Chapter 7 — The Illusion of Spring Peaches

Young paused as the familiar voice she had just heard echoed vividly in her mind: "Isn't this the restaurant you like? I listened to you, which is why I booked this place." Young stiffened, then slowly nodded. I stepped in, my voice dropping to a somber tone. "Indeed. A remark that sounds so yielding is, in reality, a way to shift all responsibility onto his wife: He reserved the table at the restaurant she chose, so if the food doesn't suit her taste, it is entirely her fault. And when she gets upset, in the eyes of outsiders, she simply appears unreasonable and difficult." The livestream chat erupted once more.

Oh damn... I get it now! This is maximum-level gaslighting!
Externally yielding, but internally... waging a silent psychological war!
No wonder the older sister was furious... it turns out everything was meticulously orchestrated!

I stared at Young, whose expression had grown heavier than before, his eyes turning ice cold. He cast a sideways glance at Giang, a look entirely different from the one he had worn moments earlier. But Giang reacted swiftly, taking half a step forward and grabbing Vantine's hand. His voice trembled with a terrifyingly convincing despair, "Vantine, don't listen to her fabrications! I was just too busy, I simply forgot! I didn't mean to do it, I swear to you!"

I let out a cold laugh, cutting him off without hesitation. "And what about the dress, Giang? How do you explain that?"

The entire living room fell dead silent. Every single gaze in the livestream converged upon him. The comment section immediately began to stir.

That's right! What did the brother-in-law say about the dress that day?
He said last year's dress didn't fit anymore... right?!
Good lord, I'm starting to get the creeps...

Giang froze for a fraction of a second, then furrowed his brow slightly, putting on a forced, helpless smile. "As for that... I was only telling the truth. Since she couldn't fit into last year's dress anymore, I merely suggested... making a new one that would flatter her figure better... I didn't mean anything else by it."

I nodded, my tone steady, yet every single word felt like a blade driving straight into the heart. "True, his words sounded harmless enough. But to someone already deeply insecure about her appearance, that remark was no different from a hidden dagger disguised as concern. He knew it very well, yet he said it anyway, ensuring that everyone else would see her as 'emotionally unstable' while he safely kept his gentle mask on."

The chat room exploded once more.

What the f***! This is high-level psychological manipulation!
This toxic man is far more terrifying than I imagined...
He doesn't hit her... but he is systematically breaking her spirit piece by piece.
He pretends to be flawless in front of strangers, but behind closed doors... he flays people alive inch by inch!

Young clenched his fists tightly, stepping half a legend forward as his glare toward his brother-in-law turned lethal. Standing beside him, Vantine was as pale as a sheet, her hands trembling uncontrollably until she finally let out a choked whisper, "So... from the very beginning... you were the one driving me insane..."

I caught the severe twitch of Giang's lips, a flash of murderous intent blazing in his eyes before he hastily forced it down. From this exact moment onward, he knew his mask had shattered completely.

I narrowed my eyes, my voice freezing cold as each syllable brushed past the air like a razor's edge. "Giang. You are well aware that your wife was once the lead dancer of the national ballet troupe. For a dancer, maintaining a slender, ethereal physique is practically life itself. Yet you deliberately reminded her right to her face that last year's dress no longer fit, and then topped it off with — 'let's make a new one, guaranteed to make you look like a swan when you wear it.'"

I emphasized every single syllable at the end, staring straight into the camera lens. "You know perfectly well that the swan is the most classic role in ballet, the absolute pinnacle of glory. Yet you weaponized that very symbol to twist the knife into her deepest wound... Much like when I told Young earlier that 'General will surely successfully breed and spawn a litter of little Generals.'"

The livestream instantly erupted into a frenzy.

Such a spot-on analogy!
Phrasing it like that... how is it any different from telling an impotent man to "produce an heir soon"?!
Or praising a short man for being "tall, dark, and handsome"...
Or complimenting an ugly girl by calling her "a beauty capable of sinking empires"...
Holy crap, listening to this makes my blood boil with rage right now!!!

At that moment, Giang suddenly offered a bitter laugh, feigning a look of profound embarrassment and confusion. "I... I'm just clumsy with my words! I know I'm crude and not good at pleasing anyone... But my intentions toward Vantine are genuine! I... I only wanted her to be happy... Surely just because I lack social grace, you wouldn't spin such malicious interpretations out of it, would you?"

His voice choked with emotion, his eyes conveying a mix of sincere devotion and profound self-reproach, creating a pitiful and earnest persona. Coupled with his handsome features, this performance was dangerously effective at swaying public sympathy. The livestream audience wavered once again.

Could it be... that we wronged the brother-in-law...?
That's right, men aren't as smooth-tongued as women; he was probably just speaking clumsily...
Maybe he really loves his wife, but just has low emotional intelligence...
You guys are being too harsh; men don't overthink things like that!

