Chapter 4 — Survival Skills in High Society

At the same time, inside the lounge, the man had just adjusted his phone. With a lecherous grin, he reached out to touch the collar of my dress. The very moment his fingertips were about to graze my skin, my eyes, which had been tightly shut, snapped wide open. The livestream camera captured the moment perfectly: my gaze was glacial, as sharp as a blade, devoid of any human warmth. The man recoiled, startled by the sudden intensity of my stare. But before he could react, I utilized a body that had already regained its strength, twisting in a contorted, impossible position to slip past his filthy grip. In a heartbeat, I delivered a strike—precise, lightning-fast, and devastatingly powerful—directly to his carotid sinus. It was one of the most vulnerable points on the human body. The man did not even have time to moan; his eyes rolled back, and like a puppet with its strings severed, he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious. The entire sequence was so swift, so clean, and so decisive that it was suffocating to witness. Xin, who had orchestrated this, stood paralyzed, her mouth agape in terror, unable to utter a sound. I leaned down, retrieved the stun gun that had fallen beside the man, and slowly stood up.

Zzz… zzzz…

Blue and violet sparks danced at the tip of the weapon, emitting a piercing, nerve-wracking buzz. Step by step, I approached the "princess" who was cowering on the floor, her legs trembling so violently that she had lost control of her bladder.

Boom!

The door to the lounge was kicked open from the outside. The patriarch and matriarch of the family, accompanied by their son, Ran, rushed in, their faces etched with shock and fury. What they beheld was me—clutching a weapon, my eyes as cold as a wild wolf—and Xin, the mastermind whose crimes had just been exposed to the world, trembling like a withered leaf, her face drained of all color.

Zi, you… put that gun down at once! my mother shrieked, her voice brittle with panic.

I paid their hysteria no mind. My eyes remained fixed on the micro-camera embedded in my brooch—the very lens that was broadcasting to the hundreds of guests who had just witnessed the entire affair. I raised the stun gun, pointed it directly at Xin, and spoke in a slow, icy, and deliberate tone.

Is this evidence… enough for you?

As soon as the words left my lips, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from the corridor, accompanied by the wail of police sirens drawing near. With hundreds of witnesses who had watched the broadcast and the full recording saved within my brooch, there was no escaping the truth. Xin and her accomplice, still unconscious on the floor, were apprehended on the spot. She collapsed to the ground, her complexion ashen, stripped of any ability to deny her actions.

The monumental scandal at the birthday banquet spread through the city like a virus within mere hours. The family, once a prestigious dynasty admired by all, became a national laughingstock overnight. Their corporate stocks plummeted, losing nearly a billion in value in a single day. Inside the police station, the lights remained blindingly bright. I finished signing my statement and stepped out of the interrogation room. The parents and their son, Ran, immediately surrounded me, their expressions radiating exhaustion and utter ruin. My father, Hai, did not offer a shred of concern or comfort. His voice was hoarse, and his bloodshot eyes burned with intense hostility.

Why did you live-stream it?! he roared at me. Do you have any idea what kind of catastrophic damage you have caused to the family reputation? The stocks have crashed! You have dragged our faces through the mud!

I looked at him and felt a sudden, hollow laughter bubble up within me. I once thought that when the truth was laid bare, I would feel a sense of relief. But now, the only thing I felt was a profound, visceral disgust. My mother rushed over, grabbing my hands as tears streamed down her face.

Zi, I beg you! Tell the police and the media that this was all just a sisterly prank, just a bit of childish mischief, can you? Xin is still young; she cannot go to prison! If you just step forward and clarify things, it can still be salvaged!

I stared at her face, twisted in agony, listening as she begged me to bury my own vindicated honor just to protect the "other daughter." In that moment, the final illusion of my bloodline ties shattered completely. In their eyes, my innocence, my safety, and even my life were worth less than the future of an imposter, and certainly less than the reputation and profits of that miserable family. I gently pulled my hand away, calmly facing my enraged father and my sobbing mother.

I can choose not to pursue this to the bitter end.

Their eyes sparked with a sudden, desperate hope.

I can coordinate with your PR team to minimize the negative impact on the family.

I paused for a heartbeat, then laid out my conditions. First, tomorrow morning, I want to see a public declaration of the severance of our father-daughter relationship—published on the front page of every major newspaper in the city. Second, you will pay my foster father a "gratitude fee" of one hundred million.