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"Not allowed to stay at home?"

"Teacher didn't insist," Chu Yi admitted, her brow furrowing slightly. "I thought it'd be good for me to build connections with my classmates since I'm sort of a 'transfer student' halfway through. Sigh, apart from two classmates who are somewhat friendly, the others don't really bother with me."

She kept her deeper concerns to herself.

Cliques had already formed in the class, and as the new group leader, she had tasks that required cooperation from her classmates, which they weren't very willing to provide.

There was an upcoming field trip, so she thought it would be a chance to improve relationships and make her work in the class smoother.

Chu Yi was troubled by this, and her little shoulders conveyed a sense of unease.

Chu Yuening patted her on the back. "If it's something you want to do, go ahead confidently. Just be cautious about safety."

"What a great big sister!" Chu Yi lunged forward, hugging her.

After soothing her younger sister, Chu Yuening got up to retrieve a thousand yuan from her bedroom. Chu Yi quickly waved her hand in refusal.

"I don't need money."

"No need?" Chu Yuening was puzzled. "We'll need money for the school trip."

"I earned it from selling mineral water!" Chu Yi pulled out a thousand yuan from her pocket, looking rather pleased with herself. "You don't have to worry; I've saved quite a bit already."

"Indeed."

Chu Yi fretted. "Sis, do you have time today? Why not go to the mall and buy a landline? You know how annoying the Fangs can be. If they can't find me, they'll just loiter at the school gates."

"Miss Fang Jiajia looked up to the sky with an air of arrogance, resembling a proud hen in a peacock contest."

"Why would they look for you?" Chu Yuening found it strange.

"Isn't it because the head of the Fang family is back? They said he's hosting a family banquet tonight and will publicly acknowledge us as part of the Fang clan in front of everyone."

Just as Chu Yi finished school, the Fang family's car pulled up beside her. Fang Jiajia's face appeared through the rolled-down window.

And then came a barrage of words.

Essentially, the Fangs were trying to make the Chu sisters see reason. The Fangs were hosting a family banquet tonight, inviting many high society figures, and would announce to the public the Chu sisters' identity, compelling them to change their surname and reclaim their roots.

Fang Jiajia taunted, "They'd better come if they can. After all, your sisterly duo won't get another chance to escape poverty and ascend in society."

"Phew, who cares?" Chu Yi was repulsed. "The Fang family's ancestor? Does she think the Fangs are laced with gold? Like we would cling onto them?"

"If possible, I truly wish we could sever all ties with the Fangs. It's such an embarrassment."

In the original storyline, Chu Yi didn't even ask for a penny from the Fang family when she dropped out of school; her disdain for them was genuine.

Chu Yuening pondered before retrieving the IOU and tucking it away again.

Chu Yi was surprised. "Big Sister? You're planning to go?"

"Yes, why not?" Chu Yuening smiled slightly.

"It's only fair to repay debts! We'll collect every cent owed, one by one!"

There was still a good half day until the evening family banquet.

Chu Yuening first went to a landline phone store, intent on purchasing one beforehand.

The salesperson enthusiastically presented the telephone. "Miss Chu, this CONIEN phone is a multifunctional device. It's incredibly versatile, combining functions of a phone, a recorder, and a radio."

"Manufactured in Germany, it's reasonably priced—a triple function for only three thousand yuan."

"If you're interested, feel free to give it a try."

"I'll give it a go." Chu Yuening picked up the receiver.

Following the demonstration, Chu Yuening dialed the store's hotline. The call connected, and she observed as another salesperson within the store answered.

She listened attentively to the sound quality before nodding her approval.

"The voice is indeed clear."

"Miss Chu, we assure you of quality. You can have peace of mind."

The salesperson then pressed the recording button. "You can record by pressing this button, and you can replay the recording later."

Whispering a reminder.

"A young lady like you would be perfect for this type of phone, like recording your boyfriend's promises to remind him later," the salesperson winked at the young girl.

In his opinion, this tall, slender, and fair-skinned girl was even more stunning than the models on posters. Such a beautiful woman surely had a boyfriend.

"It seems this feature isn't suitable for me just yet," Chu Yuening smiled. "How about its quality? How long can it last?"

Purchasing a phone was like buying furniture; one should prioritize quality over flashy features. Otherwise, it would require frequent repairs, causing unnecessary hassle.

"Sis, I'd suggest you change to another model. This one's quality isn't great," said a lady. "Believe me, I bought that one before, and it broke down after half a year. Not only did it fail to record properly, but the calls were always full of static due to poor signal."

The lady pointed to another phone.

"Get this one, it's reliable. It's an old brand from the mainland and has worked perfectly fine for a whole year without any issues."

"Very well." Chu Yuening smiled, noticing that this model was a full seven hundred yuan cheaper than the one they had initially shown her. She turned back to the salesperson.

"Could you please wrap it up for me and send it to this address?"

Although the salesperson had missed out on the high commission from the German phone, at least the sale was still made through him. He maintained his enthusiastic service, studying the address carefully before responding.

"No problem, is there someone at the apartment? We'll arrange for a staff member to install both the wiring and the receiver."

"There will be. Just knock on the door."

After Chu Yuening paid, the salesperson took the receipt to pack the telephone.

The lady had also chosen her portable phone, and the two of them crossed paths at the front desk.

The more the lady looked at the charming Chu Yuening, the more she liked her. She couldn't resist striking up a conversation. "Once the landline is installed, make sure to label the cords properly so they don't get tangled."

"Thank you very much." Chu Yuening could tell that the lady meant no harm.

The salesperson promptly powered on the lady's portable phone and handed it to her. "Mrs. Zhou, it's all set. You can make calls right away."