Xue Jiao moved closer, but since Yin Fang wasn't tall, she had to stoop low, making it impossible for those behind like Xue Jiao to see anything.
She tiptoed, straining to catch a glimpse, but still couldn't see.
Suddenly, something lifted her up—
"Ah—!" Xue Jiao gasped in shock.
Yi Tianyu, who had hoisted her up, urged excitedly, "Quick, look! Check for me too!"
Xue Jiao glanced over and could only see part of the list.
Name: Gu Xue Jiao, Score: 730, Rank: 1
Name: Chu Sheng, Score: 728, Rank: 2
Name: Shang Zhiyuan, Score: 715, Rank: 3
Name: Gu Shiyun, Score: 714, Rank: 4
...
She tried to see further but sighed helplessly, "Still can't see."
Disappointed, Yi Tianyu set her down and was about to push his way forward when a voice called from behind, "The notices are here with me!"
It was Xi Junyang.
Yi Tianyu's eyes lit up as he turned and dashed over, dragging Xue Jiao along.
"Here, Jiao Jiao's—damn, top scorer! Still holding first place!" He handed the first notice to Gu Xue Jiao.
Xue Jiao took it and immediately asked, "What about Yi Tianyu's?"
Xi Junyang quickly replied, "Oh, right, let me find it."
He flipped straight to the last four names—but nothing.
"Huh?" He gasped, then frantically scanned backward through the stack until he finally spotted Yi Tianyu's name.
Xi Junyang's eyes nearly popped out of his head, his jaw dropping in shock. After a long pause, he finally blurted—
"Holy shit! Holy shit!"
Unable to wait any longer, Yi Tianyu snatched the notice and looked.
Name: Yi Tianyu, Score: 623, Rank: 99
"HAHAHAHA!!!" Yi Tianyu burst into laughter, grabbing Xue Jiao and pulling her close.
The petite Xue Jiao was easily yanked over, and with another tug, he tucked her under his arm and sprinted away.
"Ah—!" Xue Jiao shrieked in fright.
She was so light that Yi Tianyu could still bounce and cheer while running.
"Hahaha! How the hell are you this good, bookworm?! We get to be desk mates again! Woo-hoo—"
"Yi Tianyu! You lunatic, put me down!!!" Xue Jiao's voice was hoarse from terror as she pounded his back with the notice.
Yi Tianyu didn't let go, running all the way to the school gates before finally stopping and setting her down. Xue Jiao nearly collapsed.
He bent down, meeting her at eye level. "Thanks, bookworm."
Her response was a not-too-gentle punch—
"Lunatic!"
——
Today's task was just to collect the notices, and once that was done, they could leave. Cheng Mingze had come out earlier and was already waiting.
"Alright, I'm heading off. Go home and celebrate," Xue Jiao said to Yi Tianyu.
"Oh... see you next year."
Xue Jiao rolled her eyes. "By the Gregorian calendar, see you when school starts, Depression ."
With that, she walked away.
Cheng Mingze watched them from a distance, his gaze dark and unreadable.
As Xue Jiao approached, he opened the car door and casually asked, "Who was that just now?"
"My desk mate."
"Oh... the Yi family's kid?"
"Mm."
Cheng Mingze's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and he fell silent.
Yi Tianyu was now feeling a bit depressed—by the lunar calendar, it would be next year.
Next year...
So damn far away.
But at least they'd meet again, right?
He stared at the car's taillights, his expression sour.
Just then, a familiar car pulled up in front of him. The window rolled down, revealing Yi Dafa's face, with Yi's Mother clearly visible in the passenger seat."Son? You look so upset. Did you not do well on the exam?" Yi Dafa tentatively asked.
Although the end of the year was busy, they had still made time to pick up their son today, planning to go out for a celebratory meal.
Yi Tianyu remained silent.
Yi's Mother was startled and quickly reassured him, "It's okay, it's okay! Even if you didn't do well, it's just temporary. We should still celebrate—after all, we’ve all seen how hard you’ve worked this month!"
"Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it," Yi Dafa chimed in.
They were being extra cautious, afraid of discouraging Yi Tianyu, especially since he had genuinely put in effort this month.
