Cha Meiling covered her slapped face; her fingers were slender and fair, but the handprint on her face was bright red and looked particularly shocking.
She didn't immediately get angry; instead, she chuckled coldly a few times, her eyes and brows full of mockery.
"Family? Little sister, you've just come from the countryside and haven't seen how deep the seas run in these wealthy families, have you? Apart from your godmother, look around the Ning family, who else really cares about you?"
Cha Meiling moved closer to Ning Yuan, a hint of vengeful pleasure in her voice—
"Let me tell you, even Brother Yu only acknowledged you as his little sister in the first place so that he could take back the jade chili pepper from you and then use your marriage to make a deal with my uncle in exchange for Ning's shares!"
Ning Yuan's expression remained unchanged. She looked at Cha Meiling unmoved, as if watching a clown performance.
Cha Meiling raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile curving her lips—
"My eldest uncle dotes on Ning Bing'an and wants his second wife's daughter to marry him to solidify the eldest wife's position. This is a tacit deal between him and Brother Yu! Otherwise, do you think a married woman like you would be accepted by my eldest uncle so easily?"
She paused, her tone contemptuous and sarcastic: "It was because of their deal that we had that grand Christmas auction, which brought you and Bing'an together!"
In the room next door.
Wearing a hood, Lao Xu was listening to the two people speaking Cantonese while taking notes. He thought to himself, "Damn, the captain's going to be cheated on!!"
He was from Ningnan. After retiring from the military and returning to his hometown, he naturally understood Cantonese.
But Captain, do you understand?!
Old Xu subconsciously looked at Rong Zhaonan, only to meet Rong Zhaonan's cold phoenix eyes—what are you looking at, you old man?
Old Xu immediately turned back as if nothing had happened and continued taking notes.
Yes, the captain is from Beijing, but he spent a few years in Ningnan. Although he can't speak it at all, he can understand it!
Rong Zhaonan leaned back in his chair, expressionless, and continued listening.
...
"So?" Ning Yuan raised an eyebrow. "What does this have to do with you? If you're jealous, just say so!"
Cha Meiling was amused and annoyed by her indifferent attitude.
"What am I jealous of? I'm jealous that you were born into the second branch of the Ning family, that you have a uterus, and that your eldest uncle took a liking to you and needed you to have a child with Ning Bing'an. I'm jealous that you became a tool to maintain the stability of the power succession within the Ning family!"
Does Ning Yuan really think she's some kind of chosen one, loved by everyone?
Cha Meiling looked coldly at Ning Yuan: "I pity you. Now even your uncle thinks that Bing'an is being treated unfairly by his younger sister. You are not good enough for Bing'an at all, but he can tolerate it for the sake of his godmother."
She suddenly looked Ning Yuan up and down, as if examining a cheap item—
"If you are just an ordinary worker or peasant woman without jade peppers, not good-looking, and not well-educated."
"Even if your uncle wants to plan for Bing'an and the eldest son's future, he won't agree to Bing'an marrying you!"
Ning Yuan lowered her eyes: "Even if what you're saying is true, so what?"
Cha Meiling was taken aback and frowned: "What did you say?"
She hadn't expected Ning Yuan to react this way. In her mind, Ning Yuan should have jumped up and retorted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
However, Ning Yuan did not. Her calm reaction was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing all the joy in her heart.
“I said…” Ning Yuan stepped forward, looked directly at her, and said, word by word, “I already know all that you’re saying.”
Cha Meiling looked at her coldly: "You knew all along? And you were still willing to cooperate with them in this charade? Was it for the money? For money, you'd give up everything? Even your husband?"
In the next room, Rong Zhaonan narrowed his eyes, continued twirling the pen in his hand with a blank expression, and his aura grew even colder.
Ning Yuan smiled coolly: "You're overthinking things. Whether I return to Hong Kong or not, who I marry, or whether I have children are all my own business. Ning Bingyu, Ning Zhengkun, and even the old man can't make decisions for me, let alone you. Who do you think you are?"
Cha Meiling's face flushed and paled in turns, her voice rising slightly as if she wanted to shatter Ning Yuan's last shred of illusion—
"Haven't you come to terms with reality yet? Accepting the Ning family's benefits comes with a price. They're only after your womb! They need you and Ning Bing'an to have a child in order to maintain the stability of the Ning family's power succession!"
"Do you really think coming back to be a pawn in someone else's game is better than living freely in the mainland? Don't be stupid."
Ning Yuan suddenly reached out and took the coffee cup from Cha Meiling's hand, examining it closely—
"Cha Meiling, you've gone to great lengths to prevent me from being recognized as a member of the family. Is it just because you're kind-hearted and can't bear to see me fall into a pit of fire?"
She paused, her gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight at Cha Meiling: "Then why did you drug my brother Wei Heng and have Tang Zhenzhen seduce him?"
Cha Meiling's hand suddenly felt empty. She clenched her fist and looked at her coldly: "Until my lawyer arrives, I reject all false accusations."
Ning Yuan looked at her and suddenly smiled.
Suddenly, Ning Yuan flipped her wrist—
"Splash!"
The steaming coffee was instantly poured over, splashing all over Cha Meiling's carefully maintained hair and face.
Brown liquid slid down her cheeks, leaving a shocking stain on her white shirt.
"Ah!" Cha Meiling screamed instantly, the scalding coffee making her almost jump.
She trembled with rage: "Are you crazy? You vulgar, rude, and ill-mannered bastard from the north! Only an ill-mannered woman would resort to violence so easily!"
Cha Meiling shouted and frantically tried to wipe the coffee off her face, but only made things worse, leaving her covered in unsightly stains.
"You're so noisy!" Ning Yuan looked at her coldly, then suddenly grabbed the mug and slammed it against the wall with a "bang".
The hard ceramic cup shattered instantly under the enormous impact, with fragments flying everywhere.
Ning Yuan grabbed the largest piece of shard from the coffee table and deftly pressed it against Cha Meiling's fair neck.
The sharp ceramic shards cut Cha Meiling's delicate skin, causing a stinging pain and freezing her in place, making her dare not move an inch.
She could even feel the icy touch, as if it would slit her throat and kill her at any moment.
Cha Meiling's entire beautiful face froze, she really became "quiet"!
She never expected Ning Yuan to act so suddenly.
"You're right, I am an ill-mannered and rude northern girl, so if I accidentally cut your neck when my sisters and I fight, it's normal, right?"
Ning Yuan's voice was icy cold and devoid of any emotion, sending chills down Cha Meiling's spine.
...
When Rong Zhaonan heard Cha Meiling's scream in the next room, his face instantly darkened.
He took off his headphones, stood up abruptly, and walked towards Ning Yuan's room.
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