"Mom, Dad, listen to me." Wang Rui looked at her parents, who seemed eager to investigate, and could only persuade them to sit down. "Do you know what that boy's family does?" "What his family does has nothing to do with me," Li Cui grumbled. "If the other family is well-off, that's Wang Qiqi's good fortune; what does it have to do with us?"

The thought that Wang Qiqi might know a boy from a wealthy family made Li Cui unable to sit still. "Dàguì, I really think we should educate Qiqi properly." If she met another rich kid, what then?

"Mom, just let me finish speaking," Wang Rui said, exasperated. Why were her parents like this? Look at her uncle's family; when Qiqi spoke, they never interrupted, their attitude so respectful. But her own parents kept interrupting, and sometimes before she could even voice a thought, they would start arguing, leaving her unable to speak.

"Let your daughter speak," Wang Da Gui pulled his daughter's arm, suggesting they should let her finish before making a decision. Besides, what was the rush to cause trouble now? They should eat well and gather their strength. They could go to the elder brother's house to talk to Wang Qiqi later when everyone was out cooling off. By then, with more people aware, they would see what that girl had to say.

Wang Rui decided not to keep her parents in suspense any longer. "That boy is in the same school as Qiqi, but he's in the science stream, and Qiqi is in the arts stream. More importantly, his family owns a restaurant—the Golden Jiangnan."

Golden Jiangnan? Li Cui and Wang Da Gui were stunned. Though they had never been to the Golden Jiangnan Hotel, they knew its reputation. While its scale and decor might not be top-tier in the city, when it came to customer volume and dish prices, Golden Jiangnan certainly ranked high. They never expected that Wang Qiqi's supposed boyfriend was the young master of Golden Jiangnan.

Li Cui didn't know what to do. She knew that the clientele there were mostly the rich and powerful. "No wonder that girl said if we didn't settle this, she'd appeal to higher authorities—she has that connection tucked away." For common folk like them, knowing an official, even a minor one, was difficult. But at Golden Jiangnan, many patrons were officials; getting a word in wouldn't be hard for them. "How is that girl Qiqi so lucky to know such a good match?"

"Yes, but Mom, do you know, when I was chatting with him just now, I thought he was really wonderful—good-tempered, articulate. I feel like since my sister and he are only in the ambiguous stage, if... if..." Wang Rui hesitated to say the rest aloud. After all, suggesting early romance in front of her parents was tantamount to courting death.

Li Cui and Wang Da Gui reacted very differently to Wang Rui's words. "Absolutely not. Even if his family conditions are excellent, he's in the second year of senior high, and you're in the third year of junior high; there's a two-year gap. What happens if he goes to university out of town?" University life now was different from before. Several colleagues' children started dating in university. If her daughter were his age, Li Cui might agree, provided her daughter attended the same university. But the situation was clear: her daughter wouldn't be in college with him. What if he found a new interest in college and dumped her daughter? That would be a massive loss.

Wang Rui had expected Li Cui to agree with her idea, not oppose it. "Gao Kai is very nice, and he's honestly not a flirt. Besides, he might not even be interested in me right now."

"If he has no interest, why would he chat with you for so long? If he does have an interest, that would be even worse," Li Cui felt faint hearing her daughter's explanation. How did she end up with such a foolish girl? "Xiao Rui, you're still young; you don't understand men. If a man isn't your friend, your brother, or your father, why would he talk to you for so long without any ulterior motive?" The more Li Cui spoke, the more she felt that boy was after something big, that he wasn't a good person, clearly liking that girl Wang Qiqi, yet still provoking her own daughter.

Wang Da Gui, however, thought the boy seemed quite decent—good background, and importantly, he associated with influential people. "Xiao Rui, how did you find out his family owns a restaurant?" While kids these days were relatively straightforward, what if the boy was deliberately deceiving your daughter?

Wang Rui shot a glare at Wang Da Gui. "Dad, do you think your daughter is an idiot? Don't worry; their classmates told me. I also asked Wang Qiqi, and she confirmed her family owns a restaurant. So, this source is definitely reliable. It's not like so many people would lie, right? Besides, what reason would Wang Qiqi have to lie to me?" She hadn't even thought that far ahead then, and Wang Qiqi wouldn't have been so calculating.

Hearing his daughter state it so firmly, Wang Da Gui merely hummed in acknowledgment. "Xiao Rui, although your outward appearance is better than Qiqi's, you must remember that even though your uncle's family is gone, the things they left her are beyond what our family can compare to." Wang Da Gui meant that it wouldn't be easy for his daughter to marry into wealth. The primary obstacle was their lack of money to dress his daughter beautifully. Before, when the elder sister-in-law was alive, whatever Qiqi had, she would prepare something similar for Xiao Rui. But now that she was gone, who would buy his daughter a T-shirt costing several hundred yuan?

