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

The training camp was held at the Experimental Middle School in Lin City.

Although Tao Sheng paid for Ji Yanming’s expenses, it was clear he would need more money soon.

One night, after a class, Tao Sheng went to a convenience store to buy a snack. She saw Ji Yanming trying to buy bread, but the cashier said, “Sorry, the card machine is broken.”

Tao Sheng placed her mango ice cream and cookies on the counter and told the cashier, “I’ll pay for the bread too.”

Ji Yanming thanked her and left with the bread.

Everyone was busy with practice and studying during the camp. After the first test, Tao Sheng’s score was only above average, while Ji Yanming took first place again. The seating was arranged based on test results, so they sat several rows apart and didn’t talk much except when Tao Sheng paid for his bread.

Tao Sheng thought that maybe Ji Yanming didn’t mind borrowing money multiple times because he knew he had to repay everything at once anyway. Their relationship shifted from just classmates to one where Tao Sheng paid for him. Tao Sheng would go to the convenience store every night to buy snacks, and if Ji Yanming needed something, he’d go with her after class. Both were smart and understood each other easily. Ji Yanming picked out what he wanted, Tao Sheng paid, and they left.

One night, after Tao Sheng paid for Ji Yanming as usual, a girl who shared a dorm with her came up and said with a gossiping tone, “I heard he’s the top student and school idol.”

“Um.”

“I also heard he used to be from Province G.”

Tao Sheng was surprised the girls from Linshi Middle School knew so much about him: “Yeah.”

The girl sighed, “Province G is very developed, and its economy is much better than W Province. Maybe he used cards all the time before, so he’s not used to it here?”

Tao Sheng’s previous annoyance toward Ji Yanming faded. Maybe her roommate was right!

At a party before they left, Tao Sheng played the guitar and sang, getting a lot of praise, confessions, and many WeChat friend requests.

After the competition, Tao Sheng returned to school and saw that her bank account had more money, transferred by Ji Yanming. The amount seemed a bit higher than expected. She didn’t want Ji Yanming to pay her more than necessary because she only helped a classmate, and when he repaid her, it was like mutual help.

However, after checking the bill from start to finish, she realized that the amount was exactly what she had spent—not a penny more or less. She was amazed at Ji Yanming’s memory, which explained why he ranked first in the city-wide mock exam.

Meanwhile, in a residential area near Mingde Middle School, Ji Yanming changed out of his school uniform and said coldly to his mother, Su Jia, “Next time you argue with Dad, I don’t mind if you cut up his bank card and throw away his phone, but can you avoid breaking mine too?”

Su Jia, feeling awkward, replied, “I was angry… and didn’t notice. Your two phones look similar.”

So it was the phone’s fault? Ji Yanming didn’t want to continue talking.

Su Jia tried to excuse herself, “Honestly, it might be better for you to focus on studying without bringing your phone to school.”

Ji Yanming replied, “I couldn’t pay by card at the training camp, and I didn’t have enough cash.”

Su Jia hadn’t considered that. “You didn’t tell me. I’ll get you a new one.”

“It’s fine, my classmate paid for me.”

“Then you should thank them.”

Ji Yanming replied, “I’ve already transferred the money.”

“That’s good,” Su Jia smiled. “Did you do something extra to thank your classmate?”

“No,” Ji Yanming said.

She doesn’t need it.

“You’re such a kid,” Su Jia said, shaking her head. “Never mind, it’s my fault this time. I’ll help you thank her later.”

Ji Yanming shot Su Jia a suspicious glance: “What are you planning?”

“Nothing, don’t worry,” Su Jia replied with a smile. “I’ve recently learned some new dishes. You can take some to school and share them with your classmate.”

Although Tao Sheng only won third place in the biology competition, it was good enough for an art student. She shared the news with her roommate, class monitor, biology representative, and Teacher Li, but she hesitated before telling her family. In the end, she didn’t share the news with them because they might dismiss it as trivial and say she was wasting their time.

After returning to the Shen family, Tao Sheng didn’t mention her biology competition win, but Shen Yu’s attitude toward her suddenly changed. Based on his words and actions, it was clear that this change was because he had heard about Xiao Ze’s connection to her. If he knew the real story behind her relationship with Xiao Ze and the origin of the money…

Tao Sheng felt uneasy and decided to keep it a secret.

While Tao Sheng considered how to distance herself from Shen Yu, Ruojin was focused on getting his attention. She showed off her knowledge of wine and antiques, spoke about her elegant waltz, and even dropped some French during meals. She hoped this would highlight her refinement and make Tao Sheng look like a country bumpkin.

