Chapter 3 of 51

Chapter 3: We’re Deskmates (3)

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Qiao Wei didn’t expect Yun Xin to actually send her to her new residence at the old community building, she couldn’t see any malice in Yun Xin’s eyes.

This nerd was always wearing black-framed glasses, with long fringe. Her basic expression was expressionless, with a shallow smile. Ah Xin’s tone of speech was a bit stiff, yet concerned and completely gentle, as if… As if a warm breeze was caressing her heart, it was very comfortable, Qiao Wei could feel it.

”We’re here.”

Qiao Wei looked up at the dilapidated housing, the Ji family had crushed the Qiao family so bad that they nearly had to be homeless.

It was weird. A family in the same caliber of the Qiao family, even if they went bankrupt, they shouldn’t be too miserable, there were always some savings and contacts to use.

Qiao Wei didn’t understand how could her father became addicted to gambling and not only did he lost his last assets, but also owed a large amount of money. Mother Qiao took out all her savings and sold all the assets in her name so they wouldn’t be harassed by the debt collectors again.

Qiao Wei was sure it was all Ji family who were pulling the strings. Her father wasn’t a good gambler, and if he was really a crazy gambler, even if he lost all his money, he would quit gambling. He wouldn’t be drinking all day, and should be like the crazy gamblers who would find ways to find gambling money. At least he wasn’t a gambler who would sell his children and wife for money, since she hasn’t heard of it.

”I’m going in, Yun Xin, see you tomorrow.”

Ah Xin stood at the entrance of her apartment, smiling shallowly, “See you tomorrow.”

Qiao Wei hesitated, she couldn’t help asking, “Do you really hate Lin Xiaoai?”

”She’s annoying.”

”Well, I didn’t expect you to be such a person,” Qiao Wei pouted; “That Ji Jiang, if you had a bit of heart for him, I advise you to forget about him sooner rather than later, he’s not a good person. Once upon a time I was blind and has done so many irrational things because of him.”

”Oh? Is Qiao Wei planning to give up her first love?”

Qiao Wei grunted, ”Why wouldn’t I? He has bankrupted my family. We grew up together, yet he only cared about Lin Xiaoai. Why should I still love him? I just couldn’t accept it willingly. Why were the two of them were madly in love, and the one who got hurt was me? I haven’t done anything to them.”

”Okay, I’m off.”

Xin watched Qiao Wei walk into the hallway, turned around and rode her bike. Qiao Wei secretly stood in the darkness of the hallway, silently watching Ah Xin’s figure disappeared, the corners of her mouth curved upwards, thinking about what happened today, her mood became much better. Even if she had to go back soon to face her awful home, she wasn’t so sad.

At least she would be able to earn her own tuition for the next semester without facing a transfer, and maybe she would have some savings, so she wouldn’t have to suffer so much.

Qiao Wei opened the door, she wasn’t surprised as she saw her old man was slumping on the old couch in a muddy drunken stupor. She wondered if he heard her return, he slowly looked up and fell back down again. There were beer bottles all over the floor, and Qiao Wei only stared, back then she wasn’t cleaning up those bottles and kept shutting herself in her room.

She walked over to the side of the couch, picked the opened bottles, and looked at the embarrassing state of the bearded, disheveled man with a red nose. In fact, Qiao Wei realized that she was raised in a honey pot by her parents since she was a child.[1] But now, parents never apologized to her, and Mother Qiao sometimes complained of her and Father Qiao often told her to drop out of school.

After tidying up the living room, Qiao Wei went back to her room and started doing her homework. Now, she wasn’t the Big Miss of the Qiao family, if she didn’t try harder, she wouldn’t have any advantage compared to others.

She would have liked to go out and help her mother to cook dinner, but she was too used to enjoy to eat and didn’t learn how to cook. She was thinking about how Mother Qiao not only has to go to work, but also after coming back from work she had to cook, do household chores, very busy. Qiao Wei realized that it wasn’t that painful to be scolded by her, she felt like an asshole at this moment.

By the time she had finished her homework, Mother Qiao returned.

She heard voices in the living room, her parents were talking about something, something not very pleasant. But Father Qiao would never argue with Mama Qiao, he would pretend to get drunk. Mother Qiao sighed and walked to the kitchen.

Soon, Mother Qiao called her daughter for dinner.

Qiao Wei stared at the egg and piece of meat in the her bowl, and noticed that her parents didn’t have them on their bowl, these were small details that she had never noticed before.

”Weiwei, I’ve already looked at the school for you, it’s an average high school, but it wasn’t bad. It’s very close to my working place, you will transfer there next semester.”Mother Qiao said, after taking two bites.

Qiao Wei stared at her bowl in response, “Mom, I’m not changing schools.”

”You won’t transfer? But one semester’s worth of tuition is tens of thousands Yuan, how are we going to pay? Weiwei, this is no longer the time for you to be capricious.” Mother Qiao’s face pales, “Our family currently couldn’t afford it.”

