Chapter 67: Nephew and Uncle Concealing from Each Other, the First Perfect Test
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Night fell.
Little Brother Jiang, having eaten his fill, laid on the upper bunk with a small cotton blanket covering his round belly.
“Sister, are you asleep?”
“…”
“I know you’re not asleep. I heard you move just now.”
“…oh”
“Sister…” Little Brother Jiang’s right index finger scratched at the blanket, his gaze fixed on the ceiling in the darkness, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“If you have something to say, don’t beat around the bush.”
“…” Little Brother Jiang looked embarrassed.
“Mmm.”
“Sister, I feel so happy.” The soft and timid voice of the little boy carried a sense of contentment and happiness.
In the darkness, Jiang Fuyue visibly paused.
Happiness?
“…Being full is enough for happiness?” She thought the expectation was a bit low.
Little Brother Jiang: “Besides that, there’s something else!”
Jiang Fuyue: “What is it?”
“There’s you, there are Mom and Dad. We’re all together as a family.” After saying that, he asked again, “Sister, do you feel happy?”
In the darkness, there was no response.
Little Brother Jiang fell silent as well.
After a while, a faint voice came from the lower bunk, “Mmm.”
But Jiang Chenxing had already fallen fast asleep.
Under the same night sky, Yutianhua residence in the Linan District was bathed in moonlight, immersed in silence.
In the standalone villa located in the northeast corner, the bedroom on the second floor was still illuminated.
After examining the bruises on his back in the mirror, Xie Dingyuan put on his pajamas and calmly fastened the buttons, one by one, until the last one.
As his hand moved higher, it suddenly pulled on a certain muscle, and a dull pain radiated from the inside of his forearm. He paused for a moment, then continued to smooth out the wrinkles at the collar, until the fabric stretched and his hands came to rest by his sides.
Throughout the process, the man’s expression remained unchanged.
And that painful spot was where Jiang Fuyue had grabbed and held onto him earlier.
A high school girl, petite, weighing less than a hundred pounds, but she had quite the strength!
The next day, Zhong Ziang descended the stairs with a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, concealing his chin as a matter of course.
Xie Dingyuan maintained a neutral expression, observing, saying nothing.
A look of confusion and suspicion flitted across Liu Ma’s eyes as she switched her gaze between the nephew and uncle. Finally, she leaned out of the window and looked up at the sky.
The sun was scorching, undoubtedly the height of summer.
So…
Why was one of them wearing long sleeves while the other wore a scarf?
Liu Ma: I suspect I haven’t woken up yet and I’m still in a dream.
…
On July 27th, half a month had passed since the preliminary exams for the academic competition.
The rankings and scores were announced.
Thirteen students from No. 1 High School participated in the exams, with a total score of 200. Everyone passed the minimum threshold of 120.
Among them, an astonishing nine students scored between 150 and 200!
Hou Siyuan, who had been vomiting during the training, scored 162. Upon hearing this score, he was dumbfounded.
Once he regained his composure, he grabbed Meng Zhijian and asked repeatedly, “Teacher Meng, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? Are you sure you didn’t forget to wear your glasses? Or maybe… you mixed up my name with someone else? How could I score 162? How could I possibly score 162?! I’m not deserving of it!”
A twitch appeared at the corner of Meng Zhijian’s mouth as he slapped the score report in front of Hou Siyuan. “Take it and get lost!”
Hou Siyuan picked up the report, looked at it dazedly for a moment, and then… rolled away with a beaming smile.
Liu Bowen made a mistake on the last major question and scored only 185, but that was within his expectations.
Therefore, he calmly accepted the result.
Meng Zhijian said, “Keep up the effort, the future looks promising.”
Liu Bowen nodded with a smile. “Thank you, teacher. I’ll keep working hard.”
As for Ling Xuan, there was even less to say. His high score of 196 was rarely seen in previous years.
Meng Zhijian said, “…Congratulations, you’re ranked third in the city. If you can maintain this level in the semifinals and finals, your spot in the summer camp is secure.”
