After arriving at the West Room, Ye Ling tossed and turned but couldn’t fall asleep. Although she had lived a life of poverty in both her lifetimes, she had a quirk, which was a cleanliness obsession. She never touched blankets that others had used without clothes on; even with clothes on, she felt uncomfortable. Moreover, after Grandma left, this was her first time sleeping alone at night. Though her parents were quietly talking in the living room, the silence didn’t comfort Ye Ling’s empty heart. When she thought about everything she would face in the future, Ye Ling didn’t feel lost. No matter what, she had to attend school this time; she wouldn’t repeat the path of her previous life. As for the debt she owed Shen Bin in her past life, if she had the chance to repay him, she would seize it, but she wasn’t considering actively interacting with Xu Bin. Fate is like that; forcing it will never bring happiness. Besides, after being reborn, Ye Ling never thought about reconnecting with people from the compound. Thinking aimlessly, Ye Ling didn’t know what time she fell asleep. Regardless, she hadn’t slept well, as she was woken up by the bugle calls from the compound early the next day. In her past life, she lived there for several years, so she wasn’t irritated by the calls like someone new. Since she didn’t change clothes last night, Ye Ling got up, folded the blanket, and went outside. Bai Xue was cooking in the kitchen, while Ye He Ping came out of the bathroom, water dripping from his short hair as he toweled it dry with one hand. "Go wash your face, I’ll take you and your sister to school after breakfast." Ye He Ping saw his eldest daughter and, apparently having forgotten, hesitated before speaking with some awkwardness. Bai Xue heard the voice, glanced back, and then turned away without speaking. In her past life, Ye Ling had been treated like air by her family, so she was used to it and wasn’t hurt. She nodded and went into the bathroom, washed her face quickly without drying it, shook off the water from her hands, and came out. Ye He Ping handed her his towel, but Ye Ling shook her head. Only then did Ye He Ping remember and turned to shout to his wife in the kitchen, "Find some time to buy Ye Ling a towel and some toiletries." Bai Xue responded but said nothing more. When seeing them off after breakfast, she simply told Ye Ling, "Don’t you have money there? Buy a towel you like and your own toiletries." Ye He Ping had already stepped out and didn’t hear this. Ye Qian was busy putting on her shoes and probably didn’t hear it either, keeping silent. Ye Ling raised her voice, "Mom, where do I have money? If you buy it for me, I’ll take it, but if you won’t buy it, then I don’t want it. You agreed with Dad to buy it and then turned to tell me to buy it myself. What is this about?" "Keep your voice down," Bai Xue nervously glared over, relieved when she saw her husband didn’t turn back, "I have no money. After your grandma’s funeral, we’re basically out of money, and your dad hasn’t gotten paid yet this month. So, just wait until next month." Bai Xue waved her hand and said no more, turning to instruct her younger daughter on how to take care of herself. Ye Ling couldn’t be bothered with their pretense, grabbed her shoes, and chased after her father. "Dad, Mom says she doesn’t have money and told me to ask you for money to buy a towel." Ye Ling fibbed without blushing and asked her father for money as soon as she caught up with him. Ye He Ping frowned upon hearing this, realizing his wife was making things difficult for their daughter, but he didn’t want their relationship to become more estranged. He handed money to Ye Ling while explaining, "Your mom went to the countryside a few days ago, and I took all the money from her. I forgot about this." Ye Ling put away the two yuan, looked up, and saw Ye Qian had also caught up, saying nothing more. As for Ye Qian’s eyes on her pocket, Ye Ling simply ignored it. So what if she looked? If she dared to provoke in front of their mom, Ye Ling could find a way to get things without spending her own money. The middle school wasn’t far from the compound, about a fifteen-minute walk. On a school morning , many kids from the compound, whether in middle or high school, were heading to school. Before leaving the compound, Ye Qian met Song Mei and her group, which included Jiang Yan, Gao Tian, and Liu Rui, Liu Zhiyuan’s sister. Among the boys, Zhao Guodong led them, walking far ahead and leaving the girls behind. Song Mei and the others greeted Ye He Ping, then pulled Ye Qian aside to talk, speaking quietly but audibly asking about Ye Qian’s grandmother and her health, eventually talking about school matters. Ye Ling followed behind Ye’s father, completely unfazed by isolation. Still, from her clothing, she did stand out in the eyes of others. Ye Ling wore a green jacket, black pants, and cloth shoes, with an army-green shoulder bag slung across her body. With each step, the bag hanging down gave a dull "thud" against her side. Ye He Ping was thinking about the promotion at the company, his mother’s death, and his daughter’s illness, feeling nothing went smoothly. Yet, the rhythmic sound allowed him to forget these troubles, calming his mind. Chaozhong is the only middle school in Chaoshan City. Ye Ling and her father arrived before seven o’clock, while classes started at 7:10. This was peak time for students arriving, and Ye Ling, being a new face brought by a soldier, drew many secret glances. If she were really sixteen, she might have lowered her head in shyness or felt constrained. But having lived two lives and even been married, in her eyes, these so-called classmates were just children. At the office, after explaining his intent, Ye He Ping quickly had a teacher named An Ranguo called over. The principal told Ye Ling to follow him. He was a teacher in his forties. In the office, Ye Ling was asked some academic questions; within minutes, she was taken to her class. Standing on the platform, she recognized many from the compound, all placed together for easy management, so being assigned to this class wasn’t unreasonable. "Some of you may already know the new student, but for those who don’t, let’s introduce her." An Ranguo placed his hands on the lectern, but before he could continue, Zhao Guodong interrupted. "Ye Ling, Ye Qian’s sister." Interrupting the teacher without fear of him getting upset, Zhao Guodong, still sprawling over his desk, waved his big hand, "Teacher, there’s an empty seat here." (To be continued. 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