Chapter 520: 520, National Goddess VS Mysterious Tycoon (first update)

On the other side.

China mainland’s largest social networking site was in an uproar because of a single photo.

The photo was posted by a well-known photography blogger.

Photographer OscarV: Random encounter with the National Goddess jpg.

It was a beautifully fresh and aesthetic profile photo, where the subject’s long, glossy black hair fluttered in the breeze. Her hand shielded her forehead, while a swath of golden sunlight poured down, casting a light golden aura all around her.

Black hair flying, those hands in the sunlight, so pale as to be almost transparent, ethereal, serene, beautiful...

Words were simply insufficient to depict her beauty.

Awe-inspiring as a lofty mountain, it shocked observers.

As it was a profile shot and against the light, her visage was obscured by a cascade of black locks, making it impossible to discern the specifics of her features. Despite this, the famous photographer’s reputation still caused quite a stir on the website.

What can’t be seen is often deemed the most beautiful and the most imaginative.

In just a short two hours after the photo was uploaded online, the number of people who shared and commented on it had already reached over 10K+.

"Ahhh! I’m dying, where was this beautiful photo taken?"

"OMG! We haven’t even seen her full face yet, but she’s already this gorgeous. If we saw the goddess’s face, wouldn’t she instantaneously kill off all us mortals with her beauty!"

"Wow! This beauty! This aura! This figure! Can’t help it, I’m gonna lick the screen!"

"Like/The rightful National Goddess!"

"I’m all about hands, am I the only one who noticed how pretty the goddess’s hands are? Wow wow wow! I’m swooning!"

"Omnipotent netizens, please dig three feet into the ground if you must, but find my goddess!"

"Didn’t you guys notice that the background behind the goddess looks very much like the backyard of a certain road in a certain villa district?"

"The goddess’s clothes seem quite special too, they seem like they’re only made-to-order."

"This... isn’t this Wancheng Villa? Damn! I live nearby! I run here every morning!"

"Where is Wancheng Villa? I also want to have a chance encounter with the goddess."

"Shoot! Just Googled it, Wancheng Villa is actually in Capital City! It’s a million miles away from me!"

"It’s Wancheng Villa! I’m certain of it! I pass by here every day on my way to work."

As soon as these words were out, it sparked yet another wave of speculation.

Then, ’National Goddess’ and ’Wancheng Villa’ were pushed to the top by the mighty netizens and became trending search terms.

At the same time, a few other trending topics seemed to emerge out of nowhere.

’Anonymous donation of sixty million to impoverished mountain areas, the wealthy donor’s IP address surfaces,’ ’Wancheng Villa’s mysterious rich person,’ ’Mysterious wealthy National Goddess’

Everything seemed as if an invisible hand was pushing it toward a certain direction.

It slowly laid the truth out in front of everyone’s eyes, yet it was in no hurry to lift the final veil.

Meanwhile, in the office, Song Shiqin also noticed these trending searches. Due to Zhang Zijun’s request, he had been investigating this mysterious rich person for a long time, but still had not found the slightest clue.

He became curious about that wealthy benefactor, and the moment he saw such a trending search, he immediately clicked on it.

The microblog post that sparked the discussion was from a famous hacker, who had traced the mysterious benefactor’s IP and mentioned in the article that the benefactor had made the donation anonymously using a mobile phone, and furthermore, the owner of the phone appeared to be a young girl living in Wancheng Villa.

He spoke vaguely, leaving a trail of questions for the public to speculate.

With some deliberate leading on, the onlookers naturally linked the National Goddess with the mysterious benefactor.

Some even used a process of elimination.

They listed the three people living in Wancheng Villa who all met the aforementioned criteria.

The three were:

One, Sun Manyao.

Since the Sun family owned property in Wancheng Villa, Manyao would occasionally stay there, and her age and physique matched well with the person in the photo.

Two, Chen Xinci.

Chen Xinci, the second young lady of the Chen Family, went missing as a child and was only brought back to the family in her teens. Later, she was sent by the Chen Family to study in the United States, where she owned three companies at a young age. Reportedly, Chen Xinci is very low-key and compassionate. Despite holding billions in assets, upon returning to China, she chose to work in coffee shops and hotels, and she donated all her earnings to charitable causes. Chen Xinci also owned property in Wancheng Villa.

Three, Zhao Yiling.

Zhao Yiling had a good reputation among her socialite peers, and additionally, she lived in Wancheng Villa year-round. She also attended quite a few charity galas, which should indicate a generous heart.

Taking all three into account, Chen Xinci received the most votes, followed by Zhao Yiling, then Sun Manyao.

Among the residents of Wancheng Villa, who were also young girls with considerable financial resources, only these three fit the bill.

No one would associate the National Goddess and the mysterious benefactor with a well-known good-for-nothing.

Yet the person lurking in the shadows yearned for exactly this outcome.