Yi Tianyu rolled his eyes in exasperation, tossed the report card through the car window, then walked around to open the back door.
Yi Dafa blinked in confusion but still hurriedly unfolded the report.
As the full contents of the report were revealed, Yi Dafa’s eyes widened, and he started shaking as if having a fit. Moments later—
"Ahhh!!! Ninety-nine!!!"
"What? There are over ninety students in our son’s class now?!" Yi's Mother exclaimed.
"No! Ninety-ninth in the entire grade!!" Yi Dafa roared back.
"Ahhhhh—really?! Son!!! My son!!!" Yi's Mother shrieked in delight.
Yi Tianyu covered his ears. "Keep it down…"
Yi Dafa was still ecstatic. "Son, son, you’re amazing! What do you want? Tell me! Whatever you want, Dad will buy it for you! How about a Lamborghini?"
"Cut it out. No thanks," Yi Tianyu said, rolling his eyes again. He wondered inwardly, Would that bookworm accept a New Year’s gift? What should I give her? What do girls even like?
"Fine, fine! I’ll just give you money! Lucky money for the New Year!"
Yi Dafa smacked his forehead. "And bonuses for all your teachers! Big red envelopes!"
Yi Tianyu rolled his eyes harder. "Stop it. My grades aren’t thanks to them."
"Then who? Gu Xue Jiao?" Yi Dafa turned to look at him.
Yi Tianyu suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"I know, I know! Our son’s been texting her every day to report on his studies, and she even assigns him tasks. There are stacks of notes from a girl on his desk—must all be from Gu Xue Jiao!" Yi's Mother said with a knowing smile.
Yi Tianyu was furious. "Mom! You went through my things?!"
Yi's Mother shrank back. "..." Busted.
——
The Cheng household felt unusually quiet after the two children left. Li Sitong checked the time and continued waiting idly.
Half an hour later, the phone rang.
"Hello! Sister Li? You’re here? I’ll come get you now!"
She hurried out and soon returned with Li Shu and a sloppily dressed, sulky-looking teenager.
Unlike Cheng Mingze and Gu Xue Jiao, who were both good-looking, Bai Hongyi was rather plain. His irregular lifestyle and diet had left him slightly overweight, with acne and a shifty gaze—hardly the most appealing sight.
Having grown accustomed to Cheng Mingze and Gu Xue Jiao’s attractive faces, Li Sitong couldn’t help but think this boy was… a bit ugly.
Of course, she wouldn’t comment on his appearance. But moments later, he carelessly kicked off his shoes, strode in, and plopped down without a care.
"Hongyi! Greet them properly!" Li Shu scolded him half-heartedly.
"Oh. Aunt Li."
"Ah! Hello, Hongyi!"
Bai Hongyi pursed his lips and said nothing more.Li Shu smiled, "Sitong, sorry to trouble you!"
"No trouble at all!" Li Sitong replied with polite laughter. "Stay longer, it'd be best if you stayed until Jiao Jiao and the others return after the new semester starts!"
"Return after the new semester?" Li Shu was taken aback, puzzled. "Where have they gone?"
Li Sitong smiled and explained, "Sister Li, I almost forgot to mention. I originally thought the kids could spend time together, but then we received a notice reminding us that Mingze and Jiao Jiao passed the first round of the math competition they signed up for. They've gone to the capital for the winter camp!"
"Ah?" Li Shu exclaimed in surprise, her expression quickly turning displeased.
"It's fine, it's fine. Let the child stay here. Cheng Shuo and I will be strict with him, just like we are with Mingze and Xue Jiao! If there's anything he struggles with, we can have Mingjiao come over to tutor him. She's also among the top in her grade!" Li Sitong continued warmly, appearing very welcoming.
Li Shu was unhappy but ultimately thought that since the competition had already taken place, the Cheng family couldn't have known whether they'd pass or not, so she didn't say anything further. Their family environment seemed good—after all, they had raised Cheng Mingze and Gu Xue Jiao so well. Perhaps it would be beneficial for Hongyi to stay here for the holidays. It wasn't far, and she could visit often to ensure he wasn't mistreated.
