Qin Xiaoyu sat in the back seat, her little sister, tired from playing, had fallen into a deep sleep in her arms. Hanhan was also sleepy and swaying from side to side, but still stubbornly persevered.

"Sleep well, son, lean against Mommy." Qin Xiaoyu moved aside a bit so that Hanhan could lift his legs up as well. She held her little sister in one arm and stretched out the other arm to protect Hanhan. Feeling safe, Hanhan quickly fell asleep as well.

Zhou Xing drove more and more carefully.

Qin Xiaoyu dared not think about what would happen to her two children if she broke ties with the Zhou family one day.

"I reckon the person taking the photos was sent by Bai Weiwei. They must have been following us in a car. We were too careless," Zhou Xing said regretfully.

"We'll wait for her to make her demands. She won't easily throw out such a big bargaining chip," Qin Xiaoyu began to think of a strategy.

“Xiaoyu, remember this: no matter what happens, face our relationship squarely. We haven’t made any mistakes, and we don’t need to bow our heads.” Zhou Xing parked the car on the side of the road, turned around, stared into her eyes, and said each word clearly.

"Okay." Qin Xiaoyu nodded emphatically.

She made that promise, and she has to keep it.

Sure enough, everything was calm when she got home. Bai Weiwei was like a time bomb, buried somewhere, quietly waiting to be ignited.

Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to waste time waiting.

She always had a good attitude; she would leave things she couldn't solve to deal with as they came, and focus on doing what she could do well first.

As she becomes more outstanding, the cards she holds become stronger. Negotiations can only be conducted between equals; she must strive for this.

As preparations for the new campus began, she spent a lot of time running around every day, and had many things to do. Since public transportation was inconvenient, she had to go back to Tangjia to bring out that old bicycle.

It was an old piece of furniture, and after sitting for a while, everything that could rust had rusted away. It would rattle and clang for ages if you touched it. Qin Xiaoyu brought out a basin of water, squatted down, and wiped it clean; the rag was now completely unrecognizable.

"Xiaoyu, don't ride this anymore. I get all nervous just looking at a bicycle now," her cousin-in-law said in a nagging tone. Qin Xiaoyu knew what she was worried about, so she simply went along with her.

"I really can't get used to riding big bicycles. If it really comes down to it, I'll just buy a smaller one."

Now there are people riding 26-inch bicycles on the street. They are small and suitable for women to ride, but they require a ticket and are not cheap. However, none of this matters to Qin Xiaoyu.

"Don't ride your bicycle, walk a little further." Her cousin-in-law wouldn't let it go, and Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to argue with her, so she could only return to school empty-handed.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Qi Si's car and hurriedly ran upstairs.

"Here, you can drive this car." Qi Si threw the car keys on the table.

"Why?" Qin Xiaoyu was taken aback.

"You must be tired from running around all day. It's much more convenient to have a car. Come on, I'll take you to practice driving. You're so smart, you'll learn in a few days."

"Brother, you've given me the car, so what are you going to do?"

"Your brother isn't worried about not having a car? Someone just gave me one. That car has a low chassis, and the roads where you're going aren't good, so you can drive this one. Come on, let's go downstairs and I'll take you to learn to drive."

"Brother, I can drive," Qin Xiaoyu said hesitantly.

"Girl, I'm not exaggerating. Driving is a serious matter. Even though there aren't many people on the road, hitting one can be fatal..." Qi Si didn't believe it this time.

"Brother, how could I lie to you? Come on, let's go downstairs and try." Qin Xiaoyu picked up the keys and went downstairs.

"Hey girl, don't scare me, I'll do it."

"Brother, you can just sit here." Qin Xiaoyu quickly got into the driver's seat.

Qi Si sat nervously in the passenger seat, watching Qin Xiaoyu shift gears, start the car, and steadily turn it halfway around before driving out the gate.

"Wow, my girl, I'm really impressed."

"What are you talking about? Didn't you already submit to me?"

"I'm truly impressed now." Qi Si could only give a thumbs up.

With Qi Si's car, Qin Xiaoyu was like a tiger with wings.

There was one problem: Qi Si's car was an off-road vehicle, and it was very tall. Qin Xiaoyu was thin and small, so she had to climb up and down the car every time she got in and out, which made her stand out.

In those days, private cars were extremely rare, and female drivers were even rarer. Qin Xiaoyu was the only female driver in the entire city. Besides, this car had once been Qi Si's vehicle; who didn't know Brother Qi Si?

It would be difficult for Qin Xiaoyu not to become famous.

Zhou Xing was depressed for several days after Qi Si beat him to it.

Qin Xiaoyu initially gave him some face and coaxed him a little, but later she felt more and more awkward, so she simply found an opportunity to confront him directly.

"Zhou Xing, you know what kind of relationship I have with Fourth Brother, right?"

"Of course I know."

"So, what other ideas do you have?"

"It's just a little awkward, you know how it is for men."

"I don't understand. If you don't mind my relationship with Fourth Brother, why are you still bothered by this matter?"

"Little Fish, stop talking. You've already made me ashamed. This is my fault." Zhou Xing was very perceptive and realized his mistake immediately.

"No, you don't understand where you went wrong at all." Qin Xiaoyu had already decided to resolve this matter once and for all. She didn't want the conflicts to pile up and eventually cause an avalanche.

"Okay, I'm willing to listen to you." In front of Qin Xiaoyu, Zhou Xing had long lost his original coolness and actually showed some of the demeanor of a loyal puppy.

"Are you trying to raise me like a canary? I don't doubt your abilities, but unfortunately, I'm not a canary. Now that we're out in the open, you've misjudged me. You can find someone else to raise. If you want me to be happy, give me enough space."

"Okay, I respect your decision."

"No, that's far from enough. If we're together, you respect me, and I'll respect you—that's the bare minimum. But you also have to trust me, and believe that I have good reasons even when I don't explain myself. If you can't do that, I'd rather we end it now, never start again, let each other go, and avoid getting hurt."

Qin Xiaoyu tried her best to control her emotions and spoke calmly. From Zhou Xing's eyes, it was clear he was still hurt.

"Little Fish, don't be so harsh. It's just a small matter, and you're making a mountain out of a molehill."

"That's exactly how it should be, because you don't know how high I want to fly. If you restrict my space, I might really have to give up on you."

Qin Xiaoyu has already taken a big step from her despair towards men in her previous life to now trying to accept Zhou Xing. She doesn't want to gamble anymore.

"Okay, I promise you."

"Then this will be the last time. Don't let a similar situation happen again." Qin Xiaoyu said firmly, while Zhou Xing looked like a pitiful little puppy.

Zhou Xing agreed, but found a good excuse, complaining that Qi Si's car was too big and not suitable for a woman to drive, and insisted on keeping the car.

The two men got into a tug-of-war and neither was willing to drive the car away, so Qin Xiaoyu ended up with two cars and had to choose which one to drive each day.