"Cough, cough—" Yi Dafa patted his chest while coughing violently.
"What's wrong?" Li Sitong asked tentatively, her eyes slightly widened.
Yi Dafa's eyes bulged as he stared at her intently: "Your daughter is Gu Xue Jiao! The one who scored 739!!!"
"Yes..."
Yi Dafa grabbed her wrist, his face pleading: "Please, you must teach me how to be a parent! How did you raise such a child? What do you usually feed her? Do you supervise her studies when she comes home? How do you usually talk with her? How often? Do you hire tutors or enroll her in cram schools? Which teachers? What role does her father play in her life? You—"
Boom—
Li Sitong's head felt like it was exploding from Yi Dafa's relentless questioning.
She shifted slightly, pulling her hand from Yi Dafa's grip, rubbing her wrist before forcing a smile: "I... don’t really manage her studies much. Her meals are simple... just ordinary dishes. We don’t have heart-to-heart talks... and no tutors..."
"Madam!" Yi Dafa's expression turned serious. "Don’t worry, my son is light-years behind your child—he’ll never surpass her. There’s no need to hold back! We’re both parents who care about our children. Please, just give me some guidance!"
"I..."
"Alright, parents!" Yin Fang entered, cutting off Li Sitong's awkward response.
Li Sitong quickly turned her attention to Yin Fang, pretending to listen intently to the teacher. Yi Dafa fell silent, glancing at the report card on the desk before shooting Li Sitong another look filled with unspoken words, then finally turned to Yin Fang.
－
Each subject teacher took turns speaking, briefly discussing the class situation and praising certain students.
Almost every teacher lavished praise on Gu Xue Jiao—hardworking, diligent—every positive adjective was used to describe her.
The parent-teacher meeting dragged on until past eleven before the first half concluded.
"Alright, thank you for your time, parents. Those who wish to speak with subject teachers or me can do so now. Those without further business may leave for lunch, but don’t forget to gather in the auditorium at 2 PM for the principal’s speech..."
Students swarmed from the back of the classroom to their parents, filling the room with noise.
Yi Dafa finally turned his attention back to Li Sitong, pulling out a business card: "I’m Yi Dafa, currently in real estate. The Jade Pavilion project is our latest development. If you ever want to check it out, just mention my name!"
"No need, no need!" Even without much business knowledge, Li Sitong recognized Jade Pavilion—this man must be the owner of Dafa Real Estate! If not for the Lin family, which rose to prominence in City C, Dafa Real Estate would be the wealthiest enterprise in the city...
"Don’t be polite! It’s no trouble at all! Take it! Just teach me how to guide my child’s studies. To be honest, my son has always been disobedient. He only started studying seriously these past few days, and I don’t even know why. I really want to know how to handle this—how to keep him motivated?" Yi Dafa kept pressing the card into her hand.
From a distance, Liu Yazhen’s expression darkened.Cheng Kai had just broken away from the Cheng family's company and started his own building materials business. He was now deliberately networking with real estate companies. If he could establish a connection with Dafa, the leading real estate giant, his company could instantly make a name for itself.
But Cheng Kai had been trying unsuccessfully to meet Yi Dafa, and now the man was desperately handing his business card to Li Sitong!
That fox spirit!
Li Sitong had no idea what Liu Yazhen thought of her, but she was indeed feeling very awkward. The more Yi Dafa spoke, the more uncomfortable she became.
When had she ever paid attention to Xue Jiao's studies?
In the past, Xue Jiao had been immature, and the two of them were constantly arguing. Now that Xue Jiao had matured, their relationship had grown distant and cold. Li Sitong still hadn’t turned her attention to Xue Jiao's academics!
"Take it, take it! Remember to show this card when you buy a house!" Yi Dafa gave her a knowing look.
Li Sitong forced a smile. "I really haven’t paid much attention to my child’s studies…"
"Don’t be so modest!"
The business card Yi Dafa had just handed to Li Sitong was suddenly snatched away by a hand. Both of them looked up to see Yi Tianyu.
He toyed with the card, smirking faintly.
"Dad, you’re asking the wrong person. This Auntie really doesn’t care about Gu Xue Jiao’s grades—or Gu Xue Jiao herself. Last time, when Gu Xue Jiao was bullied by her cousin, this Auntie didn’t even bother to find out the truth before slapping Gu Xue Jiao in public."
As Yi Tianyu’s words landed, Li Sitong’s face burned with shame, and she wished she could vanish into the ground.
"What? There was such a thing?" Yi Dafa stared at Li Sitong in shock.
