Chapter 43

Qiao Jian was suddenly at a loss. Qiao Zhenzhen took his silence as consent, turned to Qin Jing: "Mom, then file the lawsuit in my name. Once it's filed, I can be present at the proceedings."
"Present at what!" Qiao Jian's face went dark. "Weren't you once so innocent and kind? How did you become like this? Zhao Lianqiao is your classmate and you were close, now you want to sue over a small thing; have you thought about how she'll feel?"
"Did she think about my feelings when she framed me?" Qiao Zhenzhen said mockingly, curious what he was thinking as he spoke. "Besides, most of the posts she put up slandered me, claiming I used the school director's daughter's status to get special treatment. If the truth doesn't come out this time, your position on the school board might be at risk. Are you really willing to let her go?"
When he heard she was thinking of him, Qiao Jian's expression softened a little. "It's not that serious. She's just a student, what kind of trouble could she stir up? Dad will surely find a way to handle it."
"Your so‑called solution is to send Zhenzhen abroad to study, is it?" Qin Jing, who had been watching coldly beside him, finally spoke.
Just like his usual way of fixing things, a flash of derision crossed Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes.
Qiao Jian frowned. "What's wrong with studying abroad? Zhenzhen was never cut out for academics, spending a few years abroad to get a diploma isn't so bad, is it?"
"How can you say she's not cut out for studying?" Qin Jing bristled the moment she heard him talk about their daughter that way.
Qiao Jian shot her a look. "I'm stating facts. Zhenzhen is my daughter, don't I know her? Yes, she improved this time, but that's because her previous grades were so poor that answering a couple more questions makes it look like a lot of progress. Wait for her next test, I don't believe she'll improve that much again. As a parent you need to face reality..."
"Enough. You're her father, not her homeroom teacher, I have no interest in your lecture on her studies," Qin Jing cut in sharply.
Qiao Jian took a deep breath. "Why are you so short‑tempered lately? What's gotten into you?"
Seeing the argument about to flare up again, Qiao Zhenzhen immediately stopped them. "Okay, it's late, everyone get some rest."
Qiao Jian hurriedly said, "Then about the lawsuit..."
"I won't compromise," Qiao Zhenzhen said decisively.
Qiao Jian's face went hard at once.
Qin Jing, tired of arguing, looped an arm around Qiao Zhenzhen and went back into the room.
Watching the mother and daughter united against him, Qiao Jian kicked over a trash can in anger. "Fine, you're a family and I'm an outsider. Nothing I say matters to you!"
Hearing the noise, Qiao Zhenzhen turned to look, but Qin Jing pulled her inside. "Don't mind him, he's a mad dog."
Qiao Zhenzhen couldn't help smiling. "This is the first time I've heard you say that about him."
In truth, Qin Jing was the picture of a traditional woman, no matter how badly Qiao Jian erred or how often he angered her, she never embarrassed him in front of others or the children, and she never spoke ill of him. This was the first time Qiao Zhenzhen had heard such words from her.
Qin Jing paused, then realized what she'd said and felt slightly embarrassed. "I was just angry in the moment, don't pick that up from me. He's your father; you must respect him." For some reason, her tolerance for Qiao Jian had been shrinking lately.
"Respect has to be earned," Qiao Zhenzhen smiled. "He won't go after the real villain, but he wants to send me abroad, typical of him."
Mentioning the matter put Qin Jing in a bad mood too. She pressed her lips together and said, "Don't worry, your mother will not let this go easily."
A girl's reputation is everything. Her Zhenzhen had suffered such a grievous wrong, there was no way she would let it slide.
Qiao Zhenzhen nodded. Seeing her mother about to leave, she grabbed her. "Mom, sleep with me tonight. Dad lost his temper, I feel a little scared."
"I didn't realize you were afraid, you're worried I'll go back and argue with him, aren't you?" Qin Jing raised an eyebrow.
Caught, Qiao Zhenzhen didn't deny it; she just grinned. Qin Jing, half‑amused and half‑exasperated, tapped her on the head and stayed in her room.
After they washed up it was already eleven. Qiao Zhenzhen turned off the light, snuggled into her mother's arms, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Qin Jing, however, suffered a rare bout of insomnia, staring blankly at the ceiling.
After some time she slipped her arm out from under Qiao Zhenzhen's neck and tiptoed out. She fetched a bottle of red wine from the kitchen and sat in the living room to drink two glasses.
The wine loosened her thoughts and sleepiness finally crept in. She stretched and went upstairs. At Qiao Zhenzhen's door she noticed her own bedroom door was ajar and she heard Qiao Jian's voice faintly, as if he were on the phone.
She paused, still wanting to talk to him, and turned back toward her room.
At the door she took a deep breath. Her manicured hand had just closed around the knob when she heard his impatient voice: "I've already told them. If they won't agree, what can I do? Do you want me to beg them?"
