Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “Don’t worry. As long as someone in Ping Cheng remembers that Qiao Nan, me, is a thief. There will always be someone who remembers what kind of sister you, Qiao Zijin, are and the kind of mother we have!”

  She would like to find out whether Qiao Zijin’s tarnished reputation would still grant the latter her wish to marry into a rich and powerful family like she did in her previous life and lead an easy life as a wealthy man’s wife with everything provided for her!

  Qiao Zijin’s face turned pale. She was so scared that she gasped a mouth of cold air. What Qiao Nan was saying was that she would drag her reputation down along with hers so that she would also not have a good life in the future.

  Qiao Nan’s thievery was not a glorious matter. It was very shameful. However, Ding Jiayi, despite suspecting that Qiao Nan had stolen money, stole Qiao Nan’s money and bought new clothes for Qiao Zijin. Was this considered a dog-eat-dog situation?

  Even if Ding Jiayi gave a hundred reasons to justify her actions, no one would believe her.

  Her biological mother’s and sister’s reputations had been damaged. It was only at this moment that Qiao Zijin realized that two out of her four family members were deemed as light-fingered thieves with immoral characters. In the future, if others knew about her family situation, what kind of impression would they have of her?

  Although she had successfully ruined Qiao Nan’s reputation, at the same time, she seemed to have dragged her own future down!

  Qiao Zijin’s face turned pale upon realizing the gravity of the matter. At the sight of this, Qiao Nan smiled revengefully. They were bounded together for good or ill. Qiao Zijin was already a high school student, but she actually didn’t understand this. It was ridiculous!

  Great. Although her life was ruined, Qiao Zijin could also forget about leading a good life. They would perish together!

  Qiao Zijin, who finally understood, fully regretted her actions. However, as it was, it would be too late to change her stance.

  \r \r \r

  Qiao Zijin shivered. She felt as if she was in hell, in desperation and despair.

  “Hey, what’s happening? Is the back door of our house so popular?” Zhai Hua, who had been watching the ‘good show’ for some time, slowly sauntered over as she yawned. “Nan Nan, you’re here. Did you come to read books again?”

  “?” Miao Jing, who had wanted to ask Zhai Hua if she had been sleeping and awakened by the noise, was stunned when she heard Zhai Hua greeting Qiao Nan in such a friendly tone. “Hua Hua, do you know Qiao Nan?”

  “Yes, I do.” Zhai Hua nodded her head, then she walked over to Qiao Nan and held the latter’s arm.

  The members of the Zhai family were mostly tall. Although Zhai Hua was a lady, she was about 1.7 meters’ tall. Qiao Nan was only 1.6 meters’ tall. Hence, it was quite funny when the two of them stood together. “Mom, Nan Nan is my sister.”

  Qiao Nan, who was hugged in the arms of Zhai Hua, turned stiff. Then, she asked hesitatingly, “Sister Zhai Hua?”

  How did Sister Zhai Hua know her? Did Brother Zhai mention to her?

  Zhai Hua rubbed Qiao Nan’s head. She discovered that Qiao Nan’s hair felt great to the touch as it was silky and soft. It was more wonderful than touching the soft toy from America that someone gave to her. “What’s wrong? We’ve not seen each other for more than a month and you don’t recognize this sister anymore? I even passed you the key to my back door to lend you a place to study. Fortunately, you’re capable. I heard that you are the top scorer in the middle school examination. You didn’t make me lose my face. Lending you a place was the right choice.”

  Zhai Hua was rubbing Qiao Nan’s head so hard that the latter swayed from side to side, her focus lost. Why did Sister Zhai Hua have the same habit as Brother Zhai? Both loved to rub people’s head. They were truly siblings.

  “Hua Hua, did you give Qiao Nan this key? Qiao Nan…… Qiao Nan came to our house to study? Why?” Miao Jing did not understand. “When did this happen? Why didn’t I know? Why did you ask her to study at our house? Isn’t it more convenient for her to study at her own house?”

  “Mom, this situation is quite complicated. If you really want to know, ask her.” Zhai Hua could not be bothered to greet Ding Jiayi. She simply used ‘her’ to address Ding Jiayi rudely.

  Ding Jiayi’s face turned stiff. “What does this have to do with me?” Qiao Nan really did not steal the key and it was given to her by a member of the Zhai family?

  How did this happen?

  Zhai Hua sneered. She was standing by the side earlier. Obviously, she saw and heard everything.

  It was no wonder that the bad-tempered and aloof Zhai Sheng was willing to interfere in this matter. Qiao Nan, this young lady, was really too pitiful to have such a mother. “I heard that a mother sold all the textbooks of her daughter who was going to sit for the middle school examination. The mother also refused to let the daughter continue with her studies and forced her to find a job instead. The daughter had no choice but to buy a set of secondhand textbooks from the thrift shop. She was afraid that the books would be sold away again. At that time, she was squatting and crying anxiously at that corner over here and I bumped into her. Anyway, we don’t really use our storeroom, so I lent it to her.”

  Zhai Hua knew the whole story well.

  Initially, Zhai Hua had thought that Qiao Nan was exaggerating. But when she saw Ding Jiayi’s behavior today, Zhai Hua only felt that Qiao Nan’s description had been too lenient on Ding Jiayi.

  “I heard about this matter too.”

  When Zhai Hua said that, someone immediately reacted. “At that time, I was still thinking. Since Nan Nan’s grades were so good, how could Old Qiao possibly let her quit school? Thereafter, Nan Nan continued to study and even made it to high school. I thought I had heard it wrong.”

  “I heard about it too. At that time, Ding Jiayi tried to find out which factory was recruiting, didn’t she? She clearly said that she wanted her daughter to experience life and take up a vacation job.”

  “Vacation job? When she asked about it, the vacation had already ended.”

  Truly, a man should never do anything that was beyond his conscience. The past happening from a year ago was now brought up by someone.

  Upon hearing the discussion, Ding Jiayi, who had never felt that she was in the wrong, turned purplish red. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to cover her face. Similarly, Qiao Zijin was so ashamed that she simply hid behind Ding Jiayi’s back to cover her face.

  “Was there such a matter?” Her daughter had poked her nose into this and Miao Jing’s attitude became more serious. “You really gave Qiao Nan this key?” After all, this happened more than a year ago, so why wasn’t she aware of it at all?

  “Mom, it’s real, as real as authentic pearls. If you don’t believe me, ask Dad. Nan Nan has been borrowing our place to study. Both Zhai Sheng and I know about this. Dad even praised Nan Nan when he heard that she was the top scorer of the middle school examination,” Zhai Hua said. Except for the fact that she was not the one who gave Qiao Nan the key, the rest of her words were absolutely true.

  “Your Dad knows about this?” This time, Miao Jing had nothing to doubt about. If Zhai Hua was lying, she would not bring up her father. She did not have the bravery to do so. If Father Zhai was aware of this matter and even silently approved of it, then Miao Jing, who had always put her husband first, would not object to this.

  However……

  There was a flash of doubt in Miao Jing’s eyes. The key clearly did not belong to Zhai Hua?! It should be Zhai Sheng’s?!