Chapter 8: Moving to a New Home

When she received the transfer, Sheng Jiaoyang wasn't particularly happy; her mind kept replaying the last words Shen Zhining had said.

"In her name." Who was "she"?

Was it that person who shared the same name, Jiaoyang?

With a "piece of fine jade" right in front of her, she still called her "Dong Shi imitating Yang Guifei." Don't think she couldn't understand those two terms just because her Chinese wasn't great; it was clearly implying that she was imitating someone else.

The world is vast, but social circles have boundaries. If there truly existed a peer with the same name who was more excellent than herself, how could she not know?

If that person was herself...

Sheng Jiaoyang suddenly had an epiphany. The reason she hadn't figured it out before was that she still viewed herself as her old self, but in the eyes of others, she was already a different person.

"I really didn't expect it. To think I left such a good impression in that fellow Shen Zhining's heart—that I'm actually a piece of fine jade!"

Pocketing her newly issued bank card, Sheng Jiaoyang walked out of the bank lobby in high spirits and headed toward the pedestrian street.

An hour later, Sheng Jiaoyang emerged from an optical shop wearing a pair of dark green-rimmed glasses. She was no longer short on cash for a pair of glasses, so naturally, she decided to get a pair before undergoing myopia correction surgery.

The world became clear once again. She no longer had to lean within a meter of someone to see their face clearly, and with money finally in her pocket, Sheng Jiaoyang felt better than she had at any time since becoming Xu Jiaojiao.

However, her good mood was swept away in an instant. With her vision cleared, she could naturally see further, and across the street, a young man and woman standing in front of a jewelry store counter unintentionally drifted into her field of vision.

Sheng Shiyun and Lin Yu.

One was her half-sister.

The other was her former boyfriend.

Of course, those were past relationships; now, they had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Thinking about how she had run into trouble because of them, Sheng Jiaoyang felt a sense of nausea. Her greatest strength was this: whatever others gave her, she returned in kind.

Sheng Jiaoyang scanned her surroundings. Seeing a milk tea shop nearby, she bought a cup of milk tea and then turned into the jewelry store.

Not hiding her target, she walked straight up to Sheng Shiyun and poured the milk tea onto Sheng Shiyun's feet.

"Ah—!" Sheng Shiyun let out a scream and jumped back, stomping her feet.

"Oops, my apologies," Sheng Jiaoyang said with a particularly provocative smile. "My hand slipped."

"Are you insane?! Do you have any idea how much these shoes..."

"They're very expensive, I know. Christian Louboutin red bottoms," Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at the high heels on Sheng Shiyun's feet, the corners of her mouth curling slightly. "Last year's model."

Unable to bother investigating the motive of this strange girl, Sheng Shiyun felt nothing but the humiliation of having her outdated shoes called out in public. She gave Lin Yu a quick greeting and hurried off to the restroom.

"Why are you targeting Shiyun?" Lin Yu frowned. The blatant, undisguised malice on the face of the stranger before him was obvious enough for even a fool to see.

Looking at Lin Yu's handsome face, which was so similar to the sketch she had drawn of Xiao Xiang, Sheng Jiaoyang couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion, just as she had when she first met him. She had once suspected that Lin Yan was a member of the Lin family and had even specifically asked Lin Yu if he knew him, but the result was that he didn't.

"Your girlfriend just had an accident, and you're out on a date with Sheng Shiyun? Oh, wait, you two were already hooking up before the accident even happened. Young Master Lin's cheating skills are truly impressive!" Sheng Jiaoyang raised an eyebrow, speaking nonchalantly.

"Don't talk nonsense. Shiyun and I are just friends. Who are you? How do you know us?"

"I am Sheng Jiaoyang..." Seeing Lin Yu's expression turn to shock, Sheng Jiaoyang smiled. "...a friend."

"Before her accident, she was telling me that her 'dear little sister' had posted a very ambiguous photo with her boyfriend. She said something about how Brother Yu has been very busy lately and told me not to bother him whenever I have free time. That bitch is just so prone to being pretentious. If you really like him, just say so; being passive-aggressive behind someone's back is truly disgusting."

"What are you talking about?" Lin Yu's expression turned serious.

The corners of Sheng Jiaoyang's mouth curled as she said, "I'm finding you more and more interesting. You can't even sense the 'green tea bitch' by your side who views you as her own property. Don't bother arguing; I know what kind of person Sheng Shiyun is better than you do!"

"Sheng Jiaoyang's accident was all thanks to her. And as her boyfriend, you actually have the heart to accompany the culprit while she shops for jewelry. It seems your so-called 'love' is nothing special!"

Seeing Lin Yu looking deeply shaken, Sheng Jiaoyang turned and walked out, satisfied.

*Come on, let's hurt each other~*

Humming a tuneless melody, Sheng Jiaoyang ducked into a bustling snack shop.

Although they hadn't spent much time together, she understood Lin Yu. Among the men she knew, Lin Yu was a rare case of pure-heartedness, and his integrity made him an anomaly in their social circle. He was very good to his friends, but friends were just friends; he was never ambiguous with the women around him. It was no wonder Sheng Shiyun never dared to confess; if she had revealed her feelings before Lin Yu developed romantic feelings for her, he would have distanced himself without hesitation.

Now that this thin layer of "friendship" had been punctured, Sheng Shiyun's dream of winning Lin Yu over through the "boiling frog" method would shatter. Given Sheng Shiyun's personality, the more Lin Yu distanced himself, the more obsessively she would cling, and the more Lin Yu would loathe her approach.

