Ning Yuan pinched her palm hard; the sharp pain allowed her to barely maintain her composure.
Countless thoughts raced through her mind like a revolving lantern, and finally, she asked the question that had been nagging at her:
“At that time, I was still in the countryside and had no idea that I was a daughter of the Ning family. Even if she could get clues about me from my mother and Ning Bingyu, how could she find me before the Ning family members?”
Upon hearing this, Rong Zhaonan paused slightly, then turned his gaze to Ning Yuan: "You said you didn't know you were a daughter of the Ning family when you were in the countryside? But you told me before that you were a daughter of the Ning family in Hong Kong, and asked me to help you find information about the Ning family."
Ning Yuan was taken aback; she had been emotional and had inadvertently said the wrong thing.
She paused, lowered her long eyelashes, and explained calmly, "At first, I really didn't know. I only found out the year I met you."
In her previous life, she only learned about her origins after she overheard her adoptive mother, Ning Jinyun, talking to her when her children were already in junior high school.
Throughout her life, her excuse was always "eavesdropping on her adoptive parents' conversations."
Rong Zhaonan stared at Ning Yuan, a dark light flashing in his eyes. The feeling he had when he was in the countryside came back to him—this rabbit spirit was clearly not telling the truth.
But... since she doesn't want to talk about it, then forget it.
Anyway, this wasn't the first time she'd done this. As long as she wasn't a spy, he could accept it even if she told him one day that she wasn't human.
Rong Zhaonan said calmly, "Cha Meiling contacted Tang Zhenzhen through Tang Zhenzhen's father."
"Tang Zhenzhen's father?" Ning Yuan was even more puzzled.
Ning Yuan: "How could Tang Zhenzhen's father have any connection with Cha Meiling? They should have absolutely no connection!"
He explained casually, "Before liberation, the Tang family had considerable connections in Shanghai's education and arts circles. The old man of the Cha family once lived in Jing'an District of Shanghai for a period of time with his young son, Cha Shenlou, and they were neighbors with the Tang family. That's how Cha Shenlou met Tang Zhenzhen's father."
"How did Tang Zhenzhen's father get in touch with Cha Meiling and the Cha family?" Ning Yuan was still puzzled.
After all, the time span is so large, and there are special eras in between, so reconnecting with this relationship is by no means easy.
With the border crossings closed, it has become very difficult for her mother and the Ning family to return to the mainland to find her all these years.
Rong Zhaonan shook his head and pondered, "It's still unclear. The Xiang brothers, in order to oppose me, indiscriminately rammed the police car carrying Tang Zhenzhen's parents into the Huangpu River, and the trail went cold."
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan couldn't help but frown.
Rong Zhaonan sat up abruptly, his voice cold and clear: "But even before the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, there were smuggling activities along the border between Guangdong Province and Hong Kong."
“After 1976, smuggling and illegal immigration became more frequent, and many people risked their lives to swim across the electric fence to the Hong Kong government. Perhaps they made contact around that time.”
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan recalled fragments of information and pieced them together.
She thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “Now that you mention it, I think I remember something. It was around the time of the Spring Festival in 1977 that Tang Zhenzhen started corresponding frequently with her family in Shanghai. After that, she suddenly took a liking to my jade chili peppers and always wanted me to give them to her.”
As Ning Yuan recalled, she said, "Actually, we were sent to the countryside together for more than four years, and Tang Zhenzhen had already seen my Jade Chili Pepper. Although she thought it was quite pretty before, she never showed much interest."
“Because at that time it was not fashionable to wear such gold and jade items, which were considered feudal remnants… But 77 years later, Tang Zhenzhen developed a strong interest in my jade chili pepper and repeatedly tried to possess it.”
In other words, Tang Zhenzhen's father may have made contact with the Cha family around 1977!
Ning Yuan lowered her eyes and chuckled, "Some things, when looked back upon, are truly fascinating, like hidden clues..."
She suddenly remembered her past life, when she had finally managed to transfer out of the silk spinning factory and go to the timber factory to work as an accountant in the sales department.
At that time, she knew nothing about finance, so she worked overtime every day to learn.
Soon, her outstanding performance earned her a valuable opportunity to travel to Hong Kong.
Upon her return, she happily brought with her carefully selected local specialties from the Hong Kong government to visit her adoptive mother, Ning Jinyun, hoping to earn her praise.
Unexpectedly, Ning Jinyun suddenly flew into a rage, grabbed her cane, and struck her mercilessly, scolding her for being unfilial and for going to the Hong Kong government without permission, neglecting her elderly mother at home.
