"I promise!"

"..."

Watching the sisters bargaining back and forth, Fat Auntie’s bit of bitterness disappeared completely. Sometimes, children who live simply might be happier than others.

When Zhao Qihui came home from school, it was already getting dark. Seeing Fat Auntie sitting in the hall, she hurried over warmly, "Auntie, you came so soon?"

"Yes..." Fat Auntie quickly moved aside to let her sit, "Running every day is too tiring. Now that I’m here, how about you choose a day when classes end early to come back? If it’s too late, just stay at school and rest."

Without a second thought, Zhao Qihui refused, "No need, I like the feeling of coming home. Living in the dorm is too boring, and I’m not particularly close with those few."

"Sis, you can’t get along with others?" Chuxia interjected with a smile after feeding Beibei and Nannan, "You’re avoiding Jiang Wenyuan, right?"

"Chuxia, do you feel particularly uncomfortable not revealing the truth?" Zhao Qihui tilted her head and glared at her cousin with a hateful expression, "Don’t you know I hate mentioning him now?"

"Not mentioning it doesn’t mean you don’t have to face it..." Chuxia smiled as she sat beside her, "Sis, he was the one who left first, and now he’s back. What’s the deal?

You shouldn’t endure just for the sake of his reputation, right? A few days ago when we went to your school to find you, we heard others gossiping about you and Jiang Wenyuan being a couple.

We’re not being nosy, it was just him standing there, and people were pointing and talking. If we occasionally hear such gossip, what about the rest of the school? If this goes on for long, you’ll eventually get the short end of the stick."

Zhao Qihui was stunned: "Get the short end of what?"

"What do you mean what?" Chuxia rolled her eyes at her, "When everyone mistakenly believes you’re a couple, and you’re not with him, who do you think people will blame? Especially since you don’t live at school or interact with classmates. Even though the truth is self-evident, this kind of thing can’t be resolved by letting it go."

"Then what should I do?" Zhao Qihui frowned, "He’s the vice president of the student council for their grade, a famous guy. Everyone thinks I benefited from him. Every time I leave school, I get a lot of glares from girls, accusing me of seducing their ’Prince Charming.’ I’m baffled; which eye saw me seducing Jiang Wenyuan? Isn’t he always the one coming to our department to pester me?

I already ignore him, yet rumors have spread like this. If I interacted with him, who knows how much worse it’d become. I didn’t think he was shameless before, so how did he become like this?

Moreover, there are plenty of girls in his grade. I don’t believe he can’t find someone suitable. Fine, even if he didn’t find someone there, a new batch has enrolled in our grade. He could choose from them; why does he have to insist on me?">

"If you hadn’t scored second in the whole school, he wouldn’t hold onto you so tightly..." Chuxia sighed, looking at her seriously, "Sis, I’ve wanted to advise you for days. Since you plan to be with Commander Liu, you need to end all these romantic entanglements.

I’m not siding with Commander Liu; I genuinely care for you. When Commander Liu returns and goes to your school, if all he hears is gossip about you and Jiang Wenyuan, how do you think he’ll feel?

Sure, you could say, if he doesn’t believe you, he’s narrow-minded and you don’t care. But don’t forget, whether men or women, people are selfish in relationships. When everyone’s talking, how can you expect him to trust you?

Moreover, there’s Wenzhang waiting for you to resolve things. If Wenzhang passes the entrance exam next year and insists on being with you, what will you do? I just get a headache thinking about all your romantic debts!"

"Is this my fault?" Zhao Qihui grimaced in helplessness, "If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to get involved with any of them. It’s just that with Jiang Wenyuan before and Wenzhang after, I can’t totally trust Liu Lianbao now. Who knows if once he’s successful, he’ll also become like those two?"

"I can’t guarantee that for you. I’m reminding you because I hope it won’t be difficult for you in the future. Also, I advise you to sort out your feelings sooner rather than later.