She had never had a day of peace with Qiao Zijin. She would never believe Qiao Zijin if she said that she was visiting her out of the kindness of her heart. It was already good enough if Qiao Zijin could stop trying to make calculated moves against her, found her conscience, and changed for the better.

  “I know.” Qiao Zijin seemed to have changed for the better and Qiao Dongliang didn’t try too hard to force Qiao Nan into accepting her elder sister, Qiao Zijin. But now that he knew that Qiao Zijin was still problematic, there was no way Qiao Dongliang could expect Qiao Nan to accept Qiao Zijin. “You guys can settle your own business. You’re all grown up and there are things I shouldn’t interfere in. Do as you deem fit.”

  Qiao Nan sighed. There were some things she had no control over, especially when it concerned someone as scheming as Qiao Zijin. Qiao Nan knew that her dad had no idea why Qiao Zijin had come to the capital and what her motives were. “Dad, did you have any problems coming to the capital this time?” Her father had found out about her admission into the hospital quite a long time ago but he had only arrived today. Qiao Nan had been rather surprised by that.

  Qiao Nan’s casual comment made Qiao Dongliang suddenly think of something. “Not-not really.” After thinking of a possibility, Qiao Dongliang could no longer sit still in front of Qiao Nan.

  After rattling on about nutrition, Qiao Dongliang left in a hurry.

  Seeing Qiao Dongliang’s behavior, Qiao Nan frowned. “Do you believe what my dad said?” Her dad was not one who could keep secrets well. Had Qiao Zijin created some trouble before coming to the capital this time?

  \r \r \r

  Pinching Qiao Nan’s nose, Zhai Sheng looked at her indifferently. “Qiao Zijin is your dad’s daughter, not ours. If there really is something wrong, let your dad deal with it. Don’t overthink it. It won’t be so easy for Qiao Zijin to meet you.”

  Qiao Nan nodded. “You’re right. Qiao Zijin is my dad’s daughter. If she creates any trouble, the person who should care about it is my dad. The second one who’ll have to take that burden on my behalf is you.” With that, Qiao Nan suddenly realized that she had it the easiest.

  Qiao Zijin was still frustrating, but even if Qiao Zijin were to appear in front of her, Qiao Nan felt that she would still be able to lead a comfortable life.

  Qiao Dongliang’s mood was contrary to Qiao Nan’s relaxed mood. First, he had suspected that Ding Jiayi had been behind him not being able to board the bus to the capital twice. Then, he had found out that his elder daughter’s so-called trip had been to the capital, and she had even arrived in the capital before him and met with the Zhai family.

  Putting two and two together, Qiao Dongliang felt uneasy. It was obvious that Qiao Zijin was up to something. It was definitely not like what Ding Jiayi had told him. Qiao Zijin had not gone on a simple trip just because she had gotten too bored at home. Qiao Zijin was probably scheming something against Qiao Nan. It was just that he was unsure of what Qiao Zijin was planning on doing this time.

  After returning to his accommodation, Qiao Dongliang made a call to Ding Jiayi. “Tell me truthfully. Where did Zijin go? Is she really on a trip?”

  “…” Ding Jiayi did not want to answer that question. “Of course. If she’s not on a trip nor at home, where else could she be? Old Qiao, why are you asking such a strange question? Oh right, where are you staying in the capital? Qiao Nan married so well. She couldn’t possibly not have arranged accommodation for you, right?”

  If that was the case, Qiao Nan was truly a heartless wretched girl!

  Ding Jiayi mentioned it because she had heard Qiao Zijin complaining about how expensive living in the capital was. Just eating plain noodles cost more than twenty yuan. The same bowl of noodles would cost only six to seven yuan in Ping Cheng. Of course, Qiao Zijin could not handle such a drastic difference.

  Not only was food expensive, even renting a room in a motel was expensive. The money spent on a room in a small motel in the capital was enough to rent a house in Ping Cheng for an entire month! Moreover, the rooms in the capital were really small. In a city where every square foot counted, Qiao Zijin had finally experienced how difficult it was for Beijing drifters.

  Thankfully, she had chosen to return to her hometown in Ping Cheng after her graduation instead of making a living in the capital. What was the point in giving up a comfortable lifestyle and forcing herself to work so hard? Even though she did want to settle in the capital, she would never choose to do it by her own means. Like now, she would be able to do so comfortably without any cares or worries once she married Zhai Sheng. She could even live in the best neighborhood!

  This was life indeed.

  It was only after Qiao Zijin’s complaint that Ding Jiayi realized how ridiculous the cost of living was in the capital. She could not care about Qiao Zijin, but Qiao Dongliang had visited the capital rightfully. Qiao Nan could not possibly leave her father to fend for himself and pay for an expensive hotel stay since he had gone to the capital to visit her.

  She thought about how they had already wasted four thousand on bus tickets to the capital. Thinking about how Qiao Zijin and Qiao Dongliang were not staying together in the capital and were spending twice the amount of money, Ding Jiayi felt the pinch.

  It was no joke traveling to the capital. It was no different from burning money.

  “I have somewhere to stay. I don’t have to pay for it.” The moment he mentioned money, Qiao Dongliang’s tone and expression worsened. “I’ll ask you again. If Zijin really went on a trip, where did she go?” Money, money, money. That was all that was on Old Ding’s mind. Money was her life.

  For the sake of money, Old Ding had given up such a good daughter like Nan Nan. Old Ding had never reflected on why things had gotten to this stage, and she was even still harping on ‘money’. The reason Zijin had become this way was all Old Ding’s fault. One day, Old Ding would regret her educational methods.

  No matter how good a daughter was, there was no way she would improve under Old Ding’s teachings.

  “…” She had managed to get away from that topic with much difficulty but was now being dragged back. Ding Jiayi had no other choice. “Of course, she went on a trip. But I don’t know where she went.”

  “You don’t know? Would you have let her go without telling you? Could she have held it in?” There were no secrets between Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi. Qiao Dongliang was clear about that.