"Don't panic first, your brother has already agreed. In a few days when he finishes the solution, I'll have your brother send it to you," said Li Lilian.
"Rest assured, that dead girl dotes on Little Yi, she will definitely help. In the future if they ask you to do questions again, mom will handle it for you," Li Lilian comforted Qiao Lingling.
"No one suspects you right? Ai, you're making me worry along with you. You have to keep your mouth shut," said Li Lilian.
"What? That dead girl met a rich and powerful figure at school?" When Li Lilian heard this, her eyes lit up.
"I knew she was capable. It's only been a few days since the start of school and she's already cozied up with a tycoon," Li Lilian said happily.
"You'd better mend your relationship with your sister. In the future when that dead girl makes it big, our whole family may have to rely on her," said Li Lilian.
"What can you do even if you're angry? That dead girl looks pretty after losing weight. Rich people like her, what's the point of you being angry?" Li Lilian consoled Qiao Lingling for a while before hanging up the phone. She thought to herself that she would also have to get on the good side of her eldest daughter. She should visit Beijing another day to take a look at the rich young master she latched onto. If they had a wealthy in-law, life would be great. Li Lilian happily hummed a tune.
At this time, a voice suddenly rang out, "Who asked second sister to do questions?"
Li Lilian was badly frightened, she nearly threw her phone. She turned her head to see Qiao Yi with wet hair standing at the kitchen door.
"L-little Yi, when did you come back? Why didn't you make any sound, you scared mom to death?" said Li Lilian.
"Who suspects second sister? Why suspect her? Suspect what? What did second sister do that you're worrying?" Qiao Yi asked sentence by sentence as she walked into the kitchen.
Li Lilian's heart thumped.
"W-what are you talking about? Nothing! Little Yi you must have misheard. I didn't call your second sister," Li Lilian pretended to stay calm.
"Mom," Qiao Yi looked steadily at her mother and asked, "How many points did second sister get for the college entrance exam?"
Li Lilian was stunned for a moment. Flustered, she concealed, "Your second sister did exceptionally well. She got 700 points."
"You're lying. She didn't even take the college entrance exam," said Qiao Yi.
Li Lilian opened and closed her mouth, unable to get any words out for a time.
"She stole my draft book and the math question. You didn't go to any wedding at all. Instead, you took big sister's questions and went to Beijing. She took big sister's place, and lied to Zhuo Zhiyi, Principal Zhang and Beijing University. That day Principal Zhang came, you hid in the room because you were afraid Principal Zhang would recognize you, right?"
Qiao Yi stepped closer. She tried her best to restrain her emotions but her heart was still filled with anger, shame and self-blame.
"Little Yi, it's not like that, listen to mom explain..." said Li Lilian.
"You still want me to help you trick everyone!" Qiao Yi felt extremely apologetic to Qiao Ying. If she had unknowingly become an "accomplice" and nearly helped commit injustice again, she would never have forgiven herself.
"I'm going to tell sister," said Qiao Yi as she turned and rushed out of the kitchen.
"Little Yi!" Li Lilian hurriedly chased after her.
She chased Qiao Yi to her room. Recklessly, she snatched Qiao Yi's phone just as she was about to make a call.
"Give me back my phone! Give it back! Do you know what you're doing?" Qiao Yi said agitatedly.
Li Lilian gripped the phone tightly and refused to let go.
"Little Yi, Little Yi, you can't do that. Lingling is your sister by blood. If you do this, you'll ruin her life. If you make that call, your second sister will be finished for life. The street will see how they look at your second sister. If your second sister gets expelled from Beijing University, what will she do in the future? Can she take it?" said Li Lilian.
"What if she's weak? If big sister was weaker today, wouldn't she be the one getting destroyed?" said Qiao Yi.
"Things have already come to this, pretend you don't know anything okay? Don't tell your big sister. Your big sister is capable now. She also got into Beijing University. In the future she'll have everything. What's the big deal about giving Lingling one question? Isn't it good for two sisters to be in Beijing University together?" said Li Lilian.
"That doesn't belong to second sister. You took big sister's things and seized her glory. On top of cheating Beijing University of their scholarships and housing, you still want big sister's housing and scholarship. Yet you still call her 'that dead girl'. She's still your daughter! Fine if you usually favor Lingling but I can't believe you would do something like this!" said Qiao Yi.
