Qiao Li never expected this fool to say such things, and for a moment she was rendered speechless by the pressure.
She gradually became aware of the changes in Ruan Xing.
Hadn’t this wretched girl always obeyed her like a biological mother before? What was going on today?
Just as the mother-daughter pair was confronting Ruan Xing, Lu Ting returned home and happened to witness the scene.
“What’s going on?” The man frowned as he asked.
“Nothing, Dad. Aunt Qiao was just giving me some guidance,” Ruan Xing said upon seeing Lu Ting, her eyes slightly narrowing as she happily ran over to him.
Lu Ting felt an indescribable sweetness in his heart seeing his daughter being so affectionate toward him, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
But after processing his daughter’s words, he snapped back to reality, his eyes suddenly turning cold.
“My daughter can do whatever she wants. No one is allowed to criticize her,” Lu Ting said icily, glaring at Qiao Li, who broke out in a cold sweat under his gaze.
Feeling warmed inside, Ruan Xing linked arms with Ruan Ting and walked toward the dining table, ignoring the resentful stares from the two left behind.
When Lu Wan returned to her room that evening, she was fuming and smashed everything breakable in sight.
The mere thought of that fool filled her with rage.
That morning when she went out, the servant had informed her that the fool had already left early. Lu Wan didn’t think much of it and planned to find the fool at school to ask what was going on. However, when she went to Ruan Xing’s classroom after school in the afternoon, she discovered that Ruan Xing had already left.
What made her even angrier was that when she waited at the school gate for the Ruan family car to pick her up, the driver never showed. She called to inquire, only to be told that the damned fool Ruan Xing had said no pickup was needed that day.
If Ruan Xing didn’t need the driver, then Lu Wan couldn’t ride in the family car either. The reason she had always been able to ride to school with Ruan Xing was one of the benefits she gained by staying close to Ruan Xing.
The thought that she might not be able to ride in the family car anymore filled Lu Wan with frustration.
She had a growing feeling that something had changed about Ruan Xing, and a vague unease settled in her heart.
After dinner, Ruan Xing returned to her room.
Her mood was quite good overall today. Even though she got hurt, she had finally seen Lin Shen.
However, that mother-daughter pair instantly ruined Ruan Xing’s good mood.
She had intentionally left early for school today and deliberately didn’t wait for Lu Wan on the way back.
She was afraid Lu Wan would cling to her like a clingy burden, which was why she deliberately avoided her. Having lived a second life, Ruan Xing had long seen through all the schemes in Lu Wan’s heart.
In her previous life, she had foolishly waited for Lu Wan to go home together every day. Over time, everyone began treating Lu Wan as a young lady of the Ruan family. This became her privileged access, allowing her to navigate social circles with ease.
Back then, Ruan Xing had genuinely cared for Lu Wan and feared she might be mocked by others, so she never clarified the truth publicly. Thinking back now, she realized how foolish she had been.
The night wind was particularly strong. As gusts rose, leaves rustled and scattered down in abundance.
Unbeknownst to anyone, some things were gradually veering off their original course.
The next day, Ruan Xing got up as usual and went straight to school with the driver without waiting for Lu Wan.
When Lu Wan came downstairs after waking up, she was told that Ruan Xing had long since left. Gnashing her teeth in hatred, she complained to Qiao Li for a long time, but it was no use.
“That little bitch has really grown some nerve.”
“You just wait.”
……
All the way, she muttered under her breath, incessantly cursing Ruan Xing as she reluctantly headed to the bus stop.
When she arrived at the school, Lu Wan quickly got off the bus. The entire journey had been pure torture—the chattering noises on the bus gave her a headache, and the crowded conditions made her feel uncomfortable all over. Lu Wan couldn’t help but reminisce about the days when she used to ride to school with Ruan Xing.
However, at this moment, Lu Wan had forgotten that before coming to the Ruan family, her only means of transportation had been the bus. She had even forgotten that her previous life, compared to her current one, was simply hell.
Just as Chen Sisi reached the school gate, she spotted her friend Lu Wan getting off a nearby bus, and a flicker of doubt crossed her mind.
Didn’t Lu Wan’s family send a car to pick her up every day?
Why would she take the bus?
But she didn’t overthink it—maybe Lu Wan was just trying to experience a different lifestyle!
Just as Chen Sisi was about to call out to her, Lu Wan suddenly quickened her pace. Watching Lu Wan’s receding figure grow farther away, Chen Sisi had no choice but to give up.
Class One.
Yesterday, after returning home, Ruan Xing had stayed up all night reading the three notebooks Wu Jiali had lent her and had basically memorized them. However, she had fallen so far behind before that she still needed to find time to catch up on everything she had missed.
When Wu Jiali arrived in the classroom, Ruan Xing returned the notebooks to her.
“If you need any other notes, I have them all here,” Wu Jiali said with a slight smile as she took the notebooks back.
“My foundation isn’t very strong. Do you have notes from the first and second years of high school?”
Seeing her serious expression, Ruan Xing didn’t refuse—after all, she genuinely needed them.
“Yes, I’ll bring them to you tomorrow.”
Wu Jiali had initially thought Ruan Xing wasn’t taking things very seriously, but judging by her attitude from yesterday to today, it was clear she wasn’t joking.
After the first class ended, Wu Jiali noticed her deskmate constantly writing something in her notebook. She couldn’t resist leaning over to take a look, and what she saw startled her greatly.
Wu Jiali saw that Ruan Xing didn’t need to refer to any materials—she was writing notes entirely on her own, and everything she wrote was correct. Not only were her notes no different from the ones Wu Jiali had lent her yesterday, but they were even more logically organized and categorized. Compared to her own notes, Ruan Xing’s were clearly more refined.
“You… you can write these without referring to anything?” Wu Jiali widened her eyes in disbelief.
“I memorized some of the notes you lent me yesterday,” Ruan Xing paused briefly before replying calmly.
She had always had a photographic memory, but aside from herself, no one knew—not even her father.
Since she wasn’t close to Wu Jiali, Ruan Xing didn’t want her to know about this ability.
Hearing this, the shock in Wu Jiali’s eyes lessened, but subconsciously, she couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for Ruan Xing.
Wu Jiali herself had always been a top student in the class, so she could naturally tell that Ruan Xing’s self-made notes were far more logically structured than her own. Even students ranking at the top of the grade might not be able to produce such clear and organized notes.
With her current drive, Wu Jiali felt it wouldn’t be long before a dark horse emerged in the grade rankings.
“Ruan Xing, please stand up and answer this question.” The history teacher stood at the podium and posed a question. Seeing that no one raised their hand, her gaze suddenly fell upon the girl sitting upright in the corner.
Over the past couple of days, she had noticed that Ruan Xing, who never used to look up during class before, had surprisingly started paying attention. This made her quite pleased, so naturally she began paying more attention to her.