Chapter 171: The Sarcastic Classmate
The warm sun shone down, as if it could bake a person’s very blood vessels red.
Gu Jiaojiao pushed Su Shuochi along as she looked up at the sky, feeling exceptionally content.
Just then, she heard a familiar voice.
"Jiaojiao!"
The voice trembled slightly, laced with a mix of surprise and caution.
That voice...
Gu Jiaojiao turned her head and saw Mr. Sheng standing ramrod straight beside his car.
A single glance was enough to see the glistening tears welling in his eyes and the dark circles from a sleepless night.
The lack of sleep and his tearful expression spoke volumes of his sorrow.
Gu Jiaojiao already knew that Sheng Yueyue had been acting up at home again, and she couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.
Her already flower-like smile softened even more. "Mr. Sheng, why don’t you come inside for breakfast?"
"I... I had breakfast at home with my wife and kids. Jiaojiao, get in. I’ll take you to school."
Mr. Sheng said, his voice choked with emotion as he fought back the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
"No, that’s alright. Mr. Sheng, you can just take my grandpa and the others straight to Xiangyang Street. I’ll walk to school; I won’t be late."
Gu Jiaojiao said with a smile in her eyes. He Shen Yi and Xia Qiuming still needed to go to the hospital later.
Uncle Dong had driven over to the Su family’s house for breakfast early in the morning. They had already agreed during the meal that Su Shuochi and the others would go check on the clinic together.
Dong Qihua, who was heading to work on his roadster bicycle, said, "I can just take Jiaojiao to school."
"You’re heading to work, Big Cousin? I’ll go back and get some breakfast for you and Mr. Sheng. Grandpa, you all get in the car and wait for me a moment."
After saying that, Gu Jiaojiao strode purposefully back into the courtyard.
Mr. Sheng looked up at the sky, his eyes even more moist now. He was afraid of losing face in front of these important people.
Seeing Mr. Sheng like this, the distinguished guests all felt a sense of pity. Everyone knew he had a troublesome daughter.
But no one said anything. They pretended not to notice as they got into the car and settled in. Every family has its own problems.
Gu Jiaojiao went back inside and got two breakfast sets. Each had one steamed bun, one fried dough stick, one boiled egg, and a cup of soy milk.
The soy milk maker was from Gu Jiaojiao’s personal dimension. Mrs. Gu would get up, grind the soybeans, and cook the soy milk. The handmade soy milk tasted wonderful.
When she came out, everyone was already seated, except for Mr. Sheng, who was still standing by the car waiting for her.
"Mr. Sheng, this is for you to eat on the way. Grandpa, Shu Ci, you guys go on ahead. I’ll ride to school on my big cousin’s bicycle."
Mr. Sheng took the breakfast from Gu Jiaojiao’s hands, opened the passenger-side door without a word, and got in.
Everyone knew that if he spoke, he would break down in tears. The two cars sped away.
Su Shuochi stuck his head out the car window. "Jiaojiao, I’ll come pick you up after school at noon..."
His words trailed off in a long stream, carried away by the gentle breeze, which made everyone burst into laughter that soared on the air.
Dong Qihua took the breakfast with a cheeky grin and thanked her. "Thanks for the breakfast, Little Sister-in-law. My cousin is so good to me."
"It’s still early. You should eat before you go, Cousin," Gu Jiaojiao said, looking at Dong Qihua.
She looked up at the sky. The morning sun was a little dazzling. ’Life is more like an amusement park.
The more people there are, the livelier it gets. But on the path of life, not everyone you meet will resonate with you.
In life, every relationship needs to be curated, and it takes time and energy to maintain.
Whether it’s family, romance, or friendship, it takes two people working together.
If one person decides to leave, the other can’t sustain the relationship for long, no matter how much they try to please them.’
Gu Jiaojiao knew what had happened at the Sheng Family’s home last night.
Sheng Shiwu had quietly told her when he came to the Su family’s house for breakfast that morning, saying he didn’t want to eat at home.
Gu Jiaojiao was incredibly grateful that Mr. Sheng had decisively published a notice in the newspaper to sever ties back then.
Being related to someone like Sheng Yueyue was simply torture. Having no connection was the best possible outcome.
That’s why Gu Jiaojiao had gratefully gone inside to get breakfast for Mr. Sheng. Sheng Yueyue’s actions were no fault of his.
Gu Jiaojiao knew Sheng Yueyue had been reborn, but she still couldn’t understand her superiority complex.
She flaunted being the "chosen one" and "reborn" all day long. Unfortunately, web novels didn’t exist in this era yet.
No one believed Sheng Yueyue was telling the truth; everyone just thought she was delusional.
This included Sheng Shiwu. When he was telling Gu Jiaojiao about it, he even added a specific comment.
"Jiaojiao, Yueyue has gone completely mad. She fantasizes all day that she’s a fairy reborn in the mortal world.
She should take a look in the mirror. The fairies in the TV show *Heavenly Fairy Match* are so beautiful."
That had made Gu Jiaojiao crack up. Recalling Sheng Shiwu’s exasperated expression—that look of disappointment in someone who fails to live up to expectations—she couldn’t help but laugh again.
"Jiaojiao~ Look at you, Su’s already gone and you’re still laughing so happily. Shouldn’t you be sad?"
Dong Qihua sat on his bicycle, heartily enjoying his breakfast, as he watched Gu Jiaojiao laugh cheerfully.
"Seeing Shu Ci go so far away and still turn back to look at me, that’s what makes me happy~" Gu Jiaojiao fibbed casually.
"That’s true. Su’s feelings for you can truly move heaven and earth and be witnessed by the sun and moon! No one can shake it!"
Gu Jiaojiao was speechless.
When they reached the school gate, they saw Dong Qiming giving his sister a ride. "Cousin Jiaojiao, how come you rode my big brother’s bicycle to school today?"
"Your big brother just happened to be passing by my house, so I hitched a ride with him to school."
"Good morning, Cousin Jiaojiao~" Dong Baozhu called out shyly.
"Morning, little cousin. Let’s go, let’s head into school," Gu Jiaojiao said, hopping off the bicycle.
She then waved to Dong Qihua. "Thanks, Big Cousin. Goodbye."
It wasn’t Dong Baozhu’s first time seeing Gu Jiaojiao, but she felt that Gu Jiaojiao had become even more beautiful after getting married.
She felt a sense of inferiority in Gu Jiaojiao’s presence. At sixteen, the girl was already starting to feel competitive.
Dong Baozhu was also very pretty. She was a graceful young lady who, despite her still-slight frame, already had a touch of charm in her features.
Her big, bright eyes looked at Gu Jiaojiao, filled with a mixture of awe and insecurity, like a frightened little deer.
Gu Jiaojiao, however, just smiled nonchalantly. She was an easygoing person who never sweated the small stuff with others.
"So you’re my second uncle’s daughter, my cousin. I heard from your brother that you get excellent grades. You’re very pretty, too. Lift your head up and be a little more confident."
"My grades are just average. Compared to you, Cousin, it’s like the difference between the clouds and the mud," Dong Baozhu said timidly.
Dong Baozhu hadn’t been this insecure before. She used to feel that as a granddaughter of the Dong Family, with her grandfather, her uncle, and her father all being high-ranking officials, she had reason to be proud.
But ever since her father decided to divorce her mother, her classmates had been pointing and whispering about her all day, and she no longer wanted to attend class.
"Well, well~ And who did I think it was? Turns out it’s Dong Baozhu~ Have your dad and mom gotten divorced yet?"
A female classmate with a nasty, mocking tone shouted from behind Gu Jiaojiao and the others.