Chapter 13

Qiao Ye has always been self-willed. If it weren't for what happened a few years ago, she would probably still be the good girl in the eyes of others, just like Xue Xiaochen.

Standing downstairs of her home, she looked up at the house where she often lived. The house was now pitch black.

But it doesn’t matter. After all, at this time, not many houses have their lights on.

Joe was also sitting in the carport, taking out a cigarette from his pocket, the faint flame flashing in the darkness.

Then the cigarette was lit.

She held a cigarette in her mouth, and one smoke ring after another floated into the air and dispersed.

Soon, a cigarette burned out.

She subconsciously wanted to smoke another cigarette, but when she reached into her pocket, she found that the original box of cigarettes was now only an empty box.

Then he threw the box into the trash can.

She didn't go upstairs immediately, but stood up and let the cool breeze blow, trying to blow away all the smell of smoke on her body.

If Qiao's mother knew that she was hiding outside and smoking secretly again, she would probably give her a scolding.

When it was almost time, Qiao took the elevator back home.

The room was pitch black. After a quick wash, I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with my eyes open.

I don't know when I fell asleep.

The dream was a mess, and she seemed to be changing at different times. When she was awakened from the dream, the sky outside was still foggy.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw that only three hours had passed since she returned.

These three hours made her feel a little confused. She could only rub her forehead and mix herself a glass of wine.

The effect of ethanol made her brain a little clearer, although she didn't know why she drank it.

There was a rustling sound outside the door, followed by a pair of light footsteps stopping at her door.

Then, he disappeared into the kitchen.

It seems that Qiao's mother already knows that she is back.

Qiao's mother didn't have the habit of entering her room. Most of the time, she would knock on the door first and then come to talk to her at the door.

She could even imagine what kind of breakfast Qiao's mother would make.

Joe also sat on a chair at the bar, looking at the mahogany table casually.

She was flipping through her address book, but a message popped up at the top of the screen.

The note is: "Father".

She was slightly stunned for a moment. She didn't expect her father to call at this time.

I looked at the time again and it was seven o'clock in the morning.

But it was still foggy outside.

Autumn mornings sometimes look like this.

She answered her father's call.

The voice on the other end was very majestic, like that of a traditional patriarch.

Just by listening to his voice, she could imagine the expression of the man on the other end of the phone at this moment.

"Xiaoye, there's a business charity gala in Beijing on October 8th. You can fly over then."

The man's voice was slow and unyielding.

Qiao also glanced at the calendar on the table. October 8th was just after National Day.

But at that time she had made an appointment with Pei Qing and asked her to go somewhere else with her.

So she declined, "I have other things to do in October..."

Before she could finish her words, she heard a voice from the other end: "What's the matter with you? When you didn't want to study finance and insisted on taking the math exam, I didn't stop you. So now, are you going to go against my will?"

The man's words left her speechless.

Her father flew back from Beijing specifically for her college application, wanting her to apply for finance.

Her mother is a woman with no opinion of her own. Apart from her strong family background, her personality is very soft and anyone can bite her.

So, what she said was an application for her own college entrance exam was actually just a fierce quarrel between her and her father.

Finally, the man flicked his sleeves and left.

We didn't get in touch until the notice came out.

This time the man brought up the matter again, obviously well prepared, knowing what to say to leave her speechless.

Qiao was also silent. She couldn't refuse.

Strictly speaking, the last time I applied for college, it was a step back for me as a man.

So this time the man asked her to go to the capital, she could only take a step back.

But she still didn't want to let it go so easily. "The holiday ends on the 8th, and I'm very busy with classes..."

"I'll talk to your teacher about your studies. Don't worry."

Now, even if Joe wanted to say something, he couldn't.

She could only purse her lips, and finally, before the man's patience ran out, she said, "I understand."

"good."

After saying that, the man hung up the phone, leaving Qiao Ye alone, staring at the off screen in a daze.

She thought for a moment, found a name in the contacts, and then stared at the string of numbers.

At this time, a red sunrise had appeared in the sky, but when I opened the window, I could still feel a cool breeze.

She turned off her phone and walked out of the room.

At this moment, Qiao's mother just brought out a bowl of fragrant rice. "Why did you come back last night without telling me so that I could pick you up?"

