"Listen," Ning Yunmeng's voice returned to its sweet tone, but with an unquestionable command, "Recover from your injuries and figure out what you hate most about Ning Xiwan. I'll contact you in a week."
"When the time comes, I'll tell you what to do and what to say. Remember—"
She leaned forward slightly, her beautiful, carefully painted eyes flashing with a cold and malicious light, and she said word by word:
"I want you to tear off her mask of superiority in front of everyone! Make sure she never gets up again!"
Wang Qiang tightly grasped the wad of banknotes stained by his hand and nodded vigorously, his face twisted with excitement and madness: "Okay! Okay! I'll listen to you! I'll definitely make her pay!"
Ning Yunmeng stood up with satisfaction, as if she had accomplished something insignificant.
She took one last glance at the dirty man on the ground, as if confirming a tool that was about to be used, then turned around gracefully, her high heels stepping on the fallen leaves, making a crisp and indifferent sound, and her figure quickly blended into the deeper twilight outside the school gate.
Wang Qiang curled up on the cold ground, holding the bag of money. He looked in the direction where Ning Yunmeng disappeared, then looked at the intersection not far away where Ning Xiwan and the other two had already left. A hoarse, beast-like laugh came from his throat.
The pain seemed to have subsided, leaving only a seething madness filled with desire for money and revenge.
A week later in the afternoon, in the Centennial Auditorium of C University.
The dome is tall and wide, and the huge crystal chandelier casts a bright but cold light.
The audience was packed with university leaders, prominent alumni, elite student representatives from various departments, and reporters armed with cameras. A solemn and slightly subdued atmosphere permeated the air.
Today was Shenzhen University's highest-profile annual award ceremony for the Mingde Scholarship. Ning Xiwan, wearing a neatly tailored pearl white blazer, sat in the front row with the award-winning students.
Her back was straight, her expression was calm, and her delicate profile looked like a flawless jade sculpture under the light.
Only her good friend Tian Tian from the same department who was sitting next to her could feel the slight chill on her fingertips of her hands on her knees.
"Nervous?" Tian Tian leaned in closer and jokingly whispered, "You're going to be speaking on stage later, Ning University bully."
Ning Xiwan twitched the corners of her mouth but said nothing. It wasn't nervousness. It was an inexplicable unease, like tiny ice needles, that had been pricking her ever since she woke up in the morning.
Subconsciously, she looked past the throng of people and towards the side door of the auditorium. Duan Shuce and Ye Qingliu had agreed to sneak in and wait for her backstage.
On the stage, the white-haired president spoke passionately into the microphone about the spirit of "Mingde" (enlightenment virtue). His deep voice echoed throughout the auditorium: "...learn to enlighten virtue, act to benefit the world! We, the students of C University, must not only pursue academic excellence, but also cultivate noble moral character!"
"Next, we would like to invite Ning Xiwan, the winner of this year's Mingde Scholarship, from the School of Life Sciences, to the stage to accept her award and give her speech! She excels in both character and academics, not only achieving breakthroughs in cutting-edge gene editing research, but also dedicating herself to..."
The principal's words were just as powerful as a huge rock thrown into a calm lake!
"Ning Xiwan——!!!"
A hoarse, shrill roar filled with endless resentment and madness, like the roar of a devil crawling out of hell, suddenly tore through the solemn and dignified atmosphere of the auditorium!
Wow——!
A huge banner suddenly unfurled from the crowd at the back of the auditorium. The scarlet background and glaring white letters were like a streak of blood, fiercely lashing everyone's retinas:
[Ning Xiwan is ungrateful! She forced her adoptive father to death! This is unforgivable!]
The person holding the banner was none other than Wang Qiang, who looked haggard, had red eyes, and was wearing filthy clothes!
Like a mad bull that had completely lost its mind, he pushed aside the stunned crowd and stumbled towards the stage, roaring with all his might:
"Everyone, look at her carefully! Ning Xiwan! She is a demon in human skin! Her father—my father—kindly adopted her! He provided her with food and clothing!
"What happened?! This heartless thing! She killed my dad! She pushed my dad down the stairs! She's the one who destroyed my family!"
"She's a murderer! And now she's transformed into some bullshit Ning family daughter! And here she is pretending to accept an award! Bah! Is she blind?! Giving the award to such a vicious woman! Does she deserve it?! Does she even deserve the word 'Mingde'?!"
The whole place was dead silent.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Everyone was stunned by this sudden, explosive accusation. The principal, holding the microphone, froze in place, his face ashen.
The teachers and students in the audience were stunned, staring in disbelief at the crazed man and the shocking banner he held. After a brief moment of dead silence, a huge buzzing noise suddenly erupted.
"Oh my God! What's going on?"
"Forced my adoptive father to death? Is that true?"
"Quick shot! Big news!"
"Ning Xiwan? The real daughter that the Ning family just recognized? No way?"
"Look at her, she looks so cold and aloof, she doesn't look like..."
"You can only know a person's face but not his heart! Who knows the grudges between wealthy families?"
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The reporters were the first to react, a brief moment of shock followed by professional ecstasy. Countless flashes of light flashed like dense hail, instantly focusing on the frantic figure holding a banner below the stage, and—in the front row, the pearly white figure that instantly became the center of the storm.
The bright light was blinding. Ning Xiwan sat there, her back still straight, like a bamboo in the snow. But only she knew that Wang Qiang's roar was like a poisoned icicle, piercing the darkest corners of her memory.
That night of torrential rain, my adoptive father Wang Degui's distorted, hideous face, his roar reeking of alcohol and cigarettes, and... that dull crash... the icy rain slamming into my face...
The knuckles of her clenched fingers turned blue and white, and her nails dug deep into her palms, bringing sharp pain, which barely suppressed the chill and raging anger that was surging in her body.
Tian Tian turned pale with fear and tightly grasped Ning Xiwan's cold arm: "Xiwan! He's talking nonsense! Don't..."
Ning Yunmeng sat a few rows behind Ning Xiwan. She had deliberately worn a plain off-white dress today, with only light makeup on her face, looking weak and innocent.
At this moment, she covered her mouth with her hands, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes quickly filled with tears of shock and "heartache", and her body trembled slightly, as if she was frightened by this "horrifying" accusation.
However, in the shadow where no one could see, the corner of his mouth, which was covered, was slightly raised into a twisted and smooth arc.
It worked! That madman Wang Qiang hadn't let her down! The effect was even better than she'd expected! Ning Xiwan, you're done! I'll see how you manage to act so high and mighty this time!
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