Qiao Weimin was now in his early forties. He had been a handsome man since he was young, and insisted on dressing up even at this age. He would wear perfume and do his hair regardless of where he was or where he was going.
Though the face was supposed to be the index of the heart but being a perverted man, Qiao Weimin actually looked rather creepy. His face without facial hair at this age made him look like a eunuch.
"I was just being nice and asking why she hadn't eaten the porridge in her room, Father, and she got all worked up," Qiao Hongye whined, happily adding insult to injury.
After all, her parents had told her the truth about Jing Yunzhao. She would have let it go if Jing Yunzhao was really her sister, but she was just an abandoned child her mother had brought home.
Mother also told her that she had only brought Jing Yunzhao home so that she could ward off evil for her. Shouldn't Jing Yunzhao be more humble if that was the case? Why does she have to be such a one-upper?
The teachers at school always went on about how smart the daughters of the Qiao Family were, especially Jing Yunzhao. It killed her every time she heard it, and she wished that she could tell everyone that Jing Yunzhao was really just a lowly orphan.
But she knew that saying that would only make everyone feel more compassionate towards Jing Yunzhao, and they would start thinking that Jing Yunzhao was so strong and ambitious. She was not stupid to let Jing Yunzhao steal the limelight like that.
"Eat the porridge, Jing Yunzhao. I did not provide you with so many things for you to be choosy and bully your sister, you ungrateful girl," Qiao Weimin hissed, and a strange feeling flashed through him as he spoke.
It took a lot of effort to raise a child. He had brought Jing Yunzhao up since she was small and ugly, and never did he expect her to grow up into such a beautiful young lady.
Jing Yunzhao was slightly taller than Qiao Hongye. Although way skinnier than Qiao Hongye, Jing Yunzhao had filled out well during puberty and now had an attractive hourglass figure. Her fair complexion was especially beautiful against her long, glossy black hair, making her look more elegant and graceful than Qiao Hongye.
It was a pity that Jing Yunzhao had to go through what she suffered in her previous life, especially during high school. During high school in her previous life, Qiao Hongye was so jealous about her being popular amongst the boys that she spread malicious rumors about her. Under Qiao Hongye's influence, everyone quickly came to believe that Jing Yunzhao was a promiscuous girl.
When Ye Qin passed away, Jing Yunzhao started working after school to bring in income for the family. Constantly busy and exhausted, her skin slowly became dull. Even then, Qiao Hongye did not let Jing Yunzhao go, and chopped off Jing Yunzhao's beautiful long hair.
Qiao Hongye did not leave Jing Yunzhao alone even after she had been wrongfully imprisoned. She managed to contact some inmates and convinced them to shave all Jing Yunzhao's hair off as soon as it grew.
"Be fair! Not even an animal should be treated like this, so why would you treat me this way?" Jing Yunzhao asked coldly, suppressed her rage.
A loud crack rent the air as Qiao Weimin slapped Jing Yunzhao. Jing Yunzhao's cheek immediately turned red.
The Jing Yunzhao in her previous life would have cried in a situation like this, but not the Jing Yunzhao in this life.
"Eat it! I will beat you up if you don't," said Qiao Weimin hatefully.
Jing Yunzhao knew that since Qiao Weimin and Ye Qin were her legitimate guardians, it would be almost impossible for her to leave their care and be on her own when she was only fifteen. Furthermore, this was only her first day in this life. It would be unwise to be reckless and go off on her own now when she was not ready and did not have any savings at all.
She would be on her own eventually, but she would do it the right way.
The Qiao Family had made her infamous in her previous life, and she vowed to seek retribution against every single one of them in this life. As for this slap… She would remember it well.
Jing Yunzhao glanced at the father and daughter and scoffed, walking past them.
"Where are you going?" Qiao Weimin growled and grabbed Jing Yunzhao's arm as she passed him.
"Didn't you want me to eat that porridge? I will eat it as you wish," Jing Yunzhao flung Qiao Weimin's hand off and said coldly. She marched to her room and looked at the cold porridge, then gobbled it up.
An upset stomach wouldn't kill her anyway, and she would sit for the test the day after no matter what.
"Such a temper! Maybe you would behave better if I beat you three times a day," Qiao Weimin muttered, satisfied that Jing Yunzhao had finished the porridge. He glanced at Jing Yunzhao sourly then sat down on the sofa again to continue watching television. Qiao Hongye approached Jing Yunzhao, looking apologetic, but Jing Yunzhao quickly slammed the door shut and locked it before Qiao Hongye could even enter her room.
Qiao Hongye stood there trembling in anger, her eyes filled with hatred.
She was too weak now. In her current condition, she would barely be able to take care of herself, let alone take revenge on others. Jing Yunzhao sighed deeply and sat down on the side of her bed, pulling out the jade pendant that hung on a chain around her neck.
The jade pendant had been with her since she was a baby. The pendant looked quite old and had a rather simple pattern – a bottle gourd with the Chinese word 'Jing' engraved on the bottom.
Normally, something like this would have been taken away by the Qiao Family, but the fortune-teller had said the spiritual properties of jade, especially the one that Jing Yunzhao was wearing, could help ward off evil spirits.
Without the jade, not only would Jing Yunzhao not be able to ward off evil from Qiao Hongye and Qiao Zizhou, she might also jinx those around her.
Jing Yunzhao sank into her thoughts as she stared at the jade bottle gourd. She wondered about her real parents for a second but quickly scolded herself.
Why would her real parents abandon her in the first place if they cared about her?
As Jing Yunzhao put the jade pendant back under her shirt, she felt a sudden sharp pain in her head as if something was ripped away. She cradled her head in her hands, struggling through the pain. Finally, the pain disappeared and she looked up, breathing hard.
To her shock, she was not in her room anymore.
"Where am I?" Jing Yunzhao asked in disbelief.
She was surrounded by thick fog. There was an old well nearby, and beside the well was a dragon head sculpture. The well water flowed out from its mouth.
"After years of waiting, my successor has finally showed up…" The voice of an old man echoed.
"Who's there?" Jing Yunzhao asked, looking around in surprise.
"Fear not, little girl. Spin the wheel on the stone table and you shall see me," said the voice again.
Jing Yunzhao was indeed afraid, but the voice sounded kind and this strange place felt somewhat familiar, as if she had been here before.
Jing Yunzhao started walking towards the stone table curiously. It wasn't that big, and on top of the table was a strange pattern and a wheel in the middle. Jing Yunzhao took a deep breath and spun the wheel.
As the wheel spun, Jing Yunzhao was shocked to see something like a hologram appearing on top of it.
It finally materialized into a kind, almost ethereal old man.
"Sir, you… you are…." Jing Yunzhao stammered, eyes wide.
"The fact that you could enter the space in the jade bottle proves that you are my heir. I am Jing He. What is your name, little girl?" The old man looked Jing Yunzhao up and down and asked contemplatively.
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