The first early snow fell on the day the two children finished their final exams.
Three days after the exams, the final exam results were released.
Shen Lishu ranked first in the entire grade.
The essay she wrote for the Chinese exam even prompted her Chinese teacher to call Father Pei to praise her.
The essay topic was: My ______ (Elder)
Father Pei had the essay printed out and held it in his hands, unable to put it down, saying he would frame it and take it to the company to hang in his office.
This made Yu Qingqing incredibly envious. She leaned close to Shen Lishu and pleaded softly, “Lili, next time, write about Auntie, okay?”
Shen Lishu’s dark eyes were moist as she replied with great seriousness, “Okay.”
Pei Yu pretended not to care, but he kept glancing at the printed essay in Father Pei’s hands, his heart sour with envy.
It must be because the final exam essay had to be about an elder. If the limitation weren’t so strict, Shen Lishu would definitely have written about him.
It had to be that way!
Today, Yu Qingqing and Father Pei were going out to attend a high-society evening banquet.
“Xiao Yu, if Lili feels unwell, let us know immediately.”
Pei Yu nodded.
Since this morning, Shen Lishu had seemed a bit listless.
She didn’t have a fever, nor did she feel uncomfortable anywhere, but she was completely lethargic.
Yu Qingqing was worried, so before leaving, she took out a thermometer and checked Shen Lishu’s temperature again.
It was normal.
Shen Lishu sniffled and said softly, “Auntie, I’m fine.”
Yu Qingqing nodded.
But just as everything was arranged and Yu Qingqing and Father Pei were about to leave, Shen Lishu suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest and slumped against Pei Yu.
Pei Yu was startled, “Sweetie!”
Yu Qingqing and Father Pei, who were almost in the car, hurried back upon hearing Pei Yu’s urgent voice.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Shen Lishu clutching her chest in pain, her lips pale, the two of them had no intention of attending any evening banquet.
No matter how important the banquet was, it couldn’t compare to the child.
But Shen Lishu seemed to only hurt for a moment, and soon her lips returned to their original light peach color.
Looking at the three worried faces before her, Shen Lishu blinked, “It seems… it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Pei Yu’s face was pale from fright, and his eyes were rimmed with red.
Father Pei said sternly, “We still need to get a heart examination.”
Without even changing their clothes, the two took Shen Lishu straight to the hospital.
Pei Yu naturally went along too.
The hospital and the location of the evening banquet were in opposite directions.
Upon arriving at the Pei family’s private hospital, medical staff immediately came out to greet them.
While the examination was being conducted, Pei Yu stood on tiptoe, peering through the thick glass window into the room.
Father Pei was on the phone.
Yu Qingqing had just taken out her phone when a breaking news notification popped up. After reading the headline, she froze in place.
【#Wangjing Cross-River Bridge Suddenly Collapses# Currently Eight Dead, Seventeen Injured…】
The time was approximately thirty-five minutes ago.
Yu Qingqing had a strong sense of time. She clearly remembered that she and Father Pei had left home forty minutes ago.
To get from the villa area to the banquet venue, they had to cross the river bridge, a journey of about five or six minutes.
If Shen Lishu hadn’t suddenly felt that pain in her chest, then…
The thought sent a chill down Yu Qingqing’s spine.
Could it really be such a coincidence?
The results of Shen Lishu’s cardiac examination came out quickly.
The doctor said, “Mrs. Pei, Miss Lili’s heart is very healthy, with no issues at all.”
“Then why did it hurt?” Pei Yu was extremely anxious.
The doctor frowned slightly, unable to provide a precise explanation for this question: “There are many reasons that can cause heart pain…”
On the way back, Yu Qingqing remained absent-minded.
After that momentary heart pain, Shen Lishu’s spirits lifted, and she chatted quietly with Pei Yu, smiling.
Once they arrived home.
Father Pei, who had been observing Yu Qingqing’s mood throughout the journey, asked her discreetly, away from the children, “What’s wrong?”
Yu Qingqing took out her phone and showed Father Pei the real-time news page from earlier.
“If we hadn’t taken Lili to the hospital, our names would likely have been on the casualty list.”
Early in the morning, Shen Lishu had been in low spirits.
Just as they were about to leave, Shen Lishu suddenly experienced a sharp pain in her chest.
On the way to the hospital, Shen Lishu gradually regained her energy.
And her heart showed no signs of any issues.
It was all too coincidental!
When all these events were connected, it seemed as though Shen Lishu’s sudden chest pain had been meant to stop them from leaving the house.
If they hadn’t paid such close attention to Shen Lishu, they might have already…
Yu Qingqing had always been the least inclined to believe in supernatural or mystical theories, but now she felt a deep sense of awe about it: “Could it be…”
She had barely started speaking when Father Pei covered her mouth with his hand, “Shh!”
Some things didn’t need to be said aloud.
He had long felt that, from the moment Pei Yu was born, he had been waiting for Shen Lishu to appear.
Just as in the legend where God created Eve from Adam’s rib.
Shen Lishu had long become Pei Yu’s bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.
Time flew by.
Six years of elementary school passed in the blink of an eye, and Shen Lishu had consistently ranked first in her grade throughout those years.
From beginning to end, Shen Lishu had always shown a strong interest in numbers.
With Shen Lishu’s consent, Yu Qingqing began guiding her in this direction.
During the transition from elementary to middle school, Shen Lishu had won numerous awards in various elementary school mathematics competitions, making her a highly sought-after candidate for many prestigious middle schools.
Yu Qingqing took full charge of Shen Lishu’s education, and when it came to choosing a middle school, she had her own considerations.
Shen Lishu ultimately attended Jingda Affiliated Middle School.
This was because Yu Qingqing had received advance information that, during Shen Lishu’s third year of middle school, the top ten students in the entire grade would participate in a selection exam to identify exceptional talents.
This selection exam was held in one of the top-tier middle schools in each city across the country, aimed at selecting outstanding individuals.
Only seven students would ultimately be admitted.
What people called “geniuses” were merely the threshold for entering this selection exam.
Yu Qingqing placed high hopes on Shen Lishu.
.
In April, the evening sky was ablaze with fiery clouds.
In a narrow alley beside the affiliated middle school.
Pei Yu, dressed in a black windbreaker, stood beside a trash can, meticulously tearing a pink envelope into shreds before tossing them into the bin.
“Pei Yu, who are you to Shen Lishu? Why do you have the right to interfere so much?”
In their teenage years, during adolescence, a troubling trend of dating had recently emerged.
Pei Yu had no interest in meddling in such matters but had long made it clear that no one was to set their sights on Shen Lishu.
But someone came to challenge Pei Yu’s authority.
“Shen Lishu was personally watched over by our Brother Pei as he grew up. If he isn’t qualified, then you are?”
The person speaking was named Jiang Jingheng.