The two got on board the Search and Rescue boat. Gao Chang headed over quickly and inspected Ming Jing. "How are you doing? Are you alright?"
Ming Jing had Jiang Jinchen's coat over her shoulders and head. Though her face was very pale, she looked as calm and peaceful as a Buddha statue.
Ming Jing nodded her head and headed to the stern to have a seat.
Gao Chang looked over at her a few times. He just bit down and bore Ming Jing's indifference towards him, and instead of bombarding her with more questions, he made his way up to Jiang Jinchen and asked, "Were you with Ming Jing the whole time?"
Jiang Jinchen chugged down some water to replenish his strength. He said in a calm voice, "What do you think?"
"You didn't torment her, did you?"
Exasperated, Jing Jinchen rolled his eyes at Gao Chang. Right then, he had more important matters to deal with and couldn't be bothered with him.
Seeing that Jing Jinchen remained unmoved, Gao Chang said, "By the way, I notified your mother after I called the police last night. Most likely, she's already waiting for you at the dock."
As the yacht was docking, Jiang Jinchen caught sight of Mrs. Jiang standing there on the wharf, an umbrella in her hand.
Gao Chang held an umbrella over Ming Jing's head and thoughtfully reminded her, "Watch your step."
Ming Jing looked around at her surroundings and saw a familiar figure up ahead.
She lowered her eyes, pulled her coat over her head and stepped up the stairs, trying to appear inconspicuous.
Gao Chang walked alongside Ming Jing, still holding the umbrella over her head. When he walked past Mrs. Jiang, he greeted her politely.
With a smile on her face, Mrs. Jiang nodded her head. Her gaze turned to the girl walking beside him.
The girl appeared very strange. She had a tall stature and her trouser legs were soaked from the rain. They stuck to her leg, revealing an area of her fair and slender calves. The girl had her head bowed down and a coat over her head. Her face was hidden from view, and she walked past her without saying a word.
'Eh? This looks like Chen'er's coat.'
As she stared at the girl's receding back, Mrs. Jiang became lost in thought.
Why did this girl's back seem so familiar to her?
"Mom." The shouts called Mrs. Jiang back to reality. She looked at her son, who was safe and sound in front of her, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile on her face.
"It's good that you're okay."
Holding their own umbrellas, the two of them walked back. Out of the corner of her eye, Mrs. Jiang watched as the girl got into a black sedan under Gao Chang's attentive gaze. Then, Gao Chang walked around to the other side and got into the car.
The spoiled grandson of the Gao family actually had eyes for such an ordinary girl.
"Did you go after the girl to save her?"
"I would have done the absolute same for anyone."
Mrs. Jiang knew her son would not lie. She had already heard the whole story. A few children were going about playing their games. The games took a dangerous turn and nearly had someone killed. It was the girl who took action and saved the other girl's life. Otherwise, things would have gone pretty much all downhill from there.
...
As soon as Ming Jing entered the vehicle, Gao Chang put in her hands a thermos cup. "There's ginger in the hot water. Drink it quickly to keep the cold away."
Ming Jing glanced over at him. She watched as Gao Chang directly unscrewed the lid and placed it into her hands. "Don't be scared. I didn't poison it."
With no further hesitation, Ming Jing took a sip. Right away, the spicy taste of ginger filled her mouth and it helped ease the chill if just for a little bit.
"Thanks."
"I'm not saying that I don't care about Zhu Xiangxiang's life. But there were so many people around at that time - why you? Did it ever cross your mind that the sea was too deep? Good thing, you knew how to swim, otherwise, you could've gotten yourself killed. You are just way too kind." Fear for her life still lingered in Gao Chang's eyes.
Such kind-hearted girls were few and far between.
Why did she go out of her way to save Zhu Xiangxiang?
Behind her back, Zhao Zhen secretly called her a fake saint. And Li Jiaojiao was so angry at her that she refused to even talk to her anymore. Even Gao Chang could not wrap his mind around the reason why she did this.
But it must've slipped their minds that aside from being the real daughter of the Zhu family, she was also a cultivator.
All the creatures in the world should be respected, and every single life on this planet was worth saving.
"You can take off your coat. We're in the car now." Gao Chang said. Jiang Jinchen's coat was still draped over Ming Jing's head, giving her a very dazzling appearance.
Ming Jing pulled the coat off her head. Right away, Gao Chang exclaimed, "Where… Where did all your hair go?"
Ming Jing looked over at him. For some reason, the look in Ming Jing's eyes made Gao Chang very nervous. He even started stuttering.
Suddenly, an idea came to Gao Chang. "Jiang Jinchen must've bullied you. Did he cut all your hair off?"
Unfazed, Ming Jing took another sip of ginger tea. "He's not capable of such a boring thing."
