The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 295 - 294 Ning Shao’s Humiliating Self-Sale

Chapter 295: Chapter 294 Ning Shao’s Humiliating Self-Sale

With the clacking of high heels, a young girl with exceptional looks and aura entered from the foyer.

Her black hair, silky as satin, draped over her back, and she wore an off-the-shoulder blouse with lantern sleeves. A dazzling necklace hung around her slender neck, and her lower half was adorned with a fiery red skirt. On her feet were peep-toe high heels matching the skirt’s color, complemented by black silk stockings clinging to her long, straight legs.

In Shen Mingzhu’s eyes, this attire was a bit tacky, but it was quite the fashionable ensemble for the era, guaranteed to turn heads on the street.

"Why did you come?"

Upon seeing the young girl, Ning Yuan’s reaction lacked enthusiasm.

"Aunt Jing asked me to come."

Zhuang Xueqi answered with a hint of triumph, her fox-like eyes surveying Shen Mingzhu. Her voice was crisp and sweet, "Who are you? You were all talking so animatedly just now, what about?"

Zhuang Xueqi’s overt hostility allowed Shen Mingzhu to guess her identity.

"Hello, my last name is Shen. I’m here today to help Mr. Ning choose the candy styles for his wedding."

Zhuang Xueqi glanced at the wedding candy gift boxes on the coffee table, carelessly dropped her handbag onto the sofa, and sat down next to Ning Yuan, flipping her skirt casually.

Ning Yuan shifted away from her with distaste.

Leaning over, Zhuang Xueqi sneered coldly, "We have slept together already, why put on an act of unfamiliarity?"

Ning Yuan had the look of a man constipated, "Can’t you, as a woman, be a little more reserved?"

Zhuang Xueqi glared, "No, I can’t!"

Shen Mingzhu’s nosy eyes darted back and forth between them.

Perhaps not wanting to let Shen Mingzhu see a spectacle, Ning Yuan ignored Zhuang Xueqi and casually pointed to a box of candy, "Let’s go with this one, I’ll have the butler give you the guest count later."

Zhuang Xueqi interrupted, "No, I don’t like this one."

Now that she knew the identity of the other party, Shen Mingzhu upheld the principle that the customer is always right, and enthusiastically pitched, "I personally recommend this brocade handheld bag. Once you finish the candy, the bag can be reused as a coin purse."

"How tacky," Zhuang Xueqi rolled her eyes while crossing her arms.

Shen Mingzhu then introduced another option, "This gift box is designed in the shape of a heart, symbolizing eternal union, and is coated with a pearlescent lacquer that glistens like a pearl under the light. It’s quite sophisticated."

"Still tacky. Don’t you have anything better?"

Having said that, she turned to diss Ning Yuan, "I don’t know what you’re thinking, fancying such dowdy stuff."

With a riposte, Ning Yuan said, "You’re quite self-aware, knowing just how dowdy you are."

"You..."

As a woman, Shen Mingzhu naturally sensed the source of Zhuang Xueqi’s hostility toward her. She quickly stood up, "Mr. Ning, and this beautiful miss, I apologize, but I must rush back to take care of the children. Why don’t you leave these here, discuss it among yourselves, and I’ll also think of other designs when I get back."

Zhuang Xueqi looked at her, seemingly surprised, "You have children already?"

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "Honestly, my son is already in the third grade and my daughter was born just a couple of months ago. Mr. Ning even came to the baby’s full-month celebration."

Shen Mingzhu could clearly feel that upon learning she had a son and a daughter, Zhuang Xueqi’s hostility and pointed behavior instantly vanished.

"I suddenly think this brocade bag isn’t that bad. Though the style is a bit outdated, it grows on you after a few glances. Let’s go with this one."

"Alright, may I ask for your esteemed last name, beautiful miss?"

"My last name is Zhuang."

"Miss Zhuang, then we’ll settle on the brocade bag style for the wedding candies. Please take a look at the candy varieties, especially this liquor-filled chocolate. Unlike the typical red wine filling, I specially used Moutai, which I guarantee is a first in the country."

Indeed, as soon as Zhuang Xueqi heard that the liquor-filled chocolate was made with Moutai, she tried one with interest.

In the end, Zhuang Xueqi not only decided on the wedding candy gift box style but also made an extra order of ten pounds of liquor-filled chocolate from Shen Mingzhu, planning to use them for a party.

