Chapter 9

Editor: Henyee Translations

Ying Luwei was her sister-in-law, could she just stand by and do nothing?

Hadn’t she hired a convalescent therapist and cooked personally?

Why couldn’t her own daughter understand her a bit more, instead of hurting her feelings in return?

“Madam, please calm down,” the butler said cautiously, trying to soothe her. “Maybe the Second Miss is just going through a rebellious phase.”

“Rebellious phase?” Zhong Manhua laughed in exasperation. “When has she ever cared about what I want? She’s so thoughtless. Now, she doesn’t even bother to pay attention to me. Does she not want to acknowledge me anymore?”

Mentioning this just infuriated her further.

She had been taught for so long, yet she couldn’t learn piano, couldn’t write properly, and even spoke English haltingly. She didn’t resemble a daughter of wealth and nobility at all.

Zhong Manhua became angrier the more she thought about it. “When Moyuan brought her back a year ago, I thought she was quite well-behaved. Who knew she could do such a thing?”

The Ying Family’s reputation was completely ruined!

And now she had run off to entangle herself with Fu Yunshen.

Who was Fu Yunshen?

A well-known philandering son of Shanghai City, good for nothing but for his looks.

In the end, she’d get sold out and even pay the person for it.

The butler didn’t know what to say and could only remind her, “Madam, it’s half past ten, and the Eldest Miss is still waiting for your call.”

Looking at Zhong Manhua, both heartbroken and fuming, he shook his head and sighed.

The Eldest Miss of the Ying Family was not actually Madam Ying’s biological daughter; she was adopted.

But the adopted child was even more considerate than her own flesh and blood.

Fortunately, the Old Master’s Wife was sensible and proclaimed the Second Miss was just a foster daughter to the outside world. Otherwise, if the other Three Great Wealthy Families knew the truth, who knows how they’d mock them.

Having served the Ying Family for over twenty years and attended to both Old Master Ying and Old Madam Ying, the butler was also somewhat aware of the past events.

Fifteen years ago, the Ying Family was involved in a major business negotiation that reached the capital. The entire company was busy to the point of sleepless nights. Fortunately, they secured the deal in the end.

The day they signed the deal, Ying Zhenting and Zhong Manhua went out to entertain guests. But when they returned in the evening, they discovered their baby was missing from the crib.

Without any clue, it was as if the child had vanished into thin air.

The butler was utterly baffled. He had only gone to the kitchen for a moment, just a few minutes. How could such a thing have happened?

The infant wasn’t even a year old and couldn’t have possibly wandered off on her own.

The Ying Family mobilized many people to search, but they found nothing.

Zhong Manhua collapsed; she was nearly driven mad. During that time, her mind was in a haze, and whenever she saw another baby on the street, she would rush over and hold them, weeping.

Ying Zhenting couldn’t bear to see his wife so distressed and decided to adopt another child.

This child had to resemble their lost daughter closely. An infant under one year wouldn’t remember anything and couldn’t tell any difference if they weren’t raised day by day.

Months later, Zhong Manhua’s mental state finally stabilized. When she learned of Ying Zhenting’s actions, she didn’t blame or resent him.

Her maternal love shifted to the adopted child during this time. She looked after her every day, growing fonder and fonder.

Of course, Ying Zhenting continued to send people to look for their lost infant in secret, but after two years without success, they eventually gave up.

Wealthy families like theirs didn’t lack for descendants; they had plenty of illegitimate children already.

Ying Zhenting suppressed the incident, warning those who were privy to it not to reveal a single word.

After all, as one of the Four Major Noble Families of Shanghai City, every move of the Ying Family was of extreme significance. Such a scandal, if widely publicized, would inevitably lead to a period of turmoil.

Therefore, aside from the butler and a few select individuals, even the Eldest Young Master of the Ying Family was unaware that his own sister had gone missing.

Over a decade passed, and everyone gradually forgot about the incident.

The butler also knew what was troubling Zhong Manhua; she had a harmonious family, a pair of excellent children, and she was an elegant Noble Lady, envied by all both in public and private.

But then the real daughter was suddenly found and returned. It should have been a cause for celebration, yet this true daughter, coming from the countryside, lacking manners and incapable of doing anything right, constantly embarrassed herself, utterly unfit for the status of the Ying Family’s Second Miss.

However, the Ying Family bloodline absolutely could not be left to wander outside—not even if it were a blemish. So, in the end, she was acknowledged as a foster daughter through adoption.

Neither Ying Zhenting nor Zhong Manhua felt there was anything amiss, after all, the Second Miss was inferior to the eldest daughter in every way.

The status of the Ying Family in Shanghai City was incomparable to a small county. Entering high society was a stroke of luck for this true daughter, and she should not be greedy for more.

“Look at my memory, I’ve gone and forgotten such an important matter.” Zhong Manhua rubbed her temples, picked up her phone, and made a call. Upon hearing the voice on the other end, she immediately smiled, “Hello, Xiao Xuan, it’s Mommy. How was your day?”

“Good, good, that’s good. You just focus on your studies over there in O-land, and if you need anything, just tell Mom. I don’t mind the trouble…”

**

In the room.

Ying Zijin glanced at the old desktop computer on the table, tapping her fingers idly on the keyboard. The screen froze: “Tsk…”

Even though she had never used a computer, she knew this was a substandard product.

She didn’t look at it again and lowered her head to take out a bank card she had brought from Qingshui County from the drawer’s wallet, doing a quick calculation.

Five hundred sixty-two yuan and eight mao.

A bit meager, but just enough for what she needed.

Ying Zijin narrowed her eyes slightly, braced her hand, and flipped down from the nine-meter-high third floor, landing softly on the ground as she left the Ying Family’s old house from the right side.

The butler, who was closing the windows, caught a glimpse of the girl’s figure, but when he looked again, he saw nothing.

The butler rubbed his eyes, muttering doubtfully to himself, “I must have been mistaken.”

Indeed, he thought he had seen the Second Miss sneak out.

The butler shook his head, closed the doors and windows, and went to the kitchen to prepare warm milk before bedtime for Zhong Manhua.

**

Because of Fu Yunshen’s interruption, Nie Chao did not give the exact address of the underground market.

But for Ying Zijin, simply knowing the name of a place was enough to figure it out.

She looked at the crooked collection of letters hanging over the doorway—HERMIT, her gaze fixated for a moment. Then she put on her mask and walked in.

The underground market was even more chaotic than Shanghai City at night, with its dazzling lights and unrestrained revelry.

This was a place beyond the control of the Four Major Noble Families, where people entering often concealed their identities.

The girl’s entrance did not attract any attention, but a pair of eyes from behind focused on her with increased curiosity.

Inside the Starry Sky Bar, the bartender noticed the unusual interest of the man and looked up, “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing much,” replied Fu Yunshen with a hook of his lips, the bar spoon turning into a trail of light between his slender, fair fingers. He turned his head, smiling, “I saw a disobedient little one who still ran out of the house at this late hour.”