I let out a faint chuckle—a cold, mirthless sound that never reached my eyes—as my tone plummeted to absolute frost. "Oh... is that so? Young's brother-in-law, are you truly so inept at speaking that you don't know how to converse? Allow me to remind you and everyone watching of one detail."

I slowly set the microphone down, shifting to a calm, resolute tone. "While Young and his sister were rushing Doubao to the veterinary clinic, I took the liberty of looking up your public resume online."

I paused for a brief beat before continuing, emphasizing every single word. "You are a senior executive at the Young Corporation, personally in charge of negotiating strategic high-level clients. Just last year, you single-handedly secured a deal worth hundreds of millions."

The comment section blew up once more.

Damn??? The brother-in-law is a senior executive?!
In charge of strategic negotiations??? And you expect us to believe he "doesn't know how to speak"???
If you're bad with words, how on earth did you close a hundred-million-dollar deal???

I pressed the screen-sharing button, instantly pulling up a recently published interview video. In the footage, Giang sat before a battery of reporters, his expression composed, his words flowing as smoothly as spring rain. He deftly steered every question and bypassed every trap without letting his opponents catch a single slip of the tongue. The moment the video played, the entire livestream was thrown into absolute shock.

Hahaha, what kind of "clumsiness" is this?!
His tongue is sharper than a knife, and his spin is faster than a Formula 1 car, yet he claims he can't speak???
And this whole time he was acting all innocent and slow-witted, you are truly a master manipulator!
Gosh... now I finally see it. This brother-in-law plays the role of the "honest man" even better than a professional actor.

I stared directly into the camera lens, biting out each word. "You are not clumsy at all, Giang. You are entirely too skilled at manipulating the emotions of others. You know precisely what to say, when to say it, and in front of whom... in order to drive her to lose control while making outsiders sympathize with you."

From that second onward, the atmosphere within the livestream shifted completely. Those whose faith had wavered now looked at Giang with wary, guarded eyes. As for Giang... in a fraction of a second, his expression darkened, his lips twitching uncontrollably... but almost instantly, he forced a shallow smile—a smile that was chilling to the bone.

I locked eyes with the camera lens, my voice deep and icy, each word weighing heavily upon the air. "Giang. At the office, you are an articulate, manipulative expert skilled in every negotiation; yet at home, you masquerade as clumsy, foolish, and simple-minded... So, which of these is your true self?" I pressed further, raising the stakes. "If you were truly 'clumsy,' it would be statistically impossible for every single remark you make to strike precisely at your wife's deepest psychological vulnerabilities. Unless — you did it on purpose."

The livestream exploded.

Spot on! A man who can remember every single preference of his boss and every microscopic detail of his clients somehow "forgets" his wife's tastes? Don't insult our intelligence!
I almost got played by this guy! Thank goodness the streamer has a clear head!
Haha, men can spot this routine from a mile away. Only women get fooled by this "honest man" act.

Giang opened his mouth, desperately wanting to say something, but no words came forth. At that moment, Vantine lowered her head once more, her hands clenching so tightly into fists that her knuckles turned stark white. I softened my gaze as I looked toward her. "Sister... You've been a full-time housewife... for an entire year now, haven't you?"

Vantine shivered slightly, her eyes welling up with a sorrow she could no longer conceal, and she slowly nodded. "Yes... a full year."

I drew a deep breath, my voice gentling, yet every word felt like tearing open a scab. "Then do you remember... When you flew into a rage over the dress-making incident, what did he ultimately do? He shoved you. He claimed he was too busy with work and left you abandoned at home... But deep inside your heart, did it hurt? It hurt so unbearably that it erupted into that fierce anger everyone mistook for unreasonableness."

Vantine slowly raised her head, her eyes burning red like they were veiled in mist, tears brimming as she glared daggers at Giang. "Giang... I... I once dreamed of returning to the ballet troupe... If it hadn't been for you back then... I never would have abandoned the stage..."

Giang furrowed his brow, feigning absolute shock and innocence. "Vantine, what are you talking about? You made the decision to leave the dance troupe yourself, I never forced you!"

"That's right!" Vantine shrieked, her voice hoarse, her hands trembling violently. "Yes, I was a fool! I was a fool for trusting you! At first, I refused to quit the dance troupe to bear your child. You didn't say a word, but every single day you walked around the house with a gloomy face, sighing heavily as if I owed you a lifetime of misery! I wanted to make you happy, so I forced myself to abandon my career just to trade it for a single smile from you. Do you have any idea... how much blood, sweat, and tears it took for me to become the lead dancer of the national ballet troupe?! I sacrificed my youth, my prime years, every opportunity, and all my dreams for this! But you... How did you treat me?!"