Looking back through the taxi’s window, the courthouse grew smaller in the distance, disappearing entirely after a turn. Only then did Wen Ying breathe a sigh of relief.
She’d finally dodged those reporters!
Patting her chest with lingering fear, she caught Xie Qian’s glance, which she interpreted as “Xie Qian’s disdain.”
—Look at your lack of nerve!
Hmph, what did nerve matter? It was exactly because she was too bold and independent that Manager Chen had blown up. As long as she kept her identity tightly under wraps, losing a bit of face in front of Xie Qian was nothing.
Thinking of how the reporters mistook Xie Qian for The Fish Against the Current, Wen Ying couldn’t hold back a laugh.
This thick-skinned hamster even turned to comfort Xie Qian: “Don’t worry, Lawyer Zheng will handle it. Your photos won’t get out!”
Xie Qian wasn’t worried.
Though he didn’t want media exposure, as a guy used to being admired since childhood, he was accustomed to people secretly snapping his picture.
If the media published his photo, it might cause minor trouble—like making the girls at school even more enthusiastic—but it wouldn’t significantly disrupt his life. He’d already denied being The Fish Against the Current, so if the reporters got it wrong, he wouldn’t pay for their mistake.
But Wen Ying’s smug laughter annoyed him slightly.
With the trial over, Xie Qian could finally take a precise jab at the hamster.
“The practice tests I left, did you and Wang Shuang finish them?”
That single question froze the smile on Wen Ying’s face.
Her eyes darted as she defended herself: “There’s still a bit left. I didn’t expect you to come back so early. I thought you’d return to Rongcheng just before school started.”
Xie Qian’s early return left her with less time to finish the tests, didn’t it?
Her reasoning sounded plausible at first, but Xie Qian remained unfazed, his tone only slightly rising at the end: “…Oh, so it’s my fault for coming back too early.”
If not for the trial today, why would he have rushed back to Rongcheng so soon?
This hamster wasn’t just thick-skinned—she was heartless!
Not finishing the tests wasn’t because he returned early; it was because some people spent too much time shopping and drinking milk tea.
Xie Qian didn’t get the confession he expected, so he decided to punish the hamster harshly.
Wen Ying grew uneasy at his tone.
She’d been diligently working on the tests, hadn’t she?
—So why did Xie Qian’s tone change?
He’d been fine when they met this morning. People say women’s hearts are hard to fathom, but boys’ hearts were just as tricky.
…
Xie Qian loved bringing gifts for friends wherever he went. Modu was more developed than Rongcheng, with plenty of items unavailable locally, like the latest sneakers, which he got for Tang Yifeng and Geng Xiao.
Qin Jiao, about to head to Beijing for university, got a gift, as did Li Mengjiao, who was spending the summer in Hunan.
But for Wen Ying and Wang Shuang, his closer friends, Xie Qian put extra thought into their gifts, buying several items because he couldn’t choose. Yet, when distributing gifts that afternoon, he held back the others, handing them only practice tests.
Wang Shuang, caught in the crossfire, was full of questions.
“Xie God, come on, really?”
He clearly remembered Xie Qian promising before leaving that if he studied hard, he’d bring back the latest game cartridge from Modu.
Wang Shuang felt he’d been diligent, except for slacking off twice with Wen Ying.
Why had the game cartridge turned into practice tests?
Tests, tests, tests!
His mom said he was muttering about tests in his sleep.
So much effort, and he still didn’t deserve the game cartridge?
Alas, his brotherhood with Xie Qian was so fragile!
Wang Shuang had a bellyful of questions, but Xie Qian shut him down: “What did I say before? You need to catch up on first- and second-year basics before senior year starts. With half a month left, do you think you’re up to par?”
On this point, Wang Shuang quieted down, shaking his head honestly.
Xie Qian glanced at Wen Ying, who was pretending to be a quail, and took a harsh stance with both slackers: “For the next half month, I’m giving you two intensive training.”
Learning requires understanding to retain knowledge.
But for those with weaker comprehension, repeated practice was the only way to reinforce memory.
This so-called intensive training was high-efficiency test-cramming. With Qin Jiao heading to Beijing for university, Xie Qian decided to let her enjoy her pre-college summer, taking charge of the two slackers himself.
Qin Jiao accepted his kindness.
If Xie Qian hadn’t returned early, she’d have been stuck tutoring the two slackers.
Now, with Xie Qian back, Qin Jiao wanted to plan a short solo trip.
Not a fancy one, no specific must-visit tourist spots, just a trip to relax.
But when she mentioned it to her parents, they shot it down.
After Yu Wenhao and his son were arrested, the malice around Qin Jiao seemed to vanish. The father and son were detained for months and later sentenced. Yu Wenhao’s crime of armed kidnapping and assault was severe, earning a heavy sentence. Knowing escape was impossible, he perhaps felt a rare pang of fatherly compassion, taking most of the blame, resulting in a lighter sentence for Yu Wei.
But without the Yu family, society wasn’t safe for a pretty, newly graduated high school girl. Qin Xianming and his wife insisted Qin Yi accompany Qin Jiao on her trip. It was natural for an older brother to look after his newly adult sister, and siblings close in age had more in common than parents.
Judging by the Qin family’s reaction, Chen Ru’s anger at Wen Ying traveling to another province without parental supervision was a typical parental response.
Wen Ying’s adult mindset didn’t work at home.
Her parents didn’t know she was reborn.
Even Qin Jiao, legally an adult, wasn’t trusted by her family to travel alone. Wen Ying, a minor high schooler, had no chance of her parents letting go completely.
The trial made the evening news on Rongcheng TV and was reported in the Rongcheng Evening News.
Xie Qian’s photos didn’t appear, and his footage was cut from the broadcast. Most interviews featured Zheng Zhihe.
But this didn’t stop reporters from believing Xie Qian was The Fish Against the Current, using “he” in the news captions.
Xie Qian was stuck with the label whether he liked it or not.
Wen Ying’s uncle-in-law, Deng Shangwei, the only family member who knew her pseudonym, was aware she was The Fish Against the Current and closely followed the reputation lawsuit. Seeing the Rongcheng Evening News that evening, he was a bit dazed.
“…These reporters even got the gender wrong?”
But on second thought, this was good for Wen Ying. With the wrong gender, her chances of being exposed dropped significantly.
—Hey, Little Ying’s got her ways!
Looking at the same page’s photo of Editor Han, Deng Shangwei burst out laughing.
That dark expression—no need to ask about the trial’s outcome!
