The days that followed were not as harsh as Mu Wannuo had imagined.
Ning Mu did not favor anyone, treating her just like her own daughter, Ning Chuxue.
Her relationship with Wen Yasheng and Ning Chuxue grew better and better.
The three of them, who had started off cautious and unfamiliar, had long since shed that awkwardness after a year of living together, becoming especially close.
Just like real sisters, sharing everything without reservation.
Not only that, the deeper her understanding of the Ning Family’s deeds grew, the more Mu Wannuo came to love this place from the bottom of her heart, feeling proud right along with it.
The Ning Family had donated over one billion in total, and then some.
Mu Wannuo believed that no one else in the world could ever reach such heights.
But the path of charity was not smooth sailing at every turn.
Ning Father accidentally got into a car accident while on a trip to inspect grassroots areas, and in the end, due to excessive blood loss and failed rescue efforts, he was pronounced dead.
Upon learning this news, Mu Wannuo was unable to snap out of it for a long time, often pondering one question:
“Why do good people die young?”
She complained about the injustice of the world, believing that Ning Father should not have been so earnest.
For several days afterward, she lost her appetite, and even came close to spiraling into psychological issues from self-doubt.
When Ning Mu found out, she comforted her for days.
In the end, it was Ning Chuxue who stepped in and finally managed to coax Mu Wannuo back to good spirits.
After that, Mu Wannuo became even more focused on improving herself.
Her daily schedule was packed to the brim: waking up at six in the morning for a run, handling miscellaneous tasks with Ning Mu in the morning, and reading books in the afternoon.
Aside from the necessary time for eating and sleeping, she pushed herself so hard she left no room to catch her breath.
Her almost obsessive drive made Ning Chuxue’s heart ache for her.
Since Wen Yasheng had to handle company matters and Ning Mu was often out and about, the responsibility of keeping Mu Wannuo from overexerting herself fell squarely on Ning Chuxue.
When Mu Wannuo went for her morning run, Ning Chuxue would follow behind her, never leaving her side.
When Mu Wannuo was reading, she would sit beside her, quietly staying put, and every hour she would call Mu Wannuo to take a short nap and relax.
As time went on, the two of them developed a unique kind of默契.
Time flowed, days and months passing in turns.
Mu Wannuo soon reached the age of sixteen.
Because Mu Wannuo didn’t want to stay cooped up at home and wanted to do something to improve herself, Ning Mu sent her to school.
Even in a Key Middle School full of top students, Mu Wannuo’s grades consistently dominated the top spot, leaving the second-place student far behind in the dust.
But precisely because of that, her admirers kept multiplying, and her desk drawer frequently received love letters and flowers.
At first, she was patient enough to meet each one and turn them down, but it was precisely her gentleness that invited more confessions with no Bottom Line at all.
Harassment, threats, and other extreme forms came one after another without end.
At first, she forced herself not to pay attention to these things.
Until certain people showed up at her door directly.
At that point, Mu Wannuo was completely clear that she couldn’t just let this slide like she had been.
She didn’t want Ning Mu to find out, afraid of worrying her second “mother.”
She also didn’t tell the Teacher, because it wouldn’t help, and it might even spread the whole thing around.
So, to resolve this matter, she went through a great deal of effort all by herself.
The solution was simple: give the cold shoulder to those with decent attitudes, and for those with extreme attitudes, call them out one by one and beat them until they were convinced.
A year of high-intensity training had given her the ability to do just that.
From that point on, she realized that keeping a permanently stern face toward outsiders and offering them no kindness whatsoever saved her a lot of trouble.
The timid ones would be too afraid to come close, and the bold ones, as long as she gave them no warm reception, would take the hint and leave.
On the contrary, if she kept smiling at everyone, she would be seen as easy to approach.
After understanding this principle, Mu Wannuo gradually became the “High-Cold School Beauty” in everyone’s eyes.
But she herself didn’t care about that title, as long as it saved her trouble, that was all that mattered.
“Chuxue?”
After a tiring day, Mu Wannuo returned home with limp energy, habitually calling out the name of the healing angel in her heart.
This was how she always called out when coming home from school before.
Nothing interested her more than seeing Ning Chuxue after a long, exhausting day.
But today, Ning Chuxue did not respond to her.
Mu Wannuo found it strange. Usually, Ning Chuxue would have already run out to welcome her by now.
With questions in her mind, Mu Wannuo stepped through the door and headed for the second floor, wanting to find Ning Chuxue.
Just a few steps into the house, a small figure came rushing out in a panic, with Wen Yasheng following close beside her.
Instantly, Mu Wannuo’s heart gave a jolt, and a bad feeling surged up from within.
“Why the sudden rush? What happened?”
She set down the bag she was carrying, not even bothering to pick it up when it toppled over onto the floor.
Looking at Ning Chuxue running toward her, and Wen Yasheng, who was rarely home but had come back today.
Mu Wannuo’s heart began to pound wildly.
“Mom… Mom she…”
Ning Chuxue’s voice was choked with tears, and the bad feeling in Mu Wannuo’s heart grew even stronger.
But with Ning Chuxue still right there, she forced herself to stay calm, slowly crouching down and using her fingers to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
“Chuxue, don’t panic. Can you tell me slowly?”
Mu Wannuo forced a smile, hiding the unease churning inside her.
“Mom is sick! Go see her quick!”
“Sick?”
Mu Wannuo raised her head and looked from a distance at Wen Yasheng, who was standing at the door of Ning Mu’s room.
The latter noticed her gaze, frowned, and shook her head, her expression carrying anxiety.
Seeing that, Mu Wannuo started to panic as well.
“Chuxue, it might just be a minor illness. Elder Sister will go check, and I’ll chase that illness away in no time!”
After saying that, she wiped away the fresh tears welling up on Ning Chuxue’s face to comfort her, then stood up and rushed frantically toward Wen Yasheng.
“What happened?”
Standing in front of Wen Yasheng, she asked hurriedly, her voice tinged with hesitation.
“The mistress’s old illness has relapsed. This time, it might be hard for her to pull through.”
“Old illness!?”
Mu Wannuo refused to believe it: “How come I never knew?”
“The mistress rarely mentioned it in front of others. It’s only natural that Wannuo wouldn’t know.”
As Wen Yasheng’s words fell, Mu Wannuo’s heart seemed to skip a beat, as if building up strength, and the next second it slammed against her throat.
She didn’t want to keep listening to Wen Yasheng talk. She just wanted to quickly open the door beside her and go in to see what the person she cherished most was going through.
But Mu Wannuo’s intention was obvious to anyone with eyes, and naturally it couldn’t escape Wen Yasheng’s notice.
Though Wen Yasheng was still a long way from being a top-tier star, Mu Wannuo’s clumsy acting couldn’t fool her.
“Wait, the doctor is still examining her right now.”
Wen Yasheng grabbed Mu Wannuo’s hand, restraining her from charging in.
But just as she finished speaking, the door opened.
Two nurses in white coats walked out first, followed by a middle-aged woman behind them.
Mu Wannuo quickly broke free from Wen Yasheng’s grip, stepped forward, grabbed the middle-aged doctor, and pleaded with a voice full of desperation:
“How is Ning Mu doing now?”
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