Xu Zhenyu kept vigil by her hospital bed all night, and only returned home to rest after sending her back to the Mo Family. With nothing to do, Zhou Tianyu, concerned that Wen Xinya had suffered a fright the day before, decided to stay and watch over her.
Uncle Zhang, Mother Jiang, and Mother He all wept with joy. "The hospital food must have been terrible. We'll cook some of your favorite food later and bring them over when we go check up on you. Why did you leave the hospital so soon? You could have stayed there to rest a little longer."
Wen Xinya was touched. "I'm fine. It was uncomfortable being in the hospital with the constant smell of disinfectant, so I decided to be discharged earlier."
Once Mother He discerned that she was indeed alright, she heaved a sigh of relief. "Xinya, bring Miss Zhou inside. Mother Jiang and I will prepare some snacks."
Mother Jiang gestured heartily to Zhou Tianyu. "This is Miss Zhou's first time here, yet look at how we left you standing at the door while fussing over the Young Mistress. Please don't take it to heart!"
Zhou Tianyu took a liking for the enthusiastic helpers already. She smiled. "I've been hearing Xinya sing high praises about Mother He's desserts and Mother Jiang's skills in the kitchen. Today, I absolutely have to give them a taste."
Mother He and Mother Jiang beamed with pride and promptly rushed off to the kitchen.
Wen Xinya led Zhou Tianyu into the Mo house. When Zhou Tianyu saw the ornaments scattered artfully around the living room, her eyes went wide. "As expected of a family with generations of scholars. My family has a background of scholars as well, but we are nothing compared to your Grampy's family."
Wen Xinya simply smiled and showed her around the rest of the Mo house. In the backyard, Zhou Tianyu circled around the Sycamore tree and sighed. "This Sycamore tree has been well taken care of. What a rare sight. Such a lovely tree with a magnificent canopy!"
As they reached Xinya's room, Tianyu gushed over the flowers on display. "Oh my, the precious viburnum flowers! With petals like white jade, and a mild refreshing fragrance."
The moment Wen Xinya brought Zhou Tianyu into her room, Zhou Tianyu was so blown away. She swore. "Oh damn! This is literally a boudoir fit for a princess! Look at all these items, each one costs an arm and a leg! You're not just merely rich, you are filthy rich!"
"This used to be my mother's room, all these objects must be from my Granny's dowry." Wen Xinya explained.
Zhou Tianyu exclaimed. "No wonder you are staying so happily by your Grampy's side, unwilling to return to the Wen Family."
Wen Xinya laughed. "The main reason why I do not want to return is that Grampy is getting old and does not have any other relatives by his side. I wish to accompany him more. On another note, the Wen Family does not think highly of me. Who would want to live under the same roof with people who hate you, and having to abide by their mood swings."
Zhou Tianyu smirked. "The Wen family really have such bad taste. I have no idea what they see in that Xia Ruya. The more I see her, the more hateful she becomes. After she was humiliated at my birthday banquet the last time, rumors claiming that she was set up surfaced within two days. Some even said that you were the one who did it."
Wen Xinya was shocked. "Such a thing happened?"
Recently, she was focused on the Ou Yangfeng case and paid no heed to the gossip circulating. To think that Xia Ruya was so vicious. She had clearly stayed out of her way that day, yet she still found ways to make her life difficult.
Zhou Tianyu assumed that she was well aware of those rumors and was surprised to find out that she did not have a single clue. "There have been many gossips about the two of you not getting along in the social circle these few days. Remember when Wen Yuya posted the photo of you pushing Xia Ruya into the lake? Many people are saying that because of your jealousy towards Xia Ruya enjoying the life that should have been yours, you set her up."
Wen Xinya chuckled. This did sound like something Xia Ruya would do. "Everybody in the circle already knows that Xia Ruya was humiliated at your birthday banquet and that you are close to me. It is conceivable for people that I have taken the chance to get back at her, especially with that incriminating photo."
Zhou Tianyu could no longer hold in her anger. "Damn it! That woman has such a black heart. She was the one who plotted against you first, yet she pushed all blame onto you. She is excellent at pretending to be a damsel in distress."
Wen Xinya murmured. "Xia Ruya's reputation in the social circles has always been good, and most think that she is a well-bred lady full of compassion, innocence, and elegance. This image was cultivated from her first twelve years of life and has been used through and through to deceive everyone. Unlike me, a rogue gangster who lived on the streets for fifteen years. Using an ex-prisoner as a comparison, even after he has been released, the public will still scorn him, much less believe him."
Zhou Tianyu frowned. "Listening to you, I feel that this Xia Ruya is malicious to the core. If I hadn't met you, I would really have bought her kind and innocent act."
"The key to deceit is to immerse oneself in the show. Xia Ruya has outdone herself at this. No matter if she dislikes them or if they are useless to her, she kept the pretense of being gentle to everyone every single living minute of the day." This was precisely the reason Wen Xinya suffered defeat at her hands in her previous life.
Zhou Tianyu smiled coldly. "She is but the bastard child of an inferior family. Thinking that she is still some socialite, prancing around with her past title of Mistress of the Wen family."
Wen Xinya shrugged. "After all, she was the young mistress of the Wen family for twelve years, and had been pampered and educated as such. Even if she has fallen to being the bastard of an inferior family, no one can say the same of her upbringing, hence she is able to hold her own with that title."
Zhou Tianyu sneered. She hated to admit it, but what Wen Xinya said was true. "Since she has already been accepted back into the Xia family, she should know her place and stay there quietly as the mistress of the Xia Family, instead of butting into our social circle."
Wen Xinya's eyes turned cold. "The fall from heaven to hell is extreme and drastic. No one will simply be able to accept that. So, I would say that her behavior is expected."
Zhou Tianyu waved her comments away. "I really don't know what she's thinking. Compared to you who have suffered fifteen years out on the streets, hasn't she lived a life luxurious enough in the Wen family? Even now after she has been put back to her rightful place, she can still hold her head up high. What else is she lacking that makes her target you all the time?"
Wen Xinya sighed ruefully. "There is a type of people in this world who always think that the grass is greener on the other side, and are never content with what they have. They feel that the world revolves around them and that they should always get what they want. Xia Ruya is a prime example of this."
"Bloody hell, that woman is insane!" Zhou Tianyu burst out furiously.
Wen Xinya smiled and shook her head. "That's enough. Let's stop wasting our energy over this kind of people. Let them do what they want. Sooner or later I will personally peel off their masks, layer by layer."
Zhou Tianyu nodded in support, but her heart ached for this dear friend of hers. She had finally found her blood relatives after fifteen harsh years of living in the streets, only to discover what snakes they are—cruel and merciless.