A confrontation between the Yan cousins

The silence stretched on, and Yan Chun Hua's gaze became colder, though she said nothing. Her hand tightened around her glass, the smooth surface of the wine rippling slightly under her grip.

Yan Ming cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "This isn't the place for this discussion. Talk about it later."

But Yan Chun Hua wasn't ready to let go. "No," she said softly, but the venom in her words was undeniable. "The issue isn't with you, Brother Ming. It's with Meixiu, thinking she can just waltz around, making friends with the very people who tried to ruin me. That's not how things work."

Yan Meixiu's patience was wearing thin. "You're really reaching, Chun Hua," she said, her tone biting but controlled. 

She wanted to say more, but stopped herself.

Normally, at family dinners, after her brother asked about her life, the conversation would shift to other topics, and she could quietly continue eating until it was over.