Chapter 51

Only then did Old Mr. Chi sit back down.
"...So how exactly do you want me to guarantee it?" Qiao Jian pressed.
Old Mr. Chi pondered for a moment. "Use your personal assets as collateral. If Qiao group damages the Chi family's interests, you will bear the losses, you are the head of Qiao group; whether damage occurs is down to your decisions. I don't think that's too much to ask." He left the hint at that.
Qiao Jian still found it strange, but with such a huge profit at stake and the terms otherwise reasonable, he couldn't dwell on it. "Alright, I accept the condition."
"Then that's that for now. If no other company bids, this contract will be yours," Old Mr. Chi said as he rose.
Qiao Jian grew anxious. "What do you mean, are there other companies?"
"Young man, you don't think you're the only one who sees the value of this project, do you?" Old Mr. Chi said with a half-smile; his wrinkled face radiated authority without anger. "What I said earlier was only that I'd consider working with the Qiao firm."
Qiao Jian swallowed. "B-but we were already discussing guarantees, weren't we?"
Old Mr. Chi frowned, clearly displeased with his persistence.
Qiao Jian steeled himself. "All right, I'll not only sign the guarantee, I'll also concede that extra layer of profit I mentioned. How about that?"
Old Mr. Chi's expression shifted slightly.
"I've shown my utmost sincerity. I hope you'll consider it carefully," Qiao Jian said, growing anxious.
Old Mr. Chi was silent for a long while, then softened. "I'll give you a week. Draft the contract."
Afterwards he reiterated, "I want to see your sincerity."
Qiao Jian agreed joyfully. After seeing him to the gate he drove straight back to the office, calling the legal department as he went: "Give up another point of profit; keep the other details the same. And...bring back, as soon as possible, the assets I transferred out under different names, I need that asset inventory for the guarantee contract..."
While Qiao Jian was in a whirlwind of activity, Qiao Zhenzhen had just finished a small test. Because the exam was graded by class the teacher marked the papers in batches, and by evening study hall the results were already out.
"Qiao Zhenzhen, you've improved again!" someone in the front row exclaimed when they saw the rankings.
Qiao Zhenzhen's spirits lifted. "What's my rank now?"
"Seventeenth. I think you were below thirty last time, right?" the student asked.
Qiao Zhenzhen thought for a moment. "I think I was in the thirties." She couldn't remember exactly, but she did recall being two places above Zhao Lianqiao.
"Thirty-fourth," Chi Shen spoke up unexpectedly from beside her.
The student hadn't expected him to join the conversation; after a moment of surprise he continued, "That's incredible!"
[Favor +0.01, current total 490.01]
Other classmates quickly gathered around, curious about the notes Chi Shen had prepared for her.
Qiao Zhenzhen wasn't one to be stingy; she handed them out readily.
[Favor +0.01, current total 490.02]
[Favor +0.01…]
It had been so long since she’d received any favor points from anyone but Chi Shen that the sudden flurry gave Qiao Zhenzhen a headache; she quickly had Xiao Ba temporarily block them.
The others studied the notes for a long time and agreed they were too tailored to suit someone like Qiao Zhenzhen, though there were still elements worth borrowing.
"Hey, Chi Shen, why don't you tutor me too? I'll pay whatever you charge per lesson," someone said.
Another person snickered, "Chi Shen makes a fortune just by entering a contest, does he care about your measly lesson fees?"
"Exactly. He only tutors Qiao Zhenzhen; we can just be jealous."
A jumble of voices filled the back corner; Chi Shen let them tease him, only stealing the occasional glance at Qiao Zhenzhen.
Compared with Qiao Zhenzhen's easy cheerfulness, Zhao Lianqiao in the front row looked like a thundercloud. Too much had happened recently for her to focus, and she'd slipped into the forties, out of only a little over fifty students in the class.
She was only one step away from becoming Qiao Jian's daughter; she should have been indifferent to grades, but seeing Qiao Zhenzhen so far ahead was unbearable.
Shouldn't Qiao Zhenzhen's grades be worse than hers? Shouldn't Qiao's social standing be below hers? When did people start talking to Qiao Zhenzhen more while those who supported and believed in her dwindled? When did everything begin to spiral out of control?
Bang,
Zhao Lianqiao shoved her desk aside and stormed out of the classroom with a dark expression.
The room went quiet, then a girl whispered, "Is she sick or something?"
"I never thought much of her before, but now she seems to be getting more and more extreme."
"Better stay away from her, otherwise you might be the next one she starts rumors about..."
Qiao Zhenzhen listened calmly and looked toward the doorway where Zhao Lianqiao had disappeared.
After a moment, the hand she had tucked under the desk was suddenly grasped.
