Chapter 74: Your mother is at the police station, you've come to the wrong place...
What Qiu Shaoli hadn't mentioned was that, besides pursuing Lili's value, Lin Wenkang also had his eye on their Lu family's connections. Old Lu had thrived in the past two years. Back in Jincheng, he'd tried to patch things up with Old Lu by leveraging his relationship with his eldest brother, but was rebuffed. Knowing their devotion to Lili, he'd later pursued Yulan, perhaps motivated by this connection. Regardless of Lili's future with Jiaze, their ties to the Jiang family would remain unchanged, which was why he chose Yulan immediately after her divorce.
Jiang Lili wasn't a fool. As Qiu Shaoli finished her words, she too began to think about the Lu family. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Uncle Lu would continue his promotion after completing his term in Yuncheng. Lin Wenkang had always prioritized this relationship; his talk of rekindling his relationship with her mother was just a facade. But Jiang Yulan's last refusal had made him reconsider the pros and cons. Seeing that Uncle Lu didn't favor him because of Uncle Lu's relationship, he once again set his sights on the mother and daughter. The stake in Tongqu Players and her plans were merely unexpected surprises. He had never harbored any feelings, only self-interest. If he had known Uncle Lu would become what he is today, he might have hesitated about breaking off the engagement, not been as decisive as before. Jiang Lili thought, this kind of person is even more terrifying than Ji Yushu.
"Aunt Qiu, don't worry, my mom and I will be careful." Jiang Lili said gently.
"He suddenly threw his daughter over there. It was probably because they could no longer provide him with help." This was Qiu Shaoli's guess. She thought that maybe someone should investigate what happened in the middle. It could not be just those few words he said lightly.
"None of this is important to us. I just hope he won't disturb our lives. It's a pity that he is too cautious at work." Jiang Lili's tone was a little regretful. As early as last time, she had someone secretly check Lin Wenkang, hoping to find any flaws in his work, but obviously, this man was very cautious. At least no negative news about his work had been found so far.
"He has always been cautious. I will have a good talk with your mother about this matter. You don't have to worry." Qiu Shaoli said as she touched Jiang Lili's head. These were not things she should worry about.
"Okay." Jiang Lili nodded obediently in agreement. It would be better if they could handle this matter.
"Tongtong's blood test results should be out. Let's go and see the test results first." Qiu Shaoli said as she took the two of them to the laboratory to get the test results.
When they arrived at the laboratory, Jiang Qitong's test results came out. Qiu Shaoli glanced at them and then comforted her, "It's not a big problem. Let's go see the doctor and get some medicine first."
At this time, Zhou Qingfen, who had returned from get off work early, rushed to the hospital. School was about to start and the teachers had already started working. She didn't expect Tongtong to have a fever at this time. Seeing Qiu Shaoli beside them, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "Sister Shaoli, I'm sorry to trouble you with Tongtong's matter today."
"I didn't help much. It was Lili who was running around all the time." Qiu Shaoli looked at Jiang Lili with a smile.
Zhou Qingfen naturally knew that Jiang Lili was the one she should be most grateful to, but since she was family, Qiu Shaoli was different. She expressed her gratitude again. Qiu Shaoli smiled and said, "Okay, take the child to get the medicine first. We can talk about other things later."
"Okay." Zhou Qingfen said, then looked at Jiang Qitong and confirmed that her fever had subsided, and she finally let go of her worries.
Jiang Qitong's condition wasn't serious, so the doctor prescribed three days of medication and sent them home. After leaving the hospital, Zhou Qingfen looked at Jiang Lili with gratitude, "Lili, today's incident is all thanks to you."
"Aunt, it would be too formal if you say that again." Jiang Lili felt helpless. Zhou Qingfen was good in every way except that she was sometimes too particular about etiquette.
Zhou Qingfen was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's right. Let's go home and I'll make you something delicious tonight."
"I want to eat too." Jiang Qitong quickly said that she wanted to eat too.
"No, you can only eat porridge tonight." Zhou Qingfen shook her head. It would be best to eat something easily digestible after the fever subsided. Seeing her pout, Zhou Qingfen touched her forehead: "Unless you still want to have a fever."
Thinking of the pain from the injection and blood draw, Jiang Qitong compromised and said, "Okay, I'd better eat porridge."
