Because Lin Nian had assisted Lin Xiaohua—and Lin Xiaohua had adamantly insisted that her cousin, Lin Nian, was the one who ordered her to kidnap Xiao Shi—Lin Nian was not only barred from taking the college entrance exam but also faced a year in prison.

It might have only been a year, but it was enough to completely crush the highly ambitious Lin Nian, leaving her in utter despair.

At the same time, Lin Nian lost the baby. She had a miscarriage. The fetus, just over two months along, was almost certainly Chen Feng’s.

Getting pregnant before marriage was, in any era, considered a shameful affair.

Lin Nian knew she was pregnant, but she hadn’t told anyone. It was rather pathetic, really; she trusted no one as a friend or family, and so, naturally, no one trusted her.

Lin Nian had considered telling Chen Feng. Although she was determined to get an abortion, she still wanted to let him know, to make him understand how much she had sacrificed for him in the hopes that he would cherish her more.

She had planned to tell Chen Feng after the college entrance exams. But as it turned out, Lin Nian never got the chance to take them. And because she hadn’t told him she was pregnant, the two of them had slept together a few more times.

A pregnancy is fragile in the first couple of months. On top of that, Lin Nian was under immense stress, staying up all night studying to beat Qin Jiao in the exams while also never refusing Chen Feng’s advances.

Then, in order to distract Qin Jiao or prevent her from taking the college entrance exam altogether, she had her cousin and cousin-in-law—a couple with a criminal record for child trafficking—abduct Xiao Shi.

But to her surprise, Qin Jiao actually found her sister. Not only that, she turned the tables and sent Lin Nian, her cousin, and her husband straight to prison! 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Lying on a wooden prison cot, her face deathly pale, Lin Nian’s eyes were filled with a sinister gloom.

’It’s all Qin Jiao’s fault!’

Meanwhile, the very person Lin Nian was cursing, Qin Jiao, was inside her dimension with Xiao Shi, picking strawberries.

The strawberries, which had been pale and white just a few days ago, were starting to blush red. They were still a little tart at this stage, but that’s when their flavor was at its peak—a perfect mix of sweet and sour that was absolutely delicious.

Because the strawberries were completely organic and uncontaminated, a quick rinse under clean water was all they needed before they could be eaten.

Xiao Shi had already eaten a big handful. Qin Jiao smiled and said, "Slow down, Xiao Shi. You don’t want to eat so many that your teeth get sensitive. Mom’s making us something special for dinner tonight, and you don’t want to spoil your appetite."

"Okay." Xiao Shi was very well-behaved. As soon as her sister said something, she stopped eating. After crouching and picking strawberries for a little longer, the little girl asked softly, "Sis, are we moving to North City soon?"

"That’s right. You’ve never been to North City, have you, Xiao Shi? The buildings there are taller, and there are way more cars on the streets. But there’s also more delicious food and lots of fun things to do. Oh! And when we get the chance, we can even take a plane ride."

As Qin Jiao spoke, she saw her little sister’s eyes fill with longing, and her own heart softened.

’In my past life, my sister spent nearly half of it suffering in the mountains. Mom and Dad toiled for decades without ever getting to enjoy a comfortable life, and later on, they just worried endlessly because both of their daughters were struggling.’

Qin Jiao silently vowed to herself that in this life, she would make sure her parents and her sister lived a good life.

After they finished picking strawberries, the two sisters left the dimension. Just then, they heard Su Yun calling for them from downstairs. It turned out that Du Liya had returned from abroad. She had originally planned to be back a few days earlier, in time for her son’s college entrance exam, but an issue at the border had delayed her by two days, causing her to miss it.

Du Liya had been abroad for more than half a year and had bought gifts for her father and son. She had also brought presents for Qin Jiao’s family next door.

They were all expensive, rare items not often seen in the country. But what Qin Jiao hadn’t expected was that the gift Du Liya gave her was a dress she had made by hand—and it was one of Du Liya’s own award-winning designs!