The class monitor spoke honestly, “Lin Zhengran has his own ideas. He said... he said he’s not interested in Stanford University. He wants to attend a dostic university.”
Jiang Qian frowned slightly. A few days ago, her father had visited the school to discuss university choices with the teachers. Ultimately, it was more or less decided that she would be attending Stanford. However, after her father left, Jiang Qian had taken the initiative to et with the teachers again.
She had specifically told the horoom teacher, “Teacher, if you ever talk to Lin Zhengran about university choices, I’d like you to recomnd Stanford to him. It’s the best option for him. I’ll help him as well, but of course, if he refuses, then so be it.”
The horoom teacher had chatted with Jiang Qian briefly back then. She didn’t really understand the relationship between Jiang Qian and Lin Zhengran, but recomnding a prestigious university was well within her responsibilities. And for these two top students, Stanford was undoubtedly an excellent platform.
That was how the current situation had co to be.
Now, with a clear answer in hand, the horoom teacher said decisively, “Lin Zhengran has no interest in Stanford. I’ve already recomnded it, but he turned it down without hesitation. So, Jiang Qian, you’re still set on Stanford, right? If you are, I can arrange your recomndation letter and—”
Jiang Qian didn’t catch the rest of the sentence. She simply replied, “I want to think about it again.”
“Huh? You still need ti to consider?”
“Yes, I’ll think about it so more.”
Not long after, Jiang Qian left the office. The horoom teacher watched her retreating figure. As an adult, she could sense that sothing was going on. She murmured to herself, “Jiang Qian and Lin Zhengran… are they dating? But I vaguely rember that Lin Zhengran has a few girls around him.”
She shook her head slowly. “The love lives of top students are way too complicated. Feels like I’m watching a drama.”
Jiang Qian’s expression remained cold as she left the office, but her eyes carried an indescribable trace of frustration. She returned to the classroom, walked straight to Lin Zhengran, and stood beside him.
“Class monitor, I have sothing to ask you.”
Lin Zhengran turned his head to et her sharp, icy gaze.
Jiang Qian frowned. “Why wouldn’t you choose a better, bigger platform? With your abilities, you could achieve much more if you went sowhere with better opportunities. Why limit yourself? Is it because of those girls?”
“…Huh?” Lin Zhengran looked at her, slightly taken aback.
Not far away, Fang ng watched Jiang Qian with wide, dazed eyes.
The school bell rang.
That night, after evening self-study, a Rolls-Royce arrived at the school gate as usual to pick them up. Fang ng followed Jiang Qian into the car.
After the doors closed and the car headed back to the villa, Fang ng stared out the window at the passing scenery before glancing at Jiang Qian, who had remained silent the entire ride.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated with a ssage—it was from the eldest miss, saying she’d be coming ho for dinner tonight. Along with the ssage, she had sent two pictures of ingredients.
Fang ng was just about to inform Jiang Qian when, while scrolling through the photos, she accidentally swiped to an old picture.
It was a childhood photo of her and Jiang Qian.
She had looked at this photo many tis before because certain mories always lingered in her heart.
She couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia.
She had t Jiang Qian in the second grade of elentary school. In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed.
Thinking back, it felt almost surreal. The first ti she t Jiang Qian, Jiang Qian had been warm and outgoing, a little girl who loved helping others and cared deeply about her classmates. She had many friends. Back then, her family was wealthy, but it wasn’t as extravagant as it was now.
On the other hand, Fang ng had been quiet and reserved as a child.
Their friendship had truly begun one day when Fang ng fainted in class due to low blood sugar. Jiang Qian was the one who ran to call the teacher.
Not only that, but she had also figured out that Fang ng had probably skipped breakfast. She went out of her way to buy sothing from the school store and brought it back for her.
From that mont on, they beca friends.
After recovering, Fang ng had been curious and asked, “How did you know I had low blood sugar? And what exactly is low blood sugar?”
Jiang Qian blinked her beautiful eyes and answered, “My grandfather used to be a military doctor, so I learned a few things from him. Low blood sugar usually happens when you don’t eat in the morning.”
Oh, I see... You're amazing."
Back then, Fang ng’s family had fallen into debt due to business troubles. They borrowed money from everywhere, but it was never enough. Even she hadn’t expected that, in the end, it was Jiang Qian who helped resolve the crisis.
She had casually ntioned her family’s situation to Jiang Qian, who, upon learning about the debt, went to her mother and persistently pleaded for help.
It wasn’t a particularly large sum, but since they weren’t relatives, no one was willing to lend money.
No one knew how Jiang Qian had convinced her family, but sohow, they actually stepped in and helped Fang ng’s parents. Even Fang ng’s parents were shocked—who would’ve thought that the person to pull them out of their financial crisis would be their daughter’s elentary school classmate?
From then on, their two families beca close, and their friendship deepened.
Fang ng and Jiang Qian spent every day together, playing and laughing like any pair of best friends.
But just a few years later, in the sixth grade, an unexpected disaster struck the Jiang family.
