The woman was named Qian Yu. Despite her affluent appearance, her family background was actually quite ordinary compared to Cheng Shuo's.
Her family owned a fairly large restaurant, but that was their only business. While their income was decent, they were far from being truly wealthy.
Both Pengcheng and the Audit Bureau were on a completely different level from her.
Either one could easily crush her without a second thought.
Qian Yu stammered, "I didn’t offend them, did I?"
"Sis, with your personality, you’ve probably already offended them. But it shouldn’t be too bad. Neither family would make a big deal out of it. Look, Teacher Yin often criticized Gu Xue Jiao before, and nothing happened," the biology teacher reassured her. His sister wasn’t a bad person, but her temperament could be quite a headache at times.
Qian Yu glared at him. "What do you know? Teacher Yin has powerful connections too! Plus, she’s their teacher—of course she doesn’t care!"
Suddenly remembering something, she added, "I don’t think I offended them. As soon as I found out they were the parents of the top two students in the grade, I was very polite. It’s just that they ignored me. That’s not my fault—they can’t be that petty, right?"
"..."
Even if she had offended them, there was nothing to be done now. Qian Yu pushed the matter aside and pressed on, "What’s going on with Jiaxue’s grades? In just a year, she’s dropped from the top ten to thirtieth in the grade. At this rate, will she even get into Tsinghua or Peking University?"
"Sis, you’re putting too much pressure on Jiaxue."
"When have I ever pressured her?"
"You call that not pressuring her?" The biology teacher rolled his eyes.
"Fine, fine, I won’t argue with you. I’m going to find Jiaxue—that little brat didn’t even come looking for me when she saw her own mother!"
With that, Qian Yu stormed off in a huff.
Meanwhile, Cheng Shuo was preparing to leave the school with Li Sitong.
"Aren’t we going to talk to Teacher Yin?" Li Sitong asked, slightly puzzled.
Shouldn’t they discuss their child’s academic performance with the teacher? Why were they leaving so soon?
Cheng Shuo smiled. "Jiao Jiao’s studies are going well. We just need to make sure she gets nutritious meals. As for the rest, Jiao Jiao knows what she’s doing, right?"
Xue Jiao nodded. "Yes, Mom, don’t worry. Go home. Dad still has to go to the office."
Cheng Shuo had been quite busy lately. Since they had decided to relocate, preparations had to begin immediately. Hadn’t the Lin Group’s relocation taken a long time too?
"Alright then," Li Sitong reluctantly agreed.
As they walked out the gate, Cheng Shuo said, "Let me drive you home first."
"No, no. You go straight to the office. I’ll take a taxi to a market," Li Sitong shook her head.
Cheng Shuo was surprised. "A market? You need to buy something?"
He was stunned. Li Sitong had been a pampered young lady in her earlier days—going to a market to buy groceries was something she never did.
"Yes. I heard from Sister Li before that there’s a very out-of-the-way market with lots of authentic mountain produce. I want to buy some walnuts and other brain-boosting foods for Jiao Jiao."
Cheng Shuo: "Go ahead."
He silently sympathized with Xue Jiao.
After Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong left, Xue Jiao walked slowly back to the classroom, reviewing her textbooks along the way.
She had already memorized all the classical Chinese texts required for the college entrance exam, but with a year still left before the test, memory was a strange thing—if she didn’t review regularly, she would forget.
Since walking wasn’t a good time for reading, and she didn’t want to waste the time doing nothing, Xue Jiao used it to recite texts instead.
As she walked, a hand suddenly clapped onto her shoulder—
"Bookworm!"
Xue Jiao jumped, taking a sharp breath."Depression"
"What do you want, calling me?" Yi Tianyu grinned broadly.
Xue Jiao rolled her eyes, ignored him, and continued walking forward.
"Hey, hey, hey, bookworm, why are you walking so fast?"
"Bookworm, wait for me!"
"Hey!"
Xue Jiao's legs were no match for Yi Tianyu's long strides. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake him off.
The two entered the classroom almost side by side. At this time, only a few students were inside—most were still on the playground, along with the teachers.
