Hearing this, Qiao Yinyin fell silent.
The sparkle in her once-lively eyes had dimmed, leaving them dull and lifeless.
She lifted her chin slightly, her gaze fixed on An Xin, yet a flicker of envy—barely perceptible—slipped through her eyes.
To be honest, I used to blame them, especially when I was little, but I don't anymore. They struggled their whole lives and still never figured out what they truly wanted.
A wry smile tugged at her lips, resignation and release woven into the curve.
I won't deny that my parents put zero thought into helping me pick a major, but I understand—their social circle and their worldview are set in stone. They did their best to give our family a better life. I studied hard and got into university; compared with them, I'm starting from a higher rung. Sometimes their lack of understanding hurts, but I don't blame them.
Seeing Qiao Yinyin speak so openly about her background, without the slightest evasion,
An Xin's admiration rose several notches.
Though the girl said she didn't blame her parents, An Xin could hear the helplessness threading every word.
An Xin's gaze shifted to Annie.
The child had been born into wealth, granted endless material comfort,
yet, as her mother, An Xin knew money could never fully patch the holes left by educational missteps.
The moments she'd neglected Annie, pressed her down, even steered her wrong in the midst of a hectic life—each could cast shadows across the girl's heart without warning.
Not to mention children from ordinary families.
In most Chinese households, parental love is measured out to the precise gram:
never lavish enough to let kids grow up carefree and joyful, never scarce enough to make them cold and distant.
So most children feel toward their parents an ache of pity they can't separate from a surge of irritation.
They keep reminding themselves—These are the people who love me most in the world—
and with that very thought they slowly accept the daily pressure and hurt dealt out night after night.
Parents act from urgent hopes that their son will soar, their daughter will phoenix-rise;
or they wield the accumulated weight of their own life experience and values, criticizing and demanding, day in, day out.
Sometimes they even resort to extreme methods, leaving psychological scars on their children.
Facing this onslaught, the children feel pain and grievance.
The two emotions balance on a knife-edge, letting people muddle through life, momentarily happy, momentarily torn.
Since this was their first meeting, An Xin politely asked nothing more.
Those few sentences had already given her a fresh understanding of Qiao Yinyin.
Though the girl came from privilege, she lacked the haughty superiority common among the rich second generation.
To An Xin, a young woman who saw her goal so clearly and climbed toward it with steady effort was deeply admirable.
The meal passed without a single incident that required Jiang Cheng to step in—surprisingly smooth.
When it ended, An Xin smiled and said to Qiao Yinyin, "Sorry to trouble you tonight. Annie clearly adores you all. Next time, let me treat you to dinner."
Earlier, Qiao Yinyin had sensed an unusual undercurrent between An Xin and Jiang Cheng.
Though An Xin was a mother with an adorable daughter,
Jiang Cheng was simply too outstanding.
Such a perfect man could set many a woman's heart racing.
If An Xin found herself unable to suppress feelings she shouldn't have, Qiao Yinyin could almost understand—
after all, how many could stay utterly calm before a man like that?
Yet now, faced with An Xin's sincere invitation, Qiao Yinyin second-guessed herself.
Maybe she was over-thinking... perhaps knowing how many women circled Jiang Cheng had made her hypersensitive.
She gave a slight shake of her head, dispersing the chaotic thoughts.
Smiling, she replied, "Of course, thank you, Sister An. I adore Annie too—she's impossible not to like..."
...After dropping play on words back at Ligong University, Qiao Yinyin sat down to edit the day's footage.
Jiang Cheng picked up his phone and checked the messages from the Security Team.
The Security Team was as efficient and well-trained as ever.
Moments after Jiang Cheng sent the mission details, they responded, acted, and set everything in motion.
After meticulous planning, they assigned a young, strikingly handsome member to pose as an international student.
Under the pretext of joining environmental activities, he approached Environmental Protection Girl and struck up a conversation.
As the saying goes, "a good face is justice," and it works in every country.
Moreover, the other party was a naive teenage girl.
When the foreign Handsome Guy greeted her, her heart was already racing.
Worse—he earnestly condemned the world's flaws alongside her, voicing full support for her green ideals.
The so-called Environmental Protection Girl was instantly disarmed by this sense of kinship.
She launched into an endless monologue about her grand aspirations.
After listening to the non-stop complaints,
Team member Billy furrowed his brow and sighed. "Honestly, I envy you. Skipping class to sit here and protest? In my country my parents would drag me home at once. I really envy you."
The Environmental Protection Girl replied with sympathy and a hint of pride, "I hear Chinese parents are super strict."
"Yes. Actually, I care about the environment because adults are always too scared to stand up. My parents are like that. Last year they bought a Dazong Automobile from Germany. The company faked its emissions data, so my parents had to pay a fortune themselves to replace the engine—yet they still didn't dare fight back."