Humiliated beyond words, Li Sisong stood up, ready to leave.
"Listen, sister, I have to say—every child is a treasure. My son ranked second-to-last in his class, and I was still overjoyed. Your daughter is the top student in her grade! If she were my daughter, I’d cherish her like my own heart!"
As he spoke, his gaze happened to land on Xue Jiao, who was slowly approaching.
Yi Dafa froze for a moment before suddenly raising his voice. "Little classmate! It’s you!"
He turned and smacked Yi Tianyu’s arm. "You didn’t tell me this little classmate was in your class too!"
Gu Xue Jiao had a good impression of this man, so she smiled slightly. "Hello, Uncle."
Then she looked at Li Sitong and called softly, "Mom."
The word was polite but distant.
Yi Dafa was stunned. "This little classmate is Gu Xue Jiao?!"
Yi Tianyu nodded. "Yes, this is Gu Xue Jiao, this Auntie’s daughter."
Earlier, Yi Dafa had looked at Li Sitong with shock and confusion. Now, his gaze was filled with disbelief and anger, as if she were an idiot.
"How could you bear to hit such a sweet, well-behaved, and brilliant girl…"
Li Sitong’s face flushed crimson with shame. Desperate to escape the embarrassment, she quickly grabbed Xue Jiao’s hand.
"Jiao Jiao, let’s go out for lunch first!"
She pulled Xue Jiao a few steps before suddenly stopping and turning back to look at her. "Um… Jiao Jiao, you’re amazing. Mom is so happy for you. From now on, Mom will definitely believe in you!"
Xue Jiao looked at her without a word.
The already fragile bond between them had been shattered. How could new feelings possibly grow from that?
"Jiao Jiao, let’s go see your teacher!" Originally planning to leave in shame, Li Sitong changed her mind. She felt she should at least try to do something.
Holding Xue Jiao’s hand tightly, Li Sitong approached Yin Fang.Yin Fang was already surrounded by parents, engaged in conversation. Li Sitong, holding Xue Jiao's hand, hesitated to push through the crowd and stood awkwardly to the side.
Spotting them from within the group, Yin Fang said something to the nearby parents before approaching them, with the other parents following closely.
"Mrs. Gu Xue Jiao, is there something you need?"
Yin Fang was quite amiable toward her. Li Sitong forced a smile. "Well, Teacher Yin, Xue Jiao's results this time are all thanks to you. Please continue to guide her in the future."
Yin Fang also felt a bit awkward, as she had never believed Xue Jiao could achieve such outstanding grades.
"Of course, of course. But Xue Jiao's achievements are the result of her own hard work. She’s a very diligent student. Since she’s a day student, please pay extra attention to her daily routine and keep an eye on her during weekends."
"Of course, of course. Thank you, Teacher Yin!"
"You're welcome." Yin Fang smiled. Noticing Li Sitong hadn’t left, she asked, "Was there anything else you wanted to ask, Mrs. Gu Xue Jiao?"
"Well, I was sitting at Jiao Jiao’s desk earlier and realized it’s a bit hard to see the blackboard from there. Jiao Jiao isn’t very tall, so… could her seat be changed?" Li Sitong asked hopefully, her smile warm.
Yin Fang paused for a moment before remembering Xue Jiao’s "underperformer’s seat" at the back. She quickly replied, "Yes, of course! The seating is temporary and definitely due for a change!"
"Then thank you for your consideration, Teacher!"
Li Sitong beamed brightly. "Jiao Jiao, thank the teacher."
"Thank you, Teacher Yin," Xue Jiao said obediently.
"No problem at all."
"Goodbye, Teacher Yin." After exchanging farewells, Li Sitong finally led Xue Jiao away.
Meanwhile, Yi Tianyu, still lingering at the back, nudged his brooding father. "Hey, old man, Gu Xue Jiao’s getting her seat changed."
"As she should," Yi Dafa nodded. "Your teacher’s seating arrangement isn’t fair. That girl isn’t tall at all—why was she stuck in the last row? Should’ve been changed long ago."
Yi Tianyu said coldly, "The only reason I improved this time was because she tutored me."
Yi Dafa froze for two seconds before suddenly wailing dramatically, "Teacher Yin—!"
With a grief-stricken cry, he began pushing his way toward Yin Fang.
——
Li Sitong led Xue Jiao toward the school gate, where Cheng Shuo and Cheng Mingze were already waiting.
"Jiao Jiao, what would you like for lunch?" Cheng Shuo asked warmly.
