In the Wrong

"That's right, she isn't close with me at all. She'd rather be chummy with other people. Have you ever heard her call me 'Mom' since she came to this house?"

"Just listen to yourself! Why would that child even try to get close to you at this rate? You don't even reflect on your own actions. I'm telling you right now, Ming Jing is no ordinary girl. She's very smart and talented. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to gain Madam Jiang's favor. If you persist in using her to further your self-interests, you will only be pushing your biological daughter away with your own two hands."

Old Madam Zhu heaved a long and weary sigh. "Can't you stop and use that brain of yours for one minute? If you hadn't harbored any prejudice against her from the start, if you had treated her with sincerity, then she wouldn't be so cold to you, either. That child can tell if a person is genuine or not. If something happened to her blood-related brother, she would surely help without having to be asked. But here you are plotting behind her back instead of being direct with her."

The old woman grabbed her walking stick and hoisted herself up. "I won't join you for dinner. I've lost my appetite. Think about everything I just said and take care of yourself."

Then she hobbled out of the living room and up the stairs without a backward glance.

Lin Qing looked at her hands and frowned. Was she really in the wrong?

Zhu Xiangxiang sighed from the other side of the room. She had been lounging on a nearby seat and listening to the older people's heated exchange. "Grandma's words are reasonable, but Shaodan can't afford to wait any longer. If we could only turn back time, I would make sure to treat Ming Jing better. I'm even willing to leave the Zhu family for good if it means that I can save Shaodan."

Lin Qing walked over to her and rubbed the girl's shoulders in a comforting gesture. "Don't say that. You are the eldest daughter of the Zhu family no matter what. Nobody has the right to chase you away. But you're right—regardless of what we owe Ming Jing, the most important thing for now is Shaodan. We'll deal with the rest later."

"But Mom, if we do this, won't we offend Ming Jing?"

"Who cares? It's not like we can be bothered to think about her feelings given our current predicament. Besides, Shaodan is still her biological brother. Can she really bear to just let him suffer without even doing anything to help?"

...

As expected, after Lin Qing explained the situation to Ming Jing, she was flatly rejected.

But she endured the humiliation and kept on trying. "Ming Jing, I'm begging you, all right? Shaodan is your brother, for goodness' sake. He is still so young. If he is brought to court, his entire future will be ruined."

Ming Jing looked her straight in the eye and did not mince her words. "It's because he has you for a mother that he has ended up like this. If you clean up after him all the time, he will never grow and learn on his own. Let this serve as a lesson for him."

"How could I have such a heartless daughter like you?" Lin Qing shrieked, slamming her chopsticks down on the table. She jumped to her feet and pointed a trembling finger at Ming Jing. "After coming to this house, I fed you and clothed you. I treated you like a young lady. Now that something has happened to your brother, you won't even do us this one favor? Do you honestly consider yourself a member of the Zhu family or not?"

"Mom, please calm down. Let's not force Ming Jing. We can think of another way."

Lin Qing ignored Zhu Xiangxiang and glared at Ming Jing. "I'm asking you for the last time—are you going to help Shaodan or not?"

Ming Jing returned her stare, her pitch-black eyes quiet and ominous.

A chill ran down Lin Qing's spine, and she instinctively shrank back. Then, realizing how she had just reacted, her fury ignited once again, this time brighter than before.

'What am I getting scared for? She's just a little girl!'

"You brought this upon yourself. It's only right that you live with the consequences of your actions." Ming Jing pushed back her chair and went upstairs without looking at Lin Qing or Zhu Xiangxiang.

The bowl of mushroom soup sat on the place in the table she had just vacated, untouched, and gradually growing cold.

"What misfortune has befallen my family! Why did such an evil child have to appear? I shouldn't have brought you back in the first place!" Lin Qing leaned over and grabbed the bowl, then threw it to the ground.

It shattered into pieces, its porcelain shards flying all over the place, making the maid flinch and scurry back into the kitchen.

The Young Miss Ming Jing had dared to talk back at the Madam. From now on, her life in this household was bound to be difficult.

…

The monthly exams were coming up.

The whole school was immersed in the preparations, and a tense atmosphere hung over the campus grounds. The exams were set for two separate days, with a week in between them.

Most of the students made arrangements to go somewhere and unwind the next day. When the bell rang, Ming Jing walked back to her classroom to gather her things and pack her bags. The moment she stepped inside, all eyes turned to her.

Undaunted, she headed for her desk and sat on her seat as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Tao Xingxing leaned close and whispered, "Bets were placed over at Tieba and QQ Group. They want to see if you can make it to the grade's Red List in the upcoming exams. I, for one, believe you will. I've already put my allowance on the line, so you must do your best, okay?

Ming Jing said nothing and continued to put her things inside her schoolbag. When she was done, she stood and exited the classroom without meeting anyone's eye.

As soon as she was gone, the class immediately exploded.

"All right, come on, come on! Everyone, place your bets!" one of the students shouted. "Let's see if the real daughter can get into the Red List this time!"

"The Red List?" Zhang Jingwen called out, her face twisted into a sneer. "You jerks must think so highly of her."

Her desk mate called Wang Lin refuted her. "That's not true. After all, everyone has seen Ming Jing's hard work. Who knows, she might really get into the Red List." The past incident in the bathroom had left a lasting impression on her, and she was convinced that Ming Jing was no ordinary person. Why was Zhang Jingwen insisting on throwing herself into the fire pit?

Almost all the conversations on campus these days revolved around Ming Jing and Zhu Xiangxiang—the real daughter, and the fake that had taken her place. Even the online forums were discussing their affairs, and several bets had been made here and there.

"Ming Jing, wait up!"

Ming Jing had just walked past the school gates when Gao Chang ran up to her, panting and drenched in sweat.

He looked tall and handsome in his purple and white jersey. "We're having a basketball match tonight. Would you like to come and watch me play?"

School had just ended, so a bunch of girls was also leaving the campus. When they spotted Gai Chang, they all whispered among themselves excitedly.

But then they saw that he was talking to Ming Jing, and the rumors about the two of them bubbled to the surface yet again. The girls all shot Ming Jing a glare as they passed by.

Gao Chang waited for Ming Jing's answer, his eyes wide with anticipation.

"Sorry, I have something to do tonight," she said without even turning to him. She walked away.

Gao Chang continued to stare after her until she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. Even then, he just stood there.

"Stop staring. If you do, you'll turn into stone." Situ Lin put his arm around his friend's neck.

"It turns out that even our esteemed master charmer, Old Gao, also faces setbacks in his romantic pursuits. This is very rare, though. If I didn't know better, I would think that this Ming Jing was sent by God specifically to defeat you. You'd better watch yourself, my dear friend, or you might fall for real."

Gao Chang scoffed. "It would be my pleasure."

Back a the basketball court, Jiang Jinchen had just changed into his jersey and walked out of the locker room. When he saw Gao Chang and Situ Lin approach, he craned his neck to look beyond the boys. No one was following them. His eyes narrowed.

"Hey Old Jiang, listen to this. I'm really puzzled over Old Gao's latest pursuit. Exactly what is it about that Ming Jing girl that makes our buddy here turn into mush? He even daydreams about her in public."

Jiang Jinchen glanced at Gao Chang coldly and began dribbling the ball. "If you had focused your attention on playing basketball properly, you wouldn't have lost to the other team last time."

Then, he jumped up and made a perfect shot.

Situ Lin grinned. "That's because you didn't play, Old Jiang. Now that you're here, let's see if we can beat them this time around."