Chu Lingzhi blinked, finding it utterly absurd. When had she ever been an ungrateful wretch?
She was eleven when Chu Jianjue brought her home, and in that house, she became Li Meirong's punching bag. No matter how much Li Meirong cursed or hit her, she never fought back or talked back, silently enduring it all.
Back then, she thought, Li Meirong was her stepmother. Even if they disliked each other, being beaten and scolded was just her lot. During that time, she was a timid, weak girl.
After high school, she boarded at school. Her grades were excellent, earning her scholarships. She also worked during breaks, and from high school onward, she never asked Chu Jianjue for money again.
Before, every time she asked for money and Li Meirong caught her, it ended in a beating or a scolding. Since high school, she'd lived on campus, rarely coming home to stay.
After college, to make working easier, she rented a place off-campus. It wasn't until she had Chu Junyu that she had to bring her son back to the Chu family.
She never expected that when Chu Jianjue found out the child was hers but didn't know who the father was, he'd fly into a rage. That day happened to be Chu Mengling's birthday, with her classmates, friends, and Chu family relatives all present.
Chu Jianjue completely disregarded her feelings. In front of all those friends and family, he furiously declared he was cutting ties with her as father and daughter. Meanwhile, Li Meirong immediately went upstairs, packed her clothes, and threw them out the door. They ruthlessly and heartlessly kicked her out of the house.
Before high school, Chu Lingzhi had relied on Chu Jianjue for food and shelter. She was his daughter, and as a minor, supporting her was his duty. How was she an ungrateful wretch?
Chu Jianjue had abandoned her entire family to chase wealth and status, and she hadn't even brought that up.
After a few heated exchanges with Chu Jianjue, Li Meirong suddenly pointed at Chu Lingzhi and cursed hatefully, "Chu Lingzhi, you heartless bitch! If your father hadn't risked his life to pull you out of that fire back then, you'd be a pile of ashes by now! You can hate me, scheme against me, curse me all you want, but do you have to take it out on your father's company? He's the one who saved you from the flames and raised you for years—your benefactor!"
Mentioning that fire from years ago brought back memories of her grandparents and mother. Thinking of them, her heart ached deeply.
Over the years, she'd tried hard not to dwell on that fire, not just for her own safety, but to avoid the pain.
"Now that you've climbed up to南宫夜痕, you're all high and mighty, repaying kindness with hatred and forgetting your debts. Those men must be blind to like a vicious woman like you!"
南宫夜痕 was blind, and so was Luo Zifan!
Recalling her family weighed heavily on her heart, and now Li Meirong calling her vicious only made her feel worse.
She stared coldly at Li Meirong, speaking each word deliberately, "If you don't shut up, not only will the Chu Corporation vanish from this earth, but you will too!"
"..." Li Meirong froze, staring at her in disbelief. What a ruthless woman.
Chu Lingzhi curled her lips into a cold, sinister smile. "Aren't you always calling me a vicious woman? If I don't do something truly vicious to you, how can I live up to that title?"
Chu Jianjue looked at her nervously. "Lingzhi, don't do anything rash."
Now that Chu Lingzhi was with 南宫夜痕, Chu Jianjue believed she meant what she said. One word from her to 南宫夜痕, and they really could vanish from this earth.