Vivian sneered coldly. "Since my brother likes you, as long as you glue the pieces of the vase back together, I won't hold it against him."
With that, she took a bag from a girl beside her and dumped its contents at Adrian's feet.
The vase, already broken into four pieces, shattered even further.
A trace of chill flashed through Lina's eyes.
In her previous life, no matter what she did, her parents never liked her. She had suffered greatly at the hands of human traffickers, so when Evan showed her even a little concern, she foolishly entrusted her feelings to him.
She had been too naïve, believing that loving Evan meant accepting everything about him—including his family.
So no matter how Vivian looked down on her or mocked her, Lina always responded with a smile.
When one insisted on being a dog, why would anyone treat them as a human?
With a casual expression, Lina walked over, kicked the shards aside, and scoffed. "So this is the vase that was kept in the brocade box."
Vivian revealed an impatient look of contempt. "That's right. Even that box alone is an antique! As long as you can restore the vase, I'll agree to let my brother date you!"
As soon as her words fell, the girls behind Vivian burst into laughter.
Ignoring their mockery, Lina stepped on a fragment and tilted her head to examine it.
Under the sunlight, her side profile looked exceptionally delicate. Her lips curved slightly as she said, "This is the vase I took."
The laughter abruptly stopped.
The previously silent Adrian twitched his ears slightly.
Is she… defending him?
Whether intentional or coincidental, Lina's position perfectly blocked the baseball bat in Vivian's hand.
Her slender figure radiated an intimidating aura, shielding Adrian protectively.
Vivian's eyes widened as she shrieked, "You took it?!"
This Song Dynasty vase was a treasure Evan had obtained from a renowned European auction house. It was priceless and held immense collectible value.
The Cole Family was wealthy, but acquiring such an antique required luck. It was one of a kind.
Vivian had planned to find an excuse to retrieve the other vase from Lina, only to discover that this one had already been broken early that morning.
She was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.
"Lina! What difference does it make whether this vase was in my room or my brother's? Just because I borrowed it for a few days, you broke it out of spite! You vile woman—you're not even fit to step into the Cole Family!"
Shock flashed across the faces of several girls.
Lina had gone too far. How much did she love Evan to fight over him with his sister?
Then why did she suddenly admit it?
Wasn't she afraid Vivian would tell Evan and cause him to break up with her?
Or was she regretting it now, trying to please Vivian so she might speak well of her in front of Evan?
Lina stomped down forcefully. The porcelain fragments beneath her foot flipped over, revealing the seal on the base.
"Unlikely," she chuckled lightly, mockery glinting in her eyes. "I just wanted to see how far a counterfeit could go and still pass security checks."
"A counterfeit?" The girls exchanged glances, disbelief reflected on their faces.
"Who do you think you are to judge?" Vivian shouted. "This was bought by my brother from a reputable place overseas. He went through a lot of trouble to bring it back!"
She raised her voice furiously, wishing she could swallow Lina whole.
Although the Cole Family wasn't among the top-tier elites, they were still a prestigious old family. They would never disgrace themselves by displaying fake antiques.
It had to be Lina's jealousy that drove her to slander them.
Furious and humiliated, Vivian pointed at Lina's nose. "Unless you can produce proof, I'll make you regret this!"
Lina cupped her face with both hands and smiled sweetly yet proudly. "I already look better than you."
A barely concealed snort came from beside her. Lina turned her head toward Adrian.
Even behind his black sunglasses, she could feel his sharp, rebellious gaze. Was this man truly blind?
The commotion snapped Lina back to reality. She kicked the porcelain shard with the seal toward Vivian and said calmly, "This is the Chinese character for 'Song,' correct?"
"Stop talking nonsense. I'm in high school—of course I know the character!" Vivian snapped.
Lina pressed her tongue against her teeth and scoffed. "Is that supposed to be standard script?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a low, mocking voice sounded from behind Vivian.
Her face turned ashen. She stiffened and defended herself. "This… this mark was added later! The vase is definitely from the Song Dynasty!"
Such an excuse left even passersby stunned.
One bystander whispered, "Wait—shouldn't there be no writing underneath at all?"
Lina shook her head. "You wouldn't understand even if I explained the technical details. I'll keep it simple."
The girls, ignorant of antiques, immediately perked up.
"There are two types of official Song Dynasty ceramics," Lina explained. "Some have small nail marks from the firing process; others show exposed clay at the foot. But here's the key—none of them have printed characters on the bottom. That's an unmistakable sign of a modern fake."
Vivian stared at the printed 'Song' character as though her world had shattered.
She had been humiliated in public, right in front of her friends.
"But you can't just smash it! My brother paid a lot of money for it!" Vivian cried, on the verge of tears.
Lina lifted her head, smiled at her, and said, "This forgery isn't even a decent imitation. Showing it off is embarrassing. I was actually helping you save face."
She shrugged lightly. "Did I do a good deed for nothing? Do you really enjoy flaunting counterfeits? If so, I can buy you a few from the market—not just Song Dynasty vases, but even Qing Dynasty toilets!"
"Toilets?" The crowd burst into laughter.
Lina had everyone in stitches. Mixing up horse figurines and toilets only made Vivian look even more foolish.
"You're talking nonsense! You're not an appraiser! You didn't even finish junior high—what would you know?" Vivian shouted, stamping her foot.
Even if she died on the spot, she refused to believe her intelligent brother had been cheated out of tens of thousands.
Yet the mocking 'Song' character before her felt like slap after slap to her face.
The expressions of the other girls changed. Vivian had always shown off her bags, lipsticks, and shoes, claiming they were limited editions gifted by her brother.
Now, it seemed likely those were fakes too.
Fury blazing in her eyes, Vivian ground her teeth and pointed at Lina. "I can't remember whether my family's vase had any inscription. This one must be a counterfeit you brought!"
Lina sighed, kicked the shards away from Adrian's feet, and looked toward Vivian's driver.
"Could you do me a favour and bring my vase here? Since they're a pair, it'll be obvious whether there's an inscription."
"…" Vivian panicked. Caught off guard, she hurriedly said, "I have a beauty appointment to get to. I'll settle this with you when my brother comes back!"
She stormed into the car with her friends and drove off.
Lina took Adrian's walking stick and whispered, "I need to go to the Harbor Financial Center. I'll take you with me."
She felt countless icy stares fall on her back.
Unfazed, Lina led Adrian into the Harbor Financial Center.
The air-conditioning inside was blasting. Lina was drenched in sweat. She flicked at her collar and glanced at Adrian.
He wore a black shirt and trousers, with a few strands of hair damp from sweat.
Without thinking, she raised her hand, intending to tidy his hair.
Suddenly, her wrist was caught in a firm grip.
The warmth of his dry palm instantly burned her skin.
Adrian's cold voice sounded beside her ear.
"What tricks are you trying to play now?"