A small bookshelf sat nearby. It didn’t have many books for now—mostly just Qin Jiao’s schoolbooks—but it would surely fill up in the future.

Qin Zhonghui and Su Yun were both hardworking people. They got the breakfast cart ready in a single day. They planned to buy flour and prepare the vegetable fillings the next day so they could start selling early the day after.

Although they had spent a lot of money on the breakfast cart, the two of them were genuinely happy with their current situation. On the way home, they bought a fish and some other vegetables, planning to make a nice meal for their two children.

When Qin Jiao heard her parents return, she came out to help them cook. The family gathered in happy harmony. Though life was hard, they felt incredibly blessed.

Back in the village, rumors about Qin Jiao still occasionally surfaced. But since her family had moved to the county town, the gossip eventually died down.

The village rumors about Lin Nian, however, only grew more intense. Lin Nian’s mother was sharp-tongued and cruel, and her father had a violent temper and was prone to hitting people when he drank. Unlike her two meek older sisters, Lin Nian wasn’t one to just endure it. So, before the school year even began, she packed her bags and left.

And because of all this, she had come to completely and utterly hate Qin Jiao.

When Lin Nian got to the county town, she learned that school hadn’t started yet. Feeling utterly wronged and pitiful, she called Chen Feng.

"Chen Feng, can you help me? I... I can’t live like this anymore. I just want to die..."

Chen Feng already had a crush on Lin Nian, so he couldn’t stand by and do nothing when he heard her words. As soon as she said she was at the bus station, he told her, "Wait for me."

He hung up, hopped on his bicycle, but was immediately stopped by his mother, Li Xiaomei.

"Xiao Feng, where are you going?"

"I... I’m going to a classmate’s house to get a notebook. I’ll be right back."

Chen Feng felt a twinge of guilt, but his worry for Lin Nian won out, and he pedaled his bicycle as fast as he could.

He came from a single-parent family. His mother, Li Xiaomei, worked as a nurse at the hospital, and their finances were modest. Because of this, Chen Feng had always been sensible and rational.

But he was still young, and at his core, he had a hero complex, a desire to be her savior. Most importantly, he had a crush on her.

Even if his crush wasn’t that deep yet, it was more than enough to send him flying to her side.

The boy told himself, ’I’m going to save someone.’

But when he got to the station, a red-eyed Lin Nian threw herself into his arms. "Chen Feng, what am I going to do?" she sobbed. "My family won’t let me go to school anymore! They won’t even give me the tuition money! They said they’re going to marry me off!" Her words ended in a fresh wave of sobs.

Holding the soft girl in his arms, Chen Feng was completely stunned, his face turning beet red.

His last shred of reason kicked in. "Let’s find somewhere else to talk," he stammered. "Th-there are too many people here."

Lin Nian gave a small sob and nodded obediently. Then, she led Chen Feng to a video hall.

Video halls of that era were one of the few places for entertainment, but they were also known for being rather suggestive places.

Chen Feng didn’t want to go in, but seeing Lin Nian’s tear-reddened eyes, he reluctantly followed her inside.

As it happened, Qin Jiao had just finished selling her wild vegetables and mushrooms. She stood there, watching the two familiar backs, her expression dark and unreadable.

Xiao Shi whispered beside her, "Sis, what’s wrong?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"It’s nothing."

Qin Jiao gave her younger sister a gentle smile, turned around, and continued walking home.

She knew. ’In this life, Lin Nian is still determined to get her claws into Chen Feng. After all, he’s the male lead of this book—the man who’s destined to become a powerful tycoon.’

Qin Jiao herself had zero interest in Chen Feng anymore, but she knew that in the future, he and Lin Nian were destined to go up against Shen Yi.

She thought for a moment and shook her head.

’Forget it. That’s Shen Yi’s family business. In this life, I won’t have anything to do with him.’