Cha Meiling gazed out the window, a wisp of smoke escaping her lips, blurring her cold, icy features—
"What good would it do me to gain my godmother's favor if I sent Ning Yuan back?"
“If Ning Yuan is still unmarried but refuses to marry Bing An as her uncle arranges, I will offend my uncle Ning Zhengkun; if Ning Yuan marries Bing An as arranged, she will be helping Brother Yu, but she will offend the Ning Man’an sisters.”
Neither Ning Man'an nor Ning Manfei are easy to mess with; the issue of the Ning family's inheritance rights is extremely sensitive!
Although she was Ning Bingyu's woman, she didn't want to get involved in the struggle for the Ning family's heir—she was caught in the middle.
She is currently preoccupied with protecting the Cha family and has no time to spare. Offending Ning Man'an and Ning Manfei will only worsen her already difficult situation.
Anderson took a sip of tea and chuckled lightly: "Once Ning Yuan loses the Jade Chili, only the Second Madam will need her. But if she acknowledges her relatives, it might have unpredictable or even adverse effects on the rest of the Ning family."
Therefore, most of the Ning family may not want Ning Yuan to return, unless she can bring back the Jade Chili Pepper.
Cha Meiling sighed softly: "Everyone has selfish motives. Even if I have no hostility towards Ning Yuan, with her around, I am no longer the only daughter of the second wife."
When the Ning family first arrived in Hong Kong, in order to establish themselves, they arranged a marriage between Ning Bingyu and the young Ning Bingyu, presenting the family heirloom, a jade chili pepper, as a token of their sincerity.
Only the matriarch of the Ning family is qualified to hold the jade chili pepper.
She paused, then gave a self-deprecating laugh: "But fortunes change. Now the Cha family is not as good as the Ning family. Before I had my own daughter, my godmother placed all her hopes on me and loved me the most. If something happens to the Cha family, she will do anything to help me so that she will have something to hold onto."
"But would a godmother who has a biological daughter still go against the interests of Brother Yu and the Ning family, and would she still be willing to help me and Mommy without reservation?"
Yesterday, she had brief contact and made some preliminary inquiries with the delegates from the mainland.
She had originally thought that if she knocked out that scoundrel of a father, Cha Shenlou, and handed him over to the mainland "guests," they could execute him or lock him up as they pleased.
He then handed over all the messy private relationships and even most of his wealth to the Cha family, hoping to exchange them for his and his mother's safety.
But the guest delegate was also a master of diplomatic maneuvering, skilled in all sorts of diplomatic rhetoric, saying nothing at all, leaving her empty-handed.
But she could also sense that the mainland "guests" would definitely not let go of the "traitors" who crossed the line!
Cha Meiling lowered her eyes and sighed, "Actually, as the eldest sister-in-law, I don't dislike Ning Yuan, my younger sister. I even admire her resilience. Unfortunately, Cha Shenlou has prevented me from being her eldest sister-in-law. Our interests are destined to be different."
Aside from being a bit too refined in bed, Ah Yu's conduct is actually much better than that of many second- or third-generation rich kids.
She was a near-perfect marriage partner into a wealthy family, and her friends were all incredibly envious of her.
But with Cha Shenlou's disastrous actions, she was destined to disappoint the wedding team Ning Bingyu had specially hired from Hollywood.
Cha Meiling looked at the Huangpu River, which had witnessed countless rises and falls of power, and a cold light flashed in her eyes.
She didn't care about the life or death of Cha Shenlou and his half-siblings.
But she had to protect her mother, the Cha family's shell, and its power!
She sacrificed and gave so much for the Cha family, all she wanted was the right to inherit the Cha family's estate!
Why can't women be heirs?
Anderson understood: "So, for you, Miss, the best course of action is to seize the Jade Chili Pepper before Ning Yuan acknowledges her family, suppress Ning Yuan's existence, and prevent the Second Madam from finding out."
