The students were busy working through practice problems. When they looked up and saw that Cheng Ye had already handed in his math test, they immediately began gloating.
It seemed he didn’t know how to solve the questions and had given up early!
Cheng Fenghao thought the same. With half an hour left before the exam ended, he went up to hand in his paper, casting a provocative glance at Cheng Ye from the corner of his eye.
As he passed by, he didn’t forget to remind him, “Cheng Ye, don’t forget your bet.”
Chu Xiyan was five minutes slower. Soon after, she also went up to submit her math paper.
Jiang Mian felt sleepy and ended up lying on the desk, dozing off for two hours. In the end, it was Cheng Ye who woke her up, and only then did she hesitantly turn in a blank paper.
Evening self-study for the third year hadn’t ended yet, so no one could leave early. Once everyone had gradually submitted their papers, the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the session. The students grabbed their backpacks and rushed out of the classroom.
Cheng Shiyan, the third sister, was a well-known doctor. After finishing surgeries during the day, she happened to have time in the evening, so she personally came to pick up her younger brother Cheng Fenghao.
Cheng Fenghao ran over with a delighted expression. “Third Sister, why are you here?”
“I came to pick you up from school. I heard from your teacher that there was a math quiz tonight. How did it feel? Did everything go smoothly?” Cheng Shiyan clearly adored her excellent and obedient younger brother.
“It was okay. I should still be able to secure first place,” Cheng Fenghao replied confidently.
Cheng Shiyan felt extremely proud. “You’re first every time. You’re the pride of the Cheng family.”
“Let’s go home. When we get there, I’ll tell Father Cheng and Mother Cheng that you ranked first in this math test.”
Cheng Fenghao pursed his lips shyly. “Third Sister, the results aren’t out yet.”
“What difference does that make? You’re definitely first place!” Cheng Shiyan took Cheng Fenghao’s hand and was about to leave the classroom when she suddenly noticed Cheng Ye, who was packing his books.
A glint flashed in Cheng Fenghao’s eyes. “Third Sister, my brother made a bet with me today.”
“A bet?” The moment Cheng Ye was mentioned, a strong sense of disgust rose in Cheng Shiyan’s heart. “Did he bully you again?”
“N-no.” Cheng Fenghao spoke softly. “Brother made a bet with me. If he gets first place in this math test, he wants me to publicly apologize to him during next Monday’s flag-raising ceremony.”
Cheng Fenghao lowered his head, looking aggrieved and distressed. Tears welled up in his eyes, the corners reddening from sorrow. “Third Sister, why does Brother hate me?”
“What did I do wrong? Why is he forcing me to apologize in public? And during the flag-raising ceremony, with the whole school watching?”
Cheng Shiyan couldn’t bear to see him cry. The moment he did, her heart seemed to twist painfully.
“You treat him as your brother, but he doesn’t even acknowledge you,” Cheng Shiyan said, deliberately raising her voice with a sarcastic tone. “He already cut ties. Deep down, he doesn’t accept us as part of the Cheng family at all. Don’t bother with him.”
“Heh, betting on getting first place? If he can actually do that, pigs might as well climb trees!” Cheng Shiyan shot Cheng Ye a disdainful look. “Shameless. No ability, yet full of empty boasts!”
Cheng Ye finished packing his books. His expression remained emotionless, but his dark eyes carried a chilling coldness. “Oh? Someone’s results aren’t even out yet, and he’s already confidently claiming he’ll secure first place.”
“What if you don’t get first place? Wouldn’t that be like slapping your own face?”
Cheng Fenghao’s expression changed instantly. “I’m just stating the truth. First place used to be mine, and it will only ever be mine.”
He had absolute confidence in his academic performance.
Cheng Shiyan rolled her eyes dramatically and pulled Cheng Fenghao along. “Let’s go. He just likes to brag. When the results come out tomorrow, I’ll call your math teacher in front of the family in the living room and personally ask about both of your scores!”
“Let everyone see how embarrassing it is for him!” Cheng Shiyan’s face darkened with anger. Since Cheng Ye loved embarrassing himself, she would make sure he did it thoroughly!
Cheng Fenghao felt a surge of excitement. If this could make the Cheng family despise Cheng Ye even more, why not?
Cheng Ye merely shrugged indifferently.
After Cheng Shiyan and Cheng Fenghao left, only Cheng Ye, Jiang Mian, and Chu Xiyan remained in the classroom.
As the class monitor, Chu Xiyan stayed behind to turn off the lights and lock the door.
She urged impatiently, “Hurry up and pack. I’m going home.”
Cheng Ye and Jiang Mian completely ignored her presence as they searched through the desk for a long time.
“Are you sure you brought it to school?” Cheng Ye asked patiently.
Jiang Mian looked around anxiously, a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead. “I did! I just bought that math guidebook. How did it suddenly disappear?”
Cheng Ye suddenly thought of the blank math paper Jiang Mian had turned in. At that moment, he could finally understand the painstaking intentions behind Jiang Mian’s parents wanting to send her to work at a factory.
She really didn’t like studying at all.
Jiang Mian stopped searching and looked up at him with innocent, earnest eyes. “The concept of sets, basic relationships, and basic operations of sets—I’ve learned all of those!”
Cheng Ye fell silent.
Weren’t those the topics from the very first lesson of first-year high school math?
“Let’s look for it again tomorrow. If we still can’t find it, it’s fine. It’s just a guidebook, and bookstores have plenty,” Cheng Ye comforted her, telling her not to worry.
Jiang Mian nodded obediently. “Okay, let’s go back then.”
Jiang Mian grabbed Cheng Ye’s hand and pulled him out of the classroom. Chu Xiyan overheard her saying, “Good thing it didn’t rain tonight. Do you live off-campus?”
“Yeah,” Cheng Ye replied.
“You’re not staying near your grandmother’s small clinic, are you?” Jiang Mian asked thoughtfully.
Whatever she asked, he answered. “Yes, I am. What about you?”
“I live near you too. But my grandfather doesn’t live there. Didn’t your grandmother say she’s going to visit my grandfather tomorrow? I’ve already booked a taxi. The driver will take your grandmother to my grandfather’s place.”
“Last time you mentioned your grandfather has back pain from sitting too long?” Cheng Ye asked.
“Yeah! He gets so focused on work that he forgets the time and doesn’t stand up often. Over time, it caused serious back issues. We’ve called many doctors, but none could fully cure him. They all say it’s unlikely to be completely healed and can only be managed with traditional medicine to relieve the pain.”
Their voices gradually faded into the distance.
Chu Xiyan stomped her foot in anger. The relationship between Cheng Ye and Jiang Mian had progressed far too quickly!
Being so blatantly ignored by Cheng Ye made her chest feel tight with frustration. However, she soon calmed herself again.
Jiang Mian had turned in a blank paper tonight, which meant she was just like Cheng Ye—a poor student!
But she and Cheng Fenghao were different. They were outstanding students in the eyes of teachers and top achievers in the eyes of their classmates.
She and Cheng Ye were never part of the same world.
Thinking this way, Chu Xiyan finally felt much better.