Chapter 34

With Ye Yunjian holding her high, Qiao Yu could only nod stiffly, which was considered an admission.

Lu Shangyi stretched out her fingertips and took the blind date list from Ye Yunjian's hand, flipping through a couple of pages. Her deep eyes revealed no emotion, and her voice was so low it seemed to come from the depths of her throat, "New friends?"

She lifted her thin eyelids and looked at the child with a half-smile, "You really enjoy making friends with Alphas and Egas?"

After a one-second pause, Lu Shangyi's tall and slender figure swept over him, "And the only thing you don't like is beta?"

If she admitted it, the problem would be huge! Qiao Yu didn't dare to look directly at Lu Shangyi's stunning face, instinctively avoiding her gaze and shaking her head frantically. She was racking her brains for an excuse when she suddenly heard the pleasant sound of high heels clicking on the ground behind her. Then, Mrs. Qiao's calm voice rang out, "Did I disturb you?"

Mother? !

Qiao Yu's eyes lit up, and she ran over with great enthusiasm, throwing herself into Mrs. Qiao's arms. "Mom, what brings you here?!" She was overjoyed and held Mrs. Qiao's arm tightly, as if afraid that she would run away.

She keenly sensed that after seeing Mrs. Qiao, all three of them became obedient.

She rolled her eyes, and the smile on Qiao Yu's face gradually became distorted. When did Aunt Ye become afraid of Ms. Qiao? She then turned her gaze to Lu Shangyi and Song Wanzi. They were all as docile as little lambs, their domineering aura completely gone, and they looked even less threatening than high school students these days.

Suddenly, Qiao Yu's eyelids twitched violently several times. These people... why do they have two faces?

They just think they're easy to bully.

Madam Qiao lowered her head, trying to pull her daughter out of her arms, but Qiao Yu was like a stubborn plaster, no matter how hard she tried, it was no use. After struggling a few times and failing to get past Qiao Yu, Madam Qiao simply gave up, and instead looked up at Lu Shangyi, her tone softening in an unassuming manner, "That was prepared for Qiao Yu."

Clinging to Ms. Qiao's arms, Qiao Yu immediately put on a show of bravado, winking and making faces at Ye Yunjian and the others, as if to say, "Let's see if you dare to say anything to me again."

Ignoring her daughter's arrogance, Madam Qiao walked over quietly and gestured for the three to sit down. "She will be an adult at the end of the month, and Yu Yu will soon be fully developed after that." Madam Qiao said with a smile, "Her father's idea is to arrange Yu Yu's marriage as soon as possible."

She opened her mouth, then suddenly closed it again, her dark eyes fixed on Qiao Yu, who was never leaving her side, and said, "Go upstairs."

Qiao Yu: "?"

"What are children supposed to hear when adults are chatting?" She was adamant, as if she wouldn't speak until Qiao Yu left that night. Helpless, Qiao Yu could only turn back every few steps, gazing at her with deep affection from afar.

"Something's definitely up to no good," Qiao Yu murmured. She pretended to have returned to her room, and as soon as she was out of their sight, she squatted down and slowly walked back, hiding in the nearest spot to eavesdrop.

Ye Yunjian leaned back lazily on the sofa, propping his chin up with one hand and gently tapping his thigh with the other, asking, "Isn't it too early?"

It's not uncommon for couples to get engaged before they're even adults, but the Qiao family is usually in such a hurry. Ye Yunjian narrowed his eyes, staring at the composed Ega, "The Qiao family has already eaten so much these past few days, aren't they satisfied yet?"

The words carried a hint of confrontation, and the surrounding air pressure instantly dropped, creating a tense atmosphere.

The woman's expression remained unchanged. Although she was just a weak and helpless EGA, her aura was no weaker than Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi. She smiled and said in a tone that Qiao Yu felt was a provocation to Ye Yunjian, "I can eat it, that's my skill."

The atmosphere reached freezing point again because of that one sentence. Qiao Yu was terrified. Was her tough old mother going to fight three against one?

