A Miao was walking downstairs for her meal when she heard Xia Mei's voice. She then turned around to go upstairs.
"Stop right there!" Xia Mei threw the photo at her. "It's fine if you embarrass yourself, don't get us involved!"
The photo depicted A Miao, dressed in a chick costume, delivering condoms. She picked up the photo but before she could take a clearer look, Yao Lili's voice resounded.
"What is this?" Yao Lili snatched the photo out of A Miao's hands. Before long, she began screeching. "Disgusting! How can you do something like this?"
Seeing the development of events, A Miao thought she might as well sit down. "It's just a job. You all don't have to make a fuss about it."
"Job?" Xia Mei grabbed the photo and waved it in front of A Miao's face. "This photo is pinned up in our school board. Now everyone knows that there's someone in Xia family that does this sort of shady business. How can you even have the face to go to school when classes start?"
A Miao pushed Xia Mei's arm away, earning her a jab in the forehead from Yao Lili. "You're so embarrassing!"
"I don't think there's anything shameful about doing a job. The money I earn is clean. So what if they're condoms? Haven't you guys used them before?"
"How can you be this boorish!" Yao Lili yelled. "Who taught you to speak this way?"
Their loud voices alerted even Xia Yongqiang. Just as he entered the living room, he saw the photo on the ground.
"Grandfather!" Xia Mei immediately picked up the photo and showed it to him. "Look! Look at what she did!"
A Miao stood up. "That's the work outfit that I had to wear in my previous job. I didn't do anything immoral."
"Who can prove that you're not lying?" Xia Mei snorted. "Perhaps you used it yourself."
"You sure have a dirty mind at your young age. Don't use your mentality to evaluate me," A Miao replied without any trace of politeness. Xia Yongqiang interrupted her, saying, "Shut up. See what it's written on the photo."
There was a lengthy text written on top of the photo, basically saying that one of the precious young ladies of the Xia family had a rather complicated life and often entered the red-light district. Furthermore, the text even hinted that it could be Xia Wan.
"What? How can these people write this sort of nonsense?" It was only then that Yao Lili noticed the content of the text. Earlier, she had looked eager to watch a good show but she was now yelling in anger. "Damned girl! Who did you provoke?"
A Miao clenched her teeth. She was now certain that this was the psycho's work.
"Outsiders don't even know of my existence. Why would they target me?" she replied earnestly. "You should ask if Xia Wan provoked anyone. It might even be one of you."
Now that things have come to this, this was the only thing that she could say.
"Grandfather, look at how she's acting!" Xia Wan said unhappily. She wanted to make A Miao suffer a scolding.
Xia Yongqiang also felt that this matter was not targeting A Miao. Outsiders truly had no idea of her existence. Then what was the purpose of smearing Xia Wan's name?
"Speak! Did you do this on purpose?" Yao Lili refused to let the matter slide. "You're trying to ruin Wanwan and Shen Xinglan's relationship, aren't you?"
"Pfft!" A Miao nearly laughed out loud. She smirked at Yao Lili. Both of them barely knew each other, so what relationship was there to speak of? Yao Lili made it seem as if her daughter was already married to that psycho...
Xia Yongqiang's expression abruptly darkened. "Looks like someone's unhappy."
"Father?" Yao Lili was confused.
"I'm not trying to criticize you but can't you use your brain a little?" Xia Yongqiang snapped. "Don't forget there's still Bai Youran's aunt."
Yao Lili thought about it before suddenly crying out in realization. "Bai Yongwei!
"She's the madam of the Ji family and Shen Xinglan's stepmother." Xia Yongqiang frowned. "How did I forget about her? I'm sure this is her work."
"What gives her the right to do this?" Yao Lili's expression was full of disdain. "She's just a stepmother! She's just trying to get Wanwan to marry into the Bai family instead."
Xia Yongqiang had no mood to continue speaking with this foolish woman. He stood up and prepared to go to the study. "Call Haixin and ask him to come back. Tell him I have something to talk to him about."
"Grandfather!" Xia Mei did not expect that A Miao would be able to escape this incident unscathedly. "What about her? Even if someone deliberately targeted our family, she's the one who gave them a chance to do so!"
A Miao lowered her head without uttering a word. Xia Yongqiang glanced at her and said, "You're grounded for the time being. Your allowance for next month is also canceled."
