Chapter 287

"You've committed a crime, and you still want to play dumb to get away with it?"

"Second Uncle, don't joke around. What did I do?" Facing Yan Ershu's accusations, Yan Qingxue immediately looked aggrieved: "I follow the law every day; I don't even cross the street on a red light. When did I commit a crime?"

"You still dare to quibble?" Yan Ershen couldn't help but shout: "You think you can get away with it by playing dumb? You are dead wrong!"

"Second Aunt, I really don't understand what you're talking about... You say I broke the law, can you be specific about what law I broke?"

Yan Qingxue widened her eyes in confusion: "I used a VPN to watch male model runway shows on foreign websites yesterday. Does that count as breaking the law?"

"You... I see you won't shed tears until you see the coffin..."

Yan Ershen was so angry she laughed: "Stop acting for me. You snuck back into the Yan family to peek at the Beicheng auction quote sheet, and you still want to deny it?"

"Quote sheet? What quote sheet? I don't know anything about it..."

Yan Qingxue was clearly panicking, turning to look at the others: "Can someone explain to me what is going on?"

"I heard the reserve price for the Beicheng land was leaked," Xu Tian said calmly.

"Leaked to whom?" Yan Qingxue asked curiously.

"I don't know about that."

Xu Tian shrugged: "I just happened to see the news, and it seems the Xu Group ended up getting that piece of land."

"The Xu Group is just a small company; how could they snatch away the land our family had our eyes on?"

Yan Qingxue's expression changed, and she asked angrily: "Who was in charge of this project? They were too careless!"

"YAN! QING! XUE!" Seeing her keep playing dumb and singing in harmony with Xu Tian, Yan Ershen was so angry her face turned red.

This girl usually couldn't keep her cool and would be provoked in a few words; why is she so cunning today, acting innocent in front of the old man?

Furthermore, she actually had the nerve to blame the person in charge of the project. The Beicheng land had always been followed by Yan Ershu and Yan Hongyu, and they hadn't even let company staff see the quote sheet. Wasn't this equivalent to directly calling her husband and son incompetent?

"If you didn't leak the reserve price to that pretty boy at the Xu Group, then how did the Xu side beat us to get the Beicheng land? Who are you still acting for in front of us?"

Facing Yan Ershen's frantic questioning, Yan Qingxue nodded in sudden realization, as if she had just figured out the whole story.

"You think I leaked the reserve price to the Xu Group?"

"Nonsense! Isn't it obvious?" Yan Ershen rolled her eyes.

"Second Aunt, I know you've always disliked me, but you can't frame me!" Yan Qingxue was furious, stepping forward to stand before Yan Ershen to argue: "I respect you as an elder in the family, so I won't pursue this, but if you keep spouting nonsense, I have the right to sue you for defamation!"

"You want to sue me?" Yan Ershen widened her eyes in disbelief: "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Of course I do!" Yan Qingxue retorted righteously: "You are an elder who doesn't act like one; can't I clear my own name?"

"You're the one who doesn't act like an elder! You're the old one!" Yan Ershen was poked in her sore spot, instantly losing her reason, and raised her hand to strike Yan Qingxue's face.

Yan Qingxue had anticipated her move, raised her hand to block, and then pushed hard, knocking Yan Ershen to the ground.

"Ah! My waist!"

Yan Ershen screamed, and just as she was about to sit on the floor and wail like a shrew, she saw Yan Qingxue raise her hands in surrender.

"You all saw it; she moved first. I was just acting in self-defense..."

"Sister Qingxue, you're too impulsive." Before Yan Ershu could make a move, Xu Tian stepped forward to block Yan Qingxue.

"How can I not be impulsive?" Yan Qingxue roared angrily: "If I weren't impulsive, Second Aunt would have branded me a thief!"

"She is my elder; how could she treat me like this?"

"Branding me with such a serious crime, how am I supposed to find a job in the future? Where did I offend her that she would use such vicious methods to harm me?"

"Sister Qingxue, calm down first. Maybe there's a misunderstanding. I don't think Second Uncle and Second Aunt would frame someone for no reason," Xu Tian advised unhurriedly.

"Enough, all of you shut up!" Yan Laoyezi had a headache from their arguing and couldn't help but shout sternly.

Yan Ershen climbed up from the ground, wanting to settle the score with Yan Qingxue, but seeing the old man's anger, she could only suppress her temper for now.

"Grandpa, do you also believe I would steal company secrets?" Yan Qingxue looked at Yan Laoyezi with red-rimmed eyes: "I admit my temper is sometimes not great and my personality is impulsive, but I would never do anything to harm the family's interests! I am also a member of the Yan family; what benefit would it be for me to sell out company secrets?"

"You're still quibbling?" Yan Ershen rolled her eyes: "Back at home, you clearly admitted to stealing the quote sheet; why don't you dare admit it now in front of Grandpa?"

"When did I admit it? Second Aunt, where did I offend you that makes you hate me so much, to the point where you'd rather lie and frame me in front of Grandpa just to pin this crime on me?"

"Nonsense! When did I frame you!"

Yan Ershen was so angry she started arguing at the top of her lungs: "Yan Qingxue, I originally wanted to plead for you for the sake of your older brother and sister-in-law, but since you are so unrepentant and even physically hurt someone, I see you are truly beyond saving!"

"I physically hurt someone? Just now, it was you who moved first, Second Aunt, right? With so many people here, you can't just lie with your eyes open. To frame a junior, you're throwing a tantrum in front of Grandpa—you really have the demeanor of an elder!"

Yan Qingxue was fearless, going tit-for-tat with Yan Ershen.

But when she looked at Yan Laoyezi, she turned into an aggrieved child.

"Grandpa, you have to stand up for me. Why should I admit to something I didn't do?"

She secretly reached out and pinched her thigh, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Even if I'm being reckless, I know the gravity of things. How could I do something illegal? Second Aunt is trying to frame me; I don't know what her intentions are!"

Yan Laoyezi stroked his chin with a straight face, also feeling hesitant.

Yan Qingxue's reaction really didn't look like the guilt of someone caught in the act, but rather like someone who was wronged.

"Yan Qingxue, do you think you can get away with it by playing the victim in front of Grandpa?" Yan Ershen threatened: "That won't work!"

"Then do you have evidence that I stole company secrets?" Yan Qingxue asked back.

"Of course I have evidence!"

Yan Ershen raised her eyebrows triumphantly: "Let's see how you quibble in the face of evidence!"

Saying this, she looked at the head of the legal department nearby and gestured to him.