Please don't!

Song Wanzi stared at Madam Qiao without speaking, her stunningly beautiful face devoid of any emotion, giving her an air of unfathomable mystery. Lu Shangyi, holding the matchmaking list, didn't believe Madam Qiao's aim was to solidify the Qiao family's position through a marriage alliance.

Her eyelashes drooped down in unison. After a moment, Lu Shangyi broke the tense atmosphere with a calm tone, "You want to find a suitable person to protect her."

Her confident statement instantly drew the attention of Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi. Protect Qiao Yu?

Qiao Yu has arms and legs, and she's about to differentiate into an alpha. Why would she need anyone to protect her? She's more likely to protect others.

Turning her gaze to Lu Shangyi with surprise, Madam Qiao was very satisfied with Lu Shangyi. She said with some sincerity, "If you weren't EGA, you would at least be in my top three."

At least.

Lu Shangyi's usually calm eyes flickered slightly, implying that she was currently fourth in the rankings.

Mrs. Qiao didn't want to reveal too much right now, but casually offered a couple of suggestions: "Be patient and gentle with Yu Yu during this time; it won't do you any harm." Just as Qiao Yu was feeling touched, her mother ruthlessly changed her mind again, saying, "However, if she really doesn't listen, it's not impossible for you to give her a good beating on my behalf."

Qiao Yu: "..."

The woman seemed to have rambled on, and Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi tried to discern something unusual from Madam Qiao's face. Only Lu Shangyi seemed thoughtful, as if she understood something.

A moment later, Qiao Yu heard the downstairs area completely quiet down. Before she could even get up, Madam Qiao's calm voice came from the living room, "Come out, stop hiding."

Qiao Yu remained motionless, and then the other person's voice, tinged with helplessness, rang out again, "I saw your skirt."

Looking back, Qiao Yu quickly gathered her skirt and appeared with a blank and questioning expression. "Mom, why did they leave?"

Mrs. Qiao was too lazy to expose her. She walked up to her daughter and stared at her for a long time until Qiao Yu felt uneasy. Finally, she looked away and gently raised her hand to tidy up the long hair next to Qiao Yu's cheek. "Yu Yu, no matter what happens in the future, you must be strong."

Qiao Yu was filled with questions. Faced with her unusually gentle mother, she subconsciously raised her finger to the sky and swore, "Mom, don't worry, I will definitely bring you first place in the grade this time."

"If I don't get first place in my grade, I won't go out to play again until the end of this semester."

Hearing this, the woman smiled faintly, her thoughts unreadable, and shook her head. Mrs. Qiao picked up her bag and left, saying, "Get some rest."

In Qiao Yu's memory, Ms. Qiao was mostly serious and didn't discipline her much. Now, she was suddenly giving herself chicken soup and hinting to Aunt Ye and the others that she was getting engaged, so there must be something wrong.

She couldn't figure out what the problem was, so she could only focus all her energy on the exam.

The exam wasn't too difficult, and Qiao Yu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after finishing one subject. Suppressing her urge to test Jiang Mei, Qiao Yu kept her study materials with her even during breaks, adopting the demeanor of a top student.

Jiang Mei noticed Qiao Yu's frequent glances and guessed what the other woman was thinking.

The other person's gaze was so intense that she couldn't ignore it. As the afternoon exam neared its end, she looked at her neatly written answer sheet, her pen paused, and she deliberately wrote down two wrong answers.

With a blank expression, Jiang Mei capped her pen and handed in her paper, leaving the room early.

She continued to slack off in the following subjects, feigning carelessness on questions she shouldn't have gotten wrong, leaving similar answers to make her hidden thoughts less difficult to discern. Whether she ranked first or second made no difference to her; all she cared about was Qiao Yu.

When Qiao Yu is happy, she is happy; when Qiao Yu is sad, she is sad.

