Everyone Thought The Fake Heiress Had Her Reasons Ch. 29
This is too surreal.
Ming Yue shook her head abruptly. What was she thinking?
Right now, isn’t the strangest thing that Ming Jiao feels neither sorrow nor anger about the series of events that have happened to her?
Actually, before meeting Ming Jiao, she had expected to see her in a rather dejected and irritable state. After all, even before discovering the issues with Aunt and her fiancé, she had already faced the blow of being driven out of the family—even if it was her own fault.
Any one of these three incidents would be a major blow to a person, let alone all three piled together.
But no. These past few days, she had been confident and composed. Even now, as she discussed with them how to deal with Xie Chu, she seemed filled with a spirited enthusiasm for engaging in a battle of wits.
To be honest, on the night she learned the truth about Xie Chu, Ming Yue hadn’t slept well. Her heart was half filled with doubt and half with inner conflict.
After all, in the past, Xie Chu had always appeared perfect in front of them—sunny, cheerful, well-mannered, and exceptionally understanding.
If even she felt this way, what was truly going on in Ming Jiao’s heart? She really wanted to know.
“Aren’t you angry at all?” Ming Yue probed. What she really wanted to ask was, “Aren’t you sad at all?”
Ming Jiao was momentarily startled before realizing Ming Yue was speaking to her. She sat up straight again and, after a moment’s thought, understood what she was asking.
“One must learn to accept deception and betrayal. Besides, some things weren’t entirely without warning,” she said.
Ever since discovering that this world had ability users, and realizing that Aunt could snatch away her position as the top villainous female supporting character, Ming Jiao felt that hardly any new twists could shock her anymore.
As for a fiancé who was destined to break off the engagement? Not worth mentioning. Moreover, whether in the original story or during their first meeting, she had instinctively felt no fondness for him.
Ming Yue, however, interpreted this as Ming Jiao having long suspected and discovered issues with Aunt and Xie Chu, and now merely having her suspicions confirmed, which was why she could handle it so calmly. Her gaze toward Ming Jiao immediately grew somewhat complex.
Ming Jiao didn’t notice the change in Ming Yue’s expression—partly because the mask concealed it thoroughly, making it even harder to read than Tang Xiaoyu’s typically impassive face.
Of course, most of her attention was still on Tang Xiaoyu. “Nightingale, do you really not agree with my plan? I think it still has some feasibility.”
Tang Xiaoyu glanced at her. The reason she hadn’t immediately agreed to Ming Jiao’s plan wasn’t just because she didn’t want her to take risks—there was another concern.
Previously, their main objective had been to capture the hunter. But assuming all their speculations were confirmed, this matter involved more ability user criminals. Capturing only the hunter would alert the others.
She wanted to cast a wider net, at least gathering more evidence to present to the Ability User Association, so that official intervention could investigate and ideally capture them all in one sweep.
Moreover, even if they implemented Ming Jiao’s plan, it required careful consideration. They would need to recall at least one more member from the organization to assist, ensuring Ming Jiao’s safety amid numerous enemies.
Hearing Tang Xiaoyu’s intentions, Ming Jiao understood. From this perspective, her issues with Xie Chu might not be the most critical point in the whole affair.
Tang Xiaoyu and the others had already identified Xie Chu and even the entire Xie family as suspects. Once everything hidden beneath the calm surface was uncovered, her own troubles would, at most, be a minor addition to the Xie family’s countless crimes.
However, even so, when her sister returns, she should try to delay the matter of breaking off the engagement as much as possible.
Although she doesn’t understand the affairs of the ability user world, just looking at how the Xie family has remained unshaken over the years without any rumors of colluding with ability user criminals, she knows they are anything but simple.
The resistance and risks Tang Xiaoyu would face in conducting an in-depth investigation are undoubtedly immense. Her own situation might eventually become a breakthrough point instead.
