One of Hadi's friends, who was also a well-known second-generation rich kid, handed Yeri a glass of alcohol.
Yeri shook her head. "I'm on medication. I can't drink alcohol."
The young man raised an eyebrow.
"So the rumors about your weak constitution are true?"
Yeri didn't answer. Although she did have a weak body, her inability to drink alcohol was merely an excuse.
"Yeri, even if you're Shin's fiancée, being too arrogant won't do you any favors in this circle," another person said. "Just a word of advice."
"Yeah. Considering you're from a third-tier family, you probably haven't had many opportunities to mingle with people like us," another chimed in. "But it's okay. We're all pretty friendly and easy to get along with."
The implication was obvious. She was reaching above her station, and they were generously offering her a chance to broaden her social circle.
However, Yeri had no intention of appeasing them.
What girl in her right mind would casually accept a drink from a group of drunk men she didn't even know?
"I didn't mingle with any of you because I don't want to," Yeri replied. "It's not against the law to choose who I hang out with, is it?"
Her words immediately displeased most of them.
The women who had remained silent until now finally joined the conversation.
Not to directly criticize her, of course.
Instead, they eagerly sided with the group while throwing subtle jabs and backhanded remarks.
"Young Master, since she doesn't want to spend time with us, just let her leave," one woman said sweetly to the man beside her.
"She hasn't even married into the family yet and she's already throwing her weight around. At this rate, I'm afraid she'll offend a lot of people and embarrass the Keir family."
"Seriously, what's wrong with her? It's just a drink. Why make such a big deal out of it?"
Yeri: "..."
Compared to the relentless criticism she received from netizens every day, this level of provocation barely registered.
But Hadi's expression darkened.
He felt that Yeri was embarrassing him in front of his friends and refusing to give him even the slightest bit of face.
When he saw her preparing to leave again, he abruptly stood up and grabbed her arm, forcing her back into her seat.
"Yeri Zhi, who do you think you are?" Hadi snapped. "Are you relying on that bastard to look down on us? Don't forget, I'm a Keir too. It seems no one has properly trained you yet, but I can understand why. Grandma, who was supposed to supervise your etiquette lessons, is currently in a coma. And I assume Shin hasn't told you about the rules of the Keir family."
Hadi smirked. "So, on behalf of the Keirs, let me teach you."
Caught off guard by the sudden pull, Yeri's knee scraped painfully against the corner of the table.
"Didn't I already tell you not to grab me so casually?" She immediately yanked her wrist free. "Besides, even if the Keir family does have rules, with Brother Shin as the family head, I don't think it's your turn to teach me anything."
For a brief moment, Hadi stared at the hand she had pulled away.
Her skin was unbelievably soft and the faint fragrance surrounding her didn't seem to come from perfume but from something naturally fresh and clean.
It was entirely different from the women he usually encountered.
"Besides," Yeri continued, "what about hierarchy and status? Who actually cares about that? All I know is that I'm someone who was unwillingly dragged here by you. So before you start lecturing me about etiquette and manners, shouldn't you first ask yourself who's actually in the wrong here?"
Having already been scolded by his father earlier, Hadi's expression turned ugly.
"Yeri, are you implying that we're not good people?" the young man who had tried to hand her a drink asked coldly. "Or are we simply not worthy of your presence?"
Predictably, his words only made the others more offended and hostile.
Yeri looked at him. "There's no need to twist my words. From the very beginning, I said I was here with my own friends. Did any of you even listen?"
"Miss Zhi, you don't have to be so aggressive."
A soft voice suddenly interjected.
Yeri turned toward the speaker.
It was the college student who had originally been sitting beside Hadi before being pushed aside when he forced Yeri into the seat.
"I think everyone just had too much to drink," she said softly. "And considering Young Master Hadi is your fiancé's cousin, he probably thought there was no need to be overly formal. Is it really wrong for him to introduce you to his friends?"
The college student looked at Yeri with reddened eyes and a timid expression, biting her lip as though it had taken every ounce of courage just to speak.
Inwardly, however, she was the one most resentful of Yeri's words.
As someone from an ordinary family, her dream had always been to hook up with a wealthy young master and marry into wealth.
Yeri came from a privileged family, was beautiful, and carried herself with an air of someone too pure and innocent for this world.
To the college student, that attitude was nothing short of insulting. It felt as though Yeri was looking down on everything she had come there hoping to achieve.
Not to mention, Yeri's relationship with Shin Keir was enough to make countless women already green with envy.
