Chapter 68: The Slander and the Brother’s Scathing Truth

“You stole my things and won’t return them? I’ll teach you to be stubborn! You little bastard!”

The opulently dressed woman stood in the center of the hall, her head held high in haughty disdain, incessantly spewing insults while pointing at Su Yingning’s nose.

A throng of restaurant staff had gathered around, their presence signifying the temporary closure of the establishment due to the commotion.

Su Shunhua stood on the periphery of the crowd, his presence subdued, as the hushed whispers of the junior staff reached his ears.

“It really goes to show that you can know a person’s face but not their heart. These seemingly respectable people always appear glamorous on the outside, yet their hearts are utterly black!”

The speaker was a plump young woman, unremarkable in appearance and from an average family, but surprisingly well-liked.

The moment she spoke, many around her immediately chimed in with agreement.

“Exactly, exactly! The Su siblings always act so high and mighty, but who knew they had the genes of a thief running through their veins?” The person speaking was a freckled girl. Su Shunhua remembered her as being notoriously incompetent at work, constantly making mistakes, with Su Yingning often stepping in to help her complete tasks. Yet, here she was, gossiping about Su Yingning behind her back. ‘High and mighty’? When had they ever acted that way? It was always ‘they’ who deliberately kept their distance.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. The boss always praises that girl for being diligent. I bet her hard work is just a ploy to get noticed by the boss, to charm that pervert, isn’t it?” This time, the speaker was a moderately attractive girl, imbued with an inherent laziness. Su Yingning had often helped her out in the past.

“And helping that old man this morning? That was probably just to get a thank-you gift, right? I wonder how she knew he was rich… she definitely has her ways!” The plump girl sneered, branding Su Yingning with the label of hypocrisy. “There are already witnesses testifying against her, yet she still won’t admit it, stubborn as a dead duck. Let’s see how long she can keep up this act… Who pushed me!”

Su Shunhua offered her a faint smile, a gesture that sent a shiver down the plump girl’s spine.

“Please excuse me.”

“Oh… oh, it’s Su Shunhua… your sister stole someone’s belongings…” The plump girl managed a dry laugh, struggling to shift her bulky frame and create a path.

“Hmph, remember this,” Su Shunhua stated, looking down at the plump girl with an air of superiority, unconsciously releasing a faint aura of menace, his voice chilling. “Su Yingning would never steal anything. A mere diamond ring is beneath her notice.”

“…B-but… there are witnesses testifying against her…” The plump girl swallowed in terror, her legs turning to jelly, silently cursing herself for being afraid of a mere child.

“Witnesses? Who?” Su Shunhua was eager to see who dared to slander Su Yingning in such a manner.

“…It’s… it’s Liang Laoshi… Liang Laoshi would never lie!” The plump girl stammered, trembling.

Ignoring her, Su Shunhua walked directly into the center of the commotion.

He positioned himself behind the young girl, resting his hands on her shoulders and leaning against her back, his gaze sweeping coldly across their surroundings.

Around them, staff and onlookers snickered and pointed, their expressions mocking. The manager had yet to arrive, and no one seemed inclined to restore order—perhaps because the one at the center of the storm was Su Yingning.

The owner of the stolen item was a woman draped in a luxurious fur coat, exuding such an overpowering aura of a nouveau riche that it was almost sickening to stand near her.

Liang Laoshi stood beside the owner. Liang Laoshi, an elderly man past fifty, served as the restroom cleaner and was renowned for his honesty. Yet, it was this very man who publicly accused Su Yingning of being a thief.

“Who will explain what happened to me?” Su Shunhua’s voice cut through the air, low and steady, instantly silencing the surrounding clamor.

“Who are you?” The owner, a woman, scowled at Su Shunhua with displeasure. “Are you here to defend this little thief?”

“Would you care to explain the situation to me?” Su Shunhua asked, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at the woman.

“Why should I explain anything to you? Who do you think you are?” The woman scoffed dismissively.

“Oh, so you won’t explain?” Su Shunhua chuckled softly, then declared, “Then shut your mouth, you pauper!”

The woman was utterly stunned, rendered speechless for a long moment.

‘A pauper’?