She froze for a moment, then turned to see Chi Shen's right hand holding a pen, intently focused on the test paper as if he were working seriously.
He really is getting bolder. Qiao Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow and prodded his palm with her finger. Chi Shen's face flushed; luckily everyone else was chatting and didn't notice.
"I ranked seventeenth," she whispered, head bowed, bragging in a voice meant only for the two of them.
A small smile tugged at Chi Shen's lips; after a moment he murmured, "Do you want a reward?"
Qiao Zhenzhen fell silent, she knew exactly what he meant by "reward."
Caught off guard, her face flushed even more than his; fortunately the bell rang and people dispersed, rescuing her from further embarrassment.
She let out a quiet sigh of relief and looked up to meet the homeroom teacher's gaze.
"Qiao Zhenzhen did well this time. Keep it up, aim for the top ten at the final exam," the usually stern teacher said, smiling for once.
[Affection +1, current 491.12]
Her heart hammered; the shy feeling was similar to when she kissed Chi Shen, and yet slightly different.
"Top ten might be a bit of a stretch," Chi Shen said suddenly.
Qiao Zhenzhen looked at him in disbelief. "I'm happy right now, don't rain on my parade."
He paused, then after a moment said, "In my heart, you're number one."
She brightened again; the hand he'd been holding under the desk grew slightly clammy.
"Chi Shen, step outside for a moment," the teacher suddenly said.
Qiao Zhenzhen quickly withdrew her hand. Chi Shen's palm felt empty and the warmth vanished; he pressed his lips together and left with his head down.
The teacher led him to the end of the corridor and said, "There's an inter-school math competition in our city on November 6th. It only takes two hours. If you place, there's a generous prize, and the school will give extra rewards. Would you be interested in representing the school?"
Chi Shen hesitated for a moment. "Sorry, I don't want to participate."
"Think about it, this is an honor, and the school leaders especially want you to go," the teacher urged patiently. "The competition could affect next year's allocation of Education Ministry funds. Consider it a fight for the school's honor."
The competition had been announced abruptly and scheduled just a week away, intentionally so that schools couldn't prepare and students' true levels would be revealed. From when the leaders got the notice to when they came to her about Chi Shen didn't take more than half an hour.
"Sorry." Chi Shen kept his gaze lowered, nothing would sway him.
The teacher sighed and relented. "If you really won't go, fine. I'll tell the leaders and they'll find another student."
Chi Shen nodded, and seeing she had nothing more to say, he returned to the classroom.
Qiao Zhenzhen had been waiting anxiously; when he came back her face lit up and she waved. Chi Shen's expression softened as he lowered his head and sat down beside her.
"What did the teacher want?" she asked.
"To ask me to enter the competition," he said.
"That's great, are you going to?" Qiao Zhenzhen asked.
Chi Shen shook his head.
She was stunned, then it hit her. "Are you afraid it'll be too high-profile and your dad will find out?"
Chi Shen fell silent.
"Then why not?" she asked, puzzled.
He stared at her for a moment, reached out to ruffle her hair, but gave no answer.
Qiao Zhenzhen was left feeling restless; she kept asking and couldn't get an answer, so she gave up. But at home she couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Old Mr. Chi gave Qiao Jian a week, but knowing him, he'll probably have the contract done in three days. The man is hardworking and ambitious, but not very sharp. If he hadn't had the boost from the Qin family, he'd probably still be working for someone else, slogging away like a beast of burden. It's probably for the best this is settled; I hope he can see himself clearly," Qin Jing rambled on. When she looked up, she noticed Qiao Zhenzhen lost in thought.
Qin Jing was speechless for a second, then tapped her on the head. "What are you daydreaming about?"
Qiao Zhenzhen quickly covered her head.
"Don't pretend, you didn't feel a thing," Qin Jing said, giving her a sidelong glance.
Qiao Zhenzhen rubbed her nose and told her about her worry. Qin Jing listened for a long while, then her brow knit. "Could Shen Shen be having a birthday that day, and that's why he doesn't want to take the exam?"
Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes brightened. "That's possible!" She knew he came of age this year but didn't know the exact date; only now, hearing Qin Jing, did she have a lead.
"Since he didn't say anything, don't ask, just secretly get him a gift, and we'll throw him a party," Qin Jing said, then glanced at the time and felt a little regret. "No, that won't work, the timing's awkward. Old Mr. Chi is coming, and grandfather has to entertain him. If we're hosting him at home, we can't hold the party there."
As for the Qiao household, it would turn into a battleground in a few days, so it wasn't even a consideration.
Hearing that, Qiao Zhenzhen felt regret too, but she wasn't ready to give up. "Why don't we talk to grandfather about it? Maybe Old Mr. Chi likes a lively gathering?"
Qin Jing thought a moment and nodded.