"Anything is fine," Xue Jiao replied with a small smile.
"What about you, Sitong?" Cheng Shuo turned to Li Sitong.
"There’s still the principal’s speech this afternoon, so let’s eat somewhere nearby."
"Alright, then we’ll grab a quick meal at the hotel over there." Cheng Shuo opened the car door without mentioning her grades at all.
Xue Jiao knew her stepfather was actually a very good father—he assumed she hadn’t done well and deliberately avoided asking about her results in front of others.
"Jiao Jiao—!" A man’s voice called from not far away.
Everyone turned, their expressions darkening instantly—Gu Jingxu.
Standing beside him were Wu Wanjun and Gu Shiyun, whose faces also soured at his shout.
Li Sitong swayed slightly, but Cheng Shuo quickly steadied her, pulling her into his arms in silent support.
"Gu Jingxu, what do you want?" Cheng Shuo frowned.
Gu Jingxu’s gaze flickered to Cheng Shuo’s arm around Li Sitong before he approached with Wu Wanjun and Gu Shiyun in tow."Jiao Jiao, how about having lunch with your dad? I'll take you somewhere nice!"
Xue Jiao sometimes found Gu Jingxu quite baffling. How could he be so confident about openly appearing before her with his current wife and daughter? Was it because the original Gu Xue Jiao had been blind to Wu Wanjun's so-called "gentleness"?
Was he just that oblivious to his own scummy behavior?
"No thanks, I'll eat with Uncle Cheng and the others," Xue Jiao replied calmly but firmly.
"Jiao Jiao, are you still angry with Dad?" He pulled out a key. "Look what this is! It's the key to Shiyun's apartment. You can go rest there with Shiyun every afternoon and even have her tutor you."
As soon as these words left his mouth, Wu Wanjun and Gu Shiyun's expressions turned extremely unpleasant.
"No need. Jiao Jiao ranked first in the grade, while your daughter here is fourth—quite a gap in scores."
Li Sitong suddenly understood why Liu Yazhen loved boasting about Cheng Mingjiao's grades so much. The feeling of trampling over someone you disliked was truly exhilarating!
Hadn't Wu Wanjun always prided herself on her daughter's good grades and used them to provoke her?
But now, Xue Jiao's results had surpassed Gu Shiyun's! This gave Li Sitong a sense of triumph, as if she herself had crushed Wu Wanjun.
The moment Li Sitong finished speaking, Gu Jingxu's eyes widened in shock.
"What?! Jiao Jiao scored higher than Shiyun?! How is that possible?!"
Li Sitong lifted her chin. "Why wouldn't it be? The rankings are still posted. What, didn't your wife tell you?"
A faint smile of victory played on her lips as she turned away. "Jiao Jiao, let's go. We're having something delicious for lunch!"
Xue Jiao said nothing and followed.
Compared to Li Sitong, she was even less willing to eat with Gu Jingxu.
After their group got into the car, Gu Jingxu glared at Wu Wanjun. "Didn't you say Shiyun performed just as well as before?! How is second place the same as fourth?!"
Wu Wanjun forced a strained smile. "Xue Jiao... ranked first this time... Shiyun's score was lower than hers..."
Gu Jingxu frowned. "What do you mean?"
Wu Wanjun stepped forward to take his arm, feigning concern. "You know how hard Shiyun works, but her score was still much lower than Xue Jiao's. Xue Jiao was nearly perfect this time. Jingxu, maybe you should talk to her? It's fine if her grades aren't great—there are other paths besides academics. But she mustn't resort to cheating!"
Gu Jingxu's frown deepened. Clearly, he had already forgotten about Shiyun dropping two places—after all, fluctuations in grades paled in comparison to the gravity of cheating.
He snorted heavily. "She's getting more and more out of line!"
——
Meanwhile, the Cheng father and son, along with Li Sitong and Xue Jiao, settled into the car.
Cheng Shuo turned around, looking astonished. "Jiao Jiao got first place this time?!"
Li Sitong smiled. "Yes, Jiao Jiao ranked first with 739 points. All her teachers praised her, saying she's always worked hard. Her grades made a huge leap last month, and now she's taken first place. She has a real talent for learning!"
Cheng Shuo chuckled happily, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. "Jiao Jiao, since you did so well this time, what gift would you like? Uncle will buy it for you! But you have to promise not to get complacent—keep working hard!"
Xue Jiao smiled. It was almost funny—in the entire Cheng family, the only warmth and familial affection she felt came from her stepfather.Just like in the original life, when Li Sitong died, Cheng Shuo doted on her endlessly, allowing her to continue living in an unfamiliar family with no blood ties.
