Chai icen tidied up her suitcase and dragged it out. She saw so students walking into the school building.
She stood there waiting for Zhou Rui. Then she saw Zhou Rui co out carrying a large bag.
"What are you carrying?" Chai icen looked at him and asked.
"This is a month's worth of socks and clothes," Zhou Rui replied sowhat proudly, tilting up his chin.
"Stay away from , I can't stand the sll." Chai icen took a step back on her own initiative, then pointed at the students over there and asked, "Why are they all going into the classroom building? To assign howork?"
"Looks like the monthly exam scoreboard ca out." Zhou Rui didn't care much about this stuff, he shrugged.
"Let's go take a look." Chai icen was very interested.
"You want to go into the classroom building carrying all these socks?"
"You know it's embarrassing."
Zhou Rui put down the big bag on the ground and said to Chai icen, "Wait here, I'll run over and take a picture to show you. Don't make a fuss."
"No one will steal this crap if you don't keep an eye on it." Chai icen sat on her suitcase in the shade of a tree, cooling off, and watched Zhou Rui run into the classroom building.
She changed into her own clothes, a short-sleeved top with suspender shorts. Her hair draped down and was blown by the wind, extrely cute.
Not long after Zhou Rui left, a boy ran over and stood still in front of Chai icen. He said nervously, "Chai icen, can I get your WeChat ID?"
Chai icen shook her head: "No."
Her son wouldn't let her.
"Ah...you perford so well at the sports et! And, and..." The boy stamred a little, not knowing what else to say, and hemd and hawed for a while.
Chai icen looked up at him. He was actually quite a young boy, with a lon seed face, small features, delicate looking, just a little too skinny.
"And?" Chai icen felt compelled to hear the rest.
"I really like you!" The boy mustered his courage and said.
"Admirable courage." A man's voice ca from behind the boy. The boy looked back and saw a sharply dressed man walk up, smiling at him.
But this kind of smile sent chills down his spine.
When Chai icen saw Hou Ranxi, she imdiately smiled, "Uncle Hou!"
Hearing this "Uncle Hou", Hou Ranxi felt quite helpless. He watched as the boy repeatedly apologized and ran away, then walked over to Chai icen's side.
"Let get your luggage," Hou Ranxi said.
"Okay," Chai icen nodded. "We'll wait for Zhou Rui, he went to see the grades."
Of course Hou Ranxi was in no hurry. He stood by Chai icen and chatted idly with her, "You're quite popular with the little boys."
"As long as you look decent, boys will like you. Just look at the male-female ratio." Chai icen shrugged.
"But don't let Zhou Rui know. He has a strong sense of self-esteem and won't accept that his future dad is the sa age as him." As he spoke, Hou Ranxi placed his palm in front of Chai icen's forehead to shield so of the sunlight.
"I know what I'm doing. And I'm not interested in finding another son to annoy ."
Hou Ranxi nodded with a smile, "Mm."
Zhou Rui felt the world was so bizarre.
The first thing he did when he went in was to take a look at the International Class ranking list. He saw that Chai icen had made a teoric rise, ranking fourth in the International Class. He was shocked.
This ranking list included all four International Classes combined. Of course Zhang Ruchen was first.
International Class 3 had always been at the bottom, never appearing in the top thirty rankings before. But this ti Chai icen had burst out from there.
Others didn't know what was going on, but Zhou Rui did.
His mother hadn't studied for over ten years already. She had just returned to school not long ago, yet she had fought her way into the top four already.
This was an amazing natural gift...
Zhou Rui took a photo of the rankings for Chai icen, and was about to leave when a ranking list beside caught his eye.
Mainly because the discussion was so loud.
There were twelve regular classes including one rocket class.
Because of the large number of students, the International Classes only ranked the top 30 on the big board, while the regular classes ranked the top 50.
"How did soone from the International Class get on here? Did the person writing the rankings make a mistake?"
"No mistake. Zhang Ruchen from the International Class scored 591 on the International exam, and 723 on the regular exam. He's number one on both."
"Seems like he and a few others took the International exam during the day, and did the regular exam at night too."
"A genius is a genius. Even with different textbooks he can still rank first. His total score is 14 points higher than Zhao Bingqing's!"
"This Chai icen is pretty aweso too."
When he heard Chai icen's na, Zhou Rui squeezed over to take a look. Following the big ranking list down, the International Class nas stood out, easy to find.
