Li Sitong watched her father walk in and pretended to read, head lowered.
"Si Tong, why didn't you answer when I called just now?" Father Li demanded.
"I was doing homework. I'd muted the phone; I didn't hear it," she answered coolly.
"From now on, don't mute it at night. What if I need you urgently?" he said icily.
"You're out drinking every day—do you even remember I exist? Drunk again and taking it out on me!" she snapped.
Under the quilt, Ye Chen listened; clearly, the two were anything but close.
Si Tong's mother had died when she was little, and her father had raised her ever since.
Father Li was a businessman, constantly at banquets and home very late.
Si Tong hated seeing him come home wasted, so father and daughter clashed often.
Ye Chen hid under the quilt, breathing in its faint perfume, Si Tong's pale leg right beside him.
He couldn't help slipping a hand over to touch it lightly.
Already tense, Si Tong felt a "wandering hand" land on her thigh.
"The scoundrel's actually copping a feel!" she fumed.
She kicked Ye Chen hard under the quilt.
"You…" Li Li sighed at his daughter, shook his head, and turned to leave.
Noticing her odd expression, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"I—nothing," she stammered.
Suspicious, he studied her—something was definitely off today.
Suddenly his gaze sharpened.
He spotted a man's foot poking from the corner of Si Tong's quilt.
Eyes cold, Father Li strode over and yanked the quilt away.
Seeing Ye Chen inside, Father Li exploded.
"You little punk…"
He charged, the scene instantly spiraling out of control.
Luckily Si Tong blocked her enraged father.
In the living room, Si Tong and Ye Chen sat with heads bowed.
Across from them sat Father Li.
"Explain—what's going on?" he demanded.
Ye Chen said, "Uncle, Si Tong couldn't solve a math problem, so I came to help."
Li Li glanced at his daughter: "That true?"
She nodded.
Li Li frowned. "I offered to hire a tutor, but you refused. Now you drag a classmate over this late?"
"Money—do you think money fixes everything?" Si Tong shot back.
"You…"
Seeing the two about to clash, Ye Chen quickly mediated.
"Si Tong, that's unfair—your dad only wants the best for you."
Father Li gave Ye Chen a grateful look.
Si Tong glared at Ye Chen. "I'm talking to my dad—who asked you?"
"Si Tong! That's no way to speak. A girl, always so prickly—like everyone owes you something."
Ye Chen added, "Actually, uncle, she's pretty easy-going; the whole class likes her."
Si Tong looked at him.
The guy still had a conscience, backing her up a bit.
Ye Chen went on, "And who says girls must be gentle? Though… Si Tong can be a tad violent sometimes."
She shot him a fierce glare. "Who told you to grope me?"
Father Li's eyes bulged. "What did you do to Si Tong?"
Ye Chen waved frantically. "Nothing, uncle—honestly, nothing at all!"
…Sensing another blow-up, Ye Chen said quickly, "Uncle, it's late; I'd better head home."
Father Li replied, "I'll walk you out."
Outside the villa Ye Chen said, "Uncle, I'll be off then."
Father Li added, "Thank you for tutoring Si Tong this late, but I hope you won't disturb her again."
Ye Chen frowned. "Why not?"
"You're in Senior Year of High School; time is tight. I don't want her distracted."
"Your little trick didn't fool me. Si Tong's always top-three in class; you were third-from-last last time, right?"
Ye Chen: "…"
"Uncle, what era is this? Who says boys and girls together ruin studies?"
Father Li said calmly, "It's for your own good."
"If you truly care about Si Tong, spend more time with her."
"I know you're busy, but Si Tong's right—money can't solve everything."
"Nowadays many parent-child rifts come from adults' assumptions. They think spending cash equals happiness, but what kids need most is company."
"In short, please look after Si Tong more, or you'll regret it one day."
"Uncle, please think about what I've said. I'm off."
Father Li stared after Ye Chen, stunned; the boy's maturity felt nothing like eighteen… The next day, Jiangzhou No. 1 Middle School's first mock exam finally arrived.
This time, nearly every student had heard Ye Chen's bold claim.
He declared he'd rank first in the Whole School.
Most treated it as a joke.
Everyone knew his grades.
Dead-last seemed likely; first place was pure fantasy.
Many classmates even looked at him with open mockery… The bell rang; Wang Chao carried a stack of papers to the desk.
He deftly divided them into piles and handed them to the front row.
"Pass them back."
"You're in Senior Year of High School, yet some of you still aren't focused. Every question on here has been covered; if you bomb it, think hard about how you've been listening."
Seeing Wang Chao's dark expression, the class shuddered; the air was tense.
Soon the papers reached every student.
The exam bell sounded; the Classroom filled with the scratch of pens.
Wang Chao steeped a cup of goji tea and glanced at the paper in his hand.
The test was fairly difficult.
His earlier words had been meant to pressure them, to wind them up.
The Teaching and research group had set the paper deliberately hard so the Senior Year of High School students would feel the urgency before the National Higher Education Entrance Examination.
After scanning the pages, Wang Chao stepped down to see how students were doing.
Spotting "Old Wang" approaching, hearts leapt; everyone prayed he wouldn't stop beside them.
Wang Chao halted by a mid-level student.
Feeling the teacher behind him, the boy tensed.
He hardly dared breathe.
After a moment Wang Chao shook his head, dissatisfied.
Clearly, the test was tough for them.
Only when Wang Chao moved on did the boy exhale in relief.
Now the others grew nervous again.
They prayed silently:
Please, Teacher Wang, don't come to me.
At last their prayers seemed answered.
Because Teacher Wang had spotted a black sheep among the diligent test-takers.