Lying on the bed, Wei Jinning — no, she should now be called Huo Jinning — rolled back and forth, complaining,
“Boring, boring, so boring!”
[Master, there’s gossip.]
[Really? Where? Whose gossip?] Huo Jinning immediately sat up straight.
[Your mother’s.]
“My mom?” Huo Jinning exclaimed in shock.
[Hurry and open it up to see.]
[Turns out, when my mom was young, she was a total heartthrob. The number of suitors she had could practically circle the entire capital city.]
[That damn charm.]
[My dad really managed to stand out among so many competitors.]
[Xiao Liu, don’t tell me you just wanted me to see how charming my mom used to be?]
[No, go downstairs.]
“Downstairs?” Huo Jinning blurted out without thinking.
[There’s gossip downstairs.] Xiao Liu said mechanically.
[Alright, I’m on it!]
Huo Jinning quickly threw on some clothes and rushed downstairs.
She saw Zhao Qiuying chatting happily with a woman in her forties.
[Xiao Liu, does that woman have gossip?]
[Yes, Master. And it’s also related to your mom.]
[Quick, tell me!] Huo Jinning couldn’t wait to find out what this woman’s connection to her mom was.
Before she could “eat the gossip,” Zhao Qiuying spotted her.
“Ningning, you’re up.” Zhao Qiuying looked surprised to see Huo Jinning coming downstairs at this time.
Usually, after breakfast, Huo Jinning would go back to sleep until lunchtime. Why was she downstairs at just ten o’clock today?
“Mom, do we have guests?” Huo Jinning quickly changed the subject.
“Yes. Come here, Ningning, let me introduce you. This is Mom’s good friend — you can call her Aunt Xia.” Zhao Qiuying introduced them.
“Hello, Aunt Xia,” Huo Jinning greeted obediently.
“So this is Ningning? You really do look just like your mom — it’s like you were carved from the same mold. I’m so jealous; you have two such lovely daughters,” Aunt Xia said warmly.
But the flash of jealousy in her eyes didn’t escape Huo Jinning’s notice.
Not a good person, Huo Jinning thought silently.
While Zhao Qiuying was chatting with her, Huo Jinning took the opportunity to “eat the gossip.”
[This isn’t a good friend at all — she’s here to scam my mom out of money.]
[And my poor mom still thinks she’s a true friend, even introducing customers to her beauty salon.]
[But, Mom, the beauty treatments she’s giving you cost just a few bucks at most, and she’s charging you thousands!]
[Ah! Ah! This is unforgivable!]
[I’m so mad, so mad!]
When Zhao Qiuying heard Huo Jinning’s inner voice, her warmth toward Xia Qing immediately cooled. So this woman was here to scam her too.
Zhao Qiuying actually didn’t care much about losing a few hundred thousand yuan. Every time Xia Qing claimed they were good friends, she would only charge her the “cost price.”
Because of that, Zhao Qiuying had deposited a million yuan at her beauty salon and had even introduced several wealthy ladies from their social circle.
If it weren’t for her help, what was Xia Qing anyway? How could she have ever gotten in touch with high society?
[That damn Xia Qing. She clearly knows her brother has disgusting intentions toward my mom, yet she keeps bringing him along whenever they meet.]
[She even planned to drug my mom so her brother could have his way.]
[At first, they didn’t dare make a move because they were afraid of offending the Huo family.]
[But later, when the Huo family declined, they finally dared to drug her, forcing my dad to watch as my mom was humiliated.]
[In the end, my mom took her own life, and my dad followed soon after.]
[It was only then that my mom truly saw Xia Qing’s true nature — but by then, it was already too late.]
Zhao Qiuying had never imagined that Xia Qing’s brother, Xia Tian, would harbor such vile thoughts toward her.
Just thinking about it made her feel sick.
Xia Tian was over ten years younger than her, and she had always treated him like a younger brother.
She never thought…
“Xia Qing, I have something to take care of today, so I won’t keep you any longer,” Zhao Qiuying said indifferently.
“Ah, okay! Just don’t forget about tomorrow — you’re coming to get a facial. I have a new beauty device that’s perfect for you to try out,” Xia Qing said with a cheerful smile, completely unaware of Zhao Qiuying’s change in attitude.
Or perhaps even if she noticed, she wouldn’t care. After all, she had been playing Zhao Qiuying like a fool all along.
“Oh, and my brother just came back from out of town. He brought some local specialties for you to try,” Xia Qing added.
“And my brother… he really admires you,” she said, still trying to talk him up.
If she could get Zhao Qiuying to willingly be with Xia Tian, the Xia family’s status would skyrocket.
This was exactly why Xia Qing had never stopped her brother.
“Auntie, you and your brother can keep those so-called specialties for yourselves!”
“You should know, the Huo family doesn’t lack food, and not just anything can appear in the Huo household.”
“Some dirty things are better kept far away.”
Before Xia Qing could even finish speaking, Huo Jinning cut her off with a sharp, mocking tone, unable to bear it any longer.
“You… you…” Xia Qing’s face turned red with anger and embarrassment, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.
“Grandpa Liu, see the guest out,” Huo Jinning said coldly, wishing she could slap Xia Qing twice — if only she had evidence.
“Madam Xia, please,” Butler Liu said, making a gesture toward the door.
He could tell that Zhao Qiuying had no intention of stopping this.
“Qiuying-jie…” Xia Qing finally realized something was wrong and tried to call out to Zhao Qiuying.
“You should head back. I have things to do — I won’t see you out,” Zhao Qiuying said, not even sparing her a glance.
Seeing that Zhao Qiuying didn’t intervene, Huo Jinning made a funny face at Xia Qing behind her back.
[Let’s see how mad I can make you.]
[Serves you right for trying to scam my mom.]
[From now on, I’ll stick to my mom like glue and keep her far away from people like you.]
[If it weren’t for the law, you wouldn’t be getting off so easily.]
[Hmph.]
“Mom, I really don’t like that Xia Qing. She’s clearly no good. You should stay away from her,” Huo Jinning immediately said after Xia Qing left, not wasting a second.
“Okay, Mom will listen to you,” Zhao Qiuying said warmly, reaching out to pat Huo Jinning’s head.
[Mom is the best.]
[She trusts me without even needing an explanation.]
[Mom, don’t worry. I’ll protect you for sure.]
Zhao Qiuying’s heart felt warm, and her expression softened even more.
Having such a sweet and caring daughter really was the best.
And as a mother, she would protect her daughter too.
“Ningning, why did you wake up so early today?” Zhao Qiuying asked with a bright smile.
[How do I tell her I got up to catch some juicy gossip…]
[And it was a big one about her, too.]
“I just slept well and woke up early,” Huo Jinning said, a little guilty, her eyes darting around and avoiding Zhao Qiuying’s gaze.
Zhao Qiuying thought Huo Jinning looked absolutely adorable like that and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Mom, why are you laughing?” Huo Jinning asked, puzzled.
“Oh, nothing. I just think it’s amazing that you actually got enough sleep for once,” Zhao Qiuying quickly made up a reason, but the smile on her face wouldn’t go away no matter how hard she tried.
“Mom, I seriously suspect you’re mocking me,” Huo Jinning said suspiciously, thinking Zhao Qiuying was teasing her for being lazy.
“No, no, I just think you’re still young. Sleeping more will help you grow taller,” Zhao Qiuying said, pinching Huo Jinning’s soft, round cheeks.
Huo Jinning muttered, “I strongly suspect you’re making fun of my height… but I have no evidence.”
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