Crossing over, and then being blocked by a rich JK.

Chapter 498 Interested

When the hour hand of the wall clock points to 11 and the minute hand points to 12, it is exactly 11:00 AM.

Tick, tick.

"I feel like you've changed a bit?"

Listening to the ticking of the minute hand on the old-fashioned wall clock in the coffee shop, Sumire Eda, dressed casually and sitting in a booth, raised her eyebrows and looked at Akane Eda sitting opposite her.

Those eyes, which were always sharp and cold when working, were now full of doubt.

Generally speaking, regardless of gender, a person's change is often due to another person.

It could be an unintentional hurtful remark, a rejected confession, or even a heartfelt desire for transformation. Whatever the reason, it is bound to be painful.

In layman's terms, it means that one's self-esteem has been hurt, or one has experienced a sense of powerlessness in the face of problems, which is the Chinese idiom "when one is in dire straits, one thinks of change."

As the saying goes, no one knows a daughter better than her mother. As a mother, she knows her daughter's criteria for choosing a partner all too well. To put it nicely, that's called high standards; to put it bluntly, that's called unrealistic.

This is precisely why she tacitly approved of her daughter's rebellious behavior and her plan to become a "hot girl," because her daughter, like her, is a sucker for good looks.

Furthermore, they share a highly unified aesthetic; they dislike effeminate men and prefer handsome men with strong masculinity.

This makes it even more intriguing.

"What has changed?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tianqian met her mother's gaze with a puzzled expression.

Although she didn't know exactly what her mother meant by "change," her intuition told her that the "change" her mother was talking about was not the same as what her mother was about to say.

"I can't really explain it, that's just what my intuition tells me." Sumire Eda shrugged, changing the subject in a cheeky manner, "So, are high school festivals fun?"

To be honest, she almost didn't recognize Qian just now.

The smiling, cheerful, and outgoing Qian who was embracing customers was completely different from the Qian she remembered who always had a stern face and kept a safe distance from people.

To put it dramatically, it's like he's a completely different person.

"Fun!"

Without a second thought, Eda Akane gave her answer.

"for example?"

Eda Sumire lowered her gaze slightly, picked up the coffee cup and spoon in front of her, and gently stirred her coffee.

To be honest, the coffee at this cafe was much better than she had imagined.

“Everyone is more united and will work hard towards a common goal.” Jiang Tianqian paused, “Even if it takes a lot of effort to achieve this goal, everyone will be happy to do it.”

This was something she had never seen before in junior high school.

The attitude of everyone in the class towards the school festival, or rather, this kind of group activity, has never changed; they've always just taken it easy.

Of course, I do get serious occasionally, but that's all.

In short, it was a classic case of completing a task simply for the sake of completing a task.

"That is indeed different from your junior high school."

Eda Sumire gestured with her lips, then picked up her coffee and took a sip.

The bitterness of the iced Americano bursts on her tongue, and her spirits are lifted.

"It's not just different, it's completely different!"

Akane Eda corrected her mother's statement.

If it were just different, she wouldn't have so many feelings about it.

"Other than that?"

Jiang Tianjin nodded slightly, affirming her daughter's statement, and then continued speaking.

"That's the scale of the school festival. High school school festivals are much more impressive than junior high school festivals, and the venues are much larger."

Speaking of this, Jiang Tianqian has an indescribable feeling.

After seeing the haunted house that Watanabe and his friends put on, and then looking back at the activities her class organized, it was like comparing heaven and earth. To put it half-jokingly and half-seriously, compared to that, her class's school festival activities were like playing house.

Is the focus on people or scale?

Jiang Tianjin raised an eyebrow and glanced at her daughter, then subtly asked the key question.

This was the first time she had heard such an evaluation from her daughter.
—You should know that Qian's evaluation of the school used to be always below average.

"Both are important, but if I had to say which is more important, I would say it's the people, because a great group of people creates a great atmosphere."

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Tianqian gave her answer.

The atmosphere at the private high school in the south of the city was much better than she had expected.

She truly realized that a class can be free of bullying, and that everyone can get along well, just like a real big family.

Even if you're not particularly 'sociable', no one will deliberately try to annoy you.

"So what do you mean?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Tianjin raised her eyebrows and looked thoughtfully at her daughter.

Based on her understanding of Qian, the latter's words were basically a statement of opinion.

But just to be on the safe side, she felt it would be better to double-check.

"I want to go to higher education, so I want to study here."

Jiang Tianqian expressed her thoughts without hesitation.

