Chapter 308 - I’ve Belittled This Shameless Wretch
On Sunday, Xia Ruya invited Ning Shuqian to Floral Lingo Pavilion for a beauty facial and spa. The two agreed to meet there.
Xia Ruya arrived way before Ning Shuqian did. While flipping through the beauty magazines on display at the beauty parlor, she chanced upon an advertisement which read: “We’ll be introducing a new series of Traditional Chinese Medicine imperial products that were widely popular during the ancient times. Treat your skin to a pleasant and 100% natural Traditional Chinese Medicine experience here at Floral Lingo Pavilion! Please stay tuned!”
The advertisement had piqued her interest. She knew of an experienced Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner who had concocted a type of medicated cream that had wound-healing and skin-whitening effects. Unfortunately, it could not be used regularly like a cosmetic product. However, the experienced Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner told her that ancient beauty secrets and techniques were far more potent than those of today.
She asked the service assistant curiously, “When are the Traditional Chinese Medicine products and treatments going to be launched?”
“I’m not too sure, but they’ll probably be launched before the end of this year!” answered the unsure service assistant.
Xia Ruya nodded. She was not worried about the quality of the products since Floral Lingo Pavilion was a world-class beauty parlor. Hence, she decided to try the Traditional Chinese Medicine products and treatments once they were launched.
Ning Shuqian strutted into the parlor gracefully with her purse in hand. Xia Ruya hurriedly placed the magazine back onto the bookshelf and walked towards her gleefully. “Aunt Ning, you’re here.”
Ning Shuqian held her hand and said, “Sorry to have made you wait!”
Ning Shuqian’s cheeks were rosy and her skin was radiant. She seemed to be extremely fresh and energized, too. Clearly, she had been living rather comfortably of late.
“Aunt Ning, you’re glowing and you look great! You’ve already fully recovered, haven’t you?” Xia Ruya asked smilingly, seemingly genuinely happy for her.
Ning Shuqian was hospitalized after Wen Xinya was admitted to the hospital. Uncle Wen had been beaten into a pulp, too. However, the culprit still had not been found. She did not believe that Wen Xinya was innocent.
Ning Shuqian sat down on the chair and said, “I’m so heartened to see how concerned you are about my health. You visited me at the hospital every day when I was injured and even called me regularly to check up on my situation after I was discharged. You’re so much more meticulous than Yuya.”
Feeling a little shy, Xia Ruya said, “You treated me like your own when I was staying with the Wen Family previously. Hence, it’s only right that I show you more concern on Yuya’s behalf, now that she’s away.”
“You’re just so kindhearted!” Ning Shuqian exclaimed in gratification, extremely touched by her words. During her hospitalization, she had indeed missed her daughter who was abroad very dearly. She only felt much more comforted after chatting with Xia Ruya regularly over the phone.
Trying to change the subject, Xia Ruya said, “By the way, Aunt Ning, how’s your recovery going? Will there be any repercussions?”
Ning Shuqian answered with a grin, “The recovery is going well and the doctor said that there’s no major problem. There’ll be a scar, though. Fortunately, it’s not too obvious and can be concealed with some makeup.”
Xia Ruya quickly grabbed the magazine that she had been reading earlier on and flipped to the advertisement which caught her attention. “Aunt Ning, Floral Lingo Pavilion is going to be launching a new series of Traditional Chinese Medicine beauty products. I heard that they can reduce scars. You should really give them a try once they’re launched. Perhaps, they might be effective!”
Ning Shuqian took the magazine from her hands and perused the content carefully before saying, “The effects of the ancient beauty serum that Floral Lingo Pavilion had launched previously were truly amazing. Their new products should be very effective, too. Let’s try them together when they’re launched.”
Xia Ruya nodded smilingly.
Ning Shuqian opted for a full-body beauty treatment while Xia Ruya opted for an essential oil massage.
The two of them continued to chat endlessly while lying on the beds.
“How has Yuya been? I haven’t been able to chat with her much lately because I’ve been busy with preparations for the school’s anniversary celebrations,” said Xia Ruya sluggishly.
“She’s still the same. She seems to have matured a lot, however,” said Ning Shuqian, whose spirits were dampened at the thought of her daughter who was in M Nation. She still bore a strong grudge against Wen Xinya.
“Oh, that’s great!” said Xia Ruya, who decided to change the topic after sensing the tinge of sadness in her voice.
Ning Shuqian couldn’t help but feel terribly upset at the thought of her daughter who was all alone abroad. She continued, “At the end of the day, she’s still alone in a foreign land. It can’t be compared to having me by her side. I heard that racism against yellow-skinned people is prevalent in M Nation. I wonder if she got bullied in school, whether or not she can adjust to life there, and whether she can catch up with the academic lessons taught in school.”
Feeling empathetic towards her, Xia Ruya quickly suggested. “Aunt Ning, if you miss Yuya that much, why don’t we visit her together over the winter break?”
“How thoughtful of you,” said Ning Shuqian, gazing at Xia Ruya tenderly.
Xia Ruya smiled and answered, “I miss Yuya too.”
Ning Shuqian asked, “How about you? Now that you’re in high school, can you catch up with the lessons? Do you get along well with your classmates? I know Wen Xinya goes to the same school as you. Does she try to make life difficult for you?”
A gloomy expression formed on Xia Ruya’s face and her smile stiffened. She tried to change the subject again. “Aunt Ning, what do you think we should bring for Yuya when we visit her? Yuya loves eating Jiang’s shrimp crackers, as well as snacks from Imperial Court…”
“Did Wen Xinya bully you in school?” asked Ning Shuqian. She could tell that Xia Ruya must have been having a hard time in school.
Not wishing to bring it up, Xia Ruya said, “Aunt Ning…”
“Just what did she do to you?” Ning Shuqian asked with a sullen expression on her face. If it weren’t because of Wen Xinya, she wouldn’t have had to harm herself in order to gain Hao Wen’s trust. At the instant that she knocked her head against the wall, she was overwhelmed with excruciating pain, followed by fear and terror. Despite her fading consciousness, she knew that she was bleeding profusely. She remembered seeing her own reflection in Hao Wen’s eyes—she looked terrifyingly grotesque with blood all over her face!
Recalling the unpleasant incident, she was suddenly filled with resentment and a frown creased her forehead. Although she was supposed to relax during the beauty treatment, she could not help but tense up.
Xia Ruya had no choice but to tell Ning Shuqian everything that happened on the day of the school anniversary celebration. She also explained briefly about the voting incident on the student forum.
A sullen expression formed on Ning Shuqian’s face instantly. “That bitch Wen Xinya. How dare she be so thick-skinned and brazen. I’ve really belittled this shameless wretch.”
Hanging her head low, Xia Ruya answered, “I didn’t think she would do something like that either.”
Ning Shuqian sneered. “Nothing too surprising about that. She led a wandering life for fifteen years and became a hooligan. She’s full of tricks and unscrupulous ideas. I’m not shocked that she came up with something like that at all. You’re so kindhearted, you’re no match for her at all.”
Xia Ruya looked down and concealed the sinister look in her eyes.