“Back then, after the two families set the engagement, Mengyan was still too young. I didn’t tell her and only wanted her to interact with Young Master Xiao. However, the two of them weren’t suitable for each other and were always arguing, so I let them be friends. Later on, Mengyan heard from someone that she had a marriage contract, but she never knew who the other party was. She just wanted to be loyal to her fiance.

“I knew that Yunqiu had made an engagement for her daughter to the Gu family. I was greedy and wanted to marry my granddaughter to President Gu, so I told Mengyan that her fiance was President Gu. This is all my fault. Mengyan was deceived by me from the beginning!”

Xia Cheng said with a look of sorrow, and the entire venue instantly fell silent. Could it be that this matter really had nothing to do with Xia Mengyan? Back then, when the two families were engaged, Xia Mengyan was just an ignorant child. She did not know about the engagement, and her grandparents did not tell her. In order to cling to President Gu, it was possible that they deliberately deceived Xia Mengyan.

At this moment, Xia Mengyan lowered her head, her heart filled with resentment. If it were not for Qiao Xi, she would not have been suspected by everyone. Fortunately, her grandfather had stopped everything for her, so she could not help but heave a sigh of relief.

Her eyes were red with shock as she shook her head in disbelief. Her lips were pale and trembling slightly. “Grandpa… This is impossible. Why did you lie to me?!”

Xia Cheng looked regretful. “Mengyan, it’s my fault. At that time, your Aunt Yunqiu was close to Eldest Miss Lu. I heard her mention this marriage. Now that President Gu is powerful, you’ll definitely have a good life if you marry him. That’s why I was muddle-headed and pretended that you were engaged to President Gu.”

Xia Mengyan widened her eyes and took a few steps back. She cried in sorrow. “I’m not President Gu’s fiancee? I wronged Xi Xi! I was wrong, I was really wrong!”

Her face was filled with tears, and everyone’s heart could not help but ache. “Miss Xia, you were also deceived by Old Master Xia. This has nothing to do with you!”

“Old Master Xia is really muddle-headed. In order to curry favor with the rich and powerful, he actually did such a thing. Miss Xia’s reputation has been ruined by him!”

Xia Mengyan looked up with a guilty expression, her tears blurring her vision. “Xi Xi, I’ve let you down. I didn’t expect everything to be a scam. I misunderstood you before. Can you forgive me?”

Everyone hurriedly tried to persuade her. “Mrs. Gu, you’ve indeed been wronged in this matter, but Miss Xia is innocent. Please forgive her!”

Qiao Xi had an indifferent expression as if she did not hear everyone.

The face of the socialite next to Xia Mengyan instantly darkened as she muttered unhappily, “Why is she still pretending?! With President Gu protecting her, she didn’t suffer at all. Now that she knows that Miss Xia has been deceived, she’s still unwilling to forgive her. How petty!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yin Jinglin immediately retorted, “If apologizing is useful, why do we still need the police? If I kill someone and apologize, do I not have to go to jail, then? It’s Xia Mengyan’s business if she’s willing to apologize, but it’s Xi Xi’s right not to forgive her!”

Then, Yin Jinglin’s mocking gaze landed on Xia Mengyan again. “You’re innocent, huh?! First, you hired a group of fake commenters to spread the news of your engagement with Gu Zheng online. Then, you got your fans to stand up for you and scold Xi Xi. Now that the matter has been exposed, you’re washing your hands clean of it and even colluding with your friend to force Xi Xi to forgive you. Your actions have already seriously affected Xi Xi’s life. Do you think that by apologizing, you can let the matter rest?

“Logically speaking, Miss Xia, you’re someone who has received higher education. Why are you still so unreasonable? Don’t tell me you learned it from your shrewish and vicious grandmother?”

Yin Jinglin’s mockery made Xia Mengyan’s face turn pale. She glared at Yin Jinglin with resentment but could not do anything to him.

After being mocked, the socialite was instantly infuriated. “Mengyan is innocent! Mrs. Gu didn’t lose anything, so why can’t she forgive Mengyan?! It’s also embarrassing for Mrs. Gu to be so calculative! She needs to be aware of her identity!”

Yin Jinglin sneered. “Identity? Since you know Xi Xi’s identity, you should have basic respect for her! Where did you come from? Who are you to teach the daughter of our Yin family a lesson?”

The socialite was so angry that her face turned red. Due to the Yin family’s power, she did not dare to say anything and could only suppress her anger.

At this moment, Xia Mengyan hurriedly stood up. “Xi Xi, it’s fine if you don’t forgive me, but don’t make things difficult for my friend. If you’re dissatisfied, direct everything to me!”