Shen Yi didn’t like seeing the two of them talk. Though they were trading sharp words, it felt like they were on equal footing, as if the two of them were supposed to be standing together.

Shen Yi’s brow furrowed slightly. ’He knew that in his past life, Qin Jiao and this Chen Feng hadn’t had any real involvement, but he still didn’t like any man getting this close to her.’

"Let’s go. Uncle Qin is waiting for us outside." Without another word, Shen Yi picked up Qin Jiao’s schoolbag for her.

Qin Jiao didn’t want to make her dad wait so long in the freezing cold either. She immediately nodded and followed Shen Yi outside.

Chen Feng, however, remained where he was, watching the two of them leave.

’He wasn’t sure why, but he felt a strange pang, as if he should have been the one standing beside Qin Jiao.’

The next moment, he was taken aback by his own thought.

"Ah Feng! Let’s go home!" Lin Nian had been feeling miserable, but when she looked up and saw Chen Feng actually standing there talking to Qin Jiao, alarm bells instantly went off in her head. Wiping her eyes, she grabbed her schoolbag and hurried after him.

Chen Feng gave an absentminded "mhm."

He wasn’t particularly thrilled that his score on the monthly exam had improved.

On the contrary, he found himself paying more and more attention to Qin Jiao. Part of it was his competitive nature, but another part was genuine admiration.

Chen Feng lived closer to the school, and with the heavy snow these past few days, they couldn’t ride their bikes and had to walk home instead.

Chen Feng was quiet the whole way, which made Lin Nian anxious. Taking advantage of his distraction, she reached into his pocket and took his hand in hers.

"Ah Feng, can you help me study from now on? My score on this exam dropped a lot."

Chen Feng’s gaze finally fell back on Lin Nian. Seeing her expectant look, he suddenly thought, ’Qin Jiao never needed tutoring. How did her grades get so good?’

’Is she just naturally smart, or does she work especially hard? Or perhaps... someone is tutoring her?’

But when he thought about it, no one around them—not even that annoying Shen Yi—seemed capable of tutoring Qin Jiao. Chen Feng dismissed the idea and muttered a few noncommittal words in response.

Lin Nian could tell he was just brushing her off. She was incredibly frustrated, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Meanwhile, Qin Jiao and Shen Yi had already arrived home in the motor-tricycle. Qin Jiao still felt a little awkward, but thankfully the trip was short, so she just had to bear with it.

Just as they got out of the vehicle, they saw Mr. Du coming out with a cane. He said nervously, "Xiao Yi, your mom got a phone call. The person on the other end gave her an address and told her to go there, saying it was about your dad and that she’d regret it if she didn’t go. Your mom just left. Nothing bad is going to happen to her, is it?"

Shen Yi’s face instantly darkened.

He said, "Grandpa, do you know the address?"

"I do. She was muttering it to herself just now, so I wrote it down. It’s in the Red Star District, which is pretty close to your school—Building 3, Apartment 302." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Standing nearby, Qin Jiao froze for a moment. "That’s Chen Feng’s house! I saw the address when I was helping Mr. Sun organize student files."

’A woman specifically called Du Liya and told her to go to Chen Feng’s house?’

Qin Jiao instantly pieced together a likely scenario. She glanced worriedly at Shen Yi. His expression was grim, but he remained remarkably calm and composed.

He looked up and said to Qin Zhonghui, "Uncle Qin, can you do me a favor and go with me to find my mom? If I’m not mistaken, my dad should be at that woman’s house."

Qin Zhonghui knew a little about the situation with Shen Yi’s parents. He was an honest man and didn’t overthink things. Now that Shen Yi had asked, of course he would help.

Qin Jiao thought for a moment and said, "I’ll go with you. Grandpa Du, it’s cold outside. You should go home and wait. Don’t worry, we’ll bring Aunt Du back safely."