When the former Class One students saw Jiang Chan walk in, they all greeted her warmly. “Sister Chan, we’re in the same class again! You’ll have to watch out for me from now on.”
Jiang Chan, carrying her schoolbag in one hand, replied, “It’s only the beginning of our first year. Don’t exaggerate so much.”
Mo Xingyu ran over eagerly to help Jiang Chan with her bag. “Don’t even think about it. I’m Jiang Chan’s closest friend!”
Their classmates laughed and cheered. “Sister Chan belongs to all of us! With Sister Chan here holding down the fort, we’re not afraid of anything!”
Jiang Chan looked at her classmates and silently grumbled, What do they mean by ‘holding down the fort’? I’m not some mascot protecting the house.
Just as things were getting lively, Jiang Lianyu walked in with her backpack. There was a faint trace of melancholy on her face, and her figure was thin and frail, giving off a pitiful and delicate impression.
Mo Xingyu, who knew the history between Jiang Chan and Jiang Lianyu, having witnessed Jiang Chan tearing into her before, pouted when she saw her.
“I really can’t stand her. Just thinking about being stuck in the same class with her until the division of arts and sciences makes me nauseous.”
She leaned her head against Jiang Chan’s arm, her round face rubbing against it. “Look at her pretending to be all pitiful. Who’s she putting on the act for?”
Jiang Chan poked Mo Xingyu’s chubby cheek. “She’s not pretending. She’s really had a rough time lately.”
Mo Xingyu’s eyes lit up. “Sister Chan, enlighten me!”
“Jiang Yu took Jiang Lianyu and Jiang Siyu for a paternity test a few days ago,” Jiang Chan said offhandedly.
Mo Xingyu’s head shot up. “No way, they’re only doing that now? What were the results?”
She perked up immediately, though she still kept her voice down. Although she disliked Jiang Lianyu, since Jiang Lianyu hadn’t provoked her, Mo Xingyu didn’t want to go around spreading anyone’s personal business.
“What else could it be? Of course she’s Jiang Yu’s daughter. But as for her brother, that’s not so certain.” Jiang Chan slowly turned a page in her book, looking completely unbothered.
“That’s huge! Raising someone else’s son all these years?”
Just thinking about it made Mo Xingyu excited.
“If you ask me, Jiang Yu and her mom really are a perfect match.” As someone who loved gossip, Mo Xingyu knew all about Jiang Chan’s background. Now hearing that Jiang Lianyu had gotten caught up in something similar made her feel quite satisfied.
“Right? That’s why she’s not having such a good time now. Jiang Yu divorced her mom, and she’s stuck living with Jiang Yu. Of course she’s worried. What if Jiang Yu brings home a new stepmom?”
Seeing that Mo Xingyu was about to ask more, Jiang Chan tapped her desk. “The teacher’s coming in. Don’t concern yourself too much with other people’s business.”
Mo Xingyu sat up sheepishly. “Sister Chan, it’s so frustrating to only hear half the story!”
It felt like the drama was unfolding one wave after another, but Jiang Chan refused to say more, leaving her even more curious.
To be honest, seeing Jiang Lianyu in her current state made Jiang Chan feel pleased. In the original host’s memories, the reason she was treated that way couldn’t have happened without Jiang Lianyu’s instigation.
Especially later on, when the original host developed a drug addiction and ended up in such a tragic state, it was all orchestrated by Qin Miao and Jiang Lianyu. Jiang Chan was only paying back a small portion now. The real show hadn’t even begun.
She glanced over in Jiang Lianyu’s direction. This was just interest on the debt. As long as Jiang Lianyu didn’t provoke her, she wouldn’t go to extremes.
Of course, if Jiang Lianyue were foolish enough to insist on getting in her way, then Jiang Chan wouldn’t be blamed for being merciless.
As the top high school in the city, all the students here were elite. Everyone was used to being the best and didn’t easily admire others. But in front of Jiang Chan, the top provincial scorer with perfect marks, they all willingly bowed their heads.
Especially when the third day of school brought the diagnostic test. Jiang Chan once again ranked first with full marks, and everyone felt even more pressure.
With such a prodigy towering over them, could any of them hope to stand out in these next three years?
Every subject teacher was nothing but gentle and kind toward Jiang Chan. Mo Xingyu shamelessly became her deskmate again, and the thought of sitting next to her every day had her smiling with glee.
Jiang Chan’s high school life was calm and uneventful. She had to juggle both her studies and company responsibilities, so she was always extremely busy. On the other hand, things weren’t going so well for Jiang Lianyu. Jiang Yu was seriously looking to find her a stepmother.
The day after Jiang Yu and Qin Miao divorced, he took Jiang Lianyu to meet Qi Yan. Seeing Qi Yan’s swollen belly, Jiang Lianyue felt a wave of coldness in her heart.
She finally understood what Qin Miao had meant. No wonder they were in such a hurry to divorce. Sure, Qin Miao had done something wrong, but the other reason was that Qi Yan probably couldn’t wait much longer with that belly of hers.
What if Jiang Siyu really were Jiang Yu’s son? Would all of this still be happening now? At that thought, Jiang Lianyue was filled with resentment toward Qin Miao.
These past few days, she hadn’t been able to sleep at all. On one hand, she was worried that Qi Yan would marry into the family, and she’d have to live under Qi Yan’s thumb in the future. On the other hand, she was also worried whether Qin Miao would be doing okay after the divorce. In less than a week, Jiang Lianyu had lost a noticeable amount of weight. Seeing Jiang Chan in class, full of confidence and success, Jiang Lianyu felt a deep sense of envy and jealousy.
Back when Qin Miao was Jiang Chan’s stepmother, Jiang Chan didn’t say a word before moving to the Lin family. Jiang Yu hadn’t dared object, because the Lin family had enough power to stand against him.
But what did she have? No good grandparents, an unreliable mother and her only support now was Jiang Yu. And if Jiang Yu really brought Qi Yan home, would there be any good days left for her?
Jiang Chan could clearly guess what Jiang Lianyu was thinking. To put it bluntly, Jiang Lianyu simply couldn’t stand on her own. She only ever wanted to rely on others and never thought to fight for herself.
Qin Miao was a typical dodder-like woman, and under her subtle influence, Jiang Lianyue developed the same kind of character. She always hoped to cling to someone else, expecting to gain without putting in the effort.
As Qi Yan’s belly grew, Jiang Yu became more and more anxious. He had already proposed several times, but Qi Yan had rejected him each time.
Jiang Yu was terrified Qi Yan would leave. After all, she was carrying his son. After getting turned down again, Jiang Yu was incredibly frustrated. Qi Yan didn’t care about the title of Mrs. Jiang at all. What could he possibly do to keep her?
Meanwhile, Qi Yan had been keeping Jiang Yu on his toes lately. Just like Jiang Chan said, he really did divorce Qin Miao. It looked like working with Jiang Chan was indeed a safe bet.
However, Qi Yan had her own selfish reasons for not accepting Jiang Yu’s marriage proposal.
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