She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

To avoid contact with Chu Jin's side as much as possible in the future, she solemnly instructed the young maid: "From now on, when you see Chu Jin and her servants, walk around them. Don't compete, don't fight, and don't mock them. Just treat us as poor relatives who are staying at the Jiang family's place, trying to freeload. Understand?"

Yunmi didn't understand, her eyes clear: "Why? Your cousin stole your mother, and her maid even dared to be rude to you. Are you just going to let it go? They're clearly the poor relatives who are just trying to take advantage of you!"

Jiang Ruining said coldly, "With the master gone, the madam is in charge of this household. The madam dotes on Chu Jin, so Chu Jin is the mistress. They are the mother and daughter! The madam doesn't love me, so I'm just an unwanted, freeloading poor relative."

"Poor relatives who are not well-liked have no right to complain about whether the wife is biased, let alone be angry or resentful."

Yunmi couldn't stand her master calling her an "outsider," even though the master and young master both liked her the most!

Why should we give in to them!

"But……"

Jiang Ruining frowned, feigning anger: "Even you're not listening to me anymore?"

Yun Mi's face hardened, and she waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, no! This servant didn't, this servant will listen to whatever you say, Miss!"

Jiang Ruining then threatened her, "That maidservant by Chu Jin's side dares to be fierce to me. If you clash with her again, she might try to kill you one day! Madam doesn't love me, so even if I wanted to avenge you, I'm powerless to do so."

"And if you get killed, who will protect me? I'll just be at the mercy of those mistresses and servants, won't I?"

Yunmi nodded vigorously: "From now on, I will definitely stay far away from them whenever I see them. I will never give them a chance to kill me. I will protect you forever, Miss!"

Jiang Ruining patted her head, feeling somewhat relieved.

As a reader, how could she not know how shrewd Chu Jin was beneath her seemingly indifferent exterior? Her greatest skill was using rules and leveraging everyone and everything around her to achieve her goals.

Otherwise, knowing full well that her own existence was the biggest reason driving the original owner insane, why didn't she move out? And how could she, as an orphan, successfully marry into a first-class duke's mansion?

And anyone who offends her will retaliate.

She never shows mercy, yet no one suspects her!

Jiang Ruining also had no intention of being friends with her.

The male and female protagonists face constant troubles. To successfully overcome these tribulations and achieve new successes, they inevitably need the corpses of others as stepping stones. The closer they are to these people and the better their relationship with them, the greater the likelihood that they will "voluntarily" sacrifice themselves for them.

She finally regained a healthy body and wanted to live well for herself and for the original owner of the body. She didn't want to become a stepping stone for the male and female protagonists!

If you want to survive, you'd better stay away from the male and female leads!

Outside the clean room.

After applying the medicine to Chu Jin, Madam Jiang, at Chu Jin's urging, personally brought Jiang Ruining some bruise-dispersing ointment.

As soon as I got closer, I heard her say, "They are mother and daughter, and I am the poor relative who is not well received and is just trying to freeload off others," which made me frown deeply.

Jin'er is pitiful. As her aunt, it's only right that she should love her more. Over the years, she has taken care of everything she needs, from food and clothing to tutors. She has always given her the best.

How could she say such an ungrateful thing?

I wanted to push the door open and go in to say something.

He was restrained by his trusted nanny.

He gently shook his head: "Madam, no child doesn't crave their parents' love."

Madam Jiang remained silent for a moment, then turned and left.

Jiang Ruining changed her clothes and came out.

Jin Yu, another personal maidservant serving in the room, brought over a bruise-dispersing ointment: "Miss, Madam just came by. She stood outside the washroom for a while, put down the ointment, and left."

Eavesdropping?

Jiang Ruining, disgusted, coldly ordered, "From now on, no one is allowed to approach the inner room without my permission!"

The two personal maids replied, "Yes, we understand."

Yunmi asked her, "Miss, shall we use the ointment that Madam sent?"

Jiang Ruining waved her hand: "We don't need hers."

Belated concern is more toxic and annoying than weeds sprayed with pesticides!

It will cause sores if used on the body.

"Put it away, and don't lose it."

Jin Yu nodded.

I went and exchanged it for a box of plasters.

Jiang Ruining got into bed; the brocade quilt was soft and comfortable. "Have Yunmi apply the medicine. You go outside and keep watch. Don't let anyone disturb me."

Jin Yu responded, handed the bruise-dispersing ointment to Yun Mi, and then went out.

Yunmi sat on the edge of the bed and carefully applied the ointment: "Miss, your face is a little pale. Are you hungry?"

The original owner probably had low blood sugar, as her face would turn pale when she was hungry.

Jiang Ruining could indeed feel her stomach rumbling, but she was so tired that she didn't want to move at all and had no appetite: "Make me a bowl of sweet soup."

Yunmi called out to the outside.

The sugar water was brought in quickly.

After drinking the hot beverage, Jiang Ruining felt much better.

Wrapped in a thin blanket, he slept soundly.

Unexpectedly, I developed a high fever in the middle of the night.

His whole body was burning hot.

In her dazed state, she dreamt of many, many scenes.

I dreamt that my mother thought I was a burden, and she slapped me while crying, silently questioning me with a pained and disgusted look in her eyes, asking why I didn't just die.

In her dream, Madam Jiang glared at her with disappointment and disgust after she and Chu Jin fell into the water and were rescued. Then she picked up Chu Jin and left, leaving the little girl in the biting cold wind.

I dreamt that my parents were shopping at a maternity and baby store and spent tens of thousands of yuan on a stroller, but they withheld the property certificate under my name and wouldn't let me get medical treatment.

In her dream, Madam Jiang withheld the gifts that her father and brother had specially sent back to her alone, picked out all of her favorites, and presented them to Chu Jin to make her happy. Then she turned around and scolded her for being selfish and stingy.

……

"No...don't leave me...Mom...why don't you want me..." The sick child was pitiful and helpless, murmuring incoherently in his sleep, tears streaming down his face. "I'm not getting treatment anymore...please don't leave me..."

Madam Jiang, who hadn't seen Jiang Ruining at her morning appointment, heard that Jiang Ruining was sick and her first reaction was to go see Chu Jin, fearing that she might have been infected by Jiang Ruining since they had been in contact the day before!

Seeing that Chu Jin was alright, he condescended to come to Chaohua Residence to visit, but as soon as he sat down, he heard all this.

My first thought was that she was faking it.

Only after asking the royal physician did they learn that Jiang Ruining had fainted from a high fever last night: "The eldest young lady's high fever came on suddenly and violently. If the servants hadn't discovered her in time, something terrible might have happened. She's still unconscious right now!"

Madam Jiang rarely showed any reluctance.

Seeing the maid bring over the medicine, he had someone help the unconscious Jiang Ruining up, took the medicine from the maid, and fed it to her spoonful by spoonful.

I wiped her face again.

Seeing that her nightgown was soaked, I couldn't help but feel a motherly heart and offered to change it for her.

Remembering her master's instructions that no one should know about the marks on her body, Yunmi quickly stopped them, saying, "The physician said we can only change the clothes after we've sweated it all out, otherwise we'll catch a chill and our illness will worsen!"

Madam Jiang did not insist and sat down on the brocade stool by the bed.

Looking at Jiang Ruining lying quietly on the bed, her face flushed and her brows furrowed, I felt a pang of unease.

But this feeling didn't last long.

A servant came to deliver a message that people from Tianyi Pavilion had arrived.