Xue Jiao was grateful to him.
"No need, Uncle. I have everything I require."
Cheng Shuo sighed helplessly. "Why are you being so polite with me, child?"
His tone then shifted, carrying a hint of pride. "The best high school in our city, No. 7 High—my two children dominate first place in their respective grades! Hahaha!"
Li Sitong also laughed along, but when her peripheral vision caught sight of the quiet Xue Jiao, her expression turned awkward.
Cheng Mingze had been staring at Xue Jiao strangely the whole time.
He didn't think she had cheated, but he was genuinely shocked by her results.
This girl... improved so quickly?
Xue Jiao noticed Cheng Mingze's persistent gaze. She initially ignored it, but seeing her cheerful stepfather ahead, she exhaled softly.
"Brother, what is it?"
Cheng Mingze was startled and quickly shook his head.
After a pause, he added, "Keep up the good work."
"Okay, thank you, brother."
Cheng Shuo beamed even brighter. "Now that's how siblings should be! Encourage each other and get along well from now on!"
"Right, Jiao Jiao, did you hear that?" Li Sitong turned to look at Xue Jiao.
Xue Jiao nodded softly. "Mm..."
Cheng Mingze could sense her indifference and pursed his lips slightly, somewhat annoyed. "Got it."
——
After lunch, the parents went to the auditorium to listen to the principal's speech, while the students remained in the classroom.
Yin Fang strode in, her high heels clicking sharply.
"We'll review the exam papers later. For now, I’ll adjust the seating arrangements. If you’re unhappy with your seat, do better next time, and you’ll have the right to make requests!"
As soon as she finished speaking, some students looked delighted, others nervous, but most simply watched her without much reaction.
"Gu Xue Jiao, you’ll sit in the second seat of the fourth row!" Yin Fang assigned Xue Jiao’s seat first.
Xue Jiao had expected the seat change. When Yin Fang still saw her as a "poor student," she found fault with everything about her.
But now that she was an "excellent student" in Yin Fang’s eyes, the teacher naturally granted her more privileges.
Even if Li Sitong hadn’t brought up the seating today, Yin Fang wouldn’t have kept Xue Jiao in the back row any longer.
Xue Jiao obediently moved to her new seat. The students first switched places, and only after the rearrangement would they move their belongings.
"Cheng Mingjiao, third row by the window. Yu Fangfang, third row by the door!" Yin Fang separated the two former seatmates, placing them on opposite sides of the classroom, far apart.
"Teacher, I..." Cheng Mingjiao opened her mouth to protest.
Yin Fang cut her off. "Look at your and Yu Fangfang’s declining grades! Stay apart and focus on studying instead of messing around with nonsense!"
Cheng Mingjiao clenched her teeth and stormed to the third row by the window.
Her seat was diagonally in front of Xue Jiao, directly ahead of Xue Jiao’s deskmate.
The moment she sat down, she turned to glare at Xue Jiao as if she had committed some unforgivable sin!
Xue Jiao: "..."
One by one, the students were assigned their seats. Xi Junyang took Xue Jiao’s original spot, while Xue Jiao’s deskmate remained undecided.
"Yi Tianyu, fourth row by the window." Yin Fang’s expression darkened slightly as she said this.
Yi Tianyu smirked and swaggered over to Xue Jiao’s side, propping one hand on her desk."Hello, nice to meet you. I'm your new deskmate—Yi Tianyu."
Xue Jiao: "..." What's gotten into him?
Yi Tianyu smirked, pushed off the desk with his hands, and vaulted over into his seat.
Xue Jiao was startled and turned to glare at him.
"Yi Tianyu! Behave yourself!!" Yin Fang exploded.
"Yessir!" Yi Tianyu winked, his grin unrestrained.
"Alright, settle down. Class representatives, go to the office to collect the test papers. Take a good look at what you've done! I have matters to attend to. Monitor, maintain discipline!"
"Got it!" Xi Junyang responded.
Xi Junyang was still their class monitor. Yin Fang had a different approach—while other teachers appointed top students as monitors, she believed student leadership roles interfered with studies. Hence, she assigned the position to average performers.
Once Yin Fang left, Yi Tianyu turned to Xue Jiao: "Dummy, surprised? Shocked?"
Xue Jiao blinked at him. "How did you manage this?"
Yin Fang was notoriously meritocratic. In her eyes, Yi Tianyu's grades still warranted the back row. Going out of her way to assign him this seat was unexpected.
