Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  After about five minutes of contemplation, Ding Jiayi looked up at Qiao Zijin, who smiled at her. “Mom, have you come to a realization?”

  She was all too clear about the kind of person her mom was. If her mom was truly an intelligent person, there was no way Qiao Nan would have dropped out of school for her to become a university graduate instead. Her mom’s mind was too simple, and unfortunately, her mom hadn’t even managed her own life well in the past two years. That was why Qiao Nan had been able to break free of her chains and escape the family.

  Had she come to a realization? Not really.

  But Ding Jiayi had a question that she had to get an answer to. “Zijin, let’s forget about everything else. Let me ask you. If I really follow your plan and threaten Qiao Nan that I’ll return the clothes that she bought for me if she doesn’t buy you any, what will we do if she refuses?”

  There was no way a simple phone call would solve the matter.

  “That’s easy. I’ll get a courier to send the clothes back to Qiao Nan for her so that she can see for herself that you’re being serious. If you don’t do that, she’ll think that you’re just threatening her with empty threats. Mom, don’t worry. I’ll pay for the courier. You won’t have to fork out a cent.” There was no way the cost of a courier could compare with the cost of an entire outfit that cost up to ten thousand yuan. She wouldn’t lose out anyway.

  \r \r \r

  It was going to be the new year soon, and the normal postal services were about to stop their operations. Only courier services and express delivery services were still available. At the thought of that, Qiao Zijin felt the pinch. If they had done this at any other time of the year, it would have cost her ten yuan at the very most with the normal postal service. But courier services and express delivery services would cost her several times more than that!

  “We’re really sending it back?”

  “Of course!” Otherwise, Qiao Nan would never admit defeat.

  Ding Jiayi frowned. “What if Qiao Nan accepts the parcel and keeps the clothes instead of returning them to me?” The question was now back to the start. What if Qiao Nan decided not to give Ding Jiayi the clothes that she had already bought just because she was unwilling to buy Qiao Zijin clothes? What would Ding Jiayi do then?

  Ding Jiayi was different from Qiao Zijin. Qiao Zijin had nothing to begin with, so the worst result was just maintaining the status quo, which was having nothing at all.

  As for Ding Jiayi?

  Initially, Ding Jiayi had already enjoyed some benefits. If Ding Jiayi were to infuriate Qiao Nan for Qiao Zijin’s sake, Qiao Nan’s attitude toward her might go back to how it had been a few months ago, when they had not even had any contact. Then, Ding Jiayi would be at a great loss.

  Ding Jiayi had never owned such expensive or good clothes before today. Even when Qiao Zijin had been Chen Jun’s wife and the Chen family’s daughter-in-law, she had never gotten the chance to wear such expensive clothes.

  It didn’t matter whether she was being superficial. If she didn’t have the opportunity or ability, then so be it. But Qiao Nan had already sent it right to her doorstep. It would be ridiculous to give up the opportunity just like that.

  That was why Ding Jiayi wanted to know what Qiao Zijin’s attitude and plan were if that really happened. She got her hands on something that she had never gotten from Qiao Zijin all thanks to her most hated daughter. Ding Jiayi felt that she was already a very good mother for treating Qiao Zijin the same as before even after Qiao Zijin had angered her so many times before.

  But everyone was selfish. She wasn’t counting on Qiao Zijin providing her with such nice things. It didn’t seem right to lose this rare opportunity to enjoy such benefits from Qiao Nan for Qiao Zijin’s sake.

  Ding Jiayi’s idea was simple. If Qiao Zijin was willing to make up for everything that Qiao Nan took back, Ding Jiayi would be willing to unconditionally stand by Qiao Zijin’s side and support her. After all, that would prove that she had not been wrong and that Qiao Zijin was indeed a filial daughter, after all.

  Of course, if Qiao Zijin refused, she would still be her favorite daughter. But she wouldn’t foolishly give up her own interests since Qiao Zijin wouldn’t benefit in the end either. If they kept mum, at least she would still have a new set of clothes.

  If she wore the clothes that Qiao Nan sent her, she would save Qiao Zijin some money, at the very least. It was the new year and Qiao Nan had bought outfits for her parents. What had Qiao Zijin done? Instead of both of them being down on luck, it was better for her to enjoy what Qiao Nan had given her. Even Qiao Nan probably knew that she would still prefer Qiao Zijin more even though she was wearing clothes from Qiao Nan.

  “Mom, she won’t do that. Believe me. Qiao Nan won’t dare to do that.” Qiao Zijin was reluctant to answer that question. She was no fool and she understood that her mom was trying to force her to say that she would make up for whatever clothes Qiao Nan refused to return.

  How ridiculous!

  If it had not been for her mom’s incompetence, her dad would never have made it to the capital, and neither would she have wasted three thousand six hundred yuan on bus tickets. She was still feeling the pinch from that sum. The biggest problem was that the set of clothes that Qiao Nan had bought for her mom cost much more than three thousand six hundred yuan!

  She wasn’t as easily bullied as Qiao Nan and would never spend so much money buying clothes for old people. What was the point of buying expensive clothes for people of her parents’ age? Who would be able to tell how expensive those clothes were when they wore them? It was more than enough for the elderly to have enough to eat and to have enough rest. It was an utter waste to spend so much on expensive clothes for them.

  At the mention of this, Qiao Zijin hated Qiao Nan the most. The money was Qiao Nan’s. She had saved her money by not buying Qiao Zijin a set of clothes but had spent so much on an old lady like Ding Jiayi. She must be retarded! She was spending money in all the wrong places!

  Shouldn’t Qiao Nan have bought her an expensive set of clothes? Why did it matter to someone of her mom’s age? Besides, she was sure that if she had received the clothes instead of her mom, she would easily have been able to cajole her mom so that her mom wouldn’t flare up at Qiao Nan or even rebuke Qiao Nan.

  It would still be two sets of clothes: hers and her dad’s. The family of three would have been happy all the same…… But now that she had only bought clothes for her parents, there was only one person who was happy while the other two were upset. Qiao Nan was really foolish for choosing the second option instead of the first even though she would have spent the same amount of money!