Chapter 26 (Part 3)

It was only after Zhao Zhanhuai had returned when Madam Zhao discovered that Zhao Mingxi had come in 17th place for this month’s monthly exam, and that she had ranked even higher than Zhao Yuan.

She was naturally overjoyed. With mixed feelings, she said, “Mingxi’s results have never been good. Now that she has obtained such a rank, it shows that she has put in a lot of effort.”

“With such good results, if she was home, we would have prepared a huge meal for her so that we could celebrate.”

“It’s a shame that she’s not home.”

“Should I go to school and visit her tomorrow?” Madam Zhao couldn’t help but to straighten her back and ask.

Zhao Zhanhuai felt his scalp tighten. He hurriedly said, “There’s only three days left until the birthday banquet. She will come, so don’t go to school. If you say something insensitive she might get mad again.”

Zhao Zhanhuai thought, ‘No matter what, even if Mingxi never returns, I must bring her back for the birthday banquet.’

Or else this birthday banquet will truly cause the Zhao family to fall apart.

Madam Zhao could only sit back down.

When she saw how the house was so quiet and cold, Madam Zhao’s mood soured.

How did it become like this? Couldn’t they just get along with each other? Mingxi and Yuning just had to leave home and they both even blocked me on their phones.

Where did it go wrong?

Although Madam Zhao did not want to blame Zhao Yuan and thought that it was Zhao Yuning who had bullied Zhao Yuan— After all since they were young, Zhao Yuning had been an impatient one while Zhao Yuan was more obedient. However, now that she saw Zhao Mingxi and Zhao Yuning leaving this home because of Zhao Yuan, she couldn’t help but to blame Zhao Yuan a little.

Zhao Yuan cried as she sat on the sofa. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll try to get Yuning to come home tomorrow.”

Madam Zhao pushed her hand away and went upstairs in frustration. “Forget it. Don’t agitate him further. Send his eldest brother over after a few days.”

Zhao Yuan never could have imagined that things would turn out this way. She opened her mouth, but when she saw Madam Zhao’s figure, she closed it.

She looked towards Zhao Zhanhuai with watery eyes.

Zhao Zhanhuai gave her a glass of water. “Get some rest.”

Zhao Yuan wanted to get some comfort from Zhao Zhanhuai, just like how she did all this while.

However, when Zhao Zhanhuai saw her, he couldn’t help but to feel as if the person who was looking at him was ‘Zhao Mingxi’ who had no one by her side when she sprained her ankle during Sports Day.

Furthermore, he was continuously reminded that he had no blood relations with Zhao Yuan.

He felt uncomfortable. So he avoided Zhao Yuan’s gaze and hurriedly ran upstairs as if he was escaping.

“...”

Zhao Yuan watched his retreating figure in disbelief. She immediately stood up.

She felt increasingly nervous. The fear of an imminent loss was carving itself into her mind.

What’s going on with everyone at home? Is it merely because Zhao Mingxi had left home?

...If she left home as well, who would they pay more attention to?

*

Zhao Yuan couldn’t figure out why Zhao Yuning would suddenly appear at the Literature Department yesterday. She wondered if it was Zhao Mingxi who was behind all this. However, when she asked Pu Shuang and the others from her class, they all said that when she left the lecture hall, Zhao Mingxi was still performing on stage.

“...” Then who could it be?

As Zhao Yuning and her were still not talking, it was impossible for her to ask him this question.

She suddenly locked eyes with someone who was looking at her from the 5th floor of the academic building.

As they were too far apart, she couldn’t see who it was. Nonetheless, the arrogant short red hair which was shining gold due to him being under the sun had exposed his identity.

That person’s skin may be extremely pale, but his eyes were dark and cold.

Zhao Yuan felt a chilly wind blowing in her direction, causing her hairs to stand.

When she looked up again, Fu Yangxi had already left with his arms around two other guys’ shoulders.

—Could it be Fu Yangxi? Or is it just a coincidence?

Zhao Yuan was doubtful that the Young Master of the Fu family would do such a thing to her just for Zhao Mingxi.

*

As Fu Yangxi didn’t like to do exercises between classes, and the homeroom teacher couldn’t possibly force him to do it, so he let him be. Thus, for every period of exercise between classes, he would hug his Pikachu pillow to sleep.

Mingxi had just returned from exercising. When she passed by the Evergreen Class, she suddenly heard someone call out to her. “Mingxi!”

Mr. Lu ran up to her. He was out of breath when he said, “Why do you walk so fast? We’ll talk while we’re walking.”

“What happened, sir?”

Mr. Lu said, “I’ve received news that our school has received another spot for the Hundred School Tournament.”