Suppressing her urge to roar in laughter, A Miao quietly stood up and walked upstairs.
"Urghhhhh!" Once she was back in her room, she began kicking and punching the air on her bed.
That damned Shen Xinglan! Why would that psycho always ruin her plans? Now that she could neither go out to work nor get an allowance, how could she buy medicine for Song Baohua next month?
Simultaneously, Shen I reported the event to Shen Xinglan.
"Boss, will it affect us if they suspect her?"
Shen Xinglan looked up at him. "They'd just ground her. Xia Yongqiang won't throw her out of the house."
There was a knock at the door. Shen II pushed the door and entered. "Boss, there's a call from Mr. Ji."
"Hmph! He's just trying to remind Boss that Bai Yongwei's birthday is coming up," Shen I said disdainfully. "I really don't know how Mr. Ji's brain developed, not knowing the true identity of the person beside him after so many years."
Shen Xinglan sneered at him. "If he's clever, my mother wouldn't have died back then."
"Boss, Mr. Ji said they won't be returning to the country for the time being. The present..."
"Once you've prepared it, just mail it over." Shen Xinglan rapped the desk. "If he wants a show of a filial mother-and-son relationship, I'll put on an act for him. As for Bai Yongwei, we'll wait until she gets what she wants and then destroy it."
Shen Xinglan wore a nefarious smile on his face. "It's only fun to play a game like this..."
"Achoo!" He suddenly sneezed mid-sentence. Shen I was just about to wonder aloud if the air-conditioner was colder today when he heard his boss' sinister voice.
"It's definitely that damned woman scolding me."
...
Sure enough, A Miao was scolding him as she counted the money in her purse.
"There's not even 500 yuan here. I can only buy a box of medicine with this." She sighed. She had planned to save the 1,000 yuan that the Xia family gave her as allowance each month. By the end of the year, she would have enough to buy Song Baohua an infrared physiotherapy machine.
Now, she only hoped that Xia Yongqiang would forget about this in another two months and continue giving her an allowance.
"What are you thinking about to be that distracted?" a voice suddenly drifted into her ears.
A Miao lifted her head and saw Xia Wan standing at the door.
"You didn't knock the door again." She frowned and put away her purse.
Xia Wan walked in and sat down on the bed. She said in a concerned tone, "Don't take what happened today to your heart. I know you didn't do it on purpose."
"You're wrong!" A Miao laughed. "I'm working a job openly and honorably. I didn't get into anyone's way." She took advantage of Xia Yongqiang's speculation to push the blame onto that stepmother or whatever. "If you want to blame someone, you should seek Bai Youran's aunt."
"You misunderstand me. I'm not blaming you!" Xia Wan smiled but deep inside, she desperately wished to slap A Miao across the face.
She spent a considerable amount of effort to suppress this crisis in the school but she knew there would certainly still be people gossiping about this in private. She could let this slide, but she was worried that the Bai family would dislike A Miao even further because of this.
"Then why are you looking for me?"
Xia Wan sighed and then put on her trademark smile. "I've spoken to Grandfather earlier. This is your allowance." She placed a stack of money on the desk. "It's not your mistake in the first place. Don't worry about Youran. I'll explain this to him."
A Miao glanced at the money and then shifted her gaze back at Xia Wan. She then politely said thanks and put the money away.
"Thank you. But you don't have to explain anything. No matter what you do, Bai Youran will never like me." She chuckled. "His heart belongs solely to you!"
Contempt flashed across Xia Wan's eyes when she saw A Miao keeping the money. She would not have to worry about A Miao not marrying if A Miao was given enough benefits.
"Youran and I grew up together. We're just like siblings!" Xia Wan lowered her head a little. "Even if... Even if he feels anything, I believe everything will be fine once he marries you."
A Miao rolled her eyes. She truly applauded this woman's character. On the one hand, Xia Wan wanted to marry her off to Bai Youran. On the other hand, she was unwilling to do so and took every opportunity to show Bai Youran's feelings for her. A Miao did not know if she should describe Xia Wan as clever or foolish.
"Ah..." She stretched her body. "It's getting late. Aren't you going to bed?"
Xia Wan rose to her feet with a smile. "Then I won't be disturbing you any longer. See you tomorrow!"
The next day, A Miao deliberately waited for the Xia sisters to go to school before coming downstairs. Yao Lili saw how strangely she was acting and asked, "Do you want to go to school? Don't forget the old man's words."
