FROM NUN TO REAL HEIRESS: EXPERT AT TURNING THE TABLES

Chapter 1: Return home.

The Zhu's, the most prominent family in Jiangcheng, have recently been the talk of the town.

Zhu Xiangxiang was hospitalized following a car accident and needed a blood transfusion, but there was no matching blood type in the Zhu family.

Madam Lin Qing, Zhu's wife, hired a private detective to investigate. As it turned out, sixteen years ago, before the Zhus had made their fortune, Lin Qing gave birth at a small town clinic. There, a nurse swapped her newborn child with another, altering the fates of two children.

Zhu Xiangxiang became the pampered daughter of a wealthy family, while the real heiress was left to roam the countryside.

Life was imitating art, and spectators expressed marvel at Zhu Xiangxiang's good fortune while expressing pity for the unfortunate real heiress.

Today is the day that the real heiress pays a visit.

Jiangcheng is full of gawkers. If the true heiress has been living in the countryside, it will be hard for her to ascend to the ranks of high society.

As for Zhu Xiangxiang, she is hailed as the first lady of Jiangcheng, and countless young talents admire her. She is disdainful and proud, belittling everyone. Many of Jiangcheng's high-society ladies are jealous of her. Now that the supposed phoenix was actually hatched in a chicken coop, they won't miss the opportunity to mock her.

So, under the publicity of these gossipy ladies, the matter of Zhu's real and fake heir has become a heated topic, even the entertainment section has given it extensive coverage.

A sports car was parked beside the flower bed opposite the Qu's villa. Inside sat three fashionable young women. The woman in the driver's seat, with wavy hair and blazing red lips, removed her sunglasses with one hand and was playing with a DSLR camera in her other hand. With a smirk, she said, "Zhu Xiangxiang must be very restless now."

"Of course, she used to swagger around because she thought she was the heiress of the Zhu family. Now she must be praying that the Zhu family won't kick her out." Li Jiaojiao said cheerfully at the misfortune.

The girl in the passenger seat frowned and said, "But I heard that the real heiress of the Zhu family grew up in a Nunnery. She is ignorant and uneducated. Can she defeat Zhu Xiangxiang, who is so cunning?"

Li Jiaojiao shot her a glance, "Don't we have ourselves? If the price is right, anything can be done. As long as we can make Zhu Xiangxiang suffer, I will spare no effort."

The man she had pursued for a year was swept away by Zhu Xiangxiang with a mere snap of her fingers. Of all people, Li Jiaojiao hated her the most.

Zhao Qin glanced at the rearview mirror: "Here she comes."

In the blink of an eye, a black sedan stopped at the entrance of the villa, the driver got out and opened the back door.

Zhao Qin raised her DSLR. The car was parked diagonally from the entrance, so she could only photograph a side silhouette.

A tall and thin figure emerged from the car, dressed in brown robes that fluttered in the wind, emphasizing her slender and elegant figure.

The young girl was dressed as a nun, her face unseen. She held herself upright, walked at a measured pace, like a summer's breeze, her mere silhouette gave an impression of cool tranquility.

Zhao Qin clicked a few shots, and by the time she looked up, the girl had already disappeared into the entrance. She stared at the slender figure in her camera, deep in thought.

Sun Qingqing murmured, "Oh my gosh, she really is a nun..."

Li Jiaojiao rubbed her hands excitedly, "The show has begun. It's a pity we can't go into the Zhu's residence, otherwise the live broadcast would undoubtedly be interesting."

——

In the Zhu's living room, all the relatives of the Zhu family have gathered to meet the real heiress.

Madam Zhu sat in the main seat, Zhu Wentao and Lin Qing were next to her, followed by her niece Zhu Wenjie and her daughter Zhou Yong. Zhu Xiangxiang was sitting next to Lin Qing.

Zhou Yong surreptitiously examined Zhu Xiangxiang. She saw the young girl wearing a tailored silver-embroidered white woolen sweater, a camel-colored suspenders long skirt, her long hair loose over her shoulders. She had a refined appearance, her hands crossed over her stomach, genteel and dignified, elegant in every aspect, displaying all the characteristics of the first lady of the house.