Xue Jiao's deskmate, Liu Jiaxue, was slumped over the desk.
"Jiaxue, you're here too," Xue Jiao said as she approached.
Liu Jiaxue quickly stood up to make room, her eyes red as she struggled to hold back tears. "You're back," she said.
Xue Jiao stepped in and sat down.
Then she turned to look at Jiaxue and tentatively asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiaxue didn’t answer.
"Are you sick?" Xue Jiao’s face showed a hint of worry.
Jiaxue bit her lower lip and shook her head, her eyes reddening further. She didn’t dare lower her head, afraid the tears would spill.
"Jiaxue..." The moment Xue Jiao spoke her name, Jiaxue suddenly hugged her tightly.
"Waaah—" she burst into loud sobs.
Xue Jiao froze, feeling the warm tears soaking into her shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock.
Yi Tianyu was also stunned, watching as Liu Jiaxue clung to Xue Jiao, burying her face in Xue Jiao’s shoulder, holding on desperately.
Holy crap, you can do that?!
So this is how you get to hug Xue Jiao?!
Yi Tianyu felt like he had just discovered a whole new world.
Xue Jiao was clearly startled as well. In her past life, she had been too busy working and studying to make many friends.
In this life, due to the reputation left behind by Gu Xue Jiao, she hadn’t made any friends either.
A female classmate hugging her and crying like this?
This was truly a first for Xue Jiao—like a bride on her wedding day, completely new to the experience.
After a long pause, she stiffly raised her hand and gently patted Jiaxue’s back, her voice soft and soothing.
"What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell, or did someone bully you?"
Jiaxue didn’t say anything, just kept crying into Xue Jiao’s shoulder.
Seeing her like this, Xue Jiao guessed she must have suffered some grievance she couldn’t voice.
She let out a small sigh of relief—at least it wasn’t a health issue.
It took a while before Jiaxue finally released Xue Jiao. Looking at her damp shoulder, she sniffled, embarrassed.
"I’m sorry..."
Xue Jiao smiled gently. "It’s okay."
Jiaxue looked at her clean, lovely face—the other girl was giving her a soft, warm smile.
Instantly, her heart felt lighter.
Before becoming Xue Jiao’s deskmate, Jiaxue had been like all the other girls in class—hearing the rumors about her past and watching her study with her head down every day.
She had seemed aloof and unapproachable, someone Jiaxue hardly dared to speak to.
A pretty face could make people more likable, but if someone was too beautiful, it created distance.
On top of that, Xue Jiao didn’t live in the dorm—she came in the morning and left in the evening.
So even after a year in the same class, Jiaxue had barely exchanged words with her.
When she was first assigned to sit beside Xue Jiao, Jiaxue had been dismayed.
She was afraid they wouldn’t get along, afraid Xue Jiao would look down on her.
But after actually sitting together, she gradually realized that Xue Jiao wasn’t as cold or withdrawn as she’d thought.
They occasionally exchanged a few words. Jiaxue would sneak glances at her, admiring her focus while studying and her delicate features.
She envied the teachers’ favoritism toward her and the attention she got from the boys. Even the class representatives were gentler when collecting homework from her, and classmates instinctively gave way when she went to fetch water.She would also watch enviously as Yi Tianyu went out of his way every day to try and cheer her up.
This person was too outstanding, so much so that even after sitting together for a while, there was still a sense of distance between them.
But at this moment, Liu Jiaxue suddenly felt that the gap between them wasn’t as wide as she had thought.
Xue Jiao was even better than she had imagined.
Liu Jiaxue hurriedly pulled out a tissue and handed it to Xue Jiao.
“Wipe your tears.”
Xue Jiao took two tissues but handed one back to her.
“You wipe yours too. If there’s anything bothering you, you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”
Her gaze was earnest and full of concern.
Liu Jiaxue clutched the tissue but still couldn’t bring herself to speak.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to say anything. But if someone is bullying you or if you’re feeling unwell, you must speak up.” Xue Jiao was still worried. Counting her past life, she was actually older. She was afraid that girls this age might suffer in silence, too scared to voice their grievances.