Mingxi was shocked. “Really?”

Mingxi’s heart rate began to speed up. She couldn’t hide the excitement on her face.

If A High could obtain another spot, does it mean that the chances of her joining the Hundred School Tournament is a little higher?!

“Yes. The news is correct. I’ll notify the Gold Medal Class’ Mr. Jiang. Who knows, he might allow you to join.”

After he was done speaking and before Mingxi could react, Lu Wangwei hurriedly ran upstairs. He went to the office in search of Mr. Jiang while sweating bullets.

Mingxi stood on the spot for a while, stunned. Only after she had calmed down did she continue upstairs.

She shouldn’t raise her hopes, or else if she is not chosen to enter the Tournament, she will definitely be disappointed.

This was what her grandmother had taught her. Calm down and don’t put your hopes too high.

Mr. Lu wasn’t the person with the most information in school. If the news could reach him, it means that the other teachers had known about it for a while already.

There were even a lot of students from the Gold Medal Class and Evergreen Class who had found out about this.

“Oh my God, Kong Jiaze was right, our school did obtain another spot! She is truly ahead of everyone when it comes to such news!”

Ye Bai put down the experiment in his hands and exclaimed.

Shen Liyao had his sleeves pulled up as he assembled a few grey colored machines by the side quietly. There were stacks of parts which had been assembled placed on his table.

There was a high chance that Shen Liyao didn’t go home last night and slept in the experiment room.

Ye Bai couldn’t help but to say, “God Yao, actually with your current standard, you won’t face a lot of pressure when it comes to obtaining National Champion. So it shouldn’t take a lot out of you to date someone. I think Kong Jiaze is not bad. She can dance ballet and her results are good. The both of you are practically a match made in heaven...”

“Shut up.” Shen Liyao’s expression was so cold that it was terrifying, his hands not stopping at all.

“—” Ye Bai shut his mouth in fear.

He placed his attention on the parts which Shen Liyao had completed.

Then, he took a glance at Shen Liyao’s handwritten timing board. He didn’t know if it was his own misperception, but for the past few days the rate of Shen Liyao making a mistake seemed to be higher than before.

It was as if it all began on that day when Zhao Mingxi said she no longer liked him in the corridor.

Ye Bai instantly sensed where it went wrong.

“Or else—” Ye Bai suddenly said, “Why don’t you get Zhao Mingxi back? Actually, the both of you are quite a matching couple. Aside from her average results, she’s quite good. Besides, her results are slowly getting better…”

Ye Bai raised his head to look at Shen Liyao’s expression.

“I told you to shut up. If you say another word, get out.” Shen Liyao’s expression was still the same.

Ye Bai looked at Shen Liyao’s hands again.

Shen Liyao never stopped what he was doing.

...

However.

It was very obvious that he had wrongly connected three lines, and the reds and blues were connected the other way round. Despite Shen Liyao’s frown, it didn’t seem as if he had noticed this.

“...”

We’re done for.

Ye Bai thought. We’re absolutely f*cked.

The matter of an extra spot also reached the ears of the Evergreen Class.

The average marks of Mu Jiao from the Evergreen Class placed her at the sweet spot of 19— Every time she would only miss the spot to enter the Tournament by one place. But this time there was suddenly news of another spot. So isn’t it sure to be hers?

She was so excited that she immediately went to look for her homeroom teacher, Miss Ye Bing.

Ye Bing was her aunt. Furthermore, Ye Bing was currently being pursued by the Gold Medal Class’ Mr. Jiang.

With this connection, Mu Jiao simply could not think of another person aside from herself who was more worthy of this spot.

Before the name list could be announced, the Evergreen Class was beginning to celebrate on behalf of Mu Jiao.

She was always in 19th place and would brush against the final spot for entering the Tournament. Now she finally had the chance to enter.

“I saw the International Class’ Zhao Mingxi talking to her homeroom teacher by the stairs today. They were talking about the extra spot.”

Someone from the Evergreen Class said, “The International Class’ homeroom teacher— Lu Wangwei, what is he thinking? Could it be that he thinks that the extra spot could be Zhao Mingxi’s?”

“Even if Zhao Mingxi came in 17th place this time, her results are still worse than all of us in this class.”

The more that person spoke, the bigger the area of their criticism. “The International Class are no good. Everyone ranging from the teachers to the students all like to dream.”

Zhao Yuan who was originally doing her own work with her head lowered suddenly turned to look at that person.

That person thought that she was warning them not to talk bad about Zhao Mingxi, so they immediately stopped talking.

The host of the School Celebration, the Hundred School Tournament.

