Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Xue Lingxue laughed out loud, "What nonsense are you talking about! If I really had the chance, I would definitely be a hundred times willing! It's just some gossip, what's the big deal! Sigh! I dream of freedom, but this kind of thing can only be a dream. The reality is that I can't convince my parents. They gave birth to me and raised me, and I can't really rebel against them. That would be too heartless."

Thank you all for your support over the past year. Without your constant encouragement, I wouldn't have been able to persevere until now. I've made up my mind: if this marriage is unavoidable, then I'll accept it.

"Once I'm married, I'll have accomplished my mission. If I really can't live with him anymore, so be it, I'll fight him! I'll learn Taekwondo, I'll learn kung fu, I refuse to believe I can't win!"

Xue Lingxue clenched her fists fiercely, her fighting spirit blazing.

Chen Xinyue burst into laughter, clutching her stomach and unable to straighten her back.

Without Zhang Jingxuan, even the air in Britain seemed fresher. Xue Lingxue felt much less pressure and performed better. After passing her thesis, she successfully obtained her graduation certificate.

Needless to say, Chen Xinyue has always had a clear goal. She has been a top student since she started studying abroad. Now that she has graduated and is preparing to return to China, her supervisor is reluctant to let her go and has made a special effort to persuade her to stay.

Seeing Chen Xinyue's firm resolve to return to China, they had no choice but to give up.

After discussing the return date with Chen Ruiyu and Qu Zhiyang, the two immediately went back to pack their luggage, sending some of it back to China first and keeping the important items with them.

Before leaving, Chen Xinyue specially bought some things and took a car alone to the villa area in the suburbs.

After ringing the doorbell.

A cute little girl opened the door for her. "Mary, I missed you so much! My mom said you won't come to my class anymore, why?"

Chen Xinyue affectionately patted Jane's head and presented her with her gift. "I really can't teach you anymore because I'm going back to China. Is Jane lonely?"

Jane nodded sadly. "I'm often alone; I don't have any friends."

Chen Xinyue looked at the villa diagonally opposite, "I remember John said that family has two kids. Don't you think they can play with you?"

Jane sighed. "They are David and Lily, about my age, but their mother doesn't like them going to other people's houses because they are mixed race, not purebred British."

Chen Xinyue paused for a moment, then asked softly, "Would Jane discriminate against them?"

Jane shook her head.

Chen Xinyue's smile deepened, "That way Jane can take the initiative to go and play with them. I just bought a lot of cakes, so we can share them together. If you're too scared, I can come with you. I'm also Chinese, so maybe David and Lily's mothers will be more friendly to me."

Jane's eyes lit up, and she clenched her fist excitedly. "Mary, I want to try it myself. If it doesn't work, can you help me then?"

Chen Xinyue readily agreed.

Jane carried the bag to the opposite side of the street. Chen Xinyue saw her talking to Annie through the glass window, but Jane didn't go in. Instead, she opened the bag at the door to prove that she really came to share the cake with David and Lily.

Anne was all smiles and polite at first, but her expression changed drastically when she saw the photo that had fallen out of the bag. She picked it up first and looked at Jane seriously, "Where did you get this photo?"

Jane was a little scared, but she answered honestly anyway.

When Chen Xinyue noticed Annie looking in her direction, she immediately continued drinking her tea as if nothing had happened.

Jane quickly led Annie into the house and nervously handed the photos to Chen Xinyue. "Mary, Annie said she needs to talk to you. Also, I'm sorry, I messed up the photos."

Chen Xinyue feigned surprise, then pulled Jane into her arms. "It's okay, it's my fault. I had too much stuff on the way here, so I just put it in a bag. I was so happy to see you that I forgot for a moment. Anyway, the photos are still here, I can sort them out later."

Jane breathed a sigh of relief and her bright smile returned. Chen Xinyue immediately opened a cake for her, "Eat up, I specially picked this out for you, it's all your favorite flavors."

"Thank you, Mary." Jane carried the cake to the living room.

Chen Xinyue then looked at Annie with a puzzled expression, stood up and shook hands with her, "Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"

Anne looked at Jane, who was engrossed in eating, and gave an awkward laugh. "I have some questions I'd like to ask you. May I invite you for a cup of coffee?"

Chen Xinyue hesitated for a moment, "Can we do it another day? I mainly came today to say goodbye to Jane, and I want to spend some time with her."

Anne looked a little awkward and couldn't help but ask, "Are all these photos yours?"

Chen Xinyue nodded frankly and chuckled twice. "These were all taken after I came to the UK. Some are of friends, some are of scenery, and some are just snapshots of life. Since I'm going back to China, I printed out all the photos. Is there a problem?"

Anne hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and smiled, "There are some things I'd like to ask. Is tomorrow okay? Tomorrow morning at the coffee shop, I'd like to ask about some photos."

Chen Xinyue nodded and exchanged contact information with Annie.

After Anne left, she turned and went to the living room to have snacks and chat with Jane.

She spent the entire afternoon at Jane's house until Jane's parents returned, at which point John took her home.

Anne stood by the second-floor window, watching the car drive away.

The next morning, Chen Xinyue arrived at the agreed-upon coffee shop on time.

Anne had arrived, dressed in an elegant, sophisticated style, looking exquisite and beautiful.

Chen Xinyue was dressed casually, and the two seemed to be from completely different worlds.

A hint of confusion flashed in Anne's eyes, as if she couldn't understand how someone like Chen Xinyue could be Zhang Jingxuan's friend. So she went straight to the point and asked, "Mary, hello, my name is Anne. Excuse me, I've inquired about you and heard that you are Jane's tutor and a student. I'd like to ask how you met Mr. Zhang?"

Chen Xinyue's face darkened, her displeasure evident. "You investigated me? Don't you know that's an invasion of privacy?"

"I'm sorry, I was just too concerned. Please forgive my intrusion."

Annie clearly hadn't expected Chen Xinyue to react this way, and immediately apologized sincerely.

Chen Xinyue pursed her lips, eyeing her warily. "Okay, so why did you ask me out?"

"Um... can I see those photos from yesterday again?" Annie pleaded.

Chen Xinyue hesitated for two seconds before handing over the photos to Annie. She explained each photo as Annie looked at it: “This is our school. I came to England to study here. This is the library. These are my classmates. This is a group photo of us. This is my best friend.”

Annie pulled out the photo of the apartment. It showed a man and a woman sitting on a sofa. The man looked languid, and the woman was pouting. The two were very close together.

Because the photo was taken from behind the two of them, only their profiles were visible. From this angle, it looked like a woman was flirting with a man, but in reality, it was Xue Lingxue and Zhang Jingxuan arguing.

Annie pointed at the man and woman above, her expression subtly angry. "Who are this man and this woman?" (End of Chapter)