“Mm.” Liu Jiaxue nodded, biting her lower lip.
Xue Jiao didn’t press further.
Yi Tianyu patted her shoulder, and Xue Jiao turned around.
She was met with a pair of red, tear-filled eyes and a face twisted in pain.
Xue Jiao: “...”
Yi Tianyu reached out, his voice hoarse. “Bookworm… I’m miserable… I can’t hold back my tears…”
Xue Jiao stared at him, expressionless.
Yi Tianyu leaned forward, trying to hug her and rest his head on her shoulder.
“I’m so miserable… but a man shouldn’t cry easily, I—”
Xue Jiao raised her hand and pressed it against his forehead, stopping him.
Yi Tianyu froze.
Xue Jiao looked at him and said flatly,
“Tianyu, the menthol oil you rubbed on smells way too strong.”
Yi Tianyu: “...”
After the oath-taking rally, the first month of senior year officially began.
The first mock exam was approaching, and under the influence of the rally, the students were filled with determination to work hard.
Though no one knew how long it would last, the competition at this stage was indeed fierce.
Teachers from all subjects began guiding students through a review of the material, starting from the first year of high school. Everyone listened attentively.
Xue Jiao had already begun her third round of meticulous review. The first round was self-study, and the second was during summer break with Teacher Zheng.
Now, in the third round, she was breaking down every piece of knowledge, digesting it thoroughly.
So, while all the other students sat with their heads raised during class reviews, Xue Jiao was the only one with her head lowered.
The teachers didn’t comment. Early in the semester, Xue Jiao and Chu Sheng had already explained their situation.
After class.
Yi Tianyu craned his neck to look at Xue Jiao’s notes.
“Bookworm, why can you and Chu Sheng skip lectures, but I have to listen? The three of us studied with Teacher Zheng together!”
Xue Jiao didn’t even look up as she flipped a page.
“You were on your first round. We were on our second. And besides—”
“Besides what?” Yi Tianyu blinked.
Xue Jiao smirked. “And even if you did study with Teacher Zheng like us, we’ve always been in the same classroom before. But when it comes to grades—”
“Stop, stop!” Yi Tianyu waved his hands in surrender.
Xue Jiao lifted her chin, her lips quirking slightly, before turning her attention back to her notes.
Beside them, Liu Jiaxue watched their exchange with longing. She never dared to interrupt when Yi Tianyu was speaking.
Once they finished, she said to Xue Jiao enviously, “You’re so brave. I wouldn’t dare tell the teacher that I also took extra classes over the summer.”Xue Jiao looked at her earnestly. "Studying is a personal matter. If you have a good rhythm, there's really no need to strictly follow the teacher's pace—there's nothing to fear. However, following the teacher's guidance has its benefits too. You must understand your own situation clearly. Only you know what works best for you."
After she finished speaking, Liu Jiaxue seemed momentarily lost.
Xue Jiao continued to explain, "For example, this semester the teacher bought two sets of review materials for each subject. This was based on what suits the majority, to help more students solidify their foundation. But my foundation is already quite solid for now, so I need materials with more advanced difficulty that better suit me. That's why I added two more reference books myself. This might not work for others, but it definitely works for me."
With that, Xue Jiao withdrew her gaze and returned to her previous task.
After a long pause, Liu Jiaxue finally said, "I think I'll stick with the teacher's lessons."
She wasn't sure whether she should follow the teacher's pace. Not following made her worry she might not learn well or miss key knowledge.
Yet seeing top students like Gu Xue Jiao and Chu Sheng not strictly adhering to the teacher's plan left her conflicted.
For a moment, she felt lost, but soon realized she didn't dare to tell the teacher. So she resigned herself to listening attentively in class.
In just over a month, Qizhong High School completed the first round of review.
The first mock exam officially began.
"This time, it's a full simulation of the college entrance exam. Treat it as the real battle, and give it your all. Your total scores will be sent to your parents and categorized based on performance. Top performers will be rewarded, while those who don't do well will have their parents contacted by the school."
"Aww—" The moment this announcement was made, the entire classroom erupted in groans.
"Why is our first mock exam starting so early?"