"That's good. I'll make you something delicious when you get better." Zhou Qingfen realized that Jiang Lili seemed too quiet today. She couldn't help but ask, "Lili, what's wrong? Did something happen in the hospital?"
"I met my grandma in the hospital. Ji Wenwu had a broken leg and was hospitalized." Jiang Lili glossed over the other things.
"Hospitalized?" Zhou Qingfen was a little surprised.
"Well, from what he said, this matter seems to be related to Ji Mingyue. I guess the Ji family is going to be busy again." When mentioning this, Jiang Lili couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips.
"I heard before that Ji Mingyue had firecrackers thrown at her during the Chinese New Year, and she fell down and almost got disfigured. It seems that this family had a very lively New Year." It was not that Wu Juyue deliberately asked about it, but she couldn't resist sharing it with her colleagues who lived in the iron factory.
"So that's how it is. No wonder." She said that Ji Mingyue, who always cared about her reputation, should have no reason to attack Ji Wenwu. So this was the reason. Also, no girl doesn't care about her appearance. Ji Wenwu almost disfigured her. It would be strange if she didn't retaliate.
When they returned to the cotton mill, the others had already returned. It was then that they learned that Jiang Lili had taken Jiang Qitong to the hospital. Jiang Aiguo praised her, saying, "Lili has really grown up. If it were anyone else, they would have been in a panic and at a loss."
"That's right, our Lili is really getting better and better." Jiang Jianyi also praised.
Jiang Lili was a little embarrassed by their constant praise. It was obviously just a small matter. After they finished talking, she asked, "Is my mother not back yet?"
"It should be soon." Jiang Jianyi said and glanced at the wall clock. It was time to get off work, why hadn't he come back yet?
A flash of worry flashed across her eyes. She didn't know what Lin Wenkang was thinking before, but now she knew. She was afraid that he would take extreme measures. She lowered her eyes to hide the worry in her eyes. It seemed that she had to think of a solution quickly.
Fortunately, Jiang Lili's worry didn't last long. Ten minutes later, the sound of keys turning in the door came. After Jiang Yulan went in, she saw that everyone was waiting for her and took the initiative to explain, "We've been increasing the production of hand-torn books recently, so we should be working overtime every day."
"Aunt, is this the little rabbit book from last time?" Jiang Qitong became interested.
"Yes, wait for your aunt to bring you one tomorrow." Jiang Yulan nodded.
"Oh yeah, thank you, auntie." Jiang Qitong liked the theme of the little rabbit book very much. When she heard that Jiang Yulan would bring her a copy, she looked very happy.
"It seems that this is another hot product. Our Lili is really amazing." From dress-up dolls to teething rings to the current hand-torn books, sales have always been good, and these are all thanks to Jiang Lili.
"Indeed, Rongcheng has started placing orders." Jiang Yulan couldn't hide the pride in her tone.
Jiang Lili didn't say anything, but was just wondering when Qiu Shaoli would talk to Jiang Yulan and ask her to be wary of Lin Wenkang.
The first day of school soon arrived. Jiang Lili's schoolbag was filled with winter vacation homework, and Jiang Yulan was paying tuition. She saw Ji Mingyue from afar. She came alone, and she had a layer of bangs on her forehead. Thinking of Ji Wenwu in the hospital, she quickly guessed the origin of the bangs. It was probably because she had a scar on her forehead.
Sensing her gaze, Ji Mingyue quickly turned away. Even though Ji Wenwu was already in the hospital, Ji Mingyue still couldn't shake the resentment she felt. Medical aesthetics wasn't well developed back then, so the scar on her forehead was probably indelible, so she could only hide it with bangs. Looking at Jiang Lili's smooth forehead, she only felt even more resentful. They say those who dare to show their foreheads are true beauties. She probably wouldn't do that again, and all this was because of Ji Wenwu and Song Zhenzhen. Yes, Ji Mingyue now also held a grudge against Song Zhenzhen, even though this had been her plan from the beginning.
"Lili, come here quickly." Jiang Yulan on the other end waved to Jiang Lili. Ji Mingyue glanced over there. Jiang Yulan was obviously in much better condition after the divorce. Unlike Ye Qiuju now, her face was covered with spots after she became pregnant, and her figure became bloated. Compared with Jiang Yulan now, there was a world of difference. For a moment, Ji Mingyue actually felt a sense of crisis for her.
