Chapter 1322: 226: Hang City_2

“I’ll go upstairs and check.”

Ni Yang went upstairs and gently knocked on the door twice.

The child had grown up and now had her own privacy, so Ni Yang always knocked before entering her room.

Before long, the door opened.

Seeing that it was Ni Yang, Zhao Yu exclaimed joyfully, “Mom! When did you get back?”

“I just got back.”

Zhao Yu grabbed Ni Yang’s hand, “Come in, come in quickly.”

Ni Yang followed Zhao Yu inside.

“Doggy, I heard that you’ve been acting a bit strange lately.”

“Strange how?” Zhao Yu scratched her head.

Ni Yang glanced sideways at the books on the desk.

Zhao Yu said, “How is there anything wrong with me reading books?”

Ni Yang raised a slight eyebrow, “Have you ever seen a pig climb a tree?”

Zhao Yu shook her head, “Nope.”

“Did you do something wrong?” Ni Yang continued to ask.

“No,” Zhao Yu replied, “Although my grades are already pretty good, I want them to be better. The college entrance exams are next July—I want to get into a good university so you won’t lose face!”

Ni Yang didn’t probe further and gently patted Zhao Yu’s head with a look of satisfaction, “Ah, Doggy is growing up—knows how to make mom proud now.”

Zhao Yu chuckled, “Mom, please sit down. I’ll go get you some water.”

Ni Yang sat at the desk and casually flipped through a book.

Zhao Yu brought over a glass of water, “Mom, here, have some water.”

Ni Yang took the glass.

The two hadn’t had a heart-to-heart talk in a long time, and before they knew it, they were chatting for half an hour. Their conversation naturally shifted to Ni Yang’s school days.

Curious, Zhao Yu asked, “Mom, in the past, did you have anyone you really disliked when you were in school?”

“Of course,” Ni Yang nodded, “Absolutely.”

“Really?” Zhao Yu exclaimed in surprise.

She had thought Ni Yang was different from her.

“It’s true,” Ni Yang continued, “Are you running into someone you dislike at school?”

Zhao Yu took a sip of water, “It’s not like I really dislike her, more like I find her annoying…”

“What’s so annoying about her? Tell me.”

Zhao Yu had been holding back her feelings for a while, “The girl’s name is Song Yue. She’s a transfer student from another town—very pretty, comes from a wealthy family, and her mother is reportedly a big-shot leader! She’s nice to everyone in class except me.”

“She’s so passive-aggressive when she talks! Remember last week when we were on duty together? She accidentally fell, and I kindly helped her up. She didn’t even bother to say thank you—fine—but then she gave me a dirty look instead! I didn’t even do anything to upset her! And another time, she was chatting with a few classmates, and I chimed in with one comment. She suddenly stopped talking completely! I was so mortified! It’s my fault I spoke up!”

Zhao Yu wished she could go back in time and scold herself.

One of the main reasons Zhao Yu had been working so hard in her studies lately was because of Song Yue.

Song Yue would always make sly remarks about how her grades weren’t as good as hers!

So Zhao Yu had decided that her scores in the upcoming monthly exams had to surpass Song Yue’s!

She was determined to prove herself!

“And there’s another thing—her mom came back from M Country recently, and she handed out chocolates to the whole class, but specifically didn’t give me any!”

Ni Yang chuckled, “I think you just wanted her imported chocolates, didn’t you?”

“What! No way!” Zhao Yu protested, “Do I look like that kind of person?”

Ni Yang nodded seriously, “You do, actually.”

Zhao Yu nervously touched her nose, “Alright, fine, I do have a sweet tooth, but I don’t need her candy. I just found the whole situation awkward. Think about it—she gave chocolates to everyone except me. Isn’t that incredibly embarrassing?”

Ni Yang continued, “Could it be you did something to upset her?”

“No! I swear!” Zhao Yu raised three fingers in an oath.

Despite being a tad careless, Zhao Yu had a good temperament and was well-liked by her classmates, both boys and girls. She had plenty of friends.

Zhao Yu proceeded, “To improve my relationship with Song Yue, I even specially bought her a gift for her birthday. But not only did she not appreciate it, she insulted me instead!”

As she spoke, Zhao Yu re-enacted Song Yue’s demeanor at the time: “I don’t accept just anybody’s gifts.”

Immediately afterward, Zhao Yu switched back to herself, “Mom, you wouldn’t believe how arrogant and superior she acted! Just thinking about it makes me furious!”

Ni Yang frowned slightly.

Zhao Yu clutched Ni Yang’s arm, “Mom, you’re so clever—you must know how to help ease things between me and her!”

Ni Yang turned to Zhao Yu, “No need to ease things.”

“Why not?” Zhao Yu was surprised. “Mom, aren’t you always telling me the importance of harmony?”

Ni Yang’s expression grew more serious, “I said to value harmony, but I never said to compromise yourself.”

“What does that mean?” Zhao Yu was puzzled.

Ni Yang elaborated, “Based on your description, the problem lies with Song Yue. Since it’s her problem, there’s no need for you to lower yourself to please her. You’re a human being; she’s a human being. Neither of you is inferior to the other. Just be true to yourself.”

“One must have backbone! And never lose dignity!”

“Mom…” Zhao Yu stared dumbfounded at Ni Yang.

Ni Yang extended her hand toward Zhao Yu, “Hand me your book—I have a life philosophy to share with you.”

Zhao Yu quickly handed her Chinese textbook and pen to Ni Yang.

Ni Yang took the pen and wrote a line on the first page of the book.

Zhao Yu leaned in to read, “A gentleman remains steadfast in adversity; a petty person becomes unprincipled in hardship.”

Just ten simple characters.

Yet at that moment, Zhao Yu understood countless principles about life from those words.

A true gentleman never loses character, even in dire situations.

“Do you get it now?” Ni Yang looked up at Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu nodded, “Yes.”

Ni Yang reached out and patted Zhao Yu’s head, “Focus on your studies. I’ll come upstairs to call you when dinner’s ready.”

“Alright.”

The next day, Ni Yang and Secretary Wen boarded a flight to Hang City.

Hang City was a quintessential southern city, with white-washed walls and black-tiled roofs, streams winding through streets, and structures delicate and elegant like watercolor paintings.

It was Secretary Wen’s first time visiting Hang City, and she couldn’t help but marvel, “Hang City is even more beautiful than it looks on TV!”

Ni Yang smiled, “The West Lake scenic area is even prettier. Once we finish our work, we could go visit West Lake.”

“Really?” Secretary Wen looked at Ni Yang in surprise.

“Really.” Ni Yang nodded.

“Thank you, Ms. Ni!” Secretary Wen was thrilled. She hadn’t expected this work trip to include a paid visit to the West Lake.

In the afternoon, the two arrived at the Film and Television City.

Liu Bingjie was busy filming, so the ones who met Ni Yang and Secretary Wen were her agent, Wu Hai.

Wu Hai, a middle-aged man around forty, took Ni Yang’s card and said, “Ice Complexion? How come I’ve never heard of this brand? We don’t let Liu Bingjie take any random endorsements.”

Liu Bingjie was extremely popular right now, constantly busy with TV dramas and ads. A proud agent was to be expected.

Ni Yang smiled, “Ice Complexion is a local Beijing brand—it’s normal that you haven’t heard of it. But the effects of Ice Complexion are genuinely excellent. Here is the gift set we brought. You can let Ms. Liu give it a try.”

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