Chapter 142

Xue Jingshu paused all her affairs before rushing to Wuchuan. Because it was too late, the fastest flights were already gone, and she had been on a plane for nearly nine hours to get here.

A slight argument could be heard from the VIP ward.

The person lying on the hospital bed was already awake, just with an IV drip in the back of their hand. Xie Jianye was wearing a hospital gown, his brows tightly locked: "I'll be retiring in two more years, if you want to go back, go back yourselves." His voice didn't sound weak.

Xie Qin had his hands crossed in front of him, leaning lazily against the door frame, his bangs falling over his forehead, covering those eyes filled with red bloodshot veins and exhaustion.

Beside him, Xie Huai mimicked his brother's posture and did the same.

Xie Qin noticed and glanced sideways at the little brat; two pairs of eyes, one large and one small, met.

Xie Yanli spoke up worriedly: "Dad, I hope you can listen to A-Shu's suggestion and come back with us."

Xue Jingshu: "Retiring two years early or late, isn't it the same! Besides, that little pension won't do much. Come back to Di Du with us, it'll be easier for us to take care of you. What if something like this happens again!"

Xie Jianye had a history of heart disease, caused by years of overwork, excessive mental stress, and an irregular schedule. Whenever he handled matters, he had no sense of moderation and didn't know how to rest. If it hadn't been for a kind passerby who rescued him and sent him to the hospital in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Fortunately, it was on the main road; if it had happened at home, no one would have discovered it.

Xie Jianye's face was dark, his tone cold and hard: "If you want to go back, go back yourselves, don't drag me into it. If you keep arguing, get out, all of you!"

His attitude left absolutely no room for negotiation.

Seeing the person beside him anxious, Xie Yanli reached out and hugged her shoulders to comfort her. No one understood him better than he did; he was just stubborn, and once he decided on something, he wouldn't easily change it.

Wuchuan was the root of the Xie family, and he had spent his entire life here, devoting all his time to education and serving as the principal of Chengde University for over twenty years; how could he leave easily?

They went back and forth for over twenty minutes.

Xie Qin took his phone out of his pocket to check the time; it was already nearly ten-thirty. "If you don't want to go back, then don't. I wasn't planning on going back anyway. It's perfect if we all stay; I'll keep the old man company. The fortune teller said he could live to ninety, his life is still tough."

Xue Jingshu's angry eyes turned resentful as soon as they shifted to her brother: "I was just about to praise you for working hard taking care of Grandpa in the hospital all night."

"I'm happy staying here!" After saying this, Xie Qin snapped his fingers: "It's settled."

"Sleep! Don't make any noise!"

As he spoke, Xie Qin turned and went to the adjacent caregiver's room, preparing to catch up on some sleep.

This grandfather and grandson were both equally unreasonable.

The exam ended at eleven-thirty.

After the papers were collected, all the examinees left the exam room in an orderly fashion.

Shen Li walked out of the school and was met by Yang Zhou, who was waiting at the school gate. He was also in a tight spot now, with not much money in his pocket. Seeing her come out, he handed her a cup of warm milk tea he was holding.

"How did you do?"

Shen Li took the milk tea and poked the straw in unhurriedly. Yang Zhou watched anxiously, so he simply took the milk tea, poked it in forcefully, and handed it back to her.

"How about it?"

He was burning with anxiety.

Shen Li took a slow sip through the straw; it was still warm and tasted very good. Only when she met Yang Zhou's expectant gaze did she respond: "Very simple."

"Beautiful!" Yang Zhou clenched his fist and waved it.

"Are you confident about getting the city-level first prize?"

Shen Li nodded and answered seriously: "I am."

Barring any accidents, it would be a perfect score.

She took a few more sips of the milk tea, but it got a bit cloying towards the end. "It's a bit too sweet, don't get it too sweet next time."

"Yes, yes, yes... I'll buy you another cup, drinking three cups is fine." Yang Zhou's hanging heart finally settled. After walking a few steps, he immediately puffed out his chest and changed his tone with full confidence: "No! Drink ten cups! I'll give you two portions of pearls!"

"Add more! Add it to death, fill the cup to the brim."

Shen Li nodded seriously: "Mm."

Shen Li returned to the dormitory holding a new cup of thirty-percent-sugar milk tea. She had received a message from Xie Qin, sent at ten o'clock; this time was about when she usually slept in late.

Xie Qin: Your partner needs to catch up on some sleep.

Xie Qin's grandfather was sick and hospitalized, and he had taken care of him all night.

So she didn't reply, wanting to let him sleep a little longer.

She also wanted to sleep.

Returning to the dormitory, Shen Li was the only one there. Sitting at her desk, she tucked her admission ticket into a book and just put the book back on the shelf.

A few minutes later, the dormitory door was opened.

The moment the door opened, Shen Li raised her eyes and swept a faint glance over, her gaze lingering for only a second before she calmly withdrew it.

Zhao Zhouyuan had also returned, her meaningful gaze lingering on Shen Li for a long while.

She seemed to be in a hurry when she returned; hearing her breathing was a bit labored, she calmed herself down, walked to Shen Li's side, and asked her: "Did you also participate in the mathematics competition exam?"

Shen Li didn't hide it: "Mm."

Zhao Zhouyuan asked her suspiciously: "Didn't you... not want to participate? Why did you sign up all of a sudden? The message the homeroom teacher sent in the group didn't seem to have you either."

Shen Li: "Mm, not together."

This sounded a bit perfunctory to Zhao Zhouyuan.

She had indeed seen Shen Li at the exam site, and she couldn't have been mistaken, but she didn't know why, there was an unyielding drive in her heart that made her want to come back and ask her in person if she had also participated in this exam.

Before returning, there was a sense of panic in her chest that she couldn't describe.

She didn't know where this emotion came from.

"That problem you helped me correct with a red pen last time, was that written by you too?"

Shen Li sat at her desk, her thoughts pausing for a moment; she seemed to have this memory. She nodded: "Mm. I saw you writing for a long time, and I wanted to help you."

That calculus problem last time, she just felt that the competition would test a similar one again.

And it was indeed on the test today.

Shen Li didn't know if she counted as meddling, she just saw her writing for a long time and wanted to help her clarify her thoughts, writing a more detailed and simpler one.

"No, impossible! It must be a coincidence. Your total score was only one hundred forty-nine, and I was one hundred points higher than you. You didn't even study, how could you possibly solve that problem." Zhao Zhouyuan's lips trembled slightly, her voice sounding a bit unreal, carrying a panic that was hard to accept. "You must have done that problem before."

Shen Li looked at her with a faint expression and didn't speak.

Shen Li slept until five in the afternoon. As soon as she woke up, she saw a message from Xie Qin and quickly got dressed to go out.

The dormitory door closed gently, making a soft sound.

Zhao Zhouyuan's heart still couldn't calm down for a long time.

Her hand resting on the desk had her nails dug deep into the edge of her index finger, the fingertips turning white.

She lowered her head, her heart in turmoil.

There were some things she couldn't explain herself; she seemed unable to accept that Shen Li was better than her in every aspect.

Whether it was family background, appearance, or grades...

She had repeatedly treated Shen Li as a target she wanted to surpass, a secret imaginary enemy.

She wasn't as pretty as Shen Li, and she thought that as long as her grades were good enough, she could always win against Shen Li once.

But reality poked through this pathetic obsession of hers again and again.