"So that's how it is," Ning Yuwan responded calmly, a faint understanding and amusement glinting in her eyes.
Only then did Liu Ruyi snap out of her anger. Biting her lips nervously and covering her mouth, she gasped, "You tricked me?"
She didn't know what had come over her just now. She had unconsciously blurted out the words hidden deep in her heart.
Looking into Ning Yuwan's moon - like pupils again, she felt as if there were a deep whirlpool, luring her into a daze once more.
Liu Ruyi stepped back in terror, feeling that there seemed to be an evil aura around this extremely beautiful woman.
She didn't dare to look at Ning Yuwan anymore. She blinked vigorously and swallowed hard before carefully pinching her wrist.
"Ouch!"
The spot on her wrist immediately swelled and turned red, but her heart was still in her throat. Her mind was constantly reflecting on what had just happened.
This was no dream!
Ning Yuwan must have used some mind - confusing method!
She had actually unknowingly revealed the truth.
She clearly didn't believe Ning Yuwan's provocation. Ning Fengchen was so calculating. How could he be caught and forced to give a confession?
But when the words came to her lips, she was scolding Ning Fengchen for all his misdeeds.
If she hadn't heard Ning Yuwan's voice again, she might have blurted out even more details.
It must be sorcery!
Liu Ruyi was convinced of this and tightly pursed her lips, not daring to say another word.
But Ning Yuwan had already gotten the answer she wanted and was even more magnanimous. "Yes," she replied to Liu Ruyi's accusation of being tricked.
She even added more generously, "It's not just about Ning Fengchen."
She had not only used Ning Fengchen to trick Liu Ruyi. The old woman and the mid - wife from the Ning Mansion that she had mentioned seeing today were all fake.
The old woman from the Ning Mansion had indeed died six years ago, and the mid - wife was truly missing.
The reason Ning Yuwan knew about these two people was simply that she had used a secret technique to read Liu Ruyi's memories and casually bluffed her.
It was all Liu Ruyi's fault for being so weak - willed that she had easily spilled the beans.
Liu Ruyi's face turned black with anger, but Ning Yuwan didn't care about her mood anymore.
"Dad, your innocence is saved," Ning Yuwan said.
Ning Fengnian was also overjoyed. "Wanwan, your mother shouldn't be angry with me anymore."
Father and daughter were celebrating joyfully, looking extremely harmonious.
But Ning Yuqin, who had been kneeling on the side and hadn't gotten up, was on the verge of a breakdown. She couldn't help but ask, "So, I'm not Dad's biological daughter?"
It was like a thunderbolt out of the blue. Ning Yuqin, disoriented and panicked, exclaimed, "And Liu Ruyi isn't my real mother either!"
If Liu Ruyi had accidentally revealed her true feelings, then Ning Yuqin had suffered a great setback.
Ning Yuqin thought that Liu Ruyi was shrewd and more calculating than Yuan Qingrong.
If Liu Ruyi could become the Lady of Yongning Marquis, then her own status would surely rise.
Moreover, after the embarrassing incident that Ning Yuqin had caused on the day of Ning Yuwan's return to her natal family, Yuan Qingrong still took care of her but no longer doted on her as before.
She even wanted to marry Ning Yuqin off to an ordinary student of Ning Fengnian.
Ning Yuqin didn't want to but couldn't resist. The sudden appearance of Liu Ruyi had become her life - saving straw.
Without even having to discuss it in advance, Ning Yuqin had recognized her as her new "mother" on the first day.
This had even angered Yuan Qingrong so much that she had left home, shouting that she wanted a divorce.
Ning Yuqin didn't feel the slightest bit of pity for her foster mother who had cherished her for more than a decade. Instead, she had persuaded Ning Fengnian to take Liu Ruyi as a concubine.
If it hadn't been for Ning Yuwan, with Ning Fengnian's soft - hearted nature, he might have finally given in one day.
Then Yuan Qingrong and Ning Fengnian would surely have divorced and it would have been impossible for them to reconcile. By then, it would have been easier for Liu Ruyi to rise to power.
She had thought that she had everything in the bag, but unexpectedly, Ning Yuwan had stepped in.
In just a few moves, Ning Yuwan had reduced Liu Ruyi to a servant's status and sarcastically mocked her.
