Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Slapping the Fake Heiress 49
Zhao Han had specifically instructed the hotel manager to arrange rooms for the Liu Family.
The rooms the manager arranged for them were all pretty decent.
After all, this hotel was one of the more luxurious ones under the Zhao Family, even the most ordinary rooms looked quite magnificent, let alone the slightly more upscale rooms.
The Liu family of three got two rooms.
Upon entering the room, Mr. and Mrs. Liu couldn’t help but praise: "No wonder so many people are dying to move to the big city. It’s just different here. Look at this room, if it wasn’t for our trip to the Capital this time, we would probably never get to stay in such a place in our lives."
Mrs. Liu lay on the bed, elated: "This bed is also exceptionally comfortable. Come try it quickly."
Meanwhile, Liu Qing opened the refrigerator in the room and took out several bottles of drinks.
He also picked up the room’s phone to order a meal, selecting a large table of dishes.
In contrast to the excitement of the Liu Family, Zhao Mingzhu was filled with trepidation.
Truly tired and hungry, she had some food sent over by the hotel waiter, which only deepened her unease.
Zhao Mingzhu, having taken a shower, hid in bed tossing and turning but unable to fall asleep.
She didn’t know how much Zhao Han knew, much less what Zhao Han would do to her.
Zhao Mingzhu thought that Zhao Han probably didn’t really mean to send her back to the Liu Family, and maybe was just to scare the Lius, but she still worried.
She feared that Zhao Han might act on impulse and really insist on sending her away.
Unable to sleep, Zhao Mingzhu simply got up and knocked on the door of Mr. and Mrs. Liu’s room.
At that moment, the couple was sleeping in a daze, and their faces looked quite displeased when Zhao Mingzhu woke them up.
As soon as Zhao Mingzhu entered, she said: "Dad, Mom, when you meet my parents tomorrow, you have to be nice, and don’t be like today. No matter what they say, just agree with them. We must stay in the Zhao Family."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Liu got quite angry: "What’s the matter, you don’t want to come back home or what?"
But Mr. Liu thought more about it.
He tugged at Mrs. Liu: "Let’s listen to the child finish."
Zhao Mingzhu’s face was full of sorrow: "You heard what my father said tonight. He might really plan to send me back. If I really go back, then we are all done for. If I go back, the Zhao Family definitely won’t continue to support me, and without money in my hands, we can only be poor. But if I stay in the Zhao Family, eventually I’ll have a share of the Zhao Family’s property. Think about how much money that could be, it’ll be more than we could ever spend in a lifetime."
Mrs. Liu looked around at the luxury of the room, then thought about how many such rooms there were in this five-star hotel, and she had no idea how much just this one hotel was worth, not to mention the Zhao Family’s holdings were not only a single hotel.
Thinking of the Zhao Family’s property, Mrs. Liu’s heart was filled with joy.
She looked at Mr. Liu: "Head of the household, I think what Mingzhu said makes sense. We need to keep Mingzhu in the Zhao Family. As long as she is still part of the Zhao Family, as long as she still carries the Zhao surname, in the future, a portion of the Zhao Family’s assets will be ours."
Mr. Liu smiled too: "Hmm, let’s discuss it in detail. We must have a better attitude tomorrow, we can’t have a conflict with the Zhao Family like today. Tomorrow we’ll have to swallow our pride and suck up to Zhao Han. If he is pleased, even a little leak from his hand will be enough for us to live a life of delicacy and spice."
Mr. Liu pulled Zhao Mingzhu and Mrs. Liu to his side to sit down, and the three of them discussed for a long time.
Anning had a sound sleep that night.
The next morning when Anning woke up, Zhao Han and Song Ruyi had already gone out.
Anning understood that they must have wanted to settle Zhao Mingzhu’s matter quickly, and also, they didn’t want to involve Anning and Ming Rui too much, which is why they left early in the morning.
Anning went downstairs for breakfast and saw Ming Rui returning from a run outside.
He must have run quite a distance, sweating all over his head and body.
Ming Rui, while wiping off his sweat, smiled at Anning: "Good morning."
Anning also smiled: "Brother, good morning. I saved some breakfast for you; I’ll warm it up for you in a bit."
Ming Rui waved his hand: "No need to warm it up, I can eat it cold."
Anning still went to the kitchen to warm up the meal for Ming Rui.
Zhao Mingrui came down from taking a bath just as a hot meal was served at the table.
While eating, he asked Anning, "Any plans for today?"
Anning thought for a moment, "I want to go to the library today."
"Bookworm."
Zhao Mingrui muttered under his breath.