"That's just how it is in our province."
"Nonsense! Only our school and No. 1 High are the best in the province. The mock exams our teachers design are used across the whole province. If our school hadn't scheduled the first mock for now, why would the whole province follow suit?"
"Why is our school rushing the first mock?"
"How should I know? Maybe it's based on the school's experience—this timing is supposedly best for the review process."
"The school wouldn't harm us. At worst, we'll just have to work a little harder."
"Tch."
No matter how much the students complained, by late September, the first mock exam was in full swing.
"Jiao Jiao, come eat these walnuts." Li Sitong brought out a plate of shelled walnuts and placed a glass of milk on the table.
Xue Jiao's face fell instantly. "Mom, can I eat fewer walnuts? I'm turning into a walnut myself!"
"This is scientifically measured—I shell exactly the right daily amount for you. Eat up quickly, then hurry to school. Today's the first mock exam—you must hold onto first place!"
Xue Jiao sighed and resignedly ate the walnuts.
As soon as Li Sitong returned to the kitchen, Xue Jiao stood up and grabbed all the walnuts from the plate.
"Mom, I'll eat them on the way—I'm running late! Dad, bye!"
With that, she quickly put on her shoes, grabbed her backpack, and dashed out.
"Wait, you—" Li Sitong called after her.
"Let her go, Sitong," Cheng Shuo interjected.Li Sitong immediately fell silent and looked over with a hint of dissatisfaction. "We spent so long peeling those walnuts, and she'll probably just throw them away if she takes them out."
Cheng Shuo chuckled and patted the seat beside him. Li Sitong sat down with a huff.
"I should've called her back to finish eating before leaving."
"Jiao Jiao doesn't like walnuts. You're forcing her," Cheng Shuo said, wrapping an arm around Li Sitong. "But it's still good. Don't you think Xue Jiao has become much closer to us lately? The distance between us has lessened a lot. This is how a child should be."
Li Sitong froze for a moment.
Cheng Shuo continued, "If you gave her walnuts, she'd say thank you and eat them calmly, even if she disliked them, forcing herself to finish. Would you really be satisfied with that?"
Li Sitong instinctively shook her head.
Cheng Shuo smiled. "You love her, I know. But you need to love her the right way. If she acts mischievous like this, you can scold her a little, but don't lose your temper."
"Okay." Li Sitong nodded firmly.
Then she reached out and hugged Cheng Shuo. "Lao Cheng, thank you. Without you, I wouldn't know how to be a mother at all."
She had many, many problems and was still slowly correcting them.
The process was a bit difficult, but it was something she had to go through.
By the time Xue Jiao arrived at school, many students were already there. Her seat was always in Class 1, so she didn’t need to go to another classroom early to wait.
"Bookworm, you're here!" Yi Tianyu set down his cup, his eyes lighting up.
As Xue Jiao approached, Liu Jiaxue also walked over to her. "You made it."
"Yeah, you guys are really early."
"No choice, the old man forced me," Yi Tianyu shrugged.
Liu Jiaxue didn’t explain, so Xue Jiao didn’t ask further.
"Here, have some walnuts—brain food. Hope they help with today’s exam." She flipped her hand, revealing a large handful of walnut kernels.
"Wow, Bookworm, since when are you so nice?" Yi Tianyu said, immediately taking half.
The remaining half was left, and Liu Jiaxue hesitated before reaching out, too embarrassed to take them all.
Xue Jiao grabbed her hand and placed the rest in her palm.
"Go on, eat up."
Liu Jiaxue looked at her with teary-eyed gratitude. "Jiao Jiao, aren’t you having any? Let’s share."
"I already ate! You have them!" Xue Jiao said hurriedly.
Liu Jiaxue’s eyes reddened with emotion. "You’re so kind, Jiao Jiao."
Jiao Jiao was the best friend she’d ever had—the one who treated her the best.
Xue Jiao awkwardly averted her gaze, a faint flush on her cheeks.
She quickly pulled out her Chinese textbook, reviewing the material once more before the exam started.
Seeing this, Yi Tianyu and Liu Jiaxue also took out their books and began flipping through them.
