Chapter 33: Teaching a Lesson

At the main entrance of the estate, the security guards on duty spotted the license plate number, bowed in unison to salute, and shouted loudly.

"Welcome home, Eldest Miss and Young Master!"

Hearing this thunderous, energetic shout, Shang Ying silently slid down in her seat. It was truly awkward.

Driver Uncle Chen looked at her through the rearview mirror, unable to hold back a chuckle. The guards had been shouting at the gate so many times, yet the Eldest Miss had only recently started feeling embarrassed by it.

When he first started working here, he almost thought the family was acting in a TV drama. Later, he gradually got used to it. Rich families just loved a bit of ceremonial flair.

The black-and-gold iron gate adorned with intricate floral carvings sensed the car automatically, slowly swinging open. On both sides of the private driveway stood flower bushes covered in white blossoms and uniquely shaped umbrella pines.

The entire estate spanned over four hundred mu, surrounded by a massive artificial lake. Looking down from above, its layout resembled the emblem on a knight's sword hilt. It was luxurious and grand.

Right in the center of the main entrance, a large French-style fountain shot dense jets of water upward. The vast royal-style garden was meticulously maintained by countless servants daily. If Shang Ying felt like it, hosting an outdoor tea party here would leave plenty of room to spare.

Every time she passed through this driveway on her way home, Shang Ying couldn't help but sigh. How on earth was her father so rich?! Damn!

Yet on second thought, this was her home, and the sense of indignation in her heart instantly vanished.

‘Sorry, having money makes one forget her humble roots.’

The only downside was that the estate was too far from the school. Even with Driver Uncle Chen driving right at the speed limit every day, it still took forty minutes to drop them off, leaving Shang Ying in a state of dazed grogginess for most of the ride.

‘Why couldn't they buy her an apartment closer to the school? That way, she wouldn't have to wake up at 6:30 AM every day to rush to morning classes.’

Shang Yi's gaze silently drifted over to Shang Ying. She was completely immersed in her own world, sitting in a relaxed posture. One moment, she’s pouting and frowning, the next smiling brightly. She pulled a piece of hard candy from the storage box and popped it into her mouth. That wooden stick twitched alongside her wandering thoughts, controlled as if by invisible fungal threads, swaying up and down.

A vibration came from the phone inside his bag. He pulled it out, took a glance, and placed it right back as if nothing had happened, quietly remaining by Shang Ying's side.

On the other side.

Lu Yan walked out of her music room with a smile, holding a brand-new violin in her arms. A small violin custom-made by her father, which had taken a long time to finish.

The students attending the lesson with her gathered around, unable to hide the envious looks in their eyes, simply because this violin was crafted by a top domestic master luthier.

They were all children from wealthy families, each carrying violins worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, which might seem impressive in the eyes of others, but to them, only a violin personally crafted by a master was prestigious enough. Furthermore, a master like that wasn't someone you could hire just by throwing money around.

"Yan'an, can you lend me this violin to look at next time? I just want one look, okay?~"

"Yeah, Yan'an, just let us see it! We promise not to touch it! How about I buy you the newest designer bag, okay?"

Surrounded by them in the center, listening to them eagerly curry favor with her, Lu Yan's vanity was thoroughly satisfied. Raising her chin, she reluctantly agreed.

‘She'd just let these ignorant fools have a look.’

Getting into the car, Lu Yan opened the violin case, caressing the smooth, exquisite instrument. She happily took a photo and sent it to her mother, while also making a point to post it on her Moments feed to show off, though her caption remained subtle, containing only three words: "Finally got it."

Before long, numerous people in her circle liked the post, with the comment section filling up with compliments.

"So envious!!!"

"As expected of Miss Lu."

Lu Yan casually scrolled through the comments until she saw one asking: "Which master luthier made this?" Curving her lips, she typed two words in reply, then happily turned off her phone and carefully caressed the violin strings again.

Suddenly, the vehicle veered violently to the right, causing her to collide uncontrollably against the car door. Instinctively tightening her grip on the violin, she shouted, "What's going on?!"

"A car... a car just forcibly cut into our lane."

The driver broke into a cold sweat as well. The car behind had approached without warning, its front bumper nearly biting their side mirror, before aggressively forcing them to the right and pushing them straight out of their lane. If it hadn't been for his fast reaction, they would have been hit.

Traffic on this stretch of highway was sparse, so there was no need for the other vehicle to fight for a lane. There was only one possibility: the other party was doing it on purpose!

Lu Yan looked back to see a black SUV tailing closely behind their car, looking as if it would ram into them the very next second. For some unknown reason, a wave of baseless panic seized her, and she immediately opened her phone to call her father.

However, upon opening her phone, a message from an unknown number appeared.

"Consider this a lesson to teach you."

Following that, the account sent numerous photos of her bullying others both inside and outside the school, as well as records of her frequenting nightclubs.

Her pupils contracted sharply. Before she could even dial the number, the next second, a violent crash and a piercing scream echoed simultaneously across the highway!

The silver-grey car door was smashed in, sending fragments flying onto her delicate skin, leaving behind bright red bloody scratches.

That expensive violin completed its final, heart-wrenching movement amidst the tense, intense collision, before snapping cleanly at the neck.

A drop of fresh blood preceded her warm tears, staining the smooth white strings red from above, bringing an end to this splendid performance.

After the accident, the ambulance arrived promptly. Lu Yan wept in Mother Lu's arms, her body covered in several abrasions that looked somewhat terrifying on her exposed skin. Because the impact had landed primarily on the rear seats, the driver was unharmed.

"That driver was far too careless! I'll message your father in a moment. We must make them pay the price!"

Mother Lu's eyes were flushed red, her voice trembling slightly. Distressed, she brushed back Lu Yan's tear-soaked bangs. Due to the extreme shock, Lu Yan had suffered psychological trauma and remained trapped in terror, her entire body shaking.

Yet, upon hearing Mother Lu mention telling her father, she immediately shook her head.

"No... no! You can't tell Dad!"

Lu Yan clutched Mother Lu's collar tightly, tears falling like broken strands of pearls, sliding down her cheeks to her chin and dripping onto her neck, looking like a shattered doll. It was truly heartbreaking to behold.

If her father found out, that person would definitely leak those records. At that point, she would be severely punished by her father, and the cold, aloof persona she had painstakingly maintained in her social circle would completely crumble!

‘Who on earth was it? Who could possibly uncover all those things?!’

She couldn't fathom it. She had only targeted lower-class nobodies without status!

Whoever it was, she couldn't let anyone else find out! Absolutely not, absolutely not…

As Lu Yan trembled even more violently, Mother Lu couldn't understand why she reacted this way, but to soothe her, she could only go along with her wishes.

"Okay, we won't tell Dad. Mom won't tell him, it's alright, it's alright now, my poor baby…”