0081 Exposing Shortcomings
As the dishes were served one after another, Tantai Qing first ladled a bowl of soup for Jiang Jifan, placed it in front of her and said, "Be careful, it's hot," before responding to his words.
"It was your sister who subdued me," he said with a frank smile.
Upon hearing this, Xia Fu gave a knowing look, only to be smacked on the head by Jiang Jifan.
"She's the hardest-working person I've ever met." While Jiang Jifan went to the restroom, Xia Fu seized the opportunity to tell them in detail: "You have no idea how difficult it was for me to ask her out back then!"
He felt that she had endless work, either school assignments or part-time jobs. Every time he wanted to ask her to go out, she would decline, saying that she had to work or do part-time jobs.
As far as he knew, she seemed to work two or three jobs a day. At that time, Xia Fu didn't understand and asked her why she worked so many jobs.
"Xia Fu, not everyone in this world is born with a silver spoon in their mouth like you." He mimicked what she had said to him years ago, and found it funny after he finished speaking. But when he looked up, he found that they were silent, especially Tantai Qing, whose expression was somewhat intriguing.
"Never mind that, let's not talk about that, let's talk about something fun." He quickly changed the subject.
"Back then, my cousin saw that she was pretty and wanted to ask her out, but she tricked him into going and beat him up..."
The next day, his cousin came to his house crying and complaining, demanding that his mother fire Jiang Jifan. Xia Fu, who had been eavesdropping in the room, suddenly rushed out to defend her, saying, "You must have done something wrong for her to hit you! She's not that unreasonable..."
Later, Xia's mother personally called Jiang Jifan to verify, and found that her nephew was indeed at fault.
She knew her nephew's character and ultimately ignored his unreasonable demands.
Jiang Jifan continued working until she resigned on her own initiative.
Because of what happened back then, he and his cousin still act like enemies whenever they meet.
Hearing that her cousin's face was swollen like a pig's head after being beaten by Jiang Jifan, Xiang Nannan couldn't stop laughing. Just then, Jiang Jifan came back from the bathroom and asked her why.
Jiang Jifan curled his lip, unconcerned, and said, "Who told him to lay a hand on me? I'm just doing justice for Heaven."
"Yes, yes, yes, heroine!" Xia Fu clasped his hands in a fist and smiled at her.
Recalling the man's appearance, she frowned in disgust and said bluntly, "He wasn't just beaten into a pig's head by me, he was a pig's head to begin with, okay?"
The other person was the most despicable jerk she ever hated in her life; ugly and always causing trouble...
While eating, Xia Fu complained that Jiang Jifan used to scold him in English while correcting his homework. He was very bad at English at the time and only knew that she was scolding him, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. She would ramble on and on, leaving him speechless and unable to retort.
"You have the nerve to say that, young master?" Jiang Jifan rolled his eyes and drawled.
Xia Fu hadn't heard her call him that in a long time, and he shivered inexplicably, hugging himself and saying fearfully, "Don't call me that, it's too scary!"
Back then, whenever he got a question wrong, she would call him "Young Master" in that sarcastic way, which still makes him feel uneasy when he thinks about it now.
Then he crossed his arms over his chest, mimicking her posture, his face filled with suppressed anger, and stared ahead in a sinister tone, saying, "Young Master, I'll give you two more minutes to think it over."
Xiang Nannan laughed uncontrollably and said to Jiang Jifan, "I didn't realize you were so strict, Jifan."
She took his family's money, so she should teach him a lesson.
Jiang Jifan was a master at dealing with those who dared to defy her. Xia Fu wasn't even afraid of his parents, but he was terrified of her. Back then, she forced him to study diligently for several months, and his grades improved rapidly. Before he resigned, Xia's mother even gave her a large red envelope.
"Brother Taiqing, you should cherish this. My sister had so many suitors back then..." Xia Fu winked at him and chuckled.
Tantai Qing was clearly interested in her past and asked with a smile, "Really? How much?"
Jiang Jifan said he was exaggerating.
"Exaggeration?" Xia Fu was unconvinced. He stopped eating and started counting on his fingers, telling her that every time she came to his house, her bag was full of love letters and gifts.
