Yi Tianyu charged straight over, stretched out his arms, grabbed Xue Jiao by the waist, and lifted her up.
"Whoo-hoo~ Hahaha! Bookworm! We won!!" Yi Tianyu raised her up in celebration before setting her back down.
If he hadn't been so exhausted, he could have held her up indefinitely. But this basketball match had drained him completely—his arms were weak, and only sheer excitement kept him strong enough to lift Xue Jiao.
Xue Jiao was dumbfounded, completely stunned.
Yi Tianyu continued cheering—
"Hahaha! Bookworm!!"
No one knew just how happy he was at this moment, nor how much effort he had poured into winning this match.
The sports high school's consecutive championship wins over the years weren't for nothing. No matter how skilled Yi Tianyu and Cheng Mingze were, they couldn't outmatch five opponents who had trained rigorously for years.
For this match, Yi Tianyu had practiced from dawn till dusk. To build stamina, he had been running to class every day for the past several months.
Cheng Mingze had also put in tremendous effort, along with the other three teammates who had fought with everything they had...
Only by winning could they secure a stepping stone into a good university. If they lost, their starting point in life would be set much lower.
Yi Tianyu came from a well-off family. Yi Dafa hoped he would study hard and get into a prestigious university—not out of necessity, but to fulfill Yi Dafa's own unfulfilled dreams.
If Yi Tianyu wanted, he could follow Xi Junyang's path—study economics abroad after high school, then return to gain experience in the company. That alone would already place him far above most people.
But after meeting Xue Jiao, he learned what true effort meant. He understood the feeling of chasing a dream.
He had worked hard. He didn’t want to be left far behind by Xue Jiao, nor did he want his efforts to go to waste.
This match was his battlefield.
And now, he was the victorious general.
Yi Tianyu had moved so quickly that no one around them had time to react.
The first to snap out of it was Cheng Mingze, who immediately pushed aside the person next to him and reached out toward Yi Tianyu with a dark expression.
Yi Dafa: "..."
He glanced at Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong's expressions—sure enough, their faces were visibly stormy.
Son, I hate to say it, but your IQ is really something else...
Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong had never been happy about Yi Tianyu sitting next to Xue Jiao, and Yi Dafa had been struggling to maintain good relations with Cheng Shuo.
Not only did Yi Tianyu fail to keep a low profile, but he had also picked Xue Jiao up right in front of her parents!!
Yi Dafa covered his face. Could this idiot really be my son?
Cheng Mingze had already yanked Yi Tianyu away and shielded Xue Jiao behind him.
He glared at Yi Tianyu as if he had committed some unforgivable sin.
"Student Yi Tianyu, is this how you usually behave around your classmates?" Cheng Shuo asked sternly, his sharp eyes fixed on Yi Tianyu.
Yi Tianyu froze for a moment, scratching his head before instinctively defending himself—
"No! I... I..."
He wanted to say I only act like this with Xue Jiao , but Yi Tianyu had a gut feeling that saying so would only make things worse.
Even though he didn’t voice it, Cheng Shuo's expression darkened further.
Yi Tianyu tried to salvage the situation: "I just lost control for a second!"
Control?
What exactly were you trying to control?!
Yi Dafa buried his face in his hands, utterly mortified.
Whose genes gave him such abysmal emotional intelligence?! Xue Jiao's expression wasn't too pleasant either. No one would be happy about being suddenly lifted up like that.
Yi Tianyu really was... an idiot!
After that incident, Yi Tianyu didn't even get a chance to speak with Xue Jiao—Cheng Shuo made sure of that.
Once the entire award ceremony concluded, Cheng Shuo immediately took Xue Jiao home, leaving Cheng Mingze to attend the celebration banquet with the others.
——
That night, as Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong lay in bed, Li Sitong sat up after much deliberation.
"Old Cheng, I can't take it—I'm really worried!"
Cheng Shuo turned on the light. They had just lain down and weren't asleep yet.
"Worried about what?"
"Yi Tianyu! That boy definitely has feelings for Jiao Jiao! It's not that I dislike him, but Jiao Jiao is about to enter her senior year of high school. How can she afford to be distracted now?!" Li Sitong's voice was anxious.