Having sorted out these calculations, Ming Jiao nodded. “In that case, I’ll follow your arrangements. But you focus on the investigation. I’ll try not to go out these next few days. If I absolutely must go out, I’ll contact you. How does that sound?”
Her main purpose in going to the studio was still to lure the hunter, but now that this plan could be put on hold, there was no need to report there every day.
She could also attend online meetings if anything came up. Besides, her abilities weren’t at the point where the studio would collapse if she skipped a day.
·
With the matter settled and the original plan adjusted, it was time for Ming Yue to return.
The matters to handle after putting on the mask were important, but the life under the sunlight after taking it off was equally important.
Tang Xiaoyu saw her out of the bookstore, intending to escort her back to the Ming residence, but Ming Yue refused.
Her tone was serious. “I’m not a child anymore. There’s no need to worry about me.”
Yet it was precisely at times like this that Tang Xiaoyu felt she seemed most like a child.
She reached out and smoothed down Ming Yue’s hair, which had been tousled by the cool night breeze, saying softly, “Then be careful on your way back.”
After pressing down the unruly strands, her pale fingers still slowly closed to gently stroke Ming Yue’s head, her voice lowering further. “I’m sorry about the hunter.”
“It’s alright.” Ming Yue looked up at Tang Xiaoyu, seeing the hazy, elusive shadows swirling like night mist in her eyes, and slowly shook her head. “I know you also want to catch him as soon as possible.”
She had been thinking about it every moment of these years.
“But preventing more people from suffering the invasion of evil is what we should be doing. Teacher, and everyone else, will understand us.”
Tang Xiaoyu let out a soft sigh. Even though she didn’t show any signs of pain, anyone hearing that sigh could feel the heavy melancholy it carried.
Ming Yue didn’t want Tang Xiaoyu to worry excessively about her emotions, nor did she want her to sink back into the pain of the past, so she quickly changed the subject. “I feel like I’ve never been able to understand what she’s thinking.”
Tang Xiaoyu knew that “she” referred to Ming Jiao.
In fact, during this period of interacting with Ming Jiao, she had gone through a similar mental process.
She said, “Perhaps it’s just that we’ve never truly understood her. What she shows us isn’t her entirety.”
We? Ming Yue keenly caught the word, hesitating for a moment but ultimately saying nothing.
In her heart, Tang Xiaoyu had always been a calm and mature person, capable of handling everything around her, including her relationship with Ming Jiao.
The one who truly couldn’t manage all this was herself.
Of course, she wouldn’t immediately change her view of Ming Jiao just because of these few days of relatively friendly interaction, then let go of everything and achieve a dramatic, harmonious resolution.
That wasn’t realistic.
But she also felt lost about how to treat Ming Jiao from now on.
Was she really supposed to act like a stranger when wearing the mask and never interact with her for the rest of their lives when taking it off?
She didn’t know.
·
Inside the bookstore.
Ming Jiao paced idly, feeling some regret that changing plans meant she couldn’t use a hundred thousand volts to electrocute the hunter—at least not in the short term.
Meanwhile, she pondered how her aunt had been calling her these past few days. Besides asking if she was safe and probing about who she was with, her aunt urged her to think carefully about the situation with Xie Chu and not be too stubborn. As for the investigation, not a word was mentioned, likely because there hadn’t been any progress yet.
【Aunt doesn’t seem very capable. After so many days, there’s still no progress.】
The System said, 【It hasn’t been that long, Host. Don’t be too impatient.】
Ming Jiao seemed to ignore its advice and sighed again, 【She’s betrayed my trust in her.】
Although her main goal in involving her aunt to stir things up was to divert attention and keep Xie Chu occupied, she had still placed a lot of confidence in her aunt’s abilities. 【What a disappointment.】
The System could tell that its host was simply bored again, using her aunt as a topic to melodramatically act out and pass the time.
