When Lu Ning appeared, everyone turned to look at her.
Facing their gazes, Lu Ning remained expressionless.
She wore a simple short-sleeved shirt, but on her head was an exquisite golden phoenix crown, an emerald necklace around her neck, jade and gold bracelets on her wrist, and a large pink diamond ring on her finger.
Soon, mocking laughter erupted around her.
“Lu Ning looks so tacky, wearing all her jewelry like that. She looks like some nouveau riche.”
“I think she did it on purpose, wearing such expensive stuff to show off and make Qin Xiang feel embarrassed.”
…
Lu Ning swaggered over to Qin Xiang and spoke calmly, “Congratulations, today you’ve finally become a member of the Lu family.”
In her previous life, her nightmare began the day Qin Xiang officially became part of the Lu family.
No matter how hard she tried to please them, no matter how obedient she was, her brothers all favored Qin Xiang. Her second brother even said he’d rather Qin Xiang was their real sister.
This time, she would no longer cling to the worthless idea of family affection.
Qin Xiang saw all the expensive items on Lu Ning and felt intense jealousy, though she kept it hidden behind a gentle facade.
She shrank her shoulders and carefully replied, “Sister Ning, I know you’re not happy, but don’t worry, I won’t compete with you for the brothers’ attention. After all, I’m just an outsider, and you’re their real sister. How could I ever compare to you?”
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
Lu Ning curled her lips in mockery. What a perfect little white lotus.
In her past life, she had been deceived by Qin Xiang’s harmless act, only realizing her true face right before death.
Lu Bei quickly reassured her, “Xiang Xiang, don’t cry. Who said you’re an outsider? From today on, you’re my real sister, Lu Bei’s sister.”
Qin Xiang lowered her gaze, hiding the flash of pride in her eyes.
Lu Nanfeng took out a box. “Xiang Xiang, this is a gift for you.”
Qin Xiang feigned surprise. “Second brother, isn’t this supposed to be a gift for Sister Ning? How can I accept it?”
Lu Ning glanced at the limited edition figure inside the box, completely unsurprised.
Because in her past life, her second brother had also ‘kindly’ made the decision for her, giving the figure she had waited for a long time to Qin Xiang as an apology.
Lu Nanfeng said, “Take it, it’s what she owes you.”
Lu Bei added irritably, “Lu Ning, even though Xiang Xiang isn’t holding it against you for pushing her into the water, and second brother already gave her a gift on your behalf, where’s your sincerity?”
Lu Ning nodded. “I understand. That’s why I brought my apology gift.”
She took off all her jewelry and placed them one by one on a tray.
“This is the antique phoenix crown from eldest brother.”
“This is the emerald pendant from second brother.”
“This is the century-old ginseng from third brother.”
“This is the rare pink diamond ring from fourth brother.”
“This is the jade bracelet from fifth brother.”
“This is the gold trophy from sixth brother.”
Lu Ning placed them all neatly on the tray. “These are all things that are very important to me. They should be sincere enough as apology gifts.”
She had long expected that her fourth brother would question her sincerity, so she had prepared everything.
Ever since Qin Xiang came to the Lu family, her brothers had never given her any decent gifts. Only these valuable things remained.
Anyway, in the end, her brothers would always find ways to take them back and give them to Qin Xiang.
When Lu Bei saw the items on the tray, his expression froze.
These were Lu Ning’s most treasured possessions! How dare she?
Lu Nanfeng pressed his lips. “Ning Ning, what do you mean by this?”
“Second brother, I said these are my sincere apologies. Fourth brother, do you think they’re enough?”
Lu Ning’s expression was calm, without any hint of emotion.
Qin Xiang was surprised to see the items in the box, not understanding what trick Lu Ning was trying to pull. Was this a retreat to advance?
Qin Xiang quickly spoke up, “Sister Ning, these are the gifts the brothers gave you. They’re too valuable. I can’t accept them.”
Lu Bei scolded angrily, “Exactly, these are gifts we gave you. How can you just give them away?”
Qin Xiang’s smile stiffened slightly as she bit her lip gently. “Yes, Sister Ning, I’m just an outsider. How could I deserve such gifts?”
Realizing his words were wrong, Lu Bei hurriedly explained, “Xiang Xiang, I didn’t mean it like that. I’ll pick a new gift for you. You can’t take something that was given to someone else.”
Qin Xiang immediately smiled again through her tears. “Thank you, fourth brother.”
Lu Bei’s heart softened instantly. Now, this was what a good little sister should look like.
