When Li Sitong and Xue Jiao arrived at the school, it was already quite late. The entrance was packed with parked cars, forcing them to stop further away and walk the remaining distance to the school.
After parting ways with Cheng Shuo and his son, the two headed toward the building for the second-year students. Li Sitong couldn't help but say, "Your brother's future is pretty much settled now. Jiao Jiao, don’t slack off. Only by overcoming the gaokao can you truly succeed!"
Xue Jiao nodded. Of course, she wouldn’t slack off for even a moment.
The gaokao was her dream, and she would never let herself down!
"By the way, your brother won first prize and secured a recommendation to Tsinghua University. You also got first prize—does that mean you can be recommended too?" Li Sitong suddenly turned her head. Although Xue Jiao’s grades were excellent now, she still couldn’t shake off her worries, fearing that things might suddenly change again.
With over a year left until the gaokao, if Xue Jiao could secure an early recommendation and bypass the exam, Li Sitong wouldn’t have to worry so much.
"I’m not sure," Xue Jiao shook her head. "Recommendations have limited spots. I don’t know if I’ll get one."
"You won first prize and are ranked first in your grade. If there’s a recommendation, they’d surely prioritize you, right?" Li Sitong grew anxious, her voice rising as she stopped in her tracks.
Xue Jiao remained calm. In truth, she wasn’t particularly keen on a recommendation. In her past life, she had failed the gaokao. Getting a second chance was already a blessing, and she wanted to make up for all her regrets.
She was determined to face that battlefield again.
"We’ll see. It’s still too early to talk about this now."
"Alright then."
Li Sitong nodded and fell silent as the two walked side by side toward Class 1.
——
At the announcement board.
"Shiyun, how did you do?" Gu Jingxu stood on tiptoe, trying to see the red rankings.
They had arrived a bit late, and a crowd had already gathered in front of the list, blocking the view completely.
Gu Shiyun was also anxious, frowning as she strained to see past the crowd, but her line of sight was entirely obstructed.
"Come on, let’s push through." Wu Wanjun, impatient, grabbed Gu Shiyun’s hand and started shoving her way in.
She couldn’t wait to see Gu Xue Jiao overshadowed by Shiyun!
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Stop pushing!"
"Ow—you stepped on my foot!"
"Can’t you wait your turn?!"
"What’s wrong with you? Can’t you see there are people here?"
"Don’t push!"
……
Gu Jingxu frowned slightly but didn’t follow them into the crowd.
He watched as Wu Wanjun dragged Gu Shiyun forward, the sight making him uncomfortable. Wu Wanjun had been his childhood sweetheart. Back then, both families were poor, and Gu Jingxu had been desperate to climb the social ladder.
He worked hard, excelled in his studies, and with his good looks, he managed to establish himself in the city and eventually got together with Li Sitong.
At the time, Li Sitong was the epitome of a privileged, pampered girl. Gu Jingxu wasn’t entirely indifferent to her, but he deeply resented the years he had spent relying on her—being seen as a man who owed his success to a woman.
He had to cater to Li Sitong’s every whim. She couldn’t cook or do housework, and he couldn’t say a word about it. Wu Wanjun, on the other hand, was completely different from Li Sitong. He didn’t have to pamper her—instead, she pampered him.
When Li Sitong was pregnant, the Li family was at the height of its influence, forcing Gu Jingxu to tread carefully around her. Only with Wu Wanjun could he reclaim the dignity he felt a man should have. She was willing to cook, clean, even wash his feet and clothes for him.Not long after divorcing Li Sitong, he married his "true love."
However, familiarity breeds contempt. As they spent more time together, many issues surfaced.
For instance, Li Sitong, raised with proper upbringing, would never drag her daughter around so ungracefully, pushing others aside to squeeze through a crowd.
Even dressed in expensive clothes, Wu Wanjun's behavior made Gu Jingxu feel embarrassed—her rudeness and crudeness were glaring.
Unaware that her impulsive actions had begun to irritate Gu Jingxu, Wu Wanjun continued pulling Gu Shiyun forcefully toward the front.
But when they finally got close enough to see, both froze.
Name: Chu Sheng, Score: 736, Rank: 1;
Name: Gu Xue Jiao, Score: 736, Rank: 1;
Name: Gu Shiyun, Score: 723, Rank: 3;
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Gu Shiyun had truly performed well in the midterm exams. She had worked harder than ever this semester, leaving no knowledge point untouched.
