Chapter 42

After saying that, Zhao Ying couldn’t be bothered with Zhao Lianqiao anymore; she lowered her head and gently stroked her belly.
A trace of disgust flickered across Zhao Lianqiao’s eyes. After a long silence she suddenly said, “You think being pregnant makes you untouchable? Don’t forget Qiao Jian has been spending a lot of time at his own home lately.”
Zhao Ying froze for a moment, frowned and looked at her. “What are you implying?”
“If you don’t help me this time, I won’t bother with you anymore. If you think you have what it takes to get into the Qiao family on your own, then don’t worry about my fate,” Zhao Lianqiao sneered. “But don’t forget, I’m your daughter. We’re grasshoppers in the same boat; if anything happens to me, don’t think you’ll come out fine.”
Zhao Ying felt a pang of unease. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing else, just a reminder, I’m only eighteen, still a child,” Zhao Lianqiao said, lips curling; under the cool living-room light it looked oddly eerie. “What do you think would happen if I told Qiao Jian you orchestrated everything? Would he believe me and still let you into the house?”
“That’s nonsense!” Zhao Ying jumped up. “When did I ever order you to do anything?”
“Whether it’s nonsense or not, let Qiao Jian decide. See whether he believes a child or someone like you with all your ‘life experience,’” Zhao Lianqiao said, stiffening her neck. When she saw Zhao Ying raise a hand toward her she shouted, “Go on, hit me! Try it once. I swear you and that bastard in your belly will be left with nowhere to go!”
“You, you…” Zhao Ying trembled with fury, but her raised hand wouldn’t quite come down.
After a long moment she sat down with a dark expression. “It’s Qin Jing who wants to press charges, not me. You hurt Qiao Zhenzhen like that, even if I begged her on your behalf it probably wouldn’t do any good!”
“I didn’t ask you to beg,” Zhao Lianqiao said kindly when she saw her give in. “I just want you to plead with Uncle Qiao, ask him to put in a word for me.”
Zhao Ying’s frown deepened. “You must be crazy. Uncle Qiao is probably furious, how could he possibly help you?”
“It’s fine. For his brother’s sake he’ll help,” Zhao Lianqiao said, and gently laid a hand on her belly.
Zhao Ying was taken aback, looking at her in confusion.
Zhao Lianqiao, all patience, sat down and whispered something in her ear. After listening for a long while, Zhao Ying couldn’t help but study her face.
“Anyway, I’ll go to him crying and begging. You act like you’re mad at me, don’t say a word to defend me. Be sure to scold me along with him. Then fake a stomachache; when he gets worried, beg him, be pitiful,” Zhao Lianqiao repeated. When she saw Zhao Ying still staring, she frowned. “Did you hear me?”
“…Why do I feel like you’ve changed so much,” Zhao Ying said, looking at her with an almost alien expression. “Are you still my daughter? Why are you completely different from before?”
It had been nearly three years since the soul inside had been replaced, no wonder she felt different. Whether this woman was stupid or had simply never cared for her, Zhao Lianqiao couldn’t tell. She thought of how gaunt she had been when she first arrived, and how Zhao Ying would rather spend money on liquor than buy her food; a flash of scorn crossed her eyes.
“Of course I’m your daughter,” she said, looking at Zhao Ying seriously. “Everything I’m doing now is for our future. If you hadn’t said you wouldn’t help me earlier, I wouldn’t have gotten angry.”
Zhao Ying had only spoken offhand; she hadn’t actually believed such a bizarre story about the soul being swapped. Hearing her daughter soften made her feel much better, and she even temporarily forgot that she had just vowed they would sink together.
After a moment’s thought she texted Qiao Jian, asking him to come over that evening because she had something to discuss.
When Qiao Jian received the message he was reviewing documents. Reading that Zhao Ying had something to say, he snorted, grabbed his coat, and went straight there.
He drove toward Zhao Ying’s house just as the Qin family’s dinner was wrapping up.
Qin Jing had played with the two children a while longer, and by eight o’clock they left.
“I wanted to stay a little longer,” Qiao Zhenzhen said reluctantly as she climbed into the car.
Qin Jing glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Stay for what? We need to get Shen Shen home, he must be exhausted from helping you search through those surveillance videos.”
When Chi Shen heard her call him that, he was startled and then felt a strange sensation, as if he’d drifted at sea for a long time and suddenly found his feet on soft sand, both unmoored and solid at once.
“…Right, right, I almost forgot. He should go home and rest early,” Qiao Zhenzhen said, looking at Chi Shen. “No extra tutoring today, don’t make me a study plan. Missing one day won’t matter. When you get home, take a hot shower and go to bed right away, okay?”
Chi Shen obediently nodded.
Qin Jing chuckled softly and eased the car forward a little.
They arrived at the complex quickly, and when they stopped in front of Chi Shen’s building Qin Jing said, “Shen Shen, rest well.”
“Okay,” Chi Shen answered, then felt that one word was too brief and added after a pause, “Thank you, Auntie.”
“It’s me who should be thanking you, go on up,” Qin Jing said with a smile.
Chi Shen nodded, opened the car door quietly, and the instant his foot touched the ground he turned reflexively and unexpectedly met Qiao Zhenzhen’s smiling gaze.
He paused, then suddenly said, “Your notebook is still upstairs.”
