The atmosphere inside the Royal 6's Villa private was suffocating.
The moment the door slammed shut behind them, the carefully maintained composure of the ROYAL 6 finally collapsed.
Gu Yingying stood in the middle of the room, her back rigid, shoulders tense, her breathing sharp and uneven. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, and her nails still stained faintly with dried blood, curled into her palms once more.
The elegant room, filled with soft lighting and expensive furnishings, did nothing to calm the storm raging inside her.
Xu Jinghan was the first to break the silence.
"This… this doesn't make sense," she said, pacing back and forth, heels clicking anxiously against the floor. "She was supposed to be nothing. A nobody. Someone we could crush easily."
Mo Lingxue sank onto a sofa, her face pale, eyes unfocused. "But the board bowed to her," she whispered. "Even the Minister of Education stood up."
Her voice cracked at the end.
Zhou Mingyu leaned against the wall, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His jaw was clenched, the muscle ticking as he spoke. "Not just the board. Di Fulin himself treated her like a superior. That alone says everything."
Fang Yiren hugged her arms around herself, eyes wide with lingering shock. "So… all this time," she said slowly, "we were attending her school? Fighting foolishly for dominance."
The words hung in the air like a slap.
Gu Yingying's chest heaved.
Her lips trembled, then pressed into a thin, furious line. She turned around slowly, her eyes blazing with humiliation and disbelief.
No one answered.
"This means," Gu Yingying continued, her tone rising, "that every time I walked into that campus, every time I looked down on her, every time I mocked her, she was probably somewhere laughing."
Her laughter burst out suddenly, brittle and hysterical. "She was watching us act like a clown in her territory."
Silence fell again.
Mo Lingxue swallowed hard. "Why didn't she say anything?" she said quietly. "She let everything play out."
"That's what scares me," Zhou Mingyu replied grimly. "Someone who can endure that much humiliation without reacting… is not simple."
Gu Yingying's eyes darkened further.
"I hated her," she said slowly, each word heavy with venom. "From the first day I saw her. Her calm face. Her indifference. The way she never begged, never explained."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And now I find out… I've been living off her charity?"
Her breath hitched.
The humiliation finally cracked through her fury, and for a brief moment, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She clenched her jaw hard, forcing them back.
"I will not accept this," she said coldly. "I refuse."
No one contradicted her.
Because they all felt it too.
The fear.
The pressure.
The sense that they had kicked a mountain, thinking it was a pebble.
Within an hour, the atmosphere escalated.
Luxury cars pulled into a private estate, one after another.
Inside the Villa, the ROYAL 6 families gathered. These were people who rarely met together unless something serious had happened. Their expressions were grim, their conversations hushed but intense.
Gu Yingying sat beside her father, Gu Hongmin, her posture stiff.
Gu Hongmin's face was dark as thunder. "So," he said slowly, scanning the room, "A scholarship student is the hidden owner of Fuyuan Academy."
Li Zixuan's father adjusted his glasses, his tone cautious. "Not just that. She has connections with Zongsheng Medical Centre in the Capital, and for some reasons, the Minister Ma Yao seems to respect her. That alone puts her on a dangerous level."
Xu Jinghan's mother frowned deeply. "Then does this mean the scandals..."
"Backfired," Zhou Mingyu's father finished coldly. "Spectacularly."
Silence followed.
Mo Lingxue's father drummed his fingers against the table. "We underestimated her. That was our mistake."
Gu Yingying's mother's nails dug into her palm again. "So what?" she snapped. "Are we just going to sit here and admit defeat?"
Gu Hongmin turned to her sharply. "Watch your tone."
She stiffened but didn't look away.
"We can't confront her directly," Li Zixuan's uncle said carefully. "Not now. She holds moral high ground and public sympathy."
"Then we go around her," Fang Yiren's father suggested. "Everyone has weaknesses. Wealth doesn't make one untouchable."
Zhou Mingyu's father nodded slowly. "Dig into her background. Her early years. Her connections. If she's hiding this much, she's hiding more."
Gu Hongmin's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Yes," he said. "We investigate quietly. No more reckless moves. No rumors. No public schemes for now."
Li Zecheng looked up sharply. "And if we find something?"
A slow, dangerous smile appeared on Gu Hongmin's face. "Then we strike once. Cleanly."
His voice was calm, measured, and dangerously steady—the kind of tone that meant he had already made up his mind.
