Chapter 46

At ten in the morning the restaurant was almost empty.
When Qiao Zhenzhen said she had been prepared all along, Qin Jing's expression flickered; she instinctively asked, "What's your plan?"
"Mom, have you heard of a 'pig-butchering' scam?" Qiao Zhenzhen said, her face mysterious.
Qin Jing paused, a trace of confusion crossing her face.
After Qiao Zhenzhen finished, Qin Jing said with some significance, "No wonder your uncle suddenly asked me to go back to work."
Qiao Zhenzhen looked a bit nervous. "Mom, don't you agree with me?"
"It's not that I don't agree, it's just that... this plan doesn't seem like something someone your age would come up with," Qin Jing said with a sigh. "Are you sure you thought of all this by yourself?"
"It was my idea, but Grandpa polished the details, and Uncle will handle the execution," Qiao Zhenzhen answered honestly.
Qin Jing looked her over from head to toe. "How did I never notice, you actually have a talent for this?"
"...Mostly I’d seen too many of these schemes on the news before," Qiao Zhenzhen replied modestly. At this point in time, the pig-butchering scams weren't widespread yet, but in the two years before she was reborn they were on the news every day. She wasn't really talented; she had simply realized that this pattern would be perfect for dealing with Qiao Jian.
Of course, pig-butchering schemes are illegal, and she was only using the template to lure him into a trap, the rest would be handled by her grandfather and uncle.
Qin Jing thought for a moment. "Since you already have a plan, I'll certainly cooperate."
"...Are you sure? If you don't want to keep entangling with him, we can just divorce him right away," Qiao Zhenzhen said, watching her seriously. Although Qin Jing seemed to be doing better now, the shadows left by her previous life ran deep; she still wanted everything to prioritize her mother's mental health.
Qin Jing looked up and met that worried gaze, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, I'm not that fragile." She might be timid in life, but she wouldn't be weak as a mother; everything that belonged to her daughter would be preserved.
Seeing that Qin Jing showed no hesitation, Qiao Zhenzhen finally let out a breath.
The two talked a while longer, and then Qiao Zhenzhen went back to school.
She arrived just before the last class started. Zhao Lianqiao wasn't there, but Chi Shen had been waiting for her; when he saw her he immediately stood up.
Qiao Zhenzhen ran happily to his side, and before she could say anything Chi Shen asked, "How did it go?"
"Oh, look, Chi Shen actually speaking up on his own?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
Seeing her smile, Chi Shen quieted down again.
Before he could ask more, Qiao Zhenzhen began to tell him everything that had happened. Chi Shen listened in silence and, halfway through, even opened her water bottle to remind her to drink.
After she’d finished recounting the whole thing, class was almost starting. She looked at the water cup, now half empty, and felt a strange satisfaction.
"You're right; I should trust her. She's much stronger than I thought," she whispered as the bell rang.
Chi Shen quietly took the hand she had placed under the desk, giving her steady support.
Qiao Zhenzhen paused and gently pressed his palm.
[Affection +10, current total 430]
It had been a long time since any new affection points showed up. Seeing it now, Qiao Zhenzhen realized she'd been so busy dealing with Zhao Lianqiao that she hadn't kept up boosting Chi Shen's favor.
That wouldn't do. Although she had a lot of stored affection, it was becoming less useful. She'd used the pause skill seven times already; each extra use raised the base cost by 5 points. That meant next time she'd need 45 points to buy thirty seconds.
From using them those times she discovered that the affection-renewal skill could extend Chi Shen's lifespan, while the pause-time skill could save lives at critical moments. Both were indispensable, she had to save more.
With that in mind, Qiao Zhenzhen scratched at Chi Shen's palm again, but no new points appeared. She was silent for a few seconds, then, unwilling to give up, scratched once more, only for Chi Shen to suddenly tighten his grip and hold her hand firmly.
Qiao Zhenzhen couldn't move and had to give up.
While she was busy farming affection points, Qin Jing had already returned to the Qin household. After telling Qin Sheng she knew about Qiao Jian's affair, he was so hurt he said nothing and went straight to the study.
"Dad is really hurting," Qin Zhao said. "Go see him."
Qin Jing nodded, eyes reddened, and followed into the study.
In the study, Qin Sheng sat silently on the sofa and didn't turn when the door opened.
"Dad," Qin Jing called.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Qin Sheng asked.
Qin Jing stepped up to the sofa and nodded firmly. "I'm here to discuss what comes next. That other woman is pregnant with a son. Given Qiao Jian's character, he probably planned a divorce a long time ago. If we proceed with a normal divorce now, I'll likely end up with nothing."
"The Qin family is big and influential, we don't need to care about his little things," Qin Sheng sneered. After a pause he continued, "But even if we cast him out, we can't leave anything for him to keep."
He said that, then looked at Qin Jing and sighed slowly.
The two of them stayed in the study all afternoon before Qin Jing finally drove away.
Not long after she got home, Qiao Jian returned. He froze when he saw her, looking awkward, clearly worried he'd gone too far today and that she might notice.
Qin Jing watched his expression calmly, baffled at how such a transparent fool had managed to deceive her for nearly three years.