Zhao Yuan clenched her pen while thinking, I will at least win in these two things.

...

However, on this Thursday afternoon, a heavy bomb which was out of everyone’s expectations exploded in this building.

After the name list was announced, the last person to join was surprisingly Zhao Mingxi.

*

The moment this news was released, it spread across the whole building like a disease. Everyone’s jaws dropped when they heard the news. Even Lu Wangwei himself was stunned— Although he did ask the Gold Medal Class’ Mr. Jiang, he never actually had any hopes of it coming true!

The students in the Evergreen Class repeatedly confirmed, “Is it really Zhao Mingxi?”

“Go downstairs and see it for yourself. Her name is printed in black and white on that name list.”

???

The Evergreen Class was about to have PTSD against these three words, or rather this name.

“This is unfair!”

“Why is it Zhao Mingxi? If we choose according to the rankings, the person in 19th place is Mu Jiao, so why was Mu Jiao ignored?”

“Another case of doing things under the table? I’m infuriated!”

Someone said, “Also, I heard that this chance was specially requested by Professor Gao for our school. Yet they gave it so nonchalantly to Zhao Mingxi. For such an honorable person like Professor Gao, when he catches wind of this he’ll probably be angered to death— How much did Zhao Mingxi spend, oh, no, how much did Fu Yangxi spend for her?”

As Mu Jiao’s hopes were shattered, her tears were falling like buckets. She dropped herself on her table and cried. Everyone in the Evergreen Class felt uncomfortable seeing her like this.

The Evergreen Class was about to riot to their dean.

Aside from the Evergreen Class, Ye Bing herself found it unfair as well. She interrogated Mr. Jiang in the office, “Why was this chance given to the International Class? You know how difficult it is to obtain a spot, so why not do this fairly? This spot should have clearly been Mu Jiao’s!”

“If you ask me, then who am I to ask? It was the dean who gave the order.”

Ye Bing also started to suspect Fu Yangxi. “Did the Fu family use the building donation as a threat again? That’s inhumane!”

“No, I have to find the dean! Since it belongs to my class’ student, I’ll definitely get it back for her!”

The International Class was in an uproar as well. However, it was the joyful kind of noise, celebrating the fact that ‘LOL no matter how angry you are, the spot was still given to our class’ Zhao Mingxi’.

During the period between classes, a few students from the Evergreen Class came to the International Class to scold them.

One of Fu Yangxi’s followers in the International Class put the scarf around his neck and rolled up his sleeves while standing at the entrance to the class. “Come on then. Who’s being the scaredy cat? Let’s fight it out.”

That scene was as if it was out of a comedy movie.

“You’re so noisy.” The innocent Fu Yangxi took a glimpse at what was going on outside. Although he was tired, he couldn’t sleep.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion, then said to Zhao Mingxi in a light tone, “I have never looked for the dean in order to ask him to give you the spot. I won’t claim credit for something I’ve never done.”

“Yeah...” Mingxi was still in shock. It was as if a huge chunk of a biscuit had fallen from the sky and hit her, causing her to be in a daze.

She felt like this had something to do with Professor Gao— A fortnight ago, his grandson was down with a fever. Mingxi then carried the child to the hospital even though it was raining. But is it possible that Professor Gao helped her merely because of this?

It’s impossible, right?!

She had never received such good luck in her past life!

Mingxi tried her best to retain her composure. “I think we should wait. Who knows, it might end up like the marks of the monthly exam and they could’ve made a mistake.”

Meanwhile, the Evergreen Class who was standing outside their class started to increase the volume of their riot. Most of them were directed to Fu Yangxi.

“Fu Yangxi, the Evergreen Class isn’t a class you can bully! Are you aware of the importance of this spot? How could you steal it so casually?!”

“Fu Yangxi, what kind of man are you to buy a spot with your money? If you have the ability to buy a spot for your horse, then you should man up and come out here!”

Fu Yangxi, “...”

My horse??? Fu Yangxi wondered if he had heard the wrong thing.

He quickly searched the term up on Baidu as he was not sure if it was a curse word.*

*translator’s note: in the Mandarin original, the words used were 马子 (ma zi) which directly translates to ‘horse’. However, in recent days, it has been used like a slang word meaning ‘your girl’. But it has been explained that this generation has been using it wrong as it was originally used to describe how a woman, like a horse, belongs to a man.

When he saw the description, the anger in his expression greatly decreased.

Zhao Mingxi and Ke Chengwen watched as the tip of Fu Yangxi’s ears suddenly flush red. “Are you not angry?”

In a pretense, Fu Yangxi slammed his palm on the table. “I’m so angry, hmph.”