Chapter 117: Ten-Year Fan

As Saturday arrived, although the exact scores for each subject had not yet been released, teachers had already gone through all the exam papers in class.

So everyone had a general idea of their approximate scores.

Even so, finding out exactly how much their classmates had scored remained quite difficult.

The honest ones would tell you their exact scores.

The sneaky ones would keep sighing and groaning, claiming they'd bombed it.

But you never knew if they really had bombed it or not.

The honest ones would offer comfort; the experienced ones would simply watch coldly, refusing to believe anything until they saw the real scores.

After all, some people truly were sneaky—claiming they bombed it while still ranking in the top three or top ten of the class.

Such academic hypocrites were even more detestable than pure top students.

But Li Luo was different; because of his Memory Palace, he remembered every single answer he'd written on his exam paper with perfect clarity.

So he already had an exact number for his score.

With confidence settled in his heart, he walked with a brisk, confident stride.

"Everyone, take your seats. After morning self-study ends, we'll have the parent-teacher meeting." Kong Junxiang arrived early at the classroom, arms full of file folders, dumping them all onto the podium.

Once the classroom fell quiet, Kong Junxiang said: "Today's morning self-study, we'll do three things."

"First, pick up these file folders."

Saying that, Kong Junxiang picked up one folder, glanced at the name written on it, and called out: "Wei Chun."

Hearing his name, Wei Chun immediately stood up and went to the podium to collect his folder.

One name after another was called, and students lined up to collect their folders. Along the way, Xu Yinghuan asked curiously: "Teacher Kong, what's inside these?"

"Your exam papers," Kong Junxiang replied with a smile. "The scores are inside, along with some parent-teacher meeting materials—all things you'll need later."

"Huh?" Xu Yinghuan blinked, then couldn't help asking, "Can we take a look now?"

"These are sealed with official tape. If you want to see them, wait until the parent-teacher meeting starts and check the notice board on the first floor," Kong Junxiang said with a grin. "They should be replacing the rankings right now."

"Teacher Kong, I need to use the restroom!" Zhu Yufei immediately raised his hand.

"Hold it," Kong Junxiang glared at him. "You can go after. Don't be so restless."

After everyone had collected their folders, Kong Junxiang handed each student a letter, then said: "You have ten minutes to write a letter to your parents. Then place it on your desk along with your folder."

Li Luo held the envelope, fiddling with it for a moment, then glanced curiously at Yan Zhusheng beside him.

Yan Zhusheng had already started writing. Noticing Li Luo's gaze, he silently reached out and blocked the page: "Don't look."

"What did you write? Let me borrow it for reference."

Yan Zhusheng shook his head: "Think for yourself."

"Fine." Li Luo sighed, feeling he had nothing to say to his dad. He spun his pen, thought for a moment, then finally began writing.

After everyone finished writing their letters, Kong Junxiang said: "The last thing: your arrangements during the parent-teacher meeting."

"Those in clubs—did you all receive the club notices this week?"

"After the classroom parent-teacher meeting ends, the parents of our first-year students will tour the school's club activities."

"So once parents arrive, follow your club's instructions and head to the activity rooms to prepare."

"If you're not in any club, go to the classroom on the sixth floor for self-study as a demonstration—parents will also visit there."

"For now, wait in the classroom. When parents arrive, vacate your seats."

"Understood?" Seeing everyone nodding, Kong Junxiang nodded approvingly, his gaze settling on Li Luo and Shi Yanran.

"The Student Union still has to organize and guide parents into the school, right? You can go now. Li Luo, remember to come back after."

Li Luo nodded, stood up, and hurried toward the school gate with Shi Yanran.

……

Before seven-thirty in the morning, parents began arriving steadily at the school gate.

But since the bell signaling the end of morning self-study hadn't rung yet, the guards hadn't opened the gate.

Student Union members had already gathered there, offering cool tea and inviting early-arriving parents to rest under the temporary canopy erected outside the gate yesterday.

Li Luo and Shi Yanran were among them.

"L-Li Luo?"

As Li Luo handed out tea to parents, a familiar voice came from beside him.

Li Luo turned and saw his cousin's mother, Zhang Xuefen.

Seeing Li Luo, Zhang Xuefen strolled over slowly, took a cup of cool tea from his hand, and sized him up: "I heard from your cousin that you're class monitor now? You've really come up in the world."

Li Luo nodded, wanted to ignore her, but still politely greeted: "Cousin Auntie."

"Mm." Zhang Xuefen smiled and nodded, then said: "Your grades must be good—I heard from little Chun that you ranked 14th in class on the entrance exam?"

"But you're class monitor, so you've got to keep pushing harder—you should at least make top ten, right? Set an example."

"Oh, by the way, didn't your family buy an apartment in the neighborhood next door?"

"Ah… I don't know how to say this, but your parents are so strange—why buy a house way out here near Fuyi High? The area's so remote. Why take on a thirty-year mortgage just to get stuck with this?"

"You'll be paying this mortgage for thirty years. Right now your parents can help, but once you start working, it'll be all on you."

