A living example was before them and everyone had been shocked, let alone Lü Yan. Lü Yan was so frightened that she was jolted awake from nightmares several nights in a row, covered in a cold sweat.

  Yu Xiaoxiao’s head was aching badly. “Don’t be so nervous. Qiao Nan has not come to school for a long time. It’s not as if you don’t know. I need to find a chance even if I want to help you. Also, I think that nothing will happen to you. Something would have long happened to those people who are implicated. Until today, Qiao Nab hasn’t looked for you. You just have to avoid her in the future and don’t commit any foolish acts again. Everything will be fine then.”

  Yu Xiaoxiao was already clear about the circumstances of the matter.

  She did not expect that her dormitory mate, Lü Yan, who framed Qiao Nan for being a kept woman during the first year of their college studies, would become a kept woman herself during the third year of their college studies. In any case, she was not even considered a true kept woman. That man gave little favors and benefits to fawn on Lü Yan and she foolishly believed him; he even took advantage of her.

  In the end, she did not know where Lü Yan gathered the baseless rumors from such that she was so certain that Qiao Nan was using such a high-end skincare product because she sold her body. Therefore, as long as she caught hold of the evidence, she could prove to the entire school that what she said three years ago was true. Qiao Nan was such a wretched thing. It was Qiao Nan’s fault that she suffered so much, and the school had to return her justice.

  Yu Xiaoxiao tried more than once to help Lü Yan recall exactly who planted such ludicrous ideas in Lü Yan’s mind. To put it bluntly, even if Qiao Nan had become a ‘kept woman’ three years after the scandal, was Lü Yan aggrieved and wronged by the thread that she had posted?

  The two matters could not be compared.

  There was also another point. If Lü Yan were to tell Yu Xiaoxiao about this earlier, Yu Xiaoxiao would tell Lu Yan with certainty that it was possible for anyone to become a kept woman except for Qiao Nan.

  Lu Yan sniffed. “Really? Will I really be fine? Will Qiao Nan be willing to let me off?”

  \r \r \r

  Yu Xiaoxiao patted Lü Yan’s shoulders. “She will.” Who was Lü Yan? Was she worthy for Qiao Nan to spend so much time and effort biting on to her? As for the ‘talent’ in the journalism faculty, if he had not gone overboard by infringing Qiao Nan’s rights and interests and affected her life, given Qiao Nan’s temperament, she would not have amplified this matter.

  Qiao Nan was not considered a soft-hearted person, but she was also not someone who was overbearing or would not show mercy to someone who was in the wrong.

  “Also, you have to remember this lesson. You should know that you have gone overboard. Don’t make the same mistake again. Qiao Nan is neither your father nor your mother. She is not obligated to forgive you again and again.” Lü Yan was scared out of her wits by her own doing. However, to Qiao Nan, perhaps this was just considered as some distasteful and mean child’s play.

  Lü Yan nodded furiously, that extent of strength almost breaking her head. “Rest assured. I have really learned how to be obedient this time. It’s not easy for my parents to support me through college. I don’t want to disappoint them, and neither do I want to ruin my own life. In the coming year, I will be honest and abiding. I won’t provoke Qiao Nan again. After graduation, I have already planned to return to my hometown to find a job.”

  The entire family of that journalism faculty ‘talent’ had left the capital. Furthermore, she was just a little girl from the countryside that came here to study.

  If she insisted on staying in the capital, she would not progress much in the future. She might as well return to the city in her hometown and start afresh in an unfamiliar and new environment.

  During the past three years in college, Qiao Nan and the capital had almost become Lü Yan’s haunting nightmare. Between these two things, Lü Yan was unwilling to come into contact with any of them. She could not wait to distance herself from them as much as possible.

  In another year’s time, in another year’s time…… she would graduate and could scram to a faraway land. She did not need to come to the capital ever again.

  A fall in the pit, a gain in your wit.

  Everyone knew in their heart how the students’ gossip about Qiao Nan had changed. However, all of them had confirmed one matter: They could provoke anyone except for Qiao Nan, this ancestor, unless they had the confidence that they would not end up in the same state as that journalism faculty ‘talent’.

  Qiao Nan, who was working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was not bothered about all that was happening at school.

  Finally, under the triplets’ daily and constant whining for their master grandpa, it was the day that Lin Yuankang was returning to the home country. Qiao Nan brought the triplets to receive him at the airport early in the morning.

  “Master grandpa?” Looking at the constant flow of human traffic and tides and streams of humans, San Bao expressed that she was dazzled by the scene. Where exactly was master grandpa?

  Qiao Nan was carrying San Bao while Zhai Sheng was carrying Da Bao and Er Bao. “Don’t be anxious. Master grandpa should be arriving soon. Let’s wait another while longer, okay?” Children did not have much patience. This was understandable.

  “Master grandpa, master grandpa!” All of a sudden, Er Bao kicked his legs, not at all afraid that his father could not be able to hold onto his thirty-over-pound body. He clapped his hands and yelled jubilantly, his pair of eyes shining brightly.

  “Where, where?” San Bao turned her little head, trying hard to crane her body while searching for her master grandpa’s whereabouts.

  Qiao Nan did not have Zhai Sheng’s arm strength. Soon, her arms were aching from the carrying of a thirty-over-pound toddler. Coupled with such a ‘lively’ San Bao, Qiao Nan was very worried that her daughter would ‘drop’ when she accidentally released her hold. “Brother Zhai, can I swap with you? I will carry Da Bao. You carry Er Bao and San Bao.”

  Qiao Nan was not choosing to carry only her daughter. She just wanted to carry a more obedient child.

  Da Bao was the eldest Da Bao indeed. At critical junctures, one could tell Da Bao’s mature and steady temperament.

  Of course, Zhai Sheng had no issue. He loved his chubby, soft, and fragrant daughter. But San Bao had a good memory and liked to bear grudges. She had been angry about her father’s past bullying. Hence, she did not like Zhai Sheng to carry her and insisted on sticking to her mother.

  Wasn’t that so? As soon as Zhai Sheng reached out to exchange toddlers with Qiao Nan, San Bao hooked on to Qiao Nan’s neck with one hand and slapped the back of Zhai Sheng’s palm with a loud ‘bam’. “No, Mom hugs. Don’t want Dad!”

  Qiao Nan did not know whether to laugh or cry. “If you don’t want your dad to carry you, be good then. Mom has very little strength. If you do that again, Mom can’t hold onto you anymore. At that time, you will have to stand by yourself to wait for master grandpa.”

  San Bao’s little face turned serious. She became obedient, no longer kicking her legs or twisting her body. She leaned onto her mother’s arms softly, swirling her eyes with a twinkle, exuding restlessness in them.

  “Master grandpa’s obedient San Bao. You are standing with your mom here. Did you come to fetch master grandpa?” An amiable voice could be heard coming from Qiao Nan’s back. When Er Bao said that he had seen master grandpa, he had not seen it wrong. Lin Yuankang had really got off the plane and his figure had whooshed by earlier.

  The older one was, the more one behaved like children.