The Black Swan Trap - chapter 6

Wen Ning held back her tears, enduring the pain in her body as she tried to comfort her mother.

“Mom, I can earn money now. Our lives will slowly get better.”

“Not enough! It’s not enough at all! I want to be like Zhao Qianru, I want to be a wealthy lady! That way, Wen Hua can come back to me!”

She thought she had long accepted her parents’ favoritism, but hearing her mother lose control and repeatedly call out Wen Hua’s name, Wen Ning’s heart ached so much she could barely breathe.

To stabilize her mother’s emotions and protect herself, Wen Ning had no choice but to imitate Wen Hua’s tone:

“Mom, Mom, I’m Wen Hua. You’re hurting me!”

As expected, her mother was stunned for a moment.

Scalding tears rolled down her mother’s cheeks and landed on Wen Ning’s chest, burning her painfully.

Her mother hugged Wen Ning tightly, and Wen Ning, in this unfamiliar embrace, felt the love from her mother and heard her mother’s gentle questioning.

“Wen Hua, why won’t you stay and keep Mom company? With you here, Dad would come back.”

In that instant, Wen Ning heard the subtle sound of her heart cracking.

So some wounds had already formed, and only she, foolishly and desperately, kept trying to mend them.

Wen Ning’s heart finally split open completely on that ordinary afternoon.

After calming her mother down, Wen Ning learned that her mother’s episode this time was because she saw footage on TV of Wen Jiming’s family of three attending a charity gala.

In the footage, Wen Hua sweetly held Zhao Qianru’s arm, acting spoiled and playful with her.

And Zhao Qianru was beautifully dressed, her demeanor and speech unattainable.

Wen Ning’s mother was deeply affected by this.

She was unwilling to accept it!

Was it true that with enough money, she could also be as noble and elegant as Zhao Qianru?

So she decided to sell her daughter.

No matter what Wen Ning’s mother thought, Wen Ning was always the one to suffer.

From then on, to prevent her mother from selling her again and to avoid further beatings, Wen Ning began to imitate Wen Hua whenever she returned home.

Over time, Wen Ning felt she was not far from losing her mind herself.

She had had enough of such days; she had every right to hate everyone in the Wen Family!

When she learned her mother’s health was deteriorating and she wouldn’t survive the coming winter, Wen Ning knew her chance had finally arrived.

Wen Ning was well aware that Wen Jiming must have once truly cared for her mother, otherwise he wouldn’t have traveled back and forth between Yunzhou and Jing City, exhausting himself.

All she needed to do was seize this bit of genuine feeling from Wen Jiming.

Currently, the Wen and Zhao families were under Wen Jiming’s control; a quick search online would confirm this.

The reason he never considered bringing her back was simply because, to him, this daughter was dispensable.

Given Wen Jiming’s character, he would definitely come when her mother passed away-that would be her opportunity.

After Wen Ning started imitating Wen Hua, her mother patiently taught her to dance. Wen Ning was highly talented and danced beautifully.

Years of dancing had made Wen Ning’s waist as supple as a willow branch, her figure perfectly proportioned.

She was always clear-headed, knowing she could never reach the heights of the upper class on her own.

At present, her only assets were her looks and her body.

But these could only be considered if she successfully entered the Wen Family.

So Wen Ning began eating very little two months in advance, starving herself thin.

She knew she resembled her mother, so every night after coaxing her mother to sleep by pretending to be Wen Hua, she would stand before the mirror and imitate her mother’s radiant expressions from her youth.

She didn’t care at all whether she would develop a split personality.

Sure enough, Wen Jiming was stunned when he saw her.

Seeing her thin, weak, and obedient appearance, guilt welled up in his heart, and he brought Wen Ning back with him.

As long as Wen Ning ate well and exercised during this period, her figure would soon return to its perfect state.
After turning off the bathwater, Wen Ning lay on the bed and started searching for information.

She only deliberately made herself look pitiful, but she was not truly a country bumpkin.

To enter the Wen Family’s life, she had naturally made full preparations.

When it came to luxury goods, even if she couldn’t afford them, her theoretical knowledge was abundant.

So she also knew that the dress Wen Hua bought for her today was an out-of-season item.

Wen Ning glanced at the dress hanging quietly in the wardrobe and wished her very first designer dress good night.

Half-asleep, she heard some noise downstairs.

Someone was quietly coming upstairs, probably twisting their foot in the dark hallway, and let out a soft sound.

It was Wen Hua returning.

Wen Ning glanced at her phone-3:28-then fell back into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Wen Ning got up and went downstairs. Wen Jiming and Zhao Qianru were already having breakfast.

The two of them heard movement, and greeted her with kindly smiles, not expecting it to be Wen Ning.

Wen Jiming’s expression was still gentle, while Zhao Qianru secretly rolled her eyes, then spoke in a falsely affectionate tone:

“Wen Ning, you’re up, come have breakfast.”

Wen Ning smiled and nodded, obediently greeting them at the dining table, “Good morning, Dad. Good morning, Aunt Zhao.”

“Mm.” Wen Jiming glanced at Wen Ning.

She wasn’t wearing the cheap T-shirt from yesterday, and judging from the brand, it wasn’t something Wen Ning could afford. He’d left in a hurry yesterday and hadn’t had time to give Wen Ning any money.

So he asked, “Did Wen Hua buy you this dress?”

“Yes!”

Wen Ning smiled brightly, a little shy and a little happy.

“My sister treats me very well. As soon as I got off the plane yesterday, she took me to buy new clothes, took me out for a meal, and introduced me to friends.”

Such a small thing made her so easily satisfied. Wen Jiming’s heart softened, and Zhao Qianru also felt a bit more at ease.

At least Wen Ning knew her place and was grateful.

During breakfast, Wen Jiming answered a phone call, and Wen Ning quietly sat at the edge of the table to eat.

When the call was finished, Wen Jiming took a card out of his bag. “Here’s a card for you. There’s two hundred thousand yuan in it. Buy yourself whatever you like.”

“Dad… That’s too much,” Wen Ning said timidly, not daring to accept it.

Originally Zhao Qianru was unwilling to give Wen Ning money, but seeing how modest Wen Ning was, she felt quite pleased.

She personally handed the card to Wen Ning. “Just take it. This is your father’s kindness. This little bit of money isn’t much.”

Looking at the bank card in her hand, Wen Ning’s lips curled gently.

She had only ever earned five or six thousand a month working part-time, and Zhao Qianru said two hundred thousand was not much. So this was the life her mother had longed for!

“Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Aunt Zhao.”

Since it was Aunt Zhao who handed it to her, Wen Ning naturally accepted it without guilt.

If she hadn’t acted just now, Aunt Zhao might have caused trouble.

Seeing Zhao Qianru being understanding and Wen Ning being obedient, Wen Jiming was also relieved.

Wen Jiming had always put himself first. Back then, he married Zhao Qianru for the sake of benefit, and then deceived Wen Ning’s mother to have a child.

Now the Wen Family Group had a very good project. If it succeeded, they would be able to connect with the Jiang Family.

If bringing Wen Ning back led to family disharmony and troubled him, he would have no hesitation in sending Wen Ning away again.

“In a while, let Aunt Zhao find some materials for you. See which university you want to attend. Except for Capital City University (Jingda), we have ways to get you into any other school.

A daughter of the Wen Family can’t have a poor academic record, understood?”

“Understood.” Wen Ning placed her hands on her lap and looked obediently at Aunt Zhao. “Sorry to trouble you, Aunt Zhao.”