Li Qiao looked at Mo Jue with warm and gentle eyes. Always in her signature overalls, a small plaid shirt, and milky white sneakers, she was youthful and vibrant.
Soon, Mo Jue pulled out a square little box and placed it in front of Li Qiao like a precious treasure, "Here, for you."
Li Yan’s adam’s apple moved, his gaze lingering on the backpack a few tis.
No gift for him?
Li Qiao took the box and slowly opened it to reveal a lustrous and verdant jade bracelet inside, its texture and water comparable to that of Emperor Green quality.
"Does it look good?" Mo Jue asked, full of hope, not waiting for her to answer before trying to slip the jade bracelet onto her wrist.
Li Qiao pressed down on her wrist, narrowing her eyes, "Did you buy this?"
"Of course I bought it." Mo Jue stroked the smooth surface of the jade bracelet, "You don’t have any jewelry on. Wearing a jade bracelet is low-key and classy."
Li Yan snorted softly, classy indeed. His Qiaoqiao could wear a sack, and it wouldn’t devalue her.
Li Qiao closed the box, "I don’t need it, you keep it for yourself."
Mo Jue was taken aback, but ignoring what Li Qiao thought, she quickly took the jade bracelet and put it on Li Qiao’s right wrist, stamping her feet in urgency, "No, no, you must have it. This is the first gift I’ve bought with my own money."
Previously, she had always given away things at hand!
Seeing this, Li Qiao rubbed her head, "Don’t waste money in the future, I don’t need these things."
Mo Jue, grinning widely, looped an arm through hers, "I’m fine, I have money."
The card her second uncle gave her had many, many zeros.
This jade bracelet only cost one zero.
After a while, Li Qiao picked up a test paper from the desk. A total score of 181 was indeed a bit low.
Moreover, the subject disparities were severe. She scored 145 out of 150 in English.
It would be better not to ntion the other subjects.
Looking sowhat guilty, Mo Jue stood by, fidgeting with her fingers while her clear eyes road around, "I, I’ll do well next ti."
Li Yan, with one hand on his hip and the other massaging his temple, said sternly, "With these grades, forget about university, she can’t even get into a community college. Should we... let her repeat the year?"
Li Qiao said it wasn’t necessary.
Then she looked at Mo Jue, who was nervously picking at her hands, and slightly curved her lips, "Just do your best."
Li Yan: "??"
Mo Jue patted her chest, relieved, "I will work hard. Last ti I was the very last one, this ti I am the second to last. The teacher said I improved a lot."
Li Yan frowned and asked in a grim tone, "Has your teacher never seen an idiot before?"
Li Qiao casually put down the test paper and glanced at Li Yan with a face that seed frustrated at his lack of progress, "Big brother, co out for a second."
Li Yan’s discontent faded from his features, his instructions to Mo Jue sounding more like he was disciplining a child, "Continue doing problems, I’ll check them when I get back."
"Oh..."
Mo Jue stuck out her tongue at his back, her expression sheepish and sowhat unhappy.
Ever since she started school, the boss seed less and less pleased with her.
She wanted to study hard and improve every day too, but... gaming was too much fun.
With this thought, Mo Jue sneakily glanced outside the door, pulling out her phone to log into the gaming app.
She opened the chat box and rapidly typed a few words.
Mo Xiaomo, the boss’s darling: cpdd, calling for the Wild King’s help.
...
anwhile, Li Qiao and Li Yan stepped out to the sunroom downstairs.
The servant quickly served two cups of tea. Li Qiao lifted her cup and blew on the leaves, "Haven’t you been to any art exhibitions lately?"
Li Yan absentmindedly responded, "The year is coming to an end, and there are fewer exhibitions."
Li Qiao glanced at him, only to find that her second brother’s gaze was fixed on that jade bracelet, "Do you like it?"
"No," Li Yan examined it closely and whispered, "It just looks sowhat familiar."
Li Qiao curved her lips and took a sip of tea, "What are your plans next?"
Li Yan shifted his gaze away from the jade bracelet, crossing his legs, "No plans for now, just going to rest and see after the new year."
"Hmm..." Li Qiao pondered for a few seconds, then admonished, "Take good care of Mo Jue for the next few months, and don’t leave the South Sea without reason."
Li Yan’s face showed confusion as his focus drifted, "You care about her that much?"
"Is there a problem?"
Li Qiao raised her eyebrows and threw the question back, not caring about Li Yan’s reaction, and put down her teacup to get up and walk downstairs.
Li Yan called out to her twice from behind, and Li Qiao stopped at the stairway entrance, looking back at Li Yan and saying with a aningful tone, "Don’t be too harsh on her, you once said she’s still a child."
Li Yan was left speechless by Li Qiao’s words, his brows knitting together in increasing suspicion.
Was his sister being overly indulgent with Mo Jue?
Sothing’s fishy!
...
Downstairs in the kitchen, Li Qiao followed Duan Shuyuan’s figure, saw her simring soup, and then closed the glazed door behind her, "Mom, what did Grandpa say about the swaddling clothes?"
Duan Shuyuan stirred the sand pot, looked at Li Qiao for two seconds before slapping her forehead as if suddenly rembering, "Look at my mory, I forgot about that. Hold on, I’ll call Grandpa right now."
Li Qiao heard footsteps outside the kitchen and shook her head, "It’s not urgent, let’s call after dinner."
As they spoke, Zong Yue already entered through the door and handed over a cellphone, "Qiaoqiao, your phone is ringing."
Li Qiao took the phone and left the kitchen.
Zong Yue rolled up her sleeves and naturally moved next to Duan Shuyuan, "Mom, let help you."
"No need, I’ll just have the maid cook after the soup is ready. Don’t get involved," Duan Shuyuan mixed the aromatic nutritious soup and glanced at Zong Yue, "Where’s Ah Jun?"
Zong Yue smiled warmly, "She should be arriving soon, should I... call to check?"
Duan Shuyuan gestured toward the door outside the kitchen, "Go outside to call. The kitchen is too smoky."
Zong Yue thought nothing of it and took out her phone to call Li Jun in the side hall.
The kitchen returned to quietness; Duan Shuyuan turned off the heat, slid the door closed, took out her phone, and called Old Master Duan, "Dad, I wanted to ask you sothing."
...
Half an hour later, Li Jun arrived tardily, dressed neatly in a suit.
Zong Yue ca forward to take his briefcase, cheerily asking, "Are you going this afternoon?"
"I am," Li Jun said as he took off his coat and handed it over, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I might have to go on a business trip tomorrow."
Zong Yue’s smile stiffened slightly, "What ti are you leaving?"
"I’m leaving in the morning," Li Jun didn’t notice the change in her expression as he began unbuttoning his white shirt, then paused, "Did you buy the movie tickets?"
Li Jun had promised to go watch a movie with Zong Yue this Sunday.
Their arranged marriage had skipped any process of courtship altogether, so Zong Yue was very keen to fill in so of the emotional gaps.
It was not easy to get Li Jun to agree to watch a movie with her, and now... it seed like another false hope.
Zong Yue neatly hung his coat on the armrest, her back to Li Jun, and replied in an attempt to sound light-hearted, "Not yet."
Li Jun grunted in acknowledgnt, "This business trip might last around a week. I’ll go with you to the movies when I get back."
Zong Yue said it was fine with a smile, poured a cup of tea for Li Jun, and turned to head to the bathroom.
Standing in front of the sink, she looked at the two VIP private cinema movie tickets on her phone, and with a bitter smile, she pressed the refund button.
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