"Are you saying whatever it takes to destroy your second sister and this family?" said Li Lilian.
Qiao Yi was silent for a moment before saying, "That doesn't belong to her."
When Qiao's father came home from work, he saw his wife crying in the living room.
Qiao Yi's phone was on the table.
Their son was locked in his room, banging on the door. He had never been this emotional before, shouting to open the door.
"What's going on here?" Qiao's father went to open the door.
His wife stopped him.
She tearfully recounted everything.
After she finished speaking, she kept crying that Qiao Yi wanted to destroy his own sister's life and tear their happy family apart.
"He's forcing me as a mother to die, to jump off a building!"
Hearing his mother's words, Qiao Yi in the room quieted down.
After a while, his mother cried and shouted outside the door,
"Isn't it enough even if I as your mother kneel and beg you? I'm begging you as a son to give your sister a way to survive, okay?"
After about half an hour,
Qiao Yi's father came to his door and sighed repeatedly.
Then he started persuading, "Little Yi, your second sister and your mother were in the wrong. But your mother is right that this isn't just taking two pieces of candy. If this got out, your second sister would be finished for life. I think this family would also fall apart. How would the neighbors see your second sister then? If your second sister gets expelled from Beijing University what will she do in the future? Can she take it? To little Ying this is just a question she doesn't care for but for your second sister this question means her future. Dad lacks capability. I didn't give you three siblings a good life and I didn't teach your second sister well. I'm sorry to your big sister..."
Qiao's father was uneducated. He felt it was just a math question Qiao Ying didn't want that could give his sister a bright future.
They were family, blood-related sisters. It wasn't that big of a deal.
At this time Li Lilian held the phone outside the door with the speaker on.
Qiao Lingling's desperate pleas came from the phone.
Mother, father, second sister were all begging him to keep it a secret.
Qiao Yi said powerlessly, "It can't be hidden."
Then he went to the table and turned on the computer.
Li Lilian didn't understand technology. She didn't know messages could be sent and people contacted from computers. She had only taken Qiao Yi's phone.
Qiao Yi sat in front of the computer while outside was his pleading mother and earnestly advising father...
No one knew how much time passed. Qiao Yi placed both hands on the keyboard and opened WeChat at Qiao Ying's chat frame.
Qiao Ying's phone rang. She saw the message.
The next day,
Li Lilian only opened Qiao Yi's door with two swollen eyes.
In a hoarse voice she said, "Mom asked for leave from your school so don't go today."
Qiao Yi said incredulously, "Are you going to imprison me?"
Li Lilian said, "Son, you're still young. You don't understand a parent's hardship and hopes. As parents we hope for the best for our children."
Qiao's father stood silently at the side, saying nothing.
At school,
Qiao Lingling was in a complete daze with her nerves tightly strung.
She barely endured until the end of class. Qiao Lingling didn't have any appetite as she walked towards the dorms, wanting to rest properly away from the crowds.
"Little Yi said you have a question for me to solve?"
Without any warning, Qiao Ying's voice suddenly rang out.
Qiao Lingling was so frightened she screamed and jumped up from shock.
Seeing Qiao Ying before her muddled brain, Qiao Lingling blanked out as her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She sank into endless terror.
"The scholarship isn't small," said Qiao Ying at this time.
Qiao Lingling barely regained some ability to think, "Sis...Sis..."
Qiao Ying said, "When the question is solved, the full scholarship is mine."
At first Qiao Lingling blanked out, then nodded repeatedly, "All yours, all yours sis."
Qiao Ying asked, "Where's the question?"
Qiao Lingling's brain buzzed. Flustered, she took out her phone to find the question, "It's here."
Qiao Lingling thought: Could it be Little Yi didn't tell Sister Ying but chose to help her instead?
After Qiao Ying read the question she asked, "Do you have paper and pen on you?"
"I do, I do!" Qiao Lingling hurriedly took out paper and pen.
She was so anxious her pen dropped to the ground. She quickly bent down to pick it up.
"Sis, how long will it take?" Qiao Lingling asked. At the same time, she concealed her panic and tried to calm herself down.
"Very soon," said Qiao Ying as she took the pen.
