The day before the Gaokao, my family drugged me with sleeping pills and locked me in the basement.
I knelt and pleaded with my aunt, crying until my voice was hoarse, begging her to let me out for the exam.
Both of my parents had died when I was young, but I excelled in my studies. Getting into a top-tier university would have been effortless for me.
This was my only chance to change my fate. I couldn’t miss it!
But my aunt only slapped me across the face.
“Who are you wailing for? It’s just an exam. What’s the point in going?”
“Your cousin flunked his high school entrance exam; he was just a few points shy of getting into high school! Now the family doesn’t have enough money. I’ve already accepted the bride price from Liu next door on your behalf. You’re getting married off tomorrow morning.”
“Old man Liu is the type who knows how to cherish a person. If his previous wife hadn’t died so young, would it even be your turn?”
Liu from next door?
He was old enough to be my father! Not only did he smoke and drink heavily, but he also beat women. His previous wife committed suicide by drinking pesticide because she couldn’t endure the domestic violence!
And my cousin—he had been a failing student since childhood. There was no way he could have gotten into high school on his own merit.
Now, for the sake of their precious son’s high school placement, they were actually going to sell me!
“We can’t keep this child. Our family can’t afford to raise her. Take her back to wherever you got her from.”
“Where do you want me to send her? I’m the only relative she has left in this world. Zhou Qin, the child is so pitiful. You’re a mother too—do you have the heart to see her wandering the streets?”
“Doesn’t her father have family? They should be able to raise one child. With our situation, it’s hard enough raising our own Little Bao. Adding another mouth to feed… once you calculate the tuition and living expenses, the two of us might as well go hungry.”
“I called Shen Li’s family several times, and they all said there was no such person. I think he was just an orphan, not some second-generation rich kid. He probably lied to my mother back then, saying he ran away after a falling out with his family just to be with my sister and join the army. Besides, Shen Li is a martyr. Does a martyr’s child need you to raise her? The state provides support; all school fees are waived, and there’s a monthly pension. All you have to do is give the child a bite to eat and a place to stay. Youan is very well-behaved; she won’t cause you any trouble.”
“What? There’s a monthly pension?” The woman’s shrill voice pierced the eardrums.
Five-year-old Shen Youan sat on the sofa in the living room, listening expressionlessly to the argument coming from the bedroom. A faint trace of mockery flickered in the depths of her clear, obsidian-like eyes—a look completely inconsistent with her childhood innocence.
Her eyelashes fluttered downward, casting a light shadow over her eyelids, perfectly concealing her emotions. She looked quiet and obedient.
Upon hearing about the pension, Zhou Qin immediately changed her tune. “Well, I suppose she can stay. She is your niece, after all; blood is thicker than water. But she can’t just eat for free. She’ll have to help with the housework. Raising one child by myself is exhausting enough. If I have to take on another without help, I won’t survive.”
Zhang Jian said irritably, “Youan is only five. Don’t go too far.”
“Five isn’t that young; it’s time she learned to be sensible. It’s not my fault she lost her parents. I’m giving her a meal, so she should be grateful to me. I’m not running a charity.” Zhou Qin picked at her newly done nails, her slanted eyes filled with pettiness.
Zhang Jian stormed out of the room in frustration. Seeing Shen Youan sitting obediently in the living room, he sighed, walked over, and patted the little girl’s head. “Youan, I’m sorry you have to deal with this.”
Shen Youan looked up. She had very beautiful eyes, yet they were like a deep pool, hauntingly bottomless.
Zhang Jian froze, feeling a slight chill in his heart.
Youan used to be a very lively and adorable girl. After Shen Li passed away, she had fallen seriously ill. Once she recovered, she became much more silent. Zhang Jian had never seen her smile again.
Perhaps her father’s death had been too much of a blow for the child, Zhang Jian thought, his heart swelling with even more pity.
“Uncle, I’ll be starting first grade when school opens. Papa said he wanted me to go to Lan Ya Elementary School.” Shen Youan’s voice, still carrying a hint of babyishness, was calm.
The Lan Ya Group was the most powerful elite educational group in the city. It was divided into elementary, middle, and high school departments, equipped with the best teaching staff. The students who enrolled were either wealthy or influential; naturally, the tuition was terrifyingly expensive.
Zhang Jian wanted to say that ordinary people like them couldn’t afford an elite school, but he suddenly remembered his short-lived brother-in-law. Shen Li’s usual speech and behavior had carried an air of nobility and great insight; his family background was likely not simple. It was understandable that he would want his daughter to attend an elite school.
But that was Lan Ya Elementary. He was just a small clerk at a bank; where would he get the connections to send a child there?
“Uncle, Uncle Zhao said that if I ever have trouble, I should look for him. He was Papa’s good friend and said he would definitely help me,” Shen Youan reminded him, seemingly at random.
Zhang Jian slapped his forehead. “That’s right! How did I not think of that? Your father was Director Zhao’s right-hand man. Out of affection for your father, Director Zhao will definitely help you.”
“Since it was your father’s last wish, don’t worry, Youan. Your uncle will make sure it happens.”
Shen Youan pressed her lips together as she watched Zhang Jian hurry away.
“You brat, you think a pauper like you can attend Lan Ya Elementary School? Before, you at least had a father; now that he’s gone, you’re dreaming. Do you think Lan Ya takes just any stray cat or dog? Believe me, you won’t even make it through the front gate.” Zhou Qin’s spiteful voice drifted over as she stared at Shen Youan with a nasty side-eye.
Parents nowadays placed great importance on education. Her cousin had exhausted all her connections trying to get her son into Lan Ya, but the school had an entrance exam. Anyone scoring below ninety was rejected, no matter how “excellent” they were.
