Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  She had really thought that Qiao Nan could let go so easily.

  “Hurry, let’s go back.” Qiao Nan rolled her eyes at Shi Qing. Wasn’t she asking the obvious?

  “Alright, let’s go back. After all, if Brother Zhai is not back yet and you really want to find out about his situation, don’t you still have to rely on me to call and ask my dad?” Qiao Nan could not leave her out of this matter. “Otherwise, do you want to try to call the Zhai family directly? Anyway, Auntie Miao, who doesn’t know a thing about it, treats you quite well. If you call, she’ll definitely let you know.”

  “Don’t kid around.”

  “Kid around on what?” Zhu Baoguo caught up with them in a few steps. “Xiao Qiao, you went off so quickly. I even went to your classroom to look for you. Wait, Xiao Qiao, why are you walking with this woman?”

  Zhu Baoguo quickly pulled Qiao Nan away from Shi Qing to his side. “What do you want?”

  “Do you think you can intervene if I want to do anything?” Shi Qing was amused. “Why? Have you forgotten how you were beaten up during the last semester? Don’t think that I’ll be scared of you just because you have got a tan.”

  Having not seen him for more than a month, it seemed that Zhu Baoguo had gone through the second round of puberty. He had grown taller by a fair bit.

  Qiao Nan looked at him and deduced that Zhu Baoguo’s height now was certainly not lower than that of Zhai Sheng by more than three centimeters.

  Zhu Baoguo’s skin was considered quite fair in the past but he now looked very different.

  When he was with a group of students, his skin was so tanned that it stood out among the crowd.

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  “Zhu Baoguo, where did you go during summer vacation? Did you go sun-tanning every day?” Shi Qing was very shocked. Now, Zhu Baoguo had become one of the black people?

  “This is not the main point.” Zhu Baoguo stood firmly in front of Qiao Nan and looked at Shi Qing in disdain. “Your grades are so good. Don’t you know the saying about looking at a person with different light after they went away? In the past, I purposely gave in to you because you’re a woman. But now, after learning the teachings of China’s Confucius, I feel that there are two kinds of people that I shouldn’t give into. First, a villain. Second, women like you.”

  “Are you trying to say that only women and small-minded men are hard to deal with in the world? ” Shi Qing’s expression turned stiff. She was most annoyed by those men who looked down on women.

  “Yes!”

  “You’re asking for a beating, aren’t you? You’re not happy that I gave in to you last time, so you’re knocking at my door and yearning for a fight?”

  “It’s still uncertain who will be beaten.”

  Both were from the army and were offspring of veteran revolutionaries. They had the same temperament—strong-willed, not to be trifled with, competitive, and fierce.

  When Zhu Baoguo met Shi Qing, it was simply akin to a giant asteroid striking the earth. In less than a few words, the conversation between the two of them nearly turned into a fight.

  Qiao Nan took a deep breath. She carried her schoolbag and could not be bothered about these two ‘warriors’. She then walked in the direction of her home.

  “Ah, Xiao Qiao, I still have something to tell you!” Qiao Nan was leaving. Zhu Baoguo thus stopped picking a fight with Shi Qing. He caught up with Qiao Nan in quickened steps.

  “Qiao Nan, wait for me.” Shi Qing also gave Zhu Baoguo a stare. She withdrew her fists and was not going to fight anymore.

  “Aren’t the two of you going to fight? Remember to look for an isolated place in case someone sees you exchanging blows with each other. They may look for the teacher or call the police. At that time, the reputation of both the Zhu family and the Shi family won’t be too pleasant. Don’t worry. We’re all classmates. I won’t stop you and neither will I tell the teacher.”

  Qiao Nan walked sullenly. Who said that she had to wait for Shi Qing to go back together and make a phone call?

  She had the telephone number of Officer Shi’s office.

  She did not believe that Officer Shi would refuse to tell her Brother Zhai’s situation if she called and asked him.

  As for Zhu Baoguo and Shi Qing, they could fight as they wished if they liked it. She could not be bothered to persuade or stop them.

  “On the account of giving you face, I won’t fight with her anymore. If I win, others will most likely say that there’s no honor to the victor in an unequal contest. I’m a grown-up man. If I win against a young lady in a fight, it’s nothing rare or to be proud of.”

  “Zhu Baoguo, don’t just brag with your words. If you have it with you, let’s exchange pointers. You’re great with words. You are so capable.” Shi Qing was most unconvinced by such words. “Also, why do you keep following us? The house of the Zhu family is not located in this direction.”

  “What do you mean by I keep following you? Aren’t you the one following us?” Zhu Baoguo’s face turned black. “Shi Qing, don’t implicate Xiao Qiao for the matter between us. Indeed, the house of the Zhu is not located in this direction, but neither is the house of the Qiu family, is it?”

  “What Qiu family? I’ve long moved out of that place. Nevertheless, my new house is also not located in this direction.”

  When Shi Qing saw a smile forming on Zhu Baoguo’s face when she said that, she raised her eyebrows and smiled. “But I bet you don’t know that I’ll be staying at the house of the Qiao family from the beginning of this semester, or do you? I’ll be eating, staying, and going to school with Qiao Nan.”

  “You’re staying at the house of the Qiao family? Xiao Qiao, is this true?” Zhu Baoguo jumped in shock. “Xiao Qiao, aren’t you afraid that she’ll cause your death if you stay with her? She’s Qiu Chenxi’s relative and they bear the same family name. Most likely, their temperaments are similar. They’ll annoy you to death.”

  Qiao Nan paused in her steps and let out a long sigh. “I’m going to be annoyed to death by the two of you. Zhu Baoguo, tell me, what did you gain in the army during the summer vacation? What do you wish to tell me?”

  “I……” Zhu Baoguo was stunned for a moment. “I just wanted to tell you that my physical skills have improved. From today onward, you no longer need to be afraid of anyone. I’ll still protect you in school.” The ‘anyone’ in Zhu Baoguo’s words was purely targeted at Shi Qing.

  “Really? First, congratulations to you on your great progress. Second, I’m a little busy today, Zhu Baoguo. Most likely, I don’t have time to entertain you. As for Shi Qing, she’s indeed staying at my house now. She has fallen out with Qiu Chenxi because of helping me. At least, she’s no longer my enemy, so you don’t need to target her anymore. Understand?”

  “Understood.”

  “Very good. Since you’ve understood, go home and keep your grandpa company. You’ve been away from home for the whole of the summer vacation. You’re finally back but the school has also reopened. Elder Lee must have missed you very much. Make use of these two days and visit Elder Lee to keep him company.”

  “Okay.” Zhu Baoguo nodded. His actions resembled that of a robot and he really started walking in the direction of the house of the Lee family.

  When he was about a hundred meters away, Zhu Baoguo then wiped the sweat on his forehead. “Xiao Qiao looked so scary just now. She exuded such a frightening aura. Where did Xiao Qiao go during the summer vacation? Did she go for training too?”

  “Qiao Nan, you’re really good. Just a few words and you coaxed Zhu Baoguo into leaving.” After Zhu Baoguo left, Shi Qing felt more at ease. When the two of them were together, it was truly akin to the collision of water and fire. There was never peace.

  “You still dare to laugh.” Qiao Nan chided Shi Qing. “Zhu Baoguo doesn’t know what I’m anxious about, but you do! Do you believe that I’ll give a call to your dad to make you pack up and move out of my house immediately?”

  Shi Qing’s tiny mouth shriveled. Alright, Qiao Nan was truly angered. “I…… Let’s quickly go back and give my dad a call, alright?”