Chapter 2

Su Li hurried downstairs; her wages were beckoning to her.

"Su Li." A voice rang out from above the stairs. Su Li looked up and saw a boy wearing glasses standing on the stairs above, holding a stack of exercise books. His eyes behind the lenses glanced at her schoolbag, then immediately filled with deep disappointment.

"You'd better behave yourself." After saying this, he withdrew his gaze, walked downstairs, and turned into the teachers' office nearby.

Su Li: "???"

Who was that?

Su Li didn't think too much about it. She had come down from upstairs, and since he recognized her, he must be a student from Class 1 or Class 2.

She continued downstairs. It was October, and the weather was still very hot. With her schoolbag on her back, she handed her leave slip to the guard and walked out of the school gate.

Once outside the school gate, one could see a full row of various snack shops across the street. At this hour, the only people out looking for food were nearby residents.

Su Li looked at the nearby scenery, bit by bit, trying hard to dig up memories from ten years ago, and then walked toward the right. After walking about ten meters, she indeed saw the bus stop sign.

She took two steps toward it and saw the people in front stop.

At this moment, by the bus stop sign ahead, two female students were holding hands, chatting and laughing. Three or four steps away, three boys were standing.

"Chengcheng, is this what it feels like to openly come out during class?" Under the bus stop sign, Xu Lian hugged Su Cheng's arm. "Chengcheng, can we go back later?"

Su Cheng smiled and rubbed her head: "No, we have to come back after we finish customizing the clothes to be worn by the formation team for the sports meet."

"Then let's eat something before going back!!" Xu Lian shook her. Her Chengcheng was just too well-behaved and listened to the teachers too much.

Su Cheng was shaken until she couldn't take it and was about to soften when Hu Xiao on the side said in shock: "Is that Su Li?"

The remaining four people turned their heads to look at her, their expressions changing slightly.

"How did she know we were coming out to customize the sports meet clothes?"

"Hu Xiao, did you guys let it slip?"

"How is that possible?" The few whispered, but the sound was enough to reach Su Li's ears.

Seeing them, Su Li decisively chose to stop two meters away from the bus stop sign to wait for the bus.

It was during the summer vacation after the high school entrance exam that she found out she actually had an older sister, who had been secretly taken away when she went to visit her grandmother at less than half a year old.

Having been lost and found, Su Cheng immediately became the apple of her parents' eye; anything Su Cheng looked at twice had to be given to her.

At that time, she was still young. How could someone used to being a little princess stand such favoritism from her family? She started making a scene, and the final result was being suppressed by her family.

After school started, she went to school with Su Cheng again. Because Su Cheng had been secretly taken away, that family might have changed her age, so they were in the same grade.

But when school started, she, who had always been thick-skinned, had already finished self-soothing. After all, what they told her was that Su Cheng was stolen before she was a year old and was very pitiful, never having had a good life since she was small, while she had been pampered growing up.

She herself also felt there was no need to fight with Su Cheng over anything, and even less need to quibble with her parents.

So she happily attended classes, and then she saw Jiang Xiangnan in the next class.

The boy had good grades, was handsome, and played a good game of basketball. Within a week of enrollment, he ascended to the position of school hunk. But the school hunk seemed to have an unhappy relationship with his family, and his whole person exuded a rebellious air. Except for a few boys he played well with, others didn't even dare to get close to him. Even if someone had a crush on him, they didn't dare let him know.

She became one of those who liked him. Plus, her mindset had been adjusted over the summer, and she was in a great state and very bold. She prepared to have a puppy love, be a little rebellious, and take down this hard nut that was said to be impossible to crack.

So she chased Jiang Xiangnan for a year. Jiang Xiangnan was also different to her than to other girls; he liked to order her around. Her mind wasn't clear at that time, and after a year of working without complaint, she discovered that he had long had someone in his heart.

That someone was her sister, Su Cheng.

She only then discovered that Jiang Xiangnan and Su Cheng were junior high classmates and had always liked Su Cheng. But Su Cheng watched her chase after Jiang Xiangnan every day and didn't tell her they were very familiar, until Jiang Xiangnan ended the game, rejected her first, and then said in public that the person he had always liked was Su Cheng.

So she became a laughingstock among her classmates and was called in by her parents; she was completely stunned.

She didn't understand at that time why Su Cheng and Jiang Xiangnan would toy with her like that, and was even more saddened by her parents not asking for the reason and directly convicting her.

Her mindset collapsed, her grades plummeted, and she fell directly from the Key Class to a regular class during the Grade 1 Final Exam.

For the next two years, no matter how hard she tried, her grades just wouldn't go up, while Jiang Xiangnan continued to guard Su Cheng, not truly being with her because Su Cheng wanted to study hard and get into a good university in the future.

In the end, Su Cheng successfully got into a key university as she wished, while she, because her grades were not ideal, was eventually sent abroad by her parents to be gilded.

Then, she met Zhao Gouzi abroad, the young master of the Zhao Family of Beijing.

