It was utterly embarrassing; the cop even thought she was sick or had a heat stroke and asked if they needed a ride to the nearest hospital.

Jiaojiao almost shook her head off.

Duan Xi, on the other hand, was quite unfazed, displaying no emotion whatsoever.

Once they got to the school, Jiaojiao handed the prepared items to Aunt Tang and chatted with her briefly before heading upstairs.

Duan Xi didn’t follow her upstairs. After all, he was a guy, and the girls’ dorms can be quite open during the summer. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to go up, and Jiaojiao didn’t have much stuff; she carried it herself.

In the dorm, Cao Qiu, Li Que, and Liang Wenjing were all there. The room was cleaned up, and Jiaojiao’s desk and cabinet were spotless, her bed tidied.

Jiaojiao gave out the snacks she brought for them to eat while chatting away.

Then, when it was time, she went with Yang Hui and Wu Huan from next door to register at the department. She was worried she might run into Jiang Xun, but she didn’t encounter him at all during registration, which was a relief.

When she returned to the duplex that evening, Jiaojiao saw Duan Xi looking the same as usual, thinking today’s matter was over.

But she was completely unprepared for the next day. When she checked her phone, she found many messages all asking her why she suddenly changed her phone number.

Jiaojiao was initially perplexed, but later learned they all received a text saying she changed her number.

Jiaojiao immediately knew who was behind this, sighing quietly. She thought things were over, but this was waiting for her.

However, at that time, Jiaojiao had no idea it wasn’t finished yet... because the next day, during class meetings, she saw their class president with a bruised face and panda eyes...

"..." Jiaojiao.

Silently hugged her "small and fragile" self, even though she knew her brother Xi wouldn’t treat her like that, but started avoiding Jiang Xun from then on.

And this lifestyle continued for over a year.

——

The summer of 1998.

Fourth-year schedules were gradually clearing up, and after finishing two morning classes on Friday, Jiaojiao was running outside with her backpack when she received a call from Duan Xi.

"Hey, brother Xi, you don’t need to come pick me up. Aunt will be here soon to pick me up, I’m going directly to Grandpa’s place. Remember to come early." As soon as she answered, Jiaojiao spoke to Duan Xi over the phone.

Duan Xi was a bit unhappy about her not coming with him, so Jiaojiao coaxed, "Brother Xi, we’re destined for greatness, how can we be bogged down by trivial matters of love? Don’t forget, what’s today’s main task?"

Today was Little Potato’s third birthday, and Jiaojiao wanted to arrive early at the Shu Family home to gather some sponsorship while everyone was present, because Duan Xi planned to start a business this year and needed startup funds. Their money was all spent last year buying buildings and several courtyard houses; all usable funds were gone.

Jiaojiao knew Duan Xi wasn’t comfortable asking Duan Qianyang, nor anyone else, so it was up to her.

Duan Xi responded and chatted with her for a bit before reluctantly hanging up.

Gu Zichen’s car arrived outside, and Jiaojiao spotted it immediately, trotting over.

"Aunt!" Jiaojiao climbed into the front passenger seat, scooping up Little Potato from the seat beside her.