Speaking of which, Sheng Jiaoyang still hadn't figured out how the uncompromising Lin Yu had fallen for Sheng Shiyun despite her preemptive slander. At that time, almost all his friends had tried to advise him, but he never wavered. During the days they agreed to date, he was busy looking after her, even wanting to hand-feed her three meals a day.

Sheng Jiaoyang didn't think her charm was great enough to make someone love her that steadfastly. Otherwise, why was it that the person she liked clearly had feelings for her but refused to accept her? She could only conclude: Lin Yu was an anomaly.

As for whether utilizing someone who truly loved her would weigh on her conscience, Sheng Jiaoyang sneered, saying absolutely not. Conscience was something that couldn't be eaten or used, nor could it change the fact that she had become a poor little girl. What use was it? She only knew that if someone made her unhappy, she would make them unhappy for the rest of their lives.

After eating a satisfying meal of foods the old her would have had to avoid, Sheng Jiaoyang returned in high spirits.

"I want to top up my phone credit." Sheng Jiaoyang walked into the service hall again.

It was the same clerk. She had some impression of this girl, whom she had complained about behind her back to many people. The clerk's face immediately lost its smile, and she asked coldly, "How much?"

"First, one, no, two..."

"Exactly how much?" the clerk interrupted impatiently.

Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at the clerk, unhurriedly opened her backpack, and pulled out a stack of brand-new "rich gold" bills. Under the wide-eyed gaze of the clerk, she slowly counted out twenty bills and placed them on the counter.

"Top up two thousand!"

The clerk looked at Sheng Jiaoyang several times in disbelief. Although the change was significant, she was certain this was indeed the person who had come to top up ten yuan not long ago. Only after the two thousand yuan had passed through the bill counter twice did she ask for the number in a polite tone.

"Dear, we are having a promotion right now. It's very advantageous to sign up for a package~" The clerk's attitude did a 180-degree turn, becoming unprecedentedly friendly.

"Is there an international package?"

"Uh, we don't have one at the moment." The clerk looked embarrassed.

"Oh." Sheng Jiaoyang picked up her backpack and turned to leave.

"Dear, there are gifts too!"

"I don't want them."

Returning to the low-rent housing, Sheng Jiaoyang began packing the things she had borrowed yesterday. Although they were all small brands that the old her would never have touched, they were at least better than the original owner's cheap belongings and would serve well until she earned enough money to splurge.

When Xu Qing returned, Sheng Jiaoyang was searching online for rental information for high-end residential areas nearby.

"Jiaojiao, have you eaten?"

"I have," Sheng Jiaoyang replied without looking up.

Xu Qing stood beside Sheng Jiaoyang, a hint of hesitation on her face. She murmured, "Jiaojiao, I found a job."

"Oh? That's a good thing!"

"But she requires me to stay there at night as well."

Sheng Jiaoyang found it strange and looked up at Xu Qing. "What kind of job? Do you have to work overtime at night?"

"It's domestic work."

"Domestic work?" Sheng Jiaoyang frowned. "That's so hard, forget it."

"She said it's not hard, just cleaning a villa and helping the kitchen auntie with cooking. It's really not hard, and it pays five thousand a month," Xu Qing explained hurriedly.

Was five thousand considered a lot? Sheng Jiaoyang curled her lip. Auntie Li, who used to take care of her daily life, gave her more than that in extra bonuses alone every month.

"If you think it's okay, then fine." She could just quit later if needed.

"But I won't be able to come home at night," Xu Qing hesitated.

"That's perfect. I've signed up for a competition, so I'll be there all day and won't be able to come home either."

"A competition?" Xu Qing was incredibly surprised.

Sheng Jiaoyang didn't want to say much and changed the subject. "Where is this place you'll be doing domestic work?"

"Over on Yunjin Road, near Xueyuan Road. It's not far from the university you got into." Speaking of this, Xu Qing was somewhat happy; she would be able to take care of her daughter nearby in the future.

"Oh." Sheng Jiaoyang lowered her head to resume searching for rental information.

*Ding-dong, done.* Clicking confirm payment, her finger tapped quickly to enter the payment password.

Sitting beside her, Xu Qing was startled and hurriedly asked, "What's done?"

"I rented a suite in a residential area near Xueyuan Road. The deposit is paid. Let's move in now!"

"What?" Xu Qing was shocked again. "Where did you get so much money?"

"Earned from selling paintings. Alright, don't ask. Anyway, my money was earned honestly. When I earn more money in the future, you won't have to work anymore; you can just stay home and play."

Hearing this, Xu Qing was amused, but then became worried. However, since her daughter didn't want her to ask more, she could only keep it to herself and take things one step at a time.

Packing things was another struggle. Xu Qing wanted to bring everything, but her daughter firmly insisted that she discard those old, broken things and leave with just herself. After much bitter persuasion, she was only allowed to bring two sets of clothes.

Unknowingly, the pillar of the household had shifted from Xu Qing to Sheng Jiaoyang.

After moving out of the low-rent housing, under Xu Qing's pained gaze, Sheng Jiaoyang hailed a taxi and went to the newly rented house.

When they arrived, the landlord was already waiting inside.

Subsequently, Sheng Jiaoyang let her new mother witness her decisive efficiency: signing the lease, changing the locks, purchasing daily necessities and bedding, even replacing the mattress with a new one, hiring domestic help to clean the house inside and out, and redecorating the entire suite.

Throughout the process, Xu Qing had no part in it. She wanted to help to save money, but Sheng Jiaoyang wouldn't allow it, pulling her to stand aside to direct others.

To her, if something could be solved with money, why bother seeking out exhaustion personally?

That night, Sheng Jiaoyang, who finally didn't have to share a small bed with anyone, finally had a good sleep. Just as she was dreaming of about to embrace a handsome man, a phone call from a staff member of the supermodel program woke her up.