"What is she looking at?"
Aunt Chen reported in a hushed voice: "The young mistress spent three full hours studying the History of Nation-Building, then another two hours poring over the Civil Code."
Nan Siya and Nan Muchen were stunned: "Why is she reading those?"
"I don't know either. The young mistress had me rearrange her entire room. While I was busy cleaning, she just sat at her desk reading—completely absorbed, didn’t even notice me glancing over." Aunt Chen’s face was etched with shock.
Nan Muchen scoffed: "What a lunatic."
Nan Siya frowned: "Maybe she’s afraid Grandpa and Dad will look down on her, so she’s trying to study hard."
"Why read that stuff if she wants to learn? Is she planning to rebuild the nation?"
"..."
Aunt Chen quickly added: "And the young mistress seems to have quite the temper."
Nan Siya’s eyes gleamed—just as she thought. This girl was putting on an act in front of others.
She feigned hesitation: "Really? She seemed so docile around Mom, Dad, and Grandpa."
"Fake, obviously." Nan Muchen sneered. "No matter how much she pretends, she can’t change who she really is."
"A-Chen, don’t say that. She’s still our sister."
Nan Muchen grew even more irritated at this. He attended an international school where most students came from elite families. He already struggled to stand out—if word got out that his sister was some country bumpkin, he’d never live it down.
"Who said she’s my sister?!"
Nan Siya suppressed a smile, feeling much more at ease. Though Xie Sangning had returned, her past twenty years were too disgraceful. How could the Nan family ever accept such an incompetent daughter?
In contrast, she had been groomed since childhood as a refined socialite—prestigious schools, beauty, and brains. She was the Nan family’s presentable heiress.
What was this backwater girl, Xie Sangning, compared to her?
—
Sang Ning barely slept a wink, staying up until 5 a.m. to finish skimming the History of Nation-Building and the Civil Code.
She now fully understood the origins of this era and its governing rules.
Closing the book, her mind remained unsettled.
She flipped the Civil Code open again to the inheritance section.
"Order of succession: First in line—spouse, children, parents."
After triple-checking, her eyes suddenly lit up.
She could fight for this family’s wealth too!
Who said the Nan family was no good? The Nan family was perfect!
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture, her earlier resentment toward the family vanishing as motivation surged within her.
—
The next morning at 9 a.m.
The tutor arrived while Sang Ning was still asleep. Having only dozed off at 6 a.m., she could barely keep her eyes open when loud knocks pounded on her door.
Groggy and irritated, she snapped: "Who is it?"
"Young mistress, I am your tutor. Lessons begin promptly at 9 a.m. Please get up immediately to avoid falling behind."
The voice was stern and inflexible, leaving no room for argument.
Sang Ning rolled out of bed, yanked the door open, and saw a woman in her thirties—stout, with square-framed glasses and an unyielding glare.
"What are you here to teach?" Sang Ning asked.
The tutor lifted her chin haughtily. "I was hired by Mr. Nan to instruct you in basic etiquette. The Nan family moves in high society, and your ignorance would shame them in public."
Sang Ning eyed her. "So you’re here to teach manners? I thought you came to pick a fight."
The tutor’s face darkened. "Young mistress, mind your tone. In elite circles, we—"
"If you knew manners, you’d wait in the living room and have a maid announce you. I’m the mistress here." Sang Ning cut her off coldly.
"Mr. Nan instructed me to—"
"My father hired you to teach, not to act like my ancestor. If you’re going to wield authority, at least know your place. A teacher without basic decency has no business educating anyone."
The tutor’s face twisted in outrage, her finger trembling as she pointed. "You—you insolent girl! I was hired by Mr. Nan! How dare you speak to me like this?!"
Sang Ning glanced at the finger jabbed near her face. "What kind of manners involve pointing at people?"
The tutor flinched and pulled her hand back.
Sang Ning scoffed. "Disgraceful."
???
"You’re fired."
She slammed the door shut.
Having skimmed labor laws the night before, she knew the tutor—still in her probationary period—could be dismissed for poor performance.
Sang Ning crawled back into bed for a nap.
By noon, she woke refreshed. Another knock came—Aunt Chen this time.
"Young mistress, Mr. and Mrs. Nan have returned. They request your presence downstairs immediately."
Now fully awake, Sang Ning washed up, then browsed her closet before selecting a modest ankle-length dress.
Downstairs, Nan Zhenming and Wen Meiling waited in the living room, their expressions stormy.
Sang Ning approached calmly. "Dad. Mom."
Nan Zhenming glowered. "I heard you drove the tutor away? Your wild behavior is unacceptable! Those country habits of yours won’t fly here—how could you pull such a stunt?"
Already frustrated with work, he’d returned to this disgrace, itching to vent.
Sang Ning shook her head. "I didn’t."
"You’re lying to my face?!"
Wen Meiling looked equally disappointed. "Ningning, lying is a terrible habit. Teacher Cai told us everything..."
Sang Ning interrupted. "She wasn’t ‘driven away’—I fired her."
???
Sang Ning frowned. "She claimed I made her quit? I explicitly terminated her. For an educator to lie so brazenly is truly shameful."
Nan Zhenming finally processed this, his anger flaring. "How dare you! I hired her to teach you! Where’s your respect? I arranged these lessons for your sake—are you defying me?!"
"That tutor lacked basic ethics. After evaluation, I deemed her unfit."
Pausing, Sang Ning adopted a sincere tone. "Dad, you should vet hires more carefully. If someone like her slipped through, no wonder Grandpa’s projects under your management collapsed."
The night before, while fetching water, she’d overheard the old man berating Nan Zhenming for botching two major company deals.
Nan Zhenming froze for a moment before jumping up as if someone had stepped on his foot, his face contorted with rage. "What did you just say?! Now you’re lecturing me?!"
Wen Meiling couldn’t even stop him.
"What’s all this noise?" The old man descended from the second floor, his expression dark. The constant bickering was grating on his nerves.
Nan Zhenming’s face flushed red with anger, veins bulging in his neck. "This girl is utterly defiant! She has no respect for rules!"
The old man glanced at him, then at Sang Ning, who stood composed and dignified nearby, exuding grace. Suspicion flickered in his narrowed eyes.
"Father, please don’t be upset. I admit it was wrong of me to dismiss the tutor without consulting you, but I did it for the sake of the Nan family. If an unseemly tutor were to tarnish the family values Grandfather has worked so hard to uphold all these years, I’d never forgive myself." Sang Ning’s tone was sincere.
Her words soothed the old man’s temper. He replied sternly, "Sang Ning doesn’t strike me as someone who disregards propriety. That tutor must not have been up to standard. Your judgment has been questionable lately—after all, you did botch two major company projects."
Nan Zhenming: "..."
Again?! He was so furious he could barely breathe.