”Why won’t you just stop going to school.” Father Qiao said drunkenly, “It’s no use going to school, this girl has always been spoiled, you go take her to work, after all, one don’t have to be an adult to sell clothes, make her hide when someone checks for her IDs.”

Mother Qiao slammed the bowl down on the table and glared at Father Qiao; “If you don’t eat, go sleep on the couch.”[2]

”Dad, Mom, I’ve found a part-time job teaching kids to play the piano and speaking English. I could earn the tuition myself. It’s winter break soon, and I’ve worked it out with the kids’ parents that I would be there every day for the rest of the year except for the New Year days.”

”The pay is also good, and there were so many sessions so I’ll be able to earn my tuition quickly. When winter break is over, I’ll have more time and can study more.”

Qiao Wei’s eyes were particularly bright and her face was full of confidence, “My grades aren’t bad, if I work hard, I might be able to squeeze in the top five of my grade, and I will be able to apply for scholarships.”

This last sentence, purely because her brain was working too fast, so she spoke without thinking. As she was thinking about it again, getting to the top five grades, wouldn’t be easy.

But, after seeing Mother Qiao’s shocked face, and Father Qiao’s drunken face that seemed to have sobered up quite a bit, she straightened up and said seriously, “All I said is true, so I’m not transferring, okay?”

Tomorrow, she will need to talk to Yun Xin and help her with her studies, and the bullshit she had cried out will be realized.[3]

If she could make it to the top five, that would be a good thing. Her eyes suddenly lit up, Lin Xiaoai was never be in top five, Qiao Wei became more enthusiastic, she finally found a way to beat Lin Xiaoai without breaking the law.

‘I’ll beat her in studying!’

Mother Qiao quickly reacted and asked Qiao Wei if all she has said is true so many times. Her current school was not only very expensive, but it was also the best private school in the city, except for its expensive tuition, it was better than many public schools. This school would accept many students, but if they weren’t the top three grades, they wouldn’t have a chance to enter.

Even if they have a good family background, they still need to have good grades to get in. If Qiao Wei didn’t have to be transferred, of course Mother Qiao wanted her not to transfer. The Qiao family’s downfall hurted them deep, WeiWei was only sixteen years old, Mother Qiao knew that the downfall of the Qiao family only needed a fuse, and had little to do with WeiWei. But every day she was tired, she couldn’t help but complain a few times, and she became the shrew she most despised in the past. She couldn’t cheer up and thought that her family was finished.

Qiao Wei had to explain repeatedly before Mother Qiao was convinced and told her to try it. Father Qiao surprisingly didn’t say anything, the family ate and spent the night very calmly.

Early the next morning, Qiao Wei braced the cold wind to ride her bike to school. She was happy when she was thinking that she would meet a certain nerd later.

After parking her bike, she turned around and saw a woman with a narrowed smile.

”Oh my, hey, isn’t this Miss Qiao?”

The woman was tall, about 1,75 m, with a somewhat ugly looks, small eyes, thick lips, a large pie face, and the most frightening thing is, there were a few thick pimples on her cheeks, which were a bit disgusting.

She has a very nice name, He Meili, but her appearance is a bit of a shame, He Family actually didn’t have a good background. He family was a mafia before they claimed they have white-washed into law abiding businessmen.

He Meili was the school bully of this school, yet no one reported her, no one wanted to provoke such an unclean family.

She and He Meili had no conflict, but Hei Meili has confessed that she liked her and wanted to be in a lesbian relationship with her.

She refused immediately. Currently, she didn’t like girls, and even if she would be into girls later, ‘It is impossible for me to like this He Meili, ah!‘[4]

She ignored He Meili and walked to the school building. He Meili stopped and stretched out her arms to block her.

”Miss Qiao, why are you leaving after looking at me? It’s early to go to class, let’s talk.” There was a smile on He Meili’s somewhat ugly face as she came closer to Qiao Wei, and Qiao Wei had to step back, “Now is a good time, right?”

Qiao Wei pursed her lips, she knew what He Meili wanted, it was written all over her face. ‘No way, ah!’

”If you choose to be with me, you will be back to be the Big Miss of the Qiao family, I could ask my father to help rebuild the Qiao family, giving your family the chance to rise again.”

Qiao Wei put her hands in the pockets of her clothes, her fists clenched very tightly, “Student He Meili, please step aside, I have to go to class.”

”Are you stupid?” He Meili narrowed her eyes, “Believe it or not, I have been making it difficult for you to stay at this school.”

Qiao Wei’s turned pale, He Meili indeed has this ability, and a wave of powerlessness rose up inside her. Has Hei Meili done it? If it wasn’t for her, she wouldn’t be excluded at school?

”Qiao Wei.” Qiao Wei’s eyes lit up when she saw a certain nerd was walking towards her and she hastily called out, “I’m here, good morning, Yun Xin.”