She took a deep breath, suddenly tense. "Is that woman okay? Did she keep the baby?"
Qiao Jian hesitated, stared at her for a moment, then gradually relaxed. He snorted and tossed his suit jacket onto the sofa. "She nearly had a miscarriage. Luckily I got her to the hospital in time, who knows what would have happened otherwise."
"…That's a relief, that's a relief. Now I can be at ease," Qin Jing said, letting out a breath.
Qiao Jian glanced at her. "She's still in the hospital. If you force Zhao Lianqiao to drop out and something happens to her, Qiao Zhenzhen will never be able to hold her head up in this life."
Qin Jing gave an awkward smile. "I just wanted to stand up for Zhenzhen."
"There are many ways to vent, no need to wipe someone out completely," Qiao Jian said, his tone softening when hers did.
Qin Jing said nothing.
"Alright, she's agreed to compensate and apologize. Forget about expulsion, she's in her final year; transferring now could ruin her future," Qiao Jian said, then went straight to his room. He changed quickly and came back out; seeing Qin Jing still there, he said bluntly, "It's all because of you, I wasted a day and didn't resolve a single company issue."
Qin Jing hurried to her feet, nervous like a child caught doing something wrong: "What should we do then? Are you going to work overtime now?"
Over the past month or so, every time they met it ended in an argument; Qiao Jian hadn't enjoyed her concern for a long time. Hearing this, he lifted his chin even higher: "Mm, overtime. I'm not coming back tonight."
He paused, then added, "I might not come back tomorrow either. Depends on the situation. Don't bother me unless it's important."
Zhao Ying had been getting stomach aches on and off lately. The doctors said it was too much mental stress combined with a high-risk pregnancy, her body wasn't in great shape, and without careful care the baby could develop problems. So he needed to spend more time with her.
"All right. But you need to take care of yourself and eat on time." Qin Jing obliged, getting up to see him to the door.
Hearing her long-unheard kind words, Qiao Jian felt a flicker of emotion and turned to kiss her, but Qin Jing stepped back in time. "Go on, hurry. I have to start my yoga."
"…All you ever do is waste your days on useless things." Qiao Jian, fed up with her rich-lady games, put on a stern face and left without hesitation.
When the door closed, a trace of mockery flashed across Qin Jing's eyes; she turned and went back into the room.
Night fell quickly; before she knew it, it was past nine.
After doing two full practice papers during three evening study sessions, Qiao Zhenzhen couldn't sit still as soon as the bell rang. But before she could stand, a pale hand settled on her shoulder and held her down.
"There are two more big questions." he said firmly.
Qiao Zhenzhen: "…The last two questions are the hard ones. I definitely can't do them."
"Try," Chi Shen insisted.
Helpless, Qiao Zhenzhen calmed herself and focused on the problems. She worked for twenty minutes and in the end had only managed to answer the first part of each of the two questions.
[Affection +5, current 435]
…Two sets of papers and only five points. At this rate, Chi Shen might live to a hundred while she dies young.
"Let's go." Chi Shen reached out and awkwardly ruffled her hair.
"…It's all messed up." Qiao Zhenzhen laughed and cried at once, but when she met his dark eyes she relented. "Let's skip extra tutoring tonight. I want to go home early and be with Mom."
Chi Shen looked hesitant, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he nodded.
They parted at the school gate. Today her driver had come to pick her up; after Qiao Zhenzhen said goodbye and got into the car, she impulsively glanced back and saw Chi Shen walking off in another direction.
…That wasn't the way home, was it? She hesitated for a second to take a closer look, but his figure had already disappeared.
Qiao Zhenzhen pursed her lips and asked the driver to circle back and look; when they couldn't find him she went home.
Qin Jing had already prepared a late-night snack. Seeing her come in she waved: "Come try this, wonton noodles. I made them myself."
Qiao Zhenzhen ran over at once and, after tasting a bite, praised, "Mom, this is delicious!"
"I'm glad you like it," Qin Jing said with a smile.
Qiao Zhenzhen smiled too, though her thoughts were elsewhere.
"Is something wrong?" Qin Jing asked.
"Chi Shen didn't seem to go home earlier; I don't know where he went…probably nothing," Qiao Zhenzhen said with an awkward laugh.
Qin Jing nodded. "He's thin, but he's solid. No one will pick on him. Don't worry."
She wasn't worried he would be bullied, she was worried he might bully someone else. Thinking of Zhao Lianqiao, who had nearly fallen to her death that day, her heart couldn't help but tighten.
"The phone's ringing. Stop daydreaming," Qin Jing called.
Qiao Zhenzhen paused and glanced at her phone. It was an unknown number; she hung up immediately. "Probably a spam call."
No sooner had she spoken than the phone rang again.
"Answer it," Qin Jing said, then went back into the room.
Qiao Zhenzhen pursed her lips and, not very pleased, picked up the phone. "Hello? Who is this?"
"…Zhenzhen, it's me," Chi Shen's voice came through the receiver, a little awkward. "I listened to you. I bought a phone today."
Qiao Zhenzhen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered she'd mentioned that in the morning.