If the reward for being obedient was more money, that would be even better.
She could roughly guess why Huo Zhenyan had given her more allowance.
It was because of the family environment she had grown up in—their financial situation hadn't been great. Similar to the nouveau riche, the initial stage of transitioning from frugality to luxury often triggered a surge of materialism, which was an inevitable path of human nature. Huo Zhenyan had anticipated that she would have many things she wanted to buy, so he had specifically raised her allowance.
If a heart shaped by deprivation went unsatisfied, it would breed even greater greed.
But in truth, she had long since passed the stage of exploding material desires. Her wants were faint, and she spent money cautiously.
She could sense that this stage of rapid income wouldn't last very long. Moreover, the novel hadn't written how she survived after the Huo Family exiled her abroad, so aside from buying necessities, she needed to save every penny to pave the way for her overseas studies.
In this life, without lingering worries, she was determined to steadily study all the way to a Dr.
It was just that to Huo Zhenyan's ears, what she said sounded somewhat ungrateful.
She actually wanted more, wanting him to spend extra thought and energy on her. Yet she forgot her own position—she was different from Huo Yuxi and He Lingfeng.
She was no longer a young, ignorant child, and she had her biological mother as a guardian watching over her. She had her own family. Huo Zhenyan had never treated her as family, nor did he intend to put her on the same level as his real younger siblings.
Even if her mother was just as unreliable as his father.
Even if the girl before him did seem somewhat pitiful.
Excessive sympathy would only invite endless trouble. Most importantly, he could tell that she was always like this—just mentioning things verbally, without much sincerity behind it.
So Huo Zhenyan didn't answer her. "If there's nothing else, you can leave."
"Okay." Having received no promises or benefits, Ji Jie wasn't disappointed. She set down the cup and slowly stood up. "Goodnight."
She had never been good at currying favor—otherwise she wouldn't have slogged away at the company for seven or eight years before reaching the director position.
It was just that mentality of "asking one more question" at work.
This time the world didn't reward her. No matter—asking one more question never hurt anyway.
After the changing room incident, she had become "the girl who stole Wei Chao's worn underwear" at Huading, her reputation tarnished. But perhaps because it was too bizarre, no one actually came to bother her.
What was more unexpected was that He Lingfeng still went to school with her.
She had originally thought this young master would find it too embarrassing and draw a hard line with her, avoiding her at all costs.
He Lingfeng said with a tsundere air: "I already told you, I'm not that petty."
"Wow, impressive, impressive."
"But let me tell you, don't go after Wei Chao anymore." He spoke up again in warning. "This guy's been completely smitten with Huo Yuxi lately—seems like it's for real."
Ji Jie's gaze shifted evasively, and she lowered her head without speaking.
He understood immediately and nearly laughed out of anger. "Still harboring ulterior motives, huh."
A perfectly fine person, who seemed normal most of the time—how did she go crazy every time Wei Chao was involved? Could the legendary love-struck brain really change a person's nature so drastically?
As a first-love holder, He Lingfeng truly couldn't understand.
Ji Jie didn't explain or argue. She only said, "Alright, I know what I'm doing."
She would follow her own plan, step by step.
Huo Zhenyan occasionally observed her as well.
When studying alone at home, she would consciously arrange to go downstairs for a walk and rest. Roughly every hour and a half, about two class periods.
It was perfectly visible from the study window. She liked to stroll leisurely with earphones on, pick a leaf that had just fallen from a tree, and kick it along as if dribbling a ball.
When she grew bored of that, she would step on it with both feet, crushing the leaf into fine fragments, then pick out a crisper one.
Quiet, not harsh on the eyes.
Not like the blazing sun, nor like ice and snow. Its underlying tone carried a chill, but was gentle for its steadiness.
Huo Zhenyan thought.
She was like autumn.
**
Late autumn passed in the blink of an eye. When the unmistakable chill of winter arrived, Duan Feihong's honeymoon trip was finally about to end. During a video call, she told her she would return to the country next month, and asked a few questions about her studies.
Ji Jie responded obediently, though she wasn't actually that happy inside, nor did she look forward to her coming home.
From the novel, one could tell that Duan Feihong loved her daughter very much, and correspondingly, mother and daughter understood each other deeply.
Rather than a so-called backer, she was more worried that after living together for a long time, cracks in the facade would show and add to her troubles.
"You've been in a bad mood these past couple of days." Cheng Yunqiao suddenly said when she sought her out for lunch.
She was startled. "How could you tell?"