Turned out Zhang Ruchen had taken the regular class exam, and also scored first place. No wonder Zhou Rui had chosen him to tutor.
Next Zhou Rui was shocked to see Chai icen's na at number 23.
Chai icen took the International Class exam, listening in class with barely half understanding, yet relying on her amazing "gift", she ranked fourth, which was already incredible.
And on the regular class exam, she had also made it into the top 50!
Zhou Rui couldn't believe it. If Chai icen had studied properly, and picked up all the knowledge points again, how high could she have scored?
At that ti would even Zhang Ruchen be a match for her?
"Previously people kept saying the International Class exams had no technical substance. Got smacked in the face now right?" Suddenly a student from the International Class provoked arrogantly.
Previously, students from the regular classes, especially the rocket class, looked down on the International Class students. Mainly because they felt the exam difficulty was very low, and high scores didn't an they studied well.
Among them, so were also sour grapes. They felt the International Class only relied on money, and were actually a bunch of idiots.
Now Zhang Ruchen and Chai icen had proven that International Class students taking the regular exam could still ace it. Going abroad to study was just their choice.
But many regular class students, if taking the International Class exam, might not even understand the questions!
The International Class students had been looked down on for a long ti. Finally they could hold their heads high. So they brazenly provoked.
"Just two people did it, like you said." Soone retorted.
"Three people went out, and the last two made the top 50. Doesn't that prove it?" The International Class student replied.
"What about the third person?"
Zhou Rui stood listening on the side, and hearing this, there was actually a plot about him.
He gave a little cough and said, "The third one is ."
Seeing Zhou Rui, the surroundings instantly fell silent.
The regular class students imdiately made way. They had thought Zhou Rui was here to make trouble.
Who knew Zhou Rui slowly walked to the front of the big board, focused his phone, took a picture, then left.
Only after Zhou Rui had gone did everyone secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhou Rui sent the photo of the grades to Chai icen, and another copy to the group chat.
Yang Jie: Holy crap!
Li Xiaonan: Pretty aweso.
Zhuo Wenqian: Sis i is so badass!
Classmate 1: What happened?
Classmate 2: I'm a bit puzzled at first, why Zhou bro suddenly cares about grades. Then I open the rankings and I'm shocked!
Yang Jie:
Yang Jie: How co Sis i and Zhang Harvard are also on the regular class rankings?
Li Xiaonan: They stayed up all night to do the exams.
Zhuo Wenqian: Brother Li, they took the exams, don't make it sound so violent.
Yang Jie: My god! Sis i, you're my goddess! Ah ah ah!
When Zhou Rui walked out, he saw the scene of Hou Ranxi with Chai icen. He walked over and said, "Let's go eat sothing tasty later!"
"Okay." Hou Ranxi answered first.
Chai icen went over to Zhou Rui, pinched his face and looked at his teeth, "Your teeth look a little crooked. Let get you braces."
"No braces. It affects my eating good food. Besides, you can't be too perfect as a person, otherwise how would others survive."
"Well, it'd be even better if you didn't smoke, your teeth could be whiter." Hou Ranxi said from the side.
Zhou Rui instantly felt Chai icen's hands pinch harder. His face hurt.
"Uncle Hou, that's not cool!" Zhou Rui said, looking at Hou Ranxi.
"Oh she didn't know?" Hou Ranxi pretended to be dumb.
Zhou Rui quickly slipped away, hoisting his bag of socks, and left.
Chai icen instantly moved far away from Zhou Rui, not pursuing it for now.
At the restaurant, Chai icen went to the restroom.
Hou Ranxi placed the nu in front of Zhou Rui. Zhou Rui snorted contemptuously, refusing to acknowledge Hou Ranxi.
"Smoking is indeed not good." Hou Ranxi said.
"I'm not addicted, but when I need to show off I'll stick one in my mouth. Usually I toss it before finishing it."
"No need to put on that act."
Zhou Rui picked up the nu to browse. Suddenly he rembered sothing and looked up at Hou Ranxi, "Uncle Hou, I feel my mom is pretty great. Why was she like that before? Such good potential, yet she ruined herself to beco like that. How much effort will it take for her to recover?"
"Your mom never talked to you about this?" Hou Ranxi asked.
"No." Zhou Rui shook his head.
Hou Ranxi hesitated, then asked Zhou Rui, "Do you know what progesterone is?"
"No." Zhou Rui shook his head again.
