Qingxue sat at the long dining table, the air thick with tension. The meal was a quiet, awkward affair. Her father, Mr. Qin, and her mother, Mrs. Qin, ate in silence, their faces cold and distant. Qin Shu, her younger sister, was the only one who seemed to care.
"Sister, this soup is delicious," Qin Shu said, trying to break the silence. "You should have some."
Qingxue smiled at her. "Thank you, Qin Shu."
Her mother's cold voice cut through the air. "Don't act like we're a happy family. We are not. You ruined our family's name by marrying that broke man, and when he became rich, you ruined it again by betraying him. How are we supposed to show our faces in public now?"
Qingxue took a deep breath. She had to handle this carefully. "Mother," she said, her voice calm and steady. "I didn't betray anyone. The rumors are not true. I'm here because I want to prove my innocence and save my marriage."
