The bad value system is measuring values.

Chapter 149 Gift

The adoptive parents stood at the door, leaning slightly forward and craning their necks to look into the distance.

The foster mother's eyes were anxious, and she kept repeating in her mind, "Why hasn't our precious daughter come back yet? Could something have happened to her?"

"Go and take a look!" she urged again, her voice tinged with unease.

"Okay, okay, I'll be right there," the adoptive father replied hastily. Without another word, he quickly turned and went into the house, picked up the coat hanging on the hanger, and put it on. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching.

It turned out that Jiang Ning and Qiao Xiao had returned. Upon seeing them, the foster mother rushed forward like an arrow, grabbed Jiang Ning's hand and examined her closely, asking with concern, "Oh dear, my precious daughter, you're back so late! Are you cold? Are you hungry?"

Jiang Ning was already feeling wronged because of what had just happened, and hearing her mother's caring words, her eyes instantly welled up with tears. She sniffed and called out in a spoiled tone, "Mom~"

Seeing this, Qiao Xiao, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh speechlessly, thinking to herself, "How cold can it be in the middle of summer when it's already dark? Are they crazy? Asking such a question is really insane."

When she looked up, she found Jiang Yu staring intently at her.

The moment their eyes met, Jiang Yu's gaze softened. He seemed to guess Qiao Xiao's thoughts, silently thinking, "Is Rui Rui envious of others having parents? But it's okay, soon we will definitely have a warm and happy little family too."

The adoptive father frowned, looking at Jiang Yu with suspicion, and asked in a slightly reproachful tone, "Why are you so late? Don't you know your family will worry?" As he spoke, his gaze suddenly swept over Qiao Xiao, who was standing silently to the side, a hint of doubt and vigilance flashing in his eyes. He then asked again, "And who is this young lady?"

Just then, Jiang Ning, as if he couldn't hold back any longer, rushed forward and blurted out, "Dad, you don't know, do you? This is Jiang Yu's new girlfriend! He's dating someone now!"

Upon hearing this, the adoptive father's face instantly darkened. He tightened his expression and said sternly, "Hmph, let them date if they want. I can't be bothered with such trivial matters!" With that, he abruptly flicked his sleeve and walked straight into the house without looking back.

Seeing her adoptive father's attitude, her adoptive mother was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted. She rushed forward, grabbed Jiang Ning's hand, and pulled him into the house while muttering, "Alright, alright, don't stand here, let's go inside."

And so, the foster mother hurriedly led Jiang Ning into the house, never once glancing at Jiang Yu and Qiao Xiao who were still standing there.

Qiao Xiao watched their departing figures quietly, her eyes revealing an indescribable coldness.

After a long while, she slowly turned her head and coldly said to Jiang Yu beside her, "They clearly have love in their hearts, yet they are still not satisfied. I really don't understand these people's minds..."

Jiang Yu's gaze was fixed on her, the heartache in his eyes almost tangible. She always appeared incredibly strong, but perhaps deep down she was shrouded in loneliness, and sometimes he truly found it hard to understand her.

"You go inside first, I need to go back to my room to find the gift for her," Qiao Xiao said.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, a hint of displeasure appeared on Jiang Yu's face, "You haven't prepared a gift for me yet."

Qiao Xiao simply smiled slightly, then lied without hesitation: "There will definitely be a chance to make it up later, right?"

Her expression when she lied was natural and smooth, as if lying was an innate skill, as swift and flawless as a rocket launcher.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu's narrow, fox-like eyes instantly filled with tenderness and affection. He smiled gently and sweetly replied, "Mmm." Then, with a gentle smile, he added, "Then I'll wait for you at the door."

After receiving a response, Qiao Xiao nodded slightly.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the house, a loving family of three was happily sitting around the dining table.

The table was laden with a sumptuous spread of dishes, their aromas filling the air. And in the very center of the table sat a delicate two-tiered fruitcake, adorned with fresh, juicy fruit and smooth cream.

They seemed to have long since forgotten about Jiang Yu, and most of the time, they would only remember that such a person existed when Jiang Yu paid the rent he had earned with his scholarship money.

Jiang Yu's current situation is even more miserable than living under someone else's roof, because in addition to having to live at the mercy of others, he also has to pay the rent out of his own pocket.

He stood silently before the door, as if he had grown accustomed to his solitary position. He was like a silent shadow, half of his body hidden in darkness, the other half bathed in bright light.

Just then, Qiao Xiao walked out of the door, clutching a carefully wrapped gift in her hand.

She walked to Jiang Yu's side, looked up at him, and said softly, "After I give this gift away, we'll leave here together."

Jiang Yu nodded slightly, reached out and gently took her soft little hand, and replied, "Okay."

The two walked side by side toward the house, and Jiang Ning, who was sitting in his seat, had already noticed them.

Her face was full of displeasure, her gaze fixed on the two men. When she saw that they were indeed carrying an exquisite gift box, her dissatisfaction grew even stronger.

The adoptive mother, who had been observing closely, immediately noticed the small, exquisite gift box. A bright smile instantly bloomed on her face, and she asked enthusiastically, "Oh my, what treasure is inside this beautiful box?"

Qiao Xiaoluo responded generously, "This is a small token of our appreciation that we specially prepared for Miss Jiang." As she spoke, she handed the gift to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning took the gift box, finding it unusually light, and a hint of doubt arose in her heart. She frowned and asked suspiciously, "Could it be that there's nothing inside this box?"

