Chapter 26: Crocodile Tears

The servants finished packing their belongings, each leaving the villa with a crestfallen expression. Ning Wanyuan put on a full performance as a gentle yet long-suffering stepmother, going so far as to call a car to send them to the entrance of the estate.

Even so, the faces of those who had been ousted were none too pleasant. They had been driven out precisely because they stood up for Ning Wanyuan. For a mistress of the house to let a junior boss her around without daring to resist, she was simply far too useless.

"No wonder she gets bullied by the Eldest Miss. Soft persimmons aren't something just anyone can squeeze, you know..."

"How can you say that? The Madam is already having a tough time, living at the mercy of the Eldest Miss's moods. Let's just drop it."

"She might have to walk on eggshells, but at least she has a comfortable life! We're the ones left with nothing, where are we supposed to find a job with similar pay now?"

"Madam, in the future, you should speak properly to the Master. The Eldest Miss really needs stricter discipline. If this continues, won't your life get even harder?"

Listening to their words, the gentle mask on Ning Wanyuan’s face cooled down by several degrees. Uneducated coarse people were indeed prone to making embarrassing scenes, failing to understand their own place, and even attempting to dictate her actions.

She had originally intended to play the benevolent benefactor to the end by hiring them through a domestic agency, offering them similar salaries so that news of her generosity would spread.

Now it seemed there was no need to pretend anymore. To think a group of low-level commoners dared to address her in such a tone. Let them rot wherever it was cold. These brainless, shortsighted fools!

That evening, after concluding his business engagement, Shang Heng checked Shang Ying’s review homework immediately upon returning home. He had already been informed on the way back about the incident, carefully curated and filtered by Aunt Zhao, and displayed no significant emotional fluctuation regarding it.

A minor matter like this was not worth wasting his energy on. Shang Ying’s volatile temper was nothing new, and since the servants were the ones causing trouble, firing them was fine. It saved anyone from detonating the ticking bomb that was Shang Ying.

After washing up, Shang Heng lay on the bed reading a book. Ning Wanyuan cautiously observed his expression, having deliberately dressed in a silver-pink silk nightgown that shimmered softly under the warm lighting, giving her an air of delicate allure.

She leaned gently against Shang Heng's shoulder, her voice soft and sweet.

"I failed to discipline the staff properly today. It won't happen again. Lao Shang, why do you think Yingying seems so distant from me lately? It really hurts my feelings."

‘Comfort is reserved for the dead.’

Shang Heng strangely recalled this line in his mind, and beneath his handsome face, the depth accumulated through years of experience seemed to crack slightly.

Great, he was being led astray by that unfilial daughter Shang Ying.

Shang Heng cleared the image of his chaotic youngest daughter from his mind, lightly turning a page of his book.

"Her personality is just like that, you don't need to mind her."

‘And that was it?’

Ning Wanyuan's delicate, well-maintained hand rested on the silk duvet as she slowly raised her head from Shang Heng's shoulder. Was the problem just her bad character? Did he not hear that she was feeling hurt?

Over the years, she had subtly poisoned Shang Heng's mind against Shang Ying. While Shang Heng valued his children, he also cared for her feelings as a stepmother, reassuring her and subsequently lecturing Shang Ying.

Guided by her deliberate manipulations, Shang Ying had formed the impression that Shang Heng disliked her, causing the father-daughter relationship to remain icy cold.

Yet today, after saying so much, Shang Heng had brushed it off so casually without comforting her or mentioning any intention to discipline Shang Ying.

Feeling a wave of anxiety, Ning Wanyuan probed further.

"The way Yingying lost her temper today really scared me a little. If she continues like this, I'm worried she'll be criticized by others in the future..."

She had phrased it so clearly. Shang Heng ought to scold that little brat, who had been acting like she swallowed gunpowder these past few days, exploding at the slightest touch and even talking back to Shang Heng himself.

If she threw another tantrum at Shang Heng, he definitely wouldn't let her off easily, leading to complete disappointment in her. After all, prestigious families despised disrespect from juniors above all else.

With a useless child like Shang Ying, even if Shang Heng spent a bit of effort on her recently, Ning Wanyuan wasn't worried about the father-daughter bond mending, for what was easier to break than educating a child?

