Wang Rong had returned from San Francisco, but she did not see Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng replied to her email, politely declining her request to meet. She called him, but no one answered. She kept calling frantically, but to no avail. She decided to go to Fang Zheng’s place directly, only to find that her son had already moved out of his college residence.
This meant she had lost contact with her last family member.
If she couldn’t find her son, finding Fang Ming was out of the question.
She sat alone in her room at the Holy Mother Society convent, dazed on her bed. “How could this happen… How can you be so heartless… How could you all… do this to me…”
From outside came the rumble of construction piling and the noise of heavy vehicles. The nearby public hospital and clinic were being demolished, soon to be rebuilt in the new district—thanks to Wang Rong’s efforts.
In her bewilderment, her gaze fell upon the Holy Mother statue on the small cabinet in the corner. She rushed over, seized the statue, and smashed it to the ground with force. With a bang, the statue shattered.
Wang Rong went the whole day without eating or drinking, sitting dazed on her bed.
That night, she did not plan to return to the Bai mansion. She was afraid to go back there—to face Old Bai, or even the Bai family's servants, all of whom had seen her being coldly scolded or yelled at by the old master.
She knew this was not the time to grieve. She should start moving the Society’s funds out—this was no longer a place to linger! But her mind was a total mess; she could not think or do anything at all.
She wanted to rest, lay on the bed, but could not sleep.
Somehow, the Holy Mother’s gentle face appeared in her mind, but it brought no comfort—on the contrary, the more Wang Rong thought of her, the more resentful and indignant she felt.
Late at night, she could not restrain herself and drove to the Holy Mother Society Primary School, now relocated to the new district. As a board member, she had keys to every building. She entered the chapel and stared blankly at the Holy Mother in the center.
“What have I done wrong, that you treat me this way?” Wang Rong spoke.
“All these years, I’ve been devoted to you—why won’t you grant my wishes!” Wang Rong screamed.
When her shouts finally faded, a gentle but hollow female voice sounded from nowhere.
“Don’t be silly. I’ve always granted your wishes.”
Wang Rong froze. She stared at the Holy Mother.
The Holy Mother winked at her and grinned.
The Holy Mother… moved…?
Wang Rong couldn’t react.
The Holy Mother not only moved, but continued speaking. “As a child, you wanted a man who would care for you and give you a secure, wealthy life—I let you marry Fang Ming. You had an affair and nearly ruined yourself, begged me for a second chance—I gave you the ‘Deadly Sinner’ show, and let you succeed. You begged me to become Bai’s second wife—I made Fang Ming divorce you, made Bai Shikun’s first wife die, and let Bai marry you.”
Wang Rong stared hard at the Holy Mother, whose expressions changed with her words. Her face was no longer holy and kind, but full of contempt and mockery.
“If I hadn't helped, you might not have stopped at killing your lover—you’d have killed your own husband too.”
“Shut up…” Wang Rong muttered.
“You wanted a child, I gave you one. What more do you want? Do you know how much effort it took to give you a child?” The Holy Mother frowned at her, clearly displeased.
“What child? It was a deformed fetus!” Wang Rong screamed.
“How is that my fault? You said you wanted a child with Bai Shikun, and nothing else. You never said it had to be healthy or normal. Now you’re just being unreasonable.” The Holy Mother’s pale face was full of disdain.
Wang Rong was too furious to speak.
“…Then I begged you to bring Ming back to me, to reunite our family—why didn’t your miracle work then!” Wang Rong argued, desperate.
At this, the Holy Mother simply looked at her as if she were a fool, her half-smiling, half-mocking expression making Wang Rong’s skin crawl.
Suddenly, the Holy Mother burst into laughter, shaking with mirth, her laughter echoing through the empty chapel.
When she finally calmed down, she explained slowly, “If you got back with Fang Ming, you’d have to divorce Bai Shikun. Never mind how that would ruin your Holy Mother persona and damage the Society’s image—if the Society lost Bai Shikun, our biggest patron, it would affect me greatly.”
“Ungrateful slut! You ungrateful bitch!” Wang Rong lost control and rushed at the Holy Mother.
The Holy Mother leisurely slapped her down and even kicked her. Wang Rong collapsed, groaning in pain.
When she managed to struggle up, she saw the Holy Mother stepping out of the Roman pavilion, hand on hip, one side of her hip cocked out, posture seductive, her figure curvaceous beneath the robe.
She looked down at Wang Rong, eyes full of arrogance and provocation.
Wang Rong was shocked and chilled—this was no goddess! She was no different from the wayward girls of the slums!