"Yingying," he said, turning slightly to look at his daughter, "from this moment on, cover your tracks, you will erase every trace that links you to that scandal."
Gu Yingying swallowed hard, then nodded. "I understand Father."
Only then did Gu Hongmin pick up his phone, calling his closest assistant.
He didn't bother lowering his voice.
"Get me a list," he said into the receiver, tone casual, as if ordering coffee. "Scholarship students. Ones with weak backgrounds, no connections, preferably those already struggling financially."
He paused, listening.
"Yes. Pick one. Or two, if necessary. Make sure they confess to spreading the rumors online. Offer one million yuan as a settlement."
Another pause.
"No need to scare them," Gu Hongmin added lightly. "Just explain their options clearly, you know what I mean..."
He ended the call and set the phone down.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Poor people," he said, shaking his head as if amused. "They'll do anything for money."
The room remained silent for a moment.
Li Zixuan's father leaned back in his chair, his face dark with resentment. "And Su Ning?" he asked bluntly. "What do we do about her?"
His tone sharpened as he continued, irritation leaking through. "Do you know how humiliating it feels? For years, our families donated to Fuyuan Academy, thinking it was a neutral institution. Now we find out we were practically funding her personal playground."
His voice grew harsher. "And now she's forcing us to pay for the kid's villa on campus as well? She's mocking us."
His lips curled in disgust. "She really knows how to rub salt into wounds."
Zhou Mingyu's father let out a cold laugh. "You think that's bad?"
Everyone turned toward him.
"Di Fulin personally called me," he said, eyes narrowing. "He informed me that the kids will attend classes strictly according to school rules. No special treatment. No skipping. No privileges."
Zhou Mingyu stiffened. "What?"
Xu Jinghan's eyes widened. "You're joking, right?"
"She's forcing us to attend like ordinary students?" Mo Lingxue snapped, her voice rising. "Who does she think she is?"
"She's reminding you," Zhou Mingyu's father said flatly, "that she owns the school."
The words hit hard.
The ROYAL 6 erupted.
"This is insane!"
"She's doing it on purpose!"
"She wants to humiliate us!"
"Does she think money makes her untouchable?"
Gu Yingying's face twisted with fury. "She's enjoying this," she said sharply. "She stood there today and looked at us like we were jokes."
Her voice trembled, not with fear, but with rage. "She planned everything."
Gu Hongmin raised a hand, silencing them all.
"Enough," he said calmly.
The room quieted immediately.
Gu Hongmin adjusted his glasses again, his expression thoughtful rather than angry. "Su Ning is young," he said slowly.
"She's just a child that is barely weaned," he sneered, "what does she knows about power?"
He tapped his fingers lightly against the table. "Owning assets and understanding how power truly works are two very different things."
Li Zixuan's father frowned. "What are you suggesting?"
Gu Hongmin's lips curved into a confident smile. "I'll meet with the board members."
Several people straightened.
"I've worked with men like them for decades," Gu Hongmin continued. "They care about stability, profit, and influence. Not idealism."
He leaned forward slightly. "A few incentives, a few promises, and they'll remember who really keeps institutions alive."
Xu Jinghan's father's eyes lit up. "You think they'll side with us?"
"I don't think," Gu Hongmin said smoothly. "I know."
Mo Lingxue's mother, Mo Xue, who had been quiet until now, frowned. "And if Su Ning has a backer?" she asked cautiously. "Someone powerful behind her?"
Gu Hongmin laughed softly, shaking his head.
"A backer?" he scoffed. "She's just an orphan who got lucky and inherited her family's wealth. That's all."
His tone turned dismissive. "No political roots. No deep family network. Just money and youthful arrogance."
Xu Jinghan's father nodded approvingly. "Then it really would be a shame if a child lost control of assets she doesn't understand."
Gu Yingying's eyes gleamed.
Li Zixuan leaned closer, a slow grin spreading across his face. "So… we just wait and watch?"
Gu Hongmin smiled faintly. "It's time an adult takes over Fuyuan properly. Quietly."
He glanced at Gu Yingying. "And when the time comes, we'll remind Miss Su Ning that this world doesn't run on titles."
Gu Yingying finally relaxed back into her seat.
The humiliation still burned in her chest, but now, it was mixed with anticipation.
She exchanged a look with Li Zixuan, both of them smirking.
'Su Ning,' Gu Yingying thought coldly.
'Enjoy your moment while it lasts.'