32/rigid
The night was so eventful that Chen Mian was in a daze during her sleep, plagued by countless nightmares. One moment it was Chen Song's face, the next it was Ruan Yanmei's face, and finally it was Shen Yu's cold eyes when he looked at her.
When the alarm rang at 7:30, Chen Mian had already opened her eyes. The curtains from last night hadn't been closed, and the morning sunlight streamed in. Sounds from outside seeped in through the cracks in the window: the sound of a crying child being coaxed to kindergarten, and the rustling sound of a cleaning worker sweeping fallen leaves.
When Chen Mian got up, washed up, and walked out of her room, the living room was already empty.
The conversation between the two last night ended there without any follow-up. Shen Yu looked at her until he finally confirmed that she really had nothing to say, then laughed, took his phone and went straight into the house.
He's not here now; he's probably already at school.
Chen Mian changed into her school uniform and bought a steamed bun from a vendor near the school for breakfast. While waiting, she heard Ruan Yanmei call her name.
Ruan Yanmei drove an Audi and parked it on the side of the road. She rolled down the window, wore sunglasses, and rested her hands on the steering wheel. As passersby looked over, she said to Chen Mian, "Can I talk to my mother?"
Chen Mian glanced at the time. "I only have five minutes. I need to get to school."
Last night, Ruan Yanmei learned from Qiao Zhiwan that Chen Mian was in her senior year of high school. She was somewhat moved by the coincidence, saying, "Mom didn't even know that you and Xiaowan were in the same school. Xiaowan said that you were in the humanities honors class. Mianmian, Mom didn't even know that you had become so outstanding."
Chen Mian found it amusing. She didn't know how Ruan Yanmei could have remained silent for so many years and now constantly refer to herself as "Mom," as if they had an ordinary mother-daughter relationship. She interrupted this nauseating small talk, "Can you get to the point? You didn't come to me to praise me, did you?"
really.
From the moment Ruan Yanmei saw Chen Mian again, she felt uneasy. She had no children. When she married Qiao Cheng, in order to prevent Qiao Zhiwan from having any ideas, Qiao Cheng had undergone sterilization, and she also promised Qiao Zhiwan that she would not have her own children.
The downside of not having a biological child is that she feels she lacks a strong bond to hold onto Qiao Cheng and could be abandoned at any time. Especially after hearing Qiao Zhiwan say that the boy she likes likes Chen Mian, Ruan Yanmei's anxiety intensifies. It feels like she has a stone in her heart, with the sharp end stabbing at her heart again and again. With every breath, she can't help but think of the worst possible outcome.
In the end, she chose to be honest with Qiao Cheng. Qiao Cheng was a smart man, and the smartest thing to do when dealing with a smart person is not to hide anything, just like when she was with Qiao Cheng, she did not hide her failed marriage and her scoundrel husband.
After learning that her biological daughter was also studying at Suizhong and had a relationship with Qiao Zhiwan, Qiao Cheng took a bank card out of his bag and gave it to her. At this moment, the bank card was in her hand and was handed to Chen Mian.
"Mom knows it's hard for you to live with your dad. I understand his character. But Mianmian, Mom doesn't have the ability. I only got this job because of your Uncle Qiao's connections. After Uncle Qiao found out about your situation, he asked me to give you the money. You're going to take the college entrance exam soon, right? This money is enough for you to study abroad. Choose a good school. I'll help you contact the relevant institutions."
Chen Mian had never read novels, and she rarely watched soap operas. People with limited living space have no time to expand their spiritual world.
But the line about giving up a bank card to go abroad doesn't sound like something a mother would say. Chen Mian understood the subtext: leave and don't bother her anymore.
"Go abroad." Chen Mian repeated Ruan Yanmei's words, then said to her, "I have no intention of doing so. You should keep it for yourself."
She glanced at the time in the car. "Five minutes are up."
