Chapter 4: The Poisoned Compliment
The dining room buzzed with the clinking of silverware and polite laughter. Li Yuwei sat beside Shen Mochen, her plate untouched, her senses acutely aware of everything. Her parents, seated at the head of the long, polished table, looked every inch the proud hosts, completely oblivious to the viper in their midst – Li Meili, who sat directly opposite Li Yuwei, radiating an artificial glow.
Meili, always the master of subtle manipulation, cleared her throat delicately. "Yuwei, darling, you're so quiet tonight. Are you still a bit under the weather from your flight?" Her tone was saccharine, laced with feigned concern, but her eyes held a triumphant glint, a silent reminder of how she had always positioned Li Yuwei as the frail, easily overwhelmed sister.
Li Yuwei met her gaze, a faint, unreadable smile touching her lips. Shen Mochen, beside her, shifted almost imperceptibly, his attention subtly drawn to the exchange. He seemed to sense the shift in the air, the underlying tension.
"Oh, Meili, I'm perfectly well," Li Yuwei replied, her voice soft, yet it carried across the table with surprising clarity, cutting through the general din. "In fact, I've never felt clearer. Perhaps it's just the surprise of seeing you, looking so… refreshed."
A tiny, almost imperceptible hesitation flickered across Meili's smile. She puffed out her chest slightly. "Thank you! I've been taking extra care of myself."
"Yes," Li Yuwei continued, her gaze lingering on Meili's flawlessly made-up face, her voice dropping a fraction lower, laced with an almost imperceptible hint of sarcasm. "One truly needs to be at their best when they're in a position to take on so much. It must be quite exhausting, managing so many… expectations."
Shen Mochen's eyes narrowed fractionally. He caught the double meaning, the subtle jab at Meili's ambition, her tendency to overstep and insert herself where she wasn't truly invited. He remembered how Meili had always been overly keen to "help" with Li Yuwei's affairs, even before the divorce.
Meili, however, ever eager for praise, seemed to miss the underlying sarcasm. She preened slightly. "Well, someone has to be the strong one, right?" She glanced at Mochen, seeking his approval.
Li Yuwei simply raised an elegant eyebrow. "Indeed. Though, I've always found that those who shout about their strength the loudest often have the most to prove. And usually, it's to themselves." Her gaze, sharp and unwavering, held Meili's for a moment longer than comfortable.
The faint color drained from Meili's cheeks. This wasn't the pliant, self-deprecating sister she remembered. This Li Yuwei was… different. Her eyes, once soft and trusting, now held a cool, assessing intelligence that made Meili distinctly uneasy.
"Yuwei, that's enough," her mother interjected, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, though not understanding its true nature. "Don't tease your sister."
Li Yuwei turned to her mother, her smile innocent. "Just making conversation, Mother. Isn't that what family dinners are for?" She then turned back to Meili, her smile widening. "Anyway, I truly hope you continue to enjoy taking on everything. It suits you, in a way. You've always had a talent for acquiring things."
The implication hung in the air: Meili had a talent for acquiring what wasn't hers. Meili's jaw tightened, but before she could formulate a response, Shen Mochen, who had been silently observing the entire exchange, cleared his throat.
"Yuwei," he said, his voice smooth, but with a subtle warning tone she immediately picked up on. "Perhaps you'd tell us about your recent travels? You've been quite adventurous, I hear." He was subtly changing the subject, but also, almost imperceptibly, acknowledging her changed demeanor. He hadn't defended Meili, not directly. He was testing her.
Li Yuwei merely offered him a fleeting, enigmatic smile. He's noticed. Good. This was merely the first, calculated ripple in the calm pond. The tide was turning, and Shen Mochen was about to discover he was no longer dealing with the same girl he'd once discarded.