Chapter 177 - 173: Good-for-nothing x Naive Little Tyrant 12

Chapter 177: Chapter 173: Good-for-nothing x Naive Little Tyrant 12

Jiang Yao had told her to leave the Ji family. That declaration alone meant that the Ji Family now had to think twice before making a move against her.

It had been some time since she’d left the Ji family, and Ji Xiaosong found them to be excessively quiet.

’With the Ji Family’s temperament, have they really not come looking for trouble?’

But that thought was only a fleeting one; Ji Xiaosong was simply too busy now.

With Jiang Yao backing her, her own formidable skills, and a pleasant disposition, all sorts of partners were eager to work with her.

After she released her first album, a top national fashion show invited Ji Xiaosong to make an appearance.

The backstage area of the fashion show was a scene of chaos. Ji Xiaosong was adjusting her earrings in the mirror when she suddenly glimpsed the hem of a cobalt blue dress in the reflection.

That was a custom-dyed, exclusive color that Ji Fu had commissioned for Ji Yao’s sixteenth birthday, going so far as to buy out an entire crystal mine to create it.

"Such unique earrings, sister."

Icy fingers suddenly rested on her shoulder. Ji Yao’s nails, adorned with tiny diamonds, nearly dug into her collarbone. "I heard President Jiang bought out all the antique jewelry from Sotheby’s spring auction."

The dressing room fell silent in an instant. A few models who were being fitted with microphones pricked up their ears.

Ji Xiaosong brushed the hand off her shoulder. As she turned, the hem of her dress swept across the other woman’s pearl-studded pannier. "They’re just some fancy trinkets, nothing more. Are you here to see the show too, Yaoyao?"

"Oh, I wouldn’t dare."

Ji Yao covered her mouth with a delicate laugh, the new season haute couture bracelet on her wrist jingling. "The family’s having some cash flow problems recently. Dad even suspended my trust fund. But you, sister..."

She suddenly leaned in, her lipstick smearing on Ji Xiaosong’s mirror. "The Jiang Family has prospered for a century. Would they really marry the daughter of an ex-wife who was kicked out of her own family?"

Stifled snickers came from outside the door, where three or four influencers clutching Hermès bags were recording with their phones.

Ji Yao turned and tipped her chin at the influencers. One of them, a woman with big, wavy hair, immediately piped up in a shrill voice, "Exactly! She should take a good look at herself. Does she really think latching onto a big tree like the Jiang Family is her ticket to the top? For all we know, the Jiang Family is just looking for a bit of novelty."

Another influencer with outrageously colored hair chimed in, "She’ll probably get dumped after a while. Then she won’t even have a shoulder to cry on. She’d be better off finding a normal job instead of embarrassing herself here."

Ji Yao smugly jangled the bracelet on her wrist and took another step forward. She deliberately lowered her voice, yet made sure everyone around could hear. "Sister, don’t let love go to your head. A family like the Jiangs is completely out of your league. When you get kicked to the curb, don’t you dare drag our Ji family down with you."

Ji Xiaosong lowered her gaze. A flicker of coldness passed through her eyes before she instantly reverted to her timid facade. She sighed softly and said in a small voice, "Yaoyao, I know all that. To be honest, I’ve been on edge this whole time."

As she spoke, she touched her wrist as if searching for something.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked up and said with a hint of grievance, "I know you all think I’m not good enough for Jiang Yao, but he’s truly good to me. He even gave me a very precious bracelet and said it would keep me safe. I always wear it... I think I took it off when I was changing and put it in my bag."

With that, she began to rummage through her bag, her movements unhurried.

While everyone’s attention was drawn to her search for the bracelet, she secretly pressed a small panic button hidden inside her bag. It was a gift from Jiang Yao, who told her to press it if she was ever in danger.

As she searched, she kept muttering, "I’m sure I put it in here... How could it be gone? If I lost it, Jiang Yao would be heartbroken."

