Eldest Senior Sister Became a Sensation After Being Blacklisted Online - Chapter 15

Sensing her gaze, Song Cheng turned back. “I won’t interrupt your meal. I’m leaving now.”

Liu Zimang wanted to call her back, but before the words could form, Song Cheng had already walked away. Helpless, she withdrew her gaze, returned to the private room to explain the situation to her two teachers, and hurried to the Liu Family estate.

The Liu Family estate, also located in the suburbs, was a traditional courtyard residence specially built to accommodate its large population.

After crossing the front courtyard, she headed to the main hall.

The moment she stepped into the hall, she felt the oppressive silence. Knowing her grandfather Liu Tianhong well, she braced herself for the coming storm.

As expected, the moment she drew closer, Liu Tianhong’s booming voice thundered, “Kneel!”

Despite telling herself not to be afraid, she involuntarily flinched backward at his voice. Forcing herself to straighten her back, she replied stiffly, “Grandfather!”

Liu Tianhong, seated on a huanghual wood chair, slammed his fist on the table and rose to his feet. “You still remember I’m your grandfather? You’ve completely disgraced the Liu Family!”

“Exactly! Tomorrow, every aristocratic family will know we have a shameless descendant who flaunts herself. Who knows what they’ll say behind our backs?”

The speaker was Liu Zimang’s second aunt, Chu Mengyao, formerly the daughter of a wealthy tycoon from S City. When she first married into the Liu Family, she flaunted her status and treated her three sisters-in-law with disdain, reserving particular contempt for Liu Zimang’s mother, Xiao Qiong.

In Chu Mengyao’s words, she couldn’t stand Xiao Qiong’s self-proclaimed moral superiority.

But Xiao Qiong was a woman of remarkable patience. No matter how Chu Mengyao provoked her, she refused to engage. Later, when the Chu family fell from grace, Chu Mengyao no longer dared to openly harass Xiao Qiong. Yet she still resented the mother-daughter pair’s well-being and would often stir up trouble during their training sessions.

Liu Zimang feared Liu Tianhong, but she wasn’t afraid of Chu Mengyao. She retorted sharply, “Second Aunt, you should watch your words. Aren’t we all bound together—prosper together, suffer together?”

Chu Mengyao’s face flushed crimson, but before she could retort, Liu Tianhong’s voice boomed, “So you understand ‘suffer together’?” He pointed a trembling finger. “Then what was that dance you performed in front of tens of thousands of people today?”

Liu Bin, Liu Zimang’s father, who had been standing beside him, quickly stepped forward to help his father sit back down. “I don’t care how you do it,” he ordered, “you must make that video disappear.”

Liu Zimang didn’t raise her eyes, but her hands, clasped in front of her abdomen, tightened involuntarily. “I don’t have that kind of power,” she said, finally summoning the courage to meet Liu Tianhong’s burning gaze. “Besides, I don’t see anything shameful about it. Jazz dance has been popular for years. Does that mean everyone who dances jazz is immoral?”

She had anticipated this confrontation the moment Song Cheng chose that song and Yu X was allowed to choreograph the dance. She just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

As her words hung in the air, Xiao Qiong, who had been standing in the corner, strode forward and slapped her across the face. “You’ve disappointed me so deeply.”

Liu Zimang glanced up, taking in the disappointment and shame on Xiao Qiong’s face. Her heart twisted with hurt and a sense of injustice welled up within her.

This was her mother, who, regardless of whether she was right or wrong, would always side with her father and grandfather.

Even though her so-called father had affairs, her mother remained loyal to the family.

“Mom, do you even know what you’re doing?” Liu Zhongyuan, who had rushed back upon hearing the news, stepped protectively in front of Liu Zimang. “Grandfather, my sister did nothing wrong. Even during martial arts sparring, physical contact between men and women is unavoidable. Does that make it immoral?”

Ignoring Liu Bin’s furious glare, he continued, “Yes, my sister lacks martial talent, but she has always adhered strictly to your teachings and the Liu Family’s rules. She has never mentioned the Liu Family in public, not even once.”

In other words: Even if she’s disgraced herself, it won’t reflect on the Liu Family.

Seeing Liu Tianhong’s expression soften, he quickly clasped his hands behind his back, signaling Liu Zimang to soften her stance.

In the past, Liu Zimang would have yielded to her brother’s urging. But after witnessing Song Cheng’s unrestrained freedom countless times, she had grown weary of endless compromise and submission.

Clenching her fists, she stepped out from behind her brother. “I’ve done nothing wrong, and I haven’t disgraced the Liu Family!”