Given Yi Tianyu's height, sitting at the front would only work by the window to avoid blocking others. Yin Fang's choice of seating for him was indeed deliberate.
Yi Tianyu lifted his chin proudly. "Only I could tolerate a dummy like you as my deskmate!"
"Oh, how grateful I am!" Xue Jiao said through gritted teeth.
Yi Tianyu grew even more smug. "As the Buddha said, 'If I don't enter hell, who will?'"
Xue Jiao: "..."
—
After the principal's speech, all parents gathered in the classroom for a final chat with Yin Fang before heading home.
"Kid, your old man went through hell to get you seated next to Gu Xue Jiao. You better behave!" Yi Dafa smacked Yi Tianyu's arm.
"Yeah, yeah. 'Went through hell'—more like 'went to great pains'..." Yi Tianyu rolled his eyes.
Yi Dafa glared. "Your old man may be uneducated, but I expect better from you! I'm not asking you to match Gu Xue Jiao, but at least learn a thing or two from her!"
"Fine, fine! Got it. Now scram!" Yi Tianyu pushed him away.
Meanwhile, Li Sitong was giving Xue Jiao instructions—
"Uncle Xing isn't back yet. Uncle Cheng will pick you up tonight. Come home with your brother, and don't wander off. It's unsafe for a girl to be out alone at night." Having basked in Xue Jiao's reflected glory today, Li Sitong was in high spirits and looked at her with extra affection.
"Mhm..." Xue Jiao murmured noncommittally.
Li Sitong frowned slightly and pressed on. "Jiao Jiao, I was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted you. It won't happen again! Don't be angry anymore."
Xue Jiao lifted her eyes slightly. "You said that last time too..."
"Huh?" Li Sitong froze.
"Last time after hitting me, you said you'd never do it again. That you'd never distrust me again." Xue Jiao spoke calmly, her eyes devoid of emotion, yet her words made Li Sitong burn with shame.
"How dare you speak to me like that! I'm your mother! What more do you want from me? I've apologized, admitted my mistakes, and promised it won't happen again!"
Li Sitong's temper flared as she spoke harshly again.
Xue Jiao said nothing, lowering her head slightly.Li Sitong looked at the girl bowing her head before her. Xue Jiao kept her head lowered, neither arguing back nor glaring at her as she used to in the past...
Yet this was silent resistance!
Li Sitong could sense the cold detachment emanating from Xue Jiao.
This girl... had grown distant from her...
Li Sitong staggered slightly, feeling dizzy as her eyes reddened.
"Gu Xue Jiao! I'm your mother! I carried you for ten months, you're flesh of my flesh!" Her voice rose slightly. "I admit my mistakes, but is this how you treat me? Giving me the silent treatment?!"
Li Sitong panted heavily. Ever since that angry slap she had delivered last time, Xue Jiao hadn't spoken a proper word to her.
But unlike before when there would be noisy arguments, there was only silent indifference now. Even Cheng Shuo had noticed, asking if mother and daughter still hadn't reconciled.
Xue Jiao remained silent.
Li Sitong was so angry she could barely stand steady, one hand bracing against the wall. "Gu Xue Jiao! I'm your birth mother! Is this how you treat me?! I've apologized for making you angry, what more do you want?! Can't you try to understand me? Do you know how difficult my position is? Stop acting like this has nothing to do with you! Do you still consider me your mother?!"
Xue Jiao closed her eyes briefly, exhaled, then suddenly opened them.
"You are my mother. From now on, I will fulfill my filial duties as a daughter."
"What?" Li Sitong swayed, her voice trembling. "What do you mean?! Do I make you that miserable? Gu Xue Jiao, have you forgotten who gave birth to you?! Is this how you treat someone who loves you?!"
Her sharp words made Xue Jiao, who had resolved to remain silent, lift her head. Dark eyes stared straight at her.
"I once wanted to be your pride. I once held expectations for you, wanted to be good to you." Xue Jiao blinked back the stinging sensation in her eyes. "But you always let me down."
"Mom, I'm timid... when an outstretched hand gets pricked and wounded... I don't dare reach out again..."
Xue Jiao looked at her, not letting the tears fall.
It wasn't that Li Sitong didn't love her. She simply didn't understand yet that a daughter isn't a mother's possession, nor someone meant to be hurt at will.
Some people turn their gentle, soft side outward to strangers, but wield sharp blades inward, freely wounding those they believe are bound to them by unbreakable ties.
They love, but they also hurt.
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