Chapter 97: Burnt  

Shangguan Ning spent a little over a month, restructuring Liyu Science & Technology.

Her inheritance, namely the five million yuan which her mother had left to her, was used to recruit a group of young and creative engineers. They were in charge of designing and developing new products.

During the day, she worked as Jing Yichen’s assistant at Jingsheng Enterprise. In the evenings and on weekends, she brainstormed with the group of engineers. They discussed their own products and researched their competitor’s products, so as to provide their clients with top of the line merchandise.

A month had passed and she had lost a lot of weight.

Seeing her working so hard, Jing Yichen had offered to help, but she turned it down.

She wanted to re-establish the company on a new note, just like her mother did, many years ago. Her mother had gone on to make it the most reliable and trusted brand in electronic home devices in A City.

Jing Yichen was busy with his work as well but no matter how busy he was, he would ensure that dinner was delivered to Shangguan Ning at Liyu Science & Technology. The person would take the food with him and would see to it that he left only after Shangguan Ning had finished eating it.

The company was finally on track and ready to go.

Shangguan Ning was hard at work that morning, when she decided that she needed a break. She thought of visiting her own café.

She had been thinking about going there, for a while now but hadn’t been able to make the time for it. The café was buzzing and had a lot of customers. She was glad to see it doing so well.

The staff at the cafe, were very happy to see her. She was, after all, the big boss. She was pleasant and courteous. They were all thrilled to interact with her.

Shangguan Ning’s mother’s friend Jin Ting, operated the café for her. She addressed him as Uncle Jin.

Jin Ting was over 50 years old and ran several cafés in A city. He brought with him a lot of expertise, which was just what Shangguan Ning needed, since she couldn’t be at the cafe every day.

Jin Ting was not at the cafe when Shangguan Ning visited. She greeted the staff at the café, took a seat in a quiet corner, ordered a mug of cappuccino and started to thumb through some books.

Just as she was sipping her coffee, she saw Yang Wenshu enter the cafe.

Shangguan Ning frowned, wondering what she was doing here.

Before Shangguan Ning could even process the thought, Yang Wenshu took out a disposable coffee container from her bag and splashed its contents on Shangguan Ning’s face.

The boiling hot coffee instantly burnt the tender skin on her face, causing her immense pain.

Coffee stains covered her outfit too, making a mess.

Shangguan Ning shrieked in pain. In retort, she splashed her half full mug of coffee on Yang Wenshu’s face.

Yang Wenshu screamed and stumbled backwards. She fell on the ground and covered her face with her hands.

She yelled loudly, “This café is dangerous. The owner is a maniac. Everyone, leave as soon as you can. It is for your own safety. Don’t ever come here again!”

Shangguan Ning was extremely furious, seeing the guests at the café queuing up to leave.

Without hesitation, she picked up a kettle of hot water, from over the counter, and poured boiling hot water on Yang Wenshu.

Yang Wenshu screamed as the water burned her skin. She never expected Shangguan Ning to be so ruthless.

Sure enough, Shangguan Ning had just poured a little bit of hot water when a man said furiously, “Stop it, Shangguan Ning!”

Shangguan Ning’s hand that held the kettle paused a moment and then she continued with the pouring without looking up.

Shangguan Ning was no longer the person she used to be. Now she was capable of giving back exactly what she received. If someone treated her well, she was twice as nice to the person, but if someone hurt her, she wouldn’t hesitate to fight back. She had had enough.

Since it was Yang Wenshu who picked on her first, Ning had all the more reason to retaliate.

Her own face stung with the coffee that Yang Wengshu had thrown on her but she didn’t retreat without putting up a fight.

She poured the contents of the entire kettle on Yang Wenshu and was about to pick up another kettle when she heard someone say – “Stop it, Shangguan Ning!”

It was Xie Zhuojun, who caught hold of her wrist, in order to stop her.

Shangguan Ning used her other hand and continued to pour boiling hot water on Yang Wengshu. She screamed in pain, writhing on the ground, because of the burns. Shangguan Ning followed her wherever she crawled.

There were no customers in the café and the few staff left behind were astonished by their boss’s behaviour.

The kettle of hot water had already been emptied on Yang Wenshu. It was too late for Xie Zhuojun to stop Ning.

“Are you crazy? How could you do this? She is Xue’s mother,” yelled Xie Zhuojun. He was astonished and furious. He could hardly believe his eyes. This was the same polite and gentle Shangguan Ning he knew, who had committed this act of deviousness.

Shangguan Ning flung off Xie Zhuojun’s hands and said disdainfully, “Don’t touch me, Xie Zhuojun. You make me sick!”

Xie Zhuojun was about to say something but her words made him lose his line of thought. ‘You make me sick’- how could she say this to him?

He had done nothing, but why did she hate him so bitterly?

Ignoring Xie Zhuojun, Shangguan Ning said to Yang Wenshu, who was still lying on the floor, “If you dare to create a ruckus here again, it will be sulphuric-acid that I will pour on you.. not hot water! Don’t ever assume that I am still the diffident and obedient girl I used to be. I am not weak anymore. I will ensure that I take back whatever belongs to me.”

Yang Wenshu was still in pain. That didn’t stop her from saying what she wanted to. “How can you be so ruthless, Shangguan Ning? We don’t owe you anything. Why are you always picking on me and Xue? Why did you rob us of Liyu Science & Technology? Give it back to Xue.”

Xie Zhuojun looked at Shangguan Ning in surprise.

Shangguan Ning ignored him, picked up a napkin from one of the tables and gently wiped off the coffee from her face.

Stinging pain was all she could feel.

“Liyu Science & Technology is my mother’s company. It has nothing to do with you and your daughter. You have bled the company dry. You have used up all its finances. I will never spare you. You’d better prove that you have nothing to do with my mother’s death, otherwise you would wish that you were dead!”

Shangguan Ning did not have any proof that Yang Wengshu had anything to do with her mother’s death, but looking at her behaviour, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. She knew that she had to teach Yang Wenshu a lesson that she’d never forget.

“She killed herself! What more can I say? I don’t have anything to do with it. You are just hallucinating”– pleaded Yang Wengshu.

Xie Zhuojun helped Yang Wengshu to get on her feet and stand up. She writhed in pain and her face, that she had so lovingly nurtured, was full of blisters.

“Your father forced me into marrying him! I never robbed anyone of anything that they rightfully deserved. Just like my daughter, Xue. She never planned on robbing you of anything either. It was Zhuojun whose good heart picked Xue over you.”

It couldn’t be denied that Yang Wenshu was a woman who schemed and plotted to get what she wanted. She played the part of a perfect wife and hostess in the presence Shangguan Zheng. It was only now that her true colours were out in the open.

Shangguan Ning was well aware of Xie Zhuojun’s fickle temperament. Nothing he said or did, surprised her anymore.

Her face hurt and she thought it would be best for her to see a doctor as soon as possible.

She mustn’t ruin her face for these two people. They weren’t worth it one bit.