’In reality, she knew that as soon as she pressed that button, the people Jiang Yao had stationed nearby would arrive quickly.’

’Now that she was a celebrity, it was best to avoid resorting to violent retaliation.’

’Never mind that slapping someone could land her at the police station; who knew if these influencers had hidden cameras on them?’

’If they released a selectively edited video later, it would be a waste of PR resources.’

Ji Xiaosong’s fingertips brushed against the jade comb Jiang Yao had placed in her hair that morning. The cool touch was suddenly warmed by a figure who rushed in from the side.

"Hot cocoa, from President Jiang."

Luna slammed a gilt thermos down with a THUD. The real-time trending topics on her screen showed:

#JiangGroupAnnouncesHeir’sEngagementParty#

The topic was rocketing to the top of the charts. Luna looked at Ji Yao and said, "By the way, the bill for the haute couture showpiece you just dirtied with your foot will be sent to the Ji family."

Ji Yao staggered back, knocking over a clothing rack. Beaded embroidery scattered across the floor, shattering into starlight under the camera flashes.

Ji Xiaosong sipped her cocoa and chuckled softly, glancing at the latest message from Jiang Yao on her phone:

"The third spotlight above and to the left of the camera. I’ve arranged for a 20x zoom to capture their ugly expressions. The Ji family’s stock opens in half an hour."

’Jiang Yao sure moves fast!’

’In just ten minutes or so, he had taken care of everything.’

Ji Yao’s face turned deathly pale. When she heard Luna say the bill would be sent to the Ji family, her lips began to tremble uncontrollably. She subconsciously wanted to retort, but her throat felt blocked, unable to produce a single sound.

She looked pleadingly at the influencers, only to find them staring wide-eyed at the news on the trending topic list, the mockery frozen on their faces in a comical display.

The influencer with the big, wavy hair, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, now looked as if her spine had been removed. Her phone nearly slipped from her hand.

She stammered, "Th-this... how is this possible? The Jiang Family heir is engaged, and it’s to her? Second Miss Ji, you said your sister was just a money-making tool for Mr. Jiang. How could this be?"

Her voice was filled with disbelief, her previous bravado completely gone.

The influencer with the outrageously colored hair was even more flustered. Her eyes darted back and forth between Ji Xiaosong and her phone screen as she muttered, "We’re in deep trouble now..."

She tried to back away quietly, hoping to slip away in the confusion.

Ji Yao snapped back to her senses and forced a calm expression. "Hmph, so what if they’re engaged? It’s probably just a publicity stunt. The Jiang Family would never actually marry her."

But even as she said it, her voice clearly lacked conviction, and her body involuntarily shrank back.

Luna shot them a cold glance, and with a lift of her chin, several burly security guards immediately appeared at the door.

Luna pointed at Ji Yao and the influencers, her tone leaving no room for argument. "These people have disturbed the order of the show. Please escort them out."

Hearing this, Ji Yao panicked and rushed forward to argue. "On what grounds are you kicking me out? I’m from the Ji family! Isn’t Jiang Yao about to get engaged to my sister? If you treat me like this, he won’t let you get away with it!"

However, the guards paid no attention to her shouting. They grabbed her by the arms, one on each side, and began to drag her out.

Ji Yao struggled desperately. Her high heels scraped shrilly against the floor, and the bracelet on her wrist fell off during the struggle, landing with a crisp CLINK.

Seeing this, the influencers’ faces went pale with fright. They all tried to protest, but the guards gave them no chance, quickly removing them from the backstage area as well.

Ji Yao and the influencers were thrown out onto the street outside the venue. A light rain suddenly began to fall, soaking their meticulously styled hair and expensive clothes, leaving them looking utterly wretched.

Standing in the rain, Ji Yao stared in the direction of the fashion show, her eyes filled with venom. She seethed, "Ji Xiaosong, you just wait. I’ll get you back for this!"