Wu Zheng checked the old madam and saw that there were no problems with her.
"Doctor Wu, the real daughter of the Zhu family who just returned, saved the old madam's life, right? She's quite young but has exceptional medical skills. She's really such an amazing girl," the young nurse said as the ambulance arrived at the hospital.
Another older nurse also said, "Indeed. To think that there are rumors saying that she came from a small place in the countryside and that she's ugly and vulgar! Some people even say she is terrible and unattractive, and that she is no match for the fake daughter. Well, I wish they were here to see for themselves."
Wu Zheng said with a chuckle, "There's no way that we know for sure unless we see the whole picture. That is the best way to go about things."
...
After Zhu Xiangxiang woke up and heard the news, she quickly headed over to see Grandma Zhu. Grandma Zhu was tired so she was in bed all day long, so Zhu Xiangxiang did not get the chance to see her.
"Mom, I heard that Ming Jing was the one who actually saved Grandma. And that she used medicine to save Grandma Zhu's life. Isn't she amazing?"
Lin Qing had a displeased expression on her face and snorted loudly, "These are only small tricks."
Zhu Xiangxiang choked right then. When she first discovered that she was the fake daughter, she was scared out of her wits. She was scared that the Zhu family would kick her out and like their biological daughter better. After all, blood was indeed thicker than water.
After the real daughter came back, she was walking on eggshells all day. Pretty soon, she realized that she was just overthinking things. Lin Qing seemed to prefer her over Ming Jing. She mocked and ridiculed Ming Jing all the time. She never accepted Ming Jing as her biological daughter. It was as if she saw her as her enemy.
Zhu Xiangxiang was curious but also relieved at the same time. In the end, she did not need to do too much. Even though she was not the real daughter of hers, she did not have to worry about Lin Qing throwing her out any more. That was a great relief.
"It was her fault this happened. If it wasn't because of her, then none of this would've happened." Lin Qing's mind was now in a mess.
"How does grandmother being sick have anything to do with Ming Jing?" Zhu Xiangxiang was at a loss. It suddenly dawned on her that when a person believed that someone was in the wrong, no matter what he or she said or did to explain, it would all be in vain.
She just wanted to have someone to blame.
For the first time in her life, Zhu Xiangxiang felt truly sorry for Ming Jing.
"That night, your grandma didn't want Ming Jing to help her, but I didn't listen to her words. She was very angry. A lot of times, illnesses are perpetuated by anger, and your grandma is no exception to this rule. Isn't this all Ming Jing's fault?" Lin Qing said in a confident voice.
Zhu Xiangxiang was shocked by her rationale. She opened her mouth to speak, but then realized that there was no point in arguing with someone who was so self-convinced, so she simply shut her mouth and kept silent.
Lin Qing was worried about Zhu Wentao and wanted to check up on him, so she got up and said, "I'm heading to the company to have a look around. You stay here and take care of your grandmother for me."
In the past, Lin Qing was a successful career woman. However, after she gave birth to Zhu Shaodan, she focused her energies on raising her family. She no longer paid too much attention to the company's affairs. She only made occasional trips to the company to remind everyone she was still the lady boss.
Recently, because of the incidents following Ming Jing's return, she had not been back at the company for a long time. More than three months had passed since she showed up at the office.
Located in a busy area in the city center, a lot of activity surrounded the area around the Zhu building. As soon as she got out of her vehicle, the security guard at the door right away came up to greet her, "Hello, Madam."
Just as the security was about to make a phone call to announce Lin Qing's arrival, Lin Qing stopped him. "No need to announce anything. I'm just here to look around. You don't need to disturb anyone."
Just as Lin Qing walked into the hall, the two girls sitting at the front desk were whispering into each other's ears, and Lin Qing, as she walked past them, happened to hear what they said.
"Do you really think Secretary Zhou is really going to quit? She is the president's left-hand man after all. The President always brings her along wherever he goes. He favors her even more than Secretary Wang. Why in the world would she resign?"
"Are you blind? She only has been working in the company for three months and already she is even more doted on than Secretary Wang. Even if you don't have eyes to see, you can tell what is going on. Don forget that Secretary Wang has been around for ten years."
"Could it be that the rumors flying around the company are true? Is Secretary Zhou really…"
Suddenly, one of the girls looked up in time to see a lady standing before her. The girl got the impression that though the face was hidden in shadow, it seemed stormy with emotions, as if on the verge of exploding from anger at any moment.
The girl was scared to death and got up from her seat in total fear. "Ma… Ma'am, when did you arrive?"
The other receptionist was new to the office. It was her first time seeing Lin Qing, so she simply stood up and said in a calm voice, "Hello. How may I help you?"
Her companion inwardly gave her a thumbs up. She had to give it up to her: Ignorant people were so fearless.
With a smile on her face, Lin Qing said in a gentle voice, "No gossiping allowed during work hours. Understood?"
The girl was quick to reply, "Yes, that is my mistake. Please forgive me this once, Madam."
"If you know you are wrong, then you should correct your mistakes. Do a good job at work. By the way, don't notify others about my arrival. I'm just going to walk around for a bit."
Having said that, she turned on her heels and made her way towards the elevator.
The newcomer spoke up quietly, "Why were you so afraid of her? Who is she really?"
The girl quickly covered her mouth and said, "Turn your voice down. Just to let you know, she is the wife of the CEO, the young madam of the Zhu family, Mrs. Lin Qing."
The other party opened her eyes in shock. "Heavens, then what we said just now, has she…?"
"Well… I see that a storm is on the horizon."
...
The VIP elevator went directly to the CEO's office on the very top floor.
Lin Qing reapplied her makeup in front of the elevator mirror. She tidied up her hair, straightened her clothes, and gave herself a smile in front of the mirror. She raised her chin slightly. Reflected across from her was the image of a noble and dignified lady on full display.
With a 'ding!' the elevator doors opened. Lin Qing walked into the room without rushing, her high heels clicked across the marble floors as she clutched the limited-edition handbag by her side.
Standing in front of the office door, she inhaled deeply and closed both her eyes. Though her hands were shaking, she willed herself to keep calm at this moment.
When she reopened her eyes again, they were devoid of emotion. All that remained was a cold and reserved look.
With a flick of her wrist, she opened the door and the first thing she saw was the expensive carpet on the floor. The plush carpet hid the sound of her high heels as she stepped into the room.
The office was very spacious. A huge floor-to-ceiling window opened up to a view of the bustling city below. Towards the left was a bedroom. Inside featured a whole suite of rooms from a kitchen to bathroom and even a small bar. She had decorated the rooms herself back then, so that Zhu Wentao would have a good place to rest when he wanted to take a break from work.
The office was empty. Lin Qing took a look around and her eyes fell on the coat hanger at the door. On it was a lady's sun hat and a white handbag, the exact same model as the one on her arm.
The handbag was a gift from Zhu Wentao on her birthday this year. Only five of these bags existed in the world.
Lin Qing pursed her lips at the sight of the handbag. This was really too ironic.
At this time, the bedroom door suddenly burst open and a young woman walked into the office while saying, "Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting? What are you back already…"
The woman turned to look up to see Lin Qing standing in there in the middle of the room in front of her. Her face visibly paled right then.