As Chen Mian opened the car door to get out, Ruan Yanmei grabbed her hand. The unexpected outcome made Ruan Yanmei's originally gentle tone soften, and she finally chose to be frank with Chen Mian, saying, "I also hope that you can go abroad, Mianmian. This is the best choice for you right now."
How much money is in your card?
Hearing Chen Mian ask this, Ruan Yanmei's expression softened considerably. "Fifty thousand."
For a poor student, this is already an astronomical figure.
To everyone's surprise, Chen Mian pushed the card back, "Do you know how much Qiao Zhiwan's crush gives me every month?"
She broke free from Ruan Yanmei's hand and gave her answer with a smile before Ruan Yanmei could react.
"One hundred thousand."
*
The morning was still filled with exams.
The morning exercises were exempted, and the bells from the senior high school building were all blocked. All that could be heard was the lively sound of the first and second-year students walking towards the playground.
Half the class slumped down, resting their heads on the high stacks of books. Chen Mian washed the cup and came back, when Chen Ke, who had just returned from the office, called her name. Afraid of disturbing the other students, he came up to Chen Mian and said, "The homeroom teacher wants to see you."
Chen Mian put down the cup, already knowing what was going on on her way to the homeroom teacher's office.
It's mostly about the forms for day students.
The school has rigid requirements for impoverished students, hoping that they are poor as defined by Baidu Encyclopedia. Although it does not require them to live in poverty or struggle to make a living, there are generally some implicit rules, such as not being able to use a good mobile phone or wear brand-name shoes.
Chen Mian, who moved directly into a high-end residential area, was exactly what everyone wanted.
The homeroom teacher spoke quite tactfully, not getting straight to the point. She inquired about her studies before slowly steerable to the main topic, saying, "Chen Mian, I noticed that the address you filled in isn't the same as before. What's going on?"
At this moment, Chen Mian roughly understood that Ruan Yanmei's words in the morning were not hypocritical, but rather the dignity of an adult.
Knowing that the words are hurtful and damaging to one's self-esteem, they deliberately package and embellish them as expressions of concern.
"Teacher, will this affect my application for a scholarship?" Chen Mian directly pointed out the flaw in this attempt to maintain appearances.
The homeroom teacher was silent for a moment before nodding somewhat reluctantly. "This doesn't meet the school's requirements. There are only so many spots available for impoverished students, and the school also needs to apply to the government. I just want to know what the situation is. Is it that your relative lives there, or—"
“My mom lives there,” Chen Mian interrupted her homeroom teacher, “not my stepmother, but my biological mother. She lives there, but she doesn’t intend to have custody of me. Does that still meet the criteria?”
The homeroom teacher was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment. She knew about Chen Mian's family situation, and it was clearly stated in the information that her parents were divorced. This level of frankness was something that she, who was used to dealing with students with ease, was suddenly stunned and didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, the school bell rang at that moment.
She hurriedly waved to Chen Mian, telling her to go back to class quickly, and left the materials underneath.
Across the aisle, the music class teacher, who had listened to the whole thing, peeked out, looked at the girl's back, and said, "This girl is quite strong."
He casually reopened his wounds, as if he were telling the story of an outsider.
The word "strong" is indeed appropriate.
When Chen Mian entered the classroom through the back door, Chen Ke, who was writing his test paper, subconsciously glanced back. When he met her gaze, he awkwardly pushed up his glasses, coughed unconsciously, and then turned back to continue writing his test paper seriously.
When Zhao Lili saw her return, she handed her the envelope she was holding and looking at it through the light.
He said to her with a bit of surprise, "Qiao Zhiwan gave this to you. It's amazing. People still write letters these days."
The pink envelope had a faint fruity fragrance.
There was a tree drawn in pencil on the envelope, in a style similar to the sketch Chen Mian saw at Shen Yu's house.
The words "Chen Mianshou" are written in the center, and a sun is drawn next to it.
Chen Mian opened it, but there was no letter inside.
It was a concert ticket.
There was also a note.
Qiao Zhiwan asked her: "If you're free this weekend, can we go to a concert together?"
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