The Environmental Protection Girl's eyes went wide,
her mouth slightly open in stunned disbelief.
She shouted, "How can this be? Why aren't you out there protesting, and why are you paying out of your own pockets?? Isn't this the dealership's responsibility??"
"Yes, but the dealership won't even look into it. It's not just my father—throughout Huaxia, most of their cars are fitted with cheat software. I'm sure you've heard about this before."
At those words, Environmental Protection Girl's cheeks flushed; she lowered her head in embarrassment.
Softly she said, "I didn't know. It's only in the last couple of years that I felt I had to stand up and protest—for the planet's environment."
Billy seized the moment: "At first I was just like you, focused only on my own country's green causes. Every Saturday I'd join clean-ups, picking trash along the roads—until I realized individual effort is useless. Even if we gave up food and sleep our whole lives doing eco-work, it wouldn't match the damage these capitalists inflict in a single day."
As she finished, Billy slowly lifted her delicate, rather pale face, eyes half-closed, a trace of quiet sorrow showing.
Her drifting gaze settled on a few tall trees not far away.
At that moment the autumn wind was ruthlessly stripping yellowed leaves; they danced briefly, then helplessly settled on the cold ground.
Listening, Environmental Protection Girl's eyes widened slightly, her heart stirred by a deep resonance.
Suddenly she felt her own vision had indeed been too narrow.
"You're right. My classmates call me the eco-guardian, their pride, but after hearing you I realize everything I've done is trivial—tiny, meaningless."
Seeing the once fiery, righteous Environmental Protection Girl now despondent,
Billy hurriedly launched a nonstop rainbow-flattery offensive.
"How could you say that?? I've read every report on you; I admire you immensely. At least your voice is starting to be heard. Ordinary people like us are ignored—no capitalist listens. You are our pride."
At these words, faint crimson tinted Environmental Protection Girl's cheeks; her already fair complexion looked even more delicate.
She lowered her head a fraction, uncertainty in her eyes, and whispered, "Really?"
Billy promptly stepped closer, met her gaze with fervent sincerity, and said, "Of course it's true. We pin our hopes on you. Help us amplify these desperate environmental cries no one else can. You are our guide."
The declaration felt like warm sunlight pouring straight into Environmental Protection Girl's heart.
She lifted her head sharply, meeting Billy's handsome face, pride sparkling anew in her eyes.
Straightening, chest rising, she declared confidently, "I will. Don't worry."
Taking the opening, Billy said, "Actually, two years ago the same Conglomerate scandal happened in Pretty Country; they were fined then. You can look it up. Yet for profit these capitalists are replaying the farce in Huaxia—heart-breaking."
With that, Billy swiftly pulled out a phone and flicked through the screen.
Moments later she located the 2015 Conglomerate incident and handed it to Environmental Protection Girl.
Environmental Protection Girl took the phone and began reading intently.
Minutes passed; her expression darkened, brows knitting, her once-clear eyes now blazing with anger and indignation.
At last she lifted her head and shouted,
"Outrageous—how dare they!"
Turning to Billy she asked, "You're sure they're still using cheat software in Huaxia right now?"
Billy nodded and produced a table already translated into a foreign language.
"This data comes from a certified Huaxia lab. Random checks show every one of these Conglomerate models exceeds emission limits."
After scanning the figures she asked, "So how is Huaxia handling it? Another fine?"
Billy shook her head. "It's been hushed up here. Money moves demons. Conglomerate paid so much that not a single paper dared report it..."
Environmental Protection Girl repeated her tag line: "Unforgivable—how dare they!"
Billy gazed at her expectantly. "There's too much filth in this world; we need someone like you to stand up. Will you help? Use your influence to draw attention? Every extra day those Conglomerate cars run, the climate our children inherit grows harsher."
Without hesitation she nodded.
In fact she had been looking for a fresh eco-slogan or cause to boost her profile,
and this had arrived at the perfect moment.
She knew championing it would win her more support and adoration.
Such a chance for fame and virtue—how could she refuse?
Eyes bright, she said, "Of course! Tomorrow I have a home interview with a reporter; I'll strongly condemn this and organize my classmates to protest."
Seeing her agree, Billy's eyes reddened in a show of moved gratitude,
exclaiming, "OMG!! Really? Thank you so much—you're saving humanity's future. You're amazing, my idol."
Environmental Protection Girl moved fast; soon her protest slogan became "Oppose Conglomerate, protect Earth's environment, fight capitalist emissions."
Watching her throw herself into the campaign,
Jiang Cheng checked the time: a little past 2 p.m. Pretty Country time lagged Huaxia by seven hours,
so over in Germany it was barely eight in the morning.
Jiang Cheng immediately messaged Chen Xueer to start funneling funds into the Frankfurt stock market.