Shao Guangrong lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and glanced sideways at Tong Lili:

“Who I date is none of your business. Are you my mother? Tong Lili, don’t tell me you’re still hung up on that blind date of ours. Oh my, I’ve long forgotten about it. Please don’t pine after me—it scares me!”

Tong Lili tried to throw the wine bottle from the table at Shao Guangrong but was held back tightly by people nearby.

The meal was effectively ruined, which was exactly what Shao Guangrong wanted. Seeing Tong Lili disheveled like a mad woman, he cheerfully asked Zhou Yi:

“Are you leaving? I can give you a ride home on my way.”

With the table in complete disarray, the farewell dinner ended unpleasantly, and Zhou Yi had no reason to stay longer.

“Let’s go unless you want to wait for the restaurant to throw us out.”

Shao Guangrong was driving around in Kang Wei’s modified car that he had left in the capital. While taking Zhou Yi home, she, who hadn’t even sorted out her problems, started inquiring about Shao Guangrong’s gossip.

“Was what she said true? Are you dating a saleswoman?”

Zhou Yi showed no trace of mockery; she felt like she’d found an ally.

Unlike her and Tong Lili, Shao Guangrong, who used to hang around aimlessly with their group, had started walking the straight path a few years ago. In recent years, he’d been doing well in his work, becoming quite the promising young man.

Except for having too many girlfriends, Shao Guangrong had a bright future ahead.

Zhou Yi thought if Shao Guangrong, who could easily find girlfriends, could date a saleswoman, then her choice of Yuan Han wasn’t wrong.

Shao Guangrong didn’t want to discuss this topic.

Damn it, he had originally gone to cause trouble for Little You, who would have thought they’d end up taking a liking to each other?

Or rather, he had taken a liking to her one-sidedly!

You Li had previously concealed her age and wanted to be his girlfriend, but now that Shao Guangrong was interested, You Li refused.

Shao Guangrong was harboring a belly full of anger. Tong Lili had somehow heard the news and used it to hurt him, which made him even more furious.

How could You Li be compared to Zhou Yi’s Yuan Han?

One was looking to mooch off others, while the other was now ignoring him, a high-ranking official’s son. Shao Guangrong couldn’t be bothered to explain to Zhou Yi:

“Nothing’s set in stone yet. I’m young, why would I need a steady girlfriend? Having a girlfriend means being pressured to marry—am I stupid? But Sister Zhou Yi, I’m serious, you should stay away from Tong Lili and her group. I’ve figured them out—they’re all bastards. If you’re doing poorly, they’ll mock you; if you’re doing better than them, they’ll suck up to you while being jealous! Studying abroad is a good thing—would Uncle Zhou and Aunt Jiang harm you?”

Even Shao Guangrong could lecture her with such maturity now.

Perhaps because Shao Guangrong used to be quite wild himself, Zhou Yi didn’t find his lecturing offensive.

If Shao Guangrong wasn’t looking out for her, why would he fall out with Tong Lili and the others? Zhou Yi nodded:

“I know. Tong Lili and the others have their thoughts, but I’ve already arranged everything for going abroad. Their words won’t stop me from going.”

Shao Guangrong was right—true friends should be encouraging at times like these.

Zhou Yi believed studying abroad was about gaining prestige, while Tong Lili opposed it, fearing Zhou Yi might surpass her.

Zhou Yi’s mind alternated between clarity and confusion. The unpleasant farewell gathering strengthened her wavering resolve.

On July 8th, just two days after Xia Xiaolan returned to New York from Washington, Zhou Yi flew to America from Hong Kong.

Zhou Wenban was too busy with work, so Jiang Hong and Guan Huie accompanied her to Pengcheng, crossing the border as usual at Luohu to Hong Kong.

Liu Fen was also in Pengcheng and went to Luohu to see them off out of courtesy. Having recently been to America herself, Liu Fen offered advice about the journey, transfers, and what to watch out for, though she didn’t speak English herself.

At the border, Zhou Yi’s eyes welled up with tears:

“Mom, Second Aunt, I’ll miss you both, and I’ll miss Little Ke too.”

The child was barely a month old and couldn’t be brought along on the journey to Pengcheng, staying in Beijing with a nanny.

Jiang Hong waved her hand, “Hurry up and go, don’t miss your flight. If you work hard, you’ll finish your studies and return quickly. How much can a month-old baby remember you? Everything will be fine, and when you return, Zhou Ke will be talking, and then you can build your mother-daughter relationship!”

Who was she going to miss?

She hadn’t even shown much affection for the child at home.

Jiang Hong didn’t believe Zhou Yi’s words anymore, thinking she just missed Yuan Han.

Well, nothing could be done about that—Yuan Han was on a business trip in a remote area where even phone contact was difficult, so he couldn’t come to see Zhou Yi off!

Zhou Yi kept looking back as she passed through customs.

This was her first time in Hong Kong, and she would be transferring here to America. She was afraid of making mistakes at every step.

Before leaving, Zhou Wenban had given her 1,000 US dollars, telling her to spend it carefully:

“It’s not safe to carry too much money while traveling. Once you’re settled in America, I’ll wire you more money.”

Zhou Yi didn’t question this.

She knew her father had exchanged several thousand yuan for the 1,000 dollars. Since it wasn’t a government-funded study, Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong would have to cover her tuition and living expenses in America. Zhou Yi herself had no intention of living extravagantly in America.

She would live just like other international students.

Following Liu Fen’s instructions, Zhou Yi checked in her luggage and boarded the plane.

This flight was from Hong Kong to Tokyo, Japan.

Zhou Yi found her seat according to her ticket. The plane seats were cramped, and her window seat required the person sitting in the aisle to let her through.

It was a young woman wearing a black dress, tea-colored sunglasses, and red lipstick, looking very fashionable.

“Com… Miss, excuse me, my seat is inside.”

Zhou Yi almost called her “Comrade.”

She realized at the last moment that “Comrade” was a mainland term, and in Hong Kong, she should say “Miss.”

The woman removed her sunglasses, looked Zhou Yi up and down, and finally stood up to let her through:

“You’re from the mainland? What a coincidence, I am too.”

Zhou Yi exclaimed, “That is a coincidence. I’m going to America, how about you?”

The woman smiled, “I’m also going to America.”

Then she stopped talking to Zhou Yi.

During the flight from Hong Kong to Japan, the woman occasionally looked through some English documents, and Zhou Yi couldn’t strike up a conversation with her.

Given Zhou Yi’s personality, if a stranger was cold towards her, she wouldn’t try to warm up to them.

The journey continued peacefully until they reached Japan for the transfer, where Zhou Yi encountered some trouble.

She had difficulty communicating with the airport staff. Her English wasn’t good, and the Japanese people’s English accent made it even harder for her to understand. At this point, her fellow mainland traveler extended a helping hand, assisting Zhou Yi with her problems… While they had nothing to say to each other on the Hong Kong to Japan leg, they chatted quite pleasantly during the Japan to New York flight.

When Zhou Yi arrived at Kennedy International Airport, Xia Xiaolan, who had calculated the arrival time, went to pick her up. She saw Zhou Yi grinning like an idiot, chatting and laughing with a young fashionable woman.

Damn it, with no one watching over her, she was bound to get scammed.

—The young fashionable lady was, of course, none other than Ye Xiaoqiong!