But Ruojin didn’t understand that Shen Yu was extremely selfish. Until her skills brought tangible benefits to the family or helped her marry rich, they were just meaningless pastimes to him. Praising Shen Yu a few more times would’ve been more useful.

Ruojin became depressed as her attempts to compete with Tao Sheng failed. This made her crave more attention from her family.

As November arrived, both girls had their birthdays. Although Tao Sheng and Ruojin were born in the same hospital by mistake, it was later confirmed that Ruojin’s birthday was actually two days earlier than Tao Sheng’s.

Because of recent financial difficulties, the mood at home had been very low. Sang Fei, who loved hosting parties, wanted to throw a grand birthday party for Shen Ruojin. 

Shen Yu frowned and thought for a moment: “Tao Sheng and Jin Er’s birthdays are both in the next few days. There’s no need for two separate parties. Let’s combine them.” 

Sang Fei hadn’t thought of this. After hearing Shen Yu’s suggestion, she asked, “So, what day do you want to set it?” 

“Of course, Tao Sheng’s birthday.” 

When Shen Yu said this, both Sang Fei and Shen Ruojin turned pale. Shen Yu didn’t notice their reactions and continued, “I have plans with Mr. Tong to play basketball on the Tuesday after next. If we hold the banquet on Sunday, it would be a good time.” 

Shen Yu was his usual selfish self, only thinking about his own schedule, not realizing the emotional meaning of choosing a specific day for the two girls. 

Shen Ruojin bit her lip, almost crying but still trying to smile: “I’m sorry to trouble Dad.” 

The birthday party dresses arrived quickly. Since it was a family party, Sang Fei didn’t want Tao Sheng to embarrass the family, so she made sure the dresses were decent. 

Tao Sheng wasn’t used to such environments and had only worn similar clothes at the Xiao family’s banquets. The dress Sang Fei provided was simple, much less elegant than what the Xiao family would wear. After some scrutiny from Sang Fei, Tao Sheng chose the simplest short knee-length dress. 

Tao Sheng thought this was just a simple birthday party, with classmates and relatives coming to eat, drink, and chat. She expected the day to be fun and lively. 

However, things went differently. At 11 a.m., as guests arrived at the Shen house, Tao Sheng went to the bathroom on the third floor to put on lipstick, but she was locked in. 

The night before, Sang Fei had told her brothers and sisters that there might be many guests the next day, so she had opened a rarely used bathroom on the third floor for them. 

When Tao Sheng entered the bathroom, she heard footsteps outside and then the door was locked from the outside. Based on the soft knocking sound, it was likely Peng Xiaoyu who had done it. 

Peng Xiaoyu quietly slipped downstairs and whispered in Shen Ruojin’s ear: “This is your birthday party, enjoy it. I promise Tao Sheng won’t show up again today.” 

Tao Sheng had just started at Mingde Middle School and didn’t know many people. Unlike Shen Ruojin, who had been at the school since first grade and had many friends, Tao Sheng only invited a few classmates and roommates. Shen Ruojin and Peng Xiaoyu invited almost everyone from their bilingual class. 

Peng Xiaoyu grew up in an ordinary family. Thanks to Sang Fei, she was able to attend Mingde Middle School. Her main job was to please Sang Fei and Shen Ruojin, and she was also focused on studying. 

She envied Shen Ruojin’s life as a daughter of the Shen family. At events like this, she could feel like a close friend and cousin to Shen Ruojin, which made her happiest. 

The night before, Shen Ruojin had sighed, saying that Tao Sheng, who couldn’t even dance the waltz well, would lower the level of the party. She worried about what the classmates might say about the Shen family. 

Peng Xiaoyu immediately understood: “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” 

At the party, Shen Yu took Shen Yue aside to greet some business partners he hadn’t seen in a while. When it came time to cut the cake, he didn’t notice Tao Sheng was missing. 

Sang Fei also noticed Tao Sheng wasn’t there. She thought Tao Sheng, being a quiet girl focused on her studies, likely went back to her room to read because she felt out of place with the popularity of Shen Ruojin and Peng Xiaoyu. 

Sang Fei believed Tao Sheng had enough self-awareness not to embarrass the family by showing up. 

Suddenly, the door to the living room opened, and Luo Xin entered, wearing a brand-name suit, looking elegant and dazzling. 

Shen Yu, who hadn’t seen her in nearly five years, brightened up. 

Luo Xin’s outfit wasn’t cheap, and it was known she had become the general manager of MT Company. 

After days of hard work, Shen Yu had only raised 600,000 yuan. If he couldn’t raise more, he would have to sell some of his treasures. 