Jiang Mei handed in her paper early again. Qiao Yu, biting her pen cap, stared at Jiang Mei's back and blinked. Finished again? She was still relatively calm, but the others in the exam room were starting to lose their composure. What kind of monster was Jiang Mei? How could she finish every subject so early?

After writing down the last answer, Qiao Yu quickly handed in her paper and left the examination room. Next up was Meng E, who ranked third in the grade this time.

Looking at the few empty seats, the others went crazy.

The exams were completely over by this afternoon. Qiao Yu called out to Jiang Mei, "Shall we have dinner together tonight?" She leaned closer to Jiang Mei and smiled brightly, "It's on me."

Jiang Mei lowered her eyes and gently shook her head. "I'm going home today."

Go home? Go back to her aunt's house? Thinking of Jiang Jinfeng, who hadn't appeared in a long time, Qiao Yu immediately said, "I'll get some people to go back with you." She was afraid that the greedy woman would bully Jiang Mei again. "I happen to have time tonight."

But Jiang Mei still refused, saying, "I can handle it."

She didn't want Qiao Yu to see her in such a wretched state again; she wanted to always appear before Qiao Yu with an aura of glory. Jiang Mei remained resolute, refusing to budge no matter what Qiao Yu said. Qiao Yu was both worried and relieved, thinking, "The female lead has grown up and doesn't need her mother anymore."

She was pleased that Jiang Mei had the desire to handle problems independently; however, her clear eyes fixed on the other woman as she stubbornly said, "If you can't handle it, then call me."

Jiang Mei pursed her lips and agreed, "Okay."

After Meng E handed in her exam paper, she only saw Qiao Yu. She quickly went to greet her, "Where's Jiang Mei?"

"I'm going home," Qiao Yu said. "I have some things to take care of."

Meng'e was a little worried, but seeing that Qiao Yu was very calm, she suppressed her worries and said, "I hope everything goes well for her."

The 18-year-old detached house was somewhat dilapidated, but fortunately, it was spacious, in a prime location, and in a good school district, making it extremely valuable. Jiang Mei stood at the door and heard sounds coming from inside. Her aunt, her gambling-addicted husband, and her cousin were all home.

Jiang Mei gently clenched her fist and stepped inside.

The family was preparing dinner, the table laden with fragrant, steaming meat and fish, looking incredibly tempting. Before Jiang Jinfeng could even pick up her chopsticks, she saw Jiang Mei suddenly appear and warily stepped in front of the table, asking, "Why are you back?"

I was very dissatisfied. Why did he have to come back just when it was almost time to eat? Wasn't that intentional?

Jiang Jinfeng crossed her arms and said sarcastically, "I thought you were dead out there." She looked Jiang Mei up and down, and seeing that she looked well, she felt a pang of resentment. "You've been doing quite well out there."

Jiang Mei looks much better now than before. Her face has filled out, and she's not as thin and cold as she used to be. Even her clothes look much more expensive than before. Jiang Jinfeng strode towards her, "At such a young age, you're already learning those shady ways to be kept by someone. You've completely disgraced the Jiang family."

Jiang Mei didn't want to argue when she came back today. She walked past Jiang Jinfeng with a blank expression and went to her small room, ignoring even the harshest insults from her.

But Jiang Jinfeng wouldn't let it go, uttering all sorts of offensive and vicious words.

Jiang Mei crouched down and pulled out the cardboard box from under the bed. She had already decided to sever ties with her aunt's family, and this trip back was only to take away her two most precious possessions. But as soon as she pulled the box out, she keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Her belongings, which she had packed neatly before leaving, were now a mess, and some of the pages of books had clearly been read.

His sharp gaze shifted, a suppressed rage simmering in his eyes. "You rummaged through my personal belongings."

Her firm tone and grim expression startled Jiang Jinfeng. Her heart skipped a beat, but Jiang Jinfeng tried to maintain her composure, sneering as she retorted, "Your personal belongings? What personal belongings could you possibly have? Everything you own belongs to this family!"