Out of a full score of 750, she had scored 723—only 27 points deducted!
But how was this possible?
How could Gu Xue Jiao and Chu Sheng still score 736?!
Had they only lost a few points—or at most ten—in Chinese and English combined?
Why?!
Gu Shiyun stared at the results as if struck by lightning, filled with fury and anguish.
"Shiyun, didn’t you say you’d do well?!" Wu Wanjun turned to glare at her daughter, her eyes burning with frustration.
Her expression was one of disbelief and disappointment, as if lamenting her daughter’s failure to meet expectations.
Gu Shiyun deflated like a punctured balloon.
"I tried my best… This is the highest score I could achieve…"
Wu Wanjun, exasperated, jabbed a finger at her forehead. "Fine, fine. If you can’t surpass others, fine—but how could you let Gu Xue Jiao outshine you?!"
She wanted to scold Gu Shiyun for her incompetence, but seeing her daughter staring blankly at the results, on the verge of tears, she swallowed her words.
"Never mind, Gu Shiyun. Clearly, you still haven’t worked hard enough. From now on, you must push yourself even harder! You must surpass Gu Xue Jiao. If she, who used to be so far behind you, can now rank first, so can you!"
Gu Shiyun nodded firmly at Gu Xue Jiao’s name.
At this moment, Gu Shiyun still saw Gu Xue Jiao as nothing more than a stumbling block—a minor obstacle she would soon overtake in the next race.
A small pebble she could kick aside.
But what she didn’t realize was that Gu Xue Jiao would become an insurmountable mountain in her life.
Unless she chose to detour, Gu Xue Jiao would forever remain a peak she could never conquer.
After checking the results, the two walked out in silence. Only when they reached Gu Jingxu did they notice his grim expression.
Gu Shiyun’s breath hitched.
Wu Wanjun also stiffened slightly, stopping in her tracks. Did he already know about Shiyun’s results?
She forced a smile. "Jingxu, Shiyun may be third, but her score is steadily improving—723! If she maintains this momentum, she can apply to any top university after the college entrance exams!"
Hearing Gu Shiyun’s score, Gu Jingxu’s expression softened.
"Keep it up, Shiyun. Stay humble in victory and resilient in defeat!"
"Okay, Dad." Gu Shiyun exhaled in relief, nodding obediently as she leaned against him.
Gu Jingxu’s dark mood eased—he couldn’t stay angry at his precious little girl.
"How did Xue Jiao do? What was her score?"As soon as his question landed, Wu Wanjun and Gu Shiyun's expressions froze, leaving them momentarily speechless.
Before Gu Jingxu could even feel puzzled, he suddenly caught sight of Li Sitong and Gu Xue Jiao approaching from a distance.
The crowd was too dense, and both of their gazes were fixed on the bulletin board, completely unaware of Gu Jingxu and the others nearby.
"Jiao Jiao, with so many people here, how can we even see the results?"
"Let's wait until the crowd thins out, or you can come back to the classroom with me first. Teacher Yin will distribute them later," Xue Jiao replied calmly.
Li Sitong glanced at the parents jostling together. No matter the era or how much things progressed, on the day of the college entrance exam results, parents' obsession with their children's scores never diminished in the slightest.
Gu Jingxu stared blankly at Li Sitong. Today, she had dressed up meticulously, and her appearance seemed unchanged from the time they divorced years ago. Yet, he suddenly thought—Li Sitong was truly beautiful.
Xue Jiao resembled Li Sitong, with a face refined to perfection. Naturally, Li Sitong wasn’t unattractive either—she was a striking beauty in her own right.
This was Li Sitong. She would never rudely push through a crowd. In the past, Gu Jingxu had thought this was her being aloof, but now, for some reason… he found it to be a sign of good upbringing.
Wu Wanjun was nearly grinding her teeth to dust. Gu Jingxu was staring straight at Li Sitong!
What was the meaning of this?!
A woman who relied on a man had no standing in the family. No matter how furious Wu Wanjun was, she could only force a smile and tug at Gu Jingxu’s sleeve.
"Jingxu, should we head to Shiyun’s classroom now?"
Gu Jingxu’s gaze lingered on Li Sitong, still lost in thought.
Li Sitong didn’t follow Xue Jiao’s suggestion. Instead, she approached a student who had just stepped away and asked with a smile, "Hello, classmate, may I ask who came in first?"