Shen Yu picked up his glass of wine and walked toward Luo Xin, but just then, a loud crash of breaking glass echoed through the room. 

Everyone turned toward the third floor, where Tao Sheng slowly walked out. A long cut on her calf was bleeding, staining her white shoes, a shocking sight. 

Tao Sheng glanced around the room and her eyes finally landed on Peng Xiaoyu’s face. Seeing Peng Xiaoyu’s panic, she nodded with satisfaction. 

“You really know how to have fun in the city,” Tao Sheng thought. Back in her old school, no one would have dared act so superior while being a follower. 

“Peng Xiaoyu, you were the one who locked me in the east bathroom on the third floor, right?” 

Everyone in the room looked at Peng Xiaoyu. In a panic, she tried to defend herself, “You’re just a country girl who doesn’t know how to use a door lock. You’re blaming me.” 

“You can’t lock the door without a key,” Tao Sheng said. “But to lock the door, you have to go through the study on the second floor, where there are two safes. That’s the only path with two cameras. If you check the surveillance, you’ll know if you took the key and locked the door.”

Peng Xiaoyu’s hands and feet were cold.

She remembered when she first came to the Shen family. She asked her aunt, “With all these expensive things, isn’t there any surveillance?”

Sang Fei had answered that surveillance is to protect against outsiders, and there were cameras outside. But inside the house, her uncle didn’t like them, so there were none.

She had thought about this, but she never expected there would be hidden cameras outside the study.

Sang Fei came over and held Tao Sheng’s hand: “It’s your and Xiao Jin’s birthday today. There’s no need to fuss about something so small.”

Tao Sheng stood still, but Luo Xin spoke sarcastically to Shen Yu: “When I was in California, you wrote to me saying you had found your daughter. So this is how your family treats her?”

Shen Yu needed something from Luo Xin, so he didn’t argue. He ordered the housekeeper to give him the surveillance video.

He never cared about Peng Xiaoyu, his niece, anyway.

The video not only showed Shen Ruojin handing the key to Peng Xiaoyu with a smile, but it also showed Peng Xiaoyu taking jewelry that belonged to Sang Fei and Shen Ruojin.

Shen Ruojin’s face turned pale: “Dad, it’s not like that! Let me explain.”

Peng Xiaoyu was confused. She thought the jewelry she took was just old, forgotten pieces that Sang Fei and Shen Ruojin no longer cared about. She didn’t think they would notice it was missing.

Sang Fei anxiously looked at Shen Yu: “Xiao Yu didn’t mean to. She’s just curious. She’s still a child. We can’t make things difficult for her.”

“It’s okay,” Tao Sheng said coldly, “Peng Xiaoyu is under 18. Even if she stole something valuable, her sentence would be lighter. Besides, it’s just a few pieces of jewelry.”

Shen Yu wasn’t focused on the stolen jewelry. Instead, he looked at Luo Xin with a deep affection, something he had never shown before: “Xinxin, I’ve listened to everything you’ve said. I’ve checked all the surveillance.”

He was trying to get her approval.

“You still haven’t told me how long you’ll stay this time,” he asked.

“Not long,” Luo Xin replied. “I’ll leave after getting custody of Tao Sheng.”

Shen Yu hadn’t expected this answer. He sighed, “Are you still upset about me taking custody of the kids?”

When Shen Yu was starting his business, Luo Xin had to work too, so the two children were sent to live with Old Lady Shen. Under her influence, the children felt a strong connection to the Shen family, even though their parents had divorced. Both were misled by Sang Fei’s false kindness. When the divorce happened, neither child wanted to leave with Luo Xin.

Luo Xin had always been independent. She gave up custody of her children, started working in a new company, and cut ties with the Shen family.

“I’m not upset,” Luo Xin said. “But you’re so busy with Tao Sheng. You don’t even have time to register her. Let’s be fair and let her decide.”

According to Chinese law, teenagers like Tao Sheng can choose whether to live with their father or mother. Since Shen Yu already had a son and adopted daughter, the court would probably favor Luo Xin getting custody of Tao Sheng.

Shen Ruojin saw that Shen Yu and Luo Xin weren’t paying attention to her. She was eager to make a move: “Mom, Tao Sheng has just returned to the family. It hasn’t been easy for her to adjust. If you really want a daughter, why not take me instead?”

Luo Xin raised an eyebrow: “Who are you?”

Shen Ruojin didn’t expect this response and grew pale: “Mom, I’m Ruojin, don’t you remember me?”

Luo Xin looked at her with amusement: “You’re Shen Yu’s adopted daughter. We’ve been divorced for years. What’s the connection between us?”