A single painting lesson cost 150 yuan, and she wanted to haggle it down to 120.
She got red in the face arguing over those 30 yuan.
Just then, Viên Lộ Dao appeared. My mother looked at her as if she’d just seen the god of wealth.
For the first time, she closed up shop early and hurriedly brought Viên Lộ Dao home, treating her like royalty.
Afraid Viên Lộ Dao might change her mind, my mother even hired a lawyer to draw up a gift contract on the spot, then signed and stamped it properly.
From then on, I followed my father into high society and rose to the top overnight.
Forget those 150-yuan painting lessons—Viên Lộ Dao invited Tim, a renowned international painter, to come teach me at home and take me on as his final student.
I had no talent for painting whatsoever, but because I had money, my teacher kept praising me as a genius.
I also held countless art exhibitions.
That was all thanks to my teacher shamelessly promoting me everywhere, proudly introducing me as his own student.
Even I found my paintings so abstract they were hard to understand, but out of respect for my teacher, people still praised me lavishly, calling me a once-in-a-century genius.
As my mother once said, everything I’d “achieved” today was thanks to my stepmother.
How could I possibly hate her?
6
“I’m Lục Hoa Thịnh’s wife—the ‘ugly old woman’ you were talking about.”
As soon as Viên Lộ Dao finished speaking, the canary let out a scornful laugh and pointed at her shoulder with a pout.
“What kind of act are you putting on? I’ve seen the ugly hag from my house in broad daylight. All she does is spew foul, vulgar nonsense! If Mr. Lu’s wife were someone like you, why would he go out and fool around?”
Viên Lộ Dao was silent for a few seconds, then said coolly:
“Maybe men are just like that sometimes. They see a pile of shit on the street they’ve never tasted and want to find out whether it’s salty or bland.”
That was her calling the canary... shit.
The canary’s face turned deathly pale, as if she’d actually swallowed some.
Viên Lộ Dao took off her sunglasses. Her exquisitely beautiful face left even the canary stunned.
Viên Lộ Dao really was beautiful, especially her eyes—as if they held an entire galaxy.
Even I sometimes felt my heart race when I looked at her. Too bad I wasn’t a man.
Compared with Viên Lộ Dao, the canary didn’t stand a chance.
Even my birth mother once said she completely understood why my father had chosen Viên Lộ Dao.
She thought my father had good taste, but at the same time pitied Viên Lộ Dao for her poor judgment.
“Get rid of the baby. That child will have a hard life if it’s born. After all, once it’s born, its mother won’t be around anymore.”
Viên Lộ Dao said it lightly, as if she were discussing what to have for dinner.
As if snapping out of Viên Lộ Dao’s overpowering presence, the canary immediately puffed herself up and reverted to her usual arrogance:
“I’m still very much alive, so how can you say my child won’t have a mother? I’m carrying a boy—the sole heir to the Lu family! If you dare lay a hand on him, aren’t you afraid your husband will dump you?!”
As soon as she finished speaking, two bodyguards stepped out from behind us.
One blocked her in front while the other held her from behind, pinning the canary between them.
“What are you doing?! Let go of me!!”
Viên Lộ Dao calmly asked:
“Two choices: abort the baby, or both mother and child die.”
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