chapter 16
“Since there’s supposedly no favoritism,” Gu Qingning lifted her gaze toward Cheng Yu, her calm eyes glinting with frost, “then when Gu Wanwan comes back, why don’t we let her live in the storage room for a month? Three meals a day of plain porridge and steamed buns. Up at dawn to clean the house. Even the servants can hit or curse her however they like. Only then would it be fair by your definition of ‘not treating anyone unfairly,’ wouldn’t it?”
The “kind stepmother” persona Cheng Yu had worked so hard to maintain was torn to shreds by just a few sentences.
Gu Zhao’s expression darkened, his eyes unreadable as he turned toward Cheng Yu. His tone deepened.
“Miss Cheng, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”
He had always assumed she was just a little snobbish—he hadn’t expected her to treat Qingning this harshly.
“Or do you think the three of us brothers are just decorations in this house?”
Cheng Yu panicked, her voice rising in flustered defense.
“That’s not true, Ah Zhao, you can’t just listen to her one-sided story!”
“I had a room on the third floor prepared for her, but she refused to live there and insisted on staying in the storage room. When she first arrived in A City, she wasn’t feeling well—couldn’t adjust to the local food—so she only ate porridge for a few days. It wasn’t because I was mistreating her.”
Her tone softened as she continued, pitifully explaining,
“You know Qingning’s mind isn’t quite… sharp. She must have misunderstood something. As for the cleaning—she’s probably just used to doing chores in the countryside. I told her she didn’t have to, but she wouldn’t listen. What could I do?”
So that’s what twisting black and white means, Gu Qingning thought. She had just witnessed it firsthand.
Her lips curled slightly, but the smile never reached her eyes.
“Then what about the servants who kept hitting and scolding her?” Gu Zhao’s patience was wearing thin. He forced his temper down and asked, voice tight.
“Third Young Master, that has nothing to do with Madam,” Aunt Lin immediately stepped forward, taking the blame onto herself with a pitiful expression. “When Miss Qingning first arrived, she couldn’t speak, and there were some misunderstandings while we tried to communicate. I might have nagged her a bit too much, and she lost her temper with me. Maybe that’s why she thought I was mistreating her.”
The two women’s stories meshed together perfectly—smooth as silk, turning lies into truth.
Gu Zhao glanced at Gu Qingning. Seeing her silent, he turned toward the butler.
“Uncle Wan, is that true?”
Being called out made the butler’s heart skip a beat.
He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “It’s… probably like that.”
The words had barely left his mouth when a cold gleam flashed in the air—Gu Qingning’s eyes slicing toward him. The butler quickly looked away.
A hint of satisfaction crossed Cheng Yu’s face.
“Ah Zhao, I’ve explained everything clearly. If you still don’t believe me, you can call all the servants to testify. But in return, I expect you to give me an explanation for today’s incident.”
At that, Gu Zhao understood everything. The servants had all been bought off—they were colluding with her.
Still, the situation wasn’t in Qingning’s favor. If Cheng Yu refused to drop the matter, it would be troublesome.
As he thought this, the girl sitting across the table suddenly stood up.
She turned to Aunt Lin, her voice quiet but sharp enough to freeze the air.
“Where’s my backpack?”
All her ID documents were inside—it would be a hassle to replace them. She had come back only to retrieve it.
“The matter hasn’t been resolved. You’re not going anywhere,” Cheng Yu snapped coldly.
She’d smashed her jewelry and publicly humiliated her—there was no way she’d let the girl leave so easily.
Gu Qingning lowered her gaze, looking down on Cheng Yu from above. Her tone was mocking, eyes cold.
“You know lying brings bad luck, right?”
Then she added, voice turning razor-sharp,
“You like to talk so much—go ahead and report me to the old man. Make it sound as dramatic as you want. But if you don’t hurry…” Her lips curved faintly. “You might not live long enough to tell anyone anything ever again.”
Cheng Yu’s hand shot to her throat instinctively, her face paling. “You—you’re threatening me?”
Gu Qingning’s red lips curved upward, her voice like ice.
“Be more confident. I am threatening you. I’m not a good person, and I don’t need to pick an auspicious day to beat you up. I’ll do it whenever I feel like it.”