Just as it was wondering whether to join in or let her perform a solo comedy routine, Ming Jiao turned serious again. 【System, who do you think is more skilled—her or Xie Chu?】
The System paused, thought for a moment, and replied, 【I think Xie Chu is better.】
At least in the original story, Xie Chu never crashed and burned, while the aunt had fallen hard.
Besides, terms like “villainous cannon fodder” didn’t exactly suggest high intelligence, even if she had now been upgraded to the number one villainous female supporting character.
Not that it meant to underestimate the aunt’s intellect—it was just that, based on impressions, Xie Chu scored higher.
Although Ming Jiao had asked the System to compare their skills, she didn’t share her own judgment of them. Instead, she said, 【So, when you think about it, there’s still something to look forward to in this situation.】
Her red lips curved upward. 【Will Aunt, based on the suspicions I’ve planted, manage to pin down Xie Chu’s weaknesses? Or will Xie Chu send someone to investigate me and discover that Aunt is also watching me? Or perhaps he’ll uncover Aunt’s investigation through other means?】
【But no matter whether one of them unilaterally discovers the other or they both find out about each other simultaneously, it’s going to be a headache for both.
Because Aunt doesn’t want to champion justice for me—she just wants to use me against the Ming family. She’ll probably be extremely annoyed by the trouble I’ve stirred up, wanting to persuade me to break off the engagement while fearing I might slip further from her control.
As for Xie Chu, he can’t kill Aunt—at least not before she has solid evidence—because killing her would truly mean provoking the Ming family.】
【Interesting,】 she said. 【No matter which direction things develop, it’s going to be interesting.】
The System, imagining the two of them worrying themselves bald, also felt a sense of delight and laughed along with Ming Jiao.
Just as the pair were chatting happily, a faint sound came from the glass door outside.
Ming Jiao’s smile deepened, and she turned to look. Sure enough, Tang Xiaoyu had returned.
In the warm, dim glow, her white shirt seemed to take on a hazy dullness, yet her cool, pale skin appeared even whiter, almost like a bright moon.
·
After entering the room, Tang Xiaoyu noticed that Ming Jiao seemed to be in high spirits, as if she were eagerly plotting some mischief.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she had seen Ming Jiao lose her temper.
Tang Xiaoyu’s dark eyes, like a rippling deep pool, flickered with a few moments of contemplation.
It’s always difficult for a person to control their temper, but pretending to have a bad temper is quite easy.
Just by showing a slight change in expression or throwing a few things, one can easily create such an impression in others’ minds.
Tang Xiaoyu couldn’t help but think of her aunt again—of her aunt’s surveillance over her, and possibly other forms of control they weren’t aware of.
When did she start noticing all this?
Was it really as simple as she had let on? That she only discovered her aunt’s manipulation after her return?
She was almost lost in deep thought until she found herself standing in front of Ming Jiao without realizing it, hearing her say in a casual and teasing tone, “Back so soon? Didn’t you take Little Black Cat straight back to her cat bed?”
Tang Xiaoyu was surprised. “Little Black Cat?”
Ming Jiao spread her hands. “Your… teammate.”
There was no helping it. She couldn’t call Ming Yue by her real name, and she hadn’t had the chance to ask for her codename all these days.
Tang Xiaoyu quickly understood. She could imagine what their interactions had been like these past few days and shook her head slightly.
But the nickname “Little Black Cat” was indeed… She thought of her sister’s sharp and bright cat-like eyes when they narrowed, promptly stopping herself from continuing that train of thought.
“Her codename is Shanque (Mountain Bird).”
“Alright, alright, I’ll remember that.” Ming Jiao smiled at her, clasping her hands together in an unconscious gesture of pleading. “I won’t call her by the wrong name in front of her from now on.”
Tang Xiaoyu looked at her, feeling even more helpless.
That face was as gorgeous as a rose in full bloom, every smile and frown captivating, yet she herself seemed completely unaware, her every move casual, sometimes even filled with mischief and cheekiness.
“It’s getting late, time to rest.”
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
Please support us on Ko-Fi.
