At this moment, Su Li and Auntie Lan had already walked into the grand hall, one after the other.
Seeing Su Li at the entrance, a servant hurriedly called out respectfully, "Welcome back, Eldest Young Miss."
With a calm expression, Su Li gave a slight nod and hummed a soft acknowledgment.
The ground floor of the Su Family Villa was exceptionally spacious, with a vaulted foyer and grand double doors that radiated luxury.
At a glance, the understated yet lavish living room caught everyone's attention. The magnificent marble steps cast a warm glow, and the floor was covered in an extremely precious rug. Its soft, delicate texture was as smooth as velvet, making anyone who stepped on it feel as though they were walking on clouds.
To the side were three exquisitely and elegantly decorated reception tearooms.
From the moment Su Li stepped through the doors, her unique presence captured everyone's gaze.
Her aloof demeanor made her seem entirely out of place in the lively setting, yet Su Li had no intention of paying any attention to them at all.
With a cold expression, she and Auntie Lan headed straight for the staircase in the corner.
However, how could Li Xueyao possibly let Su Li go upstairs so easily? The gathering she had organized today was specifically meant to target Su Li.
She had originally planned to make her move on Su Li's birthday, but who could have expected that Su Li, who had always ignored her and her mother, would act like a ticking time bomb this morning and completely humiliate them both?
She simply could not swallow this insult!
Over the past few years, relying on the mighty backing of the Su family, Li Xueyao had transformed herself into a socialite in Haining City's high society and made quite a few friends.
With Father Su away from home today, she had invited several friends over, intending to mock and ridicule Su Li in front of them to vent her hatred.
Seeing that Su Li completely ignored her, Li Xueyao hurriedly called out, "Oh, Sister is back! Look at you, we have guests in the house, and you didn't even come over to say hello."
Her voice carried a trace of affected intimacy, while a flash of jealousy flickered in her eyes.
Auntie Lan frowned and was just about to speak when Su Li gently pulled her arm, signaling her to remain calm.
Then, Su Li stopped in her tracks and, under the gaze of everyone present, walked step by step toward the front hall.
Her casual attire did not look sloppy in the least; instead, the aristocratic aura radiating from within her, enhanced by the casual outfit, not only highlighted her extraordinary temperament but also gave off an indescribable sense of confidence and ease.
Looking at Li Xueyao now, a wave of annoyance welled up inside Su Li's heart.
This hypocritical woman always tried every possible means to draw attention to herself and show off in front of others.
Did she really think she could deal with me just by hosting a little gathering?
How naive.
Su Li's appearance truly dazzled everyone in the room.
Li Xueyao gritted her teeth in pure rage, thinking to herself: How could she have become so confident in just a single day?
In the past, she always walked with her head down and turned a blind eye to everyone. Now, not only was she confident, but she also possessed an aura she had never had before.
Her eyes were filled with confusion and jealousy, unable to understand why Su Li had suddenly changed so drastically.
Ignoring their probing gazes, Su Li sat directly in the main seat of the living room sofa.
She casually crossed her legs, and with a lazy yet piercing gaze directed at Li Xueyao, she said with a hint of amusement, "It seems Miss Li is quite forgetful. Didn't I just tell you this morning that my mother only gave birth to me? Stop throwing around the word 'sister'—did you forget so soon?"
At this moment, Su Li's heart was filled with mockery. This Li Xueyao really did not know her own limitations, actually thinking she could do whatever she pleased in this household.She continued to sneer inwardly. In her previous life, she had been far too weak, which was exactly why these people had felt emboldened to walk all over her.
Now that she had been granted a second life, she would no longer allow herself to be manipulated by them.
"And another thing," she continued, "you just said what? That guests have arrived, and I should come over to greet them? Do you really think you're such a big deal? Get this straight: this is my home. I didn't invite anyone. Miss Li, why don't you tell me exactly who should be greeting whom?"
Su Li’s tone carried an unquestionable air of dominance. She lifted her chin slightly, her eyes flashing with a haughty majesty. Seeing the look on Li Xueyao’s face turn sour in an instant, she felt a surge of satisfaction. From this moment on, she would make sure everyone who had once bullied her knew that she, Su Li, was no longer a pushover to be toyed with.
Su Li’s cold eyes narrowed, her gaze sweeping over the room like frigid starlight. Everyone present had been stunned into silence from the moment she entered.
Take the Ji siblings, for example. In Haining City, a bustling metropolis overflowing with the wealthy, the Ji family were merely newly minted upstarts who had just risen from the bottom. They were like a drop in the ocean, little more than insignificant background noise who couldn't even make it onto the stage of high society.
Ji Qinchuan, the elder brother, was gifted with a handsome face but obsessed entirely with the pursuit of power and influence. He knew full well that his family’s roots were shallow. In Haining City, where the elite stood like a dense forest, one couldn't hope to enter the upper-class social circles without someone to pull strings—and that required far more than just money.
To expand his connections and gain entry into those enviable circles of the rich and powerful, he spent nearly every spare moment at Heaven on Earth, the largest den of decadence in Haining City. Even though he tried his best to control his spending each time he went, the exorbitant costs still caused him physical pain.
As for his younger sister, she was dressed in fine finery today, though her face wore an expression of haughty arrogance.That gaze occasionally revealed a subtle contempt for others, as if she were high above the world, completely unaware that in front of a true elite family, she was nothing more than an insignificant nobody.
Although at first Ji Qinchuan mostly associated with upstarts who, like himself, lacked any deep roots, he still managed to reap some rewards and successfully closed a few deals, big and small.
It was not until a few months ago that he met Li Xueyao.
He had not known her originally; he only heard from the bartender who frequently mixed his drinks that this woman came from an immensely influential background—she was the daughter of the Su family, a prestigious elite family in Haining City.
The two words "elite family" made his eyes light up. He thought to himself that this truly was effortless—he had searched high and low, only to find her without even trying.
Thus, relying on his striking good looks, he quickly approached Li Xueyao, who had gone out to drown her sorrows. Through a bit of back-and-forth, he soon became well acquainted with her.
To his surprise, this wealthy heiress was not at all difficult to get along with. In fact, she lacked any of the arrogance typical of high society and even seemed completely devoid of cunning.
Yet what he did not know was that this wealthy heiress whom he now worshipped as a goddess was actually a fake—she had never received a strict upbringing since childhood and was merely a phony heiress who had climbed up from the very bottom.
Su Li watched Ji Qinchuan with cold eyes, her heart filled with arrogance and disdain.
Hmph, she truly had never noticed it before, but people like this who crawled up from the gutter had their hearts set solely on attaching themselves to the powerful and wealthy. It was utterly despicable.
Did he really think he could break into the true inner circle of the elite just like that?
What an absolute pipe dream.
She slightly lifted her chin, her gaze radiating an aloof and commanding majesty, as if declaring to everyone present that this was her territory and that these people were nothing more than clowns jumping about in her eyes.