Lin Xuecheng froze for a moment, then immediately rushed forward, feigning intimacy as she grabbed Qing Wu’s arm.
“Sister, I know you like Brother Chuan, but you know full well that Chuan and I are in love with each other. Please, don’t tear us apart! What did you say to Brother Chuan yesterday? He hasn’t even acknowledged me all day…”
Qing Wu frowned, casting a cold glance at her wrist being squeezed by Lin Xuecheng before effortlessly shaking her off.
“You wouldn’t have reminded me—I’d almost forgotten. Yesterday some Kappa asked for my WeChat, and I refused because he was too ugly. Turns out he’s your sweetheart.”
Lin Xuecheng: “…”
“Qing Wu! What did you say?!”
Qing Wu looked at her without a shred of pity.
She couldn’t fathom what was worth liking about that crooked, greasy, over-the-top man.
If Lu Mingchuan paraded out all the little treasures, little sweethearts, and little darlings saved in his phone, they could put on a women’s soccer match right then and there for Lin Xuecheng.
Their faces all looked nearly identical—the same series of features as Lin Xuecheng’s. You’d think he was collecting stamps.
That kind of trash man—only Lin Xuecheng would treasure him. Then let her reap what she sowed and drink her plain congee.
When Lin Xuecheng saw the look in Qing Wu’s eyes, her pride was stabbed through.
Why?!
Wasn’t she the legitimate eldest daughter of the Lin family now?
How dare that impostor Qing Wu still look at her like that?
A flash of intense jealousy flickered in Lin Xuecheng’s eyes. Catching sight of Qian Yuechang walking toward them in her peripheral vision, she shifted her footing and, seizing the moment, let herself fall to the ground.
“Ah! Sister, why did you push me?!”
Qing Wu: “…”
Seeing her precious daughter sitting on the ground after being “pushed” by Qing Wu, Qian Yuechang rushed over and hurriedly helped Lin Xuecheng up with heartache.
Qing Wu watched Lin Xuecheng sobbing endlessly in Qian Yuechang’s arms, then deflected the accusation with effortless grace.
“Stop pretending. You two are as ‘devoted mother and filial daughter’ as ever.”
Qian Yuechang was taken aback: “What do you mean by that? Blaming me for favoring Chengcheng in the past?”
Qing Wu clapped her hands and said coldly, “I don’t blame you. I simply look down on you. It’s no surprise you can’t understand what I say—after all, I wasn’t born to you. Intelligence is something you probably don’t possess.”
Qian Yuechang: “…”
“Stop right there! What kind of act are you putting on every day?!”
A hint of smugness flashed in Lin Xuecheng’s eyes as she hurriedly played the obedient daughter, soothing the furious Qian Yuechang.
“Mom, don’t be angry. Sister has no idea how hard her life will be once she’s back home. I actually feel sorry for her. I heard that girls in the mountain areas are all married off to secure bride prices for their brothers.”
At her words, the nanny who had raised her for years immediately chimed in.
“The young miss is right. With that temper of hers, Qing Wu could only be married off to some old widower who can’t afford a wife. With that mouth of hers, she’d get beaten the moment she’s married!”
“The young miss is too kind, still worrying about Miss Qing Wu.”
“The young miss has always worked harder than Miss Qing Wu.”
…
These voices landed pleasantly on Lin Xuecheng’s ears.
She curled her lips, only to find Qing Wu still smiling as lightly as drifting clouds, as if she couldn’t be bothered to engage with them.
How could Qing Wu still be smiling?
She must be faking it!
Qian Yuechang, still seething with anger, snatched the laptop from Qing Wu’s hands.
“You think you’ve grown up eating from whose table? Even if I stripped you naked and threw you out today, you’d still have to obey me!”
Lin Xuecheng’s eyes widened.
She looked at Qian Yuechang with great anticipation.
Wow! This was so exciting!
Lin Jingsheng hurried over, grabbed the computer, and shoved it into Qing Wu’s arms.
After all, Qing Wu was still his daughter, in a manner of speaking.
If this blew up into a huge mess, how could he still hold his head up in this circle?
Lin Jingsheng cared deeply about face—he couldn’t afford to lose it!
“Xiao Wu, before you leave, is there anything you want? Our family is wealthy and influential; it’s not like we can’t give you something.”
The nanny was still being relentless, pouring fuel on the fire.
“Every time I look at Miss Qing Wu, I feel a chill down my spine…”
“After all, she came from some poor, remote place—could she be using some strange tricks?”
“In my opinion, she shouldn’t be allowed to take anything. A girl who dares to install surveillance cameras in the house—when you think about it, she’s truly terrifying!”
…
Qing Wu acted as if she hadn’t heard a word. She bent down and packed up all her belongings.
Raising a pair of clear, limpid eyes, she fixed her gaze on Qian Yuechang and Lin Xuecheng before her.
She smiled lightly. “You two mother and daughter look so alike, and you only just realized it after all these years? Isn’t it just because you’re about to get engaged to the Kappa that you’ve finally gotten anxious and restless? Thank you, really—otherwise I’d have had to find a way to break off the engagement myself, and that would have been such a hassle.”
Since childhood, no matter what Qing Wu did, Qian Yuechang had always favored Lin Xuecheng.
She had even told Qing Wu that she didn’t need to study too hard, since the Lin family didn’t rely on grades to get by. Only later did Qing Wu learn that it was because Lin Xuecheng had been jealous of her academic performance during that period and had gone crying to Qian Yuechang about it.
If she scored too high on exams, Qian Yuechang would scold her, saying she didn’t consider Lin Xuecheng’s feelings.
A daughter of a so-called “nanny” was more important in Qian Yuechang’s eyes than Qing Wu, her own biological daughter.
What that signified—Qian Yuechang, with her guilty conscience, should know very well herself.
Qing Wu curled the corners of her lips and looked at Lin Jingsheng.
“I don’t want anything. But as a token of my gratitude, I’ve prepared a ‘big gift’ for you. I hope Mr. and Mrs. Lin will like it. It will be delivered after I leave.”
Her words were icy cold, drawing a clear line between herself and the Lin family, with no intention whatsoever of maintaining any connection.
Lin Jingsheng’s expression could barely hold.
When Qian Yuechang heard her words, she felt that Qing Wu was still threatening her even as she was about to leave.
Her anger blazed. Ignoring Lin Xuecheng’s feigned attempts to stop her, she rushed forward to slap Qing Wu across the face.
“Someone like you dares to talk about breaking off the engagement with the Lu family? Let me tell you, once you leave, don’t even think about coming back! Even if you’re crying your eyes out feeding chickens in the countryside, we won’t acknowledge you anymore!”
Qian Yuechang tried to snatch the suitcase from Qing Wu’s hands, but before her slap could land, Qing Wu dodged aside with a swift sidestep.
The people behind her didn’t have time to pull her back, and Qian Yuechang slammed headfirst into the wall, a huge lump instantly swelling up on her forehead!
Qian Yuechang let out a piercing shriek. “You dare push me?!”
Lin Xuecheng was startled and rushed over to support Qian Yuechang.
Qing Wu stood in place, cold as ice and frost: “I haven’t even slapped you yet.”
In her eyes, Qian Yuechang and Lin Xuecheng were nothing but clowns putting on a show.
That gaze made Qian Yuechang begin to feel a twinge of guilt, and her raised hand never dared to come down.
Lin Jingsheng, wanting to smooth things over, also tried to mediate: “What’s the point of making such a scene? Let’s all walk Qing Wu out together. Who knows, this might be the last time we see her…”