"Alright then. Hongyi, you must behave here!"
"I know, stop nagging!" Bai Hongyi sprawled lazily, eyes glued to his phone.
"Fine, fine. I know you find your mother annoying. I'll take my leave now. Sitong, please look after him!"
"Of course, Sister Li. Your son is like my nephew—it's only right!" Li Sitong replied sincerely.
After seeing Li Shu off, Li Sitong returned to the living room and picked up her phone, smiling. "Hongyi, how were your final exams?"
Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "Your brother Mingze and sister Xue Jiao both ranked first in their grades. Learn from them, and I'm sure you can achieve the same!"
Hongyi was instantly irritated. Why did this woman sound just like his homeroom teacher? So annoying!
He already had to deal with his teacher at school—did he really have to face another one at home?
"My grades suck!" Hongyi snapped.
"Oh, Auntie understands. It's fine, just learn from Jiao Jiao. Your mother told me it's just your attitude toward studying that's the problem. Xue Jiao would be studying at this time. Come, Hongyi, Auntie will take you to the study. It's time for you to study."
The study? Study?!
Hongyi's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Come on, Auntie will take you there."
"No!"
Immediately, Li Sitong's face fell. "Hongyi, your mother said you'd listen to me. Do you... not want to stay at Auntie's house? Should I call your mom?"
Hongyi instantly thought of his confiscated cards if he were sent back. Swallowing his anger, he growled, "Lead the way!"
"Great!" Li Sitong agreed cheerfully and quickly ushered him into the study.
As soon as the door closed, Hongyi kicked the desk hard.
Study?! Study my ass! No way I'm studying!
Li Sitong didn't care whether he studied or not. After leaving the study, she went to rest.
In the evening, Cheng Shuo returned.
"Where's Bai Hongyi?"
"The study," Li Sitong mimed playing on a phone. Cheng Shuo nodded.
He went upstairs and pushed the door open. Sure enough, Hongyi was engrossed in a game, completely ignoring the intrusion.
Cheng Shuo walked over and unplugged the ethernet cable.
"What the hell, you bastard!!!""Who the hell do you think you are?!" Cheng Shuo said with a stern face. "No one in our family plays with phones or games, so you won't be gaming here either. Hand over your phone now and go downstairs for dinner."
"Go f—"
"Sitong! Call his father!" Cheng Shuo commanded sternly.
Bam— Bai Hongyi smashed his phone angrily and stormed downstairs.
Cheng Shuo followed him down, and they sat at the same table for dinner, though Hongyi's expression was dark with resentment.
To make matters worse, Li Sitong added, "Mingze and Jiao Jiao always do a set of math problems after dinner before bed. Later, Uncle Cheng will find some problems for you—make sure you finish them before sleeping."
"Pah!" Hongyi slammed his bowl down and stormed back upstairs, locking himself in the guest room.
Cheng Shuo finished his meal unhurriedly before going upstairs and entering the guest room.
"If you don't eat, you'll go hungry tonight. You don't have your phone, so you can't call your parents either. Now, do your problems."
He pulled out a test paper and handed it to the boy on the bed, but Hongyi tore it to shreds instantly.
Li Sitong, who had just come upstairs, began lecturing, "Xue Jiao would never waste a test paper—she treats every sheet as precious knowledge. Hongyi, get up and finish your work before sleeping! You should learn from—"
"Shut the hell up, you damn bitch!" Hongyi threw off the covers, lunged at her, and swung his fist.
Cheng Shuo intercepted him, flipping him onto the bed and pinning him down.
"I thought you were just disobedient, but it seems your character is rotten to the core."
"Go f— Ahh!"
Cheng Shuo tightened his grip, his expression unyielding. "Time to study."
Hongyi glared defiantly, still itching to curse, but Cheng Shuo increased the pressure.
"Ahh! Fine, fine! I'll read, damn it!" Hongyi yelped in pain.
Only then did Cheng Shuo release him, forcing him to sit at the desk. He opened a first-year high school math textbook and stood watch as Hongyi reluctantly read.
Cowed by brute force, Hongyi submitted—for tonight.
Little did he know, this was only the beginning of his "hell."