At her core, she was still a mother deeply concerned about her child's academic performance.
In her view, while teenage romance wasn't an unforgivable sin, it certainly brought no benefits whatsoever.
Cheng Shuo also sat up, frowning slightly.
"That's true. With senior year approaching, she absolutely can't afford any distractions!"
As he thought this, he glanced at the time—not even 10 p.m. yet.
He took out his phone and made a call.
"Hello, Teacher Yin, are you asleep?" Cheng Shuo asked politely with a smile.
No matter one's social status, parents should always maintain basic courtesy toward their child's teacher.
On the other end, Yin Fang was still preparing lessons. She smiled and replied, "Is this Gu Xue Jiao's father? I'm still working on lesson plans. What can I do for you?"
"Actually, her mother and I discussed it and think it would be better if Xue Jiao doesn't sit with Yi Tianyu anymore. Ideally, she should be paired with a quiet female classmate. What do you think?"
Cheng Shuo was direct—he simply didn't want Xue Jiao sitting with Yi Tianyu anymore. A quiet female desk mate would eliminate any potential issues.
Given Xue Jiao's appearance... if paired with another male student, who knew what might happen?
He trusted Xue Jiao, but he didn't trust the boys around her!
If anyone else had requested a seat change, Yin Fang would have refused outright.
But this was Gu Xue Jiao's father, and she had previously promised that any reasonable requests could be brought to her.
Was changing seats an unreasonable request?
"Mr. Gu, I'd prefer to wait until next semester to rearrange seats. There are only two months left this term, and next semester the class roster will be adjusted anyway, requiring a complete reseating. The senior year group won't interfere with seating arrangements anymore, and I was already planning to have girls sit together then."
Yin Fang adjusted her glasses. As someone who prioritized academic performance above all else, she cared more about students' studies than many parents did.
Once no one could dictate her seating arrangements, she absolutely wouldn't allow boys and girls to sit together!
During the highly stressful senior year, romance could become a way to relieve pressure—a phenomenon seen frequently in previous years!
Cheng Shuo smiled. If they'd already sat together for a year, two more months shouldn't matter.
"Alright, thank you, Teacher Yin. Good night."
He set his phone aside and lay back down.
Li Sitong asked anxiously, "Well? Did the teacher agree?"
"She did, but the change won't happen until senior year starts—two months from now."Li Sitong's thoughts aligned with Cheng Shuo's on this matter—it was only two months after all.
——
At this moment, Yi Tianyu had no idea that his deskmate was about to fly away.
Having just finished a rare post-match relaxation, Yi Tianyu had been out late with friends. He opened a bottle of water and took several gulps.
The weather was gradually getting warmer, and beads of sweat still dotted his forehead.
"You're back?" Yi Dafa slowly descended the stairs and poured himself a glass of water.
"Yeah." Yi Tianyu nodded while drinking.
Yi Dafa raised an eyebrow. "The moment you get a break, you're out having fun?"
Yi Tianyu rolled his eyes. Even with that expression, his youthful face remained handsome. "Dad, the competition's over."
As he spoke, he capped the water bottle and put it back in its place.
"True, the competition is over." Yi Dafa nodded indifferently and headed toward his room. "But final exams are coming up, and Class One will start kicking people out again."
With that, Yi Dafa calmly closed the door behind him.
Yi Tianyu: "???"
Final exams?
Holy crap!
——
Though summer was quietly approaching, for students, every day was meant to be spent buried in books.
After basketball season ended, Yi Tianyu plunged into a frenzy of revision alongside Xue Jiao.
Cheng Mingze was also studying. Though he had already secured a spot through early admission, he could still take the college entrance exam.
He wanted to give it a shot—if his scores were high enough, he wouldn’t need to transfer majors after enrollment. He could directly apply for the computer science program.
Even top-tier universities weren’t entirely inflexible.
Meanwhile, Gu Jingxu was preparing to be discharged from the hospital.
"Jingxu… we don’t have money for the hospital fees…" Wu Wanjun whined pitifully. She hadn’t lived like this in ages—unable to buy what she wanted and forced to care for Gu Jingxu in the hospital.
