Chapter 164: How Utterly Ill-Mannered

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: How Utterly Ill-Mannered

"Yes, that’s her." Feng Lan forced an awkward, strained smile.

The entire group pivoted their attention toward Qiao Meixia, their judgmental eyes zeroing in on her relaxed, unpretentious clothes.

"Really, Feng Lan, you should teach her how to dress with some basic decorum. People are going to talk if she walks around looking like that." Another woman remarked with thinly veiled condescension.

The rest of the circle murmured in agreement, sharing identical looks of disapproval.

Trapped in front of her peers, Feng Lan had no choice but to nod along, though her chest burned with quiet humiliation.

"She is still adjusting to urban family life after growing up elsewhere. She will pick up proper habits eventually." Feng Lan defended defensively, trying to brush off her daughter’s appearance as a minor, passing phase.

Qiao Meixia did not even break her stride. She offered the group a single, blank glance before continuing toward the stairs. She did not pause to offer a greeting, nor did she dignify their petty gossip with a response. Though their criticisms drifted clearly to her ears, she refused to squander a single second of her life arguing with superficial snobs.

"Did you see that? How utterly ill-mannered! She did not even have the basic courtesy to come over and introduce herself." One matron hissed in indignation.

"Exactly. She has none of the grace of your other girl. What was her lovely name again?" Another friend chimed in.

Hearing Jiang Yanna praised brought an instant, radiant smile back to Feng Lan’s face.

"It is Yanna. She truly is a wonderfully obedient and civilised daughter." Feng Lan boasted proudly.

As if summoned by her own name, Jiang Yanna chose that exact second to glide gracefully into the living room.

Spotting her favorite daughter, Feng Lan waved her over eagerly.

"Yanna, darling, come here! Come say hello to your aunties." Feng Lan coaxed warmly.

Jiang Yanna approached the seating area wearing her trademark, perfectly rehearsed sweet smile.

"Good afternoon, Aunties. I hope you are all having a wonderful day." Jiang Yanna greeted them with flawless etiquette.

"Ah, now that is a proper young lady." One of the guests sighed, patting Jiang Yanna’s arm approvingly.

"Absolute perfection." Another echoed.

Jiang Yanna kept up her modest smile, though she remained entirely clueless about the topic of conversation, having missed the remarks made about her sister just moments prior.

Sensing her confusion, Feng Lan leaned in close and whispered a quick recap into her ear.

A flash of hidden satisfaction danced across Jiang Yanna’s eyes, though she masked it instantly with a gentle nod.

In her heart, she thought Qiao Meixia was an absolute fool.

Anyone with half a brain who had just been integrated into elite society would prioritise networking, kissing up to social circles, and building a pristine reputation. Instead, Qiao Meixia openly displayed an icy, unapologetic indifference, thumbing her nose at everyone, even her own mother’s influential friends.

Yet, this behaviour suited Jiang Yanna just fine. In fact, it worked entirely in her favour. The worse Qiao Meixia acted, the more angelic and refined Jiang Yanna appeared by comparison. As long as her sister continued her antisocial streak, Jiang Yanna could effortlessly monopolise the title of the perfect, golden-child daughter of the Jiang family.

Upstairs, Qiao Meixia remained blissfully unbothered as she reached her bedroom.

She placed the dessert box on her study desk and opened it up. After inspecting the pristine pastries, she transferred the bulk of them into her mini-fridge to lock in their freshness. She kept out a single, exquisite tart to enjoy immediately.

Settling comfortably into her chair, she savoured her treat while piping some soft, instrumental music through her speakers. After two exhausting days hunched over her canvas, she finally had a quiet window to decompress. Enjoying her sweets in total peace was all the luxury she needed to feel completely content.

Once her plate was clean, she headed to the attached bathroom to scrub away the lingering fatigue with a hot shower.

Ten minutes later, she emerged feeling completely renewed.

Cranking down the AC, she crawled beneath the covers of her king-sized bed, intending to catch a quick afternoon snooze. She had no idea how long she drifted away, but her deep sleep was abruptly shattered by a sharp rap on her wooden bedroom door.

