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"Qiao Sang has really made a na for herself. She's only in her first year of high school and already has three advanced pet beasts. Unlike your cousin, his only pet beast evolved to the interdiate level when he was in his third year."
"Isn't that right? I used to hold you when you were little, and now, in the blink of an eye, you've grown so much."
"I rember watching TV and thinking, 'This kid looks so much like Qiao Sang.' I never expected it to actually be her. If your mom hadn’t hosted this banquet, I wouldn’t have even known."
"A national champion in the Campus Beast Mastering League, and in the senior division, no less. Does that an you're the strongest high schooler in the country?"
"I heard you're going to Chaosu Star as an interstellar exchange student. What's the na of that school? Is it as good as Shengshui High?"
"I always knew you’d do well when you grew up. And see? You really did!"
The people around were all talking at once.
Qiao Sang accepted the red envelopes with a polite smile.
To be honest, apart from her third uncle and third aunt, she had to ntally search for a while just to recognize the other relatives.
Family relations were a strange thing. Even if they barely saw each other all year, they could still act like they were close when they t.
As long as soone in the family made it big, even the most distant relatives would find a way to boast, saying, "So-and-so from my family is that famous person," just to bask in a little reflected glory.
Waiters continuously brought dishes and drinks to the tables.
At the sa ti, they couldn't help but sneak glances at the star of the banquet, wanting to see the person all the reporters in the main hall were clamoring to interview.
Unfortunately, that person was completely surrounded, making it impossible to get a clear view.
As ti passed, the guests finally took their seats.
Ye Xiangting went around clinking glasses with the relatives, exchanging pleasantries.
From the unwavering curve of her lips, it was clear she was genuinely happy.
Qiao Sang sat with her pet beast, Yabao, eating.
A cousin sitting nearby asked, "Aren't you going to put your Blazing Star Canine back into the Beast Taming Codex?"
"Yap!"
Yabao turned his head toward the speaker and bared his teeth slightly.
The cousin imdiately stiffened, stood up, and said, "I'm going to the restroom."
She grabbed her phone and left in a hurry.
Qiao Sang: ...
"Don't scare people." Qiao Sang said, rubbing Yabao's head.
"Yap..."
Yabao pouted.
He had only shown his teeth a little...
At that mont, an elderly voice called from behind, "Qiao Sang."
Hearing the voice, Qiao Sang turned around and was montarily stunned. Then, she stood up and called, "Grandma."
The relatives chatting at the table instantly fell silent.
As the most accomplished child in the Ye family, even distant relatives knew about Qiao Sang’s family situation.
Now that everyone here was from the Ye family, the sudden presence of soone from the Qiao family made the atmosphere awkward.
The elderly woman, with her graying hair, gazed at her granddaughter intently, her expression surprisingly tense.
"Can we talk in private?" She asked.
Qiao Sang glanced at her mother.
She knew that if her mother hadn’t inford her grandmother, there was no way she would have known about this gathering.
"Okay." Qiao Sang nodded.
They moved to stand by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The surrounding guests followed them with their eyes but refrained from approaching.
"This is your Blazing Star Canine, isn't it?" The old lady smiled as she patted Yabao's head.
"It looks so beautiful."
"Yap."
Yabao squinted his eyes, enjoying the touch.
After a mont, the old lady lifted her head, took out a red envelope from her bag, and handed it over with slight hesitation.
"I heard from your mother that you're going to Chaosu Star. Here, take this. There's 50,000 inside, and the password is your birthday."
Qiao Sang didn’t take it. She calmly said, "There's no need. My mom gave enough money."
To be honest, as a rational adult, she had no personal grudges against her grandmother.
But perhaps because she was more attached to her mother, or maybe because her grandmother had barely been present during her childhood, she couldn't feel close to her. Рá𝐍ỖᛒË𝐬
In her past life, her parents had been divorced. When she was young, she might have still held so expectations, but as she grew up, she had beco accustod to a life without a father or a grandmother.
Without her father's side of the family, her life was still perfectly fine.
The old lady stiffened slightly, looking a little dejected. After a brief silence of two or three seconds, she asked, "Did you block your father?"
Qiao Sang replied, "Maybe. People who never contacted before are suddenly reaching out. If I don’t recognize the number, I just block it."
The old lady stiffened again.
As soone who had seen the ups and downs of life, she understood the underlying ssage.
After another brief pause, she took out her phone and dialed a number.
The next mont, Qiao Sang’s phone vibrated in her pocket.
She took it out and looked at the caller ID.
Caller: Grandma.
The phone stopped vibrating.
Qiao Sang looked up.
The old lady bead.
"At least you didn’t block ."
Qiao Sang stared at her smile and hesitated for a mont.
After the old lady left, Yabao seed to sense sothing and licked his Beast Tar’s hand.
"Yap!"
Qiao Sang looked down and smiled.
"I’m fine."
Logically speaking, compared to familial love, what her grandmother felt was more like guilt. If she hadn’t won the National Campus Beast Mastering League, her grandmother probably wouldn’t have thought of her, let alone contacted her outside of a holiday.
Qiao Sang looked at her mother, who was smiling and toasting nearby, and walked toward her.
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Saturday morning.
Shengshui High had no classes.
Normally, students would be resting in their dorms, but today, most were standing in the corridors, whispering as they watched a few figures below.
The team escorting Qiao Sang to the spaceport had arrived.
"When you get there, call ." Ye Xiangting said gently.
Qiao Sang nodded.
"I will."
"Rember to eat on ti, go to bed early. You’re only in your first year. Even though you missed a lot of lessons because of the competition, don’t try to catch up all at once. Learning should be done step by step, understand?"
"Got it." Qiao Sang replied softly.
She didn’t tell her mother that she planned to take the college entrance exam right away. It was better to wait until she had actually passed, otherwise, if she failed, it would be embarrassing.
Plus, her mother loved to share news. If she announced it now and failed, that would be even worse.
As her mother continued to give advice, Qiao Sang finally said, "Mom, how about we talk while walking? You could co with to the spaceport."
Ye Xiangting: ...
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Yuhua Spaceport.
At the docking area for interstellar ships.
Qiao Sang waved at her mother before stepping onto the massive spacecraft.
"This ti, you’re traveling with two other exchange students, one boy, one girl. One of them should be familiar to you." said Officer Chen, the governnt-assigned escort.
Familiar? Qiao Sang thought for a mont.
"Is it Tang Yi?"
Officer Chen praised, "You're good at guessing."
Duh. Among my competitors, the only logical choice for the program would be the national runner-up…
She humbly replied, "I just took a wild guess."
Just then, a voice called out, "Officer Chen!"
Qiao Sang turned to see Tang Yi and a stylish girl with waist-length hair, wearing a leather beret, holding a green-furred feline beast dressed in matching clothes.
Tang Yi held a miniaturized Paralulu.
As soon as their gazes t, Yabao and Paralulu locked eyes, battle intent surging.
"Xun Xun!"
Little Treasure bravely stepped forward.
Hold on, let him get beaten up first!
Qiao Sang: ...
Tooth Treasure: ???
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