"Tsk tsk, what kind of talk is that? We're good friends. Of course I know you." Cheng Yunqiao said. "I also feel like you've been a bit cold toward me lately."
"Finals are coming up, and I need to prepare for mock exams." Ji Jie was already immune to her probing every few days. "My foundation is weak, and there's a lot I need to catch up on."
"Don't worry. My grades are decent. If you get stuck on anything, you can ask me."
While they were chatting, Huo Yuxi appeared alone at the cafeteria entrance, walking through the corridor as if oblivious to the crowd, under everyone's gaze.
Cheng Yunqiao's sweet voice paused for a moment. Like everyone else, they drew all eyes to this girl who was currently so prominent.
Because she was too close to Wei Chao—conspicuously close—she had recently become a target of several girls from wealthy families.
Fortunately, her own family background was decent too. Even if those people wanted to make things difficult, they didn't dare go too far, so nothing major had happened.
Someone who was used to keeping to herself normally now held her proud back even straighter, which only made people pity her more, as if she were putting on a brave front.
But if putting on a brave front wasn't true strength, then what was?
Ji Jie watched her with admiration, the scent that had drifted from her when they shared a car still lingering in her mind. If she asked herself honestly, at her age, she didn't have that kind of courage.
She also felt it was somewhat unfair to her.
These pressures that shouldn't exist had all been forced upon her because of one Wei Chao.
That damned jinx, actually disguising himself as the male lead to ruin the female lead.
Ji Jie gathered her thoughts and glanced at Cheng Yunqiao again. The girl who had just been chatting animatedly now wore a blank expression. Without the enhancement of a smile, her features seemed exceptionally cold.
It was hard to say whether she had played a part in that targeting.
Only after Huo Yuxi bought her food and left did she turn back to look at Ji Jie, her smile reappearing. "Hey, where were we just now?"
"I'm done eating." Ji Jie had little appetite. "I need to go to the restroom."
"Sure, I'll come with you."
The restroom had always been a popular spot for gossiping.
It was lunch break, and the restroom was nearly empty. Ji Jie stood at the sink washing her hands, then touched up her lip gloss. She kept feeling like there was some faint rustling sound coming from the stalls behind her, but when she listened closely, it disappeared.
"I heard from a friend that these days, wherever Wei Chao goes to have fun, Huo Yuxi always tags along."
Cheng Yunqiao stood beside her, unhurriedly taking out her compact powder. "No matter what, she just can't be shaken off. She really knows how to cling. But on the surface, you'd never guess she's that kind of person, right?"
"Is it possible Wei Chao invited her?" Ji Jie said.
Cheng Yunqiao froze for a moment, then turned to look at her.
"Because the places they go to are all exclusive private clubs," she added. "I tried to find him before too, but even when I knew where he was, I couldn't get past the door once I arrived."
"That makes sense too."
Cheng Yunqiao probed further, "You're on good terms with He Lingfeng now, aren't you? Why not have him take you to see Wei Chao? They hang out together all the time."
Zhu Yixun had been reined in by her family. That meant she no longer had an excuse to show up at gatherings where Wei Chao would be present.
Wei Chao never brought girls around. Originally, he'd been closest with Zhu Yixun, but now the two had drifted apart. Instead, it was He Lingfeng who'd grown close to him, and Huo Yuxi had latched on along with that.
Cheng Yunqiao had dug up some information privately. The new industrial park the Huo Family was planning had a partnership with Wei Chao's family.
From the older generation down to the younger, it looked like the two families would only become more tightly bound in the future. That wasn't exactly good news for her.
But she still had Duan Baoni in her back pocket.
"I need to prepare for the mock exams, so I can't spare the time," Ji Jie said, using the same excuse as always. "If I do really badly, my family will kill me."
"…Fine." Cheng Yunqiao sighed, half coquettish, half reproachful. "You really are stubborn, you bookworm."
At the end of the day, Duan Baoni was only a stepdaughter of the Huo Family. She didn't carry much weight.
She'd still have to find another angle, another channel.
"Yunqiao," Ji Jie asked without warning, "do you like Wei Chao too?"
Cheng Yunqiao was taken aback, her smile turning strained. "I guess so. He really is outstanding, and my parents think highly of him too."
"But his relationship with his family isn't good. You said it yourself last time—he doesn't even go home for New Year."
"He'll go home." Cheng Yunqiao said it with certainty.
"Then if the two of you got together, would that count as… a marriage of convenience?" Ji Jie felt a playful impulse and deliberately teased her. "Like the ones written about in novels."