The sudden, torrential scolding made her feel deeply guilty.
She assumed that after her adoptive father's death, her adoptive mother's personality had become eccentric and she was extremely attached to her.
Looking back now, it all seems rather strange.
Ning Jinyun's actions were not out of affection for her; they were clearly just to prevent her from going to the Hong Kong government.
Thinking back to how Tang Zhenzhen had suppressed her in every way, including forbidding Wei Heng from taking care of her, she realized now that it wasn't just simple jealousy and disgust.
There is no love or hate without a reason in this world.
Now, standing at the other end of time, looking back from the root of the truth, we can see that... her life had long been handled clearly by someone else.
The key point is... for Cha Meiling, dealing with Ning Yuan's life was so effortless.
It wasn't even considered premeditated.
It was just that Cha Meiling gave her a sum of money and assigned her a simple task—to keep Ning Yuan out of the limelight for the rest of her life.
In her previous life, Tang Zhenzhen carried out the task very well, and her adoptive parents, Ning Jinyun and Ning Zhuliu, also carried it out perfectly.
It turns out that a person's life can become a puppet in the hands of others without them even realizing it.
And the other party doesn't even need to exert any effort to control you; there are plenty of people to do it for them.
You are just one of the most insignificant things that big shots have to deal with.
It feels like... you suddenly realize that the joys and sorrows that have overwhelmed you throughout your life were nothing more than a piece of tissue paper that someone else casually wiped their hands and threw away.
Ning Yuan took a deep breath, suddenly closed her eyes, covered her face with one hand, and chuckled softly: "Hahaha... This is so interesting...!"
And this "toilet paper" of hers is not even worthy of knowing the "big shot" behind the scenes.
What kind of utterly ridiculous and absurd drama is this?!
Seeing that she was not in a good state, Rong Zhaonan's eyes flashed with worry. He got up and poured her a cup of hot tea: "Drink some hot water and calm down."
Ning Yuan looked at him extending his hand to her, and suddenly thought of what she would do after retirement.
She liked to watch the news and television while mopping the floor and picking vegetables. Once, she saw a news report of Mrs. Cha accompanying Mr. Rong on a trip abroad.
Strangely enough, she still remembers the headline the news anchor broadcast: "A devoted couple, weathering storms together for decades."
Under the flashing lights of reporters from various countries, the couple is no longer young.
Mrs. Cha still looks like a forty-year-old noblewoman, with elegant features and outstanding temperament.
When he stepped off the plane, the serious, cold, and intimidating man, who exuded an imposing aura, would always exit the cabin first and then extend his hand to Mrs. Cha.
That was a rare display of his tenderness in front of the camera.
Mrs. Cha responded with a gentle smile, allowing her husband to lead her off the plane.
At that time... she thought, Mrs. Cha is a very lucky woman, and also a very discerning woman. She is truly enviable.
"Smack!" Ning Yuan suddenly raised her hand and slapped the cup he was handing her away.
"Clang!" The cup fell to the ground instantly.
Rong Zhaonan was taken aback, and looked at her with a frown, asking, "What's wrong?"
He didn't quite understand Ning Yuan's reaction.
Although he was surprised by Cha Meiling's methods, Cha Meiling did not succeed. Was Ning Yuan's emotion a bit too extreme?
He reached out and grasped Ning Yuan's icy wrist, feeling her pulse pounding fiercely beneath his palm, as if she had been stimulated by something.
It was as if she had really suffered a lot because of Cha Mei-ling.
Ning Yuan seemed to reflexively shake off his hand and recoiled abruptly.
Rong Zhaonan's hand froze in mid-air, his deep eyes swirling with unfathomable emotions.
"I'm fine." Ning Yuan took a deep breath, and as the glass shattered, she calmed down.
She turned around somewhat awkwardly, avoiding Rong Zhaonan's gaze, and bent down to pick up the broken pieces on the ground.
"I'm just... a little shocked by Cha Meiling's deep scheming. I never realized she was this kind of woman before, that she even tried to stop me from acknowledging my family..."
Ning Yuan lowered her head, a chilling glint in her eyes: "Why would she do this..."
Rong Zhaonan's eyes darkened as he looked at Ning Yuan's flustered state.
His tone remained calm: "Given the extent of Cha Shenlou's hatred for the Ning family, there are only two reasons why he and Cha Meiling did these things—either to deal with the Ning family or to revitalize the Cha family."
He paused, then continued, "I suspect he's eyeing the jade chili pepper you have. Cha Shenlou must have heard the legend of the jade chili pepper and believes that obtaining it will unlock the Sheng family's treasure hidden in Switzerland..."
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