As luck would have it, the boy was someone Xue Jiao knew—Chu Sheng.
Chu Sheng adjusted his glasses. His mother stood beside him, clearly an intellectual with an outstanding demeanor.
"Are you Gu Xue Jiao’s mother?" he asked softly.
Li Sitong was slightly surprised. "You and Xue Jiao are classmates?"
"I’m Chu Sheng from the class next door. Gu Xue Jiao and I tied for first place—736 points."
Chu Sheng delivered the news calmly, but the women beside him—his mother and Li Sitong—both widened their eyes in shock.
Then, Chu Sheng turned to Xue Jiao and adjusted his glasses again. "Gu Xue Jiao, though I still haven’t surpassed you, I’ve finally caught up. I’ll work harder for next month’s exam."
Xue Jiao: "..."
She forced a smile. "Alright, Chu Sheng. I’ll also work hard next month to make sure you don’t overtake me."
The pressure of having an exceptionally talented classmate relentlessly chasing after you was truly overwhelming…
Xue Jiao was certain that if she hadn’t already studied this material in her past life—saving her a great deal of time—Chu Sheng’s intelligence and diligence would have left her in the dust long ago!
"Hello, Mrs. Gu Xue Jiao, I’m Chu Sheng’s mother," the poised woman beside him suddenly spoke, extending her hand with a smile.
Li Sitong quickly shook it in return and introduced herself.
She might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but her manners were impeccable.
"My son has been studying like his life depends on it just to catch up to your daughter and take first place. He never had this kind of drive before—his father and I were at our wits’ end!" Chu Sheng’s mother lamented, her face full of worry.Li Sitong also nodded in agreement: "Xue Jiao is the same, studying from morning till night without stopping. Even during the New Year visits, she carries a vocabulary book! Hard work is good, but sometimes I worry she might be overdoing it. Could she turn into a bookworm?"
Chu Sheng's mother looked even more troubled, gazing at her son with concern. "Your child is fine. She seems so poised and confident. Unlike my son, whose voice is barely audible when he speaks!"
"Sigh." Li Sitong sighed, holding Chu Sheng's mother's hand as they comforted each other.
"With their grades, both kids can get into any university. Chu Sheng has won many awards before, and by senior year, they should both qualify for direct admission. So why are they still pushing so hard to be first now?"
"Who knows? Jiao Jiao's older brother is Cheng Mingze, a senior who just got directly admitted to Tsinghua University. Mingze has always been first in his class, so Jiao Jiao must feel the pressure!"
"Oh, so Jiao Jiao's brother is Cheng Mingze? I've heard of him..."
The two parents chatted back and forth, holding hands as if they had known each other for years.
Chu Sheng and Xue Jiao stood to the side, exchanging a helpless glance.
Then Chu Sheng pulled out a small notebook filled with Chinese sentences and began silently reading.
Xue Jiao: "..."
Who didn't have a little notebook?
She took out her English vocabulary book and started memorizing quietly.
The two parents were deep in conversation. Gu Jingxu had originally planned to leave with Wu Wanjun, but then he overheard something—
"My husband is really worried about him too, but he works in auditing and doesn’t understand education at all!"
Gu Jingxu froze.
The surname Chu? Auditing?
Could it be... that family?
He turned back, studying Chu Sheng's mother closely, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
It was her! The Chu family!
Watching Li Sitong and the other woman hit it off so well, Gu Jingxu felt an inexplicable emotion—
Why had he never realized before how good Li Sitong was at social diplomacy?
He turned to Wu Wanjun and said, "Wait here for me. I’ll just say a few words and then we’ll go."
Wu Wanjun was stunned.
"Jiao Jiao! You came in first place? That’s wonderful, just wonderful!" Gu Jingxu walked over with a smile, looking at Xue Jiao with a doting expression.
Both Xue Jiao and Li Sitong frowned.
"And you are...?" Chu Sheng's mother asked hesitantly.
"I’m Gu Xue Jiao’s father. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Chu!" Gu Jingxu extended his hand, beaming.
"Mom... Dad, he..."
Gu Shiyun stared blankly at Gu Jingxu standing beside Li Sitong, with Xue Jiao next to them—looking just like a family of three.
In an instant, she was triggered by childhood memories.
"That Gu Jingxu! Does he want to rekindle things with that woman Li Sitong? Well, he’ll have to get through me first!" Wu Wanjun was fuming. Earlier, Gu Shiyun’s grades had been overshadowed by Xue Jiao’s, and now Gu Jingxu couldn’t take his eyes off Li Sitong.