"What?" Anning asked.
Zhao Mingrui quickly smiled and said, "Nothing, I just mean don’t think about studying all the time. We need a balance of work and play—you should have some fun when it’s time to have fun."
Tilting her head, Anning thought for a while, "But I did play."
"What did you play?" This time, Zhao Mingrui was really curious.
Counting on her fingers, Anning said, "When I got tired of studying Chinese, I switched to math for a while, then I did a few physics problems for fun, read some history books, and solved a few mathematical formulas for amusement..."
"Oh my goodness!" Zhao Mingrui held his forehead, "The world of a top student is indeed something we slackers will never understand."
Anning waited for Zhao Mingrui to finish dinner, then she took her bag and prepared to leave.
Zhao Mingrui thought for a moment and still felt uneasy about Anning going out alone.
"Wait a second, I’ll go to the library with you. We’re in our senior year, and the studies are intense. I should put in more effort too."
Anning waited for Zhao Mingrui, who quickly went upstairs to change his clothes and then came back down with a backpack.
Just before leaving, Zhao Mingrui placed a hat on Anning’s head, "Wear this, it’ll keep you a bit warmer."
The siblings then went to the library together.
Upon entering the doors of the library, Zhao Mingrui saw Anning waving to Xiao Yuan with a smile.
Xiao Yuan, who had been slouching against a pillar, saw Anning waving and immediately perked up, running over with his bag.
Just as Xiao Yuan reached out to hug Anning, Zhao Mingrui quickly pulled her behind him to hide her.
Anning smiled, "Brother, this is my classmate, Xiao Yuan."
Zhao Mingrui looked Xiao Yuan up and down with increased wariness.
Anning tugged at Zhao Mingrui’s sleeve, "Bro, let’s go inside first."
Then, Anning smiled at Xiao Yuan, "Have you had breakfast?"
Xiao Yuan nodded, "I had breakfast. I stayed at my old man’s place yesterday, and Mr. Tian made breakfast especially for me this morning."
Anning smiled, "Then let’s go inside."
Meanwhile, in the hotel, in the same lounge as last night, the Liu Family and the couple Zhao Han sat opposite each other.
Zhao Han didn’t beat around the bush and directly said to Mr. Liu, "We’ve been quite troubled recently. The child-swapping that happened years ago was an accidental mix-up. Now that Ningning is back home, from the moment she returned, she has been very close to us. During this time, Ningning has grown even closer to us. I was thinking, Mingzhu can’t forever ignore her biological parents. After all, who doesn’t long for the joys of family? Besides, the bond between a child and their biological parents is irreplaceable by anyone else."
Hearing Zhao Han, Zhao Mingzhu felt a sudden pang in her heart and inwardly cursed at the mess.
Mr. Liu quickly smiled, "You are too kind. Honestly, our family’s situation is really... not comparable to yours. Mingzhu has lived comfortably with you for fifteen years, and now to suddenly ask her to go back, how could she possibly adapt? It’s not that we are heartless parents who don’t acknowledge our child, it’s just... we don’t know how to deal with Mingzhu? Everyone has their selfishness, parents are no different. We want Mingzhu to enjoy the best of everything, but we can’t provide that, so I’m thick-skinned to ask you, please let Mingzhu stay."
Mrs. Liu also hurriedly nodded, "Yes, yes, Mingzhu has enjoyed so many years of fortune, we really can’t bear to take her back to suffer. After all, Mingzhu has lived in your house for fifteen years and has a very deep relationship with you. I can’t bear to see her sad either."
Zhao Mingzhu also covered her face and cried, "Dad, do you really want to drive me away?"
No matter how these three people acted, Zhao Han remained unmoved, "It’s not that I want to drive Mingzhu away, it’s just... whether speaking of reason or emotion, I can’t bear to separate your family."
With that, Zhao Han smiled, "Originally, if I had suggested sending Mingzhu back with you and you had taken her without any objection, I might have hesitated. But now, you would rather endure the pain of separation to give Mingzhu a good life. I am a father too, and I understand your feelings. Because I understand, I can’t bear to see you and Mingzhu sad anymore."
He took an envelope over, "We made a mistake back then, and we can’t keep making it. Now is the time to switch back. Over the years, Mingzhu has been living with us, and my wife and I have bought her quite a few pieces of jewelry. Let Mingzhu take these with her, and there’s also a set of a school district house which has been transferred to Mingzhu’s name. Once the household registration office opens, we’ll move Mingzhu’s residence registration."
Zhao Han’s words left the Liu Family of four completely dumbfounded.