“But it is already a disgrace for your dad to have such a cowardly son.” Zhu Baoguo might have a big temper, but Shi Qing had a nasty temper as well. “Don’t try to act fierce in front of me. You do not know your limitation, yet you dare to yell at me. Stop disgracing yourself!”

  “Don’t tell me your dad did not have a talk with you. Brother Zhai has stronger feelings for Qiao Nan than you do. He is more capable than you and he has a higher position than you. In terms of looks, built, and character, there is no way that you can be compared to Brother Zhai. I am not trying to put you down. But given your qualifications, how are you supposed to vie with Brother Zhai? You are simply selfish. Qiao Nan has such a difficult life. Ever since she knows you, she helps you in every way that she can. But what can you help her with? You can’t help her at all and you don’t want her to find a man who can help her. You are unreasonable.”

  Zhu Baoguo clenched his teeth in anger. “I may not have the ability right now, but it does not mean that I will not be capable in the future!”

  How could his father and Shi Qing look down on him!

  He was a man, and he was working hard to grow into a stronger person. One day, he would be able to become the man who could shelter Xiao Qiao from the harsh world, not letting any harm befall her.

  “Yes, you will be able to do all these in the future. But can Qiao Nan wait until then?”

  “If she is to rely on you, today, Qiao Nan will not be getting off the train, getting ready to go to school. Instead, she will be poring over her third-year books, preparing to retake her exams!”

  “You said that you like Qiao Nan, but is that how you like her? You did not know that Qiao Nan was being bullied. After she was bullied, you could only watch helplessly as she missed the most important exams of her life and had to waste another year to retake it. Qiao Nan has no other choice but to be plotted against and bullied by others. Is it right that she suffers with you? Is it wrong of her to be with others who can help her walk an easier path? Why are you so shameless?”

  It was a pity that Zhu Baoguo was not right in front of her. Otherwise, she would give him a thrashing.

  His brain must have been damaged!

  “.……” What Shi Qing said was the cold, hard truth. Although Zhu Baoguo turned green with anger, he had no way to rebut her.

  \r \r \r

  “Alright, I won’t waste my time on you. Give me a copy of your study materials. I also want a copy of your lesson notes. I don’t care if you copy it by hand or photocopy it. I just need the lesson notes. Send them to me after you are done. By the way, take down my address. Don’t send it to the wrong address. Lastly, make sure that the lesson notes are comprehensive. If you are too lazy to take notes, just get me someone else’s notes!”

  “On what grounds? Just because you gave me a lashing and I am supposed to listen to you?” Zhu Baoguo sneered.

  He had fallen out of love. He was unhappy and unwilling to do these. He was particularly unwilling to help Shi Qing!

  Shi Qing smiled grimly. “Refuse to cooperate?”

  “I won’t cooperate!” Although it was the hard truth, he was upset and heartbroken.

  These people caused him to lose the chance to fight for Xiao Qiao’s love, yet they wanted his help. Shi Qing scolded him for being shameless. He felt that Shi Qing was the most shameless person in the world!

  “Fine, let’s wait and see!” Shi Qing slammed the phone.

  Qiao Nan, who kept a watch on their luggage, wiped her beads of perspiration. “Do you intend to force Zhu Baoguo to help you after being so selfish toward him?”

  Shi Qing flicked her hair confidently. “It may not be easy to get other people to obey me, but it is simple to make Zhu Baoguo submit to me. I will give Chief Zhu a call to get hold of Zhu Baoguo’s school address and class. By then, I will show him who the boss is!”

  “When did you become so close with Chief Zhu?” Qiao Nan was surprised. Shi Qing sounded as if she was Chief Zhu’s daughter, while Zhu Baoguo was an outsider.

  Shi Qing smiled cockily. “This is my charm. You won’t understand.”

  Qiao Nan gave Shi Qing a thumbs-up. “You are fabulous. But shall we report to the school right now?”

  After Shi Qing solved her problem, they did not delay any further. They used the fastest speed to go to Peking University.

  Since it was the day the freshmen would report to the school, there were a lot of male and female seniors who stood at the entrance of Peking University to welcome their juniors.

  “No thanks.” Many seniors offered to help Shi Qing with the luggage, but she rejected all of them. She acted like a tough lady who carried two people’s luggage all by herself, walking steadily toward the teaching block. “Qiao Nan, let’s go to pay our school fees.”

  Qiao Nan wiped the sweat off Shi Qing’s forehead. “Give me the luggage. I can pull it by myself. Do you see yourself as a bull?”

  Miao Jing bought the luggage for Qiao Nan. It had two wheels at the bottom. Although Qiao Nan did not have the strength to lift it, she was able to pull it along with her.

  “Alright, the path over here is slightly smoother and there are no stairs. You can pull it by yourself.” The pavement at the school was not as rough and there were not many staircases. She thus returned the luggage to Qiao Nan. “Have you checked out where to pay the school fees?”.

  “Yes. Shall I lead the way?”

  “Sure. You can walk in front. I will follow behind.”

  “Qing Qing!”

  Shi Qing and Qiao Nan had only walked a few steps before someone called them out loud, stopping Shi Qing in her tracks.

  The two of them turned and Qiao Nan saw three unfamiliar faces looking at her. There were an elderly couple and a middle-aged woman.

  The three of them had the same expression on their faces—dissatisfaction and heartache.

  Qiao Nan sensed that they were dissatisfied with her, while their hearts ached for Shi Qing.

  The elderly couple walked quickly toward them. “Qing Qing, it is good to be helpful, but we should act according to one’s ability. It is such a hot day. You will get sunburns from standing under the sun. My heart aches for you. Look at you. You are drenched in perspiration. Your dad is too much. Why did he insist to let you go through all these sufferings? He wouldn’t listen no matter what I said.”

  “Qing Qing, let grandpa carry them for you.” “Have some drink first.” Feng Cheng helped Shi Qing put down the luggage before opening a bottle of water and passing it to Shi Qing to hydrate herself. Although she looked composed, she seemed to be checking out Qiao Nan. There was a glint of displeasure in her eyes.

  “Grandpa, grandma, Mom, why are all of you here?” Shi Qing drank a few mouthfuls of water before she greeted her family.

  “Hahaha, my granddaughter is the top science scorer in the college entrance examination this year. How can we not be present on the day she reports to Peking University?” Old Master Feng smiled. He looked to be in good health. At the mention of Shi Qing’s results, pride and satisfaction were evident in his tone.

  “Qing Qing, why didn’t you give us a call beforehand?” Grandma Feng looked at Shi Qing with an incredulous look on her face. “If you gave us a call beforehand, we would get the chauffeur to fetch you. It is such a hot day. There is no hurry to go to school. You should rest for a night at home before reporting to school tomorrow. Qing Qing, how about you go back with us now and I will make good food for you?”