Zhu Xiangxiang returned to her room, turned on her phone, and browsed the internet. As expected, the entertainment headlines had been updated.
— From a chicken coop to a golden phoenix or occupying a magpie's nest? Unveiling the rise of the top socialite!
— The little nun transforms into a wealthy lady? Where will the fake heiress go?
Exaggerated eye-catching headlines accompanied the stolen photos of Ming Jing's back, along with a few malicious ones of Zhu Xiangxiang. The storm had begun.
People loved gossiping about wealthy families, and the drama of a real vs. fake heiress is something that even screenwriters couldn't come up with, so netizens were obsessed with discussing it online. Some sympathized with Ming Jing and hated Zhu Xiangxiang, and with the malicious comments from trolls, Zhu Xiangxiang was being dragged through the mud.
Zhu Xiangxiang could guess who was behind this, but that wasn't important now. A few harsh words online couldn't hurt her, and the more vicious comments she received, the more pity her family would feel, which was exactly what she wanted.
—
The Zhu family had a banquet that night, and Ming Jing came downstairs. Lin Qing was furious when she saw Ming Jing's shaved head.
Granny Zhu had warned her not to curse at anyone and ordered the nanny to quickly buy a wig, as she couldn't bear to see it for a second longer.
Granny Zhu pulled Ming Jing to her side, taking the seat that used to belong to Zhu Shaodan. Zhu Xiangxiang glanced at them and sat down to the right of Lin Qing.
Granny Zhu looked at Ming Jing's bald head and laughed, "A round head is a sign of intelligence and good fortune."
Ming Jing smiled slightly, "May your words come true."
Granny Zhu patted her hand, and a delicate silver lock appeared in Ming Jing's hand, "A gift for our first meeting."
Ming Jing graciously accepted, "Thank you, Granny."
It is impolite to refuse an elder's gift.
The nanny kept bringing dishes, and soon the table was filled with all kinds of delicacies.
"I don't know what you like to eat, but after all the hardships you experienced, look how thin you've become. From now on, you must eat well and nourish your body." Granny Zhu looked at Ming Jing with a heart full of pity.
Granny Zhu looked around and asked in a deep voice, "Shaodan hasn't come back yet?"
"I was wondering why the lights in the dining room were so glaring tonight. Turns out we have an extra light bulb." A disdainful and sarcastic voice came from outside the door, and a handsome young man entered with his hands in his pockets.
He was about fifteen years old, thin and tall, wearing a yellow and white-striped baseball shirt, with the foil curls that playboys loved. He was handsome and spirited.
However, his eyes were hostile as he stared at Ming Jing, "Our family doesn't run a charity. Don't bring in any stray cats or dogs."
"Watch your mouth, this is your sister Ming Jing," Granny Zhu scolded in a deep voice.
Zhu Shaodan rolled his eyes, "I don't have a nun for a sister. I only have one sister, and that's Zhu Xiangxiang."
Granny Zhu was furious, about to hit him with her cane, but she was stopped by Lin Qing, who was protective of her son. "If Shaodan doesn't like her, then let him be. But sit down and eat."
"I won't eat with a nun." With that, he stormed upstairs with his hands still in his pockets.
"This child is getting worse and worse." Granny Zhu scolded, patting the back of Ming Jing's hand.
"Shaodan isn't a bad person; we just spoiled him. Give it some time, and he'll see your kindness."
Ming Jing gently patted Granny Zhu's back to comfort her, saying softly, "It's not worth wasting energy on irrelevant people."
Granny Zhu sighed. She saw it clearly; ever since Ming Jing entered this family, she had never shown any emotion, truly embodying the emptiness of a monk's life.
Yet she was still just a young girl in the prime of her life.
The meal was bland, and near the end, Lin Qing received a call. After hanging up, she glanced at the quietly eating Ming Jing.
"Your school has been arranged. Report there the day after tomorrow. You'll be at the same school as Xiangxiang, but your foundation is too poor, so you have to start from the first year of high school. I don't expect you to be as good as Xiangxiang, but getting a diploma is enough. The Zhus will support you for a lifetime."
Zhu Xiangxiang happily said, "Mom, don't worry, as long as I'm around, no one will bully Xiangxiang.""That's great, Ming Jing. From now on, we can go to school and go home together." Zhu Xiangxiang's smile was so sincere that it moved those who saw it.
Comparing her to the quiet and bald Ming Jing, the contrast was quite jarring, causing the imaginary balance in everyone's minds to tilt again.
Did Ming Jing care about what these people thought of her? After dinner, she went back to her room.
She came to the Zhus with a mission, not to perform acts of motherly love, sisterly affection, and sisterly respect with them.
Walking into the bathroom, she looked at the face in the mirror. Every feature was delicate, every part perfect, beyond what the Zhu family's genes could ever achieve through mutation.
With her current identity, exceptional beauty was not a good thing.
There was a knock on the door at this time, "Miss, I've bought the wigs."
Not knowing which style Ming Jing preferred, the maid bought five different types.
Ming Jing glanced at them and picked the most ordinary short one with thick, blunt bangs, obscuring her smooth and full forehead, making her look dull and restrained.
The maid couldn't help but remind her, "This long, straight wig suits you best, Miss. Even with a bald appearance, you're beautiful. Wearing this wig, you'll be even more beautiful."
Ming Jing cast an indifferent glance at her. The maid shuddered internally, not knowing why. Although the new Miss looked kind and gentle, her gaze made the maid feel exposed and vulnerable. It was strange.
"I'll put these four wigs in the cabinet for you, Miss. You can wear whichever one you want, and change it every day for a refreshing look."
Ming Jing nodded slightly in response, sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating, becoming as silent as an old monk.
Maid Xiao Ying sneaked a few glances at her. The slender figure bathed in a holy radiance under the light, as if looking any longer would be blasphemy.
She silently muttered "Amitofo" before quickly leaving.
──
Shengde High School was the best aristocratic high school in the city. To enroll, students had to be rich or powerful. To improve the school's college admission rate, the board members spent a lot of money on recruiting top students from poor backgrounds who relied on their studies to make a name for themselves. However, these students looked down on the wealthy second-generation kids, while said kids scorned these fake, pretentious, but genuinely poor students.
Especially after an incident last month where Lin Helong was forced to drop out, the two factions were at each other's throats.
The first-grade students were usually divided into the rocket, gifted, experimental and parallel classes. Class 8 was known for its lazy, mediocre students, detested by all.
The arrival of a transfer student barely caused a ripple in the class.
Ming Jing obediently walked to the seat designated by the teacher and sat down. Her deskmate was an outgoing, round-faced girl who smiled warmly and said, "Hi Ming Jing, my name is Tao Xingxing."
Ming Jing put down her backpack, took out her textbooks and stationery, turned her head to look into Tao Xingxing's eyes, and smiled slightly, "Hello."
The girl in front of her seemed extremely ordinary, but her eyes were so beautiful, conveying an indescribable, open-mindedness.
All-encompassing, tolerant and great.
Tao Xingxing, who excelled in Chinese language, immediately found the perfect adjective.
That was the feeling.
Opening her textbook, Ming Jing looked at the dense words on the page as her thoughts quietly drifted.
How long had it been since she last sat in a classroom like this, learning peacefully?
Picking up her pen, Ming Jing smiled. After years of worshiping Buddha, her mind had transcended, yet her fingertips couldn't stop trembling at this moment.
As the girl sat calmly, the noisy surroundings seemed to have no effect on her. There seemed to be a halo around her, gentle and incredible.
Tao Xingxing was stunned.
She saw a god.