“Tell me honestly: Who was that man that was going to hit you? What’s your relation to him?”

After they’d left the Jiao Family’s restaurant, Sheng Jiaoyang immediately started questioning Xu Qing.

From her daughter’s willingness to protect her without the slightest hesitation, Xu Qing felt like she’d finally found a person to rely on. She could no longer treat her daughter as a child.

Her daughter had grown up, and some things couldn’t be concealed anymore.

“He’s your father,” Xu Qing stated calmly.

Sheng Jiaoyang just blinked. Her mouth opened slightly as she wanted to say something, but she didn’t know where to start.

To sum it up, the scumbag who she’d pushed to the ground was the biological father of this body?

“When your father and I divorced, I didn't know that I was pregnant with you. Actually, I didn't know about it for a while. Later, I was admitted into a hospital due to depression, and it was then that the doctor told me that I was pregnant. After finding out about you, I finally accepted the situation and moved on. I thought that no matter what, I had to give birth to you and raise you well.”

“You didn’t tell him?” Sheng Jiaoyang really couldn’t understand Xu Qing’s way of handling things. At the least, she could’ve been receiving child support from him. Seeing that man putting on airs, but also having a meal at the Jiao family’s restaurant, he must have a lot of money, right?

“At first, I wanted to tell him, but he wouldn’t agree to meet me at that time. Not long after, he married Jiang Yin.”

“So, he married another woman right after divorcing you?”

Xu Qing nodded with a sad expression on her face.

“Scum!”

After Sheng Jiaoyang had calmed down, she couldn’t help but ask, “You must’ve been beautiful when you were younger, so why did you stay with someone like that?”

“He was my senior. At that time, he was very good to me. He was a meticulous and caring person, and also very popular at school. My classmates envied me.” A smile graced Xu Qing’s face as she recalled her good memories.

Sheng Jiaoyang listened in silence. As people once said, one must guard against fire, theft, and senior brothers.

“When he was about to go away for an internship, he proposed to me. He said that he wanted to solidify our relationship, and I agreed.”

“Wait, wait! You mean, you two got a marriage certificate before you had even graduated?”

“Yes.”

“It sounds like he couldn’t wait to marry you. Since he liked you so much at that time, why’d he change later on?”

Xu Qing’s expression was gloomy, and she said with sadness, “He gradually changed after he started working. He would constantly go to dinner parties that would last until the early hours of the morning, so I tried to persuade him not to push himself too hard. When this happened, he became angry. Later on, he no longer told me anything about his work. One day, I went to a party with my classmates, and we were back quite late. When I arrived back to where we lived, I saw him sitting in Jiang Yin’s car. They…”

After speaking until here, Xu Qing suddenly stopped. The scene that she didn’t describe was obviously a significant blow to her.

Needless to say, Sheng Jiaoyang understood.

She understood how Xu Qing would’ve felt at that time. She saw the man she loved being affectionate with another woman right in front of her, and her heart probably felt like it fell into a pit of eternal suffering. She’d only ever loved her husband, yet she saw him having an affair.

“Jiang Yin must come from a wealthy family since she dared to hook up with a married man. Her brain must have problems!”

“During school, Jiang Yin also knew him, but at that time, he didn’t even look at her. However, in just a year, he was suddenly intimate with her. I don’t know what happened during that year, but it changed everything.”

“Was the company he had his internship with owned by Jiang Yin’s family?” Sheng Jiaoyang asked.

Xu Qing stared at her in a daze before nodding.

“Then, that’s it. A man can easily be changed by the environment when he enters society. He worked at a company owned by Jiang Yin’s family, and Jiang Yin was interested in him. It was just a matter of time before they engaged in an affair,” Sheng Jiaoyang said with her lips pursed.

Seeing Xu Qing’s distress, Sheng Jiaoyang held Xu Qing’s arm and said, “Not telling him about my existence was the right choice. Otherwise, he’ll come to find you and beg for your forgiveness once I get rich!”

