Jiang Cheng instantly slipped into the role of a human trafficker, using candy and charm to lure Shen Yue.

Shen Yue’s chubby face puffed up, her expression conflicted.

“Sister Jiang Cheng, don’t waste money.”

Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but laugh, then looked at Shen Yue seriously and said, “You passed the test. You resisted the temptation of candy.”

Shen Yue didn’t understand why Sister Jiang Cheng was doing this, but she knew she had been praised.

Jiang Cheng took Shen Yue’s hand and walked into the alley.

“Shen Yue, don’t stay alone at the entrance of the alley in the future. It’s dangerous if you meet bad people.”

Shen Yue tilted her little head upward, her chubby face full of pride as she said, “I know! I won’t take things from strangers, and I won’t go with them. My big brother told me that.”

Jiang Cheng first affirmed Shen Yue’s intelligence.

“But what if an old man asks you for directions, a three-year-old girl asks you to take her home, or a strong adult tries to knock you out? What would you do then?”

Jiang Cheng’s question frightened Shen Yue.

“Can… can that really happen?”

Jiang Cheng replied matter-of-factly, “These are just the simplest tricks. There are also cases where people you know ask you to deliver a message or run an errand. What would you do then?”

Shen Yue’s chubby face scrunched up, and she tightly gripped Jiang Cheng’s hand, scared.

Jiang Cheng comforted her by patting her head and said, “Remember, don’t help anyone who asks for your assistance. You’re just a child. Tell them to go to the police. And never stay outside alone, got it?”

Shen Yue nodded like a little chick pecking at rice.

Jiang Cheng continued to explain to her how kidnapped children might be abused or mistreated, and what she should do if she ever encountered such a situation.

In short, a lot of scary but necessary knowledge was poured into Shen Yue’s mind.

Jiang Cheng did this because a month later, Lin Chengyuan’s boss would die while trying to rescue someone from human traffickers.

After returning to the Shen household, Shen Yue let out a long sigh of relief, finally feeling a bit more at ease.

Grandma Shen, noticing Shen Yue’s pale face, looked at Jiang Cheng in confusion.

Jiang Cheng didn’t hide anything and said, “I was just explaining to her the tactics traffickers use and what to do if she ever gets tricked.”

Grandma Shen was stunned. What had been said to scare the child like this?

“Jiang Cheng?”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Cheng responded, unsure if she had gone too far.

“Can you explain it to Shen Xing too?”

Jiang Cheng immediately dismissed her doubts, her eyes lighting up. Grandma Shen was indeed on the same wavelength as her.

“You’re right. It’s best to give him a more intense version.”

Grandma Shen nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes! That boy isn’t easily scared.”

“Who isn’t easily scared?”

Shen Xing, who had just run in from outside, overheard part of the conversation. Jiang Cheng said mysteriously, “You’ll find out tonight.”

Shen Xing pouted but didn’t press further. He placed the washed vegetables on the cutting board and started chopping them to help out.

Jiang Cheng washed her hands and went to help too, but once again, Grandma Shen shooed her away.

“Such a small space, why are so many people crowding in here?”

“It’s too hot, go on, get out!”

Once again, Jiang Cheng didn’t get to help. She knew this was Grandma Shen’s way of saying thank you.

Thank you for taking care of Shen Xing and Shen Yue.

Jiang Cheng didn’t pretend to be modest. When Shen Xing was also chased out of the kitchen, she started tutoring him.

Shen Yue was nearby, holding a pencil and drawing in a book.

Jiang Cheng glanced over and was surprised to see that Shen Yue’s drawing was quite good.

“Student Shen Yue, you draw really well.”

Shen Yue tilted her head, not entirely confident, and asked, “Really?”

“Of course! You should trust my judgment. Someone as amazing as me wouldn’t just praise anyone, right?”

Shen Xing, who was solving math problems, paused his pen, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

Was she praising herself or Shen Yue?

“Sister is right!”

Shen Yue’s affirmation made Shen Xing feel like his little sister was a bit naive.

“It’s because Student Shen Yue is smart that she realizes Sister is right.”

Jiang Cheng, indirectly praising herself again, picked up another pencil and drew a little cat next to Shen Yue’s drawing.

Shen Yue’s admiring gaze was impossible to hide.

“See, if you draw the lines like this… doesn’t it look better?”

Jiang Cheng guided Shen Yue step by step, and Shen Yue listened attentively, learning quickly.

Shen Xing, watching from the side, was stunned. Was this really the same sister who got sleepy after learning a few characters, wrote letters mostly in pinyin, and had to guess when reading them?

“Student Shen Xing, focus.”

Shen Xing, who had been daydreaming, got a light tap on the head.

He rubbed his head and pouted, “What if you make me dumb?”

“If one tap makes you dumb, then your brain was just for show anyway.”

Jiang Cheng’s words left Shen Xing unable to retort. It did seem to make a bit of sense.

Grandma Shen, cooking by the stove, could see the three of them at a glance.

A smile never left her face. It was so nice to finally have a lively household.

Half an hour later, Grandma Shen called them for dinner. The three of them set the table and helped serve the dishes.

Dinner was sorghum rice with boiled potatoes and eggplants, topped with a stir-fry of chili flakes and soybean paste. The flavors mixed wonderfully with the potatoes and eggplants.

Jiang Cheng had an extra bowl of rice.

After dinner, Jiang Cheng hurried off to night school.

At the entrance of the night school, Jiang Cheng chatted warmly with the gatekeeper, handing him a handful of fruit candies.

The gatekeeper, in return, shared some insider information with her.

Which teacher hated tardiness the most, which teacher liked being flattered…

“Uncle, I’ll head in now. Let’s chat more tomorrow.”

Jiang Cheng waved goodbye warmly and walked toward the classroom.

Night school ran from 7 PM to 9 PM, with two hours of classes each day, taught by two different teachers.

The current courses included Chinese, math, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, politics, and a newly added Russian class.

Russian was specially approved this year.

The special era was nearing its end, but it wasn’t over yet.

Learning any foreign language required layers of approval.

Jiang Cheng had already researched the night school’s curriculum. Russian would be her breakthrough to showcase her language talent.

Currently, graduating from the night school’s advanced class was equivalent to a high school diploma. If she could advance to the provincial night school, it would be equivalent to a college degree.

But Jiang Cheng wasn’t in a hurry. A high school diploma was enough for her for now, and the college entrance exam was only a couple of years away.

She planned to use these two years to solidify her position in the translation field.

The advanced class was on the third floor.

When Jiang Cheng entered, the noisy chatter in the classroom gradually quieted down from front to back.

“Jiang Cheng?”

He Dan frowned, looking at Jiang Cheng at the door, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

Why was she at night school?

Would she spill the Lin family’s secrets?

She definitely would.

No, she had to strike first.

He Dan pretended to be surprised as she looked in Jiang Cheng’s direction.

“Jiang Cheng, you’re in the wrong classroom. The literacy class is downstairs.”

The girl next to He Dan asked in confusion, “Literacy class?”

He Dan nodded, putting on a considerate expression. “You don’t know this, but we live in the same compound. Jiang Cheng never went to school.”

Jiang Cheng: If you’re so eager to get humiliated, well… that’s oddly considerate of you.