Rain suddenly began to fall from the sky, pattering down onto the streets. Li Qiuman walked through the alley holding an old, rusted umbrella. At the end of the alley stood a dilapidated old house, its outer walls peeling to expose the red bricks beneath. That was where her family lived.
Li Qiuman’s grades were excellent—otherwise her parents, who favored sons over daughters, would never have let her continue her education. From childhood, everything she ate and used came only after her younger brother’s needs were met. The reason she worked part-time jobs after school every day was her fear that once she got into university, her parents would refuse to pay her tuition.
When Li Qiuman took out her keys and opened the door, her parents were sitting in the living room, cracking sunflower seeds and watching TV dramas. Seeing her come home, they glanced at her once before returning their eyes to the television.
“Dad, Mom. I’m back.” Li Qiuman put away her umbrella, changed into slippers, and turned around.
“Pah.” Li’s mother spat a sunflower seed shell onto the floor before speaking to Li Qiuman. “Manman, come over here and sit.”
Li’s mother’s attitude made Li Qiuman uncomfortable. Her mother had always called her a “money-losing burden,” a “damn girl,” a “cheap girl.” But after a moment’s thought, she understood. Her parents must have found out that she was dating Jiang Hao.
Li Qiuman didn’t go over to sit with them. Instead, she sat on a dining chair beside the table, casually dropping her backpack onto the greasy tabletop. Her parents’ petty, small-minded manner filled Li Qiuman with contempt, but they were her parents, after all.
“Ahem, ahem.” Li’s father lit a cigarette and coughed dryly a few times. Once his breathing settled, he said slowly, “I hear you’re dating the young heir of the Jiang family? Well, since you’ve got the skills to hook Jiang Hao, you’d better serve him well. Marry into the Jiang family, and you can look after your little brother.”
Hook him? Serve him? Did her father see her as some kind of prostitute? As Li Qiuman listened to her father’s words, her eyes gradually turned cold. She would find a way to marry Jiang Hao, but he could forget about her supporting this family in any way, shape, or form.
Ever since she had bumped into Jiang Hao’s car at the school gate, Li Qiuman had been laying out her plans, step by step, drawing Jiang Hao toward her. The reason she kept refusing the money and gifts he gave her was to make Jiang Hao see her in a new light—a delicate yet strong, stubborn girl would stir any man’s tender affection.
The Cinderella of fairy tales can make a prince fall in love at first sight. The Cinderella of real life only gets there through calculated approach after calculated approach, deliberate flattery time and time again.
Seeing that Li Qiuman wasn’t speaking and her expression was grim, Li’s mother hurriedly said, “Manman, your father doesn’t know how to talk. Don’t be angry. Listen to your mother—I’m thinking of you too. I hear Jiang Hao comes from a good family and has good grades. You two are a perfect match. Maintain this relationship well, and try to make it official as soon as possible.”
“I know. I’m a bit tired. I’m going to my room.” Li Qiuman didn’t want to say anything more.
She had just sat down in her room when her phone rang. She pulled it out—it was Jiang Hao calling.
“Manman, my engagement with Lin Youyou has been called off. It’ll be announced to the media tomorrow.” Jiang Hao’s voice sounded delighted.
The corners of Li Qiuman’s lips lifted slightly as she asked with concern, “Really? Did your parents blame you for it?”
Jiang Hao sighed on the other end of the phone, then said, “Manman, I… I had a fight with my parents. I’m at a hotel right now. My parents insist that I cut off all contact with you—they’re absolutely against us being together. I had no choice, so I’ve run away from home, and my dad has frozen my bank card too.”
“What? I’m sorry. I’m the one dragging you down. I’m not good enough—I don’t deserve you. Otherwise you wouldn’t have to fall out with your family like this,” Li Qiuman said quietly.
“This has nothing to do with you. My parents are just too stubborn, set in their ways. So what if your family background isn’t great? They just haven’t seen how wonderful you are, that’s why they oppose us being together. But now that I’ve temporarily lost my family’s support, would you mind?” Jiang Hao said.
Li Qiuman hurriedly denied it. “Of course not. You know I’m not with you for your money. So how are you going to get by lately? How about I transfer you some money first? I just got paid from my part-time job.”
“How could I possibly use a woman’s money? Don’t worry, I still have some cash. If it’s not enough later, I’ll borrow some from my buddies.” Hearing Jiang Hao say this, Li Qiuman didn’t press further. Jiang Hao was the sole heir of the Jiang family—the Jiangs wouldn’t just give up on him—so Li Qiuman wasn’t worried about the future.
Jiang Hao and Li Qiuman talked on the phone for over an hour, agreeing to go apartment hunting together the next day so Jiang Hao would have a place to stay for the time being, before reluctantly hanging up.
Early the next morning, after Gu You got up, System Xiao 8 told her about Jiang Hao running away from home. Only then did she learn that the System could also help her monitor the male and female leads—that would save her a lot of trouble.
【Xiao 8, keep a close eye on them for me, and let me know if anything happens.】Gu You said to Xiao 8.
The announcement dissolving the engagement between the two families had been released first thing in the morning. At school, far fewer people openly mocked the male and female leads now, though plenty still gossiped behind their backs.
After school, Gu You went shopping with Ning Ning at the largest shopping mall in the area. Although Ning Ning had said last night that she would pay, Gu You was quicker with her card, and in the end it was Gu You who bought Ning Ning quite a few things. She bought herself several simple but stylish outfits, picked out a necklace for Mother Lin, and chose a tie each for Father Lin and her brother.
After touring the mall, both of them were carrying several shopping bags. Having walked around for so long, Gu You felt a bit hungry, so she decided to go with Ning Ning to the Western restaurant on the second floor of the hotel next door to the mall.
Just as they walked into the hotel lobby, Gu You and Ning Ning saw Jiang Hao holding Li Qiuman’s hand as they entered the elevator—the elevator that led to the hotel’s guest room floors.
Ning Ning couldn’t help rolling her eyes and said sarcastically, “Are those two really in such a hurry? Aren’t they afraid of accidentally making a baby?”
Gu You knew Jiang Hao was only staying at the hotel because he had run away from home, but she didn’t bother explaining much to Ning Ning. The messier things got for the Jiang family, the better for her.
“All right, all right. Let’s not waste our energy worrying about people who have nothing to do with us. How much sense can people in love possibly have?” Gu You said.
As for Jiang Hao and Li Qiuman, they weren’t actually in the hotel room for that. After school, they had eaten and gone to look at apartments. Jiang Hao took a fancy to a large flat-floor apartment with a monthly rent of twelve thousand, and paid the deposit and three months’ rent on the spot. Li Qiuman stood to the side, wanting to say something, but in the end she didn’t open her mouth.
After renting the apartment, they returned to the hotel where Jiang Hao was staying, picked up their luggage, and checked out to head to their new place. Jiang Hao hired an hourly cleaner to tidy the apartment, while Li Qiuman skillfully organized his clothes and made up his bed.
Watching Li Qiuman busying herself to take care of him, Jiang Hao’s heart grew ever softer, and his resolve to fight against his family to the end only strengthened. Compared to Lin Youyou, that spoiled young lady with her temper, Li Qiuman was a true confidante—gentle, considerate, and completely in tune with his heart.