"Do you remember when I ate Ferrero Rocher for you for a whole week?"
Jiang Jifan scoffed at this, "Is that so?"
Then, without any mercy, she exposed him: "How come I remember you were the one who volunteered for this task? After you finished eating, you complained to me before you even wiped your mouth clean that those men were so stingy, the gifts they gave you weren't even enough to fill your teeth..."
She has never liked sweets. At first, because she had never eaten imported chocolate before, she tried two out of curiosity. But the taste was too sweet for her, so she never ate any more. In the end, they all ended up in the stomach of Xia Fu, that little fat boy.
Xia Fu was taken aback by how clearly she remembered, her face flushing slightly as she hurriedly changed the subject.
"Oh, by the way, did you manage to win over that girl?"
Hearing her question so suddenly, Xia Fu didn't react. "Which one?"
Jiang Jifan recalled for a moment and slowly said, "It's that mixed-race girl who always wears two ponytails in your diary, sheds pearly tears, and has some freckles."
Xia Fu was taken aback when she publicly revealed his embarrassing past, and immediately felt awkward, loudly interrupting, "Hey! Stop talking!"
"You even keep a diary? That's hilarious!" Xiang Nannan put down her chopsticks, patted his shoulder, and laughed so hard she almost fell over.
Jiang Jifan took a sip of red wine and chuckled, "brat."
After dinner, everyone went home.
On the way back, Tantai Qing asked her, "Did you really have a lot of suitors back then?"
Jiang Jifan turned to look at him, and instead of answering, asked with a smile, "What do you think?"
“Many,” he answered without hesitation.
Hearing his answer, she smiled gently and leaned back. "Maybe I was just a bit naive back then."
When she first entered university, she was not as arrogant as she was in high school. Moreover, because she was in a completely unfamiliar environment, she was quite cautious and humble at the time.
With her outstanding looks and humble personality, it's hard not to be attracted to her, so many boys were smitten with her during her freshman year.
Tantai Qing disagreed; he didn't like the way she belittled herself.
“You must have possessed an irresistible beauty back then,” he said.
Jiang Jifan was very pleased by his praise, as if he really was just like the person he was described back then.
Later, he asked her why she became a tutor at Xia Fu's house.
"I need money," she said frankly, then lowered the car window a little to let the evening breeze blow in through the crack.
She stared at the dazzling and bustling night view outside the window and calmly said, "City B is not a good place to live."
“Do you know that in our area, if you get into Tsinghua or Peking University, the government will give you a reward?” Jiang Jifan turned around and said to him.
It was a red light, and Tantai Qing gently tapped the brakes, stopping to look at her. She gave a self-deprecating smile, propped her head up, and whispered, "What a pity..."
In order to get that money, she was even willing to give up her guaranteed admission to university, just to take a gamble and hope that she could win that bonus.
Unfortunately, the college entrance exam that year was too difficult, and everyone's scores plummeted. Jiang Jifan was no exception, and he missed his dream school.
When she received her admission notice from Minzu University, she considered giving up. City B was too far away for her. Given her family's situation at the time, without a scholarship, she would have had a hard time getting by in a completely unfamiliar and bustling area.
When Yao Man learned of her thoughts, she was angry with her for the first time, and even said that she would sell her blood to support her schooling.
The mother and daughter cried together all night, and in the end Jiang Jifan gave in.
However, she didn't tell Tantai Qing any of this. She didn't know how to tell him; those fragmented, old stories were too difficult to bring up.
Tantai Qing could see her regret and was about to comfort her when she smiled and said, "Actually, being a tutor is quite good. Although Xia Fu is naughty, he is still quite obedient to me. Before I resigned, his mother gave me a lot of money."
Then he sighed and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Now that I'm older, my patience isn't what it used to be."
Jiang Jifan looked at him and laughed, "If I were to teach such a little kid now, I definitely couldn't do it."
Tantai Qing took her hand, shook his head, and laughed, saying, "It would be too much of a waste of your talent to have you as a tutor now."
"A wider sky awaits you to soar."
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