Even at this moment, there was no hint of panic or anxiety on her face, as if the person about to arrive was not a rival for her position but a casual visitor.

Zhou Yong secretly scoffed. When the real heiress arrives, I wonder if you will still be able to keep your composure.

The butler Uncle Wen entered the room: "The young lady has arrived."

In an instant, all eyes in the room fell on the entrance.

Although they had heard rumors that the real heiress had been raised in a temple, everyone felt a strange sensation when they saw a girl in monk's clothing coming in.

Seeing her biological daughter, Lin Qing showed no excitement. Instead, she frowned.

The old lady smiled and beckoned, "Granny's eyes are not good. I can't see clearly. Come closer."

The girl approached, and the old lady took her hand, examining her closely and approvingly, "What a beautiful girl. What's your name?"

"Ming Jing." Her voice was sweet and serene.

"Good girl, sorry for the past sufferings. From now on, you are a part of this family. If anyone dares to bully you, tell granny, I won't let them get off easily." Everyone felt a sense of intimidation as she finished speaking and scanned the room.

As the matriarch of the Zhu family, Madam Zhu commanded great respect. When she spoke, people listened. Since the real heiress had won the old lady's favor, her future life would not be too tough.

"Xiangxiang." The old lady began.

Zhu Xiangxiang, who had been silent all along, then stood up. With a gentle and composed smile on her face, she walked over.

Lin Qing watched Zhu Xiangxiang with worry.

"Regardless of true or false, you and Ming Jing are both daughters of the Zhu family. I will not favor one over the other. From now on, I'll leave Ming Jing in your care. As the elder sister, you must take good care of her, understand?"

Zhu Xiangxiang's voice was soft, "I understand, granny."Turning her head, she took Ming Jing's hand and said gently, "Ming Jing, I am Xiangxiang. You can call me sister or by my name. I'm here to introduce you to our relatives."

Her demeanor was natural, not overly rigid, nor overly affectionate, giving others a sense of warm comfort.

Ming Jing followed her in greeting the relatives one by one. They compliment them and handed over a red packet, a gift of introduction for the child.

When it was Zhu Wenjie's turn, she stuffed over a thick red packet and laughed warmly, "I've always thought that Xiangxiang doesn't look like her sister-in-law. Now seeing Ming Jing, I understand why they are indeed mother and daughter, literally carved from the same mold."

Lin Qing's already gloomy face turned as dark as pot bottom, glaring fiercely at Zhu Wenjie.

If she could make Lin Qing upset, Zhu Wenjie would be happy.

She had deliberately made those comments to provoke Lin Qing. The fact was, Ming Jing didn't look like Zhu Wenjie at all. If not for the DNA identification result, she would have thought the private detectives were fooling people.

"Cousin, you grew up in a nunnery, was it boring? Oh and by the way cousin, have you gone to school? How many characters do you recognize?" Asked Zhou Bao, with an innocent look on her face.

Not to mention that Lin Qing's face had gone dark enough to be dripping wet, even Madam's face didn't look good, she glared at Zhou Bao, "Ying, Ying."

Zhu Xiangxiang was about to step in to smooth things over when Ming Jing, who had been silent and calm, spoke up. She twirled a Buddhist bead in her hand, and each bead was round and shiny, reflecting the marks of time, creating a mysterious harmony on her fair fingers.

"Thanks to the loving teachings of my Master, she taught me to learn characters from a young age. Although I have no grand talents, I am not without a sense of literacy. As for school, life in the nunnery is austere and filled with daily cultivation, thus there is no opportunity to attend school."

Her choice of words was elegant and refined-doesn't sound like she hasn't been to school at all.

With a fair skin as pure as snow, brows like distant mountains, her nose as delicate as jade, and lips touched with crimson, she was very thin due to a hard life in the nunnery. However, that added to the intensity of the affection she elicited.