“That’s my line. Everything you have, I’ve given you. Instead of being grateful, you want to take the money and run? If the world found out the Earthly Holy Mother did such a thing, who would believe in the Society? Who would believe in me? You’re selling me out.”
The Holy Mother turned, kicking aside the lilies at her feet—already trampled in the earlier struggle.
She sat on the stone steps of the pavilion, hiking up her robe and sitting with crude posture, exposing her long, snow-white legs. “Besides, Fang Ming has an old flame, Bai Shikun has a new darling—those two men must be happy now.” The Holy Mother said mockingly.
“They don’t need you. Your son doesn’t need you. And I don’t need you anymore, either.” The Holy Mother looked at Wang Rong, her sweet smile cold.
“You… what do you mean…” Wang Rong’s heart sank, a chill running up her spine.
“Are you… going to kill me…?” Wang Rong’s voice trembled uncontrollably.
“Yes. Bai Shikun wished for me to remove you so he could be with his new love. So, I suppose… this is the only way.” The Holy Mother’s smile was sly and mocking as she eyed the crazed woman before her.
“Just as you did with Xing Jun—what else could you do, right?”
“You… aren’t you a goddess… how could you…” Wang Rong stammered, mind blank.
The Holy Mother was silent for a moment, then sighed and stood before Wang Rong.
“Yes, but I’ve been poor for a hundred years. I can’t stay poor any longer. For a century, I’ve been stuck in this tiny slum. This ashtray full of cigarette butts—you want to get out, and so do I.” The Holy Mother’s eyes were full of weariness as she sighed.
Wang Rong remembered that night, and her ashtray full of cigarette butts.
Heavens…! So she always…
Always knew what I was thinking!
So… she also knows about my plan to run off with the money…
“It wasn’t easy for you to land Bai Shikun as a patron—how could I let you ruin things for me?”
“No… no… you’re not a goddess… you’re a demon… a devil…!” Wang Rong collapsed on the floor, her limbs refusing to work. She scrambled desperately toward the door, heart pounding so fast she could barely breathe.
“I’m not a devil—you are. Honestly, I’m reluctant to kill you—you once truly believed in me. But how could I let our big patron’s first wish go unfulfilled?” The Holy Mother’s voice echoed in the dark, empty chapel.
“You are the Earthly Holy Mother. You always will be. I’ll have Bai Shikun posthumously honor you as a saint. You’ll forever be the strong, confident, charitable Saint Wang Rong… ha… ha… ha…” The Holy Mother’s voice grew more distorted and shrill, until only mad laughter and howls remained.
“No… don’t… I don’t want to be a saint… I’m not the Holy Mother… I don’t want any more money, I don’t want Ming, I don’t want my son… I don’t want to be Madam Bai… I just want to live… please… Holy Mother, please… let… me… go…”
After uttering the last words of her life in a hoarse cry, Wang Rong collapsed and moved no more.
“Sigh. I forgot to tell you—I never liked white lilies.” The Holy Mother looked at the “Earthly Holy Mother” with a hint of pity.
Some time later, in the garden outside the Holy Mother Primary School’s chapel, a new, elegant Romanesque pavilion was built. Inside was a marble pool, and at its center, a pure white female statue.
This was the statue of Saint Wang Rong.
After consultation, the Society’s president and staff unanimously canonized Wang Rong as the Society’s saint, honoring her lifetime of contributions. They erected her statue before the chapel as a memorial.
Saint Wang Rong’s face was kind and dignified, dressed in a pure white gown, kneeling in prayer before the chapel, her head bowed, hands clasped, a humble and gentle smile on her lips.
At Bai Shikun’s direction, the statue was open to visitors on holiday mornings. However, the chapel itself remained closed to the public.
So, every holiday morning, crowds of women of all ages and backgrounds would come before Saint Wang Rong’s statue, just as Wang Rong had as a child, offering a small white flower and making sincere wishes.
Perhaps their wishes were exactly the same as Wang Rong’s once were.
End of Extra Chapter 1
This story is purely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons is coincidental. The author explores only the connection between female destiny and faith, and does not target any real individual.
Copyright Notice:
The Legend of Wang Rong: How the Persona of the Earthly Holy Mother Was Forged
Extra Chapter 1: The Holy Mother’s Secret
Original work by Jing Xixian (Vampire L). All rights reserved.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWOXPWkWqj
No reproduction, adaptation, distribution, translation, or commercial use without written consent.
© Jing Xixian (Vampire L), All rights reserved.
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