at Zhou Xinhe. A sweet smile appeared on her lips. "Uncle Xinhe, am I not allowed to worry about my own friend?"

Zhou Xinhe chuckled. "Of course, you can. Do whatever you want, girl. But can you tell me who this girl is?"

Ye Ningjie smiled sweetly while Zhou Yingyi turned even paler.

"She is Ning Jie'er, a guest from Jinshi. That's very far, isn't it? She came here with good intentions, but how come someone doesn't seem to welcome her?" Zhou Lin took Ye Ningjie's hand and brought her before Zhou Xinhe.

"Lin'er, it's my fault. I should have been watching them properly," Zhou Wanwu said regretfully. This time he was indeed a little careless in not warning others to treat Ye Ningjie with respect.

"No, Grandfather. It was I who was here from the start, but I was too busy chatting with Grandpa Xinhe to pay attention to the situation around me. Jie'er, I'm sorry." Zhou Yan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

At that moment, two more people walked into the room. They are Zhou Jingran and his wife. The couple, who didn't know anything, immediately asked, "Is someone bullying Jie'er? Who is that?"

Lady Zhou immediately approached Ye Ningjie, scanning her up and down to check whether any of her limbs were injured or not. The expression on her face was worried. She became like a mother-in-law worrying about her daughter-in-law.

"Jie'er, who has caused trouble? Please forgive us for coming late," the woman said worriedly.

"Yes. That's because my lady is too fussy about things, making me delay a lot of time," Zhou Jingran said, immediately getting a sharp look from his wife. He immediately coughed. "Jie'er, who's making trouble? I, as the representative of the Zhou residence, feel incompetent."

Ye Ningjie is King Ye's daughter and must be treated well, Zhou Jingran thought. Even though her father was declared a traitor, the girl was innocent. And he couldn't believe King Ye had committed such a crime.

Instantly, the situation there turned into a guilt contest. They all expressed regret for not showing up in time to help Ye Ningjie. She suddenly became everyone's favorite girl.

Even though it looked ridiculous, Ye Ningjie couldn't help but smile. Being treated like that made her heart feel warm. Apart from Zhou Yingyi and a few other hateful insects, this family sure did treat her well.

She smiled and said, "I am fine. Don't worry about me."

Zhou Yan then remembered something. He immediately looked at Zhou Yingyi, who looked pale. The woman shook her head quickly and denied, "It's not me!"

"Tch! I haven't even said anything yet, but you're already in denial? Are you that scared of getting caught?" The young man sneered.

Zhou Yingyi shook her head vigorously. She stood up from her chair and glared at Zhou Yan angrily. Normally, she had treated the young man well. But why did he return to her today with taunts and accusations?

"Zhou Yan, what do you mean? I didn't bully that girl at all. I only reprimanded her because she wanted to interrupt Grandfather Xinhe's conversation!"

"Oh really?"

Zhou Lin squinted slightly. She shifted her gaze to the people sitting at their respective tables, looking at them casually. "Can someone explain this to me?"

At first, no one answered, but a few moments later, one of the maids stepped forward. This was surprising because she was the maid who usually took care of Zhou Yingyi's business.

"Miss Zhou Yingyi deliberately made Miss Ning sit in the back. Even yesterday, she and Miss Tang planned some bad things for Miss Ning," the maid said boldly.

Zhou Yingyi, who heard that, was immediately taken aback. Her mouth was wide open, but not a single word was heard. Her eyes widened in surprise and amazement.

"Xiao Ya…." She shook her head in disbelief. "How can you say that? I am your young lady!"

The maid, who was called Xiao Ya, shook her head. Her gaze turned hateful. "Ever since you forbade me to see my mother, I never considered you as my young lady again," she said coldly.

"Xiao Ya!" Zhou Yingyi snapped slightly. "You ...."

"That time my mother asked me to come home; she even sent so many letters. However, you told me not to come home. Those were her last moments. She had been sick for a long time. You must know that, but you don't want to let me go! I can't even see how her body is buried!"

Xiao Ya said loudly. Tears streamed down her face. She had harbored that hatred for a long time. The desire for revenge often dominates her heart. However, she never had the chance. Today, the opportunity finally came to her. Of course, she wouldn't waste it.

"Nonsense! I never forbade you to come home!" Zhou Yingyi felt unable to accept. She looked at everyone. Shame and panic entered her heart when she found them looking at her with complete surprise and ridicule. Of course, they were starting to fall for Xiao Ya's words.

"She is lying! How could I do such a thing? Besides, what good would it do me if I forbade her from going to see her mother?" Zhou Yingyi denied it once more. Currently, her parents weren't in the residence, so there would be no one to defend her. She was getting more and more panicked.

The servant girl suddenly laughed. "Did you forget? It was Young Master Su's birthday. And you were too busy with various things to get his attention. Makeup, do hair, this thing, that thing, and more. As a selfish person, how could you just let your maid go? Of course, you compelled us to—"

Plakk!

One hard slap landed on Xiao Ya's cheek until her words were cut off. It was Zhou Yingyi who slapped her. The young lady was completely enraged and lost her mind.

The other people who saw that were shocked. They didn't expect Zhou Yingyi to be able to do all that. She had a respectable position in the Zhou residence. During this time, she also exhibits a very good attitude and behavior.

"How can Sister Yingyi do that?"

"I do not understand too. Hasn't she always had a good character?"

"Never be fooled by someone's outward appearance. They are often just doing imaging."

Whispers began to be heard from the other members of the Zhou family, as well as from the eavesdropping servants. They would not waste this time watching and gossiping.

Meanwhile, Ye Ningjie slightly pulled up the corners of her lips. She felt very satisfied with the show. Actually, she just wanted to teach Zhou Yingyi a little lesson. However, who knew that Xiao Ya would appear and make this problem even bigger?