That very night, she had even forced Liu Ruyi into a frenzy. Liu Ruyi had tried to kill someone but failed, and her true identity had been exposed.
It turned out that she was not only not Ning Fengnian's daughter but also not Liu Ruyi's daughter.
"Dad?"
Ning Yuqin's eyes were full of tears, looking delicate and pitiful. After all, he had raised her for more than a decade. Seeing her like this, Ning Fengnian's beard trembled and he felt a pang of pity in his heart.
If he had really been as heartless as he claimed, he would have driven Ning Yuqin out after the incident with Tang Sanjin.
Instead, he had forgiven her after just a few pleas from her.
But Ning Fengnian didn't dare to say a word, especially with his precious Wanwan standing right in front of him.
Although Ning Yuwan's personality was different from before and she was more decisive than him and his wife, Ning Fengnian knew that Wanwan was the most upright and kind - hearted.
When Ning Fengnian ignored her, Ning Yuqin felt even more desolate. She couldn't help but shake Liu Ruyi's body. "Tell Dad quickly that what you just said is all false. I'm Dad's biological daughter!"
She refused to believe and couldn't accept it.
Because of Liu Ruyi, Ning Yuqin had voluntarily given up her mother - daughter relationship with Yuan Qingrong. She was no longer a foster daughter. If she really wasn't Ning Fengnian's biological daughter,
There would be no place for her in the Yongning Marquis Mansion.
Liu Ruyi was extremely annoyed. She had originally thought that Ning Yuqin was somewhat favored in the Yongning Marquis Mansion.
Ning Fengnian would take her as a concubine for Ning Yuqin's sake.
But she had never expected that Ning Yuqin was such a coward and didn't dare to say a word in front of Ning Yuwan.
She had planned to use Ning Yuqin as a shield tonight. If things went wrong, she would frame her.
But unexpectedly, there was still a problem with Ning Yuwan.
Liu Ruyi was already extremely upset, but Ning Yuqin was still causing trouble. She slapped her across the face. "You good - for - nothing girl!"
Ning Yuqin was stunned by the slap. She had been pampered since childhood.
The Ning couple had never been the kind of people to beat or scold their daughters, so they had never laid a hand on her.
Comparing this with the past, she realized how good the Ning couple had been to her.
"Dad."
Ning Yuqin crawled towards Ning Fengnian and grabbed the corner of his robe, crying. "Please forgive Yuqin, Dad. I'll be obedient from now on and be a well - behaved foster daughter."
She didn't want to lose the status of a foster daughter.
"Yuqin will go to the Prince's Mansion now to beg Mom for forgiveness. Dad, please give Yuqin one more chance, okay?"
Ning Yuqin's snot and tears were flowing freely. She kowtowed several times. "Dad, please."
Ning Yuqin was completely terrified and deeply remorseful.
Seeing that Ning Fengnian didn't say a word, she even knelt down in front of Ning Yuwan. "Sister, please help Yuqin persuade Dad to forgive me one last time, okay?"
She wrung her hands nervously and kept begging.
But coldness spread across Ning Yuwan's eyebrows. "Forgive you? Then what about the dead?"
The original self had completely died, and even the soul was about to dissipate.
Ning Yuqin didn't understand what she meant. Looking up with tear - filled eyes, she asked, "Sister?"
"Ning Yuqin, you tried to harm your parents. You deserve everything that's happening to you!"
Ning Yuwan's words were as cold as ice. She took a step closer. "Death is too good for you."
Death was both terrifying and simple.
But it wasn't enough. Ning Yuqin should experience every bit of the suffering that the original self had endured.
She gently pressed her chest. The weak and transparent soul wasn't as happy as she had imagined. She could even feel a faint sigh.
Maybe it was the original self's kindness. Even after the great revenge was about to be avenged, she still couldn't help but feel sad.
But Ning Yuwan wasn't the original self. She had no pity at all. Instead, she wanted to give Ning Yuqin a miserable end.
It was probably Ning Yuwan's words about "harming parents" that made Ning Fengnian clench his fists for a long time. Finally, his heart turned cold. "Someone, take Liu Ruyi and Ning Yuqin to the authorities."