Two more days passed, and school started again for Qin Jiao. The good news was that the roads were mostly clear of snow, allowing her to bike to school. Qin Jiao let out a long sigh of relief.

’Finally, I don’t have to be crammed in with Shen Yi anymore.’

The two of them continued to go to and from school together as usual. The seating arrangement in their class remained unchanged. Qin Jiao dedicated herself to her studies, but she occasionally noticed that Chen Feng was becoming increasingly withdrawn, while Lin Nian’s expression grew fouler by the day, as if she were in a constant state of frustration and gloom.

And so, the college entrance exam countdown in the corner of the blackboard dwindled away. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

When the monthly exam was over, Qin Jiao had secured her position as first in their grade. Meanwhile, Shen Yi had risen to third, shocking a great many people.

It was also worth noting that Chen Feng’s grades had begun to fluctuate. He performed poorly on this particular monthly exam, landing in the sixtieth-something range of the overall rankings.

Lin Nian’s grades recovered a bit, placing her in the thirties on the overall list. Objectively, her performance was quite impressive. However, with Qin Jiao—the top student in their grade—in the same class, Lin Nian’s modicum of excellence no longer seemed so dazzling.

So every time Lin Nian ran into Qin Jiao, she would glare at her.

Or make a few snide remarks.

Take today’s gym class, for instance. The boys went out to play basketball, while the girls were scheduled to do aerobics in an empty indoor classroom. Doing aerobics meant wearing suitable athletic shoes, and once they took off their heavy coats, the outfits underneath were on full display.

Girls their age had started comparing themselves to one another. Lin Nian knew her face wasn’t as pretty as Qin Jiao’s, but she prided herself on having a good figure.

More importantly... she sidled up to Qin Jiao, who was doing warm-up stretches, and said, "Hey, Qin Jiao, that sweater you’re wearing... your mom knitted it by hand, didn’t she?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Yeah, so what?"

"Oh, nothing. It’s just, these hand-knitted sweaters are so coarse. They must feel awfully scratchy. See? My wool cardigan is so comfy and soft, not itchy in the slightest."

As soon as Lin Nian finished speaking, the expressions of several nearby girls, who were also wearing sweaters lovingly handmade by their mothers, changed.

To be fair, the yarn available at the time was quite coarse, so hand-knitted sweaters were a bit scratchy, but not unbearably so.

Qin Jiao remembered how Shen Yi cherished the hand-knitted sweater he wore, never wanting to take it off. Then she looked at the girl in front of her, who was looking as proud as a peacock.

She smiled and said, "Oh, your wool cardigan is pretty soft. Must have been expensive, right?"

"Of course it was."

"But the style is a bit dated. It doesn’t really suit you. I bet it belonged to Chen Feng’s mom, and she only gave it to you because she didn’t want it anymore, right?" Qin Jiao leaned closer to Lin Nian and said slowly.

The smug smile on Lin Nian’s face faltered. Then, she snorted coldly and said, "Qin Jiao, I know you’re just jealous."

"Hah. What would I be jealous of? That your cardigan is the prize from a successful homewrecker? Besides, there’s nothing wrong with a sweater handmade by your mother. The love she pours into it is irreplaceable. Oh, but I forgot—you cut ties with your family long ago. No wonder you wouldn’t understand."

"Qin Jiao!" Lin Nian trembled with rage. In contrast, the few girls standing nearby—also in handmade sweaters—were shaking with laughter.

Honestly, for someone with such a venomous tongue, Lin Nian’s actual sparring ability was pathetic. She’d tried to humiliate someone, but she was the one left trembling with rage.

’Hmph. Serves her right!’