Qiao Shan felt rather distressed at the constant intrusion during his private moments at the restroom; such was his discomfort that he retreated to a stall.

Standing as a testament to its opulence, the luxurious design of Qianpu Middle School spared not even the restrooms.

Right then, Qiao Shan was grateful for the school's architect as it provided him with the privacy he longed for. However, his retreat appeared as an admission of guilt, reinforcing the idea that he had something to hide.

If it was of an impressive size, why would he fear being seen, after all?

This action intensified the testing of his case.

Gossips about one's personal life always spread swiftly, especially when fueled by Class 1, the school's hotbed for rumors.

Whispers amongst students went like this, "Hey, do you know Qiao Shan from your class has something not even as big as a lipstick sample?"

The defensiveness from his classmates, "Wait, how would I know? How did you come to know this?"

The students from Class 1 surely could not admit that they got the information from Shi Li, especially since Shi Li herself wasn’t aware of the fact that the rumor originated from her own group.

Pondering in her heart, she failed to see what this had to do with her.

Wei Yi and Shi Qiuyu were merely sharing the latest gossip in the group; what fault did they have in all this?

The students of Class 1 were merely verifying the authenticity of the gossip; they were simply innocent and curious.

The subject of the vast spreading gossip was, however, oblivious to all the chatter.

It was only half a month later when Qiao Shan came to know of the gossip circulating around him.

Being a proud boy, he was deeply ashamed, refusing to allow such demeaning news about him to spread.

Apart from the embarrassment, it also affected his plan of courting a wealthy woman. After all, which rich lady would want a boyfriend with less than a lipstick sample down there? The traditional mindset always leaned towards appreciating larger sizes.

Qiao Shan was deeply angered at the spreader of this news. However, tracing the origin of the rumor after half a month seemed impossible.

By this point, everyone in the school knew about it; if he were to blame someone, there was no innocent party.

Moreover, if he did consider blaming someone, he would come across as petty, and it might reinforce the truth of the rumor.

In the narrow thinking of everyone around, if it weren't true, why would it bother him so much?

All Qiao Shan could do was to appear carefree and unaffected by the grains of sand in his otherwise peaceful life.

Time passed, and all this became the past.

In the beginning, the students of Class 3 didn't believe the rumor either. Could anyone really be that small?

Just like Wei Yi and Shi Qiuyu, everyone was unclear of the actual size of a lipstick sample, even making efforts to look it up online.

After the Google search: emmm……

Qiao Shan soon became the center of attention—this attention was not of an admirable nature, but more due to curiosity and the desire to validate the rumor.

Qiao Shan misinterpreted this attention, thinking he had become more attractive recently, being the subject of stolen glances from both, girls and boys.

These longing looks, however, were all directed lower than where he thought. Qiao Shan failed to notice this.

It was only after hearing the gossip about him, did he realize that it wasn't his charm that increased, but rather the curiosity of his peers!

The current Qiao Shan, inflated by the attention from his peers, became more confident and convinced that his after-school project to win back Gao Yun would surely succeed.

However, giving it a second thought, Qiao Shan realized that compared to the charming Feng Yunhe, he was less enticing. There was really no need for him to be fixated on Gao Yun.

 

Including the school itself, if he wanted to discover wealthy girls, they were numerous like stars in the sky.

 

There were quite a few who were richer than Gao Yun. He could break up with her and possibly find someone wealthier next.

 

Such an idea crossed his mind but Qiao Shan discarded it instantly. Not that he had developed feelings for Gao Yun over the past few days.

 

Rather, Qiao Shan felt it necessary to have a backup.

 

It was like finding a job, you need to look for a better opportunity while riding a donkey.

 

When he found better, he could break up with Gao Yun.

 

Gao Yun was a fool, as long as he spent more time to please her, they would definitely get back together.

 

Perhaps, Gao Yun’s talk of breaking up was just her being capricious, wanting him to coax her.

 

However, if she liked to act spoiled, she was not a good woman. After they made up, he needed to educate her well and make her change this habit.

 

His parents had not raised him easily, he couldn't make them deal with a temperamental daughter-in-law.

 

Qiao Shan had made up his mind and was just waiting for school to be over to get Gao Yun back.

 

Meanwhile, Gao Yun had no idea that her ex-boyfriend planned to meet her at the school gate.

 

Shi Li had arranged her post-school schedule so tightly that even the time she spent drinking water and going to the restroom was defined.

 

About the issue of getting home late, she had to return home only after nine p.m. everyday, or else her mother and nanny would worry.

 

Gao Yun's mother was a strong woman. Her daily routines were as busy as a president. Her daughter hadn’t woken up when she would leave for work, and by the time she returned, her daughter was already asleep.

 

Gao Yun confronted her mother during the limited time she was at home, and informed her about the late-night tutoring she needed to take. She showed her the timetable that Shi Li had arranged for her.

 

Gao Yun had always been lazy regarding her studies, this was the first time she took the initiative to study, which surprised her mother.

 

It was both a surprise and a delight.

 

Although they were well off and their child didn't have to rely on academics to be successful, parents always loved seeing their children making progress.

 

During her conversation with Gao Yun, she learnt that the timetable was tailored for her by Shi Li, considering her daily curriculum and academic weaknesses.

 

Gao Yun's mother was relieved that her daughter had such a considerate friend, and at the same time, she felt guilty for being too busy with her work and neglecting her daughter.

 

These issues were supposed to be her responsibility as a mother, but Shi Li stole the thunder.

 

Even the private tutor was found by Shi Li.

 

Today was Gao Yun's first day to attend post-school tutoring. Shi Li planned to accompany her for the day, and afterward she would have to continue by herself.

 

Shi Li planned the schedule perfectly, Gao Yun could no longer return home leisurely after school.

 

Her pace had to be quickened.

 

Gao Yun complained to Shi Li that she had no time to rest at all.

Shi Li thought to herself, "I want you to be busy, to have no time to rest, so you won't rekindle things with Qiao Shan when I'm not around."

Meanwhile, Qiao Shan, still accustomed to Gao Yun's habits, liked to stroll home slowly after school. He parked at the school's external parking lot, hoping to bump into Gao Yun by chance. He waited until it was dark but never saw her.

The parking lot had a few cars scattered about, and not seeing the usual car that picked up Gao Yun, Qiao Shan realized she had already left.

On the first day, he misjudged the situation and failed to meet Gao Yun.

On Tuesday, Shi Li didn't arrange any after-school one-on-one sessions for Gao Yun, thinking even a workhorse needs a break.

You can't have Gao Yun taking new classes every day; she also needs time to digest the information on her own.

The method of absorption was simple and crude: a massive amount of problem-solving.

Everyone has their limits, and what Shi Li thought was an easy amount of work, Gao Yun found challenging.

Gao Yun, assessing her own capabilities, realized it wasn't as Shi Li had said; she didn't get a day off.

In fact, she felt an even greater urgency to get home than the day before.

Learning from the previous day's lesson, Qiao Shan hurried to the school gate after class to wait for Gao Yun.

Gao Yun walked out of the school gate with a few of Shi Li's friends, and Shi Li, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot Qiao Shan waiting on the side.

Knowing Qiao Shan, Shi Li understood he never did anything without a reason; his presence here definitely had a purpose.

As for the reason, Shi Li looked towards Gao Yun; she would have to ask her.

If Qiao Shan hadn't given up on Gao Yun, the naive girl, then she was likely his target for the evening.

"Oh boy, looks like there's a show to watch today," Shi Li thought to herself.

The influence of Shi Li's thoughts was profound; in no time, all the classmates around who heard her immediately gathered towards where Shi Li was looking.