Soon, Qin Jiao heard the news. The restaurant they had their eye on before—the one they had bought the tables and chairs from—had been taken over and turned into a hair salon.
It was just the name...
But Qin Jiao didn’t think much of it. During her lunch break, she left through the West Gate on her way to the noodle shop and passed by that Lianfeng Hair Salon.
The salon’s decor was different from any ordinary barbershop. It didn’t have a simple, spinning barber pole. Instead, it boasted massive floor-to-ceiling windows, and sentimental, romantic music drifted out from inside.
Through the glass, she could see the busy stylists inside, all wearing matching uniforms, which immediately reminded Qin Jiao of the "Tony" stylists from some twenty years in the future.
This modern style...
Sure enough, Qin Jiao saw Lin Nian, who was wearing a white blouse, a skirt that ended above her knees, and a brown apron.
After less than a year in prison and the loss of a child, Lin Nian was much thinner now. As a transmigrator, her face had already lacked any childishness, and now that she had lost so much weight, she had instead taken on a kind of pitifully endearing gentleness.
She had been smiling and saying something to a male student, but then her gaze shifted and met Qin Jiao’s through the glass window.
A flash of jealous hatred crossed Lin Nian’s eyes.
’Look at Qin Jiao, holding her books, a student at a prestigious university, while I missed the college entrance exams and now have to put on a fake smile to run a business.’
’I refuse to accept this!’
’I heard Qin Jiao even got together with Shen Yi, and she’s living in his family’s courtyard residence!’
’Why do you get to have all the good things, Qin Jiao?! Is it just because you’re the female lead?!’
The hatred in Lin Nian’s eyes was intense, but Qin Jiao merely gave her a detached glance before turning to leave.
’You hate me so much, but I don’t give you a second thought.’
This was probably more infuriating and maddening than any direct insult could ever be!
Lin Nian ground her teeth in anger. Nearby, Li Man, who was getting her hair permed, glumly said to her friend, "Was Qin Jiao just looking at me?"
The friend replied, "Probably. Maybe she’s worried you’ll be prettier than her after you get your hair done."
Li Man fell silent.
Even she didn’t believe that. Setting aside everything else, Qin Jiao was truly beautiful, with delicate features and a surprisingly powerful aura.
Lin Nian, however, overheard their conversation. She turned her head and said with a smile, "Oh, you know that Qin Jiao?"
Li Man frowned. "You know her too? She’s a freshman in our law school."
"Oh, she was my high school classmate."
The friend next to her immediately blurted out, "Oh, so you didn’t take the college exams and came here to open a hair salon instead?"
What kind of person was Lin Nian? After hearing that, she simply smiled and said, "I just got sick and missed the college entrance exams, that’s all."
Li Man’s eyes darted around for a moment, and she immediately pressed, "Qin Jiao is dating someone now named Shen Yi. They say he was her high school classmate too. Do you know about that?"
"Of course I know. Like I said, we were classmates. What’s more, I even know what kind of tricks she used to get him."
Hearing this, Li Man and her friend were, as expected, intrigued.
Then, Lin Nian proceeded to tell them an exaggerated and embellished story about the time Qin Jiao and Shen Yi went to a competition and ended up in bed together at a guesthouse.
Of course, she certainly wasn’t going to tell the truth—that she had been the one behind it. Instead, she pushed all the blame onto Qin Jiao.
She said, "Shen Yi’s family is well-off. His dad is Shen Zhengfeng; you can look him up. That clothing factory belongs to Shen Yi’s family. But with Shen Yi being so well-off and handsome, it’s understandable that Qin Jiao would scheme so deliberately to seduce him, right?"