Jun Yexuan stared at Qiao Qing's blank looking face. Deep inside, he couldn't stop laughing.
On the outside, however, he composed himself, "Alright, aunty."
Qiao Qing frowned violently, "Mom, can you stop this? Don't you know his identity?"
"So... so what!" He Wanqing said with her head held high, "Your dad was also a 'god' in everyone else's eyes, but he still found me. To me, you are the best! Don't belittle yourself!"
It was like a duck trying to talk to a chicken.
Qiao Qing felt mentally exhausted as she exhaled deeply. Straightening up, she planned on going up to the study when He Wanqing stopped her, "Wait, baby."
Qiao Qing stopped herself and turned her face a little, "Speak."
"It's almost your grandpa's 66th birthday. What kind of gift should we give him?"
Seeing that Qiao Qing didn't answer, He Wanqing answered weakly, "Your grandma is a bad apple but your grandpa's been decent. All these years, he hasn't given us a hard time."
"Plus, even if we don't care about him, there will be so many different people there on his birthday. Whatever we give him will also be a representation of your father. We cannot be too informal."
Qiao Qing tapped her fingers inside her pockets. Gently, she nodded, "Alright, then leave it up to me."
Upstairs inside the study room, Qiao Qing pressed a button right after she entered the room.
The wall next to the desk made a "crack" noise and a hidden compartment appeared.
Qiao Qing walked over slowly and took out a set of ancient Go pieces.
After she inspected them, she placed them into a wooden box and put them back into the hole.
*
Qiao Nian had been feeling hazy ever since school finished. She walked home absentmindedly.
Qin Yongmei watched how she behaved and her expression couldn't help but drop, "You didn't do well on your exam?"
"Huh? It's not that." Qiao Nian wiped the sad look off her face, "The exam was extremely difficult so the average score was low. However, I still came in third."
Qin Yongmei immediately sighed in relief. Her face also relaxed. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint me."
Then, she followed up, "What about that girl next door?"
Qiao Nian's face changed while she did her best to squeeze out a smile, "She did as per usual."
Qin Yongmei smiled arrogantly, "I always knew you cannot stick mud on a wall. During the parent-teacher meeting last time, she even swore to get first. Now she's the laughing stock of the school again!"
"It's sad that they didn't invite parents there to announce all the marks. I truly do want to see how she looks when she's slapped in the face!"
Qiao Nian listened to this and did not feel good about it.
She changed the subject, "Mom, is food ready? I'm hungry."
Qin Yongmei said, "It's ready. I'll go get the dishes now. Oh right, it's almost your grandpa's 66th birthday. You should come shopping with me sometime to pick out a gift for him."
"Though your grandma has always been on our side, your grandpa remains the man of the house. We need to make sure we flatter him."
Qiao Nian nodded, "Okay."
*
Qiao Qing failed to chase away Jun Yexuan so she was annoyed. She also felt like there was something secretly there that was making her unsettled and out of control.
She went to school and the moment she sat down, she found Lin Xiyan looking at her awkwardly, "Qing... Qingqing, can you give me back my notes?"
Then, Lin Xiyan shamefully lowered her head. Her little face was flushed red.
She was too busy being shocked all morning. Only afterward, did she realize what an embarrassing thing she had done.
So as it turned out, her desk mate had great grades. Why did she volunteer to lend her notes?
Qiao Qing must've felt speechless back when it happened.