Chapter 1396: Chapter 516: I Am the Evil Nanny (Part 18)_2
But with Student Xiao D’s corroboration, He Tiantian became even more certain of her judgment.
"Looks like I really need to dig into this Prince Consort of the Zhou Family!"
He Tiantian kept a straight face, but she was already making plans in secret.
Originally, people like Feng Mingtang and Zhou Rujin didn’t have any direct connection to He Tiantian’s mission.
However, in both versions of the plot, the original owner He Xiutian only got tainted with sin and became the Evil Nanny everyone wanted to beat up because of this couple.
Since He Tiantian had taken over the original owner’s body, she had to bear the corresponding karma.
She wasn’t just here to complete a mission; she also had to step into the original owner’s identity and settle all her grudges once and for all.
The sins incurred needed to be atoned for and repaid.
And if the woman had been "framed," He Tiantian had to see that she got justice.
"...Speaking of which, although Rujin and I weren’t students at A University, we both attended your lectures in college, Professor Qiao. You could say we’re half your students!"
Since it was small talk, she had to be as courteous and chummy as possible.
Although Feng Mingtang looked gentle and refined, steeped in scholarly air, in his bones he was still a shrewd businessman.
Qiao Zhenbang wasn’t some ordinary university professor, but a big name in the financial world.
Not only did he serve as a consultant to several companies, many of his students also held influential positions in the finance industry.
So Feng Mingtang was very warm toward Qiao Zhenbang and tried hard to cultivate a relationship.
"Haha, you flatter me, Master Feng!"
Qiao Zhenbang kept it modest on the surface, but inside he was quite pleased.
Besides, Feng Mingtang wasn’t just flattering him for nothing—Qiao Zhenbang really had taught classes that both Feng Mingtang and his wife Zhou Rujin attended.
Even Zhou Rujin, this Eldest princess of the Zhou Family, would greet him with a polite "teacher" when she saw him.
He Tiantian’s eyes lit up. She had just been wondering how to establish a connection with Zhou Rujin. According to the timeline, Zhou Rujin had just given birth and was still in her confinement month.
She couldn’t go out and socialize. Even if He Tiantian managed to break into the ladies’ social circle through worshipping Buddha or private clubs, there’d be no way to cross paths with a woman stuck at home in postpartum confinement.
Yet now, Qiao Zhenbang had given He Tiantian an opportunity: who would’ve thought there was this extra layer of connection between him and that couple.
Since they were "teacher and students," and she had "happened" to hear from Feng Mingtang that Zhou Rujin had given birth, as the "Professor’s wife," it wouldn’t be too far-fetched for He Tiantian to pay a visit.
So the next day, He Tiantian brought gifts and headed to the villa at Zhou Rujin’s house.
"M-Mrs. He?"
Zhou Rujin was a bit surprised, but still received He Tiantian with polished courtesy.
Come to think of it, this wasn’t the first time the Zhou Rujin couple had interacted with He Tiantian.
Two or three months earlier, when He Tiantian and Qiao Zhenbang got married, they hadn’t held a big banquet, just treated family and friends to a meal.
Back then, the Zhou Rujin couple didn’t attend, but they still sent a wedding gift through someone else.
As the Eldest princess, Zhou Rujin did things very thoroughly—she even took care to include Zhao Yan, that tag-along burden.
The brooch in Zhao Yan’s jewelry box was a little gift from Zhou Rujin.
He Tiantian hadn’t forgotten this. Once she saw Zhou Rujin, she used it as a conversation starter and smoothly slipped into small talk with her.
"...Our Yanyan really loves that brooch. She’s been saying she wanted to thank you in person, but the chance just never came up!"
"Yesterday I happened to run into Master Feng, and that’s when we learned you’d already given birth and were recuperating at home. It just so happens that when I went to Buddha’s Destiny Hall the other day to copy scriptures, I requested a peace charm and thought I’d bring it over for the little baby."
In just a few sentences, He Tiantian clearly explained away her sudden visit.
Then she took a delicate embroidered bag out of her purse. Inside the bag was a neatly folded talisman.
The Buddha’s Destiny Hall He Tiantian mentioned was a vegetarian private kitchen with a religious theme, a place where the ladies of the Provincial City’s social circle went to "worship Buddha."
Whether they truly believed or were just trying to buff their public persona and put on a show, many prominent ladies in the Provincial City were VIP members of Buddha’s Destiny Hall.
Back then, He Tiantian used the pretext of "learning to cook health food for my husband" and signed up for vegetarian cooking classes to get into Buddha’s Destiny Hall.
There, she and the owner—a senior layman from the Buddhist world—had a long talk about Buddhist scriptures, and she successfully won his regard.
Not only did she learn the vegetarian dishes of Buddha’s Destiny Hall, the owner also gifted her a super VIP membership.
Relying on her identity as the Professor’s wife and using Buddha’s Destiny Hall as a platform, He Tiantian successfully got acquainted with several society ladies.
In turn, she helped Qiao Zhenbang expand his network and successfully carried out her "wives’ diplomacy"!