Confrontation in the Dining Hall

During dinner time, Feng Ruoxi made her way downstairs, her face set in a cold, impassive expression. As she entered the lavish dining room, her father, Feng Zhaoxuan, spoke up with a sardonic edge.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence."

Feng Ruoxi simply stared at him, offering no response, and took her seat at the table. Her grandfather, Feng Zhengzhi, tsked disapprovingly. 

"She thinks she's a princess just because Young Master Jiang Yukang chose her, doesn't she?" he remarked snidely.

Feng Meiling, Feng Ruoxi's cousin, chimed in with a smug look. "You're right, Grandfather. I don't think she even feels comfortable eating with us anymore. She sees us as peasants now."

Feng Ruoxi frowned slightly at her cousin's words but remained silent, focusing on her meal. Qiao Yingyao, her stepmother, finally spoke up in a mocking tone.

"Oh, you don't even know how to speak anymore?"

Feeling the weight of their judgmental gazes, Feng Ruoxi finally opened her mouth, her voice measured and detached.

"What exactly do you want me to say, dear stepmother? Everything I say or do in this household is always deemed unworthy, so why now am I suddenly worthy to speak to you all?"

She emphasized her words by resting her elbows on the table and cupping her cheeks, her posture conveying a sense of boredom and indifference.

Feng Zhengzhi's face twisted in anger. "Watch your tongue, you insolent brat! All this engagement that's making you feel like a queen will be over when I return from a meeting with Old Master Jiang tomorrow."

Feng Ruoxi's expression remained unfazed as she replied, "I'll be happy if it gets canceled. I'm not so eager to marry a stranger after all. He can pick anyone here for all I care - who knows, maybe Qiao Yingyao wants him as well."

Feng Zhaoxuan slammed his fist on the table, causing the plates to clatter. "If you dare speak to your stepmother like that again, I'll have you sent back to the basement! We haven't even discussed how you caused her to miscarry, losing a possible heir for this family!"

Feng Ruoxi's eyes narrowed as she met her father's enraged gaze with a calm demeanor.

"Oh, Father, you're really blinded by love and have even forgotten your own flesh and blood. Did you ever go with her to a doctor's appointment? Who knows, maybe she wasn't even pregnant in the first place."

Her words hung in the air, met with stunned silence from the rest of the family. Feng Guiren, Feng Zhaoxuan's brother, finally spoke up with a sneer.

"Well, brother, your daughter has grown a pair. You've failed to discipline this girl."

Qiao Yingyao started to sob theatrically. "Ohhh, hubby, she's insulting me!"

Feng Ruoxi scoffed and continued eating, unfazed by the drama. "Cut the crocodile tears. That's not an insult. I can give you a real insult if you want one, like how you married my father after only six months of my mother's death. Something tells me you were already Father's mistress."

Feng Zhengzhi slammed his fist on the table, his face flushed with anger. "Shut up, you brat!"

Feng Guiren turned to his brother and said, "Brother, get that girl in order."

Qiao Yingyao's sobs intensified. "You'll let her insult me like this?"

Feng Zhaoxuan's expression hardened as he barked, "Guards, take her to the dungeon this instant!"

Just as the guards were about to approach Feng Ruoxi, Feng Zhengzhi raised a hand, halting them.

"Stop." He turned his stern gaze to the rest of the family. "Have you all forgotten that Young Master Jiang chose her? You can't punish her until I return from my meeting tomorrow. Once all that is settled, you can teach this girl how to respect her elders."

Feng Ruoxi smirked slightly and scoffed, then continued eating, having wasted enough time already with these fools.

As the tense dinner progressed, Feng Ruoxi couldn't help but steal several sidelong glances at her stepmother, Qiao Yingyao. Her sharp spy instincts told her that there was so much more to this woman that had yet to be uncovered. Perhaps Qiao Yingyao had even played a role in her host mother's death.