"Are you unwell? Did you lose all your hair because of some sickness?" Thinking this might be the case, Gao Chang turned to look at Ming Jing with pity overflowing from his eyes.
Ming Jing could care less about what he thought and so, didn't respond.
Seeing that Ming Jing did not say a word, Gao Chang believed that he had guessed right and started to feel even more pity for her in his heart.
"You're still so young. How could God treat you like this?" Gao Chang seemed to have predicted Ming Jing's tragic demise and felt very sad for her.
"You're such a strong girl. Even though you are being tested by fate, you still did not give up hope. You even did everything you can to help the people around you. You're an angel sent down from heaven, right?"
Ming Jing thought to herself, "... The man's so dramatic."
Ming Jing decided to put a stop to his constant nagging and said, "I'm a nun."
The one sentence had the power to directly strike Gao Chang dumb.
Ming Jing thought, 'Finally, the world is at peace.'
...
"Is this the Zhu family residence?" As the car was stopping, Gao Chang was thinking to himself that something appeared slightly off.
"Thank you for dropping me off. Bye!" Right away, Ming Jing got out of the vehicle and slammed shut the car door. Her movements were very smooth and agile.
Gao Chang, who was in the car, was still lost in his thoughts.
'Ming Jing, ah, Ming Jing, just who are you?'
News of the Zhu family had frequently made it to the top of the trending hot searches very recently. It was common knowledge in Jiang City that the Zhu family had both a real and fake daughter. Could it be…
This could be the reason why Ming Jing put her life aside to save Zhu Xiangxiang the other night. She must have faced a lot of obstacles in the Zhu family. If something were to ever happen to Zhu Xiangxiang, her life would not be so good in the end.
No longer was there just pity for Ming Jing in Gao Chang's eyes. Now, his whole heart ached for her.
He made no move to leave. He wanted to stay here to make sure Ming Jing was okay. If the Zhu family dared to push their weight around and bully Ming Jing, he would definitely be there for her.
Ming Jing made her way into the living room. Ling Qing shouted in an angry voice, "Kneel down at once."
Sitting in the kitchen, Nanny Zhou was so startled by the sound of the loud voice that she instantly shrunk in her seat.
Ming Jing gave her an indifferent look and instead, walked straight up the stairs.
She was actually ignored by the exact person she looked down on. Lin Qing was so enraged that smoke rose out of her seven orifices. She went after her and blocked her path.
"Are you hard of hearing? Didn't you hear a single word of what I just said?"
Ming Jing stared at her with a quiet look on her face. "What did I do wrong?"
The pair of dark and deep eyes looking back at her made her blood run cold. Feeling very displeased with this daughter of hers, a sneer popped up on her face. "You still dare to ask? Xiangxiang and you were at the same party last night. How in the world did she fall into the water and lose consciousness? Tell me, did you do something to her? I knew from the first moment you walked into this house that you don't have good intentions. You schemed your way into the Zhu family and with Xiangxiang the only person standing in the way between you and the title of the Young Lady of the Zhu family, you decided to do away with her, am I not right?"
Ming Jing could not help but sigh. Her eyes showed the pity she was feeling for the woman. "Ms. Lin, the person you are accusing of these horrific crimes is your biological daughter."
Lin Qing choked on her words. "So what if you are my flesh and blood. If you are rotten from the core, I'd rather I had never given birth to you."
Ming Jing knew that it was difficult to get through to a person when they were firmly rooted in their beliefs. At this time, she was too lazy to correct Lin Qing's inaccurate value system. "You'll learn all about it when your precious daughter wakes up."
Then, she walked straight to the second floor.
At this time, Xiao Ying rushed over and said, "Madam, Miss Xiangxiang has just woken up."
Lin Qing tore her eyes from Ming Jing and quickly made her way to Zhu Xiangxiang's room.
Zhu Xiangxiang had already regained consciousness once at the hospital. After her checkup, the doctor said that there wasn't anything wrong with her and she was discharged soon after that. By the time she returned home that night, she was so exhausted that she did not get to explain much. She only managed to tell Ling Qing that she must quickly go and save Ming Jing before falling to sleep.
It was late at night and Lin Qing was still in a sleepy daze and did not hear what Zhu Xiangxiang said clearly. From her understanding, it was Ming Jing who had caused Zhu Xiangxiang to fall overboard the yacht. Therefore, when Ming Jing came back, she immediately showed her who's boss.
"Xiangxiang, don't you worry about it. This time, Mom will definitely not let Ming Jing get away with this. She is the reason why you're in this current state. She will have to pay the price for hurting my precious daughter."
A flash of alarm shot through Zhu Xiangxiang's eyes right then. "Mom, you've misunderstood me. Ming Jing didn't do anything to harm me. On the contrary, she was the one who saved me."