Qin Jing froze.
"Anyway, handle this yourself. I won't be involved anymore. I, " Qiao Jian paused as if struck by something and turned; surprised to see Qin Jing, he quickly composed himself and, with a cold face, told the person on the phone, "Fine, I won't interfere. I have other matters, I'm hanging up."
He hung up decisively, then frowned at Qin Jing. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"It's this late, who were you talking to on the phone?" Qin Jing asked.
Qiao Jian hesitated. "No one. It's company business, the finance department had some trouble and now the mess is being dumped on me."
He spoke smoothly; though Qin Jing still found it odd, she didn't press further. "It's nothing serious, right?" she asked.
"Nothing serious," Qiao Jian said when he saw she believed him, quietly relieved. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"I wanted to talk," Qin Jing said, closing the door after she entered.
Qiao Jian paused. "What is there left for us to talk about?"
That single line chilled Qin Jing. "So in your heart there's nothing left for us to talk about?" she asked.
Qiao Jian said nothing.
"...Don't you think our relationship has had a lot of problems recently?" Qin Jing asked, trying to keep her patience.
Qiao Jian glanced at her. "You run off to the Qin family all the time, of course there are going to be problems."
Those words deflated Qin Jing completely. Looking at his slightly greasy face in the light, she felt this visit had been pointless.
She turned to leave. Qiao Jian immediately called after her, "Qin Jing!"
"What?" she returned, her face hard.
"I'm asking you to reconsider dropping the lawsuit. I'm not doing this for anyone else but for Zhenzhen. These things, no matter how loudly they're discussed, are still disputes between students. You, an adult and the school director's wife, suddenly getting involved, what will that look like? The board already has issues with me. If you keep making a scene, how am I supposed to continue as a director?" Qiao Jian said, lowering his tone as much as he could.
He had said earlier he wouldn't get involved, but that was only a heat-of-the-moment remark.
There was no choice. Zhao Ying had been crying through her phone call to him; he was afraid she might suffer another pain in her belly. After so many years they had finally had a son, he would do anything to keep mother and child safe. Besides, the episode had already cast a bad light on the school; the administration just wanted it settled quickly. If Qin Jing really sued, he would be criticized again.
Qin Jing stared at him for a long moment, forcing a smile. "Is this really for Zhenzhen?" She thought to herself that he kept invoking his position on the board, but what he truly cared about was himself, how could he put on such a lofty pretense?
Qiao Jian frowned; before he could make sense of her meaning, she turned and left.
They spent the night in silence.
When the six o'clock alarm rang, Qin Jing and Qiao Zhenzhen got up. After washing they went downstairs chatting and laughing, but fell abruptly quiet when they saw Qiao Jian in the living room.
Qiao Jian endured their unspoken coldness and, with a pleasant tone, invited, "Come on, sit down and eat."
Zhenzhen and Qin Jing exchanged a glance and sat at the table together; the three of them ate breakfast in silence.
Near the end of the meal Qiao Jian suddenly spoke: "The principal just called me, Zhao Lianqiao and her parents are already waiting in your homeroom teacher's office. They want to apologize to you in person."
Zhenzhen paused and looked up at him. "Me?"
"Of course," Qiao Jian smiled. "They've been waiting by the school gate for an hour, their sincerity is clear. Your homeroom teacher also hopes to resolve this peacefully. You're all senior-year students; it's best to focus on your studies and get these matters settled quickly..."
"Who gave you the right to contact the homeroom teacher on your own?" Qin Jing snapped. She could ignore the board's opinion and Qiao Jian's identity as a school director, but she could not ignore the homeroom teacher, her daughter would be under that teacher's care for nearly a year.
Qiao Jian had counted on that and, unfazed by being interrupted, said, "What you two have done has already led Teacher Zhou to be reprimanded by the principal several times. Even for her sake, you shouldn't keep harassing them."
"It was clearly Zhao Lianqiao who was in the wrong, and now we're the ones blamed for not letting go...forget it, I'm not arguing," Qin Jing stood up. "Zhenzhen, let's go."
Zhenzhen immediately slung on her backpack and followed. Halfway out she turned back and took all the food from the table.
Qiao Jian blinked in confusion; everything on the table was gone.
He: "..."
With two sandwiches in her hands, Zhenzhen hurried after Qin Jing. "Mom, what should we do now?"
"We're going to the school to meet Zhao Lianqiao's parents," Qin Jing said expressionlessly. She couldn't ignore the homeroom teacher's face. Not pressing charges didn't mean she couldn't restore her daughter's dignity.
Zhenzhen froze for a moment and unconsciously stopped walking.
Qin Jing climbed into the driver's seat and, seeing she was still standing there, raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you coming?"
"...Coming." Zhenzhen swallowed and slipped into the car.