Su Li flicked her schoolbag strap with her fingertips, leaned out slightly, and looked toward the end of the road, waiting for the bus to come.

Zhao Jiu had run out to study on his own at this time, at a private High School twenty kilometers away. It was said that the annual tuition there was 300,000, so with little Zhao Jiu's pocket money, there should be no problem settling the wages in advance.

"Brother Jiang, how does it feel?" Hu Xiao watched Su Li's act of pretending to have a chance encounter and laughed excitedly, "She even skipped class for you."

Jiang Xiangnan had his jacket draped over his shoulders, with a pure black short-sleeved shirt underneath. Hearing this, he glanced faintly at the figure on the roadside. The girl was wearing an oversized school uniform, looking small, and her whole person exuded vitality.

In the past year, this girl had hovered around him, like a little sun every day, passionate and simple. At a glance, she was the kind of child who had been liked by others since she was small, but...

His eyes were cold, and his thin lips parted slightly: "Stay on the side."

Hu Xiao quickly shut his mouth. Yu Yangfei on the side bumped into Hu Xiao: "Looking for a scolding? Brother Jiang likes this kind of pampered person the least; it's not like you don't know."

Hu Xiao felt helpless. He was just saying it, but honestly, the matter of messing with Su Li for a year wasn't something they did on purpose either.

At first, they just wanted to vent for Su Cheng and give her a hard time, but they didn't expect the girl to be so thick-skinned and oblivious, not noticing anything and stubbornly persisting for a year.

If Brother Jiang hadn't gotten tired of it, she probably would have persisted for three years.

To be honest, such a serious and sincere girl was quite rare.

It's a pity, their Brother Jiang likes this kind of person who grew up pampered the least; it makes him think of the younger brother his stepmother brought.

So Su Li was actually out from the very beginning.

Xu Lian glanced at Su Li. Not only did she bully Chengcheng, but she also wanted to hook Jiang Xiangnan?

"Chengcheng, hasn't your sister been quiet for two months?"

Su Cheng looked back at Jiang Xiangnan. He was lowering his head playing with his phone, not taking Su Li to heart at all.

Only then did she look at Su Li. The girl was holding her ponytail, carrying a backpack, appearing lively and cheerful. Because the classroom had air conditioning on for a long time, everyone generally wore autumn jackets.

But the same blue and white school uniform seemed to have an extra bit of purity when worn on her.

Su Cheng bit her lip lightly. Her mother told her that she wasn't actually stolen; she was abandoned by her grandmother.

As for Su Li, it was because she was abandoned that she could be born, and it was because she was abandoned that her father moved away from her grandmother to find a high-paying job. It was even more because she was abandoned that her parents gave all the compensation meant for her to Su Li, so Su Li could have constant tutoring classes since she was small, buy whatever she wanted, and be raised so delicately.

She remembered the moment she first stepped into the house and saw Su Li. The girl was wearing loungewear, holding her ponytail, youthful and lively. Seeing her, her eyes were filled with confusion; this was the temperament and confidence that only someone who grew up being pampered would have.

Su Cheng felt a pang of discomfort in her heart.

The one suffering was her, yet the one enjoying life was Su Li; her birth, the hardships she endured, all seemed to be paving the way for Su Li's happy life.

Fortunately, things are different now; she has Jiang Xiangnan.

"She shouldn't have truly let go that quickly, right?" Su Cheng withdrew her gaze.

Although the relationship between Jiang Xiangnan and his father had broken down, and Jiang Xiangnan had begun to walk a rebellious path, he was, after all, Uncle Jiang's own son and the heir to Zhengnan Real Estate.

No matter how hard Su Li tries in the future, she will never compare to her; furthermore, she has already dropped out of the Key Class, and her future university prospects likely won't be very good. If nothing unexpected happens, Su Li's life might start to go downhill.

At this moment, the bus arrived. Su Cheng turned her head and smiled at Jiang Xiangnan: "Let's go."

Jiang Xiangnan put away his phone and followed her onto the bus.

A group of people swiped their cards or dropped coins into the box. Su Li waited until they had all boarded before running over, then fished the bus card out of her bag.

Su Li swiped the card. With a "beep," the payment was successful. She let out a sigh of relief—thank goodness, there was still money on the bus card.

Otherwise, she might not even be able to see the Zhao Jiu who was perhaps still innocent right now.

She grabbed the handrail and shuffled bit by bit to the middle of the bus, looking at the route map posted on the ceiling.

It had been too long since she had ridden the bus here; she couldn't quite remember the stops.

She remembered that many buses passed by No. 1 High School, but not all of them went to the Passenger Terminal. The one she rode the most was this K3. The K3 terminal seemed to be the East Passenger Station? From the East Passenger Station, she should be able to get to the Passenger Terminal, and then from the terminal, she could get to where Zhao Jiu was.

Xu Lian saw Su Li moving toward the middle and sneered, taking out her phone to message Su Cheng: "No way? How many times has she ridden this bus? Does she need to pretend it's her first time just to be closer to Jiang Xiangnan?"

