Qin Jiao smiled and said, "Why, thank you for the compliment. We’ll certainly do our best. But you should be careful, Classmate Lin. You already fell out of the top fifty this time. Next time, don’t let yourself slip out of the top one hundred."

"I would never!"

"You can’t be so sure. After all, puppy love can make your grades slip," Qin Jiao said, her smile the picture of sincerity. "I’m only saying this for your own good, Classmate Lin."

Lin Nian’s smile faltered. A sudden thought seemed to strike her, and she asked warily, "Qin Jiao, are you jealous of me?"

’Lin Nian remembered that in this book, Chen Feng was the male lead, and Qin Jiao was the female lead.’

’If Qin Jiao was still hung up on Chen Feng...’

Qin Jiao knew what she was thinking and was about to say something ambiguous to make her paranoid when she suddenly heard the person beside her speak up. "Qin Jiao has no need to be jealous of you."

Lin Nian looked over. To be honest, her feelings about Shen Yi were complicated.

The reason was simple: Shen Yi was far more handsome than Chen Feng.

’But what good was being handsome? He had a bad temper and was moody, and most importantly, he was the great villain of the book.’

’And what did being a villain mean? It meant he was destined to end up as cannon fodder.’

So, Lin Nian quickly snapped herself out of her daze over Shen Yi’s good looks.

Qin Jiao, on the other hand, watched Shen Yi with interest, curious to see what he would say next.

Shen Yi glanced between the two of them and said languidly, "Because Qin Jiao is far, far better than you. One doesn’t need to be jealous of one’s inferiors."

’Qin Jiao thought Shen Yi’s languid delivery was truly infuriating. Fortunately, she wasn’t the one he was infuriating at the moment.’

Any romantic notions Lin Nian had a moment ago instantly vanished. With a sneer, she said, "Don’t forget, I scored better than her on the last monthly exam!"

"Qin Jiao will surpass you on the next monthly exam."

"Fine, then. I’ll be waiting to see it!"

Lin Nian stormed off in a huff. Left behind, a speechless Qin Jiao turned to Shen Yi. "You have that much confidence in me?"

"Mm."

His single, earnest "Mm" left Qin Jiao at a loss. She gave a dry laugh, turned her head away, and muttered, ’What in the world is wrong with this Shen Yi?’

’He’s completely different from how he was in my last life.’

She didn’t know that long after she had turned her head, his gaze remained fixed on her.

**

「Before they knew it, the Mid-Autumn Festival had arrived.」

The Mid-Autumn Festival came late this year because of the leap month, but it was also the first reunion festival the family of four had spent together.

The buns their family sold were a huge hit, and they sold out every day.

And so, they managed to save up money bit by bit.

That Sunday, as the family of four discussed how to celebrate the festival, Su Yun deposited their earnings into a passbook. "Once we save up a bit more money," she remarked, "we can rent a small storefront. That way, we can earn even more."

Qin Zhonghui’s hand had already healed. He gave a simple, honest smile and asked, "You think we can really run a shop?"

"Why not? It’s not that different from hawking on the streets like we are now. We’ll just have the pressure of rent and have to be busier. But if we do it well, we’ll earn much more."

Su Yun had always been a resilient, hardworking woman, and she began to chatter on as she planned out the family’s future.

Qin Jiao, however, looked up from the side. "Mom, we’ll definitely open a shop someday, but there’s no rush right now."

"Why?"

"I’m worried people will come and cause trouble. If that happens, it’ll put you and Dad in a very difficult position."

Su Yun froze for a moment, but she understood in the next instant. She turned her head to look at her husband, Qin Zhonghui.

Then she fell silent.

’She was right. As long as they were just selling buns from a cart on the street, those people wouldn’t think they had much money. But if they opened a proper shop...?’

Qin Zhonghui frowned. "They wouldn’t do that, would they?"