Gu Qili ran until she was panting heavily. She took out her phone to check the time and finally let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she was not late.
"Qiqi?" Mickey uttered in surprise, with all other words stuck in his throat.
Gu Qili bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath, and after a little while she waved to Mickey: "I’ll explain after the test."
Indeed, she owed Mickey an explanation about today’s events, but seeing that Hu Jiaojiao was also standing nearby, she didn’t want her talking nonsense in front of Mickey, stirring up trouble and playing the victim was her specialty.
Mickey did not ask further, only saying a simple: "Let’s go."
Watching the two leave, Hu Jiaojiao gritted her teeth and followed them, with a voice in her head incessantly complaining: Why, why does she deserve this?
Even though Mu Hewen had already promised her the position, she was determined to secure the Level 8 certificate.
After the tense exam ended, everyone seemed to exhale in relief, streaming out of the examination room in twos and threes, chattering excitedly.
Gu Qili wanted to talk to Mickey, but immediately a few classmates gathered around to compare answers with her, in their eyes, Gu Qili’s answers were the gold standard.
"Qili, that last multiple-choice question, did you choose C or D?"
Gu Qili smiled and said: "It’s B, I think."
"Ah? I’m done for, I got another one wrong."
"And, and the second listening question..."
Gu Qili patiently answered everyone’s questions. Actually, the test was easier than she had expected; it shouldn’t be a problem for her to achieve the Level 8 certificate.
Almost all the classmates were clustered around Gu Qili, while no one was near Hu Jiaojiao, leaving her isolated.
She was also a top student with excellent grades in all subjects and had even won a first-class scholarship this year. Even though Gu Qili’s reputation had been tarnished before, nobody cared to engage with her.
Hu Jiaojiao looked at Gu Qili, surrounded by a crowd, and felt so annoyed that her teeth itched. She couldn’t accept this.
Finally, having answered all the questions from the classmates, Gu Qili had a moment to breathe and pulled Mickey towards the dormitory.
She had thought for a long time about how to broach the subject with Mickey, but each time the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back down.
Seeing her hesitation, Mickey generously said: "Qiqi, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it."
Gu Qili shook her head: "I do want to talk; I’m just a bit worried about your reaction." She pursed her lips and took a deep breath, "Actually, I got married, almost a year ago now."
Mickey’s face looked as if he had just swallowed an elephant, staring at her incredulously.
"I married to regain my father’s winery, he’s wealthy and he promised me that after two years of marriage he would return the winery to me." Gu Qili cautiously observed his reaction, "Mickey, do you think I’m someone who would do anything for money, even sell myself?" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
Mickey puffed up his cheeks, angrily pulling away from her hand.
Gu Qili panicked, she was most afraid of this kind of reaction, Mickey was the only friend she could confide in, she feared that he would look down on her.
"Are you angry?" she asked tentatively, touching his fingertips, with a pitiful look on her face.
Mickey said: "Of course I’m angry. I’m angry because you didn’t tell me such a big thing until now. Do you really consider me a good friend?"
Gu Qili scratched her hair: "I was afraid that you’d..."
"Enough already." Mickey interrupted her with annoyance, "In your eyes, am I such a low person? Who doesn’t know that you dream of redeeming your father’s winery, and as your friend, I can’t offer any help, what right do I have to laugh at or belittle you?"
Mickey sighed, "Who is that man anyway, the one with the plane today? Is he good to you?"