“Mmh.” Xu Qing, who was becoming increasingly dependent on her daughter, had no rebuttal. Instead, she felt relieved. Now, she wasn’t afraid to face anyone because she had the support of her daughter.

“Let’s go. I feel that my period is coming soon.”

After buying menstrual pads at the convenience store, the two went back home.

“Jiaojiao, get up and drink some brown sugar water,” Xu Qing said as she walked into the room carrying a cup. Sheng Jiaoyang was currently imitating a corpse as she lay on the bed.

“Don’t feel like drinking.” Sheng Jiaoyang frowned. The momentum of her approaching period was tumultuous, and while not even half a day had passed, it had already taken her down.

The original Xu Jiaojiao was indeed young, but this body of hers was terrible. Her endocrine system was seriously malfunctioning, and her monthly period was deadly. For her, who used to live like a princess, this was a cruel punishment.

“Just drink a little bit, it'll make you feel better.” Xu Qing looked at the weak Sheng Jiaoyang and felt her heart ache.

Sheng Jiaoyang sighed. Then, sitting up, she leaned against the bedhead and took the cup from Xu Qing’s hand, gulping down half of it in one go.

“Take a rest, and I’ll go prepare some food for you,” Xu Qing said as she stroked Sheng Jiaoyang’s head.

“Don’t feel like eating.”

“Then, would you like me to cook some porridge for you to drink?”

“Okay.”

Watching Xu Qing’s back as she walked out, Sheng Jiaoyang suddenly felt that it wasn’t such a bad thing to be Xu Jiaojiao. She hadn’t experienced the feeling of being cared for by her mother for too long. Wealth and better living conditions weren’t equal to being loved and protected by your closest relatives.

She didn’t know whether it was due to her imagination or not, but at that moment, she didn’t feel so uncomfortable.

Picking up her phone, Sheng Jiaoyang started surfing the internet.

With regards to the entertainment news circulating Mei Niu’s relationship status, it was repeatedly being mentioned. It was still all speculations on the reason for Mei Niu and George’s break up. Something such as looking for a new flame, a third wheel had stepped in between them, or saying that George’s family was against their relationship.

Unable to find any more news on the topic, Sheng Jiaoyang chose a new article that read: Select Your Favourite Supermodel. She clicked on it to see that there was a set of photos arranged vertically. Below each photo there was a number and a name.

At the bottom, there was a link to the official website to go vote.

Sheng Jiaoyang was bored, so she clicked on the link.

She then saw the voting situation for the first time, and she never would’ve expected that she had a lot of votes. Sheng Jiaoyang was in sixth place, only 20 votes away from fifth place.

Above her was Pu Mingyu, Xiao Yang was in fourth place, and Luo Yi was ranked third. In second place was the internet celebrity contestant, Yin Meiling. What was unexpected though, was the contestant who was ranked first.

It was Qi Hua!

The number of votes for her was far ahead of everyone else, beating second place by more than a thousand votes.

Before Yin Meiling had signed on to participate in the National Supermodel competition, she was already a popular internet celebrity.

Additionally, Luo Yi and Pu Mingyu had been in the model circuit for a few years, and both had their own fan groups. For the three of them, it was expected that they would place high in the rankings.

Xiao Yang possessed international features, and her disposition and walking style were also good. Amongst the candidates, she was seen and easily remembered at a glance. She had quite a good number of people supporting her. It was awesome that she could be ranked in fourth place without any previous popularity.

However, it was extremely surprising that Qi Hua was ranked first.

Qi Hua’s character was spoilt, and she’d nearly been angered to death by Sheng Jiaoyang the last few days, so it was hard to imagine that she was popular. Unfortunately, she was still ranked first. Despite that, it was way too suspicious since it was only the first day of voting, yet she was already so far ahead.

Sheng Jiaoyang had suspected that Qi Hua had someone backing her, and this proved it. If nothing unexpected happened and everything went as planned, Qi Hua would be sent to the finals.

Sheng Jiaoyang furrowed her brows, intrigue flashing across her eyes.

This world didn’t lack anything like the unexpected.