For a moment, Xue Jiao wondered if the two people before her had something wrong with their brains.
Not letting them join the project?
Blocking their postgraduate recommendations?
Xue Jiao narrowed her eyes slightly and coldly spat out, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
With that, not wanting to waste any more time on these two fools, she turned to leave.
"Don't you dare walk away!" Ge Donglin grabbed her arm.
Zeng Bin's eyes were practically spitting fire as he said hatefully, "You dare deny what you've done?! When I approached Chu Sheng about joining the project, he didn't outright refuse us at first. But after you said something, he immediately rejected us, didn't he?!"
Xue Jiao: "..."
Zeng Bin continued his accusations as if Xue Jiao had committed some unforgivable crime: "And now with the postgraduate recommendations—we had a very good chance of being recommended to Professor Tan's research program. But once again, you interfered and turned the entire faculty against us?!"
"Gu Xue Jiao, you're absolutely despicable!" Ge Donglin glared at her with intense hatred.
Xue Jiao's expression shifted from complete bewilderment to shock, and finally settled into something resembling the look one might give to idiots.
She was usually quite mild-mannered, but now she couldn't help but retort—
"First of all, what makes you two math majors think you can just waltz into a physics department project? Just because Chu Sheng didn't agree, you assume it's because I objected? Fine then, let me make this perfectly clear—I absolutely do not approve now. Because I think you two are not only incompetent, but also have some serious issues."
"You—"
Xue Jiao cut him off: "Secondly, what exactly do you think I've been stirring up about you? Your extreme personalities? Your lack of focus on actual work? Your malicious intentions? Or your habit of spreading rumors?"
Zeng Bin's eyes widened in disbelief.
Ge Donglin couldn't hold back: "How dare you accuse us of spreading rumors?!"
Xue Jiao looked at them coldly and sneered: "Wasn't it you two who kept spreading that I was clinging to powerful connections and being opportunistic? Moreover, you're accusing me of blocking your project participation and postgraduate recommendations without any evidence—that's defamation."
She took a step forward and said icily: "Mark my words—this is the last time. If you ever come to me with these accusations again, don't blame me for serving you with a lawsuit. Spreading rumors has consequences."
Zeng Bin and Ge Donglin froze instantly, staring dumbly at Xue Jiao.
At that moment, they suddenly remembered—Gu Xue Jiao was rumored to come from a wealthy family... and was the younger sister of the increasingly prominent Cheng Mingze.
Xue Jiao merely gave them one last cold glance before turning to leave with composed steps.
She simply didn't want to bother with these mentally deficient people, but that didn't mean she was a pushover.
If it came down to it, she could absolutely sue them—Cheng Shuo's company had lawyers, and Lin Zhihua's company had an entire legal department.
She was certain that if needed, Lin Zhihua would be more than happy to lend her his influence.
Perhaps Xue Jiao's threat worked, or perhaps Zeng Bin and Ge Donglin still had to focus on securing postgraduate recommendations from other schools—not to mention facing their biggest university hurdle: graduation. In any case, they never approached Xue Jiao again after this incident.
Xue Jiao had never been one to fixate on others. Her attention remained firmly on herself, her family, and those she cared about.
These two unpleasant individuals quickly became passing figures in her life, leaving almost no trace behind.Years later, when she was invited to give a lecture at a university, Zeng Bin stood behind the school leaders to shake her hand. She didn't recognize his face at all, merely offering a polite smile. This left Zeng Bin, filled with complex emotions, unable to say anything before being quickly pushed aside by the crowd.
Afternoon.
"Zhihua."
"Hmm?" Lin Zhihua turned his head, giving her a tender glance.
Xue Jiao smiled. "If I wanted to borrow your influence, would you lend it?"
"Huh?" Lin Zhihua's mind blanked for a moment, though his hands remained steady on the wheel.
Whenever Jiao Jiao was in the car, he was extra cautious, afraid of any mishap.
"Bullying others with borrowed power," Xue Jiao said, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "I want to bully others using your influence!"
Lin Zhihua looked stunned, almost thinking he'd misheard.
But in an instant, he laughed—genuinely happy and proud.
"Jiao Jiao, you're not borrowing my influence. It's yours," he said with deep affection. "I am yours."
Xue Jiao's face flushed, and she glared at him in flustered annoyance.
The car soon entered the garage, and Lin Zhihua held her hand as he walked her home.
"I really just want to take you straight to my place..."
Xue Jiao felt a little embarrassed. Originally, today was supposed to be a date with Lin Zhihua, but Cheng Shuo had asked her to come home early for dinner. Since she didn’t often have meals with her family these days, she quickly agreed.
Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she tentatively suggested, "How about you come home with me today?"
Without hesitation, Lin Zhihua immediately replied, "Okay."
Xue Jiao: "..."
So when Cheng Shuo opened the door, he was met with the sight of Lin Zhihua’s face—the one he disliked so much.
"...This is a family dinner. Why are you here?"
Lin Zhihua’s lips curled slightly. "Exactly because it’s a family dinner that I’m here."