Qiao Zhenzhen: “?” What notebook?
"Go get it," he said again.
Qin Jing turned to Qiao Zhenzhen: "What notebook? Qiao Zhenzhen, you're always so forgetful, hurry up and go upstairs with Chi Shen to fetch it."
Qiao Zhenzhen opened her mouth in an innocent little protest, glancing from one to the other, but in the end she obediently got out of the car.
It was already night; the complex was lit by dim, yellow streetlights, and the old stairwell's motion-sensor lights were sluggish, they only came on after a loud noise, stayed lit less than five seconds, then went dark again.
Qiao Zhenzhen followed Chi Shen up the stairs, calling out as she went, trying to keep the light from dying.
"Why did you call me up here? Do you want to tell me something?" Qiao Zhenzhen remembered clearly she hadn't left any notebook at his place.
Chi Shen climbed the stairs in silence, offering no answer.
"...Why aren't you saying anything? It's creepy this late, if you don't talk, I'm going back first," she said. He still didn't turn, so she couldn't help raising her voice, "I'll really hit you!"
Before the words were out, Chi Shen stopped.
Qiao Zhenzhen, caught off guard, bumped into his lower back and, after a beat, craned her neck up with effort: "What on earth are you doing?"
Chi Shen glanced back, a little awkward, he was standing two steps higher and had to lower his head to look her in the eye. "Step up a little."
Puzzled, she climbed two steps and found herself almost his height, only she still looked noticeably shorter. She pouted, climbed one more step until she could meet his gaze, then stopped, satisfied. "Well? What is it?"
Chi Shen's Adam's apple bobbed; he wanted to say something but couldn't force the words out.
Qiao Zhenzhen waited a long time and got nothing, so, half amused and half exasperated, she called, "Let's talk at your place."
She turned to continue upstairs but his hand gripped her wrist. Qiao Zhenzhen froze and turned around; a cool kiss landed suddenly on her cheek.
She was stunned for an instant.
The motion-sensor light dimmed again; the kiss on her face was fleeting, over almost as soon as it began. If not for the lingering scent against her cheek, she would have thought she was dreaming.
"A reward," Chi Shen said seriously.
Qiao Zhenzhen suddenly remembered asking him for a reward at her grandfather's house, only to be interrupted by her uncle.
She hadn't expected him to make it up to her now.
It was the first time he'd taken the initiative; a new, unfamiliar flutter of nerves rose in her, and so she... ran.
Chi Shen watched her bolt off, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Before he could call her back she was already hurrying back again.
"I only ran because I was embarrassed, don't get the wrong idea," Qiao Zhenzhen said, then turned and ran off once more.
The motion-sensor light flared brightly with her footsteps. Chi Shen stood where he was for a long time, then the corner of his mouth lifted in an amused smile.
Qiao Zhenzhen stopped abruptly when she reached the first floor, drew a deep, steadying breath, and then got back into the car. Qin Jing, who had been scrolling through news on her phone, started driving off as soon as she saw her get in, not noticing the flush on Qiao Zhenzhen's face.
Qiao Zhenzhen let out a quiet breath, staring out the window to take her mind off it and force herself to calm down. Her lips kept twitching into a small, secret smile; her cheeks warmed then cooled again. Luckily, by the time they reached the front door she had completely composed herself.
Qin Jing noticed nothing, laughing and chatting with her as they came inside. But the moment the door opened they saw Qiao Jian sitting on the sofa, and the light, happy atmosphere between mother and daughter evaporated.
Qiao Jian read the tension on their faces, bit his lip, and felt like snapping at them, but remembering why he'd come home, he held back.
"Zhenzhen, why are you back so early? Isn't it still before evening study?" he asked, forcing a friendly tone.
Qiao Zhenzhen glanced at him and immediately guessed his intention. She kept her face composed and said nothing.
Bumped by her silence, Qiao Jian felt his temper flare but restrained himself: "...About what happened at school today, I've already heard. Your father knows you're not that kind of bad girl, there's no way you'd do those messy things."
Qin Jing shot him a look but didn't contradict him in front of Qiao Zhenzhen.
Qiao Zhenzhen didn't want to listen to his insincere words and cut in briskly: "If you've got something to say, say it straight, don't beat around the bush."
"How is that beating around the bush? I'm just concerned about my child," Qiao Jian retorted, glanced at Qin Jing, cleared his throat, and continued, "I never thought it would be your classmate. You two are so close, what would make her suddenly do something like that? Did you bully her, and now she's trying to get back at you?"
Qin Jing frowned. "So are you saying Zhenzhen was framed, or that she did something wrong?"
"I didn't say that, why are you so sensitive?" Qiao Jian glanced at her. "I just think there's no need to blow this out of proportion. It's just a spat between kids; let them sort it out themselves. You, as an adult, threatening to sue Zhao Lianqiao in front of the whole school, what do you expect people to think of Zhenzhen?"
"I'm just defending my child..." Qin Jing began.
Qin Jing opened her mouth to argue, but Qiao Zhenzhen stopped her: "Mom, don't. Dad's right."
"See? You're sensible, better than your mother," Qiao Jian said, pleased.
Qiao Zhenzhen's lips curved. "So Dad's plan is to file the suit in my name?"
Qiao Jian's smile froze.