Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  With that, Qiao Nan handed the money over to the waiter and left without turning back.

  “.……”

  Qiao Zijin had not expected that Qiao Nan would not only not be threatened, but her attitude was also tough. She had not left any room for negotiations.

  From the beginning to the end, it was as though she had been doing a monologue. Qiao Nan was just a spectator, looking on with a mocking smile while Qiao Zijin sang and danced, and even did tricks on stage.

  Qiao Zijin’s face reddened. She was so furious that she could not utter a word.

  Zhou Ying furrowed her small brows. “Mom, that auntie is gone. Where’s the villa we’re going to stay in? Where’s my princess room?” That auntie’s gaze was icy cold. Although she did not speak as loudly as her mom, she could feel that that auntie was incensed.

  Now that the auntie was enraged, was she still going to get her princess room?

  “Auntie? That sounds nice. Why didn’t you try calling her to appease her while she was here? Why didn’t you cry in front of her to make her soften her heart toward us so that she would let us live?” Qiao Zijin was irate that her daughter had chosen to speak up only now.

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  She was fuming now that her daughter called Qiao Nan her auntie. It was as though she was trying to get on Qiao Nan’s good side. What infuriated her most was that Zhou Ying did not have the sense to coax Qiao Nan so that Qiao Nan would be more likely to help the mother and daughter out on the account that Zhou Ying was still a child.

  Now that she had left, there was no point in calling her ‘auntie’ anymore.

  Zhou Ying pouted. “Mom, are you angry, or are you angry at me? Grandma and grandpa would never do that. Neither would Dad. Mom, that is wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong. You shouldn’t be angry at me. Grandma told me that even if I do anything wrong, you should teach me. Once I learn, I won’t make the same mistake again.”

  When Zhou Ying, who normally did not speak very much, said these words, every word was articulated properly and her thoughts were well-organized. It was as though an adult was speaking.

  Mothers knew their children best. Qiao Zijin’s eyes glimmered. “Who taught you to say this?” Ying Ying would never be able to say these things on her own accord.

  “When you left, grandma specially taught me.” She knew that her grandma was teaching her this to help her, so she kept this in mind. Moreover, she had not done anything wrong. Why was her mother being so fierce to her? “Mom, where’s my princess room?”

  Her teacher had taught her that one had to fulfill one’s promises to others. Her mom had promised to give her a princess room that was even more beautiful than her previous one. Her mom was an adult, so it was even more vital for her to fulfill her promise and let her stay in a princess room.

  “What’s the hurry? I didn’t say that your princess room is gone. Just wait for a little longer.” Qiao Zijin was both angry and frustrated. Her daughter talked quite a fair bit but did not utter a single word in front of Qiao Nan. Now that Qiao Nan was gone, she had so many requests. How annoying! “I’ll bring you to find grandma first. Don’t worry, Mom will find a way for you to get your princess room. I didn’t lie to you.”

  Zhou Ying pouted and threw a temper. “Can we move in today?” She did not want to stay in her maternal grandma’s house. It was not as good as her paternal grandma’s house, and she missed her grandparents and her father. Her mom was still the same as before—fierce. She was totally unlike her classmates’ moms who were especially gentle.

  “Today…… It’s a bit difficult today, but Mom will try to get it done as soon as possible.” Qiao Zijin had lost all her confidence. Qiao Nan did not look like she was going to allow for any negotiations. If she did not do something to let Qiao Nan know that she meant what she said, Qiao Nan would never learn her lesson.

  Qiao Zijin had no idea if she was going to achieve her goal and when she would achieve her goal, so she would just try to appease her daughter as much as possible for now.

  Zhou Ying stomped her foot. “Mom, it’s already September. I should be in school. My previous classmates are all in school. Only I’m not! Mom, I want to go back to Ping Cheng. I miss grandma’s house. I want to go to school!”

  “School? You don’t even like learning, so what’s the hurry? Shouldn’t you be happy that you get to play for a few more days?” Since she was young, she had not excelled in her studies, and neither did she like studying. She would rather read romantic novels than her textbooks. She had also heard that Zhou Zheng’s results had not been stellar either. Would her daughter with Zhou Zheng be a good child who loved learning?

  What a joke!

  Her daughter was already in second grade and had been in school for four to five years. At that time, her daughter had never brought home a single award or certificate. She admitted that she spent little time with her daughter, but that did not mean that she was completely ignorant about what was going on with her daughter.

  She was all too clear about that feeling of hatred toward studying while she was still a student. Qiao Zijin was sure that Zhou Ying would take after her and would get a headache from just the mention of studying. It would be a miracle for a student who hated studying to get stellar grades.

  Zhou Ying got even more upset. “It’s one thing for me not to want to go to school, but it’s another for everyone else to be going to school while I can’t go to school. I don’t care. Everyone is going to school. I want to go to school too! Mom, if you can’t send me to school, then send me back to grandma’s house. Grandma can send me to school.”

  She did not want to be the odd one out.

  If everyone went to school, Zhou Ying knew that it was not a good thing that she was being treated differently and that she was not going to school.

  She went to school every day but had never received an award for her results. Thinking about how it had already been a few days since the start of the school term, Zhou Ying was anxious. This was not about falling behind in her studies. This was about her pride.

  Qiao Nan’s attitude was firm. There was no room for any negotiation. And her daughter was now throwing a tantrum. Qiao Zijin was not someone who could multi-task. After considering it for a while, Qiao Zijin decided to send Zhou Ying home to let Mother Zhou raise her daughter.

  When she had settled everything here and found her daughter’s princess room, as well as a school for her daughter, she would bring her daughter over. It would be better than the current situation where they would squeeze in the same room and her daughter would not be in school.

  This was truly detrimental to her daughter’s growth. At the same time, she would only be in her way and cause an even greater delay to something that was not even going smoothly.

  Hearing that Qiao Zijin was going to send Zhou Ying back to Ping Cheng, Ding Jiayi thanked the heavens.

  When Qiao Zijin said that she had no money and asked Ding Jiayi for money to purchase the plane ticket, Ding Jiayi did not refuse either and just handed the money over.

  After receiving the money from Ding Jiayi, Qiao Zijin became unhappy.