Everyone had initially thought this would be a harmonious, beautiful win-win situation, but no one realized that from the moment Zhen Xin left the orphanage, she had entered a nightmare that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Because this pair of wealthy philanthropists, who were quite well-regarded, were nothing but... con artists!
They were two consummate swindlers who had spent decades reading people's expressions, spinning honeyed words, and moving among the upper class, constantly cultivating their public image while possessing no real ability whatsoever.
They had adopted Zhen Xin not to form a genuine family, nor simply to fulfill a promise to the dean of some obscure orphanage of modest size, who happened to be a friend. Instead, they had recently set their sights on a target—a fat sheep, a wealthy household they could latch onto and then practically retire from the con game. As luck would have it, that household's daughter had also been adopted.
Thus, in order to find the one and only topic of conversation between the two families, they had taken the opportunity to adopt Zhen Xin, intending to turn her into their social calling card for entering high society.
Little Zhen Xin was clever, but no matter how smart a child was, how could she outplay two swindlers who had conned people for decades without ever being exposed?
And so, all her intelligence and quick wits became useless in that family. Her "parents" forced her to learn this and that, but the two stingy con artists were unwilling to pay for renowned tutors. They would never let Zhen Xin truly master anything. Instead, they always stopped after giving her a taste, and once she had gained a basic understanding, they began inventing suitable lines for her.
Therefore, rather than saying that Zhen