Chapter 66 (Part 2)

Mingxi wanted to grab the system out and shake its shoulders crazily. "What does this mean? I've accumulated 500 trees?"

The system exclaimed sincerely, "Yes. Congratulations, Happy New Year."

Mingxi: “Happy New Year, sob.”

The system encouraged, "You can continue to freeload. After 500 points of luck, you will have the halo of the heroine. With the halo of the heroine, your future life will be completely smooth."

Mingxi suddenly said to Fu Yangxi, "I love you."

Fu Yangxi: ? Wh-Why so suddenly—

Fu Yangxi's ears turned red. He tried his best to appear like a dominating boss and say some famous words, but at this moment his mind was blank. In the end, he could only reply dumbly, "Me too."

Fu Yangxi may not know that he gave Mingxi the most unique and important New Year's gift over the years.

He saved Zhao Mingxi’s life.

He gave Zhao Mingxi a new life.

Mingxi was so happy that she was going crazy.

The photographer who had been taught a lesson by Fu Yangxi couldn't help but take a picture when he saw this scene.

…

Excited tall and handsome young man, weeping with joy, a long-haired girl with slightly red eyes, the corners of her floral dress twirling and daisies flying high. A few white birds flew by the seaside and the yacht made white waves on the sea.

The flower shop next to it had a sign saying "A New Day Has Come".

Under the sun, it was so beautiful.

The moment the shutter was pressed, time seemed to be frozen at the moment when they were 18.

*

Maybe it was because they had such a good time at the seaside that when they came back, both Mingxi and Fu Yangxi felt a little lost. But as soon as they came back, it was the eighth day of the New Year. Winter vacation was over and the atmosphere of the start of school instantly diluted the atmosphere of the New Year.

Xiao Li drove the two of them to school.

When the two stepped into the class, everyone in the International Class stared at the test papers on the table and wailed.

It's the last semester of high school. Even those from good families in the International Class, most of whom are planning to go abroad, could feel that the pressure had doubled.

Zhao Mingxi was wrapped in a scarf. She shrank her neck from the cold. As soon as she stepped into the class, Fu Yangxi winked at Ke Chengwen.

Immediately, a group led by Ke Chengwen aimed at the door of the classroom with colorful cannons, and a spray of colorful stripes shot at Zhao Mingxi and Fu Yangxi.

A group of followers began to cheer, "Wow, the number one in the province is here!"

"Genius, when are you going to Oxford?!"

"Hahahaha." Some people mixed in and shouted deliberately, "We wish you a hundred years of harmonious union, boss."

The class was filled with a joyful atmosphere. Mingxi was almost ashamed of all the praise.

And the current hot topic in the school was of course that Zhao Mingxi surpassed Shen Liyao in the final and became number one in the province.

The last time Zhao Mingxi ranked 35th in the province in the preliminary competition, it was only the people in this building that paid attention to her.

But this time, it obviously became the concern of the whole school.

After all, Shen Liyao was very well-known in A High and even in the whole city. Even the first and second graders in senior high school knew that he had been winning gold medals year after year without fail. But this time, Shen Liyao made fatal mistakes in the finals and only got third place in the province. He was three thirds away from Zhao Mingxi and became the second place in the school!

Everyone knew that this was probably the first defeat in Shen Liyao's smooth life.

It was also strange.

Why did this happen?

Discussions appeared in every corner of the school.

"Zhao Mingxi is so awesome! We can be regarded as witnesses to how she stumbled and grew all the way, from the middle of the Normal Class to the first in the province. She has become very outstanding."

"Indeed, it's the first time in three years that someone has ranked ahead of Shen Liyao. It's shocking! But is it because the School Beauty has improved quickly or is it just that Shen Liyao didn't do well in the exam this time?"

"Haven't you heard that Shen Liyao seems to be in a bad state recently, and the specific reason is— I don't know."

“He fell out of love?”

"Impossible, impossible. He never liked Zhao Mingxi, so what kind of love did he fall out of? Maybe he caught a cold during the exam?"