This latest provocation pushed her anger to the limit.
She strode over with Gu Shiyun, linking arms with Gu Jingxu and smiling sweetly. "Jingxu, where did you disappear to so quickly?"
Gu Jingxu’s face darkened instantly.
Wu Wanjun, who had risen from being the other woman, was always watchful of Gu Jingxu. Now, her attention was solely fixed on Li Sitong.
"Jiao Jiao, you came in first! Auntie Wanjun hasn’t congratulated you yet!"
Wu Wanjun smiled, playing the magnanimous first wife, completely oblivious to Gu Jingxu’s increasingly stormy expression.Li Sitong sneered, "Gu Jingxu, stop getting in my sight all the time. Jiao Jiao is with me, so stay away from us."
Gu Jingxu's face darkened further, visibly embarrassed.
"Ahem... Mrs. Xue, I'll head to the classroom with Chu Sheng first. Let's catch up another time!" Chu Sheng's mother quickly interjected, deliberately avoiding even a glance at Gu Jingxu.
What woman would like a mistress?
And what woman would like a man who keeps a mistress?
Chu Sheng's mother had sized up the situation at a glance, though she said nothing—simply refusing to look Gu Jingxu's way again.
"Ah! Sure, let's plan for next time!" Li Sitong replied with a smile, exchanging contact details.
After Chu Sheng and his mother left, Li Sitong shot Gu Jingxu a cold glare.
"Both of you, stay away from me and Jiao Jiao!"
With that, she turned and walked off with Xue Jiao.
Almost the moment Li Sitong left, Gu Jingxu spun around and roared furiously, "Why did you come here?!"
Li Sitong, still within earshot, scoffed and remarked loudly as she walked, "Jiao Jiao, when choosing a man in the future, keep your eyes wide open. Some scum aren't worth even a second of your time! If he's trash, even if he treats you well temporarily, it won’t last!"
Xue Jiao: "...Oh."
Don’t you think it’s a bit early to be worrying about that?
Back where they had stood, Wu Wanjun, who had just been yelled at by Gu Jingxu, stared at him in bewilderment. Seeing his unprecedented rage, she immediately fell silent in fear.
"Dad..." Gu Shiyun opened her mouth.
Gu Jingxu glared at her too, furious at her lack of understanding. "Do you two have any idea what you just ruined for me? Not only did you fail to make connections, but you also made sure people remember me for my poor character! Gu Shiyun, must you follow your mother’s reckless behavior?!"
"No... I..." Gu Shiyun stammered, at a loss for words.
"Hmph!" Gu Jingxu shook off Wu Wanjun angrily and stormed away.
"Dad—" Gu Shiyun called out hastily.
But Gu Jingxu was already gone. Not daring to make a scene, they could only stand there, lost and helpless.
After a moment, Wu Wanjun clutched Gu Shiyun’s arm like a drowning woman grasping at straws—
"Shiyun, you must make me proud!"
Gu Shiyun looked at her pleading mother and then at Gu Jingxu’s retreating figure, utterly confused.
——
Compared to the very last row where she had sat before the New Year, Xue Jiao’s seat was now in a much better spot—practically a prime location.
But—
"Yi Tianyu is still your deskmate?!" Li Sitong’s expression instantly soured.
Xue Jiao blinked in confusion.
Li Sitong gave her a look, then sighed in resignation before shooting a glare at Yi Dafa’s back.
As if sensing it, Yi Dafa turned around, beaming with enthusiasm as he stood up—
"Ah, Xue Jiao and Jiao Jiao’s mom are here! Come, take a seat!"
Li Sitong: "..."
Yi Dafa was so effusive and smooth-talking that Li Sitong couldn’t bring herself to say, "Your son shouldn’t sit with my daughter anymore!"
Yi Tianyu sidled up to Xue Jiao and nudged her. "Bookworm, I won’t congratulate you—you’re always first anyway."
Xue Jiao: "..."
After a pause, she asked, "What about you?"
"We made it to the semifinals! Our school team is in the semifinals!!" Yi Tianyu rubbed his hands excitedly.
Xue Jiao: "..."
Her voice was flat. "I meant your midterm results."
Yi Tianyu: "...Oh. Around 180th."
"You dropped?"Yi Tianyu hung his head low, overwhelmed with shame.
