The Ming family villa remained brightly lit late into the night.
On the living room sofa, a few elders from a branch of the Ming family were seated. Some of them were smoking, while others only had their heads lowered. For a long time, no one made a sound.
It wasn't until Ming Zhicheng and his wife came downstairs that they all perked up and stood.
"All of you, sit."
Ming Zhicheng raised his hand, signaling for them to take their seats.
Ming Lai, dressed in her pajamas, was currently standing in the corner of the second floor. She leaned to one side, trying to eavesdrop.
The reason for the urgent meeting downstairs was Ming Qu's sudden return.
While the old master was still alive, he had not bothered about anyone's objections, and was determined to hand the Ming family over to a little girl. Now that he was gone, the person who had been missing for two years suddenly reappeared. To say that this was strange would be an understatement.
Ming Lai didn't listen for long. As she turned around, returning to her room, she cast a quick glance at the guest room where Ming Qu was staying.
'Damned girl, we'll see just how lucky you are!'
Ming Qu had just showered and was holding her computer to flip through documents on her bed.
She was scanning through all of the Ming family's assets acquired in recent years, as well as their details.
Back then, when she had been sent to the countryside, and had been fortunate enough to meet a skilled teacher. It was there that she had learned a large variety of skills. She had not expected that in her later years, she would have to rely on those skills to support not only herself, but Grandpa Niu, who stayed with her.
She had not noticed that it had already gotten so late.
Ming Qu turned off her computer and switched off the lights, but she did not feel sleepy at all.
She was no longer in France and now had to face the entire Ming family. Even though they were her biological parents and blood relatives, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't try to kill her again.
Ming Qu turned over, looking at the night sky outside her window. She sighed gently. Just as she was about to close her eyes, there was a soft knock on the door. She heard Ming Lai's stifled voice. "Ming Qu, are you asleep?"
She was about to sit up when a sudden thought froze her in place, and she did not dare to make a sound.
The person outside the door did not knock again.
Ming Qu lay down quietly. Just as she closed her eyes, the sound of a lock being picked could be heard and the door was slowly pushed open.
She pretended to be asleep, but her body was tense. She was on high alert.
She thought that the person would turn on the lights. Instead, they snuck into the room, moving quietly.
Ming Qu saw an opportunity.
Ming Lai was now close to the bed. Ming Qu sprang up, raising her leg to deliver a powerful kick. She continued her attack, not giving the other girl a chance to scream.
Following the fight, the lights in the room were lit.
She looked at Ming Lai, who had been beaten black and blue, lying breathless on the ground.
Ming Qu was composed. She bent down and took the nylon rope Ming Lai had been holding. She then covered her with a sheet. Locking the door behind her, she went downstairs through the window.
The next day, just as the sun had risen, she returned, climbing back in once again through the window.
Ming Lai had already woken up. An idea formed in her head as Ming Qu quickly changed into her pajamas. Pretending to have just woken up, she opened the door, leaving the room.
In the living room downstairs, a doctor in a white coat was applying medicine to Ming Lai's wounds.
She saw Ming Qu as she walked down the stairs. She pointed at her, snarling hatefully, "B*tch, just you wait!"
Mother Ming, who had been sitting by the side, saw this. She raised her hand and hit Ming Lai. She scolded her softly, "Lai'er, what are you doing!"
Although Ming Lai was furious, she was still worried that Ming Qu would expose what she had tried to do last night.
Unexpectedly, Ming Qu never mentioned it at all, and even apologized for her carelessness.
The conflict between the two sisters seemed to be temporarily resolved, yet they both understood that the animosity between them was only growing bigger.
In the following days, Ming Qu would explain that her disappearance was because she had been kidnapped by a stranger in the middle of the night. It wasn't easy for her to find her way back.
She knew that it wouldn't be easy to convince the others, but she persisted that it was true.
Ming Zhicheng looked at his wife, the both of them letting out a sigh of relief.
In any case, he had already become the head of the Ming family. Even with her return, she would not pose much of a threat. Regardless, she was still his child, and would no longer be able to stir up much trouble anyway.
"It's good that you're fine. Your father and I were worried. Back then, when you had suddenly disappeared, we searched the entire city. There were human traffickers running rampant at the time. Your grandfather passed away because of his grief."
At the mention of the old master, Ming Qu unconsciously clenched her fists.
"Is that so? Grandpa..."
Ming Qu's smile faded into sadness.
Out of the entire Ming family, the old master was the most precious to her. She didn't expect that his death would be because of her.
"One day, I'll go pay my respects to Grandpa."
She sniffed and cheered herself up.
Mother Ming moved closer to her and patted her on her back, comforting her. "Alright. Now that you're back, we feel more at ease. In the future, work with your sister and help your father manage everything in the Ming family."
"Yes, Mom, I'll try my best to be as remarkable as Sister."
Before returning to China, she had investigated Ming Lai.
She had a master's degree in Finance, and as such, she was good at managing money. People like her were usually shrewd and difficult to deal with. Judging from her actions that night, however, it seemed that Ming Lai was not as smart as she seemed.
"Dad, Mom, Jin'an asked me out for dinner."
Ming Lai, who had been silent for a few days, came downstairs carrying her bag without even giving Ming Qu a glance.
Chen Jin'an was Ming Lai's fiancé. This was the man who had stepped on her shoulder and kicked her off the cliff back then.
Ming Qu appeared calm on the surface when she heard his name, but her heart roiled in anger.
Chen Jin'an... She wanted him dead!