No one knew what that person’s ultimate purpose was.

As the internet was abuzz with speculation, Song Shiqin slightly furrowed his brow upon seeing Chen Xinci’s vote count and murmured, "Is it really you?"

The young girl who dared to fight off a thief barehanded—it made sense that someone like her could donate sixty million anonymously, given her righteous heart.

But was it truly her? Song Shiqin looked at the somewhat blurry photo yet couldn’t seem to align it with Chen Xinci’s features no matter how he tried.

The person in the photo gave him a very familiar feeling, unlike any that Chen Xinci had ever evoked.

The internet had exploded into a frenzy, and at the crossroads, Chu Jin was still saying something to Chu Tian.

Upon hearing that the person at home might not be her mother, Chu Tian shook her head quickly, "That’s impossible, she must be my mom."

Chu Jin didn’t say much, only suddenly took her hand, looked directly into her eyes, and spoke in a calm voice, "The scars on your hands, are they from doing chores at home?"

"Yes." Since no one could see her, she would desperately compete with the servants to do household chores every day, mopping floors, washing dishes, cleaning tables—she did it all, and moreover, she did it much cleaner than the servants.

She was determined to make everyone notice her, desperately trying to carve out a sense of presence, to prove she wasn’t redundant. But as she tried harder, everyone looked down on her more and more, to the point where even the servants started to make things difficult for her.

Moreover, her father’s business seemed to have encountered some problems recently and upon returning home, he would vent his anger on her, blaming her for bringing misfortune to the family.

And her mother, instead of trying to calm him, would join her sister and brother in adding fuel to the fire.

They called her a jinx.

Merchants, after all, are somewhat superstitious.

Especially since Chu Tian herself always had a gloomy presence, her father became even more convinced of that belief.

"Sister, tell me, am I really a jinx? Did I bring misfortune to our family?" As she spoke, Chu Tian tightly grasped Chu Jin’s wrist, her eyes filled with longing and urgency.

Chu Jin sighed softly and shook her head slightly, "Of course not, you are the legitimate daughter of this family. If you were a jinx, then what would your father be? You don’t need to compromise or to please everyone, just confidently enjoy it all. It’s not you who owes them anything; they owe you. The weaker and more humble you act, the more invisible you become to others, because they all know to pick on the softest target. You need to learn to resist."

Chu Tian cast her eyes down and remained silent, perhaps the inherent sense of lowliness was something she could never shed.

Chu Jin put away the Tarot cards and then asked, "Is your home far from here?"

"Not very, it’s just three bus transfers away," Chu Tian shook her head.

Chu Jin put away the Tarot cards and continued, "Take me to your house."

"To my house?" Chu Tian was caught off guard for a moment.

"Yes, to your house," Chu Jin nodded slightly.

It was rare that Chu Tian shared the Chu surname, and Chu Jin was someone who stood up for her own. How could she let outsiders bully a member of the old Chu family!

Chu Tian asked somewhat confusedly, "What are we going to my house for?"

"To help you solve your problem, to find the real jinx. Let’s go, there’s no time to delay," Chu Jin hooked her backpack’s strap over one shoulder and pulled Chu Tian towards the roadside.

However, Chu Tian just stood there, unmoving.

Chu Jin turned her head slightly and smiled, "Don’t worry, I don’t charge by the hour, I won’t charge you arbitrarily, nor will I extort you. After the job is done, you can pay me a hundred yuan."

At her words, Chu Tian nodded, "Okay," then she decided to trust Chu Jin one more time.

Just as Chu Jin was about to leave with Chu Tian, she suddenly remembered something, "Wait here for a moment, I need to say goodbye to my friends."

Mo Qingyi had disappeared off somewhere with a little girl and a loaf of bread. After Chu Jin couldn’t find them, she decided to call Mo Qingyi and tell her that if she wasn’t back at the crossroads by 5:30 pm, to take the little girl home first.

After arranging these matters, Chu Jin and Chu Tian left together.

But Chu Jin didn’t choose to take the bus, as the transfers back and forth were quite a hassle. She ordered a private car on her mobile app and arrived at the Chu family’s villa in just half an hour.

As Chu Jin operated her mobile to use the ride-hailing app, Chu Tian stared at her in astonishment, her eyes unable to hide her admiration and envy; she hadn’t even touched a mobile phone until now.

The Chu family’s villa was in a wealthy district.

"Sister, it’s here," Chu Tian led Chu Jin inside.

As soon as they entered the hallway, a maid approached them with a sudden frostiness, "Second Miss, how could you not change your shoes? I just cleaned the floor, are you deliberately making things difficult for me? Go and change your shoes now!" Her tone was quite impatient, and even though she addressed Chu Tian as Second Miss, she didn’t regard her with the slightest respect.

Chu Tian, not realizing anything was amiss, quickly bent down to apologize, whispering, "I’m sorry, Aunt Fu, don’t be angry, I’ll go and change my shoes right away."

