Chapter 52: Just Worth That Much Part 1

“What exactly is going on between you and the eldest young lady?”

“What did she say to you? How did your talk go?”

Unable to wait until they returned to Moon Reflection Villa to question her in detail, Miao Ling cornered Miao Zhu the moment she got into the car, demanding to know the outcome.

Xu Shifu turned the steering wheel, and the tires rolled over the complex’s driveway as they headed out. The car’s heater was on full blast. Miao Zhu buried herself in her down jacket, and the building where Mu Shanyi lived gradually receded into the distance. She said in a muffled voice, “Mom, I’m so tired.”

“Then why didn’t you rest at the eldest young lady’s place? You child, always acting capricious when you shouldn’t.” Miao Ling chided her. “You’re always such a good daughter to me—sensible and obedient—but you always make me worry about you at the wrong times.”

After a brief pause of two seconds, Miao Ling changed tack. “Tell me, that time you didn’t come home all night, and all those things you bought to… to boost intimacy, that was with the eldest young lady, wasn’t it?”

While waiting downstairs for Miao Zhu, Miao Ling hadn’t been idle. She had turned the whole matter over and over in her mind, and when she realized this, she nearly slapped her own thigh black and blue.

“Mm.” Miao Zhu leaned against the car window. The sedan drove out of Tower Shadow Sunny River. The city had hung New Year’s lanterns along both sides of the streets, and under the cold streetlights, the festive lanterns flew past her eyes one by one.

“I knew it! I knew it! Look at you! What a mess you’ve made! Why didn’t you just tell me it was her earlier?” Miao Ling raised her voice, her excitement making it pitch higher. “What were you hiding from me about the eldest young lady? Did you think I’d break you two up? If you’d told Mom sooner, would that mother-daughter duo have shown up at our door today with that ugly scene? Mom would have planned everything for you!”

“Luckily, it’s not too late now. You did the right thing today by cutting ties with Xingran in time.”

“It might sound a bit harsh when word gets out—Xingran is the eldest young lady’s sister, after all, stealing her sister’s fiancée… but who cares? Who would dare speak ill of the eldest young lady to her face? Even if they gossiped behind her back, they’d rush to congratulate you both in person.”

Miao Ling coaxed herself into a state of delight. She turned to look at Miao Zhu, who showed no reaction, so she reached over and shook her. “I was wondering if you were picking a fight with the eldest young lady on purpose, saying all that nonsense about ‘mutual benefits’—because of that Zheng family guy? Are you silly? As long as the eldest young lady’s heart is with you, the more she feels she owes you, the better she’ll treat you. Don’t you understand something so simple? And you’re no worse than that Zheng fellow. If we play our cards right, we’ll have a great shot in the future! Don’t be willful. A little temperament is charming, but being petty isn’t. If you push the eldest young lady too far… Why are you still wearing that down jacket? Don’t let it overheat your brain—take it off.”

Without further ado, Miao Ling reached over and started helping Miao Zhu out of her jacket. As she tugged at the sleeves, she probed for more information. “What did you and the eldest young lady talk about? Did you bring up the industrial park project? Did she give her stance?”

Miao Zhu’s body twisted toward Miao Ling as the jacket was pulled off.

“It’s all over.” There was no light in her pupils, and her expression was utterly vacant, like a clay statue soaked through by a storm, on the verge of collapse from the inside out.

…

Xu Shifu, driving up front, sensed a sudden terrifying drop in pressure. He glanced at the rearview mirror, where his wife’s face had darkened completely.

“Say that again.” Miao Ling gripped the removed sleeve tightly, squashing the fluffy down flat in her palm. It was clear she was exerting every effort to restrain her emotions.

But Miao Zhu seemed oblivious that her mother was on the edge of exploding. She continued in a dazed, sleepwalking tone. “Mom, I was just Sister A-Heng’s pastime when she was bored.”

“Snap out of it! Do you even know what the situation is right now!?” Miao Ling erupted in fury, her carefully manicured long nails jabbing straight at Miao Zhu’s forehead. “The hole we dug offending the Sheng Family has to be filled by the Mu Family, or both our industrial parks are done for!”

“You said you didn’t like Xingran, but you chose the eldest young lady yourself, didn’t you? What a waste of that pretty face and figure—your head’s empty, and you can’t even handle a conversation properly!”

Miao Ling was furious to the point of a heart attack, but scolding Miao Zhu now wouldn’t help. The priority was winning back Mu Shanyi’s favor. “Whether it’s over or not isn’t up to you. There’s no such thing as a free meal in this world. Since you can’t handle the talking, I’ll go see her myself!”

The first dawn of the New Year was destined to be sleepless. Miao Ling headed out before daybreak.

Miao Zhu lay awake until morning. Fog rose outside the window, and her mind was just as hazy. Her brain replayed the scenes from last night over and over: Ni Xiaoying’s piercing words, Miao Ling’s defense for the sake of interests, the tear Sheng Xingran had dropped onto the back of her hand, and Mu Shanyi…

Miao Zhu didn’t dare touch on the parts involving Mu Shanyi.

She muddled through the day in a daze. As night fell, the sound of Miao Ling slamming the car door echoed from the courtyard. Miao Zhu got up and went to the bathroom to splash water on her face.