After class, Zhao Jiahao went to look for Yao Jiayin.

 

But whether it was the library or the cafeteria, he couldn’t find her anywhere.

 

By the time night fell completely, he returned to the dormitory holding the gift in his hand, disappointment weighing heavily on his heart.

 

Zhao Jiahao had originally planned to invite Jiayin to dinner, then take out the gift and confess his feelings.

 

If everything went well, he would finally be able to hold her hand openly, walk around with her, and buy her a couple more outfits.

 

Otherwise, she would probably have to rely on that one down jacket for the entire winter.

 

Pitiful—yet adorable.

 

---

 

After Christmas, Yao Jiayin began deliberately avoiding Senior Zhao.

 

She didn’t have a mobile phone, so avoiding someone was simple—she just had to change her usual routine.

 

Even when Zhao Jiahao waited outside her teaching building, Jiayin would make excuses about stomach pain and squat in the restroom for a long time, refusing to come out.

 

Eventually, her three roommates noticed and asked her,
“Jiayin, are you avoiding Senior Zhao?”

 

“Yao Beauty, he suddenly asked us about you in the cafeteria just now.”

 

Jiayin was knitting a scarf attentively. She looked up and said,
“Senior Zhao’s childhood sweetheart—his ex-girlfriend—came to see me…”

 

She briefly described what had happened that day, her tone light and cheerful.

 

“The senior is really nice, very warmhearted. We clicked right away.

 

“She said she wanted to be friends with me… I thought about it for a long time afterward and decided it was better to stay away from Senior Zhao.”

 

The three roommates immediately understood and sighed.
“Well, then forget it.”

 

“What kind of guy keeps getting tangled up with his ex while chasing a pretty junior…”

 

“Jiayin, you did the right thing. Don’t get mixed up in that mess.”

 

After chatting for a while, Xu Jiajia suddenly leaned over the back of her chair, looking at everyone with a mysterious expression.

 

Blinking exaggeratedly, she said,
“It’s actually kind of a pity… For Jiayin’s happiness, I specially asked around about Senior Zhao’s family.”

 

“I heard both his parents are managers at some big company… but honestly, that’s still a long way from being truly rich.”

 

“He does really well in rich social circles because of his two cousins—the Zhong family!”

 

Once gossip started, how could anyone not be curious? All three girls turned to look at Xu Jiajia.

 

Sun Hui, another local Beijinger, suddenly exclaimed,
“Zhong? Oh—I know!”

 

Under her roommates’ eager stares, she hurriedly added,
“Even though the feudal system is long gone, if it’s the Zhong family, you really have to say—true aristocracy!”

 

Jiayin blinked her thick, upturned eyelashes at Sun Hui.

 

“True aristocracy” meant wealth and power.

 

Xu Jiajia continued,
“Yes, that Zhong family!”

 

“I heard their ancestors once changed their surname to Zhong to hide their identity. Some branches moved to Taiwan, others overseas.”

 

“Later, the direct lineage returned to China and settled in the capital. They even donated a lot during the early days of the nation…”

 

No one knew how much of this gossip was true. Ordinary people passed it around mostly for entertainment.

 

At this point, Sun Hui looked at Jiayin and pointed at her wardrobe.
“Yao Beauty, that expensive down jacket of yours—that brand can only be bought at Jinggang Tower.”

 

“That was the first commercial building in the capital, and it was invested in by the Zhong family.”

 

“Oh, and the Zhong family’s businesses also involve restoration of ancient architecture, antique collecting, and overseas art auctions…”

 

Jiayin listened with fascination, her understanding of wealth expanding yet another layer.

 

So people who lived in villas didn’t really count as rich.

 

The truly powerful and wealthy lived in the kind of grand residences described in books.

 

The world of the rich was something ordinary people couldn’t even glimpse.

 

The two local roommates continued trading bits of insider gossip.

 

About how Senior Zhao’s grandmother was related to the Zhong family.

 

About how outstanding the Zhong family heirs were—dual degrees, elite education, and more.

 

To a countryside girl like Jiayin, this kind of gossip felt like figures from magazines suddenly stepping into her world—exciting and astonishing.

 

“Oh no, I messed up!”

 

Jiayin had been listening too intently. Her bamboo knitting needle slipped forward, pulling extra yarn with it.

 

She hurriedly separated the strands to fix it.

 

Since she wasn’t giving the scarf to Senior Zhao anymore, Jiayin had bought bright red and snow-white yarn, planning to give it to Senior Qi Xuan instead.

 

Unlike the simplest, fastest knitting style usually made for men, this scarf had been carefully designed with patterns.

 

The cost of the yarn ended up being more than double her original estimate.

 

At the root of it all was that blue hundred-yuan bill.

 

Jiayin genuinely wanted to build a good relationship with the senior.

 

Although there was a bit of her own calculation mixed in, her gratitude was sincere.