This young man dared to call her, dressed in full mink, a pauper?

“A pauper? Do you even know this outfit costs twenty thousand? You couldn’t afford it even if you sold a kidney!”

Su Shunhua pulled out a Citi Bank Private Client card (TL Note: ‘花棋银行’ is a common transliteration of Citibank in Chinese web novels), slamming it onto her face.

A Citi Bank Private Client card, indicating a minimum monthly transaction flow of eight million, with even the change being enough to buy a whole carload of her mink coats.

“…What is this rubbish? You think you can fool me with just any card?” The woman glared at Su Shunhua, incensed. “Who exactly are you to this little thief? I’m telling you, if you don’t pay up, I’m calling the police!”

…Clearly, Su Shunhua had overestimated this imbecile; not everyone recognized a Citi Bank Private Client card.

“I am her brother,” Su Shunhua stated, offering no further explanation. “If you want money, I have it.”

“Then pay up!” The woman crossed her arms, her chin tilted arrogantly.

“If she didn’t steal it, why should she pay?”

“Didn’t steal it? Someone has already stepped forward to accuse her! Didn’t steal it? What audacity do you have to lie through your teeth and claim she didn’t?”

Su Shunhua emerged from behind Su Yingning with an impatient air, taking a step closer to the woman. “She didn’t steal it, and that’s final. I’ll reiterate: if you’re not going to explain what happened, then please be quiet. Otherwise, your mink coat won’t be able to save you.”

People possess an inherent aura, and only those with a strong presence command the right to reason. As Su Shunhua stood before the woman, she found herself paralyzed, unable to move.

From his brief observation, Su Shunhua had already grasped the situation and understood why Su Yingning had remained so passive.

Undoubtedly, the young girl had seen through many things long ago, but refrained from speaking due to certain constraints…

For instance, Liang Laoshi, an impoverished elderly man who had a child late in life and a bedridden wife at home.

“Allow me to explain,” offered the lazy woman, who was moderately attractive. “This customer ordered a single-person set meal two hours ago. During her visit, she went to the restroom once, removing her ring while washing her hands. However, after washing, she discovered the ring had vanished without a trace… At that time, Su Yingning was the only other person who had used the restroom. Liang Laoshi also stated that Su Yingning emerged from the restroom looking suspicious, so it’s unequivocally clear that Su Yingning stole the ring… Isn’t that simple? Liang Laoshi wouldn’t lie!”

“Exactly, exactly!”

“How could an honest man like Liang Laoshi lie? Besides, what reason would he have to slander Su Yingning for no cause? It must be Su Yingning who did it, no doubt!” The surrounding crowd continuously echoed their agreement.

“They say it’s an 18K gold diamond ring worth five thousand yuan! The evidence is conclusive; you should return it to her quickly!”

“Actually, I think… this conclusion might be a bit too hasty…”

Amidst the incessant clamor of the crowd, hardly a single voice rose to defend Su Yingning. Only one, a guild member of Su Yingning’s named Qingyu, spoke up, but his voice was completely drowned out by the others.

“Ha… hahahaha…” Su Shunhua burst into laughter, finding the situation genuinely amusing.

The surrounding crowd fell silent.

He patted Su Yingning’s shoulder. “Do you see? These are the people you devote yourself to helping and protecting every day.”

Su Yingning bit down hard on her lower lip, her pearly teeth clenching, but no tears fell.

Su Shunhua’s gaze swept coldly over the crowd. “Humanity is an ugly animal, a cruel creature that revels in subduing those they find displeasing.”

An instant, deathly silence descended upon the surroundings.

“People constantly delude themselves, claiming that those with beautiful exteriors possess malicious hearts, while the ugly are inherently kind… In truth, this merely stems from their inability to tolerate others who are more admirable than themselves. Driven by envy, they conjure up baseless fantasies to drag anything beautiful down to their own level of depravity, only then feeling a sense of balance and security.”

“Because you are an orphan, because you are merely a junior employee, the thief must be you… Humans will always devise countless such savage, illogical justifications to impose blame on those they dislike, and believe them implicitly.”