Once the two-day exams ended, the seven-day National Day holiday began.
This might be the longest break of their senior year, as the upcoming winter vacation would only last seven days.
As soon as the exams finished, students frantically compared answers while cheering wildly, filling the atmosphere with excitement.
"Quiet!" Yin Fang strode in and bellowed.
Instantly, everyone fell silent.
"This exam’s grading will follow the same standards as the college entrance exam. Your rankings will be compared city-wide. Don’t let this holiday make you slack off! I’ll message your parents tonight with all your assignments. They’ll supervise your study progress at home."
She paused, then added, "Class representatives, come with me to collect the homework."
When the assignments were finally handed out in the afternoon before the break, Yi Tianyu was plunged into despair.
"Bookworm!"
"What?" Xue Jiao turned her head."How many days do we get for National Day holiday?"
"Seven days," Xue Jiao replied absentmindedly.
Yi Tianyu's hand, clutching a stack of test papers, trembled slightly. After a long pause, he choked out—
"This is like a month's worth of homework, isn't it?"
Xue Jiao: "..."
This time, the homework load was indeed heavy. Every teacher thought, "I’ll just assign a little extra—it’s fine, the students can just put in a bit more effort."
But clearly, all the teachers had the same idea.
As a result, the students definitely weren’t just putting in "a bit" more effort.
Xue Jiao returned home with a heavy backpack. Li Sitong was busy packing.
While changing her shoes, Xue Jiao looked at her mother in confusion.
"Jiao Jiao, you're back?"
"Yeah. What are you doing?"
"Hurry up and pack too. We’re leaving early tomorrow to visit your brother."
"Huh?" Xue Jiao was momentarily stunned.
"Your brother has a project and only has one day off, so he can’t come back. Your dad and I discussed it—we’ll go see him and take a short trip in the capital. It’s perfect timing since you’ve just finished your exams and can relax a little." Li Sitong said casually.
Xue Jiao sighed and lifted her backpack.
"Mom, this is my homework..."
"That much?!" Li Sitong’s eyes widened.
Xue Jiao nodded. "Yes. The teachers will send it to you tonight—you’ll see. So even if I go with you, while you’re out having fun, I’ll probably just be stuck in the library or hotel doing homework."
Li Sitong frowned, hesitating for a long time before muttering, "But we can’t just leave you home alone either. Besides, if we don’t visit your brother now, we probably won’t see him again until New Year’s."
Both of them were at a loss, unsure what to do.
That evening, Cheng Shuo returned home.
"Lao Cheng, what should we do about this? Jiao Jiao’s teachers are really something—assigning so much homework during the holiday!" Li Sitong said, frustrated.
Cheng Shuo chuckled. "What can we do? It’s senior year. If the homework were too light, that’d be more worrying."
"So what’s your suggestion?"
"Jiao Jiao definitely can’t stay home alone. We shouldn’t miss this family reunion. Since Mingze only has one day off, we’ll have a meal together, visit his school, and then for the next two days, you and I can go sightseeing while Jiao Jiao does homework in the library. After that, we’ll come back, and Jiao Jiao can spend the remaining four days at home finishing her assignments. How does that sound?" Cheng Shuo looked at Xue Jiao.
Xue Jiao nodded. "Sounds good."
That night, lying in bed, Xue Jiao told Lin Zhihua about the plan.
On the other end of the phone, Lin Zhihua stood up with a smile, stretching his legs, his eyes bright with delight.
Jiao Jiao was coming!
His fingers tapped out a reply—
Just come. I’ll take care of the homework problem.
Xue Jiao was taken aback and pressed—
How?
Lin Zhihua: I’ll tell you when you get here. Don’t worry, homework won’t be an issue.
Xue Jiao: "..."
What could he possibly do?
But Lin Zhihua had never lied to her before. He either told the truth or chose not to speak—there was no deception.
Did he really have a solution?
While Xue Jiao was still puzzled, Lin Zhihua had already called Chen Yan.
"Chen Yan, clear my schedule for the day after tomorrow and the following day."
Chen Yan: "Understood."
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