Edge of A Burning Kiss - Chapter 12

“Who am I? Hahahahaha…”

Xia Jin laughed uncontrollably, as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. “President Xia, what do you think I am? In your eyes, I might not even be worth as much as a dog. But you should be careful, President Xia, dogs like me can bite. Who knows? One day, the entire Xia family might be torn apart by my teeth.”

“You-!”

Xia Hongchang was absolutely furious. At that moment, Xia Zhixue stepped in to comfort him. “Dad, don’t be angry. Go inside first. Let me talk to my sister.”

Xia Hongchang looked at his considerate daughter and finally relaxed. He nodded and said, “Our Zhixue is always the most sensible. If anyone bullies you, tell Dad, and I’ll make sure they pay for it.”

With that, he shot Xia Jin a venomous glare before presenting his invitation and entering the venue.

Xia Jin felt nauseated watching this display of father-daughter affection. She had no desire to deal with Xia Zhixue and turned to leave, only to be blocked by her.

“So, Xia Jin, how does it feel to be despised by both your boyfriend and your father? Did you really think a lowlife like you could compete with me? How delusional!”

Xia Zhixue finally dropped her act and revealed her true colors.

Xia Jin sighed. “Xia Zhixue, are you a trash can? You’re so good at holding things in. Here, I’ve got two cigarette butts, open wide, I’ll toss them in for you.”

“Hahahahaha…” Xia Zhixue burst into shrill laughter. “Xia Jin, even if you pretend not to care, do you really think I don’t know? Wasn’t it you who begged Dad to take you in as the Xia family’s adopted daughter back then? How does it feel to have given up all your dignity for Ye Tiyan, only to watch him abandon you for me?”

Xia Jin’s tone remained calm. “Back then, to help Ye Tiyan secure his inheritance of the Ye family, I foolishly believed your words and thought becoming the Xia family’s adopted daughter would let me be with him. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

At the time, Xia Jin and Ye Tiyan had genuinely liked each other and were on the verge of getting together until Xia Zhixue suddenly interfered.

When Xia Jin later learned the truth, she could hardly believe it.

Because Xia Zhixue had always acted so refined and kind in front of Ye Tiyan and Xia Hongchang.

Naively, Xia Jin had thought Xia Zhixue truly accepted her and sincerely wanted her to be happy with Ye Tiyan.

But she never realized Xia Zhixue had been sabotaging their relationship behind her back all along.

“My dear sister, who told you to be so stupid? I gave you just a little kindness, and you actually thought of me as a true friend, wagging your tail at me like a loyal dog.” Xia Zhixue smirked triumphantly.

Xia Jin shook her head. “But what you don’t know, Xia Zhixue, is that back then, it wasn’t me who went to Xia Hongchang, he came to me, wanting me to return to the Xia family as his adopted daughter. Even Ye Tiyan, when he found out, was willing to give up his inheritance of the Ye family rather than let me humiliate myself. It was me who decided to go behind his back and approach Xia Hongchang, only to be stopped by you and your mother.”

Xia Zhixue glared at Xia Jin, her face twisting with malice. “So what? What exactly are you trying to say?”

Xia Jin took a step forward, met her gaze, and said with an air of indifference, “Do you really think they love you that much? Your fiancé is only with you because of your status, and your father favors you solely because of Xi Liu. The one who’s truly outstanding enough to earn their recognition is me, Xia Jin.”

“It’s me.”

“Xia Jin!”

These words acted like a fuse, igniting the anger that had been buried in Xia Zhixue’s heart for years. Ever since she learned that Xia Hongchang had illegitimate children, she had initially felt nothing but disgust toward Xia Jin and her siblings.

But as she gradually heard about how outstanding Xia Jin was in Ruitong, jealousy began to consume her like a dark, murky swamp.

There was only one thought in Xia Zhixue’s mind, why was Xia Jin better than her? She wanted to destroy Xia Jin.

So she deliberately got close to Ye Tiyan, smearing Xia Jin’s reputation.

She told Ye Tiyan that in the Xia family, Xia Jin was nothing but a disgrace, and that being with her would only make him a laughingstock among the elite circles.

She even falsely accused Xia Jin of resorting to selling herself to win over clients.

She went so far as to deliberately seduce Ye Tiyan after drinking, forcing him into a situation where he had no choice but to choose her.

And in front of Xia Hongchang and Xi Liu, she used the most kind and understanding words to paint Xia Jin as a vile person who abused her status as the Xia family’s illegitimate daughter to act recklessly.

But now, Xia Jin was telling her that her fiancé and father actually cared most about Xia Jin, how could she accept that?

Bitch! Drop dead!

Xia Zhixue’s face darkened horrifically, her features even twisting slightly. In the next second, she suddenly raised her hand, summoning all her strength to deliver a vicious slap to Xia Jin.

Xia Jin watched as Xia Zhixue raised her hand but remained standing in place, making no move to dodge.

The security guard gasped at the sight, but Xia Zhixue’s movement was too fast, he had no time to intervene.

Just as Xia Zhixue’s slap was about to land, Xia Jin even closed her eyes, prepared to take the full brunt of the blow, only to be abruptly pulled into a warm, broad embrace.

Slap!

Xia Zhixue’s palm struck Qin Yu’s shoulder instead. Xia Jin was held tightly in Qin Yu’s arms, completely unharmed.

Xia Jin’s eyes flew open, and she looked up at Qin Yu in panic. “Why are you here? Are you okay?”

Qin Yu’s expression was dark, his voice laced with unmistakable anger. “Are you stupid? If someone hits you, you don’t fight back or even dodge?”

Xia Jin opened her mouth to say something but ultimately closed it again.

She had deliberately provoked Xia Zhixue with those words, aiming to anger her into taking action.

She knew there were surveillance cameras at the entrance of Tiansong, and from this angle, Xia Zhixue’s face would be fully captured. That’s why she chose to stand still and take the slap.

After all, as a public figure, if Xia Zhixue were exposed for assaulting the CEO of Stellar Cube on the street, leveraging her status as the Xia family’s eldest daughter, the backlash would be a heavy blow to Yihe Entertainment.

But what she hadn’t expected was for Qin Yu to rush over and take the slap for her.

Qin Yu looked down at the flustered girl in his arms, and his anger instantly dissipated.

Thank goodness, this time, he had made it in time.

He shielded Xia Jin behind him, his eyes dark and nearly black, his usually cool voice tinged with rare anger: “Is this the upbringing of the Xia family? Qin has certainly learned his lesson. It seems any company that has collaborated with the Xia family in the future will have to think twice before partnering with the Qin Corporation again.”

In the capital, who didn’t know of the Qin family’s influence? Qin Yu’s words made it clear, he was standing firmly by Xia Jin’s side.