She might have a rebellious streak!

After seeing Lu Siyan off, Chu Wanning went straight to find old A.

"Uncle A, how is the investigation going?"

"Lu Shaoheng has ties to several different overseas factions. His Gu parasites and vectors were provided by one of them. He has been undermining things behind the scenes ever since he returned from studying abroad in country M two years ago. These are the investigation results."

Old A handed over a file.

"Keep digging. I need more detailed information!"

"Yes, Miss Ning. President Lu is investigating them as well!"

"Very well, ignore him. We will do our things; my identity makes it easier to handle certain matters than his!"

"Understood! Miss Ning, just a reminder, your classes start next week. Don't forget to report to campus!" old A said earnestly.

Chu Wanning instantly slumped like a deflated balloon.

While she possessed a rebellious streak and learned everything with ease, she utterly detested studying in a formal school setting!

"Fine, I'll figure out a way to see if I can skip classes and only take the exams!" Chu Wanning said with a hopeless expression.

"I have already consulted the school administration. They mentioned that Miss Ning's past academic record was mediocre at best. If you pass your final exams this semester, you will be able to graduate. However, if..."

Old A did not finish, but Chu Wanning knew precisely what he meant—they would make things difficult for her graduation certificate!

Though she didn't care about it herself, it would make Lu Siyan lose face!

"Alright, I get it. I'll attend classes on time! Let me go check on Mom."

Chu Wanning walked upstairs while reviewing the documents old A had just given her.

Knock, knock, knock.

Laughter drifted out from the room. It seemed her mother and godmother's moods had cleared up!

"Mom, Godmother, it's me, Wanning!"

"Come right in!" Shu Qing went to open the door. "Wanning, you're amazing. You actually found your mother!"

As she spoke, she looked ready to shed tears again.

"Godmother, please don't cry. We should make the real culprits cry instead, right?"

Sure enough, at those words, Shu Qing immediately reined in her tears, her expression hardening into one of vengeance.

"I won't rest until I tear Fang Hongyu apart with my bare hands! Wanning, do you know where she is?"

"I do! She is currently receiving her punishment, so don't be angry, Godmother!"

Hearing this, Shu Qing finally cheered up a bit.

"And that scumbag of a father of yours! No wait, he's not your father!"

"Ah, Godmother, you know about that too?"

***

It was then that Shu Qing realized she had let slip more than she intended.

Back when that unexpected incident occurred, Chu Xi's very first call had been to Fang Qing.

Later, she discovered she was pregnant with Chu Xi, and she simply couldn't bring herself to abort the child—after all, it was a precious little life.

It was around that time that Fang Hongyu began hovering around Chu Xi, eventually worming her way into becoming her best friend. Because of her, Shu Qing and Chu Xi had even fallen out of contact for a period.

Yet, they were lifelong sisters after all. Later on, Chu Xi had no choice but to enter into a sham marriage with Qiu Tian; he moved into her family as a matrilocal husband to acknowledge the child, while she provided him with wealth and status.

As for why she never looked for Chu Wanning's biological father, the reason was simple: she couldn't find him!

The only way to figure out why would be to ask the biological father in person.

Hearing this, Chu Wanning suddenly thought of the man who claimed to be her father, Qin Sikai.

"Godmother, do you know Qin Sikai?"

"I do. Doesn't he have business dealings with your godfather? But I've never met him in person. Your mom knows him too!"

"Oh!" Chu Wanning looked at Chu Xi, noticing her shifting, evasive gaze.

"He used to study medicine under your grandmother. Later, the Qin family emigrated abroad as a whole. He only recently returned this last time. Your godfather mentioned him in passing because he needed to buy a batch of raw materials. Why do you ask?" Shu Qing looked puzzled, wondering why Qin Sikai had suddenly been brought up.

Judging by her mother's reaction, Chu Wanning thought there really was a high probability she was Qin Sikai's daughter.

It was just that her mother didn't seem to know who her father was either!

Never mind, she would just run a paternity test to be sure. She had an appointment with him tomorrow anyway.

"It's nothing. I ran into him at Grandpa's birthday banquet yesterday and sold him a heart-saving pill for one million per pellet!" Chu Wanning gestured with her fingers.

Shu Qing gasped. Those few bottles of medicine she had been given when she visited last time must have been worth hundreds of millions!

Chu Wanning wasn't exaggerating. Pills crafted by her hands were a matter of pure luck on the dark web. Money alone didn't guarantee you could buy them, so a sky-high price wasn't unusual—securing the item in the first place was what mattered.

She only ever bothered to put them up for sale when she ran out of cash!

Those occasions usually coincided with times when her masters cut off all her financial support, under the noble pretext of cultivating her ability to survive independently.

She suspected her masters simply didn't want to spend money on her!

As if there was anywhere in the world they could throw her where she wouldn't survive!

At the thought of this, she actually missed those old men a little.

"Wanning, I'll have your godfather write you a check as soon as we get back!" Shu Qing said earnestly.

Chu Wanning laughed in exasperation. "I made those as a sign of filial piety to you both, why would I want your money?"

"You must! You have to take it! Your filial piety is toward your godmother me, as for your godfather, you can temporarily cut him off when it comes to money!" As she spoke, she chuckled at her own joke.

Chu Xi knew Shu Qing all too well. "Take it! Just focus on being a good daughter to your godmother from now on!"

Not knowing what else to say to these two women, Chu Wanning simply agreed.

***

At worst, she would just take full responsibility for their health from now on!

Chu Wanning checked the time; it was time to administer acupuncture to Chu Xi.

"Godmother, I'm going to give Mom her acupuncture, you two can keep chatting."

"Okay!"

After finishing up, Chu Wanning went to another room to rest for a while.

Then she summoned old A.

"Uncle A, just dispose of Fang Hongyu! As for Qiu Tian, I don't want to see him ever again! But make sure he is completely severed from any ties to Mom, find a way to handle it!"

"Yes!"

Originally, Chu Wanning hadn't wanted to let them off so easily. But having been reborn once, wasting her time, energy, and resources on scum like them was completely meaningless. She already had an idea of who her biological father might be. As for those who had harmed the original owner, whether through her own retribution or the severe judgment of the law, not a single one of them would escape!

With those two major pests gone, minor grasshoppers like Qiu Yuanyuan wouldn't be able to jump around for much longer either!

Why did she keep her around? Wasn't the start of the school semester coming up?

She loved watching her dig her own grave!

To defeat an enemy without shedding blood, destroying them invisibly—

Such a method wasn't one she usually bothered with, but since the laws and environment here were different, she would comply. Besides, it made for a novel experiment!

Meanwhile.

Qiu Tian had been living a veritable nightmare lately.

First, the company ousted him, then he was notified that he was saddled with massive debts. Following that, his movable and immovable assets were either frozen or used as collateral. Right now, he and Qiu Yuanyuan were crammed into Fang Hongyu's small, shabby apartment.

"Where is Mom? She's been missing for days!" Qiu Yuanyuan complained.

Initially, she had fought tooth and nail against living here, but she was penniless, lacking even the money for a hotel, and not a single valuable item had been left to her.

If her mother were around, she surely would have money; she knew her mother had plenty of private savings stashed away.

Yet right now, she had no clue where she was!

"Why ask about her? Why aren't you going to cook!" Qiu Tian had completely lost his usual airs, looking a dozen years older in an instant.

Naturally, with their house gone, where would servants come from? If they wanted to eat and drink, they had no choice but to do it themselves.

To take revenge on someone, killing them outright was the easiest way. Stripping away everything they cherished, plunging them from the heights into the abyss with no hope of ever climbing back up—wasn't that far more satisfying?