They ran into major trouble and needed a huge sum of money to overco the crisis. Jiang Qian’s mother sought help everywhere but found no one willing to lend them money. Desperate, she finally turned to her daughter.
"As long as we get through this, our family will only get better from here! Qianqian, your father and I have no other options. You always help your classmates, right? This ti, ask them to help us. Have them ask their parents to lend us anything they can. I’ll talk to them myself."
Jiang Qian’s father scoffed, "What’s the point of asking Qianqian? Her classmates are just kids!"
But her mother, at her wit’s end, snapped back, "We’ve already borrowed from everyone we could! Maybe so of her close friends’ families can help us!"
Before her father could respond, Jiang Qian, who had already grasped the gravity of the situation, spoke up with surprising maturity.
"It’s okay, Dad! I have great relationships with my classmates. I have so many good friends. I always help them with their studies or when they get into trouble. If I ask them, their parents will definitely be willing to lend us money. I’ll talk to them tomorrow at school!"
She grinned, full of confidence, as if she had already secured the money.
The next day, Jiang Qian returned to school.
At first, everything went smoothly. She approached her closest friends, including those she had helped in the past, and asked if they could talk to their parents about lending her family so money. She assured them it would be repaid in the future.
Many of them agreed to bring it up at ho.
Fang ng was among them.
But by the third day, when it was ti to check on the results, the only response Jiang Qian received was from Fang ng’s family.
Not a single other person was willing to help.
Jiang Qian asked, "Did you all talk to your parents?"
Her classmates exchanged glances before answering, "We did, but our parents ignored us."
Jiang Qian, being sharp, imdiately understood the situation. She reassured them, "That’s normal. After all, we’re just kids. But this is about borrowing money, so you need to be more persistent. Tell your parents I’m your best friend. Try convincing them just a little. I’ll have my mom call them, and I promise we’ll pay them back! Even a small amount would help!"
Her classmates looked visibly uncomfortable.
For most kids, if their parents refused, there was nothing they could do.
None of them had the sa determination Jiang Qian had shown years ago when she begged her mother to lend money to Fang ng’s family.
Jiang Qian pressed on, "If your family ever needs money, I’ll ask my parents to lend it to you! Please, just try talking to them again tonight!"
Fang ng stood beside her, doing her best to help Jiang Qian convince others, but it was like trying to stop a flood with a single cup of water.
As Jiang Qian kept pushing, not only did she fail to get more money, but she also started irritating her friends. So of them began avoiding her altogether.
One of the girls she had once helped finally snapped.
"Are you done yet?! You keep pestering every day! I already told you, my parents don’t want to lend money! And besides, my mom said that if your family is in financial trouble, why should we help you? If we were struggling, would you lend us money?"
Jiang Qian argued, "I already said, if you ever need help, I’d ask my mom—"
"Yeah, right! Who knows if you actually would? Besides, my family needs money right now. If you lend us so first, then I’ll talk to my mom about lending you so."
"What did you say—"
"See? That’s why no one’s going to lend you money."
Jiang Qian stared at the girl.
She still rembered how, during a self-study session, this sa girl had suffered from a stomachache. It was Jiang Qian who had imdiately gone to get the teacher and accompanied her to the nurse’s office. They had been friends for years.
Furious, Jiang Qian grabbed the girl’s collar and yelled, "How can you say that?! Aren’t we friends?!"
"Who wants to be friends with a doormat like you?! My mom said your family is so deep in debt that soon you won’t even have money for food! Who would want to stay friends with soone like that?!"
"Shut up!"
Jiang Qian’s eyes went wide with rage as she slapped the girl across the face. A red mark instantly appeared on her cheek.
The classroom fell into stunned silence. The girl was shocked, then burst into tears and tried to fight back, but Fang ng rushed in to stop her.
"Qianqian!"
The school ended up calling the parents.
After that incident...
One day, during a break, Jiang Qian asked Fang ng, "Xiaong, if I hadn’t asked my mom to lend your family money back then, would you still have helped this ti?"
"I..."
Fang ng hesitated.
Back in second grade, she hadn’t even thought about where the money ca from when her family was in trouble. At the ti, they had all been too young.
Seeing her pause, Jiang Qian’s expression shifted slightly. "I see... So I really am just a fool. But no matter what, thank you for helping my family this ti. We’re still good friends."
"Qianqian..."
In the end, fate intervened. The Jiang family unexpectedly received a windfall—an old war buddy of Jiang Qian’s grandfather, a man nad Lin, had made a fortune in the antique business and shared so of it with them.
By sheer luck, they overca the crisis.
From that mont on, the Jiang family’s fortune skyrocketed.
But with their rise, Jiang Qian’s personality changed as well.
She no longer helped others. She focused entirely on her own strength. To the adults, this was the "right path"—but her extre competitiveness, coupled with her natural talent, pushed her into an almost obsessive drive.
She beca colder, more distant.
Until she t Lin Zhengran.
No matter how hard she worked, she couldn’t surpass him.
And every ti she saw the strong friendships he built, she was reminded of the person she used to be.
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