Liu Tianhong slammed his fist on the table again. “Bring the family discipline rod!”

Liu Zhongyuan leaned in, his voice low. “Sister, why are you being so stubborn? Just admit you were wrong, and this will be over.”

Would it really be over? She had believed that before, but what had been the result? Whether she was right or wrong, she was always the one at fault.

And all because she was the junior member of the family.

Her heart trembled slightly as she saw the whip being handed to Liu Tianhong. Don’t be afraid, she told herself. You no longer depend on the Liu Family.

She straightened her back and sneered, “This is what you call an aristocratic family? Clinging to rules from centuries ago and demanding that younger generations obey them, yet how many truly uphold them?”

She turned, ignoring Liu Zhongyuan’s subtle warning glances. “Since you insist on enforcing family law, I might as well reveal everything I’ve heard and witnessed over the years. Let Grandfather beat me until he’s satisfied.”

Hearing this, the onlookers lost all interest in watching the spectacle and unanimously averted their gazes.

Liu Bin grew frantic, pointing an angry finger at Xiao Qiong. “Look at the rebellious daughter you’ve raised!”

Xiao Qiong’s face paled as she turned to Liu Zimang and pointed at the floor. “Kneel down.”

Liu Zimang’s eyes flickered as she caught the pleading and panic in Xiao Qiong’s eyes. She had seen this expression countless times before, and without fail, her courage would crumble beneath that gaze.

But this time, she refused to yield. She turned her head away. “On the twelfth of last month, at the Hongx Hotel…”

Before she could finish, Liu Bin hastily interrupted, “Enough!”

Liu Zimang persisted. “On the twentieth of last month, at Tianhu Plaza…”

“Dad, Ziman’s actions are nothing. That dance is perfectly normal for young people,” Liu Lun, Ziman’s second uncle, interjected.

Though aged, Liu Tianhong wasn’t senile. He saw through his sons’ guilty consciences. Glancing at the shifty-eyed juniors in the room, he knew that if he lashed out today, he would only prove Ziman right.

With a furious gesture, he slammed the whip to the ground and barked, “Go kneel in the ancestral hall.”

As soon as he left, the others stirred, eager to scold Ziman. But when they met her icy gaze, their words died in their throats, and they retreated, muttering among themselves.

“Are you satisfied now? You’ve alienated everyone!” Liu Bin paced back and forth, seething.

Before Ziman could reply, Liu Zhongyuan cut in, retorting, “Then why are you so guilty?”

Liu Bin’s trembling hand shot out, then shifted his attack to Xiao Qiong: “Look at the offspring you’ve raised! Do they even respect me as their father?”

“Shouldn’t you reflect on why that is?” Liu Zhongyuan’s face twisted in mockery. What right did a man with no responsibility, no integrity, who only knew how to indulge in pleasure, have to criticize him and his sister?

What was truly laughable was his mother’s unwavering devotion to such a worthless man. No matter how grave his transgressions, a few sweet words were enough to earn her forgiveness.

His sister couldn’t stand it and tried to reason with her, only to be rebuked.

Liu Bin choked on his anger, flung his hand aside, and stormed off.

Only when Liu Bin’s figure had vanished from sight did Xiao Qiong finally withdraw her gaze, turning to her children with a pained expression. “Your father is right,” she lamented. “This outburst has alienated everyone. How will I ever find a place in this family again?” She pointed a trembling finger at Liu Zimang. “You… you’re driving me to my death!”

Liu Zimang took a step back, a bitter smile twisting her lips. This was her mother—a woman who clung to the belief that enduring temporary humiliation would secure her permanent status within the family, forgetting that constant submission only emboldens others to take advantage.

What was even more absurd was her mother’s attempt to force this twisted philosophy onto her, demanding she live as she did.

She refused to be as subservient as her mother, and even more so, she refused to sacrifice her self-worth for the sake of so-called love, only to end up with no dignity left.

She opened her mouth to argue, but the words caught in her throat. Turning away, she walked toward the ancestral hall.

“Mom, this will only push Ziman further away,” Liu Zhongyuan said, frowning as he watched her retreating figure.

Xiao Qiong shook her head. “No, she’s my daughter. That will never change.”

Liu Zhongyuan stamped his foot and sighed. “One day you’ll regret this.” With that, he hurried after Liu Zimang.

Meanwhile, at the Song Family residence, Song Cheng sat at the dining table. Under the astonished gaze of Wu Guifang and Song Tianfu, she reached for the spicy chicken dish and took a bite.

After swallowing, she asked, “What’s wrong?”