Jiang Qiao understood the situation between Li Ling and Zhao Jianjun. Back then, Li Ling was the one chasing after Zhao Jianjun, while Zhao Jianjun had never been interested in Li Ling at all. However, due to certain circumstances, he had no choice but to deal with Li Ling.

Now that Li Ling has transformed herself and is on the same starting line as him, he probably won't be the same as before, and he must feel a sense of loss.

Thinking of Li Ling's appearance, Jiang Qiao couldn't help but laugh. If that girl hadn't been infatuated with Zhao Jianjun, she would actually be quite smart.

What Jiang Qiao didn't expect was that Li Ling would actually block her at the gate. She felt that the biggest contributor to her being able to get into high school was not herself, but Jiang Qiao. If it weren't for Li Ling explaining things to her, encouraging her, and helping her with exam questions, how could she have gotten into high school, let alone the best high school in the county?

When she received the admission notice, she was so excited that she wanted to share it with Jiang Qiao. But the girl had gone on a long trip and hadn't returned by the time school started. Li Ling only found out that Jiang Qiao had come back yesterday when she heard from her classmates that the top student in the county had come to class.

"Oh my god, Qiao'er, I've missed you so much! Let me see you!"

Jiang Qiao hadn't even stopped the car when Li Ling grabbed her. The girl acted like she was crazy, hugging Jiang Qiao and looking her up and down.

"Wow, you've grown taller, fairer, and prettier! Hehe, Jiang Qiao, what did you eat? We haven't seen each other all summer, and you've suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Tell me honestly."

Jiang Qiao was a little unaccustomed to her former deskmate's enthusiasm.

"Big sister, you need to keep your composure. Can't you see how many people are watching us?"

Li Ling's excitement remained unchanged, but she playfully stuck out her tongue and said with a hint of complaint, "I haven't seen you in a long time, and I'm in high school now. For the next three years, we can fight side by side."

Jiang Qiao could understand Li Ling's excitement; this dark horse that had emerged had indeed impressed the teachers and classmates.

"Li Ling, we were classmates in junior high and even in the same class in high school. I was standing right there, how come you didn't see me?"

Li Ling snorted, "You didn't greet me either, did you? Good morning, Zhao Jianjun. Isn't it a bit late to greet you now?"

Jiang Qiao shook her head helplessly, "Alright, stop teasing. Let's hurry into the classroom. We still have morning self-study. I'm different from you guys. I still have a lot of courses to catch up on. We can talk about it later. Anyway, there are still three years left, so it won't make a difference if we wait a little longer."

Li Ling accompanied Jiang Qiao all the way to the classroom before reluctantly leaving. One was in Class 5 and the other in Class 7, quite far apart. She wished she could be in the same class as Jiang Qiao, but alas, things don't go according to her wishes.

When Jiang Qiao entered the classroom, she was startled by the sea of ​​heads. She thought she was early, but it turned out there were people even earlier than her.

Her arrival didn't cause any commotion. Some people just glanced at her before she went back to reading.

Jiang Qiao's bespectacled male classmate glanced at her, gave her a rare nod, and then went about his business.

Such a learning atmosphere made Jiang Qiao sigh with admiration; they were all diligent and studious classmates, and she herself was probably an outlier.

He slowly opened his schoolbag, scribbling down words while silently memorizing them.

During the break, her male deskmate finally dropped his aloofness and took the initiative to greet Jiang Qiao.

Actually, she knew yesterday that her deskmate's name was Zhao Guohua. It was written in his notebook. She could see it even without asking. It's just that yesterday the boy seemed unwilling to talk to her. But today, for some reason, he took the initiative to talk to her.

The two exchanged a few casual words, and several heads peeked in from the classroom doorway, all looking in her direction.

"Do you realize that all these people are watching you?"

Jiang Qiao gave a wry smile. "What's so good-looking about me? Am I any different from you? What, do I look special?"

Zhao Guohua smiled. "Because your grades used to be better than theirs. They came over to get to know you so they can catch up next time. Oh, I forgot to tell you, we have our midterm exams the day after tomorrow, so you need to prepare well. Do you need me to tutor you?"

Jiang Qiao waved her hand and said, "Forget it, even if I get tutoring again, I won't be able to keep up. I've fallen too far behind. I'll learn slowly and there's no rush."

Zhao Guohua was actually quite curious. "Jiang Qiao, I heard you're even younger than us, and you skipped grades in junior high. How did you study? Tell us about it."

As soon as he said that, the people in front turned around, and those behind him nudged her back, saying, "Jiang Qiao, tell us how you did so well on the exam. Can you share some tips with us?"

Jiang Qiao sighed, thinking to herself, "I learned these things in my past life, but I can't say them now. I still need to be humble and cautious."

She blinked her big, bright eyes and glanced at the people gathered around her. "As for experience, I really can't say. I just thought that if I could skip a year of school, my family could save more money on education. With that as my motivation, my studies naturally paid off. As for the exam score, to be honest, I wasn't even sure I could do it. I was totally confused. I really didn't expect to get first place. I guess there won't be a next time."

"Little Jiang Qiao, aren't you being too modest?"

Jiang Qiao shrugged. "To be honest, you've probably all heard about my family's situation, right? We really don't have much time. But after class, I'll read a little more before bed, that's all."

Jiang Qiao's situation has indeed spread throughout the school. Fortunately, her former classmates Li Ling and Zhao Jianjun were there to answer questions. Now, almost everyone who is curious about Jiang Qiao knows that she lives with a foster grandfather.

"Oh dear, we thought you had some special study methods, but it turns out you're just like us."

Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "So, the next first place might just be one of you. Good luck, seniors! I have high hopes for you all. Study hard so I can ask you for help if I encounter anything I don't understand in the future."

After chatting with her, everyone realized that Jiang Qiao wasn't so bad after all. It seemed like they had overestimated her. After talking to her, they found her to be a very down-to-earth girl, and she was even younger than them. Their mindset changed, and their attitude towards her naturally changed.

By the time school ended at noon, I couldn't say I'd become friends with everyone, but at least I'd made some progress.

Jiang Qiao strolled over with her bag, heading towards Gu Zhengkai's house. Most of the students brought their own lunch or ate at the cafeteria, while those who lived nearby would commute.

Jiang Qiao was just about to push the cart out when Zhao Jianjun called her.

"Jiang Qiao, shall we go home for dinner together?"

"No, I'm going to someone else's house for a free meal. You can go now."

"Whose house is this? Such a good thing!"

Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "That's good news. I'm going to eat with someone. I'm off."