But what he didn't understand was: "But if we can find out about Ning Yuan's existence, so can Young Master Ning. Didn't he ask Ou Minglang to look for Ning Yuan?"
Recognizing Ning Yuan would not benefit the eldest branch of the family, but marrying his younger sister to Young Master Bing'an would help Ning Bingyu gain Ning Zhengkun's support.
Cha Meiling exhaled smoke and said coldly, "If Tang Zhenzhen had been able to help me get the Jade Chili Pepper back then, I would naturally have had a way to make Brother Yu give up the idea of using Ning Yuan for marriage. Unfortunately, it was too late."
Ning Yuan herself is not valuable; what is valuable is the jade chili pepper she wears.
Back then, the godmother violated family rules by placing such an important jade chili pepper on her daughter, because she had a selfish motive: she had to find her daughter.
But in the current situation, it is best for Ning Yuan to never be recognized again, which is beneficial for herself and most of the Ning family.
Having known Ning Bingyu for so many years, she believed she understood him quite well and had a way to persuade him to abandon the idea of using Ning Yuan for a marriage alliance.
Anderson was silent for a moment: "Well, if Tang Zhenzhen had been able to get Ning Yuan's jade chili pepper back then, then you would have been the first to know Ning Yuan's true identity, and you would have been able to arrange her later life."
Ning Yuan's adoptive parents are her weakness. If she didn't know her own background, she would probably be very filial to them.
With money, she could manipulate her mercenary parents, and with Tang Zhenzhen controlling Wei Heng, Miss Annie would have Ning Yuan's later life perfectly planned out.
He would remain a nobody, never appearing before Madam Ning in life or death.
Madam Ning will always be Miss Anne's support.
Cha Meiling stubbed out her cigarette and said calmly—
"Not letting her acknowledge her relatives is just helping her choose an ordinary path. Most people in the mainland are poor now, and Ning Yuan's situation is not too bad. Getting married, having children, living an ordinary and mediocre life, isn't that good?"
She scoffed, "What kind of good life is it for someone like me, living in constant fear and anxiety?"
Anderson fell silent.
Whether one is ordinary or ambitious, it doesn't matter.
If it were him, what he would want most is the right to choose—
Whether life's path is good or bad, at least you chose it yourself, instead of having your life silently manipulated by others, living in ignorance and dying in ignorance.
But he was Miss Anne's man, so naturally he wouldn't speak up for Ning Yuan, an outsider.
Moreover...
“What’s the point of saying all this? Tang Zhenzhen didn’t get the jade chili pepper back then, which gave Ning Yuan the opportunity to recognize her relatives. It was all just a failed scheme,” Cha Meiling said wearily.
Tang Zhenzhen said that although Ning Yuan used to be a bit stubborn, she was mostly introverted and easily influenced by outside opinions!
Her first boyfriend was a rural cadre in the village, but he suddenly had an affair with Rong Zhaonan and slept with him.
She guessed that Tang Zhenzhen was jealous of Ning Yuan and had made up a simple personality image that seemed easy to control.
Ning Yuan is clearly a troublesome younger sister, quite shrewd. Even though Brother Yu has faced her, he hasn't gotten any advantage so far.
Ning Yuan's husband is not someone to be trifled with either; neither of them is easy to deal with.
...
Rong Zhaonan...
Cha Meiling's sharp, deep eyes flashed before her eyes again, and she thought somewhat absentmindedly—
If he were as powerful and influential as Mr. Ou, the "guests" sent last night, could he also protect her and her mother...?
He's so fierce and efficient when he fights with a gun, I wonder if he's just as intense when he's in bed with Ning Yuan...
Cha Meiling paused, a strange unease stirring within her, and her brow furrowed—
She's really sick, imagining a stranger having sex with his wife.
...
"Tang Zhenzhen should be almost done. Miss Annie, shouldn't you go over and give her some pointers?" Anderson's voice suddenly rang out.
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