Chapter 54: Now It's Your Turn to Comfort Me

After dinner, Shu Shu cut fruit again.

After finishing the fruit, Pei Muyin waited in 1600 until the sky began to darken; she felt the time was about right, and staying longer would be a bother, so she got up as usual to get her schoolbag.

"Older sister, I'm going up."

"Just going up already?" Shu Shu stood up as well, glanced at the sky outside the window: "It's still early; otherwise, otherwise let's stay a bit longer."

She turned her thoughts and came up with an excuse: "You can do your homework here first."

"Can I?"

Actually, Pei Muyin also wanted to stay longer; this time was already the latest she could manage within her controllable range. Hearing Shu Shu say that, her eyes lit up immediately.

While asking if it was okay with her mouth, her hand had already put down her schoolbag.

"Of course." Shu Shu was delighted.

In a corner of the living room there was an open study; behind the partitioned bookshelf was a wide desk.

Shu Shu led Pei Muyin over; Pei Muyin opened her schoolbag zipper and took out homework from each subject, placing them on the desk.

Opposite, Shu Lingchen was sitting.

The black-haired, short-haired boy was biting the tip of his pen, frustrated over a math problem.

Pei Muyin's Chinese writing was nearly done; she looked up and saw he hadn't moved a muscle.

Her gaze drifted over slightly; she glanced at his problem, then hesitantly said: "For this problem, you just need to apply the formula on page thirty-five of the textbook, and you can solve it."

Shu Lingchen lifted his head, doubtful: "But that formula and this problem aren't the same type."

Pei Muyin explained: "This is a trick question; essentially it's the same."

"Alright, I'll try."

After a few minutes, Shu Lingchen exclaimed excitedly: "Wow, I did it, and it really works just as you said—just apply that formula!"

Pei Muyin curled her lips slightly.

Shu Lingchen suddenly recalled that day Pei Muyin had similarly prompted him to recite classical Chinese; he curiously asked Pei Muyin: "Um, are your grades pretty good?"

Pei Muyin blinked, then replied: "No, just average."

Shu Lingchen suddenly recalled that today Pei Muyin had just transferred from Class 1 to Class 12; if she were a good student, the homeroom teacher of Class 1 would surely not let her go so easily, but now she was let go so readily, which indicates……

Shu Lingchen also recalled Pei Muyin's distinguished family background, wondering if perhaps during the transfer her family had used money to get her placed in the elite Class 1.

That would definitely be touching a sore spot, so he said: "Even if it's just average, it can't be that average; the schools in Jing Shi have a high standard, and putting those grades into An Shi San Zhong would surely be far above many people."

"Hey? What was your rank roughly at your previous school?"

Shu Lingchen asked casually, but actually planned that after she finished speaking, he would immediately comfort her, saying that this rank would be more than enough to stay in Class 1 of San Zhong.

Then he heard Pei Muyin say: "First."

"?" Shu Lingchen: "What? Only a little?"

Pei Muyin looked at him, her voice soft as she repeated: "Grade first."

Shu Lingchen: "I wasn't asking about your best score; I was asking about your range."

"Hmm, the range is also grade first."

"Always? Every time??"

"…… Hmm."

Every time it's first; always first.

"……" Shu Lingchen threw down his pen, lifted his head, and began pinching his philtrum; then he opened his eyes again and looked resentfully at Pei Muyin: "Just now I was comforting you; now it's your turn to comfort me."

"Huh?" Pei Muyin didn't understand.

"Not——" Shu Lingchen's face full of accusation, he grabbed a handful of hair, almost shouting: "Who treats a grade-first as just 'very ordinary'?!"

"???" Pei Muyin lowered her eyes gloomily, after a moment of silence she said: "It's my grandmother; she said, no matter how good the grades or how high the rank, it's useless; a person is ordinary if they are ordinary."

"???" Shu Lingchen frowned, forcing back the words he almost blurted out—"your grandmother's got a screw loose"—and asked in surprise: "Is that really what your grandmother said? I suspect it's your enemy speaking."

"Who says it's useless? Being first in the grade year after year—do you know what weight that carries? Damn, do you know how awesome you are? You're practically a prodigy; I don't even know what I'd have to become to score first even once."

Pei Muyin listened blankly to Shu Lingchen's sighing praise; she found it quite novel, listening with bright, spirited eyes.

Shu Lingchen felt unnatural under her gaze: "You, you, why are you looking at me like that?"

Pei Muyin pinched her fingers: "No one has ever told me these things, that getting first in the grade is impressive."

Her peach-blossom eyes flickered cautiously, as if confirming, she asked: "Really, is it that impressive?"

"Yeah, super impressive."

Shu Lingchen's grades were especially poor; upon learning Pei Muyin's grades were especially good, facing her he felt no shame or reluctance, but rather openly asked: "Um, you've now transferred to Class 12, so if I have any doubts in my studies later, can I ask you?"

Shu Lingchen promised Shu Shu he would start studying hard.

Pei Muyin's eyes shone as she replied: "Sure, I'll tell you everything I know."

"OK, deal." Shu Lingchen's lips curled up, he generously patted his chest: "From now on I'll cover your daily yogurt, and you can walk sideways in San Zhong; if anyone dares to bully you, just call out 'Chen ge' two words, and Chen ge will protect you."

Although Pei Muyin had no intention of walking sideways, she still responded enthusiastically to Shu Lingchen's words: "Mm-hmm."

She increasingly felt that transferring to An Shi to study was a particularly happy thing.

When Shu Shu came over with two cups of hot milk, she happened upon this pleasant scene.

She raised an eyebrow, curiously asking what the two were talking about; she had heard their voices from the kitchen just earlier.

Pei Muyin told Shu Shu about the agreement she had just made with Shu Lingchen.

Actually, before today, Shu Shu had merely regarded Pei Muyin as the little Xiao Musi she had known since childhood, discovering that Xiao Musi's introversion was not just a little bit.

The girl appears soft and sweet, but her sense of rejection and vigilance toward strangers is quite evident.

It even reaches somewhat aloof levels.

Like a little hedgehog, she raises all her spines, only revealing her soft belly to those she trusts.

For example, her.

Besides her, there is also Shu Lingchen.

At that time, Shu Shu thought it was only because Shu Lingchen and she were together; however, she had just not been there, Pei Muyin did not reject Shu Lingchen, and the two got along just as well.

Shu Shu sighed silently; could this be the wonder of blood relations?