Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  With all these in mind, Qiu Chenxi could not believe that there was nothing going on between Zhai Sheng and Qiao Nan.

  Qiu Chenxi was in a dilemma.

  Zhai Sheng was so opposed to the engagement of the two of them. There had to be a third party between them. But she was not sure whether the third party was Qiao Nan or not. Apart from hearing some information from Zhai Yaohui, Qiu Chenxi did not have any concrete evidence.

  Qiu Chenxi tried to calm herself down. Then, she sat down again. “You mentioned that you are in high school?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Uncle Zhai told me that you are the top student in the middle school examination in Ping Cheng. You are pretty smart. How were your results after you entered high school?” Qiu Chenxi said with a smile, “I hope you don’t mind me asking. It’s just a casual chat.”

  “I don’t mind.” Qiao Nan arched her eyebrows. What did Qiu Chenxi mean by asking so much about her results? “Thank you for your concern. After going to high school, I managed to maintain my standard.”

  “Do you mean that even now that you are in Ping Cheng High School, you still maintain the first place in the level?” It was no wonder that even though Qiao Nan did not come from good family background, Uncle Zhai seemed to appreciate Qiao Nan’s hardworking attitude when he mentioned her.

  Uncle Zhai was very appreciative of girls who were of humble birth but strove for self-improvement.

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  “For now.” Qiao Nan was not exaggerating. She had ranked first among her peers for more than a semester.

  “You are really amazing. I heard that Ping Cheng High School will compare the scores of its own students with those of The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China’s students. You are the top scholar in the middle school examination last year. How was your result compared with that of The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China’s students?”

  Qiao Nan could not help but wonder why Qiu Chenxi asked about such details. What was her intention? “Well, according to my form teacher, my results were a few marks higher.”

  “I see!” Qiu Chenxi’s eyes lit up, and her tone relaxed. Previously, she was like a cat whose tail was being stepped upon and all her hairs stood up. Now, she appeared to be very at ease. “I am sorry for disturbing you for such a long time. Since a young age, I am friends with Brother Zhai. We are basically childhood sweethearts. Our families have a tacit understanding, and I have always treated Brother Zhai as my husband. Recently, I have been in a bad mood because of some issues. Hence, I had some misunderstandings about you. Qiao Nan, you are also a woman. You should be able to understand my feelings. I thought that someone was going to snatch Brother Zhai away from me. I was too anxious and made the wrong judgment. I am sorry for wasting so much of your time. If there’s a chance next time, let me treat you to a meal as an apology.”

  Qiao Nan pursed her lips. Did this mean that Qiu Chenxi had given up and believed in what she said?

  “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s alright. There’s no need to treat me to a meal. I do not have the time.” Qiao Nan stood up and looked as if she wanted to send her off.

  Now that Qiu Chenxi had already figured out the whole matter, it was time to leave. She could not possibly intend to befriend Qiao Nan and chat with her, could she?

  This time, Qiu Chenxi stood up very cooperatively and smiled politely at Qiao Nan. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s leave it to fate. You already have a hard time with your studies. I will not take up so much of your time. Have a good rest. You are Ping Cheng’s top scholar in the middle school examination. Two years later, you may be Ping Cheng’s top scholar in the college entrance examination.”

  Without waiting for Qiao Nan to send her off, Qiu Chenxi walked out by herself.

  Qiao Nan closed the door, knitted her eyebrows, and thought about everything that had happened just now. She did not understand what brought about the change in Qiu Chenxi. She was arrogant and hostile when she first came into the house. Why did she have a change in attitude?

  It was as if Qiu Chenxi had ascertained that she had nothing to do with Brother Zhai and that she was not the person who made Brother Zhai change his attitude toward her.

  How did Qiu Chenxi ascertain that?

  Qiao Nan shook her head. She decided not to think about Qiu Chenxi anymore and to focus on her studies. Yesterday, she had wasted the whole night thinking about Brother Zhai. She was not a true genius. If she did not work harder, she would not be able to do well in her studies. It was not easy to rank first among her peers.

  “Chenxi, you are back.” Qi Minlan knew where her daughter went. “Have you clarified everything? Does the girl have anything to do with Zhai Sheng?”

  “No.” Qiu Chenxi sat down slowly. She felt more at ease at home. The stool in Qiao Nan’s house was dirty and hard. Her bottom hurt from sitting for such a long time. Luckily, it did not stain her skirt.

  “What made you so sure?” Qi Minlan was quite surprised. “You must not be deceived. Since you have made known your identity, even if the girl has something to do with Zhai Sheng, she won’t admit it. After all, the Zhai family will not accept people like her.”

  “No, Mom. I am not a three-year-old child. It is not easy for her to fool me. Moreover, I did not make the judgment based on her words. I made the judgment based on other circumstances. I’m sure that she has nothing to do with Zhai Sheng. She’s not the one that I am looking for.”

  “What made you so sure?” Qi Minlan was worried. Back then, she had lost to a country girl who could not match up to her in terms of family background and education. Chenxi must not follow in her footsteps.

  Qiu Chenxi leaned against the sofa. “Mom, this woman is quite interesting. I guess she knows that her family background is not good, so she wants to rely on her own effort to make it big.”

  “What does this have to do with whether she has any relationship with Zhai Sheng?” She was asking for the reason why Chenxi was so sure, but she did not answer her question.

  Qiu Chenxi sipped the fruit juice and lowered her eyes so that nobody would notice the sadness in her eyes. “There is. Mom, do you remember back when I sat for the college entrance examination and did badly because of Zhai Sheng?”

  “Of course I remember!” Qi Minlan said in an upset tone. She knew that the college entrance examination was very important for her daughter.

  Qiu Chenxi was very clever and pretty. Since a young age, she had good grades. On top of that, she came from a good family. Hence, when she was still in high school, she was already assured of a place in the first-tier university.

  However, in order to prove herself, Qiu Chenxi sat for the college entrance examination and did badly.

  Zhai Sheng was the reason behind her poor performance.

  Zhai Sheng was two years older than Qiu Chenxi. Although the two families had consensus, Zhai Sheng never said anything about their relationship. There was once when Qiu Chenxi flared up upon hearing that some girls in the school were discussing Zhai Sheng, seemingly interested in him. She gave them a lashing for discussing Zhai Sheng.

  The two girls were not pushovers either. They retorted and engaged in an argument with her. “What is your relationship with Zhai Sheng? You have no right to scold us.”