Chapter 9

After tidying herself up, Qu Ling’er took out a Post-it note and a pen from her bag. She wrote some words and stuck the Post-it note on the mirror of the vanity. Then, she took her bag—and the trash in the house—and left.

After walking out of the neighborhood, she went to a nearby breakfast shop and ordered a bowl of porridge and a tray of Xiaolongbao. As she ate, she tapped on WeChat and a myriad of messages popped up. Most of them were sent by Old Leopard—he had asked her to let him know when she got home. But she met Luo Yichen last night and later, she accidentally fell asleep. She completely forgot about this matter. She hurriedly replied to Old Leopard: “My cell phone ran out of battery and turned off automatically.”

After that, she opened the next message. It was sent by someone with the nickname: Xia Xia—her classmate.

Xia Xia: “Happy birthday, Ling’er!”

“By the way, your acceptance letter is with me. When are you coming to get it?”

Acceptance letter?

Qu Ling’er replied: “I’ll go get it later.”

Xia Xia: “Okay, let me know when you’re here. I’ll go and fetch you.”

After breakfast, Qu Ling’er took the bus to Xia Xia’s house. Xia Xia’s birth name was Xia Tian. She was a close classmate and they mutually agreed that Xia Xia would help to receive her acceptance letter. The whole class knew she did not have a good relationship with her family.

Half an hour later, Qu Ling’er met Xia Tian.

Xia Tian was wearing a pink princess dress. When she saw Qu Ling’er, she smiled and waved at her. “Ling’er, I’m here!”

Qu Ling’er looked at Xia Tian and walked over with a smile.

Xia Tian took out the unopened acceptance letter from her backpack and handed it to Qu Ling’er. “Here, this is for you.”

Qu Ling’er took it and stuffed it into her handbag. “Thank you.”

Xia Tian pouted and said angrily, “Why are you being so polite with me?” Then, she chuckled and said, “I must congratulate you, the future top student of Beijing University!”

Qu Ling’er smiled and said, “Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll treat you to lunch.”

“Really?” At the mention of food, Xia Tian’s eyes lit up. “Then let’s have hotpot for lunch… No, no, the weather is too hot. Why don’t we eat something cooler and have cold noodles?”

Qu Ling’er smiled. “Cold noodles? Is that all you want? I remember there’s a Jinyu Seafood restaurant near your house. My treat at that place!”

“Huh? That’s very expensive!” Xia Tian shook her head vigorously.

“I thought you like seafood? Let’s try it today,” Qu Ling’er said.

Xia Tian hesitated for a moment and said, “But… you don’t have a good relationship with your family. Let me treat you instead!”

She knew that Qu Ling’er did not have a good relationship with her family, so it was not easy for her to ask for pocket money.

“Don’t worry. Although I don’t have a good relationship with them, they still give me pocket money. I’m not that poor.” Qu Ling’er knew what Xia Tian meant and it warmed the cockles of her heart. She did not expect anyone to be so thoughtful towards her—this was a rare sliver of warmth for her.

Although Fang Xiaoman gave her pocket money, Qu Ling’er had her own income. However, it was more convenient to use the Qu family’s money while she was a minor.

When Xia Tian heard what Qu Ling’er said, she did not reject her anymore. She held Qu Ling’er’s arm and said, “Let’s go shopping first. You’re going to study in the capital soon. You’ve got to buy some new clothes, right?”

Qu Ling’er nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go now.”

Xia Tian took another look at the T-shirt Qu Ling’er was wearing. “Ling’er, your T-shirt looks nice. This brand of clothing isn’t cheap. My Brother has a similar one!”

Qu Ling’er: “…” Her Brother? She did not expect the ordinary-looking T-shirt she chose was actually a branded one. She did not ask who the “Brother” Xia Tian was talking about was. After all, there were too many “Brothers” in the entertainment industry.

“It’s just a T-shirt. My dress got cream on it last night. I went to a Brother’s house to borrow a T-shirt.”

Xia Tian asked in surprise, “You didn’t go home last night?”

Qu Ling’er said calmly, “Yes, I quarreled with my family and didn’t go back.”

Hearing this, Xia Tian didn’t ask further—she knew about Qu Ling’er’s family situation. “Then, you stayed in a hotel yesterday? Although we’re adults, it’s still quite dangerous to stay in a hotel alone. I’ll go with you to check out of the hotel later. You can stay at my house tonight.”

“It’s alright.” Qu Ling’er shook her head. “I’m very safe. Don’t worry.” She did not want to trouble Xia Tian who had already helped her a lot—she was afraid Qu Zhisheng would cause trouble at Xia Tian’s house. Xia Tian did not ask further, seeing Qu Ling’er’s insistence.