"When she was pregnant with you, it was the most painful ti for your mom. She was depressed and in low spirits then, and her health declined too. To protect the fetus, she needed to take progesterone. It's a pregnancy hormone. This hormone has so side effects, like..."
As soon as Zhou Rui heard this, he was stunned. He even forgot to look at the nu.
Many parents would say to their child: "If not for you, I would have...long ago." "This is all because of you."
But Chai icen would never say such things to Zhou Rui, because she knew her current predicant was all due to her own choices. All the suffering was brought upon herself, she couldn't bla anyone else.
She didn't want to talk about it, also because she didn't want to add pressure to Zhou Rui.
Hou RanXi continued speaking: "Also, everyone has a different constitution. Their reactions to pregnancy vary too. Chai icen was the kind of person who would get extrely hungry, often getting stomach acid reflux from hunger in the middle of the night, forcing her to eat sothing. Her weight increased rapidly during the pregnancy, making her much fatter after having the child."
"Can't she lose the weight?"
"After giving birth, she still needed to take care of you. She didn't feel assured leaving you with hired help either. Perhaps because she was abandoned before, she didn't feel secure and depended heavily on you, unwilling to leave your side, missing the optimal ti to get back in shape."
"So she gave up on herself after that?"
"It was probably a form of self-punishnt."
Zhou Rui cocked his head slightly, not quite understanding.
Thinking of Chai icen's past experiences, Hou RanXi's heart ached.
Just recalling it made his heart hurt unbearably.
He resented himself many tis for not being born earlier, before Chai icen fell for that man and pursued her.
But later, Chai icen's heart died, and he lost his chance.
"After losing heart, she even gave up on herself. You were her greatest support." Hou RanXi explained.
"Why was she abandoned?"
"I can't say. I promised to keep it secret for her. But you're grown now, find an appropriate ti and ask her yourself. She'll tell you if she's truly let go of the past."
"What about the square dancing and stuff? I feel like she's not that old, how did she get into that?"
Speaking of this, Hou RanXi was also quite helpless.
"The others living near her who had kids were mostly grandpas and grandmas. She didn't have experience raising a kid without parental help. When she brought you out to get sunlight, she asked them for advice on raising a child. In an unfamiliar environnt without peers her age, she got to know a bunch of elders and gradually was led astray."
"Couldn't you have corrected her?"
"When I looked for her, you were already four years old. Even with traces of her, I almost couldn't recognize her. Also, won of the sa age are completely different with or without a child, even if they have soone helping with the child."
Zhou Rui truly didn't rember this. His impression was that Hou RanXi had always been there as he grew up.
He really didn't know he was raised alone by Chai icen until age four.
He suddenly understood.
Without a single familiar person around, because he had abandoned her. Chai icen raised him alone, without ti to exercise, also giving up on herself, overeating to punish herself.
Gradually, she beca who she was today.
Just then, Chai icen walked in saying, "I bought a big chicken chop outside."
"Eat, eat, eat, fat and old every day still eating! And a big chicken chop! Get real, eat less you won't starve, learn from Uncle Hou and go work out, can you?" Seeing Chai icen, Zhou Rui imdiately got angry and started yelling.
Chai icen was stunned by Zhou Rui's words, and her chicken chop was snatched away too.
"Giving you face and you scold now! Go ho and wash your socks!" Chai icen had an even stronger aura than Zhou Rui.
Zhou Rui imdiately adjusted his mood, telling Chai icen, "Check your phone, the report card is out. You didn't do too bad."
But when Chai icen saw her report card, she sighed, "I can test this high up, doesn't that an your school's education quality is lacking?"
Zhou Rui was instantly at a loss for words, silently nibbling on the chicken chop.
Holding her phone, Zhao Bing Qing looked at the school forum post, gnashing her teeth in anger.
First Chai icen shone at the sports et, then her grades suddenly rose into the top ranks, and she even had decent academic results.
Doubts of her status as the school belle were increasing, and soone even started a post to revote the school belle.
She anonymously looked at the results, and saw Chai icen had over triple her number of votes.
She heard even the middle schoolers ca to vote for Chai icen, whose ratings were clearly much higher than hers.
Zhao Bing Qing angrily stomped her feet.
She didn't care when she was the school belle before.
But having her status suddenly usurped by soone she hated made her extrely upset.
The door to the lounge opened and Zhao Bing Qing's mother walked in. Zhao Bing Qing imdiately went over, "Mom! I'm being bullied!"
