It was truly hard to accept!

Grandmother Yu certainly wasn’t willing to back down – she only compromised for her and her mother’s safety.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t willing to accept it either.

The helplessness of being in a foreign land, Grandmother Yu’s compromise, and the gang’s arrogance all left her feeling unsettled.

If she had been more powerful, would this San Francisco trip have ended differently? Xia Xiaolan couldn’t find the answer to this question. She only knew that with her current level of power, many things were still beyond her control. However, the word “give up” had never existed in her dictionary – even temporary compromise was just a roundabout way of moving forward. The path might be more challenging, but she would still reach her destination!

From San Francisco to New York.

Then from New York to Ithaca.

Wen Manni parted ways with them in New York:

“I’ll keep following this matter. If there’s any news from San Francisco, I’ll let you know immediately.”

“Connie, thank you!”

Wen Manni waved goodbye: “This San Francisco trip seems to have helped me understand some things. I should thank you too. Let’s call our gratitude even. Go on, take your mother and the others to Ithaca for a change of scenery.”

Xia Xiaolan didn’t know what Wen Manni had come to understand.

After spending 20 days in San Francisco, they stopped in New York, where Xia Xiaolan went to visit Jiang Yan.

It had been over 20 days since Jiang Yan’s first reconstructive surgery. Dr. Belman said her physical condition was good, and her recovery was faster than he had expected:

“If everything goes well, her treatment in America will be shorter than anticipated, probably around 7-8 months.”

Xia Xiaolan calculated that the timing worked well – Cornell University’s winter semester would end in late December, so she could be around while Jiang Yan was receiving treatment and check on her occasionally!

After all, Jiang Yan had been injured while saving Zhou Cheng.

Even if she didn’t like Jiang Yan’s interest in Zhou Cheng, health came first. The Wen family had helped her this time, and Wen Manni said she had some realizations – hadn’t Xia Xiaolan been moved as well?

They could resume their rivalry back in China. While abroad, Chinese people should stick together.

After thanking Dr. Belman, she went to see Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan had no friends in America. Zhou Cheng had visited during her surgery, but everyone had then gone to San Francisco to search for Xu Zhongyi, leaving no time to visit her. Since her first surgery, Xia Xiaolan was the first to come to see her.

Jiang Yan’s expression showed traces of awkwardness. She originally had ear-length short hair, but after it was burned, and fearing infection of the wounds on the back of her neck, she hadn’t let it grow past her ears, keeping it extremely short like a man’s haircut.

Xia Xiaolan felt a sense of familiarity – it was similar to Bai Zhenzhu’s hairstyle.

“I heard from Dr. Belman that you’re recovering well. Congratulations, Jiang Yan!”

“Thank you, but you didn’t need to come visit me specifically.”

Xia Xiaolan, being thick-skinned, could still smile warmly, making Jiang Yan uncomfortable.

But she had to admit, there was no trace of schadenfreude in Xia Xiaolan’s smile, which left Jiang Yan with complicated feelings… She wished Xia Xiaolan could be a bit more malicious, so she could justify hating her.

Xia Xiaolan pulled up a chair and sat down. “Since I’m in New York, of course, I had to come see you. After all, you not only saved Zhou Cheng but also saved me during the wild boar incident. We don’t need to be such enemies, right?”

Jiang Yan suddenly looked up, “Didn’t Zhou Cheng tell you? The wild boar incident was Jiang Wu’s scheme. He pushed me step by step towards Zhou Cheng and Brother Pan, hoping they would trust me!”

That’s why he had choked her, deliberately leaving visible marks.

Jiang Wu had calculated her personality perfectly and knew Zhou Cheng and Brother Pan’s personalities as well.

Jiang Yan suspected that Zhou Cheng’s knowledge of that reservoir villa near the academy was also deliberately leaked by Jiang Wu. Jiang Wu had always been full of schemes, and after becoming disabled, he had even more time to plot these conspiracies!

He had truly calculated everyone’s personalities perfectly.

Including how she would react during the wild boar incident – Jiang Wu knew her better than anyone!

Of course, Jiang Wu couldn’t have precisely arranged every small step, like knowing Xia Xiaolan would fall down the steep slope and that she would be there to help. Jiang Wu wanted her to share in the adventure with Zhou Cheng and the others – when suspicious of their surroundings, they would naturally trust her more.

Therefore, the documents she gave to Zhou Cheng and Brother Pan would be believed genuine.

The car she drove wouldn’t be suspected.

The final time bomb would have sent her, Zhou Cheng, and Brother Pan to their deaths together!

Xia Xiaolan was stunned, then smiled:

“Although you share the Jiang surname, weren’t you expelled from the Nanjing Jiang family? What do Jiang Wu’s actions have to do with you? No matter how many schemes he planned, could he remotely force you to jump down the slope to save me? Jiang Yan, saying this not only demeans yourself but also insults me! Let’s be honest – I’m not happy about your interest in Zhou Cheng, but if it wasn’t you, it would be other women. As long as Zhou Cheng and I maintain our relationship, whether you like him or not doesn’t matter much. From my perspective, I admire your courage and decisiveness. We Chinese have strong clan concepts, and you making such a choice fully lives up to your identity!”

Who’s perfect?

Getting the big principles right is good enough!

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t so harsh on herself, and she had no reason to hold Jiang Yan to saintly standards.

If she liked Zhou Cheng, she liked Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng was handsome and good – Xia Xiaolan liked him herself, so how could she forbid others from liking him?

At least the one who liked Zhou Cheng was someone like Jiang Yan – professionally excellent and with strong moral principles – she was leagues above admirers like Tong Lili.

Having a high-quality love rival proved Xia Xiaolan had good taste.

Jiang Yan hadn’t expected Xia Xiaolan to say such things.

She had been afraid to admit her feelings for Zhou Cheng, as it made her actions seem less righteous.

But Xia Xiaolan didn’t care at all?

After a while, Jiang Yan finally looked away: “You’re too confident in yourself!”

Xia Xiaolan nodded:

“Yes, I am quite confident. If I thought poorly of myself, what would Zhou Cheng like about me? Don’t be so awkward about it. While you’re getting treatment in America, I’ll visit when I have time. If you want to compete with me for Zhou Cheng, you need to heal properly first to be qualified to compete! I think you’re quite proud, and I didn’t expect you to show weakness to gain Zhou Cheng’s sympathy.”

Jiang Yan thought for a moment and agreed:

“You’re right. I want Zhou Cheng to look at me with admiration, not pity. Xia Xiaolan, I’ll admit you’re better than I initially thought, but don’t be too proud. As long as my feelings for Zhou Cheng remain unchanged, I’ll always be a love rival you must guard against!”

Xia Xiaolan laughed heartily, “I’m not afraid of your fighting spirit. I’d be disappointed if you were half-dead and giving up. You need treatment now, so you’re falling another year behind me in your career. Looks like you’ll have to think hard about how to catch up!”

Could anyone be so generous?

Even encouraging an injured love rival – Xia Xiaolan was almost moved by her actions.