"Isn't there still Qiqi?" Li Cui thought. Just because the elder sister-in-law was gone, did that mean Qiqi shouldn't buy clothes? "Besides, Xiao Rui and Qiqi have such a good relationship; it's normal for sisters to shop together. If Qiqi buys clothes, there’s no reason she wouldn't buy clothes for Xiao Rui." Girls in their teens all want to look pretty, especially now with no adults strictly supervising. If Xiao Rui puts in a good word, surely Qiqi wouldn't refuse to share the money?

Wang Rui nodded. "Yes, Dad, don't worry about my clothes. I've already planned; I must secure Gao Kai. Such a great man—if I miss this chance, it would truly be a pity."

"Mom," Wang Rui interjected before Li Cui could lecture, "You always tell me that when you encounter a good man, you must strike while the iron is hot. Gao Kai is exactly the kind of person worth me making a move for. My only concern now is what Qiqi will think if she finds out I'm poaching her prize." Although Wang Rui desperately wanted to break through the barrier, she worried intensely that if Qiqi knew she and Gao Kai were involved, Qiqi certainly wouldn't treat her well. If that happened, where would she buy her pretty clothes? Never mind asking her parents—they would balk at spending a couple of hundred yuan on a summer outfit. Wang Rui was accustomed to clothes from department stores and detested the clothes from those roadside stalls; they lacked texture. The elder sister-in-law used to say, clothes should be of good quality.

"It’s best if she knows," Li Cui said bluntly. "You foolish girl, don't you realize? Him being involved with Qiqi while also being involved with you—what kind of situation is that? Two-timing?" Moreover, no matter how rich a wealthy family is, they prefer marrying a daughter from another wealthy family. Especially a girl like Wang Qiqi, whose parents are gone, yet who possesses a large fortune—she's an easy target to control.

"Then it's a battle of skills. Besides, Mom, besides not being as rich as Wang Qiqi, in what way am I inferior to her?" Wang Rui hadn't done anything else at school today, but she had sat in the classroom thinking for a long time, even specifically listing out the comparison on a piece of paper: what she was better at than Wang Qiqi, and what Qiqi was better at. Looking at that list, Wang Rui became increasingly convinced that overthrowing Wang Qiqi to seize Gao Kai wouldn't be difficult.

Wang Rui produced the sheet filled with writing and read out the advantages and disadvantages between herself and Wang Qiqi one by one. As she read, Wang Da Gui continuously nodded in agreement with his daughter’s points, and Li Cui’s expression softened from its initial severity. "In my heart, my daughter is the best, but Xiao Rui, I'll say the same thing again: you must study hard. Regardless of whether you end up with Gao Kai, you must get into university. What if you meet an even better man later?"

University—what a wonderful place. Li Cui often lamented missing out on a 'blue-chip stock' by choosing Wang Da Gui, this 'junk stock,' and frequently muttered that if she had studied harder back then, like her cousin, and attended university, her life path would have been entirely different. "Auntie Hong’s grades weren't as good as mine when she was studying..." Li Cui began her usual lecture on education to her daughter. In Li Cui's view, securing a good son-in-law was essential, but getting into a good university was non-negotiable.

Wang Rui was truly weary of studying. Junior high was already so demanding; looking at her older sister struggling so much in senior high year two, she couldn't imagine senior high year three. "Mom, that's ancient history. Besides, if you truly studied better than Auntie Hong as you say, why didn't you continue? I know what you mean; you want me to marry a good man. Not that I look down on other men, but Gao Kai is genuinely a good person—good personal qualities, good family background."

Li Cui looked at her stubborn daughter. What else could she say? She saw that useless man next to her supporting his wife. "But if you don't get into senior high, what will his parents think? Moreover, he is clearly aiming for university. What if his parents then say your background isn't good, you lack accomplishments yourself, and you don't even have a university diploma? Even if you win against Wang Qiqi, so what? Yes, your conditions are better than Wang Qiqi's, but don't forget, there aren't just you and Wang Qiqi in this world."

Seeing her daughter waver slightly, Li Cui continued her persuasion. "Think about it: if you often approach him under the guise of asking for academic help, will Wang Qiqi get suspicious? If you attend a vocational school, what reason would you have to approach him?"

Wang Rui tilted her head and pondered for a long time. Although she still disliked studying, her mother's final point was quite compelling. "Isn't it just getting into senior high? Even though your daughter's grades aren't the best, passing the entrance exam for high school shouldn't be hard. I will work diligently, diligently, and diligently from now on."

Wang Rui wasn't exaggerating this point. She wasn't unintelligent; with focused effort, getting into a standard high school was feasible. Of course, a top-tier high school remained a risk, but she simply disliked studying, leading to fluctuating grades.

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