Yu Ming, sensing the rising tension and the sharp edge curling beneath her mother's polite tone, quickly stepped forward. Her small fists clenched at her sides, her face flushed from both embarrassment and frustration.
"Mother! Can you not be a bum for once?" She burst out, her voice higher than intended. "They're my friends—not criminals! You're acting like some paranoid sect elder who thinks everyone's out to steal our ancestral toilet scroll!"
There was a pause.
Silence.
Noah blinked, a half-smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. Mo Ji's brows rose slightly. Xin Yan politely turned her head aside to stifle a laugh behind her sleeve.
Yu Meilin, on the other hand, didn't laugh.
Her gaze slowly shifted toward her daughter, her expression as calm as a placid lake during winter. But Yu Ming instantly regretted opening her mouth.
A sharp, regal glare landed on her like a guillotine made of pure spiritual pressure.
