Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  If she was to slap Qiao Nan’s head a few more times, would she turn stupid?

  She gave birth to Qiao Nan, she would not want her dead. But it would not do that she kept on hindering Qiao Zijin. If Qiao Nan really got into an accident, she believed that Zijin would definitely take good care of her.

  Qiao Nan would no longer need to work. She would not need to lift a finger and there would be people waiting on her. She would give anything for this kind of life. As her mother, she did not shortchange Qiao Nan.

  Qiao Nan noticed that her mother looked at her with a dark greenish flicker in her eyes. It was similar to the look in Ding Jiayi’s eyes in the previous life, when she heard from Qiao Zijin that if people were of blood relations, the compatibility level of their internal organs would be better, and there would be lower chances of rejection. Qiao Nan stiffened at the sight of that.

  But this was clearly unlike what happened in the previous life. Qiao Dongliang noticed that Ding Jiayi lifted her hands and was about to slap on Qiao Nan’s head. Without a word, he pulled Qiao Nan behind him and slapped back at Ding Jiayi’s raised hands. “It’s the Lunar New Year, I have no wish to quarrel with you. What you said just now, are you crazy? What do Zijin’s poor results have to do with Nan Nan? Is she studying on behalf of Nan Nan, and hence Nan Nan must take responsibility for her results? Are you kidding me?”

  “Dad, who did you say has poor results? My results are not poor.” Qiao Zijin who came back with her results slip overheard this and was displeased.

  “Zijin, you are back?” Ding Jiayi calmed down and ran towards Qiao Zijin.

  Ding Jiayi who had come back to her senses were shocked at the thought that crossed her mind just now. Why would she have such terrifying and horrible thoughts?

  Everyone in the quad knew whether Qiao Nan was a simpleton or not. Besides if she and Old Qiao had a simpleton daughter; Zijin had a simpleton sister, it would be bad for their reputation?

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  Besides, people would definitely be suspicious if Qiao Nan suddenly turned into a simpleton. She had no intention of wasting the rest of her life away for Qiao Nan. On top of that, it was impossible for Qiao Zijin to bear the heavy burden of looking after Qiao Nan.

  Qiao Zijin had come to her rescue at the right time.

  Ding Jiayi knew that if Qiao Dongliang was to know what she had on her mind just now, Old Qiao would definitely file for a divorce, there would be no chance of them staying as a couple.

  “Zijin, how are your results?”

  “Mom, what’s wrong with you?” Qiao Zijin frowned, slightly displeased. “I did fairly well. Dad, who was blabbering nonsense to you, saying that I did badly?”

  “We were talking about your results in the past.” Qiao Dongliang was embarrassed. He never put the elder daughter down when she did badly for her exams in the past, today was the first time that he commented on her results, and yet he was caught by her. “Your Mom was talking nonsense just now, she blamed your bad performance in the middle school exams on your sister. She said that all the money that we spent on you after the middle school exams was your sister’s fault. Zijin, you have been in school for so many years, be our judge, is your mother’s words justifiable?”

  Qiao Dongliang was boiling with anger at the mention of this.

  “What has this got to do with Nan Nan? I am one level higher than Nan Nan, if she could tutor me in my studies, then she must be a genius.” Qiao Zijin said cynically.

  If other people were to know that her younger sister who was one level lower than her had to coach her in her school exercises, it would be a disgrace for her.

  “Mom, don’t flare up without getting the facts right. It was my problem that I did not do well for middle school exams. If other people overheard your words and had the impression that I did not do well in the exams as Nan Nan did not teach me well, Mom, how would you feel if you were me?”

  Qiao Zijin gave Ding Jiayi a frustrated stare. These days not only did her mother not help her in any way, in fact, she was a hindrance to her.

  Qiao Zijin felt terrible. She had boasted to everyone about buying new clothes. But when she went to school today, she had to tell everyone that due to her family circumstances, she could only buy one new set of clothes.

  Every female student in her class had two, three sets of new clothes for Lunar New Year, why was it that she had to be the oddball who could only have one set of new clothes?

  “Mom, I have something to discuss with you.” Qiao Zijin dragged her mother to her room. “I only have one set of new clothes in my class, this is so embarrassing, I will be looked down upon by everyone. Mom, everyone has parents, why can’t you and Dad earn more? I am not asking to lead a better life than my classmates, all I want at the very least is to be on par with them. Though I can’t choose my parents, it’s my fortune to have you as my parents. But Mom, you have to think in my shoes, I have grown up now, I have a sense of pride, I don’t want to be the laughing stock or to be looked down upon by others.”

  Ding Jiayi felt extremely bad at Qiao Zijin’s words. “But your Mom isn’t capable enough, I can’t make lots of money.”

  In the past, she did not even need to go to work.

  She got herself a job and even took on handiwork back home in order to finance her elder daughter through school.

  Ding Jiayi felt that she had made up for the years where she stayed at home after having two babies with the huge workload that she had taken on recently.

  She felt sorry for herself at the thought that she had lost seven, eight kilograms in just two, three months’ time.

  “My Dad, it’s all his fault. What does he mean by this? Does he not want to take in a husband for me? Does he not want my children to take his surname? Why didn’t he give me better treatment? Instead he spent all the money on Qiao Nan. She had to be married to someone else eventually, is my Dad muddleheaded?”

  Why would anyone spend their money on others?

  Her father was in fact, spending money on someone else’s wife.

  “Nonsense, how could you say that of your Dad, wasn’t he good to you?” Ding Jiayi gave Qiao Zijin a smack with just the right amount of force. “Your Dad is nice to Qiao Nan as she helped to tutor Zhu Baoguo and in a way helped your Dad to repay the debts of gratitude towards Uncle Lee. Do you know, Qiao Nan that wretched girl has a few tricks up her sleeves, Zhu Baoguo scored 80 points for his exams this time. Not only is your Dad happy, I suppose the Lee family and the Zhu family must be on cloud nine. That wretched girl is lucky.”

  In the future, if Qiao Nan had a favor to ask of the Zhu family and the Lee family, they would definitely help her.

  Qiao Zijin gritted her teeth. She had to cheat to barely score around 80 points, yet with Qiao Nan’s coaching, Zhu Baoguo easily scored 80 points.

  Qiao Zijin finally understood what her parents were quarreling about just now and why her mother would blamed it on Qiao Nan for her bad performance in the middle school exams. Qiao Nan was an eyesore. She did not help her biological sister, yet she was so earnest in helping an outsider. She must be sick!

  “Mom, this might be a good thing for us.” On second thoughts, Qiao Zijin had other plans.