Her gaze followed the mother and daughter until they disappeared from her sight. At this moment, Wu Juyue appeared in front of her and looked at her bangs with some curiosity: "Mingyue, why did you suddenly change your hairstyle?"
"I want to try a new hairstyle." Before she finished her words, Wu Juyue pulled her bangs to one side to form a side part, revealing the scar on her forehead. The new scar looked a bit hideous, and the one-centimeter cut on her forehead was infinitely magnified.
"I'm sorry, Mingyue, I didn't know you had a scar on your forehead." Wu Juyue didn't expect this to happen and quickly apologized.
"It's okay, you didn't mean it." Ji Mingyue lowered her head and used her hands to adjust her bangs, cursing Wu Juyue's ancestors in her heart. She didn't feel better until she looked up and saw that her strategy value had increased by an index.
"Mingyue, what's with the scar on your forehead?" Wu Juyue's eyes flashed with gossip. A scar like that must have been from a fierce fight. Then Jiang Lili must have been injured too, right? She had already concluded that the fight was caused by an argument between the two of them.
"I was frightened by the firecrackers thrown by my third uncle's cousin. I wasn't paying attention and fell to the ground and got hurt." Ji Mingyue said it lightly, but only she knew the hatred in her heart.
"Oh my God, this is too much. Did he get any punishment?" Wu Juyue asked hurriedly.
"No, my grandparents love him. They said he didn't mean it and told me not to get angry with him." Ji Mingyue said this with her head down. She had long known that the old couple favored boys over girls, so she didn't feel sad at the time. What really hurt her was Ji Yushu's reaction. It turned out that in his heart, his daughter was not even as good as his nephew. Thinking of this, Ji Mingyue couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. She was naive, actually delusionally hoping to get his father's love here.
"Oh my god, they're going too far." Wu Juyue's tone was full of sympathy, and the strategy value above her head quickly increased by two points.
Ji Mingyue's recent surge in strategy points made her realize something: Wu Juyue's strategy points only increased when others were worse off than hers. For example, when her strategy points initially surged, they all sympathized with her classmate from the countryside. Later, she sympathized with the injustice she faced in the Jiang family and her own family's preference for boys over girls, so her strategy points quickly increased by another two points. Thinking of this, Ji Mingyue's eyes grew colder. Wu Juyue didn't need strategy points at all; as long as others were in a weaker position, less fortunate than her, her strategy points would rise.
Ji Mingyue didn't say anything, and neither did Wu Juyue beside her. She thought, although her grades weren't as good as theirs, she was an only child, and her family didn't have these inexplicable problems. Just for this reason alone, she had already surpassed them. Thinking of this, Wu Juyue's gloom over the new semester's seating arrangement based on grades completely disappeared. After all, everyone has their disappointments. Just like Jiang Lili before, with a harmonious family, loving parents, and consistently top-notch grades—so many people envied her, yet she still ended up back to square one. So, one shouldn't get too complacent.
After entering the classroom, everyone still sat in the same seats as last semester. When Jian Hongmei came in with the report cards, the class, which had been a bit noisy, suddenly became quiet. She glanced at the students in the audience and said, "Class representatives, please collect the winter vacation homework first."
The class representative collected the homework very quickly. Soon, the podium was piled high with everyone's winter vacation homework. At this time, Jian Hongmei spoke again: "This semester, we will arrange the seats according to grades, with one-on-one support. The first and last place students will sit together, and so on."
"Huh?" Everyone was surprised. Didn't the first and second place students sit at the same table, and so on? How did it become like this now?
"Quiet." Jian Hongmei's face turned serious.
"The seats are arranged this way so that students with good grades can lead those with poor grades. Our class's average score in this final exam was 0.5 points lower than the first place. I hope you can get first place again in the first monthly exam. Okay, now stand in the aisle and listen to me arrange the seats." After saying this, Jian Hongmei gestured for the students to stand in the aisle and wait for her to arrange the seats.
"Lili, I can't bear to leave you. If I had known, I would have ranked last in the exam." Ke Sisi looked like she wanted to cry but had no tears. Such a good deskmate would soon belong to someone else.
"It doesn't matter if we don't sit together. You can still come to me if you have any problems in the future." Jiang Lili's tone was gentle. In fact, she was reluctant to leave Ke Sisi.