Yet, the most striking part of her was her pair of eyes. They were calm as still water, displaying an aura similar to the compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva who looks upon all beings with mercy, rescuing mortals from the sea of suffering.

For a moment, Zhou Bao almost knelt down to venerate her.

"What a pity, my beautiful niece has suffered so much from a young age. Unlike Xiangxiang, who has attended the best aristocratic schools since she was a child, wearing branded clothes, learning both piano and dancing. If there hadn't been a mix-up, she would now be the first lady of Jiangzhou."

Zhu Wenjie's every word and sentence were designed to provoke, hoping to instigate a fight between the two.

Zhu Xiangxiang smiled and said, "Auntie, there's no use discussing what's already happened. I will do my best to make it up to Ming Jing from now on."

When it was Lin Qing's turn, she took off the jade bracelet she had worn for many years and put it on Ming Jing's wrist, bluntly saying, "From now on, listen to your sister. This is your home."

Ming Jing's wrist was very thin, and the jade bracelet was not a good fit. It was prone to fall off with a slight movement. It's unclear whether Lin Qing did this intentionally or not.

Running her fingers over the warm and cool jade bracelet, Ming Jing lowered her eyes and uttered, "Thank you, Mother."

Lin Qing choked a bit, "Can't you call me Mom?" It's not like we're in a patriarchal society, she's being so formal with me.

Zhu Wentao waved his hand, "The child just came back, don't be so hard on her."

He didn't have high expectations for this daughter before, but was pleasantly surprised when he met her. She was more beautiful than anyone in the Zhu family, her temperament was neither arrogant nor impatient. With proper grooming, she wouldn't be inferior to Xiangxiang.

"Oh yes, you also have a younger brother, Shaodan. He is a year younger than us, very playful, and hardly stays at home. I'll introduce him to you when he comes back."

At the end of the introductions, the relatives said their goodbyes and left one after another.

Lin Qing looked at Ming Jing's religious attire and frowned in disgust, "How unlucky! Xiangxiang, give her one of your outfits to change into. I'll take her shopping for clothes tomorrow. What is she wearing? Also, take off that nun's veil. If she's bald, she can wear a wig."

Without saying much, Ming Jing followed Zhu Xiangxiang upstairs.

"You are her biological mother. She just came back, and you can't even say a nice word. You might scare her away again." Granny Zhu scolded.

"Mom, look at her clothes. I just can't bear to lose face like this."

"Could the child choose this for herself? Knowing that her life was tough, you should have prepared her clothes in advance and picked her up yourself. You have no right to despise her without having spent even a day raising her. It's your attitude that will make our family a laughing stock." 

Rendered speechless by the scolding, Lin Qing couldn't utter a word.

Granny Zhu huffed, "Besides, even in these clothes, she wasn't any less than Xiangxiang, who you raised personally. She's your own daughter, so you better put some heart into this." With those words, she returned to her room leaning on her cane.

Upstairs, after changing her clothes in the wardrobe room, Ming Jing stood by the french windows. When Zhu Xiangxiang, who had been lost in thought, turned her head, her pupils contracted unconsciously.

The emotion passed from her eyes in an instant and she walked over nonchalantly, "You're taller than me, so the skirt is a bit short, but you look pretty in it."

That was true, Ming Jing was tall and slim, just like a supermodel. A perfect clothes hanger.

Ming Jing folded her religious attire neatly and placed her nun's veil on it. As Zhu Xiangxiang looked at her round, bald head, it occurred to her for the first time that a bald head could also look so good.

Ming Jing's room was at the end of the second floor. It didn't have the floor-to-ceiling patio, wardrobe room, or bathroom like Zhu Xiangxiang's room. It was a guest room that had been temporarily modified with its own bathroom, sterile like a hotel room. It was equipped with some items for a girls' daily life, even five different types of sanitary napkins, indicating that the person who prepared these items was quite detail-oriented.

"I live next door, let me know if you need anything. Rest for now, we have a family dinner at seven." After saying this, Zhu Xiangxiang left.

