Wen Ying returned home with a stack of magazines, ready to brainstorm her grand plan to make money.
Of course, she knew her priorities—homework wouldn’t be neglected.
Ever since she and Deng Shangwei cleared the air, working a summer job at his company had become optional. For now, she had plenty of time.
Qin Jiao felt today’s shopping trip was delightful, while Wang Shuang was left stifling frustration mixed with disappointment.
Over the course of half a day, he hadn’t uncovered any of Wen Ying’s charm. Instead, he found plenty of evidence that she was a shameless flatterer.
Yet Qin Jiao seemed bewitched by Wen Ying. When Wang Shuang badmouthed her, Qin Jiao accused him of lacking gentlemanly manners, saying that slandering someone behind their back was petty.
Qin Jiao thought it over and said, “If you don’t like Wen Ying, just avoid her next time she’s around. I won’t force you to accept her. You don’t have to like her, and she probably doesn’t care to be your friend either.”
Wang Shuang had been picking faults all day—how rude.
Qin Jiao figured Wen Ying must have tolerated him for her sake, so she couldn’t let Wen Ying keep suffering in the future.
Wang Shuang was furious!
Avoid occasions where Wen Ying was present? Who did she think she was?
Qin Jiao even called him a petty person—an insult that deeply wounded his pride. For a moment, he wanted to cut ties with her entirely. Thinking of Qin Yi’s text, he grew even more defiant.
Did adults never misjudge things?
From now on, whenever Qin Jiao hung out with Wen Ying, not only would he not avoid them—he’d tag along every time.
Young Master Wang swallowed his frustration. “You’re right. I can dislike her, but I shouldn’t talk behind her back. I was wrong about that. I won’t do it again.”
Qin Jiao’s expression softened, and she said earnestly, “Wen Ying really has a lot of good qualities. If you could observe her calmly, you’d eventually change your opinion.”
…
Wen Ying’s new friend, Qin Jiao, defended her tirelessly, both in public and private.
The bonds between people were strange like that. Qin Jiao’s first impression of Wen Ying was positive, and each interaction revealed more of Wen Ying’s strengths.
In contrast, Wen Ying’s own parents, Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong, had fixed impressions of their daughter after more than a decade. They remained oblivious to her recent changes—changes that Chen Li and Deng Shangwei could see. Even if Wen Ying hadn’t come to Rongcheng and had spent the past half-month after the entrance exams with her parents, their stubbornness and domineering nature likely wouldn’t have let them appreciate her growth.
After getting a pager, Wen Ying made a point to call Chen Ru every morning and evening. Chen Ru was pleased with Wen Ying’s initiative to tutor herself in math, physics, and chemistry, but she couldn’t understand why Wen Ying wasn’t studying English.
At first, Wen Ying brushed it off, saying she hadn’t found a suitable English tutor. When Chen Ru pressed her, Wen Ying told the truth: she felt her English was decent and didn’t need tutoring for now. She wanted to focus on math, physics, and chemistry, assuring Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong not to worry—her English performance in the entrance exam had actually been strong. Chen Ru, of course, didn’t believe her!
Not only did she doubt Wen Ying, but she also called her younger sister, Chen Li, and gave her a tongue-lashing, accusing Chen Li of indulging Wen Ying. How could Wen Ying decide for herself whether to tutor English?
“She’s only sixteen—what does she know?” Chen Ru fumed.
Chen Li, drenched in her sister’s verbal onslaught, tried to stay calm and reason with her.
She explained that Wen Ying had just recovered from an illness and was already working hard on three subjects. Chen Li wasn’t encouraging laziness—she was asking Chen Ru to trust Wen Ying’s judgment.
Learning was something no one could do for Wen Ying. She either knew it or she didn’t.
If Chen Ru truly couldn’t trust Wen Ying’s self-assessment, she just had to wait a few days. Once the entrance exam results came out, it’d be clear whether Wen Ying was lying.
