Nevertheless, Qin Sui still reminded Xiao Ya about some details: "As a parent, I investigated at the school, but neither teachers nor students provided any feedback. This indicates they're forming cliques, and the situation is quite serious."
"Whenever people form cliques, they create a certain organization, and once that happens, individual will gets suppressed and replaced by group mentality. When this leads to collective dissatisfaction and rebellion... it becomes dangerous."
"Hmm..." Xiao Ya responded thoughtfully.
After ending the call, Qin Sui left Atlanta as Xiao Ya had suggested.
This move indeed made Qin Yue feel more relaxed.
At three in the afternoon, school let out, and despite having specified the location, Qin Yue still came to find Xiao Ya in her wheelchair.
"I'll take you there," Qin Yue said, as if worried Xiao Ya might not go at the last minute.
Xiao Ya nodded and voluntarily started pushing Qin Yue's wheelchair.
Qin Yue's lips quivered with embarrassment, but she managed to hold back her reaction.
Xiao Ya pushed her all the way to the car.
Two bodyguards followed them throughout.
Qin Yue frowned and asked, "Are you bringing them along?"
Xiao Ya nodded: "They're assigned by my family, I have to bring them."
Qin Yue wanted to say something but remembered how she had ditched her own bodyguards before... and finally swallowed her words.
Even if she hadn't ditched them then... well, it probably wouldn't have made a difference. She still would have fallen for the trap.
At this moment, one of the bodyguards opened the car door and said, "Miss, please."
Qin Yue glanced at it and interjected, "I'm not riding in your car."
Xiao Ya enthusiastically promoted, "My car is very comfortable to ride in."
The bodyguards didn't care who Qin Yue was; her words meant nothing to them.
They only listened to Ke Muning, and because of his orders, they now only followed the young miss's instructions.
"Get in?" the bodyguard asked.
Xiao Ya nodded.
The bodyguard was about to lift Qin Yue's wheelchair.
However, Xiao Ya remembered her second uncle's aversion to broken legs.
Although Qin Yue's condition was temporary, the feeling of helplessness and being at others' mercy when unable to walk must be similar.
Xiao Ya pushed away the bodyguard's hands, then bent down, exerted some strength, and picked up Qin Yue in a princess carry.
Qin Yue's extremely displeased expression instantly turned to shock.
"What are you doing?" Qin Yue's voice went up an octave.
The bodyguards were actually startled too, thinking to themselves that the young miss was surprisingly strong.
"Carrying you into the car," Xiao Ya said while placing her on the seat and fastening her seatbelt.
Qin Yue never expected Xiao Ya would do this, or that she would be so strong...
"I don't need this," Qin Yue forced out stiffly.
"You're a girl, it's better if I carry you," Xiao Ya ignored her attitude and continued, "You're so nice to take me to meet new friends, I should be nice to you too."
Qin Yue's expression flickered through several changes before she suddenly said in a muffled voice, "Let's not go today, I'm not feeling well. Another time."
Xiao Ya turned to look at her: "Then what will I do without any friends?"
Qin Yue seemed to struggle internally, her lips quivering twice, but still couldn't bring herself to say "consider me your friend."
"What's the rush?" Qin Yue said.
Xiao Ya nodded: "Yes, I am in a rush. Without anyone to talk to or play with, I'll get homesick and cry."
"..."
Qin Yue didn't have a strong impression of Xiao Ya, only remembering that when her brother Qin Sui went on that show, he was very nice to this person, even invited her to his birthday party, and there were jokes at school about Qin Sui becoming someone else's brother.
That had made Qin Yue quite unhappy at the time.
She didn't understand the complexities of Xiao Ya's family situation either, only hearing briefly from her parents that Grandfather Zhang had reclaimed his biological granddaughter.
She had no idea that Xiao Ya also had family abroad, and quite a lot of them at that.
Hearing Xiao Ya's words now, she was just shocked.
Who talks about being homesick and crying so openly? She wasn't a little kid anymore, but a teenager!
"Let's go," Xiao Ya instructed the bodyguard and gave him the address.
If only I hadn't given the address... Qin Yue thought, but it was too late now, so she could only sit there with a sullen expression.
But Xiao Ya still asked with concern: "Where are you feeling unwell? Should we buy some medicine on the way?"
"No need," Qin Yue's tone remained stiff.
But she couldn't help wondering if this was how Xiao Ya had won over her brother.
She could never figure out her brother, but Zhang Ruoshui seemed to get along with him so well...
Oh wait!
Qin Yue suddenly remembered that TV show - her mother loved it, so she had watched the episodes with her brother in them.
Back then, Zhang Ruoshui was still called Li Xiaoya.
She had been very cold to Qin Sui on the show, wouldn't even bring him food, and netizens had joked about the different treatment.
Come to think of it...
The treatment Zhang Ruoshui was giving her now was something even her brother hadn't received back then.
All sorts of thoughts raced through Qin Yue's mind, but her anxiety and tension had eased somewhat.
"We're here," the bodyguard announced.
Xiao Ya opened the car door and got out first, looking up to see it was a bar.
Xiao Ya froze for a moment, her eyes widening slightly.
This was a place she had never been to before!
It seemed like this kind of place wasn't very appropriate...
Qin Yue's voice came from behind: "Scared to go in? Then let's go back."
Xiao Ya shook her head, signaled the bodyguard to get the wheelchair from the trunk, then carried Qin Yue out again.
Qin Yue's eye twitched, but she still couldn't say anything.
Fortunately, the bodyguards following Xiao Ya were Ke Muning's men - they didn't understand the concept that minors shouldn't enter bars.
Even if Xiao Ya wanted to watch male strippers, they wouldn't say "no."
So all four of them entered the bar.
The thunderous music inside nearly blew Xiao Ya away. She rubbed her ears in shock and bent down to ask Qin Yue, "You come here in a wheelchair just to go deaf?"
Qin Yue: "..."
Qin Yue pressed her lips together, looking at the crowd dancing in the center and then at the rock singer performing enthusiastically on stage: "Don't you think it's cool?"
That's what she had thought when she first saw it.
It was a world she had never experienced in China.
Xiao Ya shook her head, like an old-fashioned person: "It looks strange."
Qin Yue had to admit that this person was truly unique.
Her thoughts and way of doing things were all special.
Because Qin Yue's wheelchair was too eye-catching, someone soon came over to them.
But it was so loud that Xiao Ya could only see their mouth moving, without hearing a word they said.
They just followed behind the person, past the booths and bar counter, to an elevator and went upstairs.
The second floor was like a different world.
It suddenly became quiet.
"Who are they?" someone turned to look at the two bodyguards.
Xiao Ya said: "My bodyguards."
Qin Yue added stiffly: "Her family is strict."
The person who asked laughed.
Strict is good - the stricter the family, the faster they fall into the abyss.
They asked with a grin: "Strict families are usually from big corporations. Which Chinese conglomerate's princess are you?"
Xiao Ya thought for a moment, deciding to maintain her aloof attitude, and asked back: "Who are you?"
The person wasn't offended and introduced herself as Edith, the second daughter of some financial group.
After she finished, the others also introduced themselves one by one.
Finally, only one Asian-looking girl remained.
Edith pointed at the girl and said: "This is Gui Wenxin. You two should get along well. She's the only third-generation child of the Gui Family, and the goddaughter of the infamous madman Ke Muning."
Xiao Ya: ?
Then who am I?
How did they already decide on my identity?
