“ Xia Xiaolan! ”

Xia Hongxia rushed to the gates of County No. 1 High School and waved frantically.

But Xia Xiaolan was walking quickly and didn’t hear her. A few steps later, she turned into the teaching building and disappeared from sight.

Stamping her foot in frustration, Xia Hongxia turned on the gatekeeper.

“ Why did you let her in? ”

The gatekeeper gave her a meaningful look.

A young woman hanging around male students all day already looked bad enough. 

The boys here were preparing for the gaokao. If any of them got distracted by Xia Hongxia, their studies would suffer. Why would he let someone like that into the school?

The look made Xia Hongxia both embarrassed and furious.

Fortunately or unfortunately, she had inherited the Xia family's thick skin.

Instead of backing down, she acted wronged.

“ You look down on me because I’m from the countryside! You’re treating us differently! Is it because she’s prettier than me? Let me tell you— ”

She raised her voice deliberately.

Several passersby turned to stare.

The gatekeeper was an older man. Being accused of favoritism toward a young girl was the last thing he wanted.

“ She’s a student at this school. ” he snapped. 

“ That’s the difference. ”

A student?

Xia Hongxia would never believe it.

In her mind, Xia Xiaolan had never been the studying type. She couldn’t sit still and certainly couldn’t compare to Cousin Ziyu.

Xia Hongxia was convinced Xia Xiaolan had simply found herself a new boyfriend at the school. That little tramp was so shameless she’d even gotten the gatekeeper to lie for her.

The person she hated most in the world was Xia Xiaolan.

Determined to expose her, she shouted:

“ You’ve all been fooled! She’s notorious back home! Everyone for miles around knows what kind of woman she is! If she can get into the school, then so can I! ”

Just then, a school administrator happened to pass by.

“ What’s all this noise at the gate? You're disrupting school order. ”

The comment was directed at the gatekeeper, not Xia Hongxia.

The gatekeeper quickly explained.

“ Director Yu, this young lady comes around every day trying to get into the school. She has no legitimate reason, and I can’t let her in to bother the students. ”

Director Yu looked Xia Hongxia up and down with open disdain.

“ Old Zhao, do your job properly. The only people who should be entering County No. 1 High School are students and teachers. ”

The school wasn’t a secret facility.

But once you stepped through those iron gates, you entered a place dedicated to study. It wasn’t a marketplace where anyone could wander in and out.

Want to enter freely?

Simple.

Get admitted.

Director Yu never directly insulted her, yet Xia Hongxia felt as though her face had been ripped off and trampled underfoot.

Educated people really knew how to wound someone without swearing.

Gritting her teeth, she refused to leave.

“ Just now, the girl who went in— her name is Xia Xiaolan. Her private life is improper. Back in the countryside— ”

Director Yu cut her off.

“ And what proof do you have? ”

Xia Hongxia smirked.

“ She’s my cousin. Who would know better than me? ”

The disgust on Director Yu’s face deepened.

Even the gatekeeper was annoyed.

What kind of cousin publicly tried to destroy her own relative?

This wasn't family behavior. It was enemy behavior.

An enemy’s accusations weren’t worth listening to.

Director Yu couldn’t be bothered arguing with someone so foolish. He exchanged a glance with the gatekeeper and walked away.

The moment he left, Old Zhao stopped being polite.

“ You work at Zhang’s Snack Shop, don’t you? Keep causing trouble and I’ll report your behavior to your boss. ”

Xia Hongxia stared at him in disbelief.

Everything she’d said was true!

Yet somehow the school staff were angry at her instead of Xia Xiaolan.

It was like they’d all been bewitched.

Furious, she stomped back toward Zhang’s Snack Shop.

At first she intended to complain to Zhang Cui, but halfway there she came up with another idea and kept quiet.

Meanwhile, Zhang Cui was already unhappy. Jiang Lianxiang had once again pointed out that Xia Hongxia avoided work. 

Business had been slow enough that they could have cleaned tables, washed dishes, and tidied the shop.

Instead, Xia Hongxia had thrown down her rag and run off to stare at the school gate.

“ She doesn’t work hard, but she sure has plenty of schemes. ” Jiang Lianxiang said. 

“ The problem is she’s so transparent that every thought shows on her face. ”

There was nothing wrong with a young woman wanting a good husband. But before dreaming of eating swan meat, she ought to check whether she was a toad.

Xia Hongxia was ordinary-looking, had no special skills, held a rural hukou, and lacked education. What exactly did she think would attract future college students?

Worse, she stared at every male student who entered the snack shop as if she were choosing from a menu.

Some of the shy boys were becoming afraid to come inside.

Zhang Cui was seriously considering sending her away.

Not only was she useless, but if some scandal happened with a student, the boy’s parents might come looking for trouble. How could the shop stay in business then?

“ Hongxia. ” Zhang Cui said earnestly, 

“ Stop hanging around the school gates. Be a proper young woman. Don’t follow Xiaolan’s example. ”

Xia Hongxia nodded absentmindedly.

Inwardly she thought: And yet Xia Xiaolan seems to be doing just fine.

She waited.

And watched.

Nearly three hours later, she finally spotted Xia Xiaolan again. A tall, thin boy with dark skin escorted Xia Xiaolan to the school gate.

They exchanged a few words.

Xia Xiaolan waved goodbye.

The boy lingered for a moment before reluctantly turning back toward the school.

The sight poured fuel onto Xia Hongxia’s anger.

I knew it. She found a boyfriend at County No. 1 High School.

Who was that boy?

Did his family have influence?

Was that why Director Yu and the gatekeeper had protected Xia Xiaolan?

Determined to find out, Xia Hongxia threw down her rag once again and followed Xia Xiaolan. Back at the snack shop, Zhang Cui nearly fainted from frustration.

Jiang Lianxiang struggled not to laugh. Her brother-in-law Xia Changzheng had insisted on placing a member of the Xia family in the shop to keep an eye on her and Zhang Fuman.

Instead, Xia Hongxia had become a constant embarrassment. Watching the girl disappear like a loach slipping into water, Zhang Cui finally made up her mind.

She had tolerated enough.

Xia Hongxia was going back to Dahe Village.

— — —

Xia Xiaolan deliberately slowed her pace.

She liked using a modern approach to networking: be polite, and people would remember your kindness.

The gatekeeper, Old Zhao, had received cigarettes from her before. Earlier he had quietly warned her that a girl claiming to be her cousin had been making trouble at the gate.

He also mentioned that the girl worked at Zhang’s Snack Shop nearby.

Zhang’s Snack Shop.

Xia Xiaolan had noticed it during her first visit to County No. 1 High School. The location was excellent, and business was thriving.

In fact, she had once considered opening a similar shop and letting Liu Fen manage it.

Running a snack shop was hard work, but it sheltered you from the elements and was easier than hauling and reselling oil dregs.

If Liu Fen opened a shop, Xia Xiaolan could even give up the oil-dreg business and use those connections to repay favors owed to the Chen family.

Unfortunately, the best location was already taken.

For now, she put the idea aside.

If not in Anqing County, then one day she would open a shop for Liu Fen in Shangdu or Fengxian City. It didn’t even have to be a snack shop.

Making money wasn’t the point. The important thing was giving her mother something meaningful to devote her energy to.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind.

A triumphant voice rang out:

“ Xia Xiaolan!! I've finally caught you! ”