"There's something I want to buy online. I need to go to the bank to deposit some money." A Miao plastered on a fake smile. "Do you want to go on my behalf?"
Yao Lili waved her hand in disgust. "How could a child order an adult around?"
"Then what should I do?" A Miao spread out her hands. "I need to deposit the money today."
"Auntie Li!" Yao Lili yelled. "Go on. Go and help her deposit the money."
A Miao shrugged and indifferently gave the unwilling servant her ATM card password and money. "Here's 1,000 yuan. I've already counted it."
Pursing her lips, Auntie Li turned around and left the house.
"Go back to your room." Yao Lili felt frustrated seeing her around.
"I'm hungry." A Miao ignored her and entered the kitchen to find food.
She cooked herself a bowl of noodles and even purposefully topped it off with several thick slices of beef. Carrying the huge bowl, she returned to her room. When she received the text notification from the bank, she immediately turned on her computer.
"Let's buy medicine for Auntie Song first!" That was her main goal. Buying from a seller in the same city meant that the item would be delivered tomorrow at the latest.
Then, a strange smile appeared on A Miao's face. She searched for a particular online store and began communicating with the owner of the store.
"Boss, there's a delivery for you." Shen II carried a small parcel into the office.
Shen Xinglan hung up his call and glanced at the parcel. "Where did it originate from?"
"Our city." Shen II did not hand him the parcel. Instead, he cautiously said, "Why don't I open it?"
He shook the parcel and his expression abruptly changed. "Boss, there's a ticking sound."
Shen Xinglan's brows furrowed. "Smash it."
"What if it's a bomb?" Shen II asked carefully.
Shen I who was standing on the sidelines replied, "Don't be funny. Did you forget that we installed a detector here? If it's a bomb, the alarm would have sounded."
Shen II nodded and fired a shot at the parcel.
Following a loud bang, something akin to a green mist filled the entire room. The smell assailed their nostrils and shrouded the entire office.
"B-Boss..." Shen I and Shen II looked dumbfounded.
Shen Xinglan's face was so dark that it resembled ink, emanating a deadly killing aura all over. But covered in a sticky layer of viscous goo, he seemed rather hilarious.
"Is this stinky tofu?" Shen I pinched a block of the tofu with his fingers and gave it a sniff. He nearly vomited. He rushed to the door, about to open it. "Don't open the door." Shen II stopped him while he opened the windows. "The smell will get out." Shen I was dumbstruck as he imagined the entire office floor being filled with the smell of stinky tofu. He could not help but wanting to retch. "Boss, why don't you take a shower and change your clothes?" Shen II did not dare to look directly at Shen Xinglan. Shen Xinglan, who had not spoken all this while, slowly raised his head. The first thing he did was loosening his necktie. Then he took off his suit and shirt and walked into the bathroom. While walking in, he began to slowly turn around. "Hehehehehe..." Shen I swallowed uneasily. "Boss..." "Oh no. Did he get so mad that he lost his mind?" "Go.&quo
A ripping sound resounded as the man tore A Miao's shirt and began touching her all over. She felt something rising from her stomach and then vomited all over herself and Xia Mingde. "Let me go… You bastard, let me go!" Without even bothering to wipe her mouth, she felt around for the table lamp on the floor and swiped Xia Mingde with it. "F*ck!" Xia Mingde blocked her attack with his arm and snatched it out of her hands. With a turn of his hand, he landed a hard slap on her face. "You bitch." A Miao fell on the floor. Xia Mingde once again grabbed her thighs and ripped her skirt with one smooth movement. "No! Let me go… Mom… Help!" A Miao stared at the ceiling with tears streaming down her face. The only thing she could think of was her mother's final words. Thud! Just as she was about to close her eyes and waited in despair for Xia Mingde to climb over her, the door abruptly opened. "Boss, how s
Shen I held onto A Miao's arm and took no more than a few steps before turning his head to ask, "Boss, where should we…" "Just find a random dark room." Shen Xinglan waved impatiently. "Not the underground." "Understood." Noticing that A Miao was faintly trembling, Shen I comforted her while dragging her. "Don't worry. I'll be locking you in the storeroom. When boss' mood improves the next morning, I'll let you out." Worrying that she would catch a cold at night, Shen I kindly found a particularly small storeroom and even placed a quilt inside. When he saw how A Miao lied on the quilt without moving, he said nothing and locked the door. It was pitch-black inside the storeroom without even a hint of the moonlight. In the darkness, A Miao began to quiver. She could not stand staying in a cramped space like this. To a claustrophobic person, this was life-threatening torture. "Let me out! Let me ou