Groaning softly, she rubbed the sleep from her heavy eyes, dragged her feet across the floor, and pulled the door open. Standing in the hallway was Jiang Suhan.

Jiang Suhan blinked in surprise when he caught sight of her appearance. Her hair was sticking out in every direction, and her eyes were heavy with sleep, making it glaringly obvious she had just been dragged out of a deep nap.

"Have you literally been asleep this entire time? You just woke up now?" Jiang Suhan asked, a mix of amusement and disbelief in his voice.

"Hmm..." Qiao Meixia mumbled sleepily, leaning against the doorframe.

"Well, I am here to round you up for dinner." Jiang Suhan explained.

"Oh... Right. Okay." Qiao Meixia nodded sluggishly. "Let me go splash some water on my face. You can head down first."

"Alright, hurry up." Jiang Suhan instructed before turning toward the stairs.

Qiao Meixia shut her door and shuffled into the bathroom. Cupping her hands under the tap, she splashed icy water across her cheeks and rubbed her eyes aggressively until the brain fog finally cleared. She patted her face dry with a towel and stepped back out into the room.

Reaching for her phone, she checked the top digital clock widget.

Her eyes widened slightly.

It was already seven o’clock in the evening.

She was genuinely shocked to realize she had slept for five solid hours without moving an inch.

No wonder her limbs felt heavy. She had accidentally turned what was supposed to be a twenty-minute catnap into an entire evening hibernation.

Qiao Meixia walked out of her room and headed toward the dining room. Only three people were gathered there that evening: Qiao Meixia, Jiang Suhan, and Jiang Yanna.

"Dad and Mom are not here tonight. They had a corporate function to attend." Jiang Suhan explained smoothly, noticing Qiao Meixia’s gaze lingering on the empty seats at the head of the table. "As for Chinan, he mentioned he did not feel like eating together with us."

"Oh..." Qiao Meixia responded casually, taking her seat.

"By the way, Sister Meixia, where have you been staying these past few days?" Jiang Yanna opened her mouth to ask, adopting a sweet, curious expression. "I have not seen you around the house very often."

"At a friend’s house." Qiao Meixia answered simply.

"A friend? Which one?" Jiang Yanna pressed again, clearly unwilling to let the topic drop so easily.

Ever since transferring to First Hannan High School, Qiao Meixia had managed to grow close to several influential heiresses. However, Jiang Yanna still could not comprehend how someone like Qiao Meixia, who constantly wore such a cold, stoic expression, could make friends so effortlessly.

"You don’t know them." Qiao Meixia replied, offering no further details.

"Oh... Are they your old friends from the countryside?" Jiang Yanna continued, putting on an exaggerated look of surprise. "Sister Meixia, Mom and Dad explicitly told you that you should not associate with people from your past anymore."

"Why shouldn’t she?" Jiang Suhan suddenly interjected, cutting Jiang Yanna off.

"Well... Mom said those people would be a bad influence on Sister Meixia." Jiang Yanna answered. Though taken aback by Jiang Suhan’s sharp tone, she managed to keep her composure.

"A bad influence? Does Mom know them personally? Do you know them?" Jiang Suhan challenged, his face growing noticeably stern.

Jiang Yanna instinctively lowered her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes directly.

"I don’t know them personally... It was Mom who advised Sister Meixia not to see them." Jiang Yanna mumbled, swiftly shifting the blame onto Feng Lan.

Jiang Suhan took a deep breath, suppressing the frustration rising in his chest. He had not expected Jiang Yanna to pry into Qiao Meixia’s personal life like this, especially when she did not know the first thing about the people in question.

"Qiaoqiao, I am not going to stop you from seeing your old friends." Jiang Suhan stated firmly, looking across the table. "I know you understand your own boundaries and know what is best for yourself."

"Hmm." Qiao Meixia acknowledged softly.

"Yanna, you should not say things like that in the future." Jiang Suhan added, softening his voice slightly to correct her without causing a bigger scene. "You don’t even know those people, so you should not judge them blindly."

"I understand, Eldest Brother. I will listen to you and adjust my mindset." Jiang Yanna nodded submissively, putting on an obedient front to appear completely receptive to his advice.

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***