Xue Jiao rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "It's not too bad. If you can secure first place in the competition, this score might still get you into a very good university."
Yi Tianyu's eyes lit up with hope.
Xue Jiao added, "But there's still a year left. If you don't give it your all, you might not even make it into the university you want."
Yi Tianyu: "..."
His ears immediately drooped again.
——
Today's parent-teacher meeting felt like a mini awards ceremony for Xue Jiao. Almost every teacher who took the stage praised her by name.
In the past, there might have been concerns about her grades being unstable, but she had consistently ranked first and even won a first prize in mathematics.
Naturally, the teachers showered her with praise, and Yin Fang kept mentioning "Gu Xue Jiao" left and right.
By the end of the meeting, nearly everyone knew Xue Jiao and Li Sitong.
Being the center of such admiration was a new experience for Li Sitong.
Her chin lifted slightly, her face beaming with an unwavering smile as she listened to the teachers' effusive compliments.
This was probably the happiest parent-teacher meeting Li Sitong had attended in years.
Even after the meeting ended, many people approached Li Sitong to chat. The two of them seized a quiet moment to slip away.
"Jiao Jiao, if you ever feel too much pressure, you must tell Mom, okay?" Li Sitong looked at Xue Jiao with affectionate eyes and gently placed her hand on her head.
She hadn't often shown such tenderness to Xue Jiao before, but today, with Xue Jiao bringing her so much pride, she felt Xue Jiao was truly her treasure!
Xue Jiao: "...Mm."
She averted her gaze slightly and lowered her head, leaving Li Sitong's hand hovering in the air.
Li Sitong's expression stiffened for a moment. Suddenly, she understood what Cheng Shuo had once said—that she had broken Xue Jiao's heart, and warming it up again would be difficult.
A wave of regret washed over Li Sitong as she recalled her past doubts, distrust, and hurtful words.
It felt like a knife twisting in her chest.
If Xue Jiao's indifference pained her so much now, how much had she hurt Xue Jiao back then?
Watching Xue Jiao's bowed head, Li Sitong felt her heart wrench with sorrow.
Silence settled between them.
Just then, a bespectacled man emerged from the neighboring classroom.
He was about to walk past them but suddenly stopped and turned to look.
Li Sitong blinked in surprise. "You are...?"
Xue Jiao quickly looked up and smiled faintly, explaining to Li Sitong, "Mom, this is Teacher Li, the homeroom teacher of Class Two. Teacher, this is my mom."
"Ah, Teacher Li! Hello, hello!" Li Sitong hurriedly extended her hand in greeting.
Li Ping also reached out, shook her hand, and smiled. "Hello, Xue Jiao's mom. I'm the homeroom teacher of Class Two and also teach chemistry."
"Oh—" Li Sitong nodded as if she understood, though she was thoroughly puzzled.
What did this teacher want?
Li Ping soon revealed his intentions. Leaning slightly closer, he lowered his voice and said, "Teacher Yin is quite strict, and my teaching style is quite different from hers. So... would Xue Jiao like to transfer to our Class Two?"
"Huh?" Li Sitong was taken aback and glanced at Xue Jiao.
Xue Jiao was equally baffled, her face blank with confusion."The average score of our class is higher than Class One, and the learning atmosphere is also better. If Xue Jiao wants to join Class Two, I welcome her on behalf of our class!" Li Ping grinned, showing two rows of white teeth. "Chu Sheng is also in our class. Xue Jiao can encourage and learn from each other with Chu Sheng regularly, and she'll definitely improve more and more."
"This..." Li Sitong looked hesitant.
Transfer to Class Two?
She actually didn't see any problem with transferring to Class 2. After all, Yin Fang had given them the cold shoulder at the beginning of the semester.
The most crucial point was that Xue Jiao was currently sitting next to Yi Tianyu. If Xue Jiao went to Class 2, wouldn't these two have a legitimate reason to be separated?
"If you're willing, I'll take care of Xue Jiao's transfer to Class 2. Xue Jiao just needs to pack her things, and I'll have students help her move later..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yin Fang's furious roar came from nearby—
"Li Ping, what do you think you're doing?!"
Author's note:
Yin Fang: How dare you mess with the Nun's head!
Yi Tianyu: Today is a day where I only make one appearance!
Cheng Mingze: Today is a day where only my name appears!
Lin Zhihua: Today is a day where even my name doesn't appear...
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