Extra 5-4: If From school uniform to wedding dress (Part 4)

Tao Sheng and Miss Xiao San lay on the grass, carefully maintained by the housekeeper. They looked at the stars and moon, talking about poetry, songs, and life. Meanwhile, the Shen family was worrying about the company’s growing problems.

The business was in a declining industry, and the company’s reputation was in doubt. In a few days, their financial troubles worsened, and they were facing a two million yuan shortage.

Shen Yu and Shen Yue gave gifts to their old friend, Vice President Sui of City Bank, hoping for help. After receiving the antique he always wanted, Vice President Sui smiled and said, “Last time I had dinner with President Li, he mentioned a big client with eight-digit funds at the National Bank. We thought it was someone from the capital, but it turns out this person did business in our city. Maybe you know them.”

Shen Yu’s eyes lit up. “Who?”

“The account holder is a girl named Luo Taosheng, and her address is in your villa area.”

Shen Yu was stunned. 

Tao Sheng? Luo Taosheng?

Isn’t she the minor adopted by her elementary school music teacher? How could there be so much money in her account?

“That’s impossible,” Shen Yu said in disbelief. “There must be a mistake.”

“I’ll check again for you.”

Because of the antique, Vice President Sui agreed to help. Three days later, he confirmed that the big client was indeed Tao Sheng, who lived in the same villa area as Shen Yu, and even in his home.

When Tao Sheng came home from vacation, Shen Yu brought her into his study.

“As your father, I need to guide you and make sure you’re not going down the wrong path. Tell me, where did the money in your account come from?”

Tao Sheng knew this day would come, though she didn’t expect it so soon.

Luckily, Xiao Ze had already helped her prepare a story, so she calmly answered: “The eldest son of the Xiao family in the imperial capital has some connections with me. He borrowed money using my account and said not to let my family or company know. The money is his, but it’s in my name. Otherwise, how could I have so much as a student?”

Shen Yu originally didn’t believe Tao Sheng would have that much money. He thought he could convince her to lend some to help the family, but when he heard it was connected to the Xiao family, he hesitated.

Even though they were far from the capital, Shen Yu knew the Xiao family’s power. Offending them would be easier than stepping on an ant.

Shen Yu always valued his own life, so he didn’t dare touch their money. Even though he was jealous of the amount in Tao Sheng’s account, he gave up on the idea.

However, Tao Sheng’s words gave him a new plan: “Since you know Young Master Xiao, can you help the family get through this tough time by introducing us?”

Tao Sheng didn’t agree or refuse, but asked Shen Yu, “Do you think they would listen to me?”

Everyone in business knows relationships like these must go both ways.

A young girl like Tao Sheng really wouldn’t have influence in the Xiao family, and they wouldn’t consider her needs.

Shen Yu, now in his forties, knew better than to depend on a sixteen-year-old.

Everyone knew the Xiao family had great power in business. Since Tao Sheng was connected to them, Shen Yu couldn’t afford to offend her.

Shen Yu even held a family meeting without Tao Sheng. He told Sang Fei, Ruojin, and Shen Yue to be more respectful to Tao Sheng in the future. After all, she was connected to the eldest son of the Xiao family, and she might help them one day.

When Ruojin returned to her room, she found Peng Xiaoyu trying on her jewelry. Peng Xiaoyu quickly put down the necklace and awkwardly asked, “What did your uncle say at the meeting?”

“It’s about Tao Sheng,” Ruojin said, worried. “She’s connected to the Xiao family in the capital. Dad told us to treat her with more respect.”

“The Xiao family in the capital?” Peng Xiaoyu gasped. “How could she get close to such a powerful family?”

“I don’t know. That’s just what Dad said. I don’t know if he’s been tricked.”

Ruojin kicked the ground in frustration.

She always thought her good grades, image, and long-standing favor from Shen Yu meant she would remain the little princess in the family, even after Tao Sheng was found and brought back. But this revelation about Tao Sheng hit her hard, making her realize Tao Sheng wasn’t as simple and helpless as she seemed.

