"Then we'll be intruding," said the young couple in the back seat of the car, who clearly looked like children from wealthy families.
Qiao's Stepmother smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Not at all, not at all. Auntie loves a lively atmosphere."
Not quite understanding Shi Li's purpose, Qiao Jingjia followed behind Shi Li and Fu Huixing with a dazed expression.
Qiao's Stepmother led the way in front, having assigned her younger son to Qiao Jingjia.
However, the relationship between these half-brothers was quite strained. While Qiao Jingjia could barely hide his disdain for his brother, the younger Qiao, being a child, couldn't conceal his feelings.
He would occasionally hit Qiao Jingjia with his Ultraman toy, clearly behaving like an ill-mannered brat.
Shi Li smirked and said, "You brothers seem to get along so well. If my younger siblings were to hit me like that, I'd definitely slap them back."
Fu Huixing knew full well about Shi Li's family situation. Shi Li was the youngest child in her family; she didn't have any younger siblings. But this was just another one of her fabrications.
Only then did Qiao's Stepmother notice her younger son's actions. It had happened before, but she had never paid attention to it.
In her mind, a hundred stepsons weren't as important as one biological son. As long as her son was happy, anything went.
This was her true feeling, but she couldn't let outsiders know. They were her stepson's classmates, so they would naturally side with him. And these weren't just any classmates; they were children from wealthy families.
Qiao's Stepmother explained, "Oh my, the brothers do get along very well. Jingjia has a good nature and dotes on his younger brother. This is their unique way of communicating."
Her words all but directly accused Shi Li of meddling in their affairs.
"Is that so? Well, I suppose we have different parenting philosophies. I believe children shouldn't be spoiled; they should be disciplined when necessary."
As the elevator announced their arrival, Qiao's Stepmother conveniently "forgot" about this topic.
"Come in quickly. Our home is modest, so please don't mind."
Shi Li replied very considerately, "It's no problem at all."
[Even if we did mind, we'd only think it, not say it out loud]
This Qiao's Stepmother claimed to have low emotional intelligence, yet she managed to manipulate Qiao Jingjia's father, convincing him to transfer all his assets to her despite their divorce.
For someone like that, it would be more accurate to praise her high emotional intelligence.
But when entertaining Shi Li and Fu Huixing, she shamelessly inquired about their family backgrounds.
Shi Li had known since she was three years old not to flaunt her wealth, always trying to make herself sound ordinary.
Whenever anyone asked about her family situation, Shi Li would always say, "My dad is a clerk at a private company, and my mom is a housewife."
Huang Jie: ......
Fu Huixing, following Shi Li's logic, said, "Both my parents are dead. I live with relatives."
Looking at the demeanor of these two, Qiao's Stepmother didn't believe their claims of ordinary family backgrounds.
She had her own way of judging people. Hearing Fu Huixing say he lived with relatives, she assumed he was living under Shi Li's roof.
Since he was an orphan living with others, there was no need to cultivate a relationship with him.
She turned her attention to Shi Li, asking if she wanted orange juice or cola, an orange or a banana.
Shi Li smiled and said, "No need to trouble yourself. We've already had dinner and can't eat anymore. We mainly came to visit, to see Qiao Jingjia's home and to meet his uncle and aunt."
Qiao's Stepmother laughed, "You're such a sweet talker, young lady. Your uncle and I are in our forties, there's nothing much to see."
"Of course there is."
[There's a lot to see. Like what kind of wicked stepmother she is, and what kind of fool would hand over all his assets and reputation to another person, only to lose both money and life]
The entire class had long since mastered the art of holding back laughter. No matter how funny Shi Li's words were or how much they wanted to laugh inside, they had to suppress it to avoid being seen as fools by others and to prevent Shi Li from noticing.
Qiao's Stepmother was very nosy about other people's privacy. Having failed to uncover Shi Li's family background earlier, she began to probe indirectly again.
She asked questions like which company her father worked for, what her stay-at-home mother did all day, how many housekeepers they had, and how big their house was.
To be honest, her methods of prying into others' privacy were quite crude.
After this conversation, Shi Li couldn't understand, [So how did she manage to bewitch Qiao Jingjia's father? Could she teach a class on it? There should be many people interested in learning]
Hearing this, Fu Huixing couldn't help but glance quickly at Shi Li. He wanted to ask if she also wanted to attend such a class.
But he held back and didn't say anything.
Suddenly, the sound of keys opening the security door outside interrupted them. "Mom, I'm home."
A girl dressed rather skimpily entered and opened the door at the entrance. Seeing strangers sitting on the living room sofa, she was surprised but quickly adjusted her expression. "We have guests?"
Qiao's Stepmother waved for her to come over and sit. "Yes, they're your elder brother's classmates."
Elder brother?
Fang Ming thought for a moment, realizing they meant Qiao Jingjia.
Qiao's Stepmother introduced her to the two on the sofa, "This is my eldest daughter. She just finished her high school entrance exams and is on summer break now. She just went out with her friends. Fang Ming, quickly greet your brother and sister. Maybe sister can take you out to play sometime."
Fang Ming was Qiao's Stepmother's daughter from her previous marriage. After divorcing her ex-husband, she took on Qiao's Stepmother's surname.
Upon hearing they were Qiao Jingjia's classmates, Fang Ming lost all interest in communicating with them.
That useless Qiao Jingjia couldn't possibly know any impressive friends, so there was no need to get to know them.
Despite her reluctance, Fang Ming still sat down next to Qiao's Stepmother.
"I know your school is very good. I want this girl to go to your school and be your classmate. I wanted to ask how to apply to your school."
"You can ask Qiao Jingjia about that. You're family, after all. Is there anything you can't discuss among yourselves?"
Qiao Jingjia forced a smile. "Actually, it's not that difficult. After the high school entrance exam results come out, schools will naturally call to contact you. There's no need to apply actively."
As part of maintaining the facade of a family, how could he not know Fang Ming's grades?
With scores that couldn't even be considered outstanding, was the school crazy enough to recruit her as a special talent student?
What was her special talent, having an exceptionally thick skin?
A smile of embarrassment appeared on Qiao's Stepmother's face. "No, that's not it. She can't enter the school based on her grades. I was thinking of paying tuition to get her into your school."
Tuition? Qianpu Middle School's annual tuition was in the seven figures. It didn't seem like something their family could afford.
The Shi family could send their stepdaughter to Qianpu, as three years of tuition was just a drop in the bucket for them.
Shi Li put on an innocent smile and said, "I'm afraid I don't know much about that. Like Qiao Jingjia, I was specially recruited by the school due to my outstanding grades."
Qiao Jingjia added credibility to Shi Li's words, "That's right. Her grades are exceptionally good. She always ranks first in every exam."
Qiao's Stepmother laughed dryly, "Is that so? I didn't realize you're not only beautiful but also excel in your studies. Could you help auntie find out how students with poor grades can get into Qianpu Middle School?"
Shi Li replied with a naive expression, "If grades are poor, you just use money, right?"
Qiao's Stepmother nearly choked. Did she not know that students with poor grades had to pay more? The key was that there were many intricate details that needed to be figured out.
It wasn't as simple as sticking money to your forehead and becoming a Qianpu student.
It was the first time Shi Li had heard the name Fang Ming, and she felt it sounded familiar.
While waiting for the elevator at the Qiao family's door, she suddenly remembered, [Fang Ming later participates in a talent show and fabricates a persona as a rich, beautiful second-generation heir]
[So this rich beauty is all thanks to the money swindled from Qiao Jingjia's biological father]
[This rich beauty facade seems quite inflated]