Under Jiang Mei's unwavering gaze, Jiang Jinfeng subconsciously avoided her eyes. "Jiang Mei, let me tell you, I raised you with great difficulty, and you can never sever ties with this family for the rest of your life."

“When you graduate next year, you must go out and work to earn money to support Zixuan.”

Jiang Mei stared at Jiang Jinfeng's distorted yet forceful face, and the last shred of affection she had for this family vanished completely. Silently, she took the photos out of the cardboard box and put them in her schoolbag. Jiang Mei stood up and coldly stood in front of Jiang Jinfeng, "Get out of the way."

Suddenly, Jiang Jinfeng had a feeling that Jiang Mei would never come back if she left today. She blocked the doorway with all her might, asking, "Where do you think you're going?"

“Jiang Mei, I can overlook the money you hid in the past, but,” she said, making an outrageous demand, “I raised you for eighteen years. Even if I didn’t do anything great, I still put in a lot of effort. You must compensate me with two million yuan in alimony.”

"Otherwise, I'll make a scene on TV and ruin your reputation so you'll never be able to hold your head up high again."

As soon as she finished speaking, the other person's emotionless gaze fixed on her. Jiang Jinfeng felt inexplicably guilty. Duan Zixuan, upon hearing this, also ran over and said, "Mom, two million isn't enough. You've raised her all these years, it should cost at least five million."

Five million yuan might not even buy a decent house these days. How can he get married without a good house? His father is a gambler who has squandered most of the family's savings. If Jiang Mei doesn't contribute more money, he'll be a bachelor for life.

After Duan Zixuan reminded her, Jiang Jinfeng also realized, "Yes, five million. You must give me five million in alimony, otherwise I will call everyone to see your ungrateful face."

She didn't really want to see Jiang Mei's annoying face again, so she said, "If you pay the money in full at once, you can do whatever you want in the future, and I won't bother you anymore."

Jiang Mei's dark eyes grew even colder. Without a word, she used her pheromones to force the two to back away before clutching her schoolbag tightly and striding away from this place that could never be called home to her. Nothing here belonged to her; all that belonged to her were those heavy, cold memories.

Fortunately, she finally met her own little sun.

Jiang Mei didn't hide the fact that she had moved out of her home and rented a place from Qiao Yu. However, when Qiao Yu offered to help, she refused as always, saying, "I've already packed up."

She didn't have many things to begin with, so there was nothing to pack. Calling Qiao Yu over would only show her her current disheveled state.

She was no longer willing to show her vulnerable side in front of him.

Qiao Yu couldn't refuse her, so she bought a bunch of things online as housewarming gifts for her. This time, Jiang Mei didn't refuse and accepted them all. Qiao Yu lay on the sofa with her phone in her arms, and Aunt Zhang said from the side, "Yu Yu, this is the invitation list your mother has prepared. Take it and familiarize yourself with it."

When the Qiao family decided to hold a grand coming-of-age ceremony for their daughter, invitations flew all over the country like snowflakes.

Because of the recent rise of the Qiao family, and because Qiao Yu is of marriageable age, a group of people with ulterior motives began to secretly prepare, especially those EGAs of similar age to Qiao Yu. These EGAs started dieting and skincare at least a month in advance, spending money without batting an eye.

It doesn't matter if I spend a little more money now. Once the Qiao family takes a liking to me, all of the Qiao family's money will be mine in the future. There's no need to lose the big picture for a small gain.

Because of the rumors circulating outside, even some of Tang Shu's friends were jumping on the bandwagon. Tang Shu was very unhappy, extremely unhappy. Although she and Qiao Yu had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, they had always been rivals.

She and Qiao Yu always had a relationship where they had to compete to see who would win.

People who were originally similar to her suddenly became highly sought-after figures in the dating market because they were about to differentiate into alphas, and Tang Shu suddenly lost all interest in dating.

Unfortunately, the other person still bothered her at this time, and Tang Shu lost her temper and broke up with him on the spot.

But less than two hours after the breakup, Qiao Yu somehow found out and quickly called her to ask, "I heard you broke up?"