Gu Jingxu grew irritated at her words and glared at her. "How much could a hospital stay possibly cost?! Don’t tell me you didn’t stash away any private savings! Hurry up and pay!"
Scolded, Wu Wanjun trembled and went to settle the bill.
She did have some money left, but if Gu Jingxu went bankrupt, how far would that little bit go?
Grudgingly, she paid the hospital fees, muttering curses under her breath as she walked back to the ward.
Just as she approached, she saw a sharply dressed man in a suit and a secretary standing before Gu Jingxu.
Gu Jingxu’s voice was low and despairing. "Has the asset liquidation finished? How much debt is left?"
The suited man shook his head and sighed. "President Gu, the other party withdrew promptly. Your debts and assets cancel each other out."
"Withdrew promptly?" Gu Jingxu laughed bitterly. "So I should be grateful they let me off easy?"
Enraged, he swept everything within reach onto the floor.
"Who the hell was it?!"
The lawyer, accustomed to such outbursts, remained composed. "President Gu, you should vacate the villa as soon as possible. It will likely go up for judicial auction."
Thud— Wu Wanjun dropped what she was holding.
She picked it up and rushed into the room, her voice frantic and panicked. "Jingxu! We can’t move out! Where will we live?!"
Her eyes darted between Gu Jingxu, the secretary, and the lawyer, bewildered.
Why should she have to leave? That was her house!The lawyer remained indifferent, speaking softly, "Mr. Gu, you might still be able to keep one property—either the school district apartment near Seventh High or the downtown condo. If you choose the condo, you may need around five hundred thousand more. If you opt for the school district apartment, you might even get a small refund. The specifics will depend on the auction prices of the other properties."
Gu Jingxu opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word. He couldn't comprehend how he had ended up like this. He had been a moderately successful businessman—how had it come to choosing between two properties he'd once bought on a whim as his permanent residence?
What on earth had happened...?
And who had he offended?
"Mr. Gu?" the lawyer prompted again.
"The school district apartment..." Gu Jingxu's voice was hoarse, overwhelmed by a suffocating sense of despair.
"Understood," the lawyer nodded. "Then I won't disturb your rest any further. Call me if you need anything."
With that, the lawyer hurriedly left.
The secretary looked at Gu Jingxu with a complicated expression.
"Are you leaving?" The word "leaving" clearly referred to resigning.
"Yes." Gu Jingxu could no longer afford to pay him—what was the point of staying? Charity?
Had Gu Jingxu been more benevolent in the past, perhaps the secretary might have stayed a little longer out of loyalty.
But clearly, he had not only lacked kindness but had also frequently vented his frustrations on the secretary.
"Go ahead..."
"Take care," the secretary said before turning to leave.
Bang! Bang! Bang! —Gu Jingxu smashed everything on the other side of the cabinet.
Eyes blazing with fury, he roared, "One day, I, Gu Jingxu, will rise again! Every single one of these backstabbing, ungrateful people will pay!"
Wu Wanjun shrank back, finding his outburst terrifying.
"Sell all your jewelry, designer bags, and luxury items!" Gu Jingxu suddenly snapped his gaze to Wu Wanjun. These were the only assets left to scrape together funds.
"What?! No way!" Wu Wanjun instinctively protested.
Without those expensive possessions, how would she eat? What would she wear? What would she accessorize with?
How could she go shopping with her girlfriends? How could she maintain her elegance?
Gu Jingxu glared at her, suddenly questioning why he had married such a woman.
Li Sitong might have had a temper and never pandered to him, but she was someone who could endure hardship by his side.
Back when Li Sitong's father had opposed their relationship, she had eloped with him, and the two had suffered through tough times together.
Li Sitong had cried, yes, but she had stayed by his side, selling everything she had brought with her. A pampered girl like her had been willing to share his struggles.
And Wu Wanjun?
She wouldn’t even part with her luxury goods!
All of it had been bought with his money!
"We can barely afford food, and you still cling to your luxuries?!" Gu Jingxu exploded.
