Saturday arrived right on schedule. Qiao Lian went to school first. Since it was the weekend, Lin Sanyuan couldn’t be bothered to eat breakfast and lingered in bed a while longer.
She got up at eight-thirty. At first, she only planned to wash up quickly, but on a whim, she suddenly thought about the times she had attended parent-teacher meetings for Lin Shengsheng.
That little rascal had begged her to dress nicely, saying everyone else had parents attending, while he only had his sister. Kids had their pride.
Lin Sanyuan never had the habit of dressing up, and she hadn’t indulged his childish vanity. With her thick bangs, old-fashioned glasses, and bare face, she had gone straight to his school.
In the end, the school staff and other parents mistook her for a first-year student. Before she knew it, she was dragged off as free labour, pulling weeds around campus all morning until she was exhausted.
Now, her bangs weren’t as heavy, and she liked to think that after years of working her way through life, she had developed a more mature, worldly presence.
But when it came to Qiao Lian, a girl with a somewhat difficult background, Lin Sanyuan always felt an extra layer of tenderness for her, something she had never quite felt for her own brother.
She dug out her long-unused makeup, unsure if it was even still good, and applied a light base, a bit of cream and blush, then blended her lipstick for a natural look. It made her complexion look fresh and lively.
After leaving the house, she spent fifty yuan on a quick wash, cut, and blow-dry, styling her hair into soft, gentle waves. Then she drove her jelly-green little electric car to an optical shop and got herself a pair of contact lenses.
Luckily, she had recently received some publishing fees. Otherwise, spending this much all at once would have made her hesitate.
By the time she finished rushing through everything, she was sweating.
Qiao Lian liked watermelon. Right outside the school gate, there were small trucks selling them, each one about the size of two hands, easy to carry. She bought one to share with Qiao Lian later.
Even though she had made an effort to dress up, Lin Sanyuan still had a bit of a psychological shadow from before, so she deliberately lingered before entering the school.
As expected, she saw a group of fresh-faced students struggling to move desks and clean up.
Lin Sanyuan had carried those desks before, they were heavy. She couldn’t help but grin to herself.
High school rules were getting stricter. Phones weren’t allowed during school hours. Even for day students like Qiao Lian, their phones had to be handed over to the student council and could only be retrieved after classes.
Lin Sanyuan couldn’t call her, so she had to search classroom by classroom.
“Hey, you, which class are you from? Why aren’t you in uniform? And what’s with that curled hair? Who told you to dress like this?”
Before she had checked more than a few classrooms, her heart skipped a beat. A middle-aged man with a receding hairline, looking very much like a disciplinarian, was marching toward her.
Fortunately, Lin Sanyuan was prepared. Before he could question her, she smoothly pulled out her ID. “Hello, teacher. I’m a parent here for the meeting.”
The man took her ID and examined it repeatedly, muttering under his breath, “Is cosmetic technology really this advanced now…”
After confirming her age, he didn’t give her any more trouble and pointed her toward Class 11, Year 3.
As soon as she entered the classroom, Lin Sanyuan spotted Qiao Lian immediately.
Qiao Lian had the kind of beauty that stunned at first glance. Her temperament stood out among her peers, her features refined and striking. Lin Sanyuan had always felt she didn’t seem like a typical high school student, not because she didn’t look young.
In today’s world, high school students were under immense pressure.
They woke up before five every morning and didn’t finish evening study sessions until nine. In top schools, the competition was even more intense.
The girl next door to Lin Sanyuan was only sixteen, yet studying had turned her hair grey.
So in reality, high school students weren’t as vibrant and carefree as novels made them out to be.
Under the weight of grades and expectations, many looked exhausted, combined with pre-prepared school meals and lack of sleep, they resembled wilted vegetables.
Only the first-year students still looked fresh and lively.
But Qiao Lian didn’t carry that kind of fatigue. She wasn’t exactly radiant, but there was always a certain determination in her eyes.
Perhaps it was her privileged upbringing and education. Whatever she did, she seemed calm and composed, handling things with ease, somewhat reminiscent of Tang Hengzhi.
At school, she wasn’t even wearing her uniform. Instead, she had on the jeans and white T-shirt Lin Sanyuan had bought her. Her soft, voluminous curls framed her pale, delicate face, and quite a few boys in the classroom were sneaking glances at her.
When Lin Sanyuan walked in, Qiao Lian was sitting at her desk, twirling a pen, with a notebook open as if she were recording something.
Beside her stood a tall girl. Even in uniform, her high ponytail gave off an air of bold confidence.
The girl was laughing and teasing, holding a small pink box and trying to push it into Qiao Lian’s hands.
The classroom was noisy, so Lin Sanyuan couldn’t hear what they were saying. She only saw Qiao Lian frown, her expression cold, using her pen to block the box, clearly resisting.
The high ponytail looked familiar. It was that delinquent girl from the bar, the one who had dragged Qiao Lian into trouble before.
Ke Tingyu, right?
Qiao Lian had turned over a new leaf and had been focusing on her studies lately. How did this girl still have the nerve to bother her?
