He Meili threw down the rag and stared at her. “What did you do?”
Her gaze felt almost physical.
Ning Hong couldn’t withstand the pressure and honestly confessed, “…I locked the door from the inside. I don’t know how Ning You did it, but she broke the lock.”
He Meili’s brows jumped. She was almost infuriated to death by this daughter.
“Didn’t I tell you not to do unnecessary things?” she said through gritted teeth, her voice suppressing rage.
Ning Hong hung her head and argued, “What unnecessary thing did I do? I just wanted to vent my anger.”
“Did you vent it?” He Meili snapped back, her anger only rising. “All you did was bring me endless trouble. What exactly did you accomplish?!”
If she couldn’t strike decisively and completely suppress Ning You so she couldn’t fight back, she would rather do nothing at all.
Ning Hong didn’t understand He Meili’s deeper thinking and still felt wronged.
“I didn’t expect it either.”
With her rough looks and big face, her expression of grievance looked like a tiger trying to act cute… extremely unsettling.
He Meili looked away.
“You didn’t expect it, didn’t expect it… besides saying ‘didn’t expect it,’ what else can you do? If you can’t help, then do nothing. As long as you don’t drag me down, I’ll be thankful!”
After scolding her unreliable daughter, she saw it was almost time for work and hurried out the door.
Ning Hong followed behind in a rush.
..
In the afternoon, the sun came out, dispelling the damp chill left from last night’s rain.
A notice was posted on the factory bulletin board.
It was about the previously rumored “infrared searchlight” project team.
The members had been decided—all listed on the paper.
Once the slightly yellowed sheet went up, some were happy, some were furious.
Ning Zhongyi had been full of confidence.
But after reading the notice several times back and forth, he discovered not only was he not the team leader, he wasn’t even a member.
He froze on the spot.
The engineer beside him didn’t notice his expression and casually gossiped about the names.
“The project leader is Chu Tianqing!”
“That’s well deserved, honestly.”
At this moment, Ning Zhongyi’s mood was at its worst.
Hearing his colleague’s words only made him more irritated.
He wanted to lose his temper, but his usual scheming nature meant he had always maintained a good image among coworkers. He could only suppress the frustration until he felt like he was about to vomit blood.
He said in a cold, sarcastic tone:
“This infrared searchlight project is highly important. I worry that if the leader isn’t a professional, it might affect progress…”
He trailed off meaningfully, but his implication was clear.
The male colleague replied honestly, “That’s true. But I heard Chu Tianqing is capable—he spent years on an island. Since the higher-ups appointed him, it should be fine.”
Ning Zhongyi’s eyes darkened as he looked at Chu Tianqing, who was surrounded by admiration. A cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Chu Tianqing!
You dare steal my position—just wait!
Chu Tianqing sensed the hostile gaze and looked up.
Their eyes met—Chu Tianqing’s turned sharp with cold light.
“Hmph.” Ning Zhongyi flicked his sleeve and turned away.
Chu Tianqing frowned slightly.
After the notice was posted, everyone chatted briefly before dispersing.
On the surface, Ning Zhongyi could still barely maintain a smile.
But when he returned home at night, his face was as cold as ice, his expression sinister and gloomy.
Ning You, sharp as ever, knew her “scumbag father” had lost a major opportunity and was in a bad mood, so she stayed in her room.
With a walking bomb outside, only a fool would go provoke it.
And there were plenty of fools in this house.
Ning Hong hummed as she entered the room.
Seeing the motionless figure on the sofa, she was so startled she almost jumped.
“Dad, why are you sitting here in the dark? Why didn’t you turn on the light? You scared me!”
In her fright, her tone carried some complaint.
Normally Ning Zhongyi wouldn’t bother, but today he was furious.
Everyone looked like an enemy to him.
“Are you teaching me how to do things?” he asked coldly.
In the spirit of watching the drama, Ning You peeked through the keyhole and almost burst out laughing when she heard that.
Oh wow, suddenly acting like a CEO, huh?
Has Ning Zhongyi read too many foreign novels?
Seeing his expression, Ning Hong panicked and shook her head quickly.
“No, no.”
“Good,” Ning Zhongyi said coldly. “There is no place in this family for you to talk too much.”
Those words made Ning Hong feel completely cold inside.
What do you mean there’s no place for her to speak?
Doesn’t she also have the Ning surname?
Heartbroken, she returned to her storage-like room.
Ning You watched like she was enjoying a show, almost wishing she had sunflower seeds to snack on.
Serves them right—watching scumbags and trash people fight each other is truly satisfying.
He Meili later learned that Ning Zhongyi had suffered a setback at work, so she bought some meat and planned to make a good meal.
When she returned home and saw him sitting in the living room, she pretended not to know anything and smiled gently.
“You’re back. I’ll start cooking now.”
She shook the meat in her hand.
“It’s been a while since we had dumplings. Today I’ll make pork and cabbage dumplings—your favorite. Just wait.”
Seeing her like this, most of Ning Zhongyi’s anger dissipated, and his cold expression softened slightly.
He even said something mildly warm:
“You’ve worked hard.”
He Meili was flattered and almost moved to tears.
“It’s not hard… you’re the one supporting the family. You’re the one who works the hardest.”
Although He Meili wasn’t named “beautiful,” she knew how to dress up and maintain herself. She wasn’t young anymore, but still presentable.
Now that she suddenly acted tender and emotional, it actually looked convincing.
Ning You even felt like she finally understood why Ning Zhongyi married her.
A strongly patriarchal man like him would naturally want a woman who obeyed him completely, takes care of him, and handles everything at home.
He Meili fit perfectly.
A match made in mutual benefit.
Ning You shuddered at the greasy sweetness of He Meili’s expression and quickly moved her eyes away from the keyhole, afraid of getting “eye strain.”
Back in her room, she read books and newspapers.
To survive in this era, she needed to understand the rules first—otherwise she’d easily make mistakes.
When it was about time, right after He Meili finished wrapping dumplings, she came out.
The Ning family was already seated at the dining table.
Ning You walked over and asked directly:
“It’s only been a few days, and I’m already not included in meals again?”
She muttered softly, “So that written guarantee is completely useless. I wonder if talking to factory leaders would help.”
Ning Zhongyi: …Can you please behave like a normal person?
Ning You even sniffed and sighed dramatically.
“Ah… a child without a mother is like grass in the wind.”
Fearing she might escalate things again, Ning Zhongyi tapped the table and looked at He Meili impatiently.
“Where is Ning You’s food?”
He Meili tensed immediately and forced a smile.
“There is, there is! It’s just that Youyou didn’t want to eat at home before… why has she suddenly changed her mind?”