Cheng Shuo: "..."
A tree without bark will die; a man without shame is invincible.
"Oh, Zhihua’s here too! Come in, come in!" Li Sitong’s delighted voice came from behind Cheng Shuo.
Holding Xue Jiao’s hand, Lin Zhihua strode in confidently and smiled. "Uncle, Auntie."
Cheng Mingze, who was opening a bottle of red wine, shot Lin Zhihua a fierce glare.
What was this shameless guy doing here?
But since he was already here, they couldn’t just kick him out—especially since the two women in the house were quite welcoming toward him.
The table was laden with dishes, and glasses were filled with wine.
Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong naturally sat on one side, while Lin Zhihua and Xue Jiao took the opposite side. When Cheng Mingze sat down and glanced at both sides... he suddenly felt something was off.
"Today isn’t any special occasion, but lately, our family has been busy with our own lives and rarely had time to gather properly. I’ve been occupied with company matters, Mingze with his startup, and Jiao Jiao..."
Cheng Shuo paused before continuing, "Jiao Jiao has been juggling studies and a relationship, leaving her schedule packed. It’s been a long time since we’ve sat down together like this for a proper meal."
"Dad..." Xue Jiao opened her mouth, guilt creeping in.
Only now did she realize that while she had made time for Lin Zhihua, she had neglected her family.
People were always like this—those closest to them, those they loved most, were often the easiest to overlook.
Xue Jiao’s mood suddenly dipped. Under the table, Lin Zhihua squeezed her hand in silent comfort."No, Dad isn't blaming anyone. Being busy is a good thing—we're all occupied with important matters, as we should be. But from now on, let's set Saturday evenings as our family gathering time. No matter how busy we are, we should try to keep this evening free to have dinner together," Cheng Shuo said with a smile.
"Agreed," Cheng Mingze responded immediately.
Xue Jiao also nodded. "No problem."
Cheng Shuo raised his glass and stood up. "Of course, the most important thing is—the great achievements our family has made since moving to Beijing this year. Mingze's company was officially established a few days ago. Jiao Jiao won the Chern Mathematics Award, ranked first in her major last semester, and received the highest-level scholarship. And as for me... my company has also made progress, with its scale continuously expanding!"
"Congratulations, Dad!" Xue Jiao and Cheng Mingze exclaimed in unison.
"Congratulations to you too!"
At this point, Li Sitong lowered her head slightly. "I'm the only one who hasn't accomplished anything..."
"Nonsense!" Cheng Shuo immediately refuted.
"Mom is actually the one who contributes the most to our family. She holds down the fort for us, single-handedly supporting all three of us!"
Cheng Mingze quickly added, "That's right, Mom. You're the most indispensable person in our family, planning our three meals every day and taking care of us so meticulously."
Their gazes shifted to Xue Jiao, and even Li Sitong looked at her nervously.
The relationship between this mother and daughter was still a cause for concern.
After such deep hurt, no one knew how long it would take to warm that wounded heart again.
Xue Jiao looked at Li Sitong, tears in her eyes, and nodded. "Thank you, Mom."
Three simple words, yet they carried all the meaning within.
Li Sitong's eyes reddened, and she quickly rubbed them, nodding vigorously. "I should... it's my duty..."
Suppressing the mist in her eyes, she whispered, "Jiao Jiao... Mom will make sure you're always happy!"
Xue Jiao nodded again, tears threatening to spill. Lin Zhihua reached out from behind, wrapping his arms around her and gently wiping her tears away.
There's a saying—
The greatest sorrow of parents is becoming increasingly cautious in front of their children.
But the more they care, the more cautious they become.
Li Sitong cared deeply for Xue Jiao. Perhaps her way of showing it in the past was wrong, perhaps even a little selfish.
But she still loved her. And after the incident with Gu Shiyun, she painstakingly changed her attitude, learning to understand and care for Xue Jiao.
Xue Jiao had long forgiven her. Perhaps even the original Gu Xue Jiao, who had passed on, would have forgiven her over time—after all, she had always cared most for this mother.
May that girl live well in another world, free and happy.
Cheng Mingze grinned. "Dad, didn't you say you'd just earn enough for living expenses from now on? Why are you still working so hard at your age?"
"You brat! How dare you talk to your father like that? What do you mean 'at your age'? I'm not old yet! What's wrong with having ambition?!" Cheng Shuo glared at Cheng Mingze, looking thoroughly indignant.
Cheng Mingze raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. You're in the prime of your life."
Cheng Shuo glanced subtly at Lin Zhihua, his emotions complicated.
Truthfully, he didn’t need to push himself so hard. But the gap between Pengcheng and Lin Corporation was simply too vast. Once Xue Jiao and Lin Zhihua got married, there would inevitably be gossip.
If Pengcheng could just become a little stronger, the disparity wouldn’t seem so glaring.Perhaps Lin Zhihua and Xue Jiao didn't care, but as a father, he wanted to give them all the best things he could offer.
At that moment, Lin Zhihua, who had been silent all evening, suddenly looked up and spoke.
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