“Because Liang Laoshi is honest, pitiful, and ordinary, whatever he says must be true; he would never lie. But because you are beautiful, kind, and dazzling, whatever you say must be false; you must be a liar. This is human logic: people delight in witnessing the downfall of the strong, using it to assuage their own inner inferiority and imbalance.”

“In the eyes of the common folk, all the rich, handsome, and successful are debauched wastrels. To students, all teachers are hypocritical profiteers. To employees, all bosses are corrupt idiots. To commoners, all officials are wasteful parasites living in luxury. To the ugly, all beautiful people are manipulative ‘green tea bitches’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term for a woman who feigns innocence and purity to manipulate others, often used to describe someone who is outwardly sweet but inwardly scheming). People generalize excessively; as soon as they encounter one instance that fits their preconceived notions, they condemn everyone, satisfying their own ugly sense of imbalance…”

“Humanity’s capacity for fabrication is far too potent. People can invent one baseless accusation after another, plastering them onto those they dislike. Regardless of whether it actually exists, if you dislike them, it must be true… just like now.”

Su Shunhua’s gaze swept coldly over the girls who had been instigating earlier, pointing at each of them in turn. “Su Yingning comes from an average family, but she is more beautiful than you, and you, and you, and you, all of you. Therefore, she must be light-fingered. Even if Su Yingning often helps you, and you, and you, and you, and you with your work, because she is both beautiful and diligent, she must be seducing the boss, and she must not genuinely want to help you. Su Yingning helped an old man, wasn’t swindled, and even received a 5,000 yuan thank-you gift, so she must be feigning kindness to gain something in return…”

Those he pointed at recoiled a step, startled and enraged.

The surroundings remained in a deathly silence.

Then, with utter disregard for his age, Su Shunhua grabbed Liang Laoshi by his collar, fixing him with an intense stare.

Liang Laoshi’s gaze darted away, unable to meet his eyes.

“Liang Laoshi comes from an impoverished background, with a son in school whom he needs to support, and a bedridden wife at home. He is so pitiful, therefore everything he says must be true. So, despite the clear possibility of Liang Laoshi colluding with this woman to falsely accuse and extort Su Yingning, you willfully ignored that possibility, steadfastly placing the blame on Su Yingning!”

Liang Laoshi, held by his collar, offered no resistance. He was indeed a truly honest man, one who would feel guilty lying. Su Shunhua had seen through his thoughts at a glance.

Releasing Liang Laoshi, Su Shunhua walked back to Su Yingning’s side. “We pity the weak, but most of the time, our so-called pity is merely a means to find a sense of accomplishment in their weakness… We might offer a meal to a limping beggar on the street, yet we wouldn’t extend a hand to a rich person on the verge of falling off a cliff, even if they’ve dedicated their life to charity. We readily believe an ugly, cold-blooded individual, yet we refuse to believe Su Yingning, who is outwardly radiant, genuinely kind-hearted, and indiscriminately strives to help others…”

“This is who we humans are. Those who do good are branded as ‘Holy Mother Bitches’ (TL Note: ‘圣母婊’ is a derogatory Chinese slang term for someone perceived as excessively compassionate or self-sacrificing to the point of being naive or hypocritical), while executioners are hailed as ‘real.’ We’ve applauded executioners countless times because we are all executioners ourselves, selfishly pursuing our own desires. We fear those few who defy our selfishness; we fear the sunlight exposing the corruption and maggots within us, making us feel ashamed, don’t we?”

“Therefore, throughout history, those who do good, those who are beautiful, never come to a good end… because this is simply human nature! The weak band together, the ugly band together, and then they exclude outsiders, allowing rottenness to fester even further. This is humanity’s most fundamental flaw.”

Su Shunhua lowered his head, gently stroking the young girl’s hair. His words were devoid of any killing intent, replaced by a gentle, flowing tenderness. “Even pitiful people have their hateful aspects. Not everyone in this world understands gratitude, or is worthy of your protection… Now, do you know what you must do?”

The young girl remained silent for a long moment, then nodded with difficulty.

“Then, Miss Su Yingning, the top scorer in the national law entrance exam and the chief academic prodigy of the law school, let them witness your brilliance! The truth, there is always only one!”