This is what she really wanted to say to her mother today.

In a sense, it can also be seen as a declaration of determination.

"..." Jiang Tianqian paused for a moment, then looked away. "As far as I know, it's difficult to get into this school."

She was too embarrassed to tell her that the school required very high scores, for fear of discouraging her daughter's ambition.

but.

As long as Qian has the ambition, that's enough. I'll take care of the rest.

“People always choose the easy things, and then regret it.” Jiang Tianqian shook her head. “I don’t want to regret it anymore.”

"Really?"

"real."

"Have you thought about how to pass the exam?" Jiang Tianjin stared straight at her daughter, her gaze fixed on the latter's face, as if trying to see through her thoughts.

"I've thought about it, I'll just study hard."

Jiang Tianqian shrugged and gave a truthful answer.

That's what she thought all along.

As soon as she said those words, the booth fell into a brief silence.

"..."

Jiang Tianjin looked at her daughter, opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words back.

No, how dare a young girl who's been selling things for so long speak like that?

Yes, having confidence is a good thing, but the problem is that you have to be realistic when you're confident.

Is it a bit absurd to aim for something unrealistic?
Therefore, as a mother, she needed to do something.

"How about Mom enrolls you in a tutoring class? One-on-one, with the best teacher."

So she said that.

"No need, I have Ayana-nee and Watanabe-nii, that's enough."

Jiang Tianqian shook her head.

It wasn't that she didn't trust her mother's abilities, but for now, she found the teaching methods of Ayana Amamiya and Yu Watanabe more effective. Since she could understand and absorb their teaching, she felt there was no need to change her 'teacher'.

"Watanabe Yu?"

A complex emotion flickered in Eda Sumire's eyes.

She was so tired of hearing that name that it was practically calloused. After all, it was mentioned in front of her all the time, and she was really fed up with it.

"Yes."

"So your change of heart is because of him?"

Eda Sumire narrowed her eyes; she seemed to have grasped the key point.

"Half and half."

Jiang Tianqian took a sip of her lemon sparkling water.

"What does that mean?"

She was mentally prepared that if her daughter answered yes, she would definitely take appropriate measures.

"He didn't bring me to the school festival here, and he didn't let me interact with everyone. My mind won't change easily."

Jiang Tianqian didn't understand her mother's thoughts and continued to explain on her own.

"Now that you mention it, I'm starting to really want to meet him."

Eda Sumire's tone remained calm, but her eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

"Then?"

"Then treat him to a meal, and make a promise, after all, he helped me a lot and made you change your mind."

After adjusting her mood, Eda Sumire spoke in a calmer tone.

However, what she said was indeed the truth; that was what she really thought.

But when the time comes, she might have to subtly probe a bit more.

"It's definitely time to treat them to a meal."

"Let me ask you this: you haven't fallen for him, have you?"

Ignoring her daughter's agreement, Eda Sumire tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear and then asked the question casually.

The surprise attack tactic was surprisingly effective.

"Mom, what are you thinking?" Jiang Tianqian frowned and explained in an annoyed tone, "He has a girlfriend, and she's really outstanding."

"It's Ayana-nee whom I just mentioned. She's the top student at China Private Academy."

That's why no one else was present. If Ayana or Yuki were there, wouldn't Mom's words be misunderstood?

"What's her last name?"

Eda Sumire shrugged apologetically and continued the conversation.

"Amemiya."

"Amamiya... Oh."

She narrowed her eyes, a hint of surprise flashing across them.

However, she quickly regained her composure.

"Let's invite Amamiya along too."

If it's the young lady from the Amamiya family, things get interesting.

As far as she knew, that young lady had 'eloped' for love, which could also be described as breaking ties with her family.

The person chosen by this young lady of the Amamiya family is quite interesting. She dared to challenge the Amamiya family as an ordinary person, and after so long, she actually succeeded in challenging them.

"We'll have to ask Ayana-nee if she's free."

Jiang Tianqian did not agree immediately, but left room for maneuver.

If she's been a "messenger" for so long, and still doesn't know what she can say or what promises she can make, then she's really being foolish.

"uh-huh."

Eda Sumire responded casually.

It didn't matter whether Ayana Amamiya came or not; she was just mentioning it casually.

However, based on her understanding of the former's reputation, she believes that he will come, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

After all, people in this circle follow a certain principle.

—Having more friends means having more options.

Ayana Amamiya had no reason to refuse herself, especially in this situation.

(End of this chapter)