Cheng Yunqiao's lips curved into a smile, carrying that particular naive shyness of youth. "Maybe it would. My parents do business with their family too. Uncle Wei has always been kind to me."
She didn't believe Wei Chao could completely abandon his family's accumulated legacy and create another myth entirely on his own.
This wasn't a doubt about his abilities, but an acknowledgment of reality. A reality tied to the times.
Even if, worst case scenario, Wei Chao was truly head over heels for Huo Yuxi, the person in power in the Huo Family would absolutely never agree to let his sister be with a boy who had nothing—no family backing to speak of.
Whether for freedom or for love, Wei Chao could never break away from his family.
As long as he remained bound by family ties, she still had a chance.
"So, compared to a hormonal impulse," Cheng Yunqiao said, "the approval of our elders is what matters most."
Ji Jie didn't know how to respond to that.
What she was considering seemed to have gone beyond the scope of romance. What she was considering was marriage.
"You're so mature," Ji Jie said.
"Hehe, I guess so," she said. "It probably has to do with my family upbringing."
Ji Jie nodded silently, put away her makeup pouch, and was just about to leave when she heard faint sounds again from the stall behind her.
She turned her head and her gaze settled on the stall furthest in the corner. It was supposed to be a place for storing miscellaneous items, but for some reason, a cleaning mop was barring the door handle from the outside.
"Let's go?" Cheng Yunqiao had also finished touching up her makeup.
"Did you hear something?"
"What? I don't think so."
[Current — 35/100]
Ji Jie had already run through the novel in her mind and confirmed that no plot had ever taken place here. The mission bar hadn't changed either.
Poor thing.
Ji Jie withdrew her gaze and walked out of the restroom.
She had never been one to expend energy on matters unrelated to herself.
Besides, everyone should have the instinct for self-preservation and learn to find a way to survive in difficult situations.
Besides, there was at least a certain degree of supervision at school, so nothing particularly terrible would happen.
Besides, she herself was mired in controversy, on the verge of being ostracized—how could she have the spare energy to drag others along?
Besides…
Besides!
To hell with it. Ji Jie turned and walked quickly back. "I'm going to check what's going on."
"Eh…" Cheng Yunqiao hesitated for a moment, but still followed. "Wait for me."
She went straight to the stall where the strange noise had come from, removed the mop blocking the door, and discovered that the lock was broken too, jammed by something.
"Is anyone in there? Can you hear me?" Ji Jie knocked on the door panel a few times and held her breath to listen closely.
Thud. Thud.
She got two faint responses.
"There really is someone in there?" Cheng Yunqiao looked very surprised.
"Listen to me," Ji Jie had no time to pay attention to her, and pressed close to the door to instruct, "If you can move, back up, or press yourself into the corner to the side, and stay as far from the door as possible."
"Nini, what are you trying to do?" Cheng Yunqiao had a bad feeling. Before her outstretched hand could touch Ji Jie, she saw her step back a few paces, then suddenly charge forward.
"Bang!" Ji Jie kicked the lock.
"…"
Cheng Yunqiao opened her mouth but couldn't speak for a moment.
Ji Jie stepped back and repeated the same trick. Once, again. On the fourth kick, a small screw securing the metal bolt strip on the door panel fell off, and the lock wobbled.
Students passing by outside the restroom heard the strange noise and came in curiously to look. Cheng Yunqiao found herself in a dilemma. After struggling with it for a moment, she still helped block the doorway for her.
Ji Jie pulled open the stall door. The girl inside was curled up beside the cleaning toolbox, clutching her stomach and weakly raising her head to look at her.
The girl wore the same grade's school uniform as her, and her doll-like face was deathly pale. Her bangs, soaked with cold sweat, clung to her cheeks, and her lips were so dry they were peeling. She looked close to dehydration.
Ji Jie bent down and lifted her up. Her palm touched a sticky wetness—a large patch, carrying the smell of blood.
Qiao Ling pressed her face against Ji Jie's neck, and warm fragrance finally rushed into her mouth and nose. With all her strength, she uttered a few words.
"…Tha, thank you."
**
The whole way there, carrying the person on her back to the infirmary, Ji Jie felt it was somewhat arduous, but she felt very fortunate.
Fortunately, she was tall now. If it had been the old her trying to carry someone, her ankles would probably have been dragging along the ground. She'd have been dragging them the whole way, and on top of that, she'd have given them extra scrapes and bruises.