Tang Shu frowned unhappily. "I can talk if I want, and I can break up if I want. Is it bothering you?"

Her words were laced with barbs, and Qiao Yu smiled, her eyes crinkling. "No, it's just that your sudden breakup at this crucial moment makes me wonder." Her tone was sarcastic, and Tang Shu immediately realized what she meant, angrily denying, "You're really overthinking this time."

"I could like a pig but I could never like you."

Qiao Yu wasn't angry; she still smiled as she spoke, "I'll be waiting for you then."

Tang Shu didn't ask what she was waiting for, but she was definitely up to no good. Tang Shu gripped her phone and thought viciously: People like Qiao Yu should be transformed into EGAs that everyone can bully, then let's see how arrogant she can still be.

Qiao Yu didn't care much about Tang Shu's breakup. This person was as casual about dating as drinking water, and was never serious about it.

Setting her phone aside, Qiao Yu felt inexplicably anxious about her grades. Fortunately, Ye Yunjian, Song Wanzi, and Lu Shangyi had all been busy with their own things since their conversation with Ms. Qiao that day and hadn't come looking for her again. When Qiao Yu finally got a breather, she couldn't help but feel a little empty. "Although I was quite scared when they bullied me, now that they're not coming anymore, I feel like something's missing from my life."

The system's wise eyes had already seen through everything. "Host, you're just asking for it."

“You don’t understand,” Qiao Yu shook her head. “This is called romance.”

She sighed regretfully, "It's just a pity that I won't turn 18 until the end of the month."

You can only do bad things after you become an adult; don't even think about it before you become an adult.

Qiao Yu counted on her fingers, "It's been years since I've touched a girl's hand." The last time she finally managed to touch Lu Shangyi's hand, she almost got eaten by him instead. Qiao Yu still feels scared when she thinks about Lu Shangyi back then.

Qiao Yu exclaimed in confusion, "Can EGA be this strong?"

But when she thought of the equally courageous Ms. Qiao, she immediately felt relieved.

After anxiously waiting for several days, Qiao Yu's exam results finally came out, and her homeroom teacher was the first to send her congratulations. After once again securing first place, Qiao Yu was overjoyed and immediately ran next door to ask Qiao Jinghuai for money, "Dad, I got first place, can you give me another five million? I'll save it as my dowry for my future wife."

Qiao Jinghuai got a headache as soon as she opened her mouth, and it got even worse when he heard her ask for five million in one go. "Don't even think about it."

"Do you think money blows in from the wind or falls from the sky?"

Qiao Yu frowned, "How stingy! It's just five million. If I can't find a partner in the future, it'll all be your fault."

Upon hearing this, Madam Qiao casually lifted her eyelids and said, "Here you go."

Qiao Yu smiled and hurriedly ran over to massage her shoulders. "Mom is the best." She massaged her shoulders again and again. "It's the same account, Mom, don't enter the wrong card."

"Understood," Mrs. Qiao replied. Qiao Jinghuai hesitated, seeing how much his wife doted on their daughter, but a single glance from her silenced him. Qiao Yu laughed at him, "Dad, you're acting nothing like an alpha anymore."

Qiao Jinghuai turned his head away, too lazy to pay attention to her.

After successfully getting the money, Qiao Yu was in a good mood. After asking Meng E about her grades, she tentatively asked about Jiang Mei's total score. Meng E didn't hide anything and told her directly, "This time she scored twenty points less than you, but she still got second place in the grade."

Twenty points less? Qiao Yu was bewildered. That couldn't be. There was no way she could drop that many points at once.

On the other end, Meng'e moved her fingers, wanting to tell Qiao Yu her guess, but after hesitating for a moment, she suppressed the thought. She couldn't be 100% sure that her reasoning was correct, so it was better not to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Because Qiao Yu successfully won first place, the meticulously prepared EGAs once again put on their best efforts to impress Qiao Yu at her coming-of-age ceremony and capture this juicy prey on the spot.