Ming Jing had nothing with her when she came, so there wasn't much to tidy up.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, meditating silently and chanting her mantras. "Monks do not speak false words. Everything happens for a reason, I earnestly beg for Buddha's forgiveness," murmured Ming Jing quietly.

  Chapter 2: 002 Deities.

Zhu Xiangxiang returned to her room, turned on her phone, and browsed the internet. As expected, the entertainment headlines had been updated.

— From a chicken coop to a golden phoenix or occupying a magpie's nest? Unveiling the rise of the top socialite!

— The little nun transforms into a wealthy lady? Where will the fake heiress go?

Exaggerated eye-catching headlines accompanied the stolen photos of Ming Jing's back, along with a few malicious ones of Zhu Xiangxiang. The storm had begun.

People loved gossiping about wealthy families, and the drama of a real vs. fake heiress is something that even screenwriters couldn't come up with, so netizens were obsessed with discussing it online. Some sympathized with Ming Jing and hated Zhu Xiangxiang, and with the malicious comments from trolls, Zhu Xiangxiang was being dragged through the mud.

Zhu Xiangxiang could guess who was behind this, but that wasn't important now. A few harsh words online couldn't hurt her, and the more vicious comments she received, the more pity her family would feel, which was exactly what she wanted.

—

The Zhu family had a banquet that night, and Ming Jing came downstairs. Lin Qing was furious when she saw Ming Jing's shaved head.

Granny Zhu had warned her not to curse at anyone and ordered the nanny to quickly buy a wig, as she couldn't bear to see it for a second longer.

Granny Zhu pulled Ming Jing to her side, taking the seat that used to belong to Zhu Shaodan. Zhu Xiangxiang glanced at them and sat down to the right of Lin Qing.

Granny Zhu looked at Ming Jing's bald head and laughed, "A round head is a sign of intelligence and good fortune."

Ming Jing smiled slightly, "May your words come true."

Granny Zhu patted her hand, and a delicate silver lock appeared in Ming Jing's hand, "A gift for our first meeting."

Ming Jing graciously accepted, "Thank you, Granny."

It is impolite to refuse an elder's gift.

The nanny kept bringing dishes, and soon the table was filled with all kinds of delicacies.

"I don't know what you like to eat, but after all the hardships you experienced, look how thin you've become. From now on, you must eat well and nourish your body." Granny Zhu looked at Ming Jing with a heart full of pity.

Granny Zhu looked around and asked in a deep voice, "Shaodan hasn't come back yet?"

"I was wondering why the lights in the dining room were so glaring tonight. Turns out we have an extra light bulb." A disdainful and sarcastic voice came from outside the door, and a handsome young man entered with his hands in his pockets.

He was about fifteen years old, thin and tall, wearing a yellow and white-striped baseball shirt, with the foil curls that playboys loved. He was handsome and spirited.

However, his eyes were hostile as he stared at Ming Jing, "Our family doesn't run a charity. Don't bring in any stray cats or dogs."

"Watch your mouth, this is your sister Ming Jing," Granny Zhu scolded in a deep voice.

Zhu Shaodan rolled his eyes, "I don't have a nun for a sister. I only have one sister, and that's Zhu Xiangxiang."

Granny Zhu was furious, about to hit him with her cane, but she was stopped by Lin Qing, who was protective of her son. "If Shaodan doesn't like her, then let him be. But sit down and eat."

"I won't eat with a nun." With that, he stormed upstairs with his hands still in his pockets.

"This child is getting worse and worse." Granny Zhu scolded, patting the back of Ming Jing's hand.

"Shaodan isn't a bad person; we just spoiled him. Give it some time, and he'll see your kindness."

Ming Jing gently patted Granny Zhu's back to comfort her, saying softly, "It's not worth wasting energy on irrelevant people."

Granny Zhu sighed. She saw it clearly; ever since Ming Jing entered this family, she had never shown any emotion, truly embodying the emptiness of a monk's life.

Yet she was still just a young girl in the prime of her life.