Once Shang Heng was completely convinced Shang Ying was a lost cause, he would be thoroughly disappointed.

At that point, she could propose having a daughter with Shang Heng. As long as she got pregnant, who would care if it turned out to be a boy or a girl?

Besides, it didn't strictly have to be Shang Heng's child. She would ensure she gave birth to a child either way.

In the beginning, it was Shang Ying who had adamantly refused to let Shang Heng have another child with her, pushing Shang Ying's status down in Shang Heng's heart, making this a natural progression.

Shang Heng finally set his book down and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry, with her temper, no one will dare criticize her. Besides, with me around, who would dare criticize a member of the Shang family?"

Ning Wanyuan: ? (°°)

‘Do you even know what you're saying?! Are you crazy?!’

"I'll discipline her properly. It's my fault too for being too busy with work previously to raise her well. Sigh."

Ning Wanyuan was completely stunned, her round, dark eyes trembling slightly while the smile on her face failed to form. ‘Who asked you to blame yourself?! My point was for you to blame that little brat!’

She quickly took Shang Heng's hand.

"How could this be blamed on you? This..."

"Alright, let's sleep. I'm tired today."

Ning Wanyuan: ‘Fine, let her die of anger then.’

At 11:00 PM.

The melodious violin music in the practice room came to an end. Lu Yan set down her violin with a smile, feeling exceptionally refreshed at the thought that Shang Ying would disappear from Capital No. 1 High School starting tomorrow.

A kid without any backing, no matter how arrogant, would end up like a pathetic stray dog if you hired people to beat her up and spread the word that she'd be ambushed every single day she stayed at school.

She would have no choice but to obediently drop out and leave.

Ding! Her phone chimed. Curving her lips, she opened the message from an unknown number: "Money refunded. We're not taking this order."

Lu Yan stared at the message, her brows knitting together in instant irritation. Her fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard to send a message asking what this was supposed to mean.

The lackey responsible for sending the message glanced at the reply, completely unbothered, pulled out his SIM card, tossed it into a cup of finished instant noodles, yawned, and walked away.

What else could it mean? He only knew his boss said they weren't taking this job, and that anyone who ran into Shang Ying in the future had to treat her with utmost respect. But he was far too lazy to explain that to Lu Yan.

Lu Yan sent several more messages without receiving a reply, and in her anger, she dialed the number directly, only to be informed that the call could not be connected.

With a sharp thud, she hurled her phone onto the sofa. Mother Lu, who was walking in carrying a glass of warm water, was startled by the sudden commotion and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong, sweetheart? Why such a big temper?"

Lu Yan immediately put on an aggrieved face, throwing herself into her mother's arms.

"Mom, someone at school is bullying me! Can we get her expelled? I don't ever want to see her again!"

Hearing that her daughter was being bullied, Mother Lu urgently checked Lu Yan for any signs of harm.

"How could that be? Who would dare bully you?!"

Lu Yan pouted and sat back onto the sofa, bursting into tears.

"She just did! Don't you believe me? Make her drop out, okay?!"

"I believe you, of course Mom believes you," Mother Lu comforted her daughter's head in distress, wiping away her tears with a slight hesitation. "Should Mom mention this to your father?"

"No!" Lu Yan broke free from the embrace, immediately rejecting the idea. If her father found out, the plan would fall through.

Father Lu had repeatedly reminded her to keep a low profile at school and not use her wealth to bully classmates. If he discovered she was trying to force someone out of school, he definitely wouldn't agree and would give her a harsh scolding instead!

She held Mother Lu’s hand with a pitiful, pleading look, her tone urgent.

"If Dad finds out, he'll scold me for causing trouble at school. Mom, just help me out, okay? Don't you love me?"

Seeing her daughter so aggrieved, Mother Lu didn't think twice and quickly agreed, softly comforting her. After all, their family held shares in the school, so getting a bullying student expelled wouldn't be much trouble.

Having secured the promise, Lu Yan snuggled spoiled into her mother's arms, her clear tears sliding past the corners of her mouth as they curved upward, blending into the luxurious fabric of her clothing.