Chapter 5

The decrepit van sped down the highway. I stared at the guardrail racing past, my heart pounding.

Despair crept in. I had known my new classmates for only a month. Why would these rich heirs meddle in my family affairs? But I had no one else to ask. Less than a year stood between me and the national entrance exam. Dropping out now would destroy everything.

The city’s glitter gave way to lonely countryside. I was calculating my chances of surviving a jump from the moving van when a supercar roared past.

Its muffler had been removed, making the engine thunder. My father flinched and shouted at my second uncle, “Drive carefully! That’s a Lamborghini. We could never afford the damage if you scratch it.”

Several more supercars shot past. My father dragged on his cigarette and cursed, “Why do people like that get to be so rich? Why can’t I ever make a fortune?”

After overtaking us, the cars slowed and boxed the van in, forcing it into the next service area. Another dozen luxury cars arrived behind them.

Doors opened. Familiar faces appeared everywhere.

My father knew better than to provoke the rich. His courage faltered, though he still demanded, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Cen Yue climbed out of the Lamborghini’s passenger seat, her face dark. Usually sweet and cheerful, she now looked ready to kill someone in public.

“What are we doing? Because of you, Song Yao should already be writing my homework! My mother finally praised me for once, and now you want to take her away?”

My father’s voice trembled. “She’s my daughter. I can take her wherever I want. Why would I need your permission? Who are you people?”

Leaning against a Maybach, Cheng Qianyu lit a cigarette and cut in. “All I know is that I didn’t secure a homework slot last night. I finally got one today, and even if the sky falls, no one is taking our class president away.”

He glanced upward, his expression suddenly tender. “My girlfriend is here.”

I looked into the black sky in alarm.

A helicopter descended, its blades whipping the air until no one could keep their eyes open. Ji Wenqiao stepped down in eight-centimeter heels with three bodyguards behind her. She swept me with a lofty glance, yanked me behind her, then fixed my father with a murderous stare.

My second uncle’s knees nearly gave way. He clutched my father’s sleeve. “Song, you never said you’d offended this many rich people! If I’d known how much trouble this was, I’d never have come.”

My father made one last stand. “I’m taking my daughter home. What… what are you to interfere?”

Smack!

Ji Wenqiao slapped him. Her jeweled nails scored bloody lines across his cheek.

“What am I? I’m your grandfather!”

“Damn it, we finally got a poor country girl in our class, and I finally had someone to impress. How dare you take her away?”

“If she leaves, who am I supposed to show off to?”