Chapter 384: Chapter 362: Is the Birth Mother Indifferent Like a Chrysanthemum? The Young Mistress Sabotages Effortlessly 2
“Ruanruan, I think this big brother’s suggestion is not bad either. Just for one night, you can cure your illness without having to pay any compensation. This proposal is very practical.” She slanted her eyes with a smile, but her eyes were filled with nothing but disdain for Su Zhiruan. She no longer saw Su Zhiruan as her daughter but treated her as a scheming woman competing for attention.
This kind of person has always been the best at female rivalry. Although on the surface she creates the image of herself as being quiet and uncompetitive, like a chrysanthemum, her true nature is to gain men’s attention and then make them sympathize with her, in order to contrast with her seemingly pure character.
When it came to her son, Ning Fu was willing to give her all, and she constantly vied for her husband’s affection, frequently recounting their childhood sweetheart days for fear that Su Zhiruan, her daughter, would steal her thunder. As a mother, her behavior was truly a ridiculous joke!
Even when Su Zhiruan’s father wanted to get close to her and show her care and love, Ning Fu would jump out with her sarcastic remarks, saying something like “A daughter is her father’s lover from a previous life,” and questioning if their actions were due to nostalgia for a past life.
Having always been a young girl in high school, Su Zhiruan was shy and always regarded Ning Fu as her closest kin; thus, she deliberately distanced herself from her father.
When Su Qin, Su Zhiruan’s father, noticed this behavior, he merely thought that his daughter was growing up, realizing there should be differences between men and women, and that it was no longer appropriate to care for her as intimately as before, like tucking in the corners of her blanket. After several instances of Ning Fu’s instigation, he too grew distant from his daughter.
As Su Zhiruan’s health grew progressively worse, Ning Fu begrudged even a single hospital visit, despite their wealthy status. She preferred to save the best for her son, believing that as just a daughter, Su Zhiruan did not deserve her affection. She considered a daughter to belong to another family, thinking that no matter how much she invested now, the returns would be meager. While thinking this, Ning Fu completely forgot that she herself was also a woman.
If her son so much as scratched a finger, Ning Fu would anxiously rush him to the hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, Su Zhiruan’s health deteriorated, needing various medicinal herbs just to survive, and she became frail and hollow inside, but Ning Fu merely watched on, without the slightest intention of nurturing her back to health.
Ning Fu maintained a facade of modesty, and she demanded Su Zhiruan not to compete for anything, even going so far as telling her not to vie with her brother for medicines and family resources.
Even greater than the physical issues were Su Zhiruan’s mental health problems. After years of psychological manipulation and suppression by Ning Fu, Su Zhiruan’s mind became extremely vague, now suffering from anxiety and depression. Yet Ning Fu paid no attention to these issues, and even upon learning about them, she would merely comment disdainfully, “Even as new money, we need to maintain a dignified appearance. Who are you putting on that weak and sickly act for? Don’t think anyone will feel sorry for you. Go out and find a man to pity you if you can—stop your pretensions in front of me!”
After such suppression, Su Zhiruan was brought to a state from which she never recovered, leading to her subsequent tragic end.
“Su Zhiruan, why don’t you respond when people talk to you? Is this how our family taught you to behave? Such a lack of manners! Did you even hear what I just said?” Ning Fu spoke with utmost disdain as she straightened her dress, then looked at Su Zhiruan with cold, dismissive eyes, her lips pressed tightly, staring rigidly at Su Zhiruan. “You are just too competitive, always wanting to outdo others. Sometimes taking a loss is a blessing, and moreover, we are in the wrong to begin with. I am completely at a loss for words, you better figure out your own solution!”
After Ning Fu issued this statement, the elderly neighbors also grew anxious. They did not know what was happening in her family but stood in place, ready to see how Su Zhiruan would respond.
Ning Fu watched as Su Zhiruan just stood there motionless. She already had her answer, and with a sneer, she took her son’s hand and left.
Ning Fu knew her daughter’s personality well: she was a quiet person, unable to articulate her thoughts or defend herself, and had a difficult, competitive character, not even a fraction as good as her.