 

One hundred yuan could let her live frugally for half a month.

 

---

 

Perhaps because she had heard too much gossip about rich people in the capital that night,

 

Jiayin had a beautiful dream.

 

In her dream, she lived in the grand multi-courtyard mansion her roommates described, eating bird’s nest and abalone like in TV dramas.

 

A maid pressed her clothes neatly and handed them to her. When she went out, a driver waited early with the car’s heater on…

 

It was wonderful.

 

When her biological clock woke her, Jiayin stared for a long time at the faded sweater hanging on the plastic hook by her bed.

 

Disappointment flickered through her heart, then faded into complete clarity.

 

There was nothing to be sad about.

 

That kind of luxurious life was decided before birth.

 

If you weren’t born with it, the chances of having it later were slim.

 

Her starting point was already worse than most people’s.

 

In the future, step by step, she would earn a respectable job and a warm little home.

 

Jiayin soon smiled again and pulled on the sweater whose neckline had long since lost its shape.

 

---

 

Five days later

 

Jiayin put on her only down jacket and wrapped a simple scarf around her neck, knitted casually from leftover yarn.

 

“Senior! Over here—Senior!”

 

Yesterday, Jiayin had borrowed Sun Hui’s phone to message Qi Xuan, asking her to meet at the pavilion by South Lake after class.

 

Qi Xuan arrived wearing a snow-white down jacket and the season’s popular tight pencil pants.

 

Her long legs carried her quickly over to Jiayin.

 

“What kind of gift is so mysterious? And handmade, too?”

 

Her gaze fell on the knotted black bag.

 

Over this period, her relationship with Jiayin had grown closer and closer—almost like long-time friends.

 

Qi Xuan often found herself thinking,

 

Girls from Jiangnan really are beautiful.

 

Jiayin wasn’t the striking, aggressive type of beauty.

 

She was more like the quiet elegance of white walls and black tiles in a water town, shrouded in morning mist.

 

When Jiayin lifted her eyes, her right eyelid looked clean and plain.

 

But when she lowered her gaze to look for something, her long lashes fell like butterfly wings, revealing a small mole hidden in the crease of her double eyelid.

 

A light brown dot—like the perfect finishing touch on an ink painting.

 

Before Qi Xuan realized it, a red scarf had been placed in her hands.

 

Traditional red was dotted with tiny white stars, and the ends were edged with white vine patterns.

 

With the New Year approaching, the scarf looked festive without being overwhelming.

 

Most importantly, it was unique—beautifully designed in both color and pattern.

 

“It’s so beautiful!”

 

Qi Xuan eagerly wrapped the long scarf around her neck twice, completely unwilling to take it off.

 

Jiayin pressed her lips together in a smile, her eyes curving into crescents.

 

So sweet that Qi Xuan hugged her tightly.
“You’re way too skillful… Thank you!”

 

She strutted around in front of the junior like a catwalk model, flicking her long hair proudly, her heart full of emotion and happiness.

 

This wasn’t the first gift Qi Xuan had ever received.

 

But it was the first time she had received something so thoughtful, handmade, and perfectly suited to her taste.

 

---

 

Under the bright noon sun, Jiayin chatted with her senior.

 

She talked about her recent experiences working part-time at a restaurant, then about the things she needed to memorize for her major.

 

Finally, she mentioned that she planned to ask around this weekend to see which restaurants were hiring winter break workers so she could apply.

 

As she spoke, Qi Xuan suddenly slapped her thigh and stood up.

 

“Jiayin, if you’re not going home for the New Year, how about I introduce you to a place?”

 

“It’s high-end, great pay, and the boss behind it is Zhao Jiahao’s older cousin.”

 

Jiayin looked at her in surprise.

 

Zhao Jiahao’s cousin?

 

Wouldn’t that be… the Zhong family?

 

Qi Xuan knew Jiayin had been avoiding Zhao Jiahao lately, otherwise she would’ve just asked him to make the introduction himself.

 

“I’m not close to his older cousin, but I’ve seen him several times growing up with Zhao Jiahao.”

 

“Next time I’ll try my luck. His older cousin sometimes invites friends to that restaurant…”

 

Zhao Jiahao’s older cousin, Zhong Xianzhi, was a mature and steady businessman whom Qi Xuan greatly admired.

 

He was a true gentleman—occasionally humorous with younger people, his upbringing etched into his bones.

 

As for the younger cousin?

 

Qi Xuan curled her lips.

 

That spoiled younger cousin, Zhong He, was only two years older than her.

 

Because of the small age gap, they often skipped classes together when they were younger.

 

Zhong He was wild—and extremely good at having fun.

 

Literally fun: racing, motorcycles, skiing, golf, diving, rock climbing…

 

Now that he was older, he’d restrained himself somewhat—but behind that ever-present smile, who knew which unlucky soul he might be plotting against next?