"Ah. It's too late, so I didn't tell you."

“…” Qiao’s mother sat opposite her, looking at her with eyes that seemed to have seen through something.

Joe felt uncomfortable all over and could only move his body stiffly, trying to escape from the uncomfortable gaze.

Then, Qiao's mother's voice rang out, "You didn't go to the Internet cafe last night, did you?"

"No." Qiao also said, "I had something to do last night, but it was already very late when I finished, so I thought about going home."

"Oh, so that's how it is. I thought you went to the internet cafe again."

"No, no. You said that to me at that time, how could I dare to go to the Internet cafe?" Qiao also smiled awkwardly.

"I know you have your own ideas, and I know you've done a lot of things without telling me. Apart from your grandfather's connections, I can't give you any help. I just hope you can take good care of yourself, even when I'm not around in the future, you can take care of yourself."

Her words made Qiao Ye frown, and a bad feeling rose from the bottom of her heart. She looked at her: "Why are you saying this? Is there something that makes you unhappy?"

Mother Qiao smiled and said, "What can I do? I just want you to have a better life in the future. This is a mother's greatest wish."

"I will."

Qiao also finished his porridge and thought for a while, wondering whether to tell her about her father's call to her in the morning.

Seeing her expression, Qiao's mother immediately felt that she had something to say, and smiled faintly: "What do you want to say? I am your mother. If you have anything to say, you can say it directly. There is no need to worry about it."

Qiao Ye: "Father just called me."

Mother Qiao paused holding her chopsticks and pretended to be nonchalant. "What's the matter with him calling you?"

"He wants me to go to the capital on the 8th of next month."

As soon as these words came out, the chopsticks in Qiao's mother's hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"What did you say?"

Qiao Ye repeated, "He wants me to go to the capital on the 8th of next month."

Mother Qiao slammed the table and said sternly, "No. You can't go to the capital."

"But I've already promised him." Joe said slowly while picking up the dishes slowly.

"You..." The emotion in Qiao's mother's eyes gradually changed from shock to disappointment. She seemed to have lost all her strength, slumped in the chair, looking at her with lifeless eyes: "Why did you agree to him?"

"He didn't meddle in my affairs when I was applying for college." Qiao Ye's words seemed to make Qiao's mother understand something.

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is..." Mother Qiao muttered to herself, then seemed to think of something and immediately raised her head to look at her, "So when are you planning to come back? You can't stay in the capital all the time, right? Your father is very busy... It's not a good idea to stay with him all the time, is it?"

"I don't know. If it's the same as before, it will probably be half a month." Qiao also used the action of drinking porridge to hide the expression on his face.

She didn't want to see such an expression on her mother's face.

"Half a month, half a month..." Qiao's mother looked at her, "Are you sure you can come back in half a month?"

"Sure." Joe also put down the bowl and comforted her; "I still have to attend classes at University A. So you don't have to worry."

"That's good, that's good." Mother Qiao seemed to have taken some reassurance pills and breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still a little worried that she wouldn't come back. "You must come back. Mom is waiting for you here."

"Yeah, I understand."

After breakfast, Qiao returned to his room and looked at the screen of his mobile phone that had just been closed.

It was nine in the morning, so her calling wouldn't be out of place.

The phone only rang three times before it was picked up by the person on the other end. His voice was still thick with sleepiness. "Hello? Who is this?"

"It's me."

These two emotionless words made the person on the other side shudder, and immediately came back to their senses, "Ah, isn't this our sister? You're looking for me so early, what's going on?"

"Do me a favor."

"What's the matter?"

"Someone's going to visit you during the upcoming holiday. Find her a part-time job. It doesn't need to be too much, just enough for her to learn her major."

"Ah? I see. I'll tell you about it. We happen to be short of helpers here."

"…Sorry to bother you. No, no, if it weren't for Sister Ye, I'd probably still be a street urchin now."

"Um."

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Ye felt that he had dealt with a big issue. At least Pei Qing could learn a lot during the vacation.

She felt that the attention she paid to her was a little too much, and that something was wrong, but she couldn't tell what was wrong.

You can only follow your own ideas first and wait until something uncontrollable happens.