Chapter 55
It was like a thunderclap exploding directly in her face, leaving her dazed. Her body swayed, and she nearly spilled the wine.
Fu Nanshuang had always been blunt in front of her friends. As Zheng Xuan put it, she must have left her brain at home before heading out—her mouth spoke before her brain.
After blurting it out, Fu Nanshuang quickly shut her mouth, realizing she had said the wrong thing. Just as a look of regret surfaced on her face, she saw Zhong Ning’s expression change drastically and her body falter, which only deepened her remorse. She raised a hand and gave herself a light slap on the mouth.
She clearly knew Little Ning didn’t want to hear about these things, so why couldn’t she control her tongue?
Zheng Xuan quickly supported Zhong Ning with her arm. “Sit down for a bit and rest. You've been busy all day.”
She smoothly changed the subject. “I’ve held both an engagement banquet and a wedding myself. It’s joyful, sure, but also exhausting.”
“Nanshuang, go get something light and easy to eat. Let Little Ning put something in her stomach. This banquet isn’t ending any time soon—don’t let her go hungry and upset her stomach.”
Fu Nanshuang, full of apology and guilt, obediently turned and left.
Zhong Ning was still steeped in shock.
She thought that after experiencing the world of cheating literature, nothing in the world could surprise her anymore. She hadn’t expected the day to end with yet another wild and outrageous revelation.
Zhong Ning was still sorting through the information she had just received.
First of all, Madam Zhong wasn’t this body’s biological mother. Fu Nanshuang had made that very clear when she said, “Little Ning’s mom.” Madam Zhong was the second wife of Zhong Lin, and Zhong Zinuan had entered the Zhong family together with her.
But Zhong Zinuan was older than her. That part wasn’t in question—Zhong Zinuan had just graduated in her sophomore year and was about to start her junior year, while she had just entered university.
Didn’t that mean that before she was even born, Zhong Lin had already cheated, had Zhong Zinuan, and even let her be born?
No wonder when she first transmigrated, she saw the contact names for these two women were both awful—one was "Little Bitch", the other "Big Bitch". Nothing good there.
Then what about the original body's biological mother?
There was no mother listed in the contact list. She had been in this world for quite a while, and no one had ever brought her up. It probably wasn’t just a divorce—it was... death.
How tragic!
The original body’s life was just too tragic.
No wonder people always say the hateful often have a pitiable side. If this were her family background, having to watch the mistress and her daughter parade around in front of her every day, even the most well-adjusted person might end up with a mental breakdown.
Zhong Zinuan was the protagonist, and the original body was just cannon fodder—that actually made sense.
But what was going on with this novel anyway? When she first heard her friends describe it, it was supposed to be a top-tier, domineering CEO sweet romance. The alpha was playing the role of a reformed playboy, and the omega should’ve been a delicate flower, or maybe a little ray of sunshine or something, right?
Wasn’t the female lead supposed to be the gentle and kind type—strong, generous, and unsullied even when growing in the mud? So the first time she saw Zhong Zinuan, she immediately assumed that must be the role she filled.
Who would’ve thought—she was completely wrong!!
It wasn’t even right to call her a black lotus. What kind of black lotus falls in love with her own blood-related older sister? That identity was just plain outrageous.
The daughter of a mistress—innocent, maybe, but born with original sin.
And her personality had nothing to do with innocence or kindness. Thinking about how she used to show concern and care for her, foolishly trusting her, made her want to go back in time, grab herself by the ear, and scold—Stay away from her! She’s not a good person!
As Zhong Ning thought of this, she couldn’t help sneaking a glance at her mother. She was still chatting and laughing with others, seemingly unaware that Zhong Zinuan wasn’t her biological daughter. There couldn’t be that many people magnanimous enough to willingly raise someone else’s illegitimate child.
Then again, she had cheated too—so she wasn’t any better. One who betrays will, in turn, be betrayed. She had it coming.
Zhong Ning now had no affection left for this trio. Let them be a family if they wanted—she had unilaterally removed herself from the Zhong family lineage.
After spending over a month in this world, she had already begun to feel grounded and integrated into it, which made this shock all the more overwhelming.
She took several deep breaths, hypnotizing herself that this was just a novel plot—like a game’s background setting. No matter how outrageous, it had to be accepted. It was all canon.
They had nothing to do with her. They had nothing to do with her. She didn’t want to be the protagonist of a primetime drama.
She repeated it to herself several times until her expression finally eased a little.
Just then, Fu Nanshuang returned holding a plate. On it were some cold dishes and desserts, along with a glass of fruit juice.
Eyes gleaming with excitement, she said, “Guess who I just saw?”
Gossip, of course, was the best way to shift a bad mood. She set the plate down and lowered her voice, “Le Zhiyu and Qi Wan! It’s been years since I saw the two of them appear at the same event!”
She was just about to keep talking when Xie Shiqing, accompanied by Assistant Fang, walked over. Fu Nanshuang immediately shut her mouth at the right time.
“Ning Ning, come on, I’ll take you to meet a few of the elders.”
Zhong Ning put down the fruit juice she had just sipped, said, “We’ll talk next time,” then stood up and walked over to Xie Shiqing’s side, naturally taking her hand as they left together.
She hadn’t even gotten a bite of the food on the plate.
The banquet continued until evening. Zhong Ning felt utterly exhausted—her face was stiff from smiling so much. In contrast, Xie Shiqing was still full of energy, showing no signs of fatigue.
Wasn’t she supposed to be the one with better physical endurance?
But after everything that had happened today, even ten of her wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
Once they returned home, she could finally relax a little. Dinner had already been prepared in the kitchen. It couldn’t be called lavish—four dishes and one soup, not much in quantity, but very thoughtful. All the food was light and easy on the stomach.
Zhong Ning was starving. She had a classic Huaxia appetite—she needed plenty of food to feel satisfied. Though the banquet was buffet-style, no one really went wild eating in that kind of setting. If someone were truly hungry, they would just take a little to tide themselves over.
She was, after all, one of the hosts and had to join Xie Shiqing in greeting guests. Others might be able to sneak away and relax, but she had very little time to do so.
Still, it was Xie Shiqing who had expended the most energy. She not only managed her own responsibilities but also willingly took on Zhong Ning’s share of the socializing.