Chapter 25: Crossing Paths with the Enemy
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The time of Grampy’s flight was 10 o’clock in the morning. Wen Xinya was glad that he had the accompaniment of Uncle Zhang. After sending Grampy away, Wen Xinya remembered the shop that belonged to the Wen Corporation at Pearl Mall, Jo-ramst, had launched a few new items this month. Previously she had also promised to Manager Li she would visit the shop to take a look. She almost forgot about it due to her busy learning schedule. She decided to drop by today since she was free.
Wen Xinya hailed a taxi and stopped right in front of the mall. She took the lift directly to the shop at level three. The shop was unusually crowded due to the new launches. The moment she set foot into Jo-ramst, she saw Ning Shuqian sitting on a couch at the resting area with a magazine in her hands.
Ning Shuqian saw her too. She stood up slowly from her cross-legged position and walked gracefully towards Wen Xinya. “Xinya, what a coincidence! I did not expect to see you here,” she said.
Ning Shuqian looked at her from head to toes. She seemed to be a totally changed person from half a month ago as if she had successfully morphed from an impatient and childish character into a silent and elegant lady.
Wen Xinya displayed a plain smile. “Aunt Ning, did you come to shop for new clothes?”
Her plain smile accompanied by an unconcealable gracefulness made Ning Shuqian uncomfortable. “Mm, I accompanied Yuya and Ruya here to shop for new clothes. They are in the fitting room now.”
Wen Xinya plainly nodded in acknowledgment.
Ning Shuqian asked with concern, “Are you used to staying at your Grampy’s place?”
Wen Xinya nodded coldly. “There’s no need for Aunt Ning to worry. Grampy treats me very well. I am happy staying with him.”
Ning Shuqian showed displeasure in her eyes. Old Master Mo was known for treating everyone coldly. What could she get out of the Mo Family? She must be putting up a false front. She said, “Your Grandpa misses you a lot. Do visit him when you are free.”
Wen Xinya looked up into her eyes that were full of evil intention and coldness. But Ning Shuqian always managed to conceal her internal motives. “Aunt Ning, what do you mean? I am the Missus Wen of the Wen Family. It is also my home. Of course I will return to visit Grandpa,” she said.
Wen Xinya had intentionally emphasized strongly on the word “return.”
Indeed, Ning Shuqian’s face turned sour and she almost couldn’t manage her emotions. She looked at Wen Xinya as if she was going to burst into tears. “Xinya, I do not understand why you feel such a strong hatred towards me and misunderstood my words. But I really hope you will return to visit your Grandpa more often. You were always on his mind all these years, and he has had a hard time looking for you. Now that he has finally found you he would naturally hope that you stay by his side.”
Ning Shuqian was trying to beat around the bush with the intention of saying she was unfilial. How could Wen Xinya swallow such a huge criticism? Ning Shuqian, you want to challenge me? Let me play along with you and see who wins.“Aunt Ning, I also wanted to visit Grandpa, but Sister Yuya…”
Wen Xinya’s expression was like a flower in autumn. Though powerless, it was pitiful and yet beautiful as if it had some unspoken emotions waiting to be unleashed. This sorrowful emotion was captured in her eyes.
To an outsider, it seemed like the real Missus Wen was being bullied by an adopted daughter, and she wouldn’t dare to reveal her hurt feelings in front of her stepmother.
As if just as expected, the door of one of the cubicles opened, and out of it came Wen Yuya with a bright red dress. The red was attention-grabbing and overbearing, yet elegant. Her eyes almost popped out when she saw Wen Xinya. “Wen Xinya, why are you here?” she asked.
With such an arrogant tone, it got the attention of the other Madams and ladies in the shop. They instantly looked at Wen Yuya differently.
Wen Xinya drooped her head, trying to explain. “Sister Yuya, I…”
Ning Shuqian knew this wasn’t going to turn out right.
Wen Yuya had a tall and slim figure. Now that she was wearing a pair of 10 centimeters tall high-heeled shoes, it made her look even more dominant. She walked gracefully towards Wen Xinya and looked down at her. “You came to Jo-ramst for the new launches too?” she said while looking at Wen Xinya from head to toe. Then she continued to mock at her. “Can you afford it? The previous time you had my mum pay for your purchases. This time around, you wouldn’t expect her to pay for you again, would you?”
Wen Xinya shook her head with panic. There was sorry and pity in her eyes. “No, I didn’t… Previously it was because I had just returned to the Wen Family for only about a week and had no fitting clothes. Grandpa and Father asked Aunt Ning to accompany me to purchase new outfits and Father had agreed to pay for my purchases. I did not ask Aunt Ning to pay for me…”
The other Madams and Ladies in the shop saw what happened. They looked at Ning Shuqian and Wen Yuya with despise. They pitied the real Missus Wen, who was the only heir to the Wen Family and yet was being bullied by her stepmother and stepsister. The Old Mr. Wen even had to outwardly give instructions to make new purchases for his granddaughter.
All the old rumors about how arrogant and unrefined Wen Xinya was seemed to be untrue. Those rumors were intentionally spread to badmouth her! It must be those from their same social circle. Every family has its own troubles, but now it seemed clear to everyone who was evil and who was kind-hearted.
Ning Shuqian quickly pulled Wen Yuya to stop her. “Yuya, quit spouting nonsense. I know there has been some misunderstanding between you and Xinya, but you shouldn’t have said that.”
Ning Shuqian managed to use her words to turn the situation around. Now it became a misunderstanding between them, thus the negative att.i.tude from Wen Yuya towards her sister. It was absolutely normal for two young teenagers to have misunderstandings and arguments.
Xia Ruya also rendered help. “You are just unhappy about Aunt Ning buying more beautiful clothes for Xinya last time. You thought Aunt Ning had forgotten all about you and only cares about Xinya, thus the negative feeling towards her. There’s nothing wrong with Aunt Ning being nice to Xinya since she has suffered a great deal from her wandering life starting from a young age.”
Though Wen Yuya was arrogant by nature, she wasn’t stupid. She noticed the other ladies in the shop and immediately understood. She started to act sorry for herself and pouted. “Since Xinya returned to the Wen Family, Mother has neglected me.”
Ning Shuqian held Wen Yuya’s arm and comforted her. “Ruya is right. Xinya had just returned to the Wen Family, so I had to pay more attention and look after her. You are my daughter, how would I not love you?”
Ning Shuqian looked at Xia Ruya with gratefulness and warmth in her eyes. She was such an intelligent child. With just a few words she managed to change Ning Shuqian’s image from a bad stepmother into a caring stepmother who treated her stepdaughter nicer than her own daughter.
There was a saying: Three women create a show. It was indeed true. The Madams and Ladies in the shop seemed to finally understand what was going on. Wen Xinya had surely underestimated these three women.
This was Xia Ruya, who always had a way to position herself as a pure, elegant and kind-hearted person. Ning Shuqian also constantly portrayed a positive image of herself as a graceful and nice person. Thus Wen Yuya was able to be arrogant but not foolish, relying upon her witty mother.
Now that Wen Xinya had seen the true colors of these three people in front of her, she had to raise her guard against them.