Feng Ruoxi's eyes locked briefly with Qiao Yingyao's, and the woman quickly averted her gaze, a flicker of unease crossing her features. Feng Ruoxi couldn't help but softly chuckle at the observation.

Unfortunately, her cousin Feng Airi noticed the subtle laugh. "What's that chuckle about?" the girl asked suspiciously.

Feng Ruoxi didn't bother looking at her cousin as she replied, her eyes still trained on Qiao Yingyao. "Oh, just thinking about how funny life can be when it comes to revealing secrets. Nothing stays hidden forever, you know."

The pointed remark hung in the air, and Feng Ruoxi watched with satisfaction as Qiao Yingyao visibly squirmed under her unwavering gaze. The woman seemed almost unnerved by the subtle challenge in Feng Ruoxi's words and demeanor.

Feng Zhaoxuan, oblivious to the silent exchange, suddenly slammed his fist on the table again. "That's enough out of you, girl! I won't have you disrespecting your elders and your betters in this house."

Feng Ruoxi finally tore her eyes away from Qiao Yingyao and turned to her father, her expression hardening. "I'm merely stating the truth, Father. Perhaps if you and the rest of this family weren't so blinded by your own biases and agendas, you'd see it as well."

Feng Zhengzhi, the family patriarch, leveled a stern glare at Feng Ruoxi. "Watch your tongue, girl. You'd do well to remember your place. Your status in this family is only temporary, and it can be taken away just as quickly as it was given."

Feng Ruoxi met her grandfather's gaze unflinchingly. "Is that a threat, Grandfather? Because it sounds an awful lot like you're trying to intimidate me."

The older man's face twisted in anger, but before he could retort, Feng Guiren interjected smoothly. "Now, now, let's all try to calm down. This is supposed to be a family dinner, not a battlefield."

Qiao Yingyao, who had been uncharacteristically silent during the exchange, suddenly spoke up, her voice dripping with feigned sweetness. "Oh, Feng Ruoxi, we're not trying to threaten you. We just want what's best for this family. Surely you can understand that, as the future mistress of the Jiang household."

Feng Ruoxi narrowed her eyes at her stepmother, detecting the underlying malice beneath the saccharine tone. "Of course, Stepmother. I understand completely." She paused, then added, "Although, I can't help but wonder what _you_ consider to be 'best' for this family."

The implication was clear, and Qiao Yingyao visibly bristled, her false smile wavering for a moment before she schooled her features once more. Feng Ruoxi watched the exchange with a subtle sense of triumph, knowing she had managed to rattle the woman.

The rest of the dinner proceeded in tense silence, the air thick with unspoken accusations and underlying tensions. Feng Ruoxi continued to steal occasional glances at Qiao Yingyao, her mind whirring with possibilities and theories. There was definitely more to this woman than met the eye, and Feng Ruoxi was determined to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.

As the meal drew to a close, Feng Ruoxi stood and excused herself, citing a need to prepare for her upcoming exams. The rest of the family watched her leave, some with open hostility, others with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

Once safely back in her room, Feng Ruoxi quickly pulled out her phone and typed a message to Hawkeye007, her fingers moving with purpose.

"I need you to help with something, can you find information on a woman called Qiao Yingyao, for example any illnesses or anything that might have landed her in hospital....And oh, try and trace her steps back to years ago, more specifically if she has any connection to a woman called Peng Yuwei."

Hawkeye007 responded almost immediately and typed, "Consider it done ma'am" with smiley emojis.

"Please send the information you find to the chat, I don't want traces on my phone" she said, making sure she was cautious.

They chatted for sometime and Hawkeye007 sent her the previous exam papers she had requested. Looking at the large PDF file, Feng Ruoxi felt her head spin. She had never imagined that she would have to go back to school, now only two days in this body, she had to write exams. 

With a resignation sigh, she started off with Physics papers. According to the time table, that would be the first paper they will write tomorrow, so she had to be prepared.