Carrying the watermelon, Lin Sanyuan walked over and called out, “Qiao Lian.”
Yes, she was a little annoyed.
Qiao Lian, who had been frowning with a cold, distant expression, flinched. A rare trace of panic crossed her face.
She quickly tossed the pen aside, grabbed the small box from the girl, and stuffed it into her jeans pocket.
Looking guilty, she said, “Y… why are you here?”
Lin Sanyuan rolled her eyes. “Didn’t I say I’d come for your parent-teacher meeting? What are you hiding?”
It wasn’t cigarettes, was it?
Lin Sanyuan had never dealt with rebellious girls before, but since she was here as a guardian, she figured she had some authority.
Could she use a rolling pin?
Ke Tingyu hadn’t expected that reaction and burst out laughing.
Qiao Lian shot her a glare, then immediately softened when she met Lin Sanyuan’s gaze.
Lowering her head, she used her usual pitiful tone. “It’s nothing, just sharing some snacks…”
Lin Sanyuan nodded and lifted the watermelon. “I bought watermelon. We can eat it together at noon when it gets hot.”
Qiao Lian blinked and stared at her without speaking, her face flushing slightly.
Lin Sanyuan waved a hand in front of her. “What, did the heat fry your brain?”
Looking up at her, Qiao Lian fell silent for a moment. Even her ears turned red. “You look… kind of pretty today.”
Lin Sanyuan froze.
They lived together, and Qiao Lian had praised her before, but usually just saying she looked good.
Calling her pretty was a first.
And why was she blushing while saying it?
Sure enough, when it came to parent-teacher meetings, kids had their pride.
Like that viral video where a child proudly tells classmates, “My mum is a mermaid at the aquarium.”
Still, Lin Sanyuan felt embarrassed. She instinctively tried to push up her glasses, only to realise she wasn’t wearing any. Instead, she tugged at her bangs. “It’s just… not bad, I guess.”
Ke Tingyu glanced between them and let out a soft laugh, her expression unreadable. She patted Qiao Lian’s shoulder. “Make sure you use those snacks properly, and remember to share your experience later.”
With that, she wandered off to chat with other classmates.
Lin Sanyuan frowned, uneasy. “What snacks? Not for eating? Why would she say to use them and share experiences? She’s not getting you into smoking, is she?”
Qiao Lian looked a little helpless. She stepped closer and gently blew a breath toward Lin Sanyuan.
Lin Sanyuan took a step back. “What are you doing?”
Sometimes Qiao Lian’s little gestures felt half like a cat, half like a dog.
“Let you smell whether I smoke.”
Lin Sanyuan widened her eyes. “How would I even tell?”
Qiao Lian narrowed her eyes with a faint smile. “The meeting’s about to start. I’ll go to the restroom first.”
Something about that smile felt off, but Lin Sanyuan said nothing.
After waiting in the classroom for a while with no sign of her return, unease crept in.
Surely she hadn’t gone to the restroom to smoke?
Most of the parents had already arrived. Sitting among a group of middle-aged adults, Lin Sanyuan felt out of place.
She couldn’t sit still any longer and went out to look for Qiao Lian.
She checked the girls’ restroom on the same floor, no smell of smoke, no Qiao Lian.
The meeting was about to begin. Where could she have gone?
Just as she stepped out, she heard a familiar name, it sounded like someone calling Qiao Lian.
Following the sound, she found her in the hot water room around the corner. Qiao Lian’s cheeks were wet and slightly red, as if someone had splashed water on her.
At that sight, Lin Sanyuan’s mind went blank.
Qiao Lian was being blocked inside by a boy. A few students lingered nearby, watching, some even seemed used to scenes like this.
Judging by their posture, they had been arguing for a while. Qiao Lian leaned against the window, arms crossed, expression cold and unreadable. Even with the boy, a whole head taller than her, cornering her, she showed no sign of panic.
The boy, however, was clearly agitated. Whatever Qiao Lian had said seemed to have provoked him. His face was flushed, his neck tense, his eyes brimming with aggression.
Lin Sanyuan noticed a pink letter on the floor by Qiao Lian’s feet, unopened but torn in half.
So he had confessed and been rejected.
Damn.
In all her years, this was the first time she had witnessed such a dramatic confession scene.
“Qiao Lian, who the hell do you think you are, acting all high and mighty? Don’t you like flirting with other people’s boyfriends? Why not me, huh? Just because I’m Ke Tingyu’s boyfriend? What does her targeting you have to do with me? You’re the one who goes to clubs and messes around. Aren’t you just short on money? If you need money, come to me. Dating me is better than going out and asking old men for cash, right?”
Lin Sanyuan frowned.
That was too much.
What kind of trash talk was that? She couldn’t stand it anymore and pushed the door open, stepping inside.
Qiao Lian let out a cold laugh, still unaware of Lin Sanyuan’s presence. She didn’t move from her crossed-arm stance, lips curling slightly, her voice carrying a chill far beyond her years.
“Zhao Silei, you’d better watch your mouth.”
