It was already night when Mai Qi and I returned to the dormitory.

As soon as we pushed the door open, Lu Yan stood up abruptly and said eagerly, “Nanxing, Mai Qi, you’re finally home” This welcoming was too strange. We were about to tease Lu Yan when Mai Qi froze. Then I saw the crowd of people in our tiny dorm. There were Ye Qian, Gu Yan, and a middle-aged woman.

I knew at first glance that the beautiful woman was Mai Qi’s mother because they looked so much alike.

Ye Qian stood up to greet us. “Nanxing, Mai Qi, you’re back.” I turned to Mai Qi.

Mai Qi walked to her mother unwillingly and asked, “Why are you here?”

Mrs. Mai answered gracefully and evenly, “If not, how am I supposed to find you?” She looked past Mai Qi and used a very uncomfortable gaze to study me. I nodded politely, “Hello.”

She turned away and ignored me. She asked Mai Qi, “Where you were? I was waiting for a long time.”

Mai Qi straightened her back. “I didn’t know you were coming. We just came back from lunch.”

Mrs. Mai stood up. “That is just perfect. We haven’t eaten yet. Come and join us!”

Mai Qi took a deep breath. “I’ve already eaten.”

Mrs. Mai raised her brows. “So? You can’t accompany your mother for a meal?”

Mai Qi was stumped. They walked out. I nodded at Ye Qian as a form of greeting as I walked to my seat. Mrs. Mai turned around. “Miss Nan, please join us too.”

I was shocked. I turned around to look at her.

Ye Qian grabbed my arm and smiled, “Nanxing, let’s accompany Mrs. Mai to have this meal.”

Mai Qi was about to say something when I smiled. “Sure, thank you, auntie.”

Mrs. Mai shot a glance at me, dissatisfied at my use of the term ‘auntie’.

But I did it on purpose. She was Mai Qi’s mother, so I gave her face and accepted her invitation. Even if she was Mrs. Mai, it meant nothing to me. I didn’t need to bow at her.

Mai Qi had her head lowered but I saw a smile on her lips. She silently gave me a thumbs up.

Ye Qian sighed at me. Gu Yan was angered, “How can you be so rude?”

I turned to her innocently, “How was I rude?”

Gu Yan wanted to say something more but Mrs. Mai was already out the door. Ye Qian quickly stopped Gu Yan. I pulled Lu Yan along, “Let’s go!”

Lu Yan was shocked and she turned towards Ye Qian. Ye Qian was stunned but she said nothing. I was impressed. This Ye Qian was more than a little cunning.

I had read the info sent to me by Brother Hu’s unit.

It was Master Gu Er’s wife’s older brother who adopted Ye Qian but the adoption paper said that the adopted child shouldn’t be Ye Qian. I believed the original adopted child was Lu Yan but she was swapped out for Ye Qian. Until now, Lu Yan was still an orphan. In contrast, Ye Qian was already a rising phoenix.

Ye Qian was very good at reading people and situations. It probably had to do with her upbringing. She shared an unspeakable secret with Lu Yan. While Ye Qian hesitated, I pulled Lu Yan with me. Since we were both Mai Qi’s roommates, we should be treated equally.

Plus, I was never one to shy away from a good challenge.