Ling Xuan replied with a light “Mmm,” but there was no joy in his eyes as he looked at the score report in his hands.
“What’s wrong? Do you still have doubts?” Meng Zhijian noticed that Ling Xuan seemed off and asked.
“I can’t figure out where those 4 points were deducted.”
“According to the rules, competition papers cannot be reviewed… But I suggest you go and ask Jiang Fuyue.”
“Ask her?” Ling Xuan raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, ask her. This year, there were two perfect scores in the city, and she was one of them, tied with Feng Kaixuan from Second Highschool.”
Although they were tied, the news had spread among several schools. Jiang Fuyue finished the exam in forty minutes and left, while Feng Kaixuan worked until the bell rang to submit his paper. The difference in their approach was evident.
After listening, Ling Xuan’s expression seemed even more complicated than before.
“…Thank you, Teacher Meng. I know what to do now.”
“That’s good.”
“Jiang Fuyue… Is she…” Ling Xuan paused, his gaze flickering slightly. “Has she arrived?”
Meng Zhijian shook his head. “She said she’s busy and will come to collect the score report on Monday.”
Heh…
Ling Xuan lowered his eyes, his lips curling into a silent smirk, his eyes filled with mockery.
They were eager to know their scores. Even though it was a Saturday and they had the day off, they rushed back to school with excitement. But she…
She remained calm and indifferent, as if she didn’t care at all. Even if it was a perfect score, it probably meant nothing to her.
At the moment Ling Xuan heard Jiang Fuyue’s score, he didn’t feel like he had lost. But now he realized that he might not even have the qualification to “lose.”
Because Jiang Fuyue had never compared herself to him, it had always been him unilaterally competing against her.
You treat someone as a rival, as an enemy, but they don’t even know who you are. This feeling…
It’s more frustrating than losing!
Just as Ling Xuan stepped out of the office, Sun Cheng’s arm blocked his way. Sun Cheng had come specifically to accompany Ling Xuan to collect their score reports, and in the afternoon, they had planned to go up the mountain to ride a Martin car.
“196, bro, it’s been over a year since you participated in the academic competition, and I didn’t expect you to still have such a strong presence. Impressive!” Sun Cheng had learned about the scores from others before Ling Xuan came out.
Ling Xuan’s reaction was calm.
Sun Cheng couldn’t help but give him a closer look. “What’s going on? Nearly a perfect score, yet you’re still gloomy?”
Ling Xuan’s eyes darkened. “Just close to it, not a perfect score. What’s there to be happy about?”
“Tsk, have you been at odds with perfection lately? I’ve never seen you hold yourself to such high standards before…”
Sun Cheng suddenly paused, realizing something. “Could it be because of Jiang—”
“Shut up!”
“Tsk tsk, there’s more than meets the eye.”
Ling Xuan: “…”
“By the way, what was Jiang Fuyue’s score this time? It can’t be another perfect… uh! Score, right?”
Ling Xuan gritted his teeth and laughed. “What do you think?”
“D*mn!” Sun Cheng exclaimed, “It really is a perfect score?”
Ling Xuan walked ahead with large strides, leaving him with a cold back.
Sun Cheng thought to himself, What’s up with him? He doesn’t want to hear it himself and won’t let others speak…
But he still had to shout, “Goddess is amazing!”
Ling Xuan coldly turned his head. “Are you coming or not? Are we not going for the Martin car in the afternoon?”
Sun Cheng snorted lightly. Pretending. Keep pretending! Just admit it, you’re jealous, man.
Another person who was equally shocked was Yu Wenzhou, who hurriedly rushed from home to the office. “How many points? I couldn’t hear clearly on the phone, could you say it again?”
Meng Zhijian said, “200, a perfect score.” After speaking, he handed over the score report as well.
Yu Wenzhou looked at it once, blinked his eyes, and then looked at it again.
Several times over, finally, he dramatically covered his chest and struggled to say, “This child… How is she so outstanding and living up to expectations?!”
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