This time the seats were arranged entirely according to grades, so there were many boys and girls sitting together. For example, Jiang Lili's deskmate was a boy, Zuo Xingwei, who was also the class's sports committee member.
Zuo Xingwei never thought that one day he would be able to sit at the same table with the top student in the grade. Although his grades were the last in Class 7, he was still ranked in the top 200 in the grade. He also had certain aspirations for academic performance, so he was very happy to be the same table with Jiang Lili, and he was even diligent in getting new books for Jiang Lili.
"Thank you." Jiang Lili nodded at him to express her gratitude.
"Don't be so polite. I'll have to trouble classmate Jiang many times in the future." Since the teacher said that arranging the seats like this was a form of help, he wouldn't be polite.
They sat on the left and right sides. On the left was the second-place Lu Jiaze and his deskmate. His deskmate was a girl, and the two of them had absolutely no communication at this moment. Lu Jiaze and Jiang Lili were only separated by an aisle, and this was the closest they had ever sat since he transferred to this school.
The two looked at each other, and then quickly started doing their own things. Lu Jiaze stared at the textbook in front of him. He had a new goal this semester, which was to continue to maintain his grades and improve his physical fitness. Lu Hongzhe was right, the most important thing for them now was grades.
As for Ji Mingyue, he tried hard to ignore what his mother said last time. Things had developed to this point, and it seemed meaningless to blame anyone else. It would be better to focus on the matter at hand.
This time the seats were arranged according to grades, and the positions in the class became a hodgepodge. Take Ke Sisi for example, she never expected that her new deskmate would be Wu Juyue.
Wu Juyue also didn't expect that her new deskmate would be Jiang Lili's current friend. She snorted and lowered her head to clean up her desk. Jiang Lili was still as selfish as ever. She got the first place in the exam, while her friend's grades were still average.
Ji Mingyue wasn't concerned about her new deskmate; she was concerned about her declining grades. Who would have thought that her first monthly exam would be her peak? It was practically impossible for her to surpass Jiang Lili now. Thinking of this, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter. She still didn't know what had gone wrong.
Ji Mingyue was pleased with her new deskmate's quietness. She looked up at the front row and noticed that the strategy value above Lu Jiaze's head had turned negative. For a moment, her face turned grim. So, what had happened during winter break that she didn't know about? Could it be that Jiang Lili had said something to him? Thinking of this, she couldn't help but touch the scar on her forehead through her bangs. The pain from her forehead calmed her down.
Compared to the introverted Ke Sisi, Jiang Lili's new deskmate is incredibly active. He has quickly established a good relationship with the person sitting behind him, and even became familiar with Lu Jiaze on his left through her. As for the person in front and on his right, the fact that one was empty and the other was a wall prevented him from continuing to perform. Jiang Lili thought that with such a deskmate, the days to come would probably become more and more lively.
The first morning of school passed like this. When the school bell rang, Jiang Lili no longer had to squeeze with others and could be the first to leave the classroom. However, this was only for this week. Next week, she would have to move one row to the left and back.
Lu Jiaze, tall and slender, followed closely behind. After leaving the school gate, the two walked side by side towards the cotton mill. Jiang Lili then spoke slowly, "Has Grandpa Lu returned to Jincheng?"
"No, he went to the cotton mill early this morning. He came here to take care of me for a long time. I will eat at home from now on." Lu Jiaze's tone was filled with a hint of regret. After his grandfather came, his parents hired an aunt to take care of their three meals a day.
"Is that so?" Jiang Lili thought this was a good idea. She always felt uncomfortable in someone else's home.
"Well, I'll wait for you at the gate of the cotton mill from now on." Lu Jiaze said.
"Okay." Jiang Lili nodded.
Jiang Yulan had just come out of the factory when she saw Qiu Shaoli at the gate. She was a little surprised: "Why do you have time to come to see me today?"
"Let's go. I'll treat you to a meal and tell you something." Qiu Shaoli stated her purpose.
"Then wait for me to call home." There happened to be a phone in the guard room.
When the two came out of the factory, they met Lin Wenkang who was coming towards them. Qiu Shaoli's face changed. She obviously didn't expect that she would come to her. It seemed that he would not give up until he achieved his goal.
Jiang Yulan's expression remained unchanged as she turned to Lin Wenkang, who was walking towards her, and said, "Your mother is at the police station right now. You've come to the wrong place."
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