"Or wait until you sell this one and buy a new one? Who knows how much you'll lose then."

Zhang Xuefen chattered endlessly, all of it conveying one message: your family didn't invest in their project, and instead bought a house nearby—you must've been utterly scammed.

Li Luo was speechless. He sighed and said: "Cousin Auntie, I still have other parents to greet. Excuse me."

Once he moved farther away from Zhang Xuefen, Li Luo finally felt some peace in his ears.

Some relatives are like that—they always hope you're worse off. The worse you are, the more comfort they get from feeling superior.

Li Luo didn't bother arguing.

He just hoped that when property prices here skyrocketed, Zhang Xuefen wouldn't be too jealous.

Thinking this, a familiar car drove past the school gate and stopped at a parking spot nearby.

Soon after, Li Luo saw two figures he knew all too well.

But before Li Luo could step forward to greet them, Xu Youyu, the student union leader, had already walked up with a smile and handed them two cups of tea.

"Uncle and Auntie, hello," Xu Youyu said politely. "The school gate won't open for a few more minutes; I'm sorry to ask you to wait here a bit longer."

"Oh, it's fine," Lin Xiuhong took the tea and asked curiously, "Today, is it your dad or your mom coming?"

"My mom will be here," Xu Youyu replied with a smile. "Oh, by the way, my mom wanted to invite Uncle and Auntie to lunch today—has Li Luo mentioned it?"

"Oh, that thing," Lin Xiuhong nodded. "Li Luo told us already. No problem at all—but we should be the ones hosting. After the parent meeting, let's buy some groceries and go to Bihai Lanting to cook a nice meal for you."

"Sure, that works," Xu Youyu nodded and began chatting casually with Lin Xiuhong.

Nearby, Li Guohong glanced around among the students, spotted Li Luo, and walked over to his son to ask how to find Class Eight.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiuhong hadn't spotted Ying Chanxi, so she asked Xu Youyu, "Which way is Class One?"

"Huh?" Xu Youyu paused, then couldn't help reminding her, "Auntie, Li Luo is in Class Eight."

"I know," Lin Xiuhong smiled and nodded. "I'm not here for his parent meeting—I'm here because Xi Xi's dad can't make it, so I'm replacing him."

"Ohhh, I see," Xu Youyu's expression cleared, and he then told her where Class One was.

Two or three minutes remained before the gate opened, and Li Guohong stood beside Li Luo, asking about the parent meeting.

After chatting for a few moments, bored, he began humming idly under the shaded pavilion.

Li Luo recognized the melody and glanced at his father in surprise: "What are you humming? That song 'Rumian Pianxian'?"

"Oh? You know it?" Li Guohong raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I know… but Dad, you listen to new songs now?"

"What do you know?" Li Guohong snorted. "That's Yuan Wanqing's new song—she was already famous back in 2001. I've been a ten-year fan."

"... I had no idea about this," Li Luo twitched his mouth.

"You don't know a lot," Li Guohong chuckled. "Young people's tastes are different from ours—I think her new songs are really nice."

"They really are," Li Luo nodded. "But Dad, please don't shout out during the parent meeting."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing much—just worried your grades might shock you."

Soon after, the bell signaling the end of morning self-study rang, and the security guard opened the school gate.

Parents who had arrived early began entering the campus, guided by student union members toward their respective classes.

Li Luo glanced at his parents, then at Zhang Xuefen, who was nearby repeating the same speech he'd just heard, and rolled his eyes.

A few minutes later, Ying Chanxi finally arrived, finding Li Luo at the school gate.

"Have your uncle and auntie arrived?"

"They've already gone in," Li Luo pointed toward the gate, then asked, "Why are you so late?"

"Teacher Sun got angry," Ying Chanxi said helplessly. "More than ten people in our class didn't make the top forty, and some even dropped out of the top hundred. She scolded us hard."

"Did she scold you?"

"Do you think that's possible?" Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes at him.

The two chatted casually while greeting arriving parents.

Soon, it neared eight o'clock in the morning.

Ying Chanxi said goodbye to Li Luo and returned to the classroom to prepare for hosting the parents there.

The class monitors from other classes also gradually left, leaving only the Youth League branch secretary to wait for late-arriving parents.

Li Luo was about to leave too.

But just then, a low-key car pulled up at the school gate, and a woman in a light yellow long dress, wearing a mask and sunglasses, with curled, wavy long hair, walked gracefully toward the gate.

Even though she was fully covered, Li Luo recognized her at a glance.

"Auntie, hello," Li Luo stepped forward to greet her. "I'm Li Luo from Class Eight. You're Yan Zhusheng's mother, right?"

Hearing the boy's words, Yuan Wanqing immediately stopped, her eyes narrowing slightly beneath her sunglasses as she instinctively sized him up.

"Hmm, hello," Yuan Wanqing gave a slight nod. "Thank you for taking care of Shengsheng."

"No need to thank me," Li Luo smiled. "I'm heading back to class—let me show you the way."

"Alright, thank you for the trouble."