Tao Sheng wasn’t just another teenager.

After attending Chairman Xiao’s birthday party and dealing with Shen Yu’s bank card questions, Tao Sheng didn’t care. She returned to school, focused on studying, and prepared for her art exam.

One day, her class monitor He Miao invited her to visit the food street for lunch and then go to a local temple, which was said to be very spiritual.

Although Tao Sheng didn’t fully understand the plan, she went along with He Miao. Many young people pray for good luck, especially during exam time. Tao Sheng had heard some classmates discussing which temples were best for prayer.

Tao Sheng heard the master’s teachings during a trip to the temple. By the time she returned to school, she had almost forgotten most of it. The only part she remembered was that if you are lucky beyond your abilities, and your luck exceeds your worth, you should do good deeds to improve yourself.

Tao Sheng thought about it quietly. Although her family bond was weak and her life had been rough, her bank account had an eight-digit balance, so she figured she was lucky.

She decided that besides her yearly donations to the welfare home, she should do more charity work to be better.

At the same time, a new biology competition was starting. The biology class representative came every day to convince Tao Sheng to join. Tao Sheng’s grades were already top-notch, and biology was her best subject. But she planned to go the art exam route, so the benefits of the competition didn’t interest her anymore.

Tao Sheng didn’t find winning a spot in the biology competition appealing, but for the biology class representative, convincing her to join was very important.

Last year, three boys from the class, who were average in height and appearance, entered the competition. People said that students from Mingde Middle School didn’t look as good as those from other schools. This upset the biology class representative for a whole year. He felt that only Tao Sheng, who had become the class beauty, could save the school’s reputation.

The class representative kept persuading her three times a day. Tao Sheng had a feeling that if she didn’t join, he would look at her with resentment every day.

Feeling uneasy, Tao Sheng finally agreed to spend ten days in the competition’s pre-match training camp, so she could enjoy a quiet school year after that.

Not many high school students were participating this time, so the school only prepared one bus for the trip. The teacher was assisted by a top student in the senior year who had already secured university admission through competitions. He was there to help lead the younger students.

Tao Sheng was late to the bus after reading two professional books in the dormitory.

As she turned around, she saw Ji Yanming, a transfer student from Class 8, walking in. He had become the talk of the school after placing first in the recent city-wide exam for high school seniors.

Transferring between schools across provinces, where the exams are different, is very hard, so everyone considered him a genius.

With his outstanding looks and top grades, Ji Yanming seemed like the main character of a campus novel. After the exam results came out, even more girls started to show interest in him. Conversations around the school often focused on him.

Tao Sheng learned from her roommates and the class monitor that although Ji Yanming was great, his family wasn’t doing well. His parents had a bad relationship and had been separated for years. His mother stayed at home to take care of him, with no other job.

It was said that the reason Ji Yanming transferred schools was because living costs in G Province were too high, and moving to W Province helped reduce the family’s financial burden.

Tao Sheng wasn’t sure about this explanation, especially since transferring schools and taking a tougher exam across provinces seemed harder than just dealing with rent.

But life isn’t perfect for anyone, not even someone as brilliant as Ji Yanming.

Tao Sheng paid her fees for the competition and handed the money to the senior, who smiled and turned to Ji Yanming. 

Looking at the payment code, Ji Yanming hesitated. “My phone broke the day before yesterday. Can I pay by card?”

The senior shook his head. “We can’t take credit cards here, and the training camp doesn’t have a card machine. Why don’t you borrow from another student and pay them back after the competition?”

The senior, who had heard rumors, seemed to think Ji Yanming might not have enough money.

Tao Sheng remembered the master’s words about doing good deeds. She quickly offered, “Our fees are the same, right? I’ll pay for him.”

Helping a poor but handsome student should count as a good deed, right?

Ji Yanming looked at her, surprised by how quickly she offered to help. He handed her a pen and said, “Give me your bank account number, and I’ll pay you back after the competition.”

Tao Sheng took the pen from him, lowering her eyes. A good-looking boy from a poor family with a sense of pride… it seemed like something out of a story.