This time, Jiang Xiaoli accepted her loss.
However, she still showed Zong Jiayu's photo to the three judges, asking, "Wasn't my photo good?"
Li Guizhi and Xu Feng nodded repeatedly, "This cheerful atmosphere is so heartwarming!"
Xiao Jincheng was quite fond of it. "You know what, it would be great if Xiao Zong's photo could be used in a promotional video for 'Jinghua'."
Xu Feng couldn't help but slap him, "You're really obsessed with money!"
Jiang Xiaoli smiled and took the photos back. "Uncle Xiao, Jiang's photography is for circulation only and cannot be used for commercial purposes!"
Xiao Jincheng laughed and said, "Alright, alright! Just keep it as a treasure!"
...
After finishing off the large stock of food they had prepared before the New Year, it was almost time for them to return to Kyoto.
After they finished dealing with their own matters, they booked their return tickets together.
Before leaving, Jiang Xiaoli handed Xiao Muyu the analysis of the college entrance examination knowledge points that she had summarized with Zong Jia during her dazed moments over the past two days.
"Girl, that's all I can do for you. Good luck!"
Xiao Muyu's eyes reddened slightly as she looked at the familiar handwriting on the thick stack of papers. She nodded emphatically, "I will!"
As soon as the plane landed in Kyoto, Zong Jiayu's phone rang.
He answered the phone, and within half a minute his brows furrowed into a knot. He said, "I understand," and hung up.
The others all looked at him. "What's wrong?"
Zong Jia sighed, "I wondered why it was so quiet during the Spring Festival. Turns out, this is what was waiting for me. Yang Xin brought Zong Zhengran to Huaqing and found my dormitory."
Jiang Xiaoli was a little confused. "Who is Yang Xin?"
Dafu whispered a reminder from the side, "It's Zong Ze's current wife!"
Now she frowned. "Is your skin really that thick?"
After discussing it for a while, Dafu and Zhongyuan took their luggage and went home with Li Guizhi, while Zongjia and Jiang Xiaoli went to Huaqing to see what was going on.
Yang Xin couldn't get into the boys' dormitory, but Jiang Xiaoli and the others saw Yang Xin chatting with several boys as soon as they got downstairs.
"Hehe, you're all Jiayu's classmates? That's so great!"
"My Jiayu has been smart since she was little, and she can learn anything very quickly!"
"..."
Hearing her words, Jiang Xiaoli looked up at Zong Jia and his dark expression, and couldn't help but laugh, "Is she trying to play a game of flattery to your detriment?"
Zong Jia walked directly up to them and coughed twice. Hearing the noise, the boys immediately made way for him.
He asked coldly, "What are you doing here?"
Yang Xin still had the air of a loving mother, "Hehe, Jiayu, you didn't go home for the New Year either. Zhengran said he missed his brother, so I brought him here to see you."
Jiang Xiaoli couldn't help but admire Yang Xin's mental fortitude. If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have been embarrassed and frustrated by now.
However, Zong Jia and his comrades were not ordinary people. He spoke directly, "You two are really in high spirits. Your husband and father have been taken away for investigation for embezzlement, bribery, and misappropriation of public funds, and you still have the mood to go on vacation?"
Yang Xin felt a lump in her throat and couldn't catch her breath. She looked heartbroken. "Jiayu, how could you say that about your father? He... he's innocent!"
Zong Jia didn't refute her words. "Zong Ze's old-fashioned style really means he doesn't spend a lot of money. You and your son have basically spent all the money, right? From that perspective, it is indeed a bit unfair, but what can you do when you're a couple?"
The boy next to Yang Xin was so angry that his hair almost stood on end when he heard this. "Zong Jiayu, if you talk to my mom like that again, believe me, I'll beat you up?"
Zong Jia chuckled and said to Yang Xin, "Is this what you meant by him missing me? What a deep brotherly bond!"
Yang Xin noticed that since Zong Jiayu arrived, the boys who had been chatting with her earlier all had expressions of disbelief.
She forced a smile. "Excuse me, may I have a few words with my son alone?"
The men nodded immediately and then quickly left.
Yang Xin glanced at Jiang Xiaoli, who was standing to the side with her arms crossed, seemingly ready to watch the show. "This student, you..."
Zong Jiayu interrupted her directly, "If you don't want to talk, then don't."
After saying that, he took Jiang Xiaoli's hand and prepared to leave.
Yang Xin quickly stopped him, "Jiayu, don't be in such a hurry!"
She hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, "Jiayu, it seems you already know about your father's situation. You don't want him to go to jail, right? I know you have the ability now, so please help him, okay?"
Zong Jia shook his head, "I don't have that ability."
Yang Xin said excitedly, "No need! Jiayu, you don't need to trouble yourself. I asked an old friend of your father's to smooth things over. He said that as long as the shortfall is paid, your father will be fine."
Zong Jia looked at the mother and son with a scrutinizing gaze, "Zong Ze made hundreds of thousands, and you don't want to give back a single penny?"
"Ouch!" Yang Xin slapped her thigh. "Jiayu, can I just consider this money a loan? I'll pay you back in a year, no! In six months!"
Jiang Xiaoli became more and more interested as she listened. She was now very eager to know what she could do to earn nearly 400,000 yuan in six months to a year.
It was obvious that Zong Jia and she were thinking the same thing. He asked, "With your and Zong Ze's income levels, how could you scrape together several hundred thousand in half a year? Are you out of your mind?"
Yang Xin looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Jiayu, I'm telling you the truth. Your dad and I are doing a 'Shuang An Kang' rocking machine business with a friend. We really can pay you back soon. For your dad's sake, can you lend us the money to tide us over?"
The "Shuang An Kang" rocking machine? That fitness equipment that claims to cure all diseases?
Jiang Xiaoli couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Now she really has the same idea as Zhong Yuan—to get Zong Jiayu to do a paternity test!
She really wanted to applaud the lecturers for being so easily fooled by a certain pyramid scheme, losing hundreds of thousands of yuan while still fantasizing about making a fortune in six months to a year.
Zong Jia didn't quite understand what this rocking machine was, but he understood Jiang Xiaoli's expression—it was all bullshit!
Without even thinking, he refused outright, saying, "I came to see you just to tell you that Zong Ze and I have absolutely nothing to do with this mess your family is in. You've come to the wrong person."
Yang Xin immediately flew into a rage and started cursing, "I knew you were a heartless ingrate! A beast who doesn't care about his own father! I've raised you for so many years, I should have strangled you long ago!"
Hearing her roar, Zong Jiayu actually laughed.
He tightened his grip on Jiang Xiaoli's hand. "Xiaoli, this is my messed-up family background. Are you scared?"
Jiang Xiaoli took his hand and rubbed it against her face. "Being brave enough to walk out of there is good enough. We can't choose our parents, but we can choose our own lives. Don't argue with fools!"
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