However, only Shen Liyao, Ye Bai and the others knew that Shen Liyao didn't catch a cold or got sick during the final.

Zhao Mingxi surpassed him. She actually surpassed him with her own abilities.

Because of this, Ye Bai and the others were so horrified that they looked at each other in blank dismay all day, their minds buzzing.

But it's true that Shen Liyao's condition was not good.

He didn't show up for the whole winter vacation, and when he appeared again, he was thinner. Wearing a black coat while carrying a robot with a broken leg, his face was pale, and he looked cold and silent.

During the winter vacation, Shen Liyao might have figured something out.

In short, when Ye Bai and the others saw him again, his gaze was no longer the same as before. He wasn’t looking at Zhao Mingxi from the International Class anymore.

When he met Zhao Mingxi again at school, he also had a blank expression on his face, as if he didn't know her, and passed her by.

Sometimes when he heard some gossip about Zhao Mingxi and Fu Yangxi, his pen tip would of course draw an ugly, sharp and heavy mark on the book uncontrollably.

But he seemed to be trying to restrain his emotions.

When Ye Bai looked over, his emotions had already disappeared into the sea like drops of water, without leaving a trace.

Shen Liyao has always been a person who can plan his life meticulously.

Ye Bai and the others felt that it should be of no exception this time.

Although he couldn't let go, he was trying to force himself to let go.

Then, it's all just a matter of time.

Besides, probably because of the change in Shen Liyao, Kong Jiaze from the school next door came to pester Shen Liyao more often.

She was practically jumping over the courtyard wall twice a day.

Ye Bai and the rest: “...”

Now they dare not speak about Kong Jiaze anymore, for fear that if they chase Kong Jiaze away, she will be the next Zhao Mingxi.

*

Two weeks after the final, Mingxi went to receive an award. At the same time, she briefly appeared on the provincial TV.

In the past, Shen Liyao was interviewed by TV reporters every time. This time, the interviewee turned into a beautiful little girl, and they were also very surprised. They asked her to pick up the provincial gold medal in front of the camera, and talk about her feelings and methods to improve her studies.

It was the first time for Mingxi to enter the interview studio, so she was actually a little nervous. Although she knew that Teacher Lu, Fu Yangxi and Ke Chengwen were waiting for her outside. He Yang also slipped in, holding a makeup bag in the lounge to help her with her makeup. She touched up her makeup, but she couldn't help but feel tense all over.

"If I have to say something about my feelings, there is a sentence that impressed me deeply: it doesn’t matter who comes first, what matters is who lasts till the end," Mingxi held back her nervousness and continued, "Many things are difficult."

For example, the day she left the Zhao family was a major turning point in her life. In her previous life, it was completely impossible for her to make a difficult decision.

Before she was admitted to that building from the Normal Class, she had worked hard for an unknown amount of time, and had been contending with her negative luck. She endured the diarrhea of ​​every exam, sudden hypoglycemia and unconsciousness.

In order to break free from her own fate, she ran 30 laps on the sports field. After running, she could not lift her legs and arms and all the cells in her body seemed to have lost their senses.

But wasn’t it difficult for Fu Yangxi too? Tossing and turning every night for five years, haunted by nightmares.

But he didn't give up on himself, and Mingxi didn't give up on herself either.

"But no matter how difficult it is, someone will definitely do it."

"So why can't we be the ones who can?"

"Maybe one day, two days, three days of hard work won't change anything, but you can't be discouraged, and you can't give up. As long as you are working hard and running in the direction you want, one day, something will change quietly and bring you a new life!"

Mingxi finished speaking vigorously. She had no such on-the-spot experience at all, and felt that what she said was simply too crude.

So crude that bubbles were appearing.

But the interviewing reporters were applauding.

Teacher Lu Wangwei who was not far away also looked at her with eyes full of emotion. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

Mingxi: ???

Are you guys for real?

Don't you think what I said was too fake?

Mingxi didn't know this, but compared to Shen Liyao's indifferent sentence of "It's nothing, IQ is superior", what she said was enough for reporters to collect all kinds of materials in all directions.

So the reporters’ excitement could be explained.

