Faced with such words from her sister in front of so many people, Ning Su felt ashamed but refused to admit fault, so she simply put on a stern face and remained silent.
"Why do you always do such ridiculous things!" Ning Xin was truly disappointed in her sister's behavior. However, she was unwilling to scold her too harshly in front of so many people, so she turned to Shen Qingqing.
"I apologize for my sister's actions. I never expected her to do something like this. I will take her home and discipline her properly."
Ning Xin tugged at Ning Su, "Apologize."
Ning Su looked unwilling. "Why should I apologize to her?"
"You should apologize when you've done something wrong."
"I haven't done anything wrong!" Ning Su, in front of so many people, would never admit it. "They are all slandering me! They conspired beforehand!"
"Su Su, you..."
Ning Su glared at Shen Qingqing. "Inviting me to this birthday banquet was a trap from the start. You planned to frame me!"
"I framed you?"
Shen Qingqing asked softly, with a hint of mockery.
"How could I teach my niece to lie like this?" Ning Su questioned sharply. "And you secretly called my niece here today, wasn't it to arrange all of this?"
She glanced at Zhao Yixin, her eyes filled with disgust and mockery.
"This child is in league with them. I know this child often visits their home. Shen Qingqing must have told him to say this!"
The crowd gasped.
They hadn't expected that even with irrefutable evidence, she still refused to admit it and even tried to shift the blame.
Ning Xin felt utterly humiliated. "Can you stop being so ridiculous!!"
Ning Su looked incredulous. "Sister, why aren't you supporting me?"
"You will apologize immediately," Ning Xin said, gripping Ning Su, emphasizing each word. "If you don't listen to me, you'll never be allowed out again!"
Ning Su's eyes widened.
"Are you going to apologize or not?"
Ning Su was extremely reluctant. "You want me to apologize to her, but have you asked if she would forgive me if I did?"
Ning Xin was almost infuriated. In front of everyone, superficial courtesy had to be maintained. Asking if the other party would forgive was at least showing an attitude, and people would sympathize with the weaker party.
"Apologize," she said, word by word.
Ning Su looked at Shen Qingqing and gritted her teeth. "You are indeed capable, to push me this far."
Shen Qingqing calmly replied, "If you hadn't provoked me first, you wouldn't need to apologize."
"You win!" With the situation escalated this far, Ning Su felt there was no need to pretend anymore. She truly apologized as her sister instructed. "I'm sorry, I apologize."
Shen Qingqing fiddled with her ear. "That's it?"
"What else do you want?" Ning Su was not surprised by her attitude. She had long been prepared for the possibility that even after apologizing, the other party might not accept it.
Shen Qingqing raised an eyebrow. "I never said that a mere apology would guarantee my forgiveness. You can't force me to forgive you just because you apologized. There's no such rule in this world."
She smiled slightly, with a trace of mockery.
Ning Su gritted her teeth in hatred. In her opinion, apologizing was already a concession. The other party's relentless pursuit was somewhat excessive.
"Then what do you want?"
Shen Qingqing said, "Your apology doesn't feel sincere. I think I should call the police."
"Didn't you say that as long as I apologized..." Ning Su instinctively started to question, but halfway through, she suddenly realized.
The idea that an apology would lead to forgiveness had always been a game played by the two sisters. Shen Qingqing had never said such a thing.
King chuckled, "I've seen shameless people, but never this shameless."
The crowd echoed him.
"Exactly, apologizing is your business, and whether or not it's accepted is theirs."
"You can't force someone to accept your apology."
"I think some people have serious princess syndrome. When things don't go their way, they just can't accept it."
"Princess syndrome is the most terrifying thing."
The crowd murmured. Ning Su felt utterly humiliated and said angrily, "Since you don't accept my apology, why did you ask me to apologize in the first place? Aren't you deliberately playing with me?"
Shen Qingqing blinked and retorted, "Did I ask you to apologize? Didn't you bring it up yourselves? I was just cooperating."
Shouldn't they be grateful that she provided a way out, yet they were complaining?
Shen Qingqing couldn't be bothered to waste any more time with them. "Since you think I've done something wrong, let's let the police handle it."
"Right and wrong will be determined by the police."
Ning Su suddenly felt a bit panicked.
When encountering trouble, she instinctively turned to her sister for help.
Ning Xin couldn't stand by and let her sister be taken away by the police. That would be too embarrassing, not to mention her sister's condition...
Her expression changed. "Mrs. Fu, I don't think it's necessary to call the police."
Shen Qingqing raised an eyebrow.
Ning Xin continued, "My sister is just guilty of incitement, which is not a serious offense. If you really call the police and bring them here, the banquet will be ruined. If this escalates, everyone will lose face. What's the point?"
Shen Qingqing pretended to ponder.
Ning Xin observed her expression and said, "Why don't we resolve this peacefully? I will apologize on behalf of my sister, and I guarantee she will never do such a thing again. Let's drop the matter, what do you say?"
"Is that all?"
Ning Xin said magnanimously, "Of course not. You can make any demands you wish. Our family is in the wrong. As long as I can fulfill them, I am willing to compensate you."
Shen Qingqing looked at her with a mocking gaze.
Ning Xin was taken aback. "Why are you looking at me like that? You disagree?"
"What kind of person do you think I am?" Shen Qingqing looked at her with some disappointment. "What you're saying is an insult to me."
Ning Xin suddenly realized her mistake. In her anxiety, she had forgotten what kind of person Shen Qingqing was. She smiled wryly and rubbed her forehead. "I'm just desperate. If you insist on calling the police, I can't just stand by and watch you send my sister to the police station."
This plea garnered sympathy from many.
"Why don't I just let this matter go?"
"After all, she has apologized. Insisting on calling the police won't benefit anyone. If this blows up, everyone will look bad."
"And with so much trouble, the banquet hasn't even proceeded smoothly. Are we still celebrating the child's birthday?"
Shen Qingqing glanced at the speaker.
The person continued, "Mrs. Fu, I think it's best not to pursue this too aggressively. One should be magnanimous and forgiving. Since she has apologized, let's move past this."