Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ning Shuqian returned to her room with her daughter, pulling a long face on the way back. The servants saw her and kept as quiet as a cicada in winter. They were scared to even greet her.
A few older servants got together and whispered to each other, “Do you know why Madam is so angry?”
“It must have something to do with Miss Xinya. Since she returned to the Wen Family, Madam is never happy.”
“The late Madam was much nicer. When she was around, everything in the Wen Mansion was organized and smooth under her care. She discriminated one’s rewards and punishments and never treated the servants badly.”
“That’s right! This Madam always takes it out on the servants. She always puts up a false front and tries to act as though she’s an easygoing person, trying to imitate our late Madam.”
“But Master Wen buys it. We should be careful with our words from now on! Otherwise, if she hears us gossiping, who knows what evil plan she will hatch. Do you remember Mother Zhang’s incident? She just happened to say something bad about Madam and was asked to leave. Even Old Master Wen was unable to help.”
Back in the room, Ning Shuqian advised Wen Yuya with concern. “Yuya, that little bitch Xinya grew up on the streets with a gangster culture. She is arrogant and despicable. Do not confront her head on in the future. We really don’t know what she is capable of doing. Mother is afraid that she could do something to hurt you!”
Wen Yuya felt sorry for herself and started crying. “Mother, I just can’t let it go. What makes that little bitch Xinya so worthy that she is able to get so much love and attention from Grandpa when she has just returned to the Wen Family, and then immediately became the beloved Miss Wen. I have been staying in the Wen Family for 15 years, and yet, I’ve got nothing. Father is also biased towards her. My monthly allowance is only 10,000 yuan, while that wretch Xinya who had been living a thug’s life has a monthly allowance of 30,000 yuan.”
Ning Shuqian gave a loud sigh. What other reason could it be other than Wen Xinya having the blood of the Wen Family flowing in her? Ning Shuqian married into the Wen Family when Yuya was only four months old. They even changed Yuya’s family name to Wen. It had been 15 years. Wen Yuya might have already considered herself the real Missus of the Wen Family. It was very difficult to change her mindset.
At the thought of Wen Xinya’s looks and temperament greatly resembling that of her late mother, it made Ning Shuqian uneasy. Besides, she was irritated that she wasn’t able to get an edge over Wen Xinya that day. She continued, “Yuya, she has just returned to the Wen Family and is at the peak of her time now. You will be the one losing out if you keep going against her. Let her have her way for this period. After some time she will show her true colors and start to lose Grandpa’s love and attention.”
Wen Yuya wasn’t truly convinced. “But…”
Ning Shuqian gently wiped off her tears. “Silly child, a chicken is a chicken, it will never become a true phoenix. To be a true Missus of an affluent family, one must acquire a good personality and temperament. What characteristics does Xinya possess?”
Wen Yuya shook her head. “But these are skills that one could pick up. She mentioned that Grandpa will hire a teacher to teach her about etiquette, didn’t she?”
Ning Shuqian snickered. “Silly child, if it was that easy to learn, then there wouldn’t be any difference between high and low status in society. To display good character and temperament of a Missus of an affluent family, it must be instilled into her from a young age. It’s not a simple skill that anyone can easily pick up.”
Wen Yuya pouted and fell into Ning Shuqian’s arm like a little kid. “I don’t care whether she’s a chicken or a phoenix, I just don’t want to see that little bitch Xinya again. Mother, please think of a way to get rid of her!”
Ning Shuqian frowned. “Why are you behaving like a little kid? She is, after all, a progeny of the Wen Family. How can we just get rid of her easily?”
Wen Yuya didn’t budge. “Mother, you’ve seen how she treated me today. She has gone against me in every way and even threw a knife at me. If she stays on I might even lose an arm or a leg.”
Wen Yuya recalled when they were at Jo-ramst earlier, the aura Wen Xinya carried when she walked towards her made her feel suffocated. It was like she had been under her control. Every step Wen Xinya took added torture on her emotionally.
There was no word to describe that feeling. She knew Wen Xinya was her nemesis in life.
Once Ning Shuqian was back in her room, she was pulled into a passionate hug.
Ning Shuqian interrupted their passionate moment with a concerned voice. “Haowen, I met Madam Xu today. She told me a rumor concerning Xinya. I’m afraid this might have a negative impact on the Wen Family’s reputation.”
“What is this about?” Wen Haowen asked.
“You know who Xu Zhenyu is, don’t you? He’s the second eldest son of the Xu Family!
“Mister Xu was well known for his unruly behavior. He is one of the rich playboys in the Capital city.
“Madam Xu mentioned to me that Mister Xu thought he had seen Xinya at a club called Black Sunday. She was very drunk. Everyone in the Capital city has been rumoring about how arrogant and unruly she behaved,” she explained. Ning Shuqian wasn’t worried at all about Wen Haowen’s suspicion that she couldn’t get along well with Wen Xinya. One of the reasons was that she was aware of how much Wen Haowen disliked his daughter. Another reason was that she used to have a good relationship with Ruya, so it made no sense that she could get along with Ruya but couldn’t tolerate Wen Xinya.
Wen Haowen was always sensitive to his reputation. After hearing Ning Shuqian, his face turned sour. “When Father found her, I took a look at how she has been living for the past 15 years and didn’t agree to let her return to the Wen Family. But Father persisted on acknowledging her as part of the family. We all know what kind of a sleazy place Black Sunday is. A club filled with vices. If the media came to know about it, I don’t dare imagine what they are going to write about us, destroying the Wen Family’s reputation.”
Ning Shuqian smiled. Contented with Wen Haowen’s reaction, she added, “Haowen, Xinya is still a child… She isn’t bad to the core, probably just a little unruly in her behavior. I think if we guide her well, she should be able to…”
Wen Haowen interrupted furiously. “You don’t have to speak up for her. Just look at her upbringing for the past 15 years. Cheating and stealing, getting into fights… All these are gangster behavior. She doesn’t possess the quality and temperament of what a Missus from the Wen Family should have.”
Ning Shuqian acted as if she understood the seriousness of the problem. She said in a panicked voice, “Then what shall we do? The previous incident of a wrong acknowledgment to Ruya had already made an ugly impact on the Wen Family’s reputation. If this time round Xinya isn’t able to show some good behavior, we will definitely become a laughing stock in the high-status society.”
She had hit the nail with her words. An affluent family always valued its reputation the most. Wen Haowen was exasperated. “We can’t possibly lock her at home all day long and not let her go out, can we?” he said.
Ning Shuqian brightened up at the great idea. “How about sending her to study abroad? Let her start afresh. Xinya didn’t have a chance to complete secondary education and isn’t able to go to university. The education system of other countries is very different from ours. Let her experience a change in environment for a few years and give her a chance to kick all her bad habits.”
Wen Haowen thought this was an excellent idea. “Yes, you are right. I will discuss it with Father tomorrow,” he agreed.
Ning Shuqian’s eyes sparkled with happiness. She added, “It will be difficult for Xinya to stay in a foreign country alone. The living expenses are high. We cannot skimp on her allowances.”
With money, there would be ample opportunity of going astray.
“Yes, of course.”
