Chapter 126

If Madam Xie represented the shining side of human nature, then the Head of the Xie family was the very definition of scum.

She was someone who had nothing at all to do with words like kindness or tolerance.

She was an extremely self-centered and selfish person.

Everything had to be arranged by her; everyone’s feelings had to come after hers. The way Xie Shiqing was now, she resembled her about ninety-nine percent.

The only difference was that the Head of the Xie family had never experienced any setbacks, so her arrogance was even more intense. She was like the sun, with everyone and everything orbiting around her, and she made no attempt to hide this overbearing attitude.

She controlled company affairs, and when she returned home, she also controlled her own flesh-and-blood daughter. She had her own standards for what Xie Shiqing should do and learn.

Be a winner, be a clever person, stand above others, surpass people of her age.

Only when Xie Shiqing met those standards would she receive a pleasant expression from her; if not…

Qi Wan clearly remembered one time when young Xie Shiqing came home. Her report card also showed an A, but she was not ranked first—she was second.

She had made one mistake, losing a single point.

Only one point.

That day, little Xie Shiqing stayed in the study for half an hour.

The soundproofing in the Xie Family Villa was excellent; nothing could be heard. Qi Wan did not know what had happened. She only knew that from then on, Xie Shiqing’s grades were always first.

She was always the very best.

There was a saying that people subconsciously imitated the words and actions of the most authoritative person in their life. It was a kind of admiration, but even more, a kind of inferiority.

Because in her heart, there was already a set standard for “perfection” and “strength.” She would not take any other path, nor believe that other kinds of personalities could have their own admirable qualities.

There was only one, in her heart there was only one optimal answer.

Compared to the Head of the Xie family’s direct overbearing manner, Xie Shiqing, having gone through hardships and low points, acted more subtly—preferring to appear weak, achieving her goals through indirect means, without being so forceful.

But in the end, she would still get what she wanted.

This was the kind of person Xie Shiqing was. Her unyielding will would make all people and things give way until she achieved her goal.

Yet Qi Wan always had a faint premonition—if someone as strong-willed as Xie Shiqing ever hit a brick wall, met someone whose will would not bend to hers, or encountered something she could neither understand nor change, then when that time came… what would she do?

Zhong Ning and Qi Wan had talked on and off for a long time. From her first time visiting the Xie family, meeting and interacting with Xie Shiqing, every change in Xie Shiqing had been subtle and gradual, but thinking back carefully, it was truly chilling.

When she was a child, Xie Shiqing still had that innocent and cute side of a little girl. Under Madam Xie’s guidance, she had been a sweet child who could bravely express her own views and cared for others.

Then, as she grew a little older, after the Head of the Xie family began to intervene…

She changed little by little.

Those beautiful qualities gradually faded away, and a piece of soft white jade grew sharp edges. From a person with joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, she became a machine that only understood profit and value.

How terrifying that was.

As Zhong Ning gradually learned about Xie Shiqing’s past, it was as if this person had turned into a book, slowly opening before her eyes.

Childhood life had a certain kind of magic—through it, one could glimpse many clues. After all, unless a major change occurred, a person’s fundamental nature was very difficult to alter.

After hearing it all, Zhong Ning had only one feeling—the Head of the Xie family was truly a vile person.

Toward a child, she would not use physical punishment, but she would ignore them, treat them like a pile of garbage, and let the disgust show at the corners of her eyes and brows. Children were extremely sensitive to emotions—this was a form of self-preservation. To grow up healthy, a young child needed to rely on the care of their parents, so the ability to read expressions was innate.

They were born understanding how to seek benefit and avoid harm, how to win the favor of their elders, how to shape themselves into the kind of child their parents liked.

Xie Shiqing had slowly changed in this way, becoming the kind of person the Head of the Xie family liked.

Spiritual violence was invisible, but it was as terrifying as physical torment—perhaps even more so.

Physical wounds always healed eventually, but psychological damage could last a lifetime. Once a person’s spirit was gone, even if they were alive, they were just a walking corpse.

Zhong Ning had never known that tragedy could have so many forms. Some looked beautiful and harmless on the surface, but were filthy and rotten inside. To those who didn’t know the truth, this flower seemed so lovely—it must have grown in careful, loving cultivation.

But no one noticed the decayed roots beneath the soil, nor knew that its blooming period would only last a fleeting moment.

After listening to Qi Wan’s account, Zhong Ning could not recover for a long time.

It was only when she noticed the surprised gaze of a stranger across the table, along with a tissue being handed over, that she realized she didn’t know when her face had become covered in tears.

She mouthed a silent “thank you.”

Zhong Ning wiped her tears, but her trembling eyelashes, still damp, betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

For Xie Shiqing to grow into the person she was now—how difficult it must have been.

She was like an onion, like a labyrinth. Each layer peeled away, each puzzle solved, revealed something different.

Only, every time, there was always the same thing that made one want to cry.

Qi Wan’s message popped up again: 【Don’t tell her I told you.】

Zhong Ning’s sorrow was immediately interrupted.

She replied with an “okay,” put down her phone, and sat in the library for half a day. The homework and study materials on the table remained untouched.

Zhong Ning thought about her own childhood.

By comparison, she had probably been born in heaven, while Xie Shiqing had been born in hell.

Her family’s circumstances weren’t the very best—they weren’t wealthy and powerful—but they were comfortable. Her parents were willing to spend generously on their daughter. Even when she was still in her mother’s belly, she had brought luck to the family, and business had boomed, with their shop expanding again and again.

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