Chapter 32 - 31: Her Grand Secretary, Xu Zhao Yu’s True Colors
Chapter 32: Chapter 31: Her Grand Secretary, Xu Zhao Yu’s True Colors
[Post 5]: What? Spill the tea! I love wealthy family drama!
[Post 6]: It’s a long story, so listen closely as I break it down for you.
...
[Post 105]: TL;DR version: The Xu family took the wrong baby home back in the day. They actually had a baby boy but brought back a baby girl instead. That girl is Young Master Meng’s mother.
[Post 106]: No wonder Young Master Meng is targeting her. It involves a future inheritance battle! If it were me, I’d be panicking too.
[Post 107]: Even without the Xu family, there’s still the Meng family. My uncle says the Meng family’s momentum has been much stronger than the Xu family’s in recent years. Why would Young Master Meng stoop so low?
[Post 108]: That’s hilarious. Who would ever complain about having too much money? If I had a hundred million, would I turn down another hundred million? Besides, he isn’t the only grandson in the Meng family.
[Post 109]: Young Master Meng is seriously a disgrace to the Meng family. He doesn’t even compare to his cousin, who at least commits wholeheartedly to being the school bully.
[Post 110]: Don’t you dare badmouth Brother Meng! Our Brother Meng is handsome!
...
[Post 152]: Just enjoy the gossip and leave it at that. What do the bloodline issues of these prominent families have to do with nobodies like us? Studying is what’s truly important.
[Post 153]: Studying is too exhausting. These rumors are the only things keeping my life entertaining.
[Post 155]: But judging by the Xu family’s attitude, they don’t seem to treat their biological child very well. I wonder if the transfer student will get... when she goes home.
Lu Mi was an avid internet surfer. Upon seeing this reply, she immediately reached out to Shi Changying in a panic.
[Lu Mi]: Yingying! The Xu family didn’t do anything to you, did they? Don’t be afraid. So what if they’re a wealthy family? Even the wealthy have to obey the law!
[Shi Changying]: I, the Emperor, have already knocked them flat.
Shi Changying didn’t know Pinyin and had only just learned how to use voice-to-text.
[Lu Mi]: Wow, Yingying, you’re so amazing! I’ll bring you some delicious treats tomorrow!
Shi Changying reveled in the praise. She simply loved being complimented.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
Ming Chengli’s voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Changying, are you asleep? Can Dad come in?"
Shi Changying waved her hand, but the door didn’t budge. She suddenly remembered that this wasn’t four hundred years ago. She was no longer the anomaly born with Divine Power, so she naturally couldn’t open doors from a distance anymore. Resigned, she hopped out of bed and opened it herself.
"You forgot to take your steamed buns. I didn’t want you waking up hungry in the middle of the night." Ming Chengli stood there holding a bucket of fried chicken. "By the way, who bought this for you?"
Shi Changying stifled a yawn. "A good Samaritan."
"That young master again?" Ming Chengli looked slightly disapproving. "He’s still just a student too. You can’t just eat up all of his pocket money."
Picking up a bun, Shi Changying said lazily, "I earned this today."
"Earned it?"
"I solved three physics problems, so I traded them for a bucket of fried chicken."
Ming Chengli’s shock quickly morphed into ecstatic joy. "Really? Let Dad see."
Shi Changying pointed to the open book on her desk. Ming Chengli happily went over to look, only to be greeted by the bold title: Eighth Grade Physics, Volume One.
"..." After a brief silence, he immediately began to cheer her on. "Changying, Dad knew that once you started studying, you’d improve by leaps and bounds! Taking first place in your grade will be a piece of cake."
"Of course." Shi Changying wasn’t modest in the slightest. "Also, you came at the perfect time. I still haven’t scolded you yet."
Ming Chengli rubbed his head, suddenly feeling a bit guilty. "What did I do this time?"
Shi Changying shot him a glance. "Put your books away properly from now on. We were lucky enough to buy them back this time, but what if they were the only existing copies?"
"Do you really think your old man is a fool?" Ming Chengli said smugly. "I obviously wouldn’t leave truly important books sitting around in the storehouse. I moved them away ages ago. I actually have another copy of that Living Record. I was just trying to scare them."
Shi Changying let out a dull sound of acknowledgment. "I do actually think you’re quite foolish."
Ming Chengli fell silent. He felt a bit stifled. He wondered what he was supposed to do when his precious daughter kept roasting him like this.
"Changying, brute force can’t solve everything. There’s an idiom that goes, ’winning without firing a single shot.’ By utilizing clever strategies, you can achieve victory without suffering any harm yourself." Ming Chengli cleared his throat and spoke earnestly, "From now on, before you make a move, you have to ensure your own safety first. Dad doesn’t want to see you get hurt."
Shi Changying raised an eyebrow. That sounded exactly like the tone her Grand Secretary used to take.
Pulling out a steamed bun, Shi Changying said, "I hereby appoint you as my Minister of War."
"This old minister thanks the Emperor for His grace." Ming Chengli patted her on the shoulder, looking refreshed. "When the weekend arrives, Dad will take you out for a nice meal. After all, this is our hard-earned money."
For the first time, Shi Changying didn’t eagerly nod at the mention of good food. Instead, she asked, "How long will this money last for your archaeological digs?"
Ming Chengli froze. He fell silent for a long moment before finally smiling. "Changying, just focus on school and don’t worry about anything else. Your dad has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Make sure you don’t go to sleep right after eating, okay? Move around a bit, or your stomach will hurt."
Late that night, after Meng Baizhou finished his final work call, he returned to the bedroom. Xu Zhao Yu was still awake. She hadn’t expected things to end this way and felt an oppressive weight in her chest. She asked, seemingly casually, "Bai Zhou, what do you think of... Changying?"
"She’s a young lady with a lot of personality." Meng Baizhou pondered for a moment. "You mentioned that Chengli is always away and rarely spends time with her, but her character is surprisingly strong. She remained calm in the face of danger and showed a maturity far beyond her years. Her methods were a bit crude, yes, but if she wasn’t ruthless, she wouldn’t be able to protect herself."
"I-is that so?" Xu Zhao Yu paused, forcing a smile. "I’m just worried that her personality is too headstrong. Since she was suddenly brought back here, she might end up getting taken advantage of."
"Taken advantage of? She certainly doesn’t seem like the type of girl to let herself suffer a loss." Meng Baizhou shook his head as he recalled Shi Changying’s performance earlier that day. "Go to sleep, Zhao Yu. You need to rest and recover properly. Don’t worry about so many things. After all..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Xu Zhao Yu knew exactly what he was going to say. After all, she wasn’t the Xu family’s biological daughter. She pursed her lips and lay down, feeling even more agonizingly restless.
However, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, keeping her eyes open until dawn. There was no point in even putting on makeup; her face was already overwhelmingly haggard. The other side of the bed was empty. Meng Baizhou had left before six o’clock. He was a complete workaholic, and the Meng family had a critical project this month that required his constant supervision.
Xu Zhao Yu sat in silence for a while before opening her bedroom door. Meng Shuyan hadn’t slept either; dark circles hung heavily under his eyes. She motioned for him to follow her inside. After closing the door, she finally spoke up. "Shuyan, you disappointed me so much yesterday."
Meng Shuyan’s face was deathly pale. "Mom, I... you can’t blame me for this. I truly had no idea those books were so valuable, I—"
"I’m not trying to scold you, nor am I blaming you." Xu Zhao Yu looked at him with sheer disappointment. "I just want to know—why was she able to pull it off without leaving a single trace, yet you couldn’t?"