Xia Xiaolan ended up staying in Ji Bei Province until the afternoon, only leaving when she calculated she would barely make it back for the dormitory check.

The weekend had some unexpected events, but Xia Xiaolan wasn’t unhappy about it. She did owe Jiang Yan a favor, though it wasn’t Xia Xiaolan who got hurt. After Jiang Yan’s accident, Zhou Cheng provided emergency treatment, contributing both effort and money, while maintaining an appropriate attitude toward Jiang Yan.

Xia Xiaolan saw this as a positive development, as the incident showed Zhou Cheng’s growth and maturity. The old incidents from the Shi family wouldn’t repeat themselves – Zhou Cheng was becoming increasingly adept at handling such situations.

“Sister-in-law, why do you look so pleased?” asked Kang Wei.

Xia Xiaolan responded, “Why shouldn’t I be happy? Do you think this Ji Bei trip was uneventful? Some things happened, but we’re all safe and sound, and we resolved everything smoothly. Looking at the bright side, we’re bringing back over a thousand jin of pork, with everyone getting over two hundred Jin each. Whether it’s for personal use or as gifts, isn’t that wonderful?”

Little You looked at her admiringly. Xia Xiaolan truly knew how to stay optimistic, finding the good in even the worst situations.

Shan Yujun waved her hand: “I don’t want any pork. I didn’t contribute much, and besides, how would I store it at school?”

“What do you mean you didn’t contribute? Climbing the mountain was hard work, and you helped care for Jiang Yan at the hospital. I can arrange with the restaurant near Huaqing Gate to cut the meat into small pieces and store it in their refrigerator. They can cook it for you daily, and you can pick it up at the school gate. How’s that?” Kang Wei suggested, copying Xia Xiaolan’s method of “taking care” of Jiang Yan.

Xia Xiaolan laughed at his unimaginative imitation: “What kind of ridiculous idea is that? There are over two hundred school days in a year excluding holidays. Having the restaurant cook a jin of braised pork daily means Yujun would be eating it for a year. Not only would she have to eat the same thing every day, but the meat wouldn’t stay fresh for a year. You should take the meat and remember that you owe Yujun this much wild boar meat. Pay it back gradually – you’ll settle the debt eventually.”

Kang Wei pretended to nod solemnly: “Sister-in-law makes sense. Let’s do it that way!”

Shan Yujun ignored the two jokers.

Little You also declined: “Our family is small, we can’t eat that much. I don’t want any.”

Shan Yujun said gently, “According to Kang Wei’s logic, everyone contributed, so refusing would mean you’re still blaming yourself. You should accept it! Unlike me who lives in the dorms, you’re in Beijing – have Shao Guangrong deliver the pork to your home tonight.”

Shan Yujun now knew that Kang Wei came from a privileged background. Anyone who associated with Kang Wei and Zhou Cheng, including Shao Guangrong, couldn’t be ordinary – why else would Little You try so hard to please them?

Little You shouldn’t have screamed, which alerted the wild boar to their presence. But she had never encountered such a situation before, and being young, her fear was understandable. Regardless of why Shao Guangrong brought Little You to Ji Bei Province, he had been ignoring her since the incident. Shan Yujun felt sorry for the young girl – must girls from ordinary families always bow and scrape before these privileged children? Shan Yujun felt a kinship with her situation.

Shao Guangrong’s disrespect toward Little You made Shan Yujun reflect on her own position. If she weren’t a Huaqing student, would Kang Wei treat her with similar disdain? This fleeting thought motivated her to speak up for Little You.

Kang Wei, completely unaware that his choice of friends had caused his girlfriend to reevaluate him, was still caught up in the freshness and warmth of their new relationship, naturally agreeing with whatever Shan said.

“Shao Guangrong, Little You came all this way with you. Even if you won’t smile at her, it’s not too much to ask that you drive her home when we get back to Beijing, is it?”

Shao Guangrong didn’t want to deal with Little You at all. It wasn’t just her timidity and screaming that bothered him – her young, makeup-free face made him furious. Nothing had happened between them, yet Xia Xiaolan and Shan Yujun looked at him as if he were a “beast.” Shao Guangrong felt wrong – he had no idea she was so young! The person who introduced them was certainly a scoundrel, but Little You wasn’t innocent either, always deliberately making herself look more mature with makeup, leading him to misunderstand.

Why should he mess around with these young girls? Future drama with crying and threats of suicide already gave him a headache just thinking about it.

Shao Guangrong was angry at Little You for deceiving him and planned to cut contact once they returned to Beijing. Now, being teased by everyone in the car, he glanced at Little You through the rearview mirror and saw her shifty, fearful expression… hah, so she knew to be afraid?

Shao Guangrong’s smile was chilling. “After coming out with me, you certainly can’t return empty-handed. I may be a jerk, but I’m not that stingy. I was going to take Little You home even without you all saying anything.”

It was indeed 8 PM when they reached Beijing. Everyone grabbed a quick meal together, and then Shao Guangrong first dropped off Xia Xiaolan and Shan Yujun at Huaqing. As for the wild boar meat, they were just joking around – he knew the house at Shichahai and would deliver it to Xia Xiaolan’s family himself.

After dropping Kang Wei at home – the Kang family was large, so Shao Guangrong unloaded some of the pork – his hands were covered in the gamey smell. He washed them at Kang’s house and came downstairs to find Little You standing timidly by the car.

“Young Master Shao, maybe I should just go home by myself. It’s still early, there are still city buses running…”

Shao Guangrong laughed coldly, “Stop wasting words and get in the car. Little You, oh Little You, I hadn’t realized how clever you are, deceiving me for so long! We’ll settle our accounts in the car – besides your age, what else are you hiding from me?”

Little You clutched the car door, refusing to get in. “Young Master Shao, you never said you disliked younger girls, and you never asked my age.”

Shao Guangrong laughed in extreme anger, “Would I be blind enough to like an underdeveloped bean sprout? Stop joking around – tell me exactly how old you are and what’s going on. If I have to investigate myself, you won’t like the consequences.”

Shao Guangrong had only met Little You three times, with this trip to Ji Bei Province being the third. The first two times were at gatherings arranged by friends. At those crowded events, Little You wore mature makeup and deliberately stayed close to Shao Guangrong.

Everyone knew Shao Guangrong’s reputation in their circle – he believed in mutual consent. Little You dressed fashionably but had a submissive personality, so Shao Guangrong thought taking someone well-behaved along wouldn’t cause trouble.

But she proved herself worthy of his anger – as timid as a quail, screaming at pheasants, nearly falling at the sight of wild boars, yet she dared to travel out of province with him?

Shao Guangrong was just trying to intimidate her, but Little You’s expression showed real fear. Clinging to the car door, nearly crying, she refused to get in: “I’m telling the truth, I’ll be seventeen in five months this is the truth!”

Shao Guangrong punched the car door. The modified Jeep 212’s door was made of good steel – impossible to dent with one punch – which only made his expression more fierce from the pain: “…You little brat, you’re only sixteen!”

This would ruin his reputation – everyone would call him a predator, for going after a sixteen-year-old girl!