Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “As for my dad…… well, whatever,” Qiao Nan said, feeling listless.

  Right now, her father might care a lot for her, but nobody could tell what would happen in the future.

  “What! Why will Uncle Qiao change his attitude? You are so much better than Qiao Zijin in every way. Why will your mom and Uncle Qiao be so biased toward Qiao Zijin? It’s unfair and unreasonable. They are blind, both in the heart and the eyes!” They must be out of their minds!

  “My dad prefers to have a son, but he has two daughters. Qiao Zijin is the elder daughter, and my dad hopes that Qiao Zijin will stay with the family. She will take in a husband in the future, so her children will have the same surname as her. In other words, I will eventually have to marry and leave the family. As the saying goes, ‘A daughter married is like water spilled’. He will naturally treat us differently. In fact, at times, I will imagine that Qiao Zijin is a son. It’s only then that I will be able to better understand why they do certain things. At least, I will not be so depressed.”

  Back then, Ding Jiayi was deprived of a chance to go to school as her mother favored sons and only sent her sons to school. She even wanted to sell Ding Jiayi to gain more money for her sons to set up a family.

  Her mother might have hated her grandmother, but there was no doubt that her mother was the biological daughter of her grandmother. Her mother was simply a replica of her grandmother!

  “Alright, don’t worry about me. My parents may have their plans, but I have planned it out as well. I am not stupid. I know why you’re telling me all these. I really understand, so don’t you worry. I will not be so foolish.” It was a fact that her mother gave birth to her and raised her up.

  Her mother had fulfilled her obligation to raise her, and she would certainly provide for her mother and fulfill her responsibilities as well.

  But there would be no way that she would let her mother limit her freedom and take all her hard-earned money to subsidize Qiao Zijin like what she did in the previous life.

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  Aside from the monthly allowance that she would give her mother, she would have to consider carefully when her mother asked for a penny more.

  In this life, her mother could no longer make impossible demands of her.

  “Really? I don’t believe you. I heard that lots of people will give in as long as the person who makes the mistakes begs and puts up a pitiful look.” To Zhu Baoguo, Xiao Qiao was too kindhearted. She would definitely give in to her mother’s pleas.

  “I won’t. My mom is only after my money. I know her very well. This is the one thing that she treasures the most. I am not so foolish as to fall for her tricks.” Of course, she was so stupid in her previous life that she died in the end.

  “I hope you can live up to your words.” Zhu Baoguo was pleased and assured by Qiao Nan’s firm attitude. “But what should we do now that things have come to this stage? Your mom may be completely shameless, but you still have to study in school. How are you going to deal with the rumors going around the school? Have you thought of any solutions?”

  “Well……” Qiao Nan bent toward the table as if she was sapped of all her energy. “Give me a break first. I have not come up with any solutions yet. My mom has always wanted to do me in. She has really dealt me a big blow this time around. Should I congratulate her for making the right move?”

  Now that things were like this, no matter what Qiao Nan did, she would be at fault.

  Dirty linen should not be aired in public. Besides, the power of gossip could not be underestimated. Regardless of whether those words were true or false, it would not take long before such a juicy gossip spread all over the school.

  On the other hand, even if she was not afraid of telling others about the bad deeds her mother did and explained them clearly, others might not be willing to believe her. There were so many people in Ping Cheng High School. Even if someone believed her, she could not get everyone to believe her regardless of how hard she tried.

  Her mother was very ruthless.

  Zhu Baoguo asked cautiously, “Is there really no solution? Maybe we can think about it again?”

  “I can’t think of anything.” Qiao Nan sighed. She was tired, and she felt like giving up. “Alright, let’s take one step at a time. At most, I will transfer to another school.”

  Qiao Nan was particularly afraid of having to deal with all these troubles that Ding Jiayi caused. Instead of being entangled in such a mess, she would rather have a change of environment and have a peace of mind.

  “I will go with you!”

  “Why should you? Ping Cheng High School is a good high school.” Zhu Baoguo was not her. There was no need for him to transfer. “Besides, things have not come to that stage yet, so do not worry.”

  “You can rest assured that I will settle this for you.” Zhu Baoguo was furious. It was obvious that Ding Jiayi lied, yet many of the students were foolish enough to believe her words.

  Whoever believed in Ding Jiayi’s words and dared to talk nonsense in front of her, he would not let them off.

  “Rein in your temper. I do not want to make matters worse.”

  “Don’t worry. I know what I am doing.” Zhu Baoguo patted his chest and vowed to help Qiao Nan with her problem.

  Zhu Baoguo was not without any capabilities after all. The students in the school would always give Qiao Nan strange looks and whisper to each other after Qiao Nan walked away.

  However, after Zhu Baoguo volunteered to help her, although they would still give Qiao Nan’s strange looks from time to time, no one dared to question Qiao Nan regarding the rumors, and neither did they dare to say hurtful words. Most of the students steered clear of Qiao Nan’s path as if she was the god of plague.

  Qiao Nan did not ask for much. She was happy enough that no one would disturb her.

  “Before I begin the lessons today, there’s something that I want to tell all of you. There is an old saying that goes, ‘Rumors stop at the wise’. As students from the same class, I hope that everyone can unite as one and will not be so susceptible to whatever rumors that are circulating outside. You are not only high school students, but also adults who are old enough to be issued with an identity card. You must not believe in the rumors. One should not only listen but also use their eyes and hearts when making judgments. As your form teacher, I sincerely hope that the students in my class are wise men, not cows who are led by the nose. Alright, let’s look at the textbook.”

  One could never underestimate the power of rumor, even the teachers had heard about them.

  Even though Teacher Liu did not specify what he was referring to when he made the speech to the class, everyone in the class clearly knew what Teacher Liu was referring to.

  “Xiao Qiao, have you told Teacher Liu anything?” Zhu Baoguo was a little surprised. It was rare that there would be such a discerning person. Nevertheless, he was a teacher. He was wiser than the students.

  “No.” Qiao Nan shook her head. “I thought Teacher Liu will ask me to go to his office to explain myself regarding the rumors.” After all, she had encountered such a situation in junior high school. At that time, she was called to the office to be questioned by Teacher Chen.

  “No matter what, Teacher Liu is a teacher worthy of our respect.” Zhu Baoguo gave a thumbs-up. He felt better now and started to pay more attention to Teacher Liu’s lessons.