With no income now, he had no means to turn things around. Wu Wanjun's luxury items and jewelry combined were worth a considerable sum!
Of course, the current Gu Jingxu had yet to realize just how crushing the pressures of real life could be.
Wu Wanjun hastily nodded. "Fine, fine, I'll sell them!"
Old habits died hard—she still didn’t dare defy Gu Jingxu.
But her true thoughts... only she knew.Gu Jingxu let out a sigh of relief and comforted her, "Let's move into the school district house first. After we buy the necessities, I'll see if I can start some kind of business. One day, I'll regain everything I've lost!"
Wu Wanjun looked at him but remained silent.
When Gu Jingxu went to the bathroom, Wu Wanjun grabbed her bag and hurried out.
As she ran, she called Gu Shiyun—
"Shiyun! Your father is truly finished—he’s even eyeing my jewelry now! What kind of life can I expect if I stay with him?!"
Her voice was frantic, not waiting for a response before she continued, "I can’t stay by your father’s side any longer. If I do, I’ll be doomed to a life of hardship with him!"
Finally, a shocked voice came from the other end of the line: "Mom, are you planning to run off with the jewelry and money?!"
Wu Wanjun lowered her voice. "Mom’s bringing the money to you!"
Was she insane to endure hardship with Gu Jingxu? She had suffered enough poverty in her youth and would never go back to that life again!
If she could tolerate hardship, why would she have spent so many years as Gu Jingxu’s mistress?
Gu Shiyun took a deep breath, suppressing her temper.
"Mom! You can’t leave Dad!"
"What?" Wu Wanjun was stunned that her daughter would oppose her.
Gu Shiyun’s voice was both angry and resigned. "You only see staying with Dad as a life of hardship, but how long can you live well with the money you take? At least Dad knows how to earn money. If you endure for a while and he manages to rebuild his wealth, you can enjoy a good life again!"
Gu Shiyun knew her mother too well. Her mother was now accustomed to extravagance, and at her age, no one would even take her as a mistress anymore!
Her mother was counting on her for support in the future!
Gu Shiyun hadn’t even figured out her own future yet—how could she let Wu Wanjun come and burden her?
So, she had to persuade her to stay with Gu Jingxu!
"Huh?" Wu Wanjun froze.
Upon reflection, it made sense. Gu Shiyun was still studying and couldn’t possibly support her. Wu Wanjun had no real earning ability—even if she sold all her jewelry, it wouldn’t last a lifetime...
With this thought, she gritted her teeth and turned back.
"Where did you go?" Gu Jingxu was annoyed—he couldn’t find her when he came out of the bathroom!
Wu Wanjun stammered, "Shiyun called..."
Her eyes flickered with guilt for a moment, but fortunately, Gu Jingxu wasn’t paying attention and didn’t notice.
Gu Jingxu raised an eyebrow, his haggard and gloomy face finally showing a hint of a smile. "Let me talk to Shiyun too."
Wu Wanjun nodded hastily and handed him the phone.
"Hello, Shiyun. You must know about Dad’s situation by now..."
A gentle voice on the other end reassured him, "Yes, Dad. What’s done is done—we’ll just have to start over."
Hearing her words, free of resentment, Gu Jingxu relaxed and said warmly, "Don’t worry, your father won’t give up!"
After enduring so many setbacks, only encouragement and trust from others could keep him going.
"I believe in you, Dad," Gu Shiyun continued soothingly.
Gu Jingxu seemed to remember something and asked, "Shiyun, your tuition is expensive... Dad might not be able to afford it anymore. Maybe you should come back and help me..."The other end of the phone suddenly fell silent. After a long pause, the voice replied, "I still want to continue my studies. If I go back, I won't be able to attend school anymore. I can only get my degree abroad."
She paused briefly before adding softly, "As for tuition... I still have some money left."
"You do?" Gu Jingxu was puzzled. Although he had given her a considerable amount when she left, it couldn't possibly last her through years of schooling!
The school she had chosen charged exorbitant tuition fees every year.
After a moment of silence, Gu Shiyun said, "I sold the shares under my name."
"What?!" Gu Jingxu jumped up in shock.
