Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  Over at the police station, Ding Jiayi finally realized the seriousness of the matter. Unlike the arrogant attitude she had at Ping Cheng High School, she sat down quietly by the side like a small kitten, keeping to herself and not making any sounds.

  As the police officers had witnessed Ding Jiayi’s crazy antics previously, even though they did not send her to the hospital, they kept a watch on her lest she turned crazy and hurt others.

  “Hello, we are here to bail Ding Jiayi.” Teacher Cen took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face, indicating her purpose.

  “Zijin!” Hearing her name, Ding Jiayi looked up and saw her beloved daughter, Qiao Zijin. She rushed forward and hugged Qiao Zijin. “Zijin, you are the only one in the family who cares for me. It’s good that you still treat me as your mom. Zijin, do you know that your dad and Qiao Nan, that wretched girl, are so ruthless that—”

  “Mom!” Qiao Zijin was so embarrassed that she tried to bury her face in Ding Jiayi’s arms. She did not dare to look up for fear that the police officers would remember her face. “Okay. Don’t say anything now. If there’s anything, you can tell me when we are home!!!”

  It was so embarrassing. Why must her mother say all those things at the police station?!

  The people in the police station were slightly surprised. This woman who seemed to be mentally unstable was not to be underestimated. Her daughter was very smart. She studied at The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, the best high school in Ping Cheng. Qiao Nan, the top scholar in the middle school examination, had the same surname as well. Was she her daughter?

  \r \r \r ……

  She was such a crazy woman, yet she gave birth to two smart daughters. Did she give all her intelligence to her children?

  “Hello, police officers. Qiao Zijin is the daughter of Ding Jiayi. I am the form teacher of Qiao Zijin. I will help with whatever procedures needed.” Teacher Cen smiled reluctantly. If possible, she wished to leave this suffocating place as quickly as possible.

  “Okay, please come with me.” The police officers did not give Teacher Cen a hard time. They respected her as the teacher of The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China.

  Teacher Cen grabbed the bag in her hand nervously and followed the police officers to fill in the necessary documents.

  Ding Jiayi held on to Qiao Zijin’s hands helplessly. She had a lot to tell Qiao Zijin. She wanted to tell her all the grievances that she had suffered and that she was sick.

  But whenever Ding Jiayi started to speak, Qiao Zijin would pinch her, hinting for her to keep quiet. Ding Jiayi had no choice but to keep quiet.

  Fortunately, Ding Jiayi did not commit serious offenses. She had damaged the public property and attacked the police officers. As long as they decided to let the matter rest, bailing her out should not be much of a problem. Therefore, Teacher Cen did not need to hire a lawyer for Ding Jiayi. After filling in the necessary documents according to the police officers’ instructions, she handed in the bail money and left with Ding Jiayi.

  It was rare that the daughter who was still in her school would be the one who bailed the mother out from the police station.

  “Teacher Cen, I have fallen sick and have yet to recover. There is nobody at home. Can Zijin take two days off from school to take care of me?” When they were about to part, Ding Jiayi could not bear to be separated from Qiao Zijin, so she made the request to the teacher.

  “Mom……”

  “Okay.” Teacher Cen faked a smile. “Today is Thursday. She will be able to go home tomorrow. There’s no need to ask for two days off. One day will do. Anyway, your daughter will not be able to do much learning at school either.”

  After that, Teacher Cen walked off without waiting for their reply.

  “Teacher Cen!” Qiao Zijin wanted to catch up with Teacher Cen, but Ding Jiayi held on to her hands. “Mom, what are you doing? How will Teacher Cen think of me now? Can you stop doing all these? You are not helping me but bringing harm to me. Do you know it is very embarrassing for me to go to the police station to bail you? This could have affected the school as well. Do you know that if things like this happen again, the school will most likely expel me?!”

  “What have I done? I have told the teacher that I am sick and I need you to take care of me for two days. Is there anything wrong with that?” Ding Jiayi began to cry and made a lot of noises. “It was all for your sake that I quarreled with your dad. If not for you, would your dad move out with that wretched girl? If not for you, would he not tell me what his new address is? I lost my husband all because of you. Now that I am sick, I just want you to take care of me for two days. Is it too much to ask of you? Zijin, you said that you will be filial to me in the future, but how is this being filial to me?”

  “Okay, we are in the public. There are so many people looking at us. Let’s go back. Don’t you want me to wait on you at home? Let’s go back now.” Qiao Zijin was so embarrassed that she tried to cover her face with her sleeves. She pulled Ding Jiayi and hurried home.

  “I’m so tired.” Qiao Zijin did not relax a bit upon reaching home. “Mom, what happened to Dad? You said that he moved again? Where did he move to? Dad did not even turn up when you were taken to the police station. Isn’t that too much of him? I am only a child, yet I had to go in his stead?”

  “I have no idea. When I went looking for your dad two days ago, the house was empty and the landlord told me that your dad has moved. But I have no idea where he moved to. If it wasn’t for the fact that your dad has moved, I would not sit through the windy night by the pavement and end up with a cold and a fever. I have not fully recovered yet. Feel my forehead. It’s still burning with fever.” Ding Jiayi took Qiao Zijin’s hand and placed it on her forehead.

  “Mom, what have you done to make Dad so angry that he moved again?!” Qiao Zijin was so exasperated that she felt like crying. “Didn’t you say that you would behave yourself for now and keep a low profile? Didn’t you say that you would leave Qiao Nan alone? Don’t push all the blame to me and tell me that you did all these for me. I was at school, and I did not tell you to do anything for me. Mom, do you not want your family and your husband anymore? Dad is so furious that he moved, yet you were up to no good again after two months?”

  Qiao Zijin was scared out of her wits at the fact that Qiao Dongliang moved with Qiao Nan to a new place for the second time.

  Last time, when Qiao Dongliang moved out with Qiao Nan, she had thought that Qiao Dongliang would definitely divorce Ding Jiayi in no time. She did not have any friends or classmates who came from a single parent family. She did not want to be the exception.

  “Mom, I beg of you to behave yourself. Will that do? If Dad really wants to divorce you, you will regret it later. Tell me, what have you done?” Qiao Zijin was worried that her father would really divorce her mother. Hence, she had been very well-behaved for the past two months. In the past, she had always been thinking of ways to bring down Qiao Nan. She had never been this proper and dutiful ever since Qiao Nan was born.

  A terrible teammate was worse than a tough rival.

  Qiao Zijin had been behaving herself in front of Qiao Nan, but Ding Jiayi tried to pull tricks on Qiao Nan behind her back and antagonized Qiao Dongliang. Qiao Zijin did not know what to do with this mother of hers.