It wasn’t that she looked down on Shen Youan, but the child seemed dull-witted and was just a girl besides. Entering Lan Ya? She was dreaming.
Shen Youan blinked, looking perfectly innocent. “If I can’t get in, can Little Bao? Why are you gloating, Aunt?”
The reason she wanted to enter Lan Ya Elementary was because it was the only boarding school in the city. She wanted to get far away from this stupid, vulgar woman and never repeat the tragedies of her past life.
In her past life, she had attended an ordinary school where she was isolated because of her status as an orphan. At home, she had to do housework and look after the baby. No matter how hard she studied or how excellent her grades were, Zhou Qin always found fault. Back then, the only thought keeping her alive was the hope of getting into university and escaping everything.
But on the eve of her Gaokao, Zhou Qin had put sleeping pills in her water, causing her to miss the exam. That was the greatest regret of her previous life.
Later, Zhou Qin sold her to a widower for a hundred thousand yuan in bride price. Zhou Qin used that money to buy her precious son a spot in a high school.
She had fought to escape, fleeing to another city. To survive, she had handed out flyers and worked as a waitress, tasting all the bitterness and hardships of the world. Later, she was discovered by a talent scout and signed a contract to debut.
And that was only the beginning of the nightmare.
The little girl sitting on the sofa had a face as exquisite as a porcelain doll, with chestnut-colored wavy hair. She was incredibly well-behaved and beautiful.
But when those obsidian eyes stared at you without blinking, they were like a deep pool emitting a ghostly chill, making one’s heart tremble involuntarily.
That feeling… it was as if one were being watched by a ghost.
Zhou Qin suddenly shivered. She cursed under her breath, “You brat, just you wait. Little Bao will definitely be better than you.” With that, she slammed the bedroom door.
Shen Youan lowered her head, looking at her open palm.
Her soft, white hand still had a bit of baby fat, but the lines were clear and direct—just like her mind at this moment: lucid and calm.
Her hand slowly closed into a tight fist. Shen Youan’s eyes held a level of resolve she had never possessed before.
She would never let anyone ruin her life again.
Though Zhang Jian wasn’t particularly capable, he worked in the service industry at a bank and knew how to read people. After playing the emotional card, Director Zhao patted his chest and guaranteed he would arrange things for Shen Youan at Lan Ya Elementary.
However, Lan Ya Elementary didn’t care for personal favors. Ultimately, on the account that Director Zhao’s sister-in-law’s cousin’s second uncle was the brother-in-law of a school board member, they were willing to give Shen Youan a slot for the entrance exam. If she passed, she could enroll; if not, they wouldn’t break the industry rules.
This was already the best possible outcome. As for an elementary school entrance exam—no matter how tricky the questions—it was child’s play for a twenty-eight-year-old soul.
On the day of the exam, Shen Youan woke up early. After washing up, she tied her chestnut-colored wavy hair into a high ponytail with a red ribbon, revealing her exquisite, doll-like face. She looked as fair and cute as a snowball, but her large obsidian eyes held a detachment that didn’t match her age.
Zhou Qin came out of the bedroom holding three-year-old Zhang Tianci. While feeding him, she looked at Shen Youan askance, her eyebrows raised in her usual hateful manner. “If you ask me, we should have given this chance to our Little Bao. A little slip of a girl who’s going to get married off sooner or later—why attend such a good school? It’s a waste of resources.”
Zhang Jian, who was adjusting his tie in front of the mirror, shot her a look and said coldly, “I have my own plans for which school Little Bao will attend. Don’t worry about Youan; worry about yourself.”
Zhou Qin curled her lip. Last night she had called her cousin, who laughed and said, “Pipi spent a year in a tutoring center, and all his teachers praised his intelligence. But he caught a cold the night before the exam and wasn’t in top form, which is why he didn’t get in. I’m telling you, your niece has no foundation at all. She definitely won’t pass. Don’t bother struggling; you might as well give the chance to your Little Bao.”
Zhou Qin agreed. She had just mentioned it to Zhang Jian, and he had nearly exploded at her. He still hadn’t given her a kind look.
Hmph. she would just wait to watch the girl make a fool of herself.
Shen Youan put on her backpack and glanced at the child in Zhou Qin’s arms. Three-year-old Zhang Tianci was much fatter than other children his age. His coarse features were squeezed into a fleshy face as he immersed himself in the joy of his milk, reminding her of a pig waiting for slaughter in a pen.
A flash of disgust flickered in her eyes, and Shen Youan turned and left without looking back.
The entrance exam consisted of only one comprehensive paper with a sixty-minute time limit.
The location was the office of the Dean of Students, Wu Xishan.
Shen Youan sat at a desk near the window, which Wu Xishan had specifically brought in. Wu Xishan and Zhao Qian sat in a tea room behind a screen. Occasionally, the sound of flowing water and low-voiced conversation drifted over, and the faint scent of tea filled the room.
The test paper held no difficulty for Shen Youan. Even the few tricky brain-teasers only required her to think a bit more creatively, given her rich life experience.
Seeing that she still had plenty of time, Shen Youan tilted her head and looked out the window.
As an elite school, Lan Ya Elementary had the best facilities. The playground was enormous, and the orange-and-green synthetic track looked like a rainbow in the sky after a rain. A class was currently in physical education; their loud rhythmic chants of “One, two, one!” drifted clearly through the air.
To the left of the playground stood a massive building in a modern art style—the indoor sports arena. It reflected the azure sky with great aesthetic beauty.
Shen Youan rested her chin on her hands and took a deep breath.
It’s been a long time, school.
“Ding.”
A faint sound resonated in her mind, like a drop of water falling into a lake, creating soft ripples.
“Congratulations, Host, on successfully activating the Academic God System. From now on, we shall grow together and walk the path of the Academic God.”