Before she finished speaking, she began to open the gift box, seemingly wanting to expose their "scheme" on the spot. If the box was empty, then she could use this opportunity to embarrass them in public.

However, when the box was fully opened, what came into view was an ordinary notebook. Without thinking, Jiang Ning opened the notebook without hesitation.

In an instant, she was struck dumb, frozen in place. It turned out that the notebook contained her private photos!

Terrified, she quickly closed the notebook, her eyes filled with astonishment and anger as she glared at Qiao Xiao, demanding sharply, "Where did you get these things from?"

Qiao Xiao didn't answer her question immediately. Instead, she smiled slightly, stared intently at the other person, and softly asked, "Do you like it?"

This sudden question caught Jiang Ning off guard, but she quickly recovered, her anger instantly ignited. Without hesitation, she snatched the paper and tore it to shreds in front of everyone.

Qiao Xiao remained unusually calm. Looking at the scraps of paper scattered on the ground, she slowly said, "No matter how you tear it, even if you break it into pieces, I will carefully piece it back together, one by one."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning's face turned even uglier. Her eyes widened as if they were about to spit fire. Then, she did something unexpected—she opened her mouth, stuffed the shredded paper in her hand into it, and began to chew it vigorously.

The adoptive parents witnessed this scene and were terrified.

The foster mother screamed in terror, "Ningning!"

He immediately sprang up from his seat and rushed toward Jiang Ning, trying to stop her from swallowing the papers.

But at this moment, Jiang Ning seemed to have fallen into a frenzy. She twisted her body desperately, kept her mouth tightly shut, and refused to let her adoptive mother touch her.

Just as the scene was becoming increasingly chaotic, Qiao Xiao smiled contentedly and turned to look at Jiang Yu beside her, calmly saying, "Let's go." After saying that, the two turned and walked towards the door.

Seeing this, the adoptive father flew into a rage, roaring, "You're not allowed to leave! None of you are leaving here today!"

However, Qiao Xiao and Jiang Yu ignored his roar and walked out the door with firm steps, without looking back.

After stepping out of the room, Qiao Xiao took a deep breath and said with a sigh, "It seems I can't stay here any longer."

Jiang Yu gently patted her shoulder and comforted her, "It's okay, come with me, Rui Rui, I've already arranged a place for us."

Jiang Yu kept emphasizing that he had arranged his accommodation, so she couldn't help but look up curiously and ask in confusion, "I remember... you still have so much spare money?"

Jiang Yu gently stroked her hair and said tenderly, "No matter what, I will never let you suffer because of my huge debts. Don't worry, I have already paid off all those debts."

Qiao Xiao was taken aback upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She said softly, "That's no small debt, but in this way, you've borne all the suffering alone, while I haven't participated at all. I feel a little guilty about that."

Jiang Yu smiled slightly and replied firmly, "What is this little bit of hardship? I'm willing to endure it."

Qiao Xiao suddenly changed the subject, asking suspiciously, "Don't you want to know what kind of gift I gave Jiang Ning that would drive her crazy?"

Jiang Yu: "I believe that whatever the gift is, it will definitely be wonderful."

Qiao Xiao was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond. She stared blankly at the man who had always unconditionally supported her, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

At this moment, she felt deeply that no matter what she did, Jiang Yu would stand by her side without hesitation and give her the greatest support.

However, to Qiao Xiao's disappointment, despite Jiang Yu's attentive and considerate behavior, she didn't hear the words she wanted to hear, and her favorability towards him didn't increase...

Those photos of Jiang Ning were definitely not something Qiao Xiao had casually photoshopped.

During the few days that Jiang Yu participated in the math competition, trouble began to find him. But before these people could even get close to Jiang Yu, they were intercepted by the sharp-eyed and observant Qiao Xiao.

At that moment, facing this group of uninvited guests, Qiao Xiao engaged in a fight with them without any pressure. Relying on her excellent physical qualities and rich combat experience, Qiao Xiao quickly suppressed her opponents.

After much effort, we finally managed to subdue these guys. Upon closer inspection, we realized they were just a bunch of arrogant thugs.

After questioning, it was learned that the reason these thugs came to cause trouble for Jiang Yu was because they were trying to extort money from Jiang Yu and his adoptive parents.

The culprit behind all of this was Jiang Ning's employer. Under the temptation of certain huge profits, Jiang Ning, as if possessed, chose to sell his precious privacy.

Unfortunately, Jiang Ning, being inexperienced in the ways of the world, was ultimately too naive and childish. She thought the other party wouldn't leave any evidence, but she never expected that the other party would so quickly and meticulously turn these things into products that could be profited from.

When Qiao Xiao learned the truth of the whole thing, she felt a splitting headache. She needed to prevent these obscene photos from spreading further, as that would directly damage Jiang Yu's reputation.

Qiao Xiao spent several nights running around, trying every possible method, and finally succeeded in buying back the source of these photos. But in doing so, she almost exhausted all the savings she had accumulated over the years.

After buying back the film, Qiao Xiao destroyed part of it, but she deliberately kept a small portion as evidence that might be needed in the future, leaving herself a way out.

After doing all this, Qiao Xiao thought: Jiang Ning probably won't dare to appear in front of them again for a while.