Old Zhou coughed twice. Remembering the task the old master had given him, he said softly, “Young Miss, do Mr. and Mrs. Lin treat you well?”
Qing Wu raised her head indifferently, her gaze calm, yet it made Old Zhou feel inexplicably like needles were pricking his back.
The young miss was only eighteen now—how could her eyes make people feel more intimidated than even the old chief?
It was as if she could see right through him completely.
Qing Wu withdrew her gaze, lowering her crow-feather-like lashes to look at the design drafts in her hands.
Sensing Old Zhou’s concern, she said flatly, “Not bad. Old Zhou, what’s the scenery like in Qingshan County? I’ve never been there.”
“Ah? Qingshan County? Miss Shaojia is actually doing research there, in charge of a two-thousand-mu chicken farm. The person who called you last time was a staff member from the research institute. If you’re interested, I can take you to visit next time. But we’re not going there—your family is all waiting for you at home in the capital.”
The capital—the political and economic center of the entire country, where land was worth its weight in gold. Being able to buy a house in the capital for the whole family to live in, even just a small one, would cost a fortune.
Yesterday, when Lin Xuecheng wanted to buy a house in the capital because of college, Lin Jingsheng had rejected it on the grounds that it wasn’t a good return on investment.
He said that besides money, buying a house to one’s liking in the capital required connections!
Lin Jingsheng’s connections and money were barely enough to qualify him as the richest man in the smallest district of Ningcheng.
It was still because Qing Wu, out of consideration for Old Mrs. Lin, had secretly given him quite a few resources behind the scenes. Otherwise, Lin Jingsheng couldn’t even afford a villa right now.
But this “richest man” title probably wouldn’t last much longer!
…
At the Lin family villa, after seeing Qing Wu off, the three of them sat together in the living room.
Lin Xuecheng asked uncertainly, “Mom, what if sister doesn’t live well in the future, gets tired of feeding chickens, and comes back to find us?”
Qian Yuechang glared coldly: “Let me tell you, sweetie, from now on we stay far away from her. People of our status and farmers like her are not in the same class.”
Lin Xuecheng’s earlier remark had been worrying that if the Lin family saw Qing Wu living too miserably, they might take pity and bring her back.
Hearing Qian Yuechang say this, Lin Xuecheng felt much better inside.
“Then that helicopter that just flew by—it couldn’t have been sister, right?”
Lin Jingsheng also smiled and tapped Lin Xuecheng’s nose, saying indulgently, “What a joke! That was the latest combat helicopter—the technology was just developed. How could Qing Wu’s family possibly have that kind of capability? She must have taken a bus. She’s probably bumping along the road right now.”
No way—the kind of big shot who could ride in a plane like that was someone Lin Jingsheng would never meet in his lifetime.
If that were actually true, he’d fry fish for Qing Wu with his own bare hands.
“Then they…”
Qian Yuechang interrupted with dissatisfaction: “Didn’t your father just say it? She must have taken a bus back, covered in dust and looking unlucky. This afternoon, Mom will take you shopping and get my precious baby plenty of jewelry and clothes!”
Lin Xuecheng smiled sweetly, snuggling into Qian Yuechang’s arms: “I also want Master Ye Yi’s new designs!”
With a design piece from Master Ye Yi—even if it was just a small handkerchief—Lin Xuecheng could strut around the socialite circle.
Qian Yuechang agreed readily.
The maid walked in carrying a package. “Sir, your delivery has arrived.”
Lin Jingsheng received so many express deliveries every day that he couldn’t even remember everything he got.
When he opened it, the contents made Lin Jingsheng’s eyes go wide!
Inside the documents were two paternity test reports.
One was between him and his daughter, Lin Xuecheng.
The other was between his wife, Qian Yuechang, and their daughter, Lin Xuecheng.
The results of these two reports proved that Lin Xuecheng was Qian Yuechang’s daughter, but not Lin Jingsheng’s daughter!
Lin Jingsheng’s hands were trembling as he stared at the string of text and numbers, feeling as if his head was turning green.
“What is this?!”
Qian Yuechang quickly leaned in to look at the two documents, and suddenly remembered the “gift” Qing Wu had mentioned before leaving…
That damned girl, she just had to expose the secret she’d been hiding for over a decade. How vicious!
