Chapter 393 - 406: What Is This?
An Ning was relentless, her attitude even a little malicious, causing An Jing to grow anxious and start shouting and making a scene.
"An Ning, what are you doing!"
"You’re a bully! Just because you’re a little better at your studies—"
"Waaaah— How could you do this?!"
The accused, An Ning, silently watched An Jing put on a one-woman show.
An Jing messed up her own hair and viciously scratched several lines on her face, which immediately welled up with red streaks of blood.
Not only that, but she also threw herself to the ground and rolled around twice.
When the people from the courtyard came in, they saw An Jing sitting on the ground, hair disheveled and face covered in scratches. She was crying her heart out, a sight meant to tug at one’s heartstrings.
"Mom—let’s go home, let’s just go home."
"This isn’t a place for us. We’re not worthy—"
An Jing’s tearful cries concisely painted a picture for the onlookers: of relatives who despised the poor and curried favor with the rich, of a petty person who’d gained some success and was now throwing her weight around and bullying others.
And An Jing, of course, was the victim at the center of it all.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP.
Standing off to the side, An Ning applauded without a word.
"Are you kidding? If my sister wanted to hit you, would she need to scratch your face?"
An Guoping squeezed through the crowd from behind and stood by An Ning’s side. He looked at An Jing with utter disdain and said, "Someone like you? My sister wouldn’t even bother using her hands. She’d just kick you right out the door."
"That’s right. My little sister is really strong. These little scratches... this doesn’t look like her work."
An Guoqing squatted down with his usual guileless expression, looked at the marks on An Jing’s face, and shook his head.
An Jing, still on the ground, couldn’t understand. ’Why isn’t this going the way I planned?’
But she wasn’t an idiot. She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling as she choked out quiet sobs, repeating over and over, "Let’s go home. I don’t want to be here anymore. Mom, let’s go home, I’m begging you."
Her pitiful tone and theatrical posture did give some of the onlookers pause. However, the people who had stayed behind to help were all on good terms with the An family.
Their knowledge of the An family’s character kept them from speaking out. While they might have had a few doubts, it wasn’t enough to shake their trust.
As for the An family themselves, they were completely unshaken.
Uncle An stood at the front of the crowd. He didn’t question An Jing, nor did he question An Ning. Instead, he first turned to An Ercheng.
He wanted to see if An Ercheng had gotten his wits back.
"Ercheng, how are you going to handle this?"
"Huh?"
An Ercheng hadn’t expected to be the first one questioned, but thankfully, he wasn’t a complete fool. He squatted down to investigate.
"An Jing, stop being so vague. Tell me exactly what happened. Be clear."
An Ercheng didn’t completely trust An Jing. Back in the county town, An Jing had told their neighbors that her grandparents favored boys over girls and were extremely harsh with her.
It was that very rumor that had made the old couple sick with anger.
Head bowed, An Jing said nothing, only shaking her head. She hugged her head as if she’d suffered a terrible shock and refused to speak.
Seeing An Jing act this way, An Ercheng’s temper flared. It was the same act as last time.
"You damn kid, will it kill you to just say something?!"
Just as An Ercheng was about to strike her, An Ning spoke up.
"Uncle An, you’re still too naive. I believe Second Aunt can see exactly what An Jing is doing, can’t you?"
An Ning’s words forced Du Guijuan to step forward. She gazed at An Jing on the ground with a complex expression, then closed her eyes in weary resignation.
’This daughter of mine... she’s probably a lost cause.’
After all, the last person An Jing had framed was Du Guijuan’s own mother and father.
"An Jing, stop the act. Get up and speak."
Du Guijuan’s words threatened to make An Jing’s entire performance crumble. With her head still lowered, a wild, desperate look filled An Jing’s eyes.
"It’s happening again... It’s always like this! Just because I don’t do well in school, does that mean I’m a bad person?"
An Jing was the very picture of a student pushed past her breaking point. She scrambled to her feet, screaming at everyone about how unfairly she was being treated.
"Why don’t you believe me?! You never believe me! Is some outsider more important than your own daughter?!"
"Just because An Ning gets good grades, that means she’s perfect at everything?!"
"I hate you all!"
An Jing tried to shove her way through the crowd and run.
"Stop her!"
At An Ning’s command, An Guoming and several young men who were there to help immediately formed a human wall, blocking An Jing’s escape.
Her sister-in-law, Gao Guifen, even spread her arms wide, ready to grab An Jing if she dared to charge through.
"What are you all doing! An Ning, what are you doing!"
An Jing began to feel a genuine fear. She met An Ning’s gaze, and it was as if those eyes knew everything she had done, leaving her completely exposed.
Now, An Jing truly began to panic.
The crowd near the door spontaneously parted, clearing a path for An Ning.
"An Jing, are you going to take it out yourself, or do I have to strip you bare to get it?"
"You—what did you say?"
An Jing was making another gamble, betting that An Ning wouldn’t dare.
"A gambler’s greatest fear is having their bluff called. An Jing, where is my admission notice?"
Admission notice?
"What in the world?! Whose admission notice did she take?"
Lin Cuihua was the first to react. The admission notice... she had just given it to An Ning yesterday, warning her over and over to keep it safe. She had been so afraid it would get lost. What was going on?
All eyes fell on An Jing, but she still tried to bluff her way out.
"What are you talking about? I don’t understand! What admission notice? I’ve never even seen one! I just looked at one of your books, and you got disgusted and started hitting and yelling at me. Can’t I just leave now?!"
"It’s in her underwear."
Those four precise words made An Jing’s palms begin to sweat. She clutched her chest, staring wildly at An Ning.
"You’re slandering me! How dare you say such a thing?"
An Ning took two steps forward, grabbed one of An Jing’s wrists, and slowly tightened her grip.
"Stealing an admission notice is a crime you can be sentenced for. And did you know I ranked first in the entire country? Did you really think you could just take this notice and go to university yourself?"
"The person who ranked first in the country is going to be in the spotlight. Do you really think you could pull off that impersonation?"
An Jing was visibly flustered, but she still stubbornly shouted, "I don’t have it!"
"Heh, so you didn’t steal it for yourself..." An Ning’s precise guess made An Jing’s pupils widen. "How did you know?!" she blurted out.
The moment the words left her mouth, An Jing clapped a hand over it, but it was already too late.
"An Jing, you—you—" An Ercheng took off his shoe, ready to hit her, but An Sancheng stopped him. "If you’re going to hit her, do it in your own house!" he said sharply. "First, get our An Ning’s admission notice back."
"That’s right! An Jing, are you going to take it out yourself, or do we search you for it."
After Uncle An spoke, Eldest Aunt, Lin Cuihua, and Gao Guifen all took a menacing step forward, looking like they wanted to eat An Jing alive.
Seeing that she was exposed, a crazed look gathered in An Jing’s eyes. She met An Ning’s gaze and said, "I’ll get it for you."
"You’re really not that smart."
"Did you really think I’d trust you?"
With that, An Ning locked both of An Jing’s wrists with one hand. "All men," she announced, "turn around and close your eyes."
In a flash, all the men turned around and obediently closed their eyes.
After a quick scan with her spiritual power confirmed there were no issues, An Ning reached a hand inside the collar of An Jing’s shirt and pulled out the folded admission notice.