Sure enough, the college student's remarks only made Hadi and his friends look even worse.
What was wrong with them? Even if they were nowhere near Shin Keir's level, they were still members of the elite class.
"No wonder she gets along with your cousin. Did she learn that from him?" the guy beside Hadi muttered.
After all, everyone in there knew how much Hadi disliked Shin Keir. Whenever they gathered, Hadi never missed an opportunity to bad-mouth him.
"You choosing to be here is your choice. Me not wanting to be here is mine," Yeri replied calmly. "Not everyone considers it a blessing to have these men's attention."
The college student's face immediately turned pale, never expecting Yeri to be so blunt and unapologetic.
But Yeri had met far too many girls like this before. Hypocritical girls who played the victim while secretly resenting other women, convincing themselves that those women were simply lucky enough to be born into wealthy families.
Venice was a perfect example.
"That's enough!" Hadi bellowed. "Yeri, do you have to be such a shrew and ruin everyone's mood? I was being nice to you because you'll be a Keir sooner or later, and this is how you treat my friends? Does Shin even know you're this kind of person?"
The others, unaware of the true situation and assuming Hadi held considerable influence within the Keir family, immediately chimed in.
One after another, they criticized Yeri, urging Hadi to expose her "true colors" to the Keir clan for Shin's sake.
Yeri rolled her eyes inwardly. Just because she was speaking logically, she was suddenly a shrew?
Which dictionary had Hadi learned that definition from?
Perhaps it was the alcohol, the atmosphere, and the encouragement of his friends, but Hadi seemed to grow even bolder.
Straightening his shoulders, he pointed at Yeri and declared arrogantly, "Apologize to my friends properly. As punishment, you're going to drink an entire bottle. Otherwise, you're not leaving this room until I'm satisfied."
Yeri stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly laughing.
Then she stood up.
"We live in a law-abiding society," she said coldly. "If you want to drink yourself into a stupor, then go ahead. But you have no right to force me to drink, much less stop me from leaving."
Seeing that she remained defiant and was preparing to leave again, Hadi's face twisted with anger.
"Hold her down!" he shouted. "Since you refuse to drink willingly, don't blame me for helping you."
Several people exchanged uneasy glances.
Although they had been criticizing Yeri moments ago, forcing a woman to drink an entire bottle of liquor was excessive even by their standards.
More importantly, she was Shin Keir's fiancée. What if she complained to him afterward?
"I said hold her down!" Hadi roared again.
With Hadi's confident demeanor and their assumption that his status within the Keir family placed him above Yeri, the others eventually moved forward to restrain her.
"Who dares?" Yeri shouted fiercely. "I'll tell Brother Shin that all of you tried to harm me!"
Hadi sneered.
"Look at you. Already using that bastard's name to scare people. Don't you feel ashamed?" he mocked. "Since you're so high and mighty, stop relying on him every chance you get. At least have some pride and dignity."
Yeri was beginning to understand why Shin disliked this person so much, his head seemed to exist purely for decoration.
Why should she feel ashamed?
Before she could respond, Hadi's friends had already surrounded her.
Outnumbered and caught off guard, Yeri was forced down onto her knees.
A triumphant grin spread across Hadi's face.
Beside him, the college student quickly handed over a bottle of liquor, looking obedient and eager to please.
Yeri's eyes narrowed as she immediately recognized the brand. The alcohol content was extremely high.
"Hadi, are you sure about this?" the same guy who had tried to offer Yeri alcohol earlier asked hesitantly. He glanced at her before adding meaningfully, "I remember you saying Shin was a weirdo who hated anything or anyone that had been touched by others."
His tone sounded concerned, but his true intentions were entirely different.
Knowing Hadi's personality better than anyone, he was confident the bait would work.
Sure enough, Hadi paused, his gaze slowly settled on Yeri.
He remembered countless occasions when Shin had treated everyone around him as though they were beneath his notice.
That arrogant bastard acted as if he were some untouchable immortal, finding everyone else too filthy to even look at directly.
A malicious thought suddenly surfaced.
So what if Shin Keir's precious fiancée ended up being tainted by someone else?
Would he still want her then? Would he still treasure her?
No matter how much he cared about Yeri, once something irreversible happened, what could he really do?
The people present weren't ordinary nobodies. Most came from wealthy and influential families.
Was Shin truly willing to make enemies of all of them for the sake of a single woman?
The more Hadi thought about it, the more excited he became.
A twisted smile slowly appeared on his face.