Qin Suisui had bought a window seat ticket. The streets outside the window flashed by quickly, and her expression became increasingly confused. She didn't know when she would be able to return to Huating again, and a sense of reluctance spread through her heart.
If it weren't for a compelling reason to go back, she wouldn't even want to return to Nancheng, a place filled with hardships and disappointments she'd rather forget.
She was once the little princess cherished by her parents. Both her parents were formal employees of Nanshi Petroleum Group Company. They had a harmonious relationship and doted on her.
Unfortunately, this affection came to an abrupt end when she was four years old.
Jiang Hui, the mother, perished in the fire while trying to save state-owned assets.
Just as she was feeling sad, scared, and helpless at a young age, the following spring, her father married a new aunt through an introduction.
Qin Suisui was a beauty from a young age, and at first, the new nanny treated her quite well.
However, with the birth of her little sister, this affection gradually changed.
The new nanny's eyes held more scrutiny and impatience, and even Dad began to ignore her.
With the new nanny's deliberate guidance, the father focused all his attention on his younger sister.
Qin Suisui seemed to have grown up overnight. She learned to read people's expressions, to help adults with chores, and to be considerate of her younger sister.
Qin Suisui devoted all her time and energy to her studies. She knew that her only way out was to study hard; there was no turning back.
Emotional investment may not yield returns, but academic investment will always bring success and fruitful results.
She made great strides forward, becoming a top student in the eyes of others from elementary school to university. Even though her aunt had many schemes, she dared not do anything about it openly.
From the moment she stepped into university and met Yu Chengjue, he took meticulous care of her for three years, and she thought she had finally met the lover she would see year after year.
But as graduation approached, she was betrayed in love once again.
Thinking of the past, Qin Suisui's eyes dimmed, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips.
Her family still lives in the petroleum group's dormitory area.
The reason why they haven't moved out isn't because the aunt doesn't mind, but because the Petroleum Group dormitory is surrounded by the best primary, middle, and high schools in Nanshi. It not only has convenient transportation, but also gathers the best educational resources in Nanshi.
With Qin Suisui as an example, her aunt dreamed of making her younger sister even more outstanding, enrolling her in all sorts of tutoring and extracurricular classes from a young age, but unfortunately with little effect.
No matter how hard Qin Suisui's younger sister, Qin Weiwei, tried, her grades always hovered in the middle of the class, which made her aunt increasingly jealous of her.
When she returned from her first winter break in college, the bedroom she had lived in since childhood had been converted into her younger sister's music room.
The reason given was that Weiwei wasn't doing well in school and could only pursue art exams, and Qin's father actually acquiesced to this.
The aunt bought a folding sofa online and simply arranged it in a corner of the music room. That corner is where she goes home to rest and sleep.
Since her father married a new aunt and had a younger sister, Qin Suisui had long accepted that she was more like an outsider in this family, and she didn't feel much emotional distress about this injustice.
But since then, she has rarely gone home during winter and summer vacations, and has spent most of her time working.
Except for the unavoidable period around the Spring Festival, she would return home around the 29th of the lunar year to present a facade of filial piety and family harmony to relatives and friends.
If it weren't for dire circumstances, she wouldn't have wanted to go back to that house where she had no place, but unfortunately, it contained her mother's belongings.
Considering that she might not be able to return to China for five or six years after this trip abroad, Qin Suisui was afraid that her mother's belongings would disappear when she came back next time.
It only takes two hours to travel from Huating to Nancheng by high-speed rail.
Qin Suisui seemed to be in a daze when the high-speed train arrived at Nancheng High-speed Railway Station.
The ride she ordered through the mobile app has arrived at the designated location.
Pushing her luggage, Qin Suihui followed the flow of people out and found the ride-hailing stop.
The driver was very kind and helpful, and helped her put her luggage in the trunk.
After getting into the car, he secretly glanced at the female passenger in the front passenger seat out of the corner of his eye.
The sports car is two years old, and the girl in front of me is exceptionally beautiful, with a slender and delicate figure, and a small, fair and elegant face.
Even the female celebrities on TV with filters can't compare to her elegance and radiance.
"Young lady, are you here in Nancheng for tourism or work?"
"I'm going home. I'm from the south of the city."
"People from the south of the city, oh right, you're going to the Petroleum Group Company dormitory."
"That's great, college students are home for summer vacation!"
The driver glanced at her again, and after learning that the girl was from Nancheng, he smiled even more warmly.
Qin Suisui's smile was faint. In essence, she was the kind of person who was rather reserved and would not speak unless absolutely necessary.
When she encounters drivers with social anxiety, she will occasionally chime in with a few words out of politeness, but most of the time she will simply respond with a smile.
Fortunately, the journey was relatively short, and we arrived at the oil company's dormitory area in no time.
"Thank you, Master!"
The driver helped Qin Suisui unload her luggage, glanced at the gate of the petroleum dormitory, and spoke with envy.
"Your neighborhood is great! It's in the best school district in Nanshi, and the price is at least 60,000 to 70,000 yuan per square meter!"
"Hmm, more or less!"
Qin Suisui nodded with a smile, then turned and walked towards the gate of the petroleum dormitory, pushing her suitcase.
The familiar Grandpa Wei was no longer sitting at the gate of the dormitory area; instead, a security guard dispatched by the property management company had taken his place.
Several unfamiliar faces, indifferent and distant, made Qin Suisui feel a moment of loss.
This apartment in the petroleum group dormitory was a collectively funded housing project for my mother's former workplace. The neighbors on the left and right are uncles and aunts who watched her grow up.
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