Chapter 22: Calculation with Each Other
Chapter 22
"I didn't expect she was the daughter of a mistress."
"Not necessarily a mistress, she could be the daughter of the fourth or fifth lover, who knows."
"I thought she was some rich man's daughter before, didn't expect she is an illegitimate child that has to be kept in the dark."
Kong Lian and her friends walking behind heard everything clearly.
The few classmates beside her glanced at Kong Lian furtively, with curiosity and doubt in their eyes.
Kong Lian struggled to keep a smile on her face, while hating those girls intensely in her heart. But the one she hated most was Ren Ran. If it wasn't for her, the mysterious rich conglomerate heiress image she had carefully constructed wouldn't be so cracked, even stained.
As expected, the two of them were destined to be enemies.
"My father protected me very well, so it's normal that the outside world doesn't know. There are too many bad people in this society nowadays, one has to be careful. I didn't expect such a huge misunderstanding to happen." Kong Lian explained lightly as if it didn't matter, then casually said, "Things like this, to each his own."
What those classmates beside her thought, only they themselves knew.
Guo Tongwen walked up and spoke up in support, "I believe you. What illegitimate child would dare to be so high profile? Just like Ren Ran, we didn't know before that she was the heiress of Ya Star Group either, must be for safety reasons too. After all, kidnapping rich businessmen and their children happens frequently, nothing wrong with being careful."
The way Kong Lian looked at Guo Tongwen became much more amiable, finding her agreeable now.
The others quickly echoed in succession.
Although she tried her best to remedy it, she still couldn't get back to how it was initially.
The perfect rich second generation image ultimately had a crack left.
Qinghe Bay high-end residential area
Kong Lian threw her school bag onto the sofa ventingly and sat on the sofa sullenly, the gloomy aura radiating from her whole body telling everyone around that she was very unhappy, very annoyed.
Ruan Fengru came out from the kitchen, holding a glass of juice and a plate of fruits.
"What happened at school?" Ruan Fengru sat down beside her.
Kong Lian recounted what happened, getting angrier the more she said.
"Mom, if not for those few sentences from her, the perfect image I constructed earlier wouldn't have capsized. That mother and daughter pair from the Ren family, no matter the elder or younger, are disgusting." Kong Lian's face became twisted from anger.
Ruan Fengru didn't hurry to placate her, letting her vent. Only after she vented enough and got tired, then she slowly spoke.
"Do you think it's all her fault?"
Under her mother's calm gaze, Kong Lian gradually regained her rationality. "No, it's because I didn't consider things thoroughly."
Admitting one's own mistakes is a good start, what's most scary is those who know they're wrong but refuse to admit it.
These kinds of people often accomplish nothing in life, and live life in constant defeat.
"If when I was constructing this image, I had imagined every loophole, plugged everything up, then a few sentences from her wouldn't have caused me to fall into scandal, wrecking my own plans."
Seeing her daughter feeling dejected, Ruan Fengru gently patted her shoulder. "Having failed once, you won't take the same path next time. Lian Lian, remember that there is no 100% perfect plan, as long as you ensure your imperfect plan can achieve your goals before being exposed, that's enough. Understand?"
"I understand." She nodded.
"What's your next step?"
She knew her mother was testing her, as well as teaching and imparting experience.
Kong Lian didn't hurry to answer, carefully pondering in her heart. "Think of ways to dispel the rumors, make them believe my identity."
Ruan Fengru shook her head.
Kong Lian continued thinking, taking much longer this time, no longer answering impetuously.
"Change direction."
Ruan Fengru's encouraging gaze let her know she had found the right direction.
"Win people's hearts!"
Ruan Fengru revealed a smile. "You finally understand. Your focus isn't on constructing an image. Your purpose in constructing an image is to more easily win people over, gather everyone to your side, then isolate Ren Ran together at the right time."
Kong Lian nodded. She almost went down the wrong path, fortunate that her mother's pointers prevented her from going further down the wrong road.
"Now you should understand what you need to do?"
"Mm, I understand." A smile reappeared on Kong Lian's face.
While mother and daughter plotted how to scheme against others, Ren Ran was similarly not idle.
Eye drops were something that couldn't be stopped.
Ren Ran returned home and glanced around, not seeing Kong Li Ji.
"Auntie Li, is dad not back yet?"
Auntie Li poked her head out from the kitchen. "Master hasn't returned yet. Madam went for a SPA, she should be back soon."
"Auntie Li please make me a fruit platter."
"Alright, Miss."
Back in her room, Ren Ran started on her workbook. Having reborn, the responsibility she bore on her shoulders wasn't just to salvage her family's fate, she similarly couldn't slack off on her studies.
She wasn't used to the intensity at the start, but her tribulations in her past life had tempered her disposition well.
Calming her mind, she quickly entered a studying state.
After finishing the second set of practice papers, her room door knocked and Ren Suya entered.
"Mom, dad's not back yet?"
"Mm. An important business partner came suddenly." Ren Suya simply said, "How's studying?"
"Still alright."
Ren Suya looked at the stacks of papers on her daughter's desk, feeling very distressed.
"Studying is important, but your health is more important. Don't listen to what grandpa and them say, that you must get into some famous school." Ren Suya stroked her daughter's head.
"Mom, do you still remember Kong Mingcheng, Uncle Kong?"
"Of course I remember, what's the matter?"
"Does Uncle Kong have a daughter?"
"No ah! His family only has two sons, you've met them before."
"Then it's strange. The new transfer student in our class said she's Uncle Kong's daughter."
Ren Suya immediately thought of an illegitimate child. "Don't say things like this carelessly."
"Mm, I understand." She deliberated for a bit. "That girl is quite arrogant. Gets picked up and dropped off by luxury cars every day. I heard her monthly allowance is 500,000!"
Ren Suya pinched her nose. "Running out of money?"
Knowing her mother misunderstood, but she didn't explain.
What she was doing now was all to trick her father into lowering his guard, so that when her mother knew the truth that day, today's words would become poison, to make her mother thoroughly abandon her father.
"It's not that, just feel the difference between people is so huge."
50,000 and 500,000, the difference was tenfold.
"That transfer student is pretty gracious, specially made pastries to give every classmate. The pastries she gave tasted very similar to Uncle Pete Qiao's, I almost thought Uncle Pete Qiao was moonlighting as a deliveryman."