The shares she mentioned were clearly from his company!
Long ago, Gu Shiyun had asked him for a small portion of shares. Since she was still a minor at the time, they were held under Wu Wanjun's name.
"When did you sell them?!" Gu Jingxu's eyes widened, bloodshot with fury.
"Before the company went into bankruptcy liquidation, I had my agent get my mother to sign the papers. We sold them for a sum of money," Gu Shiyun answered truthfully.
There was no need to hide it. Gu Shiyun didn't think she had done anything wrong. The company was doomed anyway—she had merely secured some funds in time.
If she hadn't acted quickly, she wouldn't even have been able to continue her studies abroad!
"Well done! Gu Shiyun, you've really outdone yourself!!" Gu Jingxu's veins bulged on his forehead again in rage.
He had always known Gu Shiyun was cunning. When she had schemed against Xue Jiao before, although he had been angry, he had also felt a faint thrill, pleased at how clever she was.
But that cleverness had been directed at others. Now that it was turned against him, it didn’t feel so good anymore!
Lying in his hospital bed, he hadn’t had the time to see who had kicked him while he was down, who had stayed loyal to the company till the end...
But his own daughter, who held a portion of his shares, had also joined in stabbing him in the back!
In the eyes of others, didn’t this mean the Gu family had given up on itself?
No wonder the company had collapsed so swiftly, crumbling in an instant.
Turns out, their own people had given others the signal!
Admittedly, selling immediately had ensured she got some money, but at the same time, she had become one of the hands pushing the company beyond recovery!
"Bang—!" Gu Jingxu smashed his phone, his eyes red with fury.
In a flash, he backhanded Wu Wanjun across the face, gritting his teeth. "You’ve really done well!"
His breathing grew heavy, his chest heaving as he slapped a hand over his heart.
The daughter he had protected had just plunged a knife into him—straight through his heart!
On the other end of the line, Gu Shiyun stared at her phone, momentarily dazed.
She wasn’t wrong. Even if Gu Jingxu was furious, she had to sell. Otherwise, the money wouldn’t have reached her hands. If anything had been left, it would have stayed with Gu Jingxu—and besides, nothing would have been left anyway!
She still had to study. She couldn’t afford to hesitate.
At this thought, Gu Shiyun frowned slightly.
Gu Xue Jiao had demanded she leave a record before studying abroad, but the moment she left, Gu Jingxu’s company had rapidly gone bankrupt...
Was there some connection here?
No! Impossible! Gu Xue Jiao and her stepfather didn’t have that kind of power!
Then who was behind it?
Was there really no connection?
No! There had to be! Otherwise, how could Li Sitong—who had seemed ready to perish together with her just the day before—suddenly relax the next day?
Gu Shiyun suddenly felt as if she had stepped into some vast, intricate web...
She tightened her coat, a sudden chill of fear running through her.Before the final exams arrived, the monthly test came first. This monthly test was moved to June 5th, finishing on June 6th, followed by the college entrance exams on June 7th and 8th.
Although Xue Jiao had prepared diligently for this test, the previous incident involving Gu Shiyun still had some impact on her life.
In the narrow margin of competition between her and Chu Sheng, even small influences could make a difference.
Unless one possessed an exceptionally brilliant mind, most top students had to squeeze out every possible minute for studying.
On the day of the exam, Uncle Xing picked up Cheng Mingze, while Xue Jiao took a taxi home by herself. After all, the college entrance exams were the next day, and their family was prioritizing Cheng Mingze during these two days.
Xue Jiao was careful every day, afraid of disturbing Cheng Mingze.
She walked out of Qizhong High School with her head lowered, pondering over the gains and losses from the recent monthly exam and reflecting on her studies during this period.
"Beep beep—" A car horn sounded beside her.
Xue Jiao looked up as the car window slowly rolled down.
A face of breathtaking beauty came into view. The corners of his lips were slightly upturned, revealing a good mood, while his pitch-black eyes resembled deep whirlpools.
Xue Jiao's eyes lit up.
Author's Note:
Lin Zhihua: Brat, can't you just let me say a word???
Brat: I already let you show your face, what more do you want?!
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