Chapter 108: The Filthy Rich Stepmother

Shen Xian nodded. "Alright."

He had lost all interest in arguing with Ning Zheng.

There was little point to it.

After all, he was only here today to pose as Ning Cai's boyfriend. As for whether her family approved of him, that was entirely outside his concern.

Now it was Ning Zheng's turn to be taken aback.

Why wasn't this young man sad at all? Why did he seem completely indifferent?

"You don't hate me?" Ning Zheng asked.

Shen Xian found it strange. "Hate you for what?"

"Hate me for breaking the two of you up, for denying you this opportunity, and for shattering your illusions and plans for the future," Ning Zheng said.

Shen Xian's smile carried a hint of sarcasm. "Secretary Ning, you worry too much. I didn't choose to date Ning Cai because of her family background or your political influence. In fact, before coming here, I had no idea about her family's situation. If I told you that I only found out you were her father less than twelve hours ago, would you believe me?"

Ning Zheng pondered for a moment, then smiled. "You are a clever young man, and knowing when to yield is a good quality, but..."

Before he could finish, Ning Cai emerged from the kitchen.

She walked over and sat down right next to Shen Xian, then looked at Ning Zheng indifferently. "The nonsense you're spewing doesn't affect me at all!"

Hearing this, Ning Zheng did not get angry. He merely looked at the two of them calmly.

At this moment, he felt like a father who had painstakingly raised a daughter, only to watch some street punk whisk her away on a loud scooter.

It was a thoroughly exasperating feeling.

"I'll tell you the truth. If things don't work out between Shen Xian and me, I won't get married at all. Since you like Su Rulong so much, why don't you marry him yourself? It's not like he doesn't prefer men anyway," Ning Cai said.

Shen Xian was utterly stunned.

Ning Cai had always spoken with extreme politeness; what was going on with the way she spoke to her own father?

Ning Zheng was clearly immune to Ning Cai's words. Perhaps he was used to it, so he didn't get angry either. He simply said, "If you don't listen to me, you'll regret it in the future."

A mocking look finally appeared on Ning Cai's face. "Look at you. Ever since I was a child, you drilled me to study hard, taught me etiquette, and even forced me to eat according to the rules you set. And what's the result? You raised me to be a soulless artificial intelligence."

"You deserve a lot of the credit for making me the way I am today."

"Now, I can't even feel happiness or sadness anymore."

For the first time, Ning Zheng was stunned. This was also the most Ning Cai had ever spoken to him in a single breath.

The family had long suspected that Ning Cai had psychological issues, but Ning Zheng used to think he was just overthinking things.

Looking at her now, she really was ill, and quite severely so.

Shen Xian looked at Ning Cai with a trace of pity, then spoke to Ning Zheng. "Secretary Ning, you're like a ruler, measuring every behavior and rule, never allowing the slightest deviation. But within those boundaries of yours, Ning Cai has been turned into a robot."

Her stepmother stood at the kitchen doorway, listening to their conversation, her face filled with a complex mix of emotions.

In fact, when her stepmother first married into the family, Ning Cai was incredibly obedient and well-behaved, doing exactly what Ning Zheng told her to do.

Even back then, her stepmother had sensed that something was wrong, but Ning Zheng was highly satisfied with Ning Cai's behavior.

It wasn't until three years ago that Ning Cai rebelled for the first time and fled to Nanzhou.

"Ah Zheng... let's have breakfast first. It's getting late, and you have a busy day ahead after eating," her stepmother said, hurrying over to smooth things over when she saw Ning Zheng sitting silently on the sofa.

Without a word, Ning Zheng stood up and walked over to the dining table.

Ning Cai took Shen Xian's hand. "Since things are already like this, let's eat first."

Her hand was slightly cold, yet very soft.

For the first time, Shen Xian felt that Ning Cai was truly pitiable.

Everyone has their own struggles in life. He felt that although she lived in great comfort, her constant unhappiness was rather tragic.

At the dining table, Ning Zheng did not say another word.

Ning Cai kept her head down as she ate, and the atmosphere was suffocatingly quiet.

Shen Xian felt a sense of oppression.

Her stepmother, however, didn't seem to mind. She kept placing delicate side dishes and pastries onto Shen Xian's plate.

After a long while, Ning Zheng finally spoke. "We will have quite a few guests over for dinner tonight, about twenty or thirty people. If you can't manage, hire a couple of private chefs to come over."

Her stepmother replied, "Alright."

Having said that, Ning Zheng picked up his briefcase and headed out.

Outside the door, a black Audi A6L was already waiting.

"Xiao Shen, Caicai, don't worry. I'll have a good talk with your father. I fully support the two of you," her stepmother said gently.

"Thank you, Stepmother," Ning Cai said, her eyelids lowered.

Just as she finished speaking, her phone rang. Ning Cai frowned.

It was from her grandmother.

"Grandmother," Ning Cai called out softly.

"Since you're back, come over to my place in a bit. And bring that pretty boy with you!" Grandmother's voice was loud and sharp.

Ning Cai hung up the phone.

Shen Xian laughed. "It seems a lot of people did their homework before I even arrived!"

The people in the capital's elite circles were truly making a mountain out of a molehill.

"I'm done eating. Let's go," Ning Cai said, pushing her bowl and chopsticks aside.

"I'm sorry, Auntie," Shen Xian said apologetically.

"It's fine, it's fine. You two go ahead. Just remember to come back for dinner tonight." Her stepmother stood up to see Shen Xian and Ning Cai out.

Before they left, she called out to Shen Xian, "Xiao Shen, wait a moment."

Shen Xian turned around in confusion, only for her stepmother to slip a card quietly into his hand. "There's no password. Go buy some decent gifts. We can't let her grandmother and uncle look down on you."

Shen Xian quickly tried to refuse. "No need, Auntie, I have money."

Her stepmother said, "This is your first time here, and I haven't prepared anything else for you. Just take it and don't be polite! The capital isn't like other places; you need money for everything here. Take it!"

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Shen Xian had no choice but to accept it.

When they reached the garage, Ning Cai pointed ahead. "Which one should we drive?"

Shen Xian was stunned. The underground garage was lined with luxury cars.

Aston Martins, Ferraris, Cullinans...

"Stepmother bought all of these. How much could my dad possibly earn?" Ning Cai said with a trace of disdain.

"What does your stepmother do? How is she so rich?" Shen Xian was truly astonished.

"Stepmother owns two courtyard houses near Tiananmen Square. Her family used to be royalty," Ning Cai said indifferently. "Selling just one or two of her family's heirloom antiques could buy an entire building."

"Does she have any children?" Shen Xian asked.

"No. She was always single until she lost her head and married my dad," Ning Cai said.

"From now on, your stepmother is my stepmother. I'll have to ask her tonight—if she doesn't mind, I'd gladly be her son and take care of her in her old age," Shen Xian said.

Comparing yourself to others really was enough to drive you mad.

In the end, the two of them chose a relatively inconspicuous Magotan and drove to her grandmother's house.

Her grandmother's home was even more extravagant—a massive estate with a sprawling golf course right at the entrance, which also belonged to her grandmother's family.

They had barely parked the car when a middle-aged man looked at Shen Xian and spoke coldly, "What kind of riffraff thinks they're worthy of coming here?"

"Get back to Nanzhou where you belong!"

It was Ning Cai's eldest uncle!