Chu Xia arrived at the school by bus, with ten minutes left before the exam.

She had intentionally arrived early to avoid being late.

As soon as she sat down, Luo Xiaomei rushed over to her.

“Big Sis! You still haven’t told me—how are you even able to take the exam?” Luo Xiaomei demanded.

Chu Xia looked at her curiously. “Why should I tell you?”

Luo Xiaomei responded confidently, “Because I’m your sister!”

Chu Xia let out a sarcastic laugh. “Now you call yourself my sister? But when I asked you to repay the money you owed me, didn’t you all say you were cutting ties with me? I don’t have such a selfish and self-centered sister.”

Luo Xiaomei instantly exploded at this.

How was she supposed to face everyone at school if Chu Xia spoke to her like that?

“Big Sis, I care about you! How can you say that about me? I never asked for your money! It was Dad who wanted to cut ties with you, not me! If you hadn’t been so unreasonable and unfilial at home, Dad wouldn’t have said those things in anger!”

“Never took my money?” Chu Xia responded as if she had heard the most amusing joke. “The watch on your wrist, the shoes on your feet, the hairpin in your hair, the clothes on your back—which of these wasn’t bought with money Mom took from me? And the bicycle you’re riding, that was a gift from Zhengnian to me. Oh, right, I almost forgot—I want the bike back. Hand over the key.”

Chu Xia’s voice was not too loud, but in the quiet of the exam room, their conversation quickly drew the attention of others.

As soon as she finished speaking, various gazes turned toward Luo Xiaomei, scrutinizing her shoes, watch, and clothes.

Then, heads nodded in agreement—none of those items were cheap, certainly not something an ordinary family could afford.

“You’re lying! You’re lying! These are all gifts from Mom!” Luo Xiaomei protested.

“Mom took the money from me! She admitted it and even gave me some of the money back. Why won’t you admit it? I get it—you’re just greedy for these things, aren’t you? After all, you’re just a high school student, can’t earn your own money, but you’re wearing a Plum Blossom watch, riding a women-brand bicycle, wearing new clothes every day—it must feel great, right? I bet all your classmates envy you.”

Luo Xiaomei’s level of cunning was nowhere near that of Wang Yulan.

She hadn’t sought out trouble, but Luo Xiaomei had walked right into it, practically begging to be scolded.

She didn’t feel the least bit sorry for putting Luo Xiaomei in her place.

Sucking the blood of her own sister while looking down on her—

Luo Xiaomei’s intentions were written all over her face, yet she still thought she was being clever.

Truly, foolish without even realizing it.

Luo Xiaomei, driven to tears, turned to run. “Big Sis, you’ve gone too far!”

Chu Xia grabbed her arm. “Wait. Leave the bike key and the watch. Otherwise…”

Chu Xia leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “I don’t mind letting the whole school know what a ‘wonderful sister’ I have, one who enjoys living off her big sister. Oh, and by the way, I’m now a student at Ninth High too.”

Luo Xiaomei’s body involuntarily shuddered.

The whisper in her ear felt like a venomous snake’s hiss, sending a chill down her spine, making her too afraid to resist.

She turned to meet Chu Xia’s gaze, but instead of the usual affection, all she saw was coldness and disgust.

Big Sis had really changed; she wasn’t the same person anymore.

There were only 17 students in the exam room, and not everyone had arrived yet, so their argument wouldn’t necessarily spread throughout the school.

But if Big Sis decided to spread it, things would be different.

Luo Xiaomei knew that the current Chu Xia meant what she said and would follow through.

Luo Xiaomei wasn’t entirely stupid.

Like Luo Xiaodi, she was sweet-tongued, and as the youngest, she was Wang Yulan’s favorite after Luo Chuming.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have received so many good things from Wang Yulan and been spoiled to such a degree.

With a pained expression, Luo Xiaomei took off the watch and removed the bike key from around her neck, placing them in front of Chu Xia.

She glared at her angrily. “Is this good enough for you now?”

Chu Xia tossed the items into her bag, smiling warmly at Luo Xiaomei. “Remember to speak respectfully to me from now on. After all, I’m your ‘Big Sis,’ right?”

A threat, a blatant threat!

Luo Xiaomei’s face turned bright red with anger, her eyes filled with fury, but she had to endure it.

She bit her lip and lowered her head, “Yes, Big Sister.”

At that moment, the proctor walked in.