The school nurse checked her over and said it was menstrual cramps, combined with not having eaten or drunk anything for a long time, and being in a confined space had triggered her claustrophobia, which caused her to faint. It wasn't too serious—the nurse cleaned her up a bit and left her on the infirmary bed with an IV drip of nutrients.
After settling the poor little thing in, Ji Jie glanced at the name tag on the jacket she'd taken off and raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
Qiao Ling.
What a coincidence. What a twist of fate.
In the novel, she was a plot device character who only appeared once, with no description of her personality or appearance. Ji Jie looked at her for a moment, then asked the school nurse when the girl would wake up. Getting an uncertain answer, she left to go to class.
Cheng Yunqiao looked at her with a somewhat complicated expression. "Nini, you're so kind."
Ji Jie answered seriously, "I do have my moments."
"…"
"There's no way a mop could jam the door from the inside. Someone deliberately played a trick on her."
Ji Jie's wording was a bit more euphemistic—she didn't outright say the word "bullying."
When she'd seen Qiao Ling, Cheng Yunqiao's expression had also shifted subtly. She'd noticed it.
It was very likely the work of "friends" Cheng Yunqiao knew.
They hadn't chosen to bully her right when Qiao Ling was handing out chocolates, but instead waited until things had settled down for a while and everyone had stopped paying attention.
These people certainly knew a thing or two about settling scores after the fact.
"How could this happen?" Cheng Yunqiao said. "Too bad there's no surveillance camera in the bathroom. I'll have to report this to the school administration later."
Report it—to get cameras installed in the bathroom?
Ji Jie didn't respond. They'd reached the classroom. "It might just have been an accident. I'll head in first."
"Mm-hmm."
The afternoon classes were a bit of a struggle, and Ji Jie didn't look at her phone much. It wasn't until school let out and she was on her way to the tutoring center that she saw a new friend request on WeChat, sent from the grade-wide group chat.
She looked at the soft, cute Kitty cat avatar and already guessed who it was.
The moment she hit accept, several messages popped up in the chat window in rapid succession.
[Thank you for saving me!!! Kind soul!!]
[I really thought I was going to die in that bathroom [crying][crying]]
[My name is Qiao Ling, and you're Duan Baoni, right? I've heard of you! My savior!]
[I'm good at making chocolates! Can I bring some to school for you tomorrow? Please, you have to accept them!!]
[Cat head sticker]
Ji Jie didn't refuse, and in return received even more cat head stickers. It wasn't until she arrived at the tutoring center and said she needed to focus on her lessons that the other girl finally stopped, with a lingering reluctance.
The next day at lunch, she met Qiao Ling in the cafeteria and, as promised, received a big box of handmade chocolates.
Cheng Yunqiao tried one too and squinted her eyes in delight. "These are really good."
"Hehe, my mom is a pastry chef." Qiao Ling smiled contentedly, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
She was of mixed Chinese-German heritage, with somewhat deep-set features, but her appearance was very cute, her cheeks carrying a bit of baby fat. She liked to braid her brown hair into two short pigtails that fell to her collarbone, finished with Kitty hair ties—very playful.
Even having just been bullied yesterday, she was still full of vitality. Ji Jie looked at her and thought, this is what an angel looks like. Her tone softened unconsciously. "Does your stomach still hurt today?"
Ji Jie felt that she probably looked very kind at this moment. But in reality, her expression and voice were still faint.
"It doesn't hurt anymore! I forgot to bring painkillers yesterday, that's why I was like that. I took one in the infirmary and was fully recovered!"
When she got excited, she became a bit chatty. Cheng Yunqiao listened for a while, then suddenly laughed and said, "Really cute."
"Ah," Qiao Ling's eyes lit up, a bit wistful, and a bit embarrassed, "Me?"
"Yeah." Cheng Yunqiao said with a smile, "My neighbor has a golden retriever named Lucky, also very enthusiastic. It jumps on people whenever it sees them, and everyone loves playing with it. You two are quite alike."
"Oh…" The wistfulness in her eyes dimmed a little. She nodded and said, "I like golden retrievers too. Big dogs are all very friendly to people."
Her voice became a bit softer, and she wasn't talking as much. She wanted to open her yogurt and take a sip, but after trying twice, she couldn't peel off the lid.
A hand gently took her yogurt, skillfully peeled off the lid, and placed it back on her tray. "You're a lot like someone I know."
"Really?" Qiao Ling paused for a moment before asking expectantly, "Are you two good friends?"
Ji Jie thought for a moment. "I suppose so."
After all, the yogurt she had been drinking this month was all bought by He Lingfeng.