The meal was bland, and near the end, Lin Qing received a call. After hanging up, she glanced at the quietly eating Ming Jing.

"Your school has been arranged. Report there the day after tomorrow. You'll be at the same school as Xiangxiang, but your foundation is too poor, so you have to start from the first year of high school. I don't expect you to be as good as Xiangxiang, but getting a diploma is enough. The Zhus will support you for a lifetime."

Zhu Xiangxiang happily said, "Mom, don't worry, as long as I'm around, no one will bully Xiangxiang.""That's great, Ming Jing. From now on, we can go to school and go home together." Zhu Xiangxiang's smile was so sincere that it moved those who saw it.

Comparing her to the quiet and bald Ming Jing, the contrast was quite jarring, causing the imaginary balance in everyone's minds to tilt again. 

Did Ming Jing care about what these people thought of her? After dinner, she went back to her room.

She came to the Zhus with a mission, not to perform acts of motherly love, sisterly affection, and sisterly respect with them.

Walking into the bathroom, she looked at the face in the mirror. Every feature was delicate, every part perfect, beyond what the Zhu family's genes could ever achieve through mutation.

With her current identity, exceptional beauty was not a good thing.

There was a knock on the door at this time, "Miss, I've bought the wigs."

Not knowing which style Ming Jing preferred, the maid bought five different types.

Ming Jing glanced at them and picked the most ordinary short one with thick, blunt bangs, obscuring her smooth and full forehead, making her look dull and restrained.

The maid couldn't help but remind her, "This long, straight wig suits you best, Miss. Even with a bald appearance, you're beautiful. Wearing this wig, you'll be even more beautiful."

Ming Jing cast an indifferent glance at her. The maid shuddered internally, not knowing why. Although the new Miss looked kind and gentle, her gaze made the maid feel exposed and vulnerable. It was strange.

"I'll put these four wigs in the cabinet for you, Miss. You can wear whichever one you want, and change it every day for a refreshing look."

Ming Jing nodded slightly in response, sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating, becoming as silent as an old monk.

Maid Xiao Ying sneaked a few glances at her. The slender figure bathed in a holy radiance under the light, as if looking any longer would be blasphemy.

She silently muttered "Amitofo" before quickly leaving.

──

Shengde High School was the best aristocratic high school in the city. To enroll, students had to be rich or powerful. To improve the school's college admission rate, the board members spent a lot of money on recruiting top students from poor backgrounds who relied on their studies to make a name for themselves. However, these students looked down on the wealthy second-generation kids, while said kids scorned these fake, pretentious, but genuinely poor students.

Especially after an incident last month where Lin Helong was forced to drop out, the two factions were at each other's throats.

The first-grade students were usually divided into the rocket, gifted, experimental and parallel classes. Class 8 was known for its lazy, mediocre students, detested by all.

The arrival of a transfer student barely caused a ripple in the class.

Ming Jing obediently walked to the seat designated by the teacher and sat down. Her deskmate was an outgoing, round-faced girl who smiled warmly and said, "Hi Ming Jing, my name is Tao Xingxing."

Ming Jing put down her backpack, took out her textbooks and stationery, turned her head to look into Tao Xingxing's eyes, and smiled slightly, "Hello."

The girl in front of her seemed extremely ordinary, but her eyes were so beautiful, conveying an indescribable, open-mindedness.

All-encompassing, tolerant and great.

Tao Xingxing, who excelled in Chinese language, immediately found the perfect adjective.

That was the feeling.

Opening her textbook, Ming Jing looked at the dense words on the page as her thoughts quietly drifted.

How long had it been since she last sat in a classroom like this, learning peacefully?

Picking up her pen, Ming Jing smiled. After years of worshiping Buddha, her mind had transcended, yet her fingertips couldn't stop trembling at this moment.

As the girl sat calmly, the noisy surroundings seemed to have no effect on her. There seemed to be a halo around her, gentle and incredible.

Tao Xingxing was stunned.

She saw a god.

Chapter 3: 003 Rule