Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Xinya, are you done packing yet?” Old Mr. Wen asked.
“I’m done!” Wen Xinya hurriedly answered. She glanced at Old Mr. Wen to see that he was standing at the entrance of the backyard and staring at her with a complicated look.
Xia Ruya hurriedly looked down and hid her emotions.
Wen Xinya walked past Xia Ruya with her luggage in hand. She then stopped in her tracks and said to her softly and menacingly, “It’s not impossible for you to return to the Wen Family…” She smirked and continued, “You may do so, over my dead body!”
Her words were like daggers to Xia Ruya’s heart, causing her to shudder in excruciating pain. However, she kept her back straight and taut like a tightly-pulled string. She refused to show her vulnerable side.
Wen Xinya walked past Xia Ruya and brushed her shoulder against hers.
Xia Ruya staggered backward, almost falling onto the ground. She instantly appeared much weaker and submissive.
Wen Xinya smirked coldly and walked away.
Old Mr. Wen sent her to the Mo Family home and left after sitting around for a short while.
…
Old Mr. Mo stared at her, seemingly deep in thought.
Wen Xinya looked down and stared at her heel, feeling a little nervous and jittery. She thought to herself, Grampy didn’t ever look as stern as he does now, even when he found out about my relationship with Si Yiyan. Did I do something wrong?
Wen Xinya was ill at ease and her imagination began to run wild.
Old Mr. Mo finally looked away and said, “Xia Ruya definitely has a motive for moving into the Wen Family home again, especially since she has gone through a scandal. She’s giving you a warning and declaring war. By moving in with me, you’re only going to seem like you’re trying to escape her because you think she’s tougher than you are.”
“People always say that the same trick won’t work too many times. Xia Ruya is full of schemes and devious thoughts. I’m tackling her by retreating.”
“You know that you can guilt trip Old Wen by emotionally blackmailing him with the fact that you’ve led a wandering life for fifteen years. He’ll take pity on you and be sympathetic. That’s a good move too.”
“I know what to do and how to put my status as the flesh and blood of the Wen Family to good use. No matter how scheming she may be, I’m confident that I won’t be harmed!”
“Xinya, you’ve done a great job this time. You must remember that you should never harm yourself for the better of others. Once you show your weakness, others will take the chance to attack you further when you’re at your vantage point.”
“Got it, Grampy.” Wen Xinya felt much more enlightened. If she didn’t allow others to trample all over her, she wouldn’t have ended up in such a sorry plight in her previous lifetime.
Old Mr. Mo nodded and said, “You must be very careful of Xia Ruya. I found her to be extremely scheming ever since she visited our home previously. You will never know what she’s thinking. She never does or says anything extra and she shows others that she knows her place. On the surface, she seems like a sensible and understanding person who’s almost flawless. However, the very fact that she puts on just a front just goes to show that she has insatiable desires.”
“That’s why she subconsciously makes an effort to keep up with her image,” said Wen Xinya, who could not help but admit that her grandfather had good judgment of others. Xia Ruya may deceive anyone but him.
Grampy’s status in the literary world could bring Xia Ruya much more benefits than the Wen Family’s wealth. Hence, she subconsciously wanted to curry Grampy’s favor. Little did she know, he had seen through her.
Old Mr. Mo said, “You’re right. I’ve completely seen through her after this scandal and the virginity test.”
Although Wen Xinya knew quite a fair bit about Xia Ruya, she could not be sure about what kind of person she really was.
Old Mr. Mo said, “Xia Ruya grew up in an orphanage until she was three. Although she was only three years old, she had already been through harsh treatment and seen through the cruelty of humanity. Being brought home to the Wen Family was like a transcendence from Hell to Heaven. It was a chance for Xia Ruya, whose eyes had been jaded, to get a new lease on life and hence, she had to grasp it with everything she had. Thus, she knew that she had to build a good image for herself in the upper-class society and impress the Wen Family. The older she got, the more desires she had and the more scheming she got. So, she’s very conniving and sly.”
Wen Xinya was slightly stunned by her grandfather’s words and she felt that his analysis of Xia Ruya was extremely on point. She could not fathom just how Xia Ruya could be so scheming when she was only fifteen.
Old Mr. Mo glanced at Wen Xinya and said profoundly, “She possesses grit, tenacity, gentleness, endurance, the ability to swallow her pride and stay humble. She uses all of these qualities to create a facade for herself and hide her wit, intelligence, pride, ambitions, greed and ruthlessness. She hides the fact that she’d resort to any means to achieve her goals beneath that pretentious front.”
Wen Xinya took a deep breath and thought to herself, I was just wondering where Xia Ruya’s boundaries lie and yet, Grampy has already seen through her. Every remark of his makes her sound intimidating.
Old Mr. Mo quickly changed the subject and said, “Your Grandpa Zhong called a few days ago asking about your progress in calligraphy. Go and write me a few words.”
Wen Xinya suddenly realized that it had been long since she practiced calligraphy, due to the various events that had been happening recently. She frantically walked towards the table and dipped the brush in ink before writing the words “Tian Dao Chou Qin” on the piece of paper.
Old Mr. Mo stared at the words that she had written and realized that they were rather well written. He gave a nod of approval and said, “That’s a great improvement, but you have to practice more.”
Even Old Mr. Mo could not help but be astonished at the tremendous progress that she had made.
Wen Xinya’s eyes lit up and she said smugly, “Grandpa, I’ve been practicing very diligently and I make it a point to write a thousand words a day. I haven’t been slacking at all. Grandpa Zhong even made me practice with my arm away from the desk. He says that that’d make the words sharper and the ink thicker.”
Although the Liu calligraphy style was nice, it was not suitable for women and was in fact, rather strange for women to practice them. Women should be practicing calligraphy styles which had gentler and prettier strokes.
However, after giving it some thought, Old Mr. Mo felt that the Liu calligraphy style was too sharp and not refined enough. If she were to practice it with her arm in the air, the strokes would be more defined. After all, Xinya has only been practicing calligraphy for a short while and does not have as much experience as those who have started learning since they were young. Practicing with her arm in the air could greatly make up for her shortcomings. Seems like Old Zhong is very serious about teaching Xinya.
“You ought to take some time out to visit your Grandpa Zhong,” Old Mr. Mo said with a sullen expression on his face.
“I was too busy previously. Now that I’m free, I’ll go visit Grandpa Zhong in another two days,” said Wen Xinya.