The photographer in front of the camera looked at Zhao Mingxi. Then, he stood up and said excitedly, "Please show us a few more poses so that we can take some more pictures for the education web page."

Mingxi internally thought: Sob, everyone is really being too polite.

…

The news that Mingxi ranked first in the province in the finals spread widely.

The Zhao family was watching the interview broadcast on the TV right now.

Madam Zhao and Mr. Zhao were in a mixed mood, as if being pinched by a big hand, the pain was unbearable.

Under the camera, Zhao Mingxi had black hair and pale skin. She was so beautiful and outstanding that no one could take their eyes off her.

Why did they used to think that Mingxi was inferior to Zhao Yuan in every way? She was obviously a dusty pearl. As long as someone carefully brushes off the dust on her body, she will be able to bloom in admirable light.

However, they failed to fulfill their responsibilities—

They even almost stepped her into the mud.

It was she who struggled to wipe off the dust on her body bit by bit. Now she is shining brightly, but no one knew about the blood and tears she had swallowed.

At this point, Madam Zhao finally knew what she had missed. She felt sorry for Zhao Mingxi, but she also felt remorse. Her stomach was full of guilt, and tears flowed down her cheeks.

After all, being number one in the province was a big deal.

Zhao Mingxi this year received the same treatment as Shen Liyao did in previous years. Her name was written on a banner and hung at the school gate.

Anyone who entered or exited the school could see it.

E Xiaoxia, Pu Shuang and other members of the Evergreen Class saw it and felt conflicted.

But this time, everyone in the Evergreen Class was convinced. No one was making snarky remarks anymore.

Zhao Mingxi had proved her own abilities through hard work.

Zhao Yuan made a boyfriend and was still staying at the company to participate in the closed girl group training, preparing for a talent show in August this summer.

So after the start of this semester, she had not come to school for more than a month.

Everyone in the Evergreen Class speculated whether she didn't plan to take the College Entrance Examination— maybe she wanted to switch to the Art Examination?

With Zhao Yuan's grades, even if she didn’t come to school for half a year, it was more than enough to pass a simple exam in the College Entrance Examination.

So no one was bothered to worry about that for her.

Therefore, Zhao Yuan didn't see the banner at the school gate until the beginning of spring in March, when she went back to school and asked the dean to sign some documents.

Bright red were the words "Zhao Mingxi" and "No. 1 in the province". Those words ran proudly across the banner. It instantly hurt Zhao Yuan's eyes.

She held back a student. "In last year's final, was Zhao Mingxi ranked first?"

"That's right, you still don't know about this?" The student gave her a strange look and said, "It was a sensation when school just started last month. It was all on TV."

“...”

Zhao Yuan tightly grasped the leave request report in her hand, trembling slightly all over.

She looked down at her knee which had been injured from dance training and was still not healed.

She glanced at the tiny cuts on her fingers from having to wash and cook.

She then raised her head again to look at the banner.

At that moment, hatred gushed out madly like a black colored spring.

Her own fingers became rougher and rougher, and yet Zhao Mingxi embarked on another road full of flowers.

Her biological mother had already gone to prison and her reputation had been ruined. Even if she becomes famous in the future, she still has to worry about her past being unearthed all the time. The company also prepared miserable measures in advance.

But Zhao Mingxi lived under the sun and became the real daughter who was 'bullied'. Everyone in the Zhao family was eagerly waiting for her to go back, but she dismissed them.

—How unfair is this?

…

The art school boyfriend who accompanied her back to school urged impatiently, "Hurry up. Quickly get your dean to sign the papers, and then we’ll go play some games."

Oh yes.

Also…

The person beside her, Fu Yangxi, was the chosen one.

Meanwhile, the person next to her was an idiot who only wanted to play games and make out with her.

Zhao Yuan pinched her fingertips into her palm, feeling so full of hatred that she almost bled from the pinching.

"What are you doing, standing there in a daze?" the art school boyfriend urged.

Then, Zhao Yuan turned her head and glanced at him.

There was a gloomy look in those eyes that he didn't recognize.

It almost startled him.