Qin Yi had no personal connection with Professor Fang’s assistant.
As a judge, Professor Fang avoided overly close interactions with contestants to maintain impartiality.
Out of courtesy, Qin Yi nodded to Pan Li, but before she could engage further, he stood, paid his tab, and prepared to leave.
Pan Li was dumbfounded as he walked away.
*This kid doesn’t get it at all!* she thought.
Back in school, any guy she deigned to speak to would be thrilled. Qin Yi, reportedly Xu Mei’s classmate, was a college student, wasn’t he?
A glint of frustration flashed in Pan Li’s eyes. *A rich second-gen, harder to charm than the average guy.*
Thick-skinned, Pan Li followed him as he left.
At the entrance, they ran into Xu Mei and Fu Jing. Pan Li smirked, “Drinking alone? Look, your girlfriend’s here to find you!”
Xu Mei was confused. In the short time she’d lost sight of Qin Yi, how had he ended up with Professor Fang’s assistant? Fu Jing had just suggested Qin Yi needed a sense of urgency, and now Pan Li—young and attractive—sparked real unease in Xu Mei.
Claiming her place, Xu Mei linked arms with Qin Yi, pouting playfully, “Where’d you run off to? I was looking everywhere, and you didn’t answer my calls.”
“Phone was on silent,” Qin Yi replied.
Xu Mei tugged him away, leaving Fu Jing behind to size up Pan Li.
“They’re together. Some people need to have thicker skin than that. Don’t think you can swoop in—you’ve got no shot,” Fu Jing said pointedly.
Pan Li crossed her arms, sneering, “I wasn’t planning anything. Just a chance meeting. Unlike some who shamelessly tag along with couples, making people wonder if you’re in a throuple.”
“You—”
Fu Jing was furious, ready to snap back, but Pan Li brushed past her, completely unfazed by her anger.
Pan Li sensed a kindred spirit in Fu Jing—both scheming with similar intentions. What right did Fu Jing have to call her out?
In Hunan, Pan Li only needed to curry favor with Professor Fang. Contestants, let alone their “besties,” were beneath her notice. From her days working in nightclubs, she knew how it went: bar girls could share dresses one moment and turn on each other over clients the next.
As they passed, their eyes sparked with mutual disdain.
Xu Mei and Qin Yi quickly reconciled, much to Pan Li’s chagrin.
But Pan Li wasn’t fixated solely on poaching Xu Mei’s boyfriend. If another suitable target appeared, she’d strike without hesitation.
On September 17, the Super Girl top-five-to-three competition took place.
Li Mengjiao advanced to the annual top three!
This time, she didn’t return to Chengdu. After her parents coordinated with her school, Li Mengjiao took leave to stay in Hunan, preparing for the championship on September 22.
Before leaving, Wen Ying handed her a stack of practice tests. “If rehearsals get too tiring, do some problems. From personal experience, they’re great for clearing your head and staying sharp.”
“…Thanks a lot,” Li Mengjiao said, on the verge of tears.
Li’s mother swatted her. “The ones giving you study materials are the ones who truly care. Don’t be sarcastic.”
For the final match on the 22nd, Li Mengjiao sent out six plane tickets to Hunan: for Wen Ying, Xie Qian, Qin Jiao, Wang Shuang, Tang Yifeng, and Geng Xiao.
Getting school leave was easy—Wen Ying and Xie Qian’s homeroom teacher was Lin Lin.
Convincing parents was trickier. Wen Ying sifted through her quiz papers, selecting a near-perfect English test and a decently scored math one to butter up Chen Ru.
Chen Ru hadn’t yet approved Wen Ying’s National Day trip to Macau, and now she wanted to go to Hunan for a concert?
“You’re busier than me, and I have a job!” Chen Ru exclaimed.
“Mom, please let me go. Everyone else is going—if I don’t, will I even have friends?” Wen Ying pleaded, twisting Chen Ru’s arm like a human pretzel.
Chen Ru, dizzy from the antics, said, “Stand up straight and talk. Hunan, Macau—you’re neglecting your studies and spending money—”
“I’ve got money,” Wen Ying interrupted, counting on her fingers. “I can cover flights and lodging. Studies won’t slip either. Mom, you don’t know how good Qin Jiao’s grades are!”
Xie Qian, an even bigger academic star, couldn’t be mentioned. Wang Shuang, a total slacker, didn’t even register in Chen Ru’s eyes. Wang Jun’s help with their house purchase didn’t earn Wang Shuang any points—looks, wealth, none of it mattered to Chen Ru. Good grades were the only currency.
Mentioning Qin Jiao softened Chen Ru’s stance.
“If your grades drop…”
“I’ll stop running around, pull out of the shrimp business, come straight home after school to study, and do nothing unrelated to learning without your approval,” Wen Ying vowed.
That would make Wen Ying Chen Ru’s dream daughter.
In the end, Chen Li intervened on Wen Ying’s behalf.
“Sis, let her go. She’ll be with a group, so it’s safe. She needs to see the world. You talked about signing her up for winter and summer camps—Shu Lu’s been everywhere, and Wen Ying hasn’t.”
Shu Lu was Chen Ru’s sore spot, especially after Wen Dongrong funded her summer camp.
If Shu Lu could go, so could Wen Ying.
The 30,000 yuan reclaimed from the Shu family, along with renovation funds, had been lent to Chen Li for her business. Chen Li, playing her part, repaid 20,000, claiming it was from collected client debts.
Chen Ru didn’t take the money, instructing Chen Li to pass it to the Qin family.
“Macau’s fine, but we cover Wen Ying’s expenses. No taking advantage of others.”
Wen Ying felt mixed emotions hearing this.
Qin Xianming, receiving the 20,000 in an envelope, remarked to his wife, “Wen Ying’s a likable kid. Her upbringing plays a big part.”
The 20,000 meant little to Qin. He hadn’t planned to nickel-and-dime Wen Ying’s Macau expenses.
Beyond his fondness for Wen Ying, Deng Shangwei’s sacrifices in dealing with the Yu Wenhao father-son duo—taking on blame and criticism—more than justified bringing Wen Ying along. Ten Macau trips wouldn’t repay that debt.
Qin’s wife echoed his sentiments but cautioned, “Next time you do something like this, think it through. Twenty thousand’s nothing to us, but it’s a burden for a working-class family. You mean well—don’t stress Wen Ying’s family.”
Qin hadn’t considered that.
Returning the money wasn’t an option—they’d refuse.
Pondering, Qin recalled Wen Ying’s mother worked at a bank, likely with deposit quotas. He decided to refer some big depositors her way. Meeting those targets would boost her bonuses, indirectly easing her family’s financial strain.
Chen Ru, unaware, was utterly unprepared for the sudden influx of major clients.