Seeing the noisy room, they frowned and patted the desk, “Quiet! The exam is about to start. Everyone, get back to your seats!”

The proctor’s gaze fell on Luo Xiaomei, who wasn’t afraid at all. In fact, she felt as if she had met a savior and quickly ran back to her seat.

Chu Xia wasn’t affected at all, but the rest of the class quickly realized that this new transfer student wasn’t someone to be messed with.

How did they know she was a transfer student?

Because everyone at Ninth High knew that only three students were accepted through the transfer exam this time, and all three were placed in the last row of the final exam hall.

The two students sitting behind Chu Xia were also the ones who transferred in with her.

This time, the proctor was Chu Xia’s homeroom teacher, and the subject was physics.

Physics wasn’t Chu Xia’s strongest subject.

She quickly flipped through the exam paper to ensure there were no missing questions and then focused on answering.

She started with the questions she knew and was confident about, skipping the ones she didn’t know and planning to come back to them later.

She knew that if she got stuck on a difficult question, she might run out of time and fail to answer the simpler questions afterward, which would cost her more points.

The homeroom teacher stood behind Chu Xia, watching her answer, sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding, but it didn’t affect Chu Xia.

However, the students around her were terrified and didn’t dare to take out their prepared cheat sheets.

They were almost in tears — why did the proctor have to stand behind the new transfer student?

Being seated near her was simply bad luck.

---

“An An, An An, who brought you to school today?”

Many kids in the preschool class had noticed the handsome man who brought An An that morning.

He looked tall, spoke nicely, and even bought An An lots of delicious treats and fun toys.

They were all incredibly envious.

“An An, was that your dad?”

“Your dad is so handsome!”

The little kids chirped excitedly, and Chen Chen, standing on a stool with his hands on his hips, shouted, “An An doesn’t like being surrounded. Back off! How do you expect An An to answer if you all keep asking?”

Cen Huai’an actually enjoyed the envious looks from everyone, just as he used to envy other kids whose fathers took them out to play and gave them piggyback rides.

Today, he could finally say to these curious children, “Yes, that’s my dad.”

He said it with confidence, even with a hint of hidden pride.

His face remained expressionless, so others didn’t catch his pride.

But still, many were envious of him.

After all, they didn’t have such a handsome and gentle father, nor did they have a dad who would buy them so many fun and delicious things.

Chen Chen was equally envious: “An An, your dad is so skinny, no wonder you’re so skinny too. My dad is really fat, and my mom says I’m fat because of him.”

Right now, most kids wanted to gain weight, but Chen Chen, the little chubby boy, felt differently because being overweight made him slow and easily overheated.

Moreover, his mom wouldn’t let him eat many tasty foods, like braised pork.

If he were as slim as An An, his mom would definitely let him eat braised pork!

“An An, how about we switch dads? I want a skinny dad too.”

“No way!” Cen Huai’an frowned immediately, his smile fading, and his expression turning sour.

He stopped talking to Chen Chen altogether.

No matter how much Chen Chen tried to talk to him, An An ignored him for the rest of the afternoon.

Chen Chen didn’t even know what he had said wrong.

He was very upset, wondering why An An wouldn’t talk to him anymore.

He was even willing to trade his dad with him!

Meanwhile, Cen Zhengnian wasn’t idle.

He first called his parents to let them know he was safe and that he had arrived in Liangzhou.

Cen’s father didn’t have any objections to Cen Zhengnian’s return, and Jiang Shengnan was even more supportive.

She asked if he had brought any gifts back.

“I did, and both Chu Xia and An An liked what I brought,” he replied.

Jiang Shengnan felt relieved as she spoke to her son, “During these days at home, make sure to comfort Chu Xia and An An. Do all the housework you’re capable of—cooking, cleaning, everything. Don’t be like your father, coming home and acting like a lord who does nothing.”

A stern voice came through the phone, “Don’t speak ill of me in front of our grandson.”

“Give me the phone; I want to have a word with Zhengnian,” his father said, taking the phone.

He first inquired about Chu Xia and An An’s well-being.

After listening to his son’s update, he responded with a firm “Hmm,” then continued, “You’re a man. You need to take responsibility for your family. It wasn’t easy for Chu Xia to raise An An on her own, so you need to treat them well!”

His tone was commanding, as if issuing orders, but Cen Zhengnian was long accustomed to his father’s manner.

His father had always been authoritative, unable to change his way of speaking, even at home.

“I understand, Dad.”