Zhao Bing Qing was currently wearing a little dress, originally tailored as a miniskirt to showcase her long legs.
But her knee was suddenly injured, so she could only wear a long dress left behind by her sister, making her furious.
Seeing her mother co in, she quickly went to tattle.
Zhao's mother patted Zhao Bing Qing's arm, "Baby be good, mom is a bit busy today, we'll deal with your matters later okay?"
Just as she finished speaking, the door opened again as Zhao Bing Qing's sister Zhao Bing Ling walked in.
Zhao Bing Ling's dress today could be said to be exquisitely crafted, all hand-tailored with embroidered sequins and diamonds ticulously sewn on by master artisans, precisely fitted to perfectly accentuate Zhao Bing Ling's figure.
Seeing Zhao Bing Ling, Zhao Bing Qing's heart soured.
She had never worn such a pretty dress before, yet it was worn by her sister this ti for her to upstage others.
This was a banquet that many successful businessn would attend.
Among families of so status in this area, the Zhao sisters were quite outstanding.
The two sisters were beautiful, tall, refined and elegant.
It was previously said Zhao Bing Qing was slightly better, but today she may be overshadowed by her sister.
Zhao's mother's attention was completely on Zhao Bing Ling as she instructed, "You must perform well today, attract Young Master Yi's attention as much as possible. He just returned to the country so there are countless won wanting to get close to him. We'll miss the chance if we're late."
So dressing up Zhao Bing Ling so beautifully was to attract the Yi family's only son.
Zhao Bing Qing was already unhappy, hearing this she couldn't help laughing coldly, "Mother, is this necessary? That Yi young master is in his thirties and still a bachelor, I think there's likely so issue, or he wouldn't be lacking won around him."
"You know nothing. The Yi family places utmost importance on family status, foreign girls are unacceptable." Zhao's mother rebutted unhappily.
"Even if nothing's wrong with him, Young Master Yi is already over thirty, I think thirty-five? My sister is only twenty-three, a whole generation below him, how is that a match?"
"n like young misses, if you can catch his eye, you can marry in after coming of age, he's from the Yi family!" Zhao's mother imdiately scolded.
Zhao Bing Qing looked at her mother in disbelief, unable to believe she would say such things.
She was only sixteen, with a nineteen year gap to that man!
How was that possible.
She quickly changed her tune, "Let my sister do it then, I can't stand such a big age gap."
"You can't be certain you'll find a better man than in the future." Zhao Bing Ling coldly remarked.
"Nonsense, my standards are much higher than yours. At least I won't dress up in full splendor for a man in his thirties."
"Don't go too far!"
"Both of you stop arguing, we're going out soon, keep your mouths shut." Zhao's mother said, bringing both daughters out.
Outside, everyone was praising the Zhao family's outstanding daughters, with more attention on Zhao Bing Ling.
Zhao Bing Qing listened by the side, resentfully thinking that she would look just as beautiful in that dress.
In the crowd, Zhao's mother finally located her target and calmly walked over to greet them.
Seeing the man, Zhao Bing Qing was surprised to suddenly beco shy, and when she looked up, she froze.
Not far in the crowd stood an unfamiliar man.
The man was tall, clearly fit from working out, with a great physique.
His hair was a bit long, tied in a ponytail behind his head, not appearing feminine at all but instead giving him an extraordinary air.
The man had an abnormal paleness to his skin, but this wasn't important because he seed to have an immortal aura about him, making him transcendent.
A person's temperant and bearing could be seen in an instant.
This man had an excellent temperant. Getting close, one would feel lowly as dust, unable to approach or risk being outshone.
Most importantly...what fairy-like looks.
She had never seen a better looking man, even celebrities paled in comparison.
Let alone compare in temperant.
Thirties
Who cared about age when he looked immortal? One glance was enough to beco obsessed, regardless of age.
While Zhao Bing Qing was dazed, Zhao Bing Ling had already walked over.
A glass of wine was handed to the man and he glanced down at it.
Zhao Bing Ling went over and gently asked, "Do you like this champagne too? I'm also especially fond of it."
As she spoke, she clinked glasses with the man.
The man glanced at Zhao Bing Ling and slowly poured the wine over ice, "No, I find it especially awful."
His voice was piercingly cold but extrely pleasant to listen to.
Author's note: Zhao Bing Qing - Hmph, I won't hang myself on a crooked tree.
Then...two trees.
Big update today, no second chapter!
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