Chapter 49: I Was Clearly the First!

“No, something must be done!”

Tong Wenjie grew increasingly furious with each word, even more enraged than Song Qian, the mother directly involved. This surprised Song Qian, who relaxed as Tong Wenjie vented her anger.

After all, even when Fang Yuan was sent there by He Chen, her best friend hadn’t reacted with such fury and impulsiveness.

“What do you think I should do?”

“First, you definitely need to have a serious talk with Yingzi. You absolutely cannot let that little scoundrel deceive her! This is the top priority!”

Tong Wenjie’s words struck right at Song Qian’s heart. She nodded eagerly in agreement, “I think so too! But I’m worried that if I force her, she might rebel even more. It puts me in a very passive position. Just now, I could only let her go with Qiao Weidong. Otherwise, I would never have agreed under normal circumstances. Sigh!”

Children grow up beyond their mother’s control.

Especially when it’s a daughter who might suffer serious harm, a mother’s worries are overwhelming.

No matter how impulsive she was at the planetarium, Song Qian refused to agree no matter what her daughter said.

But later, seeing her daughter’s intense reaction, her regret and fear were indescribably strong.

Even He Chen’s vicious curses felt like a sharp blade stabbing straight into her chest—piercing deep and impossible to withdraw.

If pushed too far, could her daughter really do something foolish?

And if that happened, she feared it might be just as He Chen cursed—her daughter would never have children, would live alone raising cats until old age, and might even be discovered only after the cats gnawed her remains...

From the perspective of a mother-in-law, Tong Wenjie certainly couldn’t stand by and watch Qiao Yingzi continue to embarrass her son. She was perfectly aligned with Song Qian’s concerns. Seeing Song Qian so troubled, she was happy to offer more suggestions.

“Secondly, you should involve the school and the parents! Yingzi is about to enter Tsinghua or Peking University—how can she let someone like He Chen entangle her and affect her college entrance exam preparations? Teacher Li will definitely intervene. And Professor Ruan, I doubt she would want this to happen either...”

“That won’t do,” Song Qian immediately shook her head. “This kind of thing must never be spread around. Otherwise, Yingzi’s reputation would be damaged.”

Tong Wenjie wanted to persuade her further, but Song Qian still refused. Their priorities diverged sharply.

Song Qian wanted to protect her daughter’s reputation above all else.

---

But Tong Wenjie thought making a big fuss might not be a bad thing. First, it would cut off any possibility between Qiao Yingzi and He Chen at the root.

Second, if Yingzi’s reputation were ruined, it would narrow the gap between her—destined for Tsinghua or Peking University—and her son, who was at the very bottom of the class rankings with room to fall even further.

Her son was currently at the bottom but acting carefree. She doubted he could improve through his own efforts alone, so rather than forcing him to work hard, it might be better to stall Yingzi for a while and wait for her childhood sweetheart.

That way, it would be a mutual pursuit, wouldn’t it?

Besides, such a damaged reputation wouldn’t mean much to her compared to the billions Yingzi would inherit, her academic genius, and her childhood sweetheart relationship. It was acceptable.

She didn’t think such scheming was a betrayal of her best friend.

Because she truly didn’t believe her son was unworthy of Yingzi.

Although she often complained about him, that was only to herself!

No one else was allowed to look down on her son!

Not even her best friend!

If anyone dared say it out loud, her best friend would blush with embarrassment.

Despite her son’s lack of ambition and various flaws, he was genuinely a warm and caring young man who had always been a source of comfort to Yingzi. That was a priceless treasure—a rare, affectionate gentleman!

If those two married in the future, with their billions and material wealth, they would surely enjoy a harmonious and beautiful life together. Wouldn’t that be the perfect married life?

If all men were as outstanding and well-earning as old Qiao, then aside from cheap mistresses outside, what use would there be in hurting one’s wife?

So, while her best friend hadn’t fully thought things through and didn’t realize how lucky she was to have Fang Yifan as a son-in-law, Tong Wenjie resolved to stay rational and calm, knowing what decision would be best for both families.

While the two best friends chatted fervently, Qiao Yingzi, after having lunch with her father, couldn’t bear his subtle yet worried probing and left early to confide in her best friend, Huang Zhitao.

After some time to process, she no longer felt impulsive but was overwhelmed by shame and an urgent need to talk things over with someone.

“What?”

Upon hearing Yingzi’s vague explanation, Huang Zhitao gasped in disbelief, staring at her friend in shock.

This only deepened Yingzi’s shame. She couldn’t help but recall what had happened, remembering details she hadn’t noticed at the time, flushing her face red.

Huang Zhitao confirmed the astonishing news several times, even though Yingzi kept insisting that she had no other motives and was only pushed by her mother, her expression remained complicated and ambiguous.

Just a few days ago, during a late-night chat, Huang Zhitao had been teased by Yingzi about some ambiguous feelings toward He Chen.

And now, her friend had suddenly dropped such explosive news and had gone so far, so fiercely, right from the start.

What was going on?!

Even though she herself had little romantic interest in He Chen.

But the undeniable fact was, Yingzi had made the first move...

“Zhitao, what do you think I should do?” Yingzi hadn’t yet noticed the complexity in her friend’s expression, fully caught in her own panic and shame. “What if I see him at school tomorrow? How should I explain? If others find out... oh my god!”

“What do you really think?” Huang Zhitao pushed down her complicated feelings and asked seriously.

“What do you mean, what I think?” Yingzi was taken aback. But meeting her friend’s urging gaze to be honest, her heart skipped a beat. She nervously looked away, shaking her head repeatedly. “I just want it not to be so embarrassing!”

Huang Zhitao sighed inwardly.

How could that be?

As her lifelong best friend, she knew this was Yingzi’s first kiss. Even if she insisted it was just an act of rebellion or retaliation, the fact remained undeniable.

How could her friend possibly not care at all?

She might say she didn’t care, but she just didn’t want to talk about it deeply.

“Don’t worry, things will work out. Let’s wait and see what He Chen says when you meet him.”

“But I’m too embarrassed to see him.”

“You dropped such a bomb on him today, not just on you and your parents, but on him too. Don’t you owe him an explanation and an apology? Don’t worry—I’ll go with you. If you’re really too shy to face him, I can even go first and test the waters, and convey your explanation.”

“I’ll think about it...”

Listening to her friend’s advice, Yingzi’s emotions gradually steadied, and her intellect returned. As someone who could give public speeches at the planetarium, she wasn’t so introverted; her ability to overcome emotions far surpassed most.

Having her friend accompany her to talk was no problem.

But letting her friend go and test things on her behalf? She felt uneasy about that. She didn’t want any unnecessary melodrama or misunderstandings to arise.

That would be bad.