Su Cheng typed with her fingertips. She hadn't expected that the confident and lively girl she first met would now be so humble.

"Forget it, she's quite pitiful like this." After sending the message, she looked at Jiang Xiangnan again; the boy had long since closed his eyes and put on his headphones.

Once Su Li confirmed that this bus went to the East Passenger Station, she walked back to the front and sat down, watching the scenery outside the window. As for that group behind her, she could pretend she didn't see them; having followed Zhao Gouzi for ten years, her skin had long since become as thick as a city wall.

She was looking for Zhao Gouzi... no, she was looking for the boss to ask for an advance on her salary.

Just as Zhao Gou... the boss had tricked her into working for him back then, she was now going to trick the under-eighteen-year-old little Zhao Jiu into giving her an advance on her salary.

The Dao of Heaven is a cycle; who has the Heavens ever spared?

If you hang out in the streets, you'll have to pay it back sooner or later!

Ten minutes later, Su Li clutched her chest as a wave of nausea surged up. She was stunned; was she so used to Zhao Jiu's Maybach that she couldn't handle the bus anymore?

A bit of motion sickness?

Su Li kept her mouth tightly shut, counting stop by stop how much further she had to go.

The people behind saw that Su Li hadn't gotten off even after several stops, and their expressions grew increasingly ugly.

After about forty minutes, the East Passenger Station arrived. Su Li rushed off the bus quickly. The few people behind her got off one after another, only to see Su Li vomiting by a trash can.

"Go." At this moment, Jiang Xiangnan walked toward another bus.

"Huh?" Su Cheng didn't understand what was happening.

The others also reacted and rushed toward that bus together. Once they boarded, they walked to the back row and secretly watched Su Li vomiting outside.

"Jiang Xiangnan?" Su Cheng asked.

Jiang Xiangnan looked at the person outside with a cold expression. Su Cheng saw his impatient look and realized what was going on.

Xu Lian also said annoyedly: "We were buying the team uniforms for the sports meet formation; why did she follow us?"

"It's obvious she hasn't given up on Jiang Xiangnan."

Who knows what got into her today? She had been staying quiet for the past two months and hadn't come to annoy them, but today she followed them.

Although Jiang Xiangnan didn't like her, having her pester him like this was quite annoying.

Su Cheng looked outside and saw Su Li take out a tissue to wipe her mouth, toss it into the trash can, and then rub her chest as she walked away.

"She must think we got off the station! Quick, crouch down." The group hurriedly crouched down.

"Uncle, can we depart now?" Xu Lian asked.

The driver looked at the time and said: "Three more minutes."

Xu Lian said "Ah": "If we don't leave, won't Su Li realize it and come back?"

Su Cheng didn't think so; Su Li's brain didn't turn very quickly, and she wouldn't think they were still inside.

Three minutes later, their bus departed, and then they saw Su Li board another bus; they felt relieved.

Su Cheng looked at Su Li's bus and now felt that Su Li was a bit pitiful, being avoided like a snake or scorpion.

On the other bus, Su Li leaned against the railing, suppressing the urge to vomit. Fortunately, those people were gone, and there would be fewer messy looks.

She transferred buses several times and finally got off at two in the afternoon.

As Su Li's feet touched the ground, she suddenly vomited again, but there was nothing left to throw up; she just dry-heaved.

Once she finally calmed down, Su Li felt dizzy.

She walked along the road in a daze, seeing the people around her as if they were separated by a layer of fog, completely unable to realize that she had gone the wrong way and was getting further and further from the school where Zhao Jiu was.

In an alley by the road, Zhao Jiu opened his eyes to see a chaotic scene. At this moment, with a "bang," someone fell to the ground. He looked over in confusion, and the person lying on the ground, gasping for air, was none other than his arch-nemesis from High School!

Zhao Jiu didn't care about the current situation; seeing his arch-nemesis, he raised his hand to tug at his tie, unbuttoned a button, put one hand in his pocket, lifted his chin slightly, and looked at the person on the ground with contempt.

"Long time no see."

Ever since he successfully inherited the family business, this person had never appeared before him again.

A few lackeys immediately turned their heads to look at him.

"Boss? Long time no see?"

Didn't they just see him an hour ago in the head teacher's office?

This guy had found people from outside the school to beat up their boss, but ended up getting beaten back by the boss; and he still had the nerve to report them to the teacher today?

It caused their boss to have his pocket money for next month deducted.

Only then did Zhao Jiu notice the people beside him and realize something was wrong; this seemed to be near his High School?

But wasn't he attending the school anniversary with Su Li at her alma mater?

"Boss?"

Hearing this form of address, Zhao Jiu crouched down and looked at Wang Qiyun, who glared at him indignantly: "Zhao Jiu, don't think that no one dares to touch you..."

Zhao Jiu pinched Wang Qiyun's thigh, and Wang Qiyun let out a miserable "Ah!" scream.

Zhao Jiu withdrew his hand and stood up; the scream was tragic and truly genuine, so this was not a dream.