014 Misunderstanding
"What? She saved you?" Lin Qing exclaimed in disbelief.
Zhu Xiangxiang obediently said, "No one else would help me at that time, only Ming Jing jumped in to rescue me. She was later swept away by the waves, I have no idea if she is okay or not. If something bad happened to her, I would never forgive myself for the rest of my life."
Lin Qing hadn't expected this to be the truth and it seemed she had wrongly blamed Ming Jing.
Lin Qing said awkwardly, "She just came back, don't worry, she's fine."
Zhu Xiangxiang let out a sigh of relief, "That's good. Mom, Ming Jing saved my life. I need to be extra nice to her from now on."
Lin Qing gently stroked her hair and spoke softly: "My dear, you are too kind."
"Ming Jing appears cold but she's warm-hearted. As a nun, she embodies true compassion."
Lin Qing did not comment. For some reason, she just couldn't get close to this daughter.
"Mom, how is Shaodan doing?"
"Your father has hired the best lawyer in the country. We are hoping the lawyer can help your brother out of this mess at the court."
"Even the best lawyer can't compete with Li Qingzhuo. He's the top authority in the legal world."
"What else can we do? We have thought about all the solutions; it's your brother's fault to mess with the wrong person."
"We should approach Madam Jiang. She holds great influence and power. Shaodan is not guilty of a capital offence. If Madam Jiang mediated, Shaodan might be saved."
"But we can't even meet with Madam Jiang in person. Even if we did, why would she help an unrelated family like us?"
"I heard that Madam Jiang loves gardening and is extremely fond of Clivia. She surely will attend the flower show at Tian'e Lake this weekend. We should win her through what she likes. If she provides some help, then even the fox cannot successfully impersonate the mighty tiger. Our foes will keep their eyes open."
Lin Qing touched her forehead indulgently, "You are such a sly fox."
After calming Zhu Xiangxiang, Lin Qing left the room, strolled to Ming Jing's room and knocked on the door.
It was a while before Ming Jing opened the door. Lin Qing couldn't help but ask: "What have you been doing? You took so long to answer the door."
Ming Jing stared at her quietly: "Sleeping."
Noticing that her complexion wasn't very good, Lin Qing softened her voice: "Xiangxiang told me that you saved her. I misunderstood you before, I'm sorry. Just rest well." With that said, she hastily left.
Every time she faced this daughter, she felt a suffocating pressure that she could not express.
Ming Jing closed the door, turned around, and went back to sleep. She had exhausted too much energy the night before and it was now Saturday. She had two days to take a good rest.
Ever since Ming Jing started practicing Buddhism, she seldom had nightmares. But today, for some unknown reason, she had a chaotic dream filled with long-buried memories.
When she woke up, it was already dusk, the setting sun was casting mottled light and shadow on the white curtain and the floor.
Ming Jing lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock" the clock silently moved towards darkness.
Miss, are you awake?" the voice of Madam Zhou came from outside the door.
"I made some late-night snacks, come and have some."
"Come in." A chill voice drifted by.
A chill shivered down Madam Zhou's back. She pushed open the door and walked in with the tray.
The room was pitch-black, and a dark silhouette was sitting on the bed. The curtain moved with the wind, creating a strange atmosphere.
Madam Zhou turned on the light and placed the meal on the tea table. There was a bowl of porridge, two plates of vegetables, and a bun.
Simple and light, just the way Ming Jing usually ate.
"Miss, you have slept all day, are you feeling any better?"
Ming Jing rubbed her forehead: "I'm okay, thanks, Madam Zhou."
"No problem at all, it's what I should do." Madam Zhou picked up the dirty clothes from the bathroom to take them to the dry cleaner.
Ming Jing got up and sipped some porridge. At that moment, her phone rang.
Ming Jing was startled as she looked at the bedside table.
The day she returned to the Zhu's mansion, Zhu Xiangxiang gave her a new phone, the latest model of an iPhone. There were only two contacts: Zhu Xiangxiang and Tao Xingxing.
Ming Jing didn't usually bring her phone to school, so she didn't know when the battery had run out. It was Madam Zhou who had found out about the dead battery while cleaning the bathroom and charged it up.
Before, Charles Gao kept asking for her WeChat. In the end, Ming Jing caved under pressure and gave him her phone number just to get rid of him.
Ming Jing picked up the phone. There was a friend request on WeChat.
The profile picture was a selfie of Charles Gao, showing off and full of self-admiration.
Ming Jing accepted the request, and immediately, Charles Gao initiated a video call.
"I've been waiting for you to add me the whole day, and only now you accepted my request. " His tone of voice even had a touch of grievance.
Ming Jing replied indifferently: "I've just woken up."
Charles Gao seemed to be in a bar. The background was noisy with people talking and lights flashing. He looked as if he was in hell with his face reflecting green light.
"Have you had dinner?"
"Fuck... Charles has never spoken so softly, who on earth is on the other end of the call?"
A group of young men huddled together excitedly behind Charles Gao. One of them tried to sneak a peek, but was glared away by Charles.
"Having dinner now."
The two talked in a nondescript manner. After a while, Ming Jing was going to take a shower and abruptly ended the call.
At that moment, the investigation report he had requested had also arrived.
Unexpectedly, Ming Jing was the real heiress of the Zhu family, who was recently discovered after a period of controversy. She had been adopted and raised by Master Wu Xin of Jiyue Temple at Baitou Mountain since childhood. She became a nun, devoted herself to Buddhism, and would still be in the mountains chanting sutras if the private investigators hired by the Zhu family hadn't found the truth and brought her back.
Charles Gao was shocked at the information he had been thinking about all day.
There wasn't much detailed information in the report. With a few words, a simple image of a girl's sixteen-year life was sketched out. After returning to her wealthy family, she did not become ostentatious or arrogant, but maintained a low-key and simple lifestyle. At school, she never drew attention to herself and even saved Zhu Xiangxiang, her presumed enemy.
After reading the report, Charles Gao was filled with mixed feelings, one of the young men asked: "Charles, is she your girlfriend?"
Charles Gao glanced at him: "Don't speak nonsense."
The group exchanged glances. It seemed Charles had unusual feelings for this girl.
A commotion broke out not far away; it seemed someone was making trouble. Such happenings were common in bars. Charles Gao drank while lost in his thoughts, completely oblivious to the disturbances.
A teenager covered in tattoos ran over: "Something happened to Huanhuan."
The group of young men was surprised: "What happened?"
Only Charles Gao remained seated, without even furrowing his brow.
"Huanhuan caught the eye of a rich second-generation youth. The guy was incredibly arrogant and tried to impress Huanhuan with money. Of course, Huanhuan didn't comply, scolded him a few times, and then he dared to have his men pin Huanhuan down and humiliate her."
"Fuck, that's going too far."
"Who the hell does he think he is in Jiangcheng?"
"Acts so wildly on our turf? Today, we need to teach him a lesson. Let's go, guys."
The group was set to fight, Charles Gao said in a deep voice: "Wait."