Qiao Yu was completely unaware of all this. She happily piled up five million in cash in her bedroom as a reward for herself. In a great mood, she went over and touched it, calculating that, together with the other five million her mother had promised her, this would be all the dowry she would need to get married.

As for the house and car, we can ask our families for them later.

Once she has differentiated, she will give all ten million to whoever agrees to marry her.

Qiao Yu stared at the pile of cash, lost in thought. "I just don't know if Sister Lu would even care about such a small amount of money."

Lu Shangyi was Qiao Yu's first choice. Although she was a delicate EGA, she was beautiful, with a slim waist and long legs, and felt incredibly soft to hold. Even if she was sometimes a bit strong and domineering, it didn't affect her at all; on the contrary, it made her even more attractive.

As her birthday drew closer, Qiao Yu couldn't help but look forward to the moment she would undergo her transformation.

The birthday fell on a weekend, and the hotel owned by the Qiao family was packed with limited-edition luxury cars. The men were impeccably gentlemanly and dignified, while the women were radiant and charming—a truly pleasing sight. To celebrate their daughter's birthday, the couple had invited almost half of the most powerful and influential figures in the country.

Faces rarely seen at other times appeared in droves today, leaving the media unsure of who to focus their cameras on. In the end, they could only snap photos randomly and then select one lucky person to make the headlines.

Under Madam Qiao's insistence, Qiao Yu put on a smoky pink fitted dress. She had fair skin, a small frame, and delicate features, paired with long, thick, slightly wavy black hair. Her charming girlishness was mixed with a subtle, alluring quality, making her incredibly captivating.

Qiao Jinghuai was still stunned by his daughter's beauty when she interrupted him, saying, "Dad, it's my birthday today, you have to give me a big red envelope, right? How about two million?"

Silently shifting his gaze, Qiao Jinghuai thought regretfully, "He's good-looking, but it's a pity he has a mouth."

It wasn't time yet, and Madam Qiao wouldn't let Qiao Yu go out and show her face. Bored, Qiao Yu picked up her phone to check Meng E and Jiang Mei's status. After learning that they would be arriving at the hotel soon, she specially arranged for someone to go out and greet them.

With two or three hours to go before the official start, Qiao Yu was getting bored and quietly slipped out of her room. However, she didn't dare go far and just wandered around the doorway. As she walked, a tall and elegant figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

The other person was on the phone, and the hand peeking out from their wrist clearly indicated the owner's extraordinary status and wealth.

The woman's strong sixth sense told Qiao Yu that the other person was an alpha with excellent genes.

Her gaze couldn't help but linger on the other person's ramrod straight back and waist. Through the glass in front of the woman, she could vaguely see the other person's face. It was very deep and three-dimensional, and the expression was also very gentle, but it was unusually unapproachable. At the same time, it exuded an aura of "I have seen through the world, please do not disturb me."

Qiao Yu rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. What did her wariness of the slut have to do with her being so aggressive?

Seeing the other person put their phone away, she strode over with an air of composure, flashed a perfectly timed smile, and said, "Hello."

Bai Yiyu had noticed the suspicious-looking girl behind her long ago, but since the girl hadn't approached, she hadn't paid any attention. At that moment, the girl's perfectly soft voice rang out, so she turned around gently, "What is it?"

Now that they were closer, Qiao Yu noticed an indescribable tenderness about the other person.

Especially those smiling, almond-shaped eyes, they're practically addictive, like a drug.

Qiao Yu's eyes crinkled into a smile; she loved it!

Clearing her throat, Qiao Yu squeezed out two pitiful tears, her dark eyes glistening as she looked up at Bai Yiyu. "My parents won't let me leave my room, but I'm so lonely and scared being alone in there. So, kind auntie, could you come and keep me company?"

Bai Yiyu glanced at her eyes, which were completely devoid of tears, and asked, "Are you an adult?"

Author's Note: Inviting the wolf into the house, Joe

It's the weekend again! I'm giving away red envelopes in the comments today.