Shen Mingzhu had come by taxi and was planning to take the bus back after walking down the mountain, but Ning Yuan offered to have the driver take her home, and she didn’t decline, considering that walking down the mountain was quite a trek.

However, the driver had gone down the mountain to fetch something and would be back in about ten minutes.

During their casual conversation, Zhuang Xueqi curiously inquired about Shen Mingzhu’s age because Shen Mingzhu appeared not much older than her, yet her son was already in the third grade.

She was very curious about Shen Mingzhu’s secret to maintaining her youthful appearance.

Upon learning that Shen Mingzhu was a stepmother, Zhuang Xueqi showed no disdain or contempt.

Although she was somewhat spoiled, she wasn’t brainless or foolish. The mother of her future mother-in-law, Madam Yan, was also a stepmother. If she looked down on stepmothers, wouldn’t that mean she was looking down on Madam Yan?

After waiting for a while, the driver did not come back; instead, the lady of the house, Yan Jing, returned home.

Yan Jing, although already in her early forties, looked very young. She had a powerful aura about her, a natural sense of nobility that wasn’t just superficial haughtiness.

Her gaze swept over Shen Mingzhu, indifferent yet lofty.

Her voice had a quality of cool clarity, "Have a seat."

In front of Yan Jing, the spoiled Zhuang Xueqi was as docile as a ragdoll, "Aunt Jing, this is the wedding candy gift box we’ve chosen. What do you think?"

Yan Jing took it and glanced at it, nodding, "It’s not bad."

Unwilling to be outdone, Ning Yuan fished out a piece of liquor-filled chocolate from the gift box and handed it over, "Mom, try this, Moutai liquor-filled chocolate."

Yan Jing gave him a sidelong glance, "I don’t eat sweets."

Ning Yuan choked, "I have a friend here. Give me some face at least, try a bit."

Yan Jing looked at Shen Mingzhu, then accepted the chocolate.

"What do you think?"

"It’s alright."

Yan Jing took only one bite before setting it down, her face betraying neither pleasure nor displeasure.

Although the other party hadn’t uttered a single unpleasant word nor shown a displeased expression or look from the beginning to the end, there was an aura about her that was oppressing and made one feel uneasy and restless.

Perhaps this was what they called the aura of a superior?

Fortunately, the driver came back soon after.

Shen Mingzhu politely stood up to take her leave.

Yan Jing courteously instructed the butler to see her out, then withdrew her gaze and turned to tell Zhuang Xueqi to entertain herself for a while as she dragged her son upstairs to talk.

"Mom, can you stop inviting Zhuang Xueqi over? She annoys me so much!"

As soon as they reached upstairs, Ning Yuan couldn’t help but complain to Yan Jing.

"Annoying as she may be, you’ll have to endure it. The Ning Family and the Zhuang Family have jointly invested in a billion dollar infrastructure project in Y Country. If you mess it up, your dad will definitely flay you alive."

Yan Jing’s tone was casual, as if talking about the day’s weather, yet Ning Yuan felt his scalp tightening.

"How long is this project supposed to last, then?"

"About a decade or so."

"..."

Ten years later, wouldn’t he be in his thirties?!

"Look on the bright side, for such a useless person like you, lying low for ten years in exchange for billions of pounds in return is quite a good deal, isn’t it?"

Ning Yuan: "..."

Yan Jing had called him up not for these trivial matters.

She smiled as she warned her son, "I don’t care how you play around normally, but if you dare to intrude into someone else’s family, I guarantee I will break your third leg."

"I wouldn’t dare! If I had any designs on her, you wouldn’t need to lift a finger; my uncle would kill me himself."

"Xiaoyi knows her?"

Realizing he had slipped up, Ning Yuan hastily laughed it off, "I’ve seen her a few times. Aunt Su knows her too. We even attended her daughter’s full-month celebration a few days ago. Her daughter is quite cute."

Yan Jing pondered for a moment, "The friend who opened a pastry shop that your aunt mentioned before is her."

A definite tone.

Ning Yuan nodded and, fearing he might say something wrong again, quickly made an excuse to change clothes and slipped back to his room.

Yan Jing didn’t think too deeply into it, assuming Xiaoyi knew Shen Mingzhu because of Yan Su’s connection. She did, however, have a somewhat better impression of Shen Mingzhu.

A woman who could gain the approval of her sister, brother, and even her own son had piqued her curiosity somewhat.

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