The call ended unhappily. After hanging up, Chen Ru didn’t stop laying the groundwork with friends and family, spreading word that Wen Ying had bombed her entrance exams. Still, she and Wen Dongrong were determined to scrape together every penny to get her into a provincial key high school. Relatives even used this as a cautionary tale for their own kids—urging them to work harder so their parents wouldn’t have to shell out so much cash!
The entrance exam results were set to be released on Monday. Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong, too anxious to work, had already taken the day off to head to Rongcheng.
Chen Li was too lenient with Wen Ying—they couldn’t rest easy unless they went themselves.
Plus, once the results were out, they’d need to pull strings to get Wen Ying into a provincial key school. This was something to act on quickly—once scores were public, other parents of underperforming students would jump into action. Chen Ru feared that if they moved too slowly, Wen Ying’s spot at a top school would be snatched away.
Because of this, Chen Ru barely slept. That night, lying in bed, she and Wen Dongrong discussed gift-giving.
They settled on bringing a bankbook with 50,000 yuan to Rongcheng.
“Better to give too much money than not enough and botch the job,” Wen Dongrong decided firmly.
Chen Ru nodded. “Right. Even though Xiao Li says she’s close with that Teacher Lin, and his family lives in a villa and all, I’m still not convinced. More money’s safer.”
The better off Teacher Lin’s family was, the flimsier Chen Li’s “friendship” with him seemed. Why would he treat her as a real friend?
While Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong looked down on Deng Shangwei for making money through small business, they understood the adult world ran on cold, hard cash, not sentiment. Friendship was one thing, but without the right gifts, it was all empty talk!
Just before drifting off, Chen Ru recalled Chen Li’s suggestion to buy a house in Rongcheng.
“Over three thousand per square meter—Rongcheng’s housing prices are skyrocketing! A couple of years ago, it was just over a thousand. Should we buy?” she asked.
Their savings totaled just over 100,000 yuan.
Getting Wen Ying into a key school would likely cost 50,000 to 60,000, leaving their remaining funds tight for a house in Rongcheng. Chen Li had offered to lend them money if needed, but Chen Ru didn’t want to ask her sister.
Working at a bank, Chen Ru had some investment savvy. Rongcheng’s prices had doubled in two years—if they didn’t buy now, they’d never afford it later.
Buying a car—her mother-in-law’s obsession—wasn’t even on her radar.
Though they wouldn’t live in a Rongcheng house themselves, Chen Ru couldn’t stomach watching others buy and profit while she and Wen Dongrong missed out as prices kept climbing.
The gap in family wealth would widen, and she couldn’t accept that!
Wen Dongrong didn’t commit either way, mumbling, “Let’s secure Wen Ying’s schooling first. Rongcheng’s houses aren’t going anywhere.”
True enough.
Right now, getting Wen Ying into a provincial key school was the top priority.
What future was there in attending high school in a small town?
She and Wen Dongrong had done decently for themselves—Wen Ying, their daughter, had to outshine them.
Even if not compared to others, she couldn’t fall behind Wen Kai!
Perhaps Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong had overdone their narrative. The next morning, before they’d even set out, Grandma Wen came knocking. Bursting in, she asked if they were heading to Rongcheng.
“I heard from someone you can check scores today, right? Wen Ying’s just a girl—are you really going to spend that much to send her to the provincial capital? I see Wen Kai didn’t go there, and his teacher still says he’ll get into a top university.”
Grandma Wen recalled Chen Ru gesturing a number on the bus, and her heart ached.
The old lady had a knack for hitting sore spots, piercing Chen Ru’s nerves. Even Wen Dongrong, the filial son, couldn’t hide his irritation.
“Mom, it’s early—can you not ruin our morning? Chen Ru and I are going to Rongcheng to meet a key school teacher. If you’ve got nothing else, head back. We’ll talk when we’re back from Rongcheng.”
Grandma Wen muttered something Chen Ru didn’t catch. Then, to Chen Ru’s shock, the old lady pulled out a cloth pouch and stuffed the rolled-up cash inside into Chen Ru’s hands. “I told you not to spend so much on a girl, but you won’t listen, and I can’t stop you. I’ve saved wedding red envelopes for all my grandkids. Here’s Wen Ying’s share early—spend it how you want!”