Shen Xinglan ordered the hospital to inform the Xia family that A Miao was involved in a car accident. "How did you end up getting involved in a car accident? What about Shen Xinglan?" Xia Wan questioned her as soon as she entered the room. Yao Lili and Xia Mei carefully observed A Miao. "Where are you injured?" A Miao raised both of her hands. "If that guy didn't dump me on the roadside, I wouldn't have been hit by a car." It was Le Yi who told her that Xia Wan might get suspicious if A Miao said that Shen Xinglan dragged her home. "Don't tell me you've gone blind!" Xia Mei said, evidently happy over A Miao's misery. That was because the bedridden A Miao was wearing a pair of shades. Beside her, a nurse who was preparing to leave immediately replied, "Her eyes were injured. She can't see light for the time being." "What sort of injuries are these? You're even staying in such an expensive ward
A Miao's smile instantly disappeared. Le Yi got up while shaking his head. "Have you been here for long?" Le Yi meant that he must have heard most of their conversation. "I just got here," Shen Xinglan shamelessly lied. He then looked coldly at A Miao. "You better recover as soon as possible. Otherwise, don't dream of going to classes in the second half of the year." A Miao stared at him and suddenly smiled. "I'm not in a hurry then. Worse comes to worst, I'll just attend next year." What she did not know was that her smile earlier had stupefied Shen Xinglan. It was as if the soft and gentle little girl in his memories was lying on his body, saying, "Brother Lan, it'll stop hurting after I blow on it…" Le Yi called him. "Shen?" "I'm fine." Shen Xinglan sat down on the sofa. "How soon can her hands recover?" "One and a half month if she obedient
Before he was a doctor, Le Yi was first and foremost Shen Xinglan's friend. Moreover, he came here because Shen Xinglan wanted to heal her hands... "I understand." A Miao pushed aside the bowl of soup in front of her without any expression. "Don't worry, I'll play along. You're right. This is a deal that I should complete." Le Yi chuckled, his expression ever attentive and gentle. A Miao smirked in self-mockery. She was the foolish one here. How could she think that this man was a good person? No, the man was not a bad person. They merely had different stances. "Why didn't you finish the soup?" Le Yi pushed the bowl in front of her again. "This is good for your recovery. It's much better than the hospital food." A Miao once again scolded herself in her mind. She thought that he was being kind when he prepared all those meals for her. She had been so grateful and treated him as a friend. Hehe, she was simply t
There was no way that she could run. Never mind that she had so little money on her or that she did not have her passport, she knew the casino town was dangerous just from the scene she saw earlier. Dejected, she hid in a corner of the room. She felt like crying but no tears came. "Mom…" she cried out with much difficulty. Suddenly, she found herself truly despising people of the Xia family. She did not know when her tears began to flow. She sobbed and whimpered quietly until her voice turned smaller and smaller. She had fallen asleep with her body curled up. She woke up to the sound of someone knocking on her door. Bai Youran sent someone to deliver a dress. She gave it no more than a glance before throwing it on the floor. Later on, Bai Youran came over and saw that she was not wearing the dress. "What do you mean by this?" He flew into a rage. "Put on that dress!" The dress was so deeply cut in the front that she wo
She was wearing a peaked cap, a men's T-shirt and jeans, and even her shoes were men's. If Shen Xinglan hadn't seen her iconic dull eyes, he would consider her a man from nowhere. "Don't be angry. You don't want to eat with a bald woman, do you?" A Miao sat down. "At least I'm not as conspicuous as I dress up as a man." Shen Xinglan pursed his lips, staring at the woman opposite him, and said, "I don't mind. Go back and change your clothes." "You are supposed to become a laughing stock. If you dress like this, it will go easy on you." "Since I have come, can I go back and change them after we finish eating?" A Miao said, grinding her teeth. "Once I come back to eat alone later and tell someone something that I should not say, it won't be good, right?" Shen Xinglan sneered, picked up the coffee and said, "Follow Shen I after you change your clothes." Seeing A Miao eating attentive