The maid huffed coldly and disdainfully said, "Hurry up then, go on. The Mistress has just replaced the carpet on the stairs, and if you dirty it, which one of you can afford it?"

In the maid’s view, Chu Tian was nothing but a country bumpkin who couldn’t raise a storm; she wasn’t to be feared or revered, and any clear-eyed person could see that Chu Tian was just a poor creature in this household.

And what about Chu Jin, standing beside her? Although she was somewhat attractive, her dress was ordinary, and her skirt bore no logo—a sure sign it was cheap street fare. And anyone who stood alongside such a country bumpkin couldn’t be anything worthwhile.

Which of the young ladies and heiresses of Capital City would deign to associate with such a bumpkin?

Though she was just a maid, she had been immersed in the world of the wealthy for many years and had a keen eye for luxury brands, recognizing each one on sight. Moreover, she knew well whom she could bully and whom she could not.

Someone like Chu Tian, a country bumpkin, would rarely see justice served unless she was killed—nobody would think to stand up for her.

In name, she was the second young mistress of the household; in reality, who ever regarded her as such?

Moreover, now that the master and madam had deemed her a jinx, they couldn’t wait to sweep her out the door—they tormented her as they pleased.

The attitude of the servants clearly showed the kind of life Chu Tian led in this house.

The servants reigned supreme, yet sadly, Chu Tian was utterly powerless to retaliate.

She even had a hard time distinguishing who was the master and who was the servant.

Resigning herself to her fate, Chu Tian pulled Chu Jin to change shoes, but before they even reached the shoe rack, a servant’s voice came through the air, "Second Miss, after you change your shoes, remember to go to the eldest miss’s room and iron her evening gown for the banquet tomorrow. Also, the young master wet the bed last night, and the bedsheets are still in the laundry room. Once you’ve ironed the clothes, wash those bedsheets as well."

As the servant spoke, she cracked sunflower seeds, crunching them rhythmically.

It was as if she were the real mistress of the house, feeling no impropriety in imposing her own duties onto Chu Tian.

After all, this country bumpkin was deemed lowly, restless without a day’s labor.

Chu Tian meekly replied, "I know."

A hint of mockery flashed in the servant’s eyes as she spat out a shell, "Oh right, I forgot this floor was just mopped. Come over here and sweep up these sunflower seed shells first."

This was the notorious encroachment of boundaries—in her speech, the seeds kept cracking non-stop, their husks fluttering around.

But Chu Tian wasn’t angry in the slightest, "Okay, I’ll come right away."

From beginning to end, she didn’t utter a word of protest—extremely submissive.

Chu Tian could bear it, but Chu Jin couldn’t. Had such things happened to her, she would have already made the servant question their existence.

This Chu Tian was truly too easy to bully.

Chu Jin grabbed hold of Chu Tian, stopping her from changing shoes, and said in an indifferent tone, "Don’t change them, take me to your room instead."

"This..." Chu Tian looked at Chu Jin, somewhat troubled, and whispered, "Is that okay?"

"What’s not okay about it? You’re the second young mistress of this family, not the family’s servant! I want to see who dares to make you do the servant’s work today!" Chu Jin spoke unequivocally, her voice crystal clear, echoing in every corner of the room as she pulled Chu Tian by the arm and headed upstairs.

The servant was stunned—a habitual bully of Chu Tian, and now suddenly confronted with this, she found it hard to accept. Immediately tossing aside her sunflower seeds, she rolled up her sleeves, hands on her hips, chasing after them with a menacing air.

Had the world turned upside down? A country bumpkin would dare to talk back to her?

The sturdy servant stood before them like a wall, blocking their way. Looking down at Chu Tian, she said with a sarcastic tone, "Wow, the second miss grew wings, and I can’t order you around anymore, huh? I’m telling you, if you don’t sweep up those seed shells today, you won’t be able to walk away from the consequences! Do you really think you are the second young mistress just because I called you that?"

By the end of her speech, a dangerous glint shot from her eyes—full of intimidation.

The servant did not take Chu Tian and Chu Jin seriously at all. To her, they were just two skinny girls she could pick up with one hand. As long as she didn’t kill someone, what could they possibly do to her?

Facing the formidable servant, Chu Tian obviously had no way to fight back, her face turning pale with fear. She knew that if she didn’t do as the servant said, she wouldn’t be let off easily.

In this family, nobody would stand up for her.

Moreover, Aunt Fu was a distant relative of the lady of the house, and leveraging this connection, all the servants had to obey her. If she wanted to make Chu Tian’s life difficult, there were plenty of ways.

Under someone else’s roof, one must bow their head. People like her, living at the mercy of others, had no capacity to resist—they could only be constantly oppressed.

Chu Tian immediately lowered her head to apologize to the servant, "I’m sorry, Aunt Fu, don’t be angry, I’ll get to it right away."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read