Qian Yuechang gritted her teeth and said, “Honey, it must be that little wretch Qing Wu who did this. She must have hired someone to forge these reports to drive a wedge between us. Paternity tests cost a lot of money, and I never give her any allowance—where would she get the funds?”
“She just wants to make our lives miserable before she leaves, and she wants to hurt Orange before she goes!”
“Honey, Orange looks so much like you. You can’t doubt her, or we’ll be falling right into her trap!”
Beside them, Lin Xuecheng was also crying pitifully, tears streaming down her face.
Lin Jingsheng looked at her with some suspicion, and indeed, he could see his own reflection in Lin Xuecheng’s features.
He also didn’t believe Qing Wu had the money or connections to secretly arrange a paternity test for him.
With that thought, Lin Xuecheng as his daughter should be real.
He put down the documents and said wearily, “I’m not doubting you and Orange, I just don’t want to acknowledge the wrong daughter, since this matter has already spread. It must be that girl Qing Wu—she’s truly psychologically twisted, sowing discord. Good thing we’ve cut ties with her…”
Sigh! Such a vicious girl—sending her away was truly the wisest decision!
After Lin Jingsheng left, Qian Yuechang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She instructed Lin Xuecheng, “Mom has signed you up for classes to study micro-expressions. As long as you keep your expressions and mannerisms similar to your father’s in daily life, he’ll think he was overthinking things and won’t suspect anything again.”
Lin Xuecheng didn’t dare defy Qian Yuechang, and she also knew what would happen if this secret were ever exposed, so she could only mumble in agreement, “Then Mom, buy me one more designer piece from Master Ye Yi—I want a hair clip from the same collection!”
Qian Yuechang hugged her, smiling with utmost affection, “Alright, Mom will buy you everything.”
Lin Xuecheng curled her lips, quite satisfied.
Qing Wu probably didn’t even know who Master Ye Yi was. From now on, their lives would be completely different—one was a princess, and the other was an ugly duckling!
On the plane, Qing Wu looked at the messages on her phone and replied selectively.
She had also participated in the development of this helicopter model, so even at ten thousand meters above the ground, there was signal.
The phone hadn’t been completely wiped either—she just needed a few operations to restore it.
She had no interest in keeping anything from the Lin family.
Ji Qiurong: “Boss, the latest collection is out. I’ve sent the pre-order information to your phone.”
“This design is absolutely stunning! The moment it launched, everything was sold out, and the money has been transferred to your account. Several wealthy women even got into a physical fight on the spot over a silk scarf!”
Qing Wu replied nonchalantly: “Make sure security is handled.”
Ji Qiurong: “Don’t worry, boss. We’ll make sure they compensate us—not a single cent less!”
Having worked alongside Qing Wu for so long, they knew her temperament better than anyone.
Ji Qiurong: “Boss, have you finished the design drafts for next quarter? Of course, I’m not rushing you!”
Ji Qiurong had seen Qing Wu draw design drafts before—in just one hour, before he’d even finished his meal, she’d completed an entire quarter’s worth of drafts!
Every single design was breathtakingly stunning. By the end, Ji Qiurong wanted to kneel before Qing Wu’s hands on the spot.
The industry was full of praise for Master Ye Yi’s extraordinary designs. If they knew these were merely drafts sketched out during Ye Yi’s meal breaks, their jaws would drop to the floor!
Qing Wu glanced at the stack of blank white paper beside her.
“They’re done. I’ll send them over. I’ll let you know once I’ve prepared the Reveal-Ink Agent formula.”
“Got it!”
Ji Qiurong knew their boss was extremely cautious.
Every design draft she produced was drawn on specially made paper with custom pens, and the patterns were invisible to the naked eye.
Each draft required a special reagent—the Reveal-Ink Agent that Qing Wu formulated herself—to bring the true design to light.
Even if someone happened to get their hands on these drafts by sheer luck, all they’d see was blank paper.
Obtaining Master Ye Yi’s design drafts was harder than reaching the heavens.
Old Zhou had picked up his passenger and was piloting the plane with a face full of joy—happier than the day he’d won big on a scratch-off ticket.
“Miss, you’ve finally come home. Now the engagement between our family and the Pei family has a chance.”