“There is nothing to be afraid of. The person who should be anxious is my dad, not you.” Qiao Zijin walked out with a cold expression on her face. She knew that her father’s attitude was vastly different from the past. He was very heartless to them, leaving no room for negotiation.

  Qiao Zijin knew that back then, whenever Qiao Dongliang brought up divorce, it was just to frighten Ding Jiayi and her into obedience.

  However, Qiao Zijin felt that her father was serious this time.

  Not only was her father serious about divorce, but he also wanted to use the quickest possible way to divorce her mother. He had no wish to drag any longer.

  “The reason why my dad is so anxious to divorce you must be because he does not want the two of us to cause any more trouble to Qiao Nan or to disgrace her in front of the Zhai family. But you are her mom, and I am her sister. It will not be easy to cut all ties with us.” If Qiao Nan did not make sure that she had a good life, married to a good husband, and that her life was well-taken care of, she could never think of severing ties with her.

  Zhai Sheng was the most outstanding man in the quad. He had the brightest future and he was beyond the reach of the Qiao family.

  She had never expected that Qiao Nan would be able to snare such a man and be his girlfriend.

  It would be a dream come true if she was Zhai Sheng’s girlfriend. If so, her father would not dare to bring up divorce.

  Qiao Nan would act affectionately to her and she would come begging her for help.

  It was such a wonderful thing to be dating someone who was capable and had authority.

  \r \r \r

  “Yes, it will not be that easy!” In this life, there was no way that Qiao Nan could cut ties with them. She had given birth to her. Qiao Nan had to be filial to her and obey her words.

  Since Qiao Nan was the reason Old Qiao wanted to divorce her, if she really ended up in a divorce, Qiao Nan would not be able to lead a peaceful life. Whenever she encountered any problem, it would be Qiao Nan’s responsibility to settle it for her. “But the problem right now is my marriage with your dad!”

  “As I have said, Dad should be the one who is anxious. You have made it very clear just now. If he wants a divorce, he has to give you fifty thousand yuan. With this sum of money, you have nothing to worry about. People used to say that sons are no better than money. Indeed, sons are unreliable, and so are men in general. Qiao Nan is only in a relationship with Zhai Sheng. She has yet to marry him. If my dad does not want to affect Qiao Nan’s relationship, he will not allow us to make a fuss. However, I believe he will not ask the Zhai family for money. He feels too embarrassed to do that.”

  If he asked for money, it would mean the end of Qiao Nan’s relationship with Zhai Sheng.

  “Zhai Sheng is so outstanding and the Zhai family has a high social status. Zijin, tell me, why didn’t Zhai Sheng take a fancy to you? If so, it would be wonderful! Do you think it is possible?” Could it be possible for Qiao Nan to break up with Zhai Sheng and for the latter to date Zijin instead?

  “He……” Qiao Zijin smiled coldly, mockery evident in her tone.

  She wished for such good things to happen.

  After seeing Zhai Sheng last time, Qiao Zijin had done a detailed background check on Zhai Sheng. She then realized that she had missed out on such a golden opportunity.

  Qiao Zijin was attracted to his handsome face the first time she saw Zhai Sheng.

  It was a pity that Zhai Sheng treated her coldly. Qiao Zijin was frightened off by his icy cold demeanor.

  When she found out that the man that she was once attracted to was the legendary Zhai Sheng that the people in the quad would talk about, Qiao Zijin was tempted to know him better.

  At that time, she still did not know that Zhai Sheng was in a relationship with Qiao Nan. Having met him once, and being Qiao Nan’s elder sister, she could address Zhai Sheng like how Qiao Nan did-calling him as Brother Zhai.

  She might be able to get closer to Zhai Sheng because of Qiao Nan’s relation to the Zhai family.

  However, Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi failed in trying to be friendly to Miao Jing.

  Since Qiao Zijin had failed in pleasing Miao Jing, she could only give up her dreams of being with Zhai Sheng.

  Without Qiao Nan, she could not even get to see Zhai Sheng, let alone to address him as Brother Zhai or to make him fall in love with her.

  Zhai Sheng was like the moon that was high up in the sky. It was beautiful and Qiao Zijin yearned to be closer to it. However, she knew that it was beyond her reach.

  They were miles apart and there was no way that their paths would cross. Over time, Qiao Zijin eventually gave up on her fantasies. “Mom, you should abandon this idea. Do you remember Madam Zhai’s attitude toward us back then? To her, we are like insects that she cannot wait to be rid of. Back when Dad was hospitalized and Zhai Sheng visited him at the hospital, Qiao Nan already addressed him as Brother Zhai. He even took off his jacket for Qiao Nan to wear. From the looks of it, Qiao Nan had already set her sights on Zhai Sheng before Dad was hospitalized. With Qiao Nan around, Zhai Sheng will not have a good impression of me.”

  “That is because Qiao Nan badmouths you in front of Zhai Sheng. It is not the truth. What are you scared of?” Zijin was such a good lady. If Zhai Sheng got to know her, he would realize that she was more suitable for him than Qiao Nan was.

  Qiao Zijin took a deep breath.

  In the eyes of Ding Jiayi, she was the perfect daughter in the world. Actually, Qiao Zijin felt good that her mother would sing her praises.

  However, Qiao Zijin knew very well that in the eyes of others, she might not be as good as Qiao Nan.

  Qiao Zijin was aware of that, so she felt embarrassed when Ding Jiayi kept singing her praises. “That is not the truth? Was Qiao Nan telling lies? She might have been exaggerating, but there is truth in her words. You want to sacrifice Qiao Nan for my sake. However, in the eyes of others, we are always the ones at fault. Dad’s attitude is enough to explain everything. Mom, do you really think that it is alright to treat Qiao Nan with that attitude of yours? Do you think that Qiao Nan is to be blamed for everything? It is okay if you tell this to other people, but you can be frank with me.”

  Ding Jiayi looked embarrassed. “Don’t your teachers teach you that the child should not point out the father’s mistakes? I am her mother. Why can’t I be willful? She has to obey me because I have given birth to her!”

  “If Zhai Sheng hears of this, he will believe in everything that Qiao Nan said to him. Zhai Sheng has known Qiao Nan for three years, whereas I have not spoken a word to him. Qiao Nan has good results, but what about me? I heard that Madam Zhai once thought of acknowledging Qiao Nan as her goddaughter. But Madam Zhai can’t wait to avoid me. How can I fight with Qiao Nan to win Zhai Sheng’s affection? Don’t embarrass yourself.”

  Qiao Zijin was furious.

  When she was at a young age, she was better than Qiao Nan in all aspects. Why was it that when they grew up, she was so far behind Qiao Nan?

  If she was outstanding, and Zhai Sheng decided to be with a lousy Qiao Nan instead of choosing her, she could at least smile it off and say that it was Zhai Sheng’s and the Zhai family’s loss.