Lu Nanfeng sighed helplessly. “Ning Ning, why are you throwing a tantrum again?”
These were gifts Lu Ning had always treasured, and no one was allowed to touch them.
He hadn’t expected her to bring them all out as apology gifts for Qin Xiang!
Was she trying to draw a line between them?
Or was she mad because he gave her figure to Qin Xiang, so she was venting her anger?
Lu Nanfeng believed she couldn’t possibly be serious about giving them away!
“Second brother, she’s just trying to vent her frustration this way, thinking we can’t see through it? Lu Ning, when will you start acting like Xiang Xiang and grow up a little?”
Lu Ning remained expressionless. “These gifts are worth tens of millions. As an apology, I’m just asking, is it enough? Fourth brother, don’t tell me you can’t bear to part with them?”
Lu Bei choked. Was that even the point?
But in front of Qin Xiang, he stammered, “Do I look like that kind of person?”
“Then let everyone be a witness. These gifts will serve as the compensation.”
Lu Nanfeng was annoyed. “Ning Ning, stop this nonsense.”
How could she just give away such important gifts?
Even if she was mad at Lu Bei, she couldn’t just give away the gifts they gave her!
“Second brother, do I look like I’m joking?”
Lu Ning shoved the tray into Qin Xiang’s hands. “These are yours now.”
And the six Lu brothers too—she didn’t want any of them anymore.
Qin Xiang’s expression was awkward, feeling that Lu Nanfeng and Lu Bei seemed a bit unhappy.
Holding the box, her palms felt hot. She hadn’t expected Lu Ning to really offer these as an apology, completely catching her off guard.
If she didn’t handle this well, she would definitely arouse the brothers’ resentment.
Lu Ning had suddenly become hard to deal with!
Not waiting for Qin Xiang to speak, Lu Ning turned and walked away.
“Lu Ning, stop right there!” Lu Bei was furious. How could Lu Ning use the gifts he gave her as an apology? What kind of apology was that?
But Lu Ning walked away without looking back.
Lu Nanfeng frowned. “Ning Ning is becoming more and more unruly!”
He felt uncomfortable. The pendant he gave her was bought with the first money he earned, and it had special meaning.
Lu Bei felt like he had punched cotton, frustrated to the extreme. “I think so too. She’s just doing this to provoke us.”
Listening to their conversation, Qin Xiang clenched her teeth.
Sure enough, Lu Ning’s tactic of retreating to advance was working. She couldn’t let that woman win.
Qin Xiang held the box and softly said, “Second brother, fourth brother, did I do something wrong again? How could I possibly accept Sister Ning’s most treasured things? What should I do?”
Damn Lu Ning for setting her up like this!
Lu Bei scowled. “Since it’s her apology gift, just accept it! I bet she’ll regret it in three days.”
Hmph, he was looking forward to seeing Lu Ning regret it so he could mock her harshly.
Lu Nanfeng’s tone softened. “How about this, Xiang Xiang? You hold onto the box for now. Once she cools down, it’ll be fine.”
Lu Ning had thrown tantrums before, but in the end, everything always went back to normal.
He didn’t believe Lu Ning truly wanted to give these away.
“Okay, I’ll take good care of them,” Qin Xiang replied with a soft and obedient smile.
Lu Nanfeng sighed. The Lu Ning of the past had been so obedient and well-behaved. He hoped she would come to her senses soon.
Looking at the gentle Qin Xiang beside him, he smiled in relief. At least Xiang Xiang wasn’t like that.
…
After returning to her room, Lu Ning lay down. She probably caught a chill from falling into the water, as her head was spinning.
She closed her eyes.
She had to figure out how to leave the Lu family and live independently!
In her past life, after the college entrance exam, she could have gotten into a top university, but because of a single sentence from her fourth brother, she applied to the same second-tier school as Qin Xiang.
At school, she acted like Qin Xiang’s servant, taking the blame whenever something went wrong.
If she disobeyed, her credit card would be frozen. Even though she was a wealthy heiress, she lived worse than a poor student.
In the end, Qin Xiang even stole her hard-earned thesis results, and she was framed for plagiarism, resulting in expulsion.
This time, she would never repeat the same mistake.
She would go to a prestigious university!
As for tuition and living expenses, she could join gaming teams and win prize money.
With her past life’s gaming skills, she could still make a living from this.
After the banquet, Lu Nanfeng came to the door of her room on the second floor.
He hesitated for a moment and knocked, but there was no response from inside.
The door was also locked.
“Second brother, Xiang Xiang seems to have a fever. You should come and check on her.”