Chapter 34

Li Juan didn’t sleep well last night.

In the middle of the night, Brother suddenly came back, and Grandpa called him and Father over for a long, mumbled chat.

No one knew what trouble Brother had gotten into, but Father Li Kaijian returned with a grim face.

With poor sleep, it was no surprise she woke up late the next morning.

When Li Juan opened her eyes, the window was already bright; she scrambled up and got dressed.

She and her mother had to cook for the whole family; at fourteen, if she still sat around waiting for meals, everyone would laugh her to shame.

She put on her cotton coat, her cotton pants, then picked up her beloved napped leather boots and slipped them on.

But as she’d just pulled one on, a pair of sleek, black, high-top cotton boots appeared before her—new and stylish.

Li Juan bent over, still in the pose of putting on her boots, for a full five seconds before lifting her head to meet Li Ying’s smug gaze.

“Pretty, right?”

Eleven-year-old Li Ying spun around like a cockerel, her size 33 leather boots tapping “tap-tap-tap” against the floor.

Li Juan asked mechanically: “Where’d you get those boots?”

Li Ying lifted her chin proudly. “Mom bought them for me—provincial city goods, cotton-lined. Aren’t they prettier than yours?”

Li Juan’s ears prickled—she’d said the exact same thing to her sister just days ago.

【Mom’s biased. I’ve cooked, washed clothes, and taken care of the kids since I was little. Little sister just knows how to eat… All she did was cry a little, and Mom bought her provincial city boots?】

Fuming, Li Juan yanked on her boots and stormed out of the room, barging into the kitchen to confront Han Chunmei.

“Mom, Mom...”

As soon as Li Juan entered the kitchen, she saw Han Chunmei’s feet—also clad in brand-new, gleaming black leather boots.

All her words died in her throat. She’d done more work since childhood, surely deserved better treatment—but could she compare herself to Han Chunmei?

Since she could remember, her mother had never risen after sunrise.

Li Juan’s mouth turned bitter. The more she’d shown off days ago, the more she felt wronged now.

Only she had napped leather boots, yet she hadn’t kept quiet—she’d flaunted them.

Now the old lady had whispered in her husband’s ear, and the new boots came home—better than hers.

Han Chunmei scolded as soon as she saw Li Juan: “You’re up this late? Don’t want breakfast? Go pull the bellows.”

Li Juan lowered her head, silently went to pull the bellows, and after holding it in for a long while, whispered weakly: “Mom, did Dad buy you and Xiao Ying new boots?”

Han Chunmei, busy cooking, replied offhandedly: “He wouldn’t waste money on that. Your brother had someone in the provincial city buy them—everyone got a pair.

I put yours in the cabinet. Don’t wear yours this year—no one wears two pairs of shoes in one year. Save them for next year... Hey, where are you going?”

“........”

Li Juan had already dropped the bellows and run out of the kitchen.

She dashed into the room, flung open the cabinet door, and there it was—the glossy black new boots.

Li Juan’s eyebrows instantly curved into crescents; her heart swelled with joy.

【Whether I wear them or not doesn’t matter—as long as I have them.】

After returning to school, Li Ye began a full and busy routine.

During class, Li Ye would spend some time listening—after all, times had changed, and exam requirements might differ.

Then he’d activate the biological hard drive in his mind, transferring and integrating knowledge from his past life related to the college entrance exam, and casually draft test questions for Wen Leyu.

During self-study periods, Li Ye seized every moment to write “Infiltration.” These days, he’d grown smoother and faster—already nearing the novel’s second half.

But as Li Ye grew busy, he naturally began to “neglect” certain others.

“Li Ye, I can’t solve these two problems—explain them to me properly!”

“Sorry, I’m swamped right now. Figure it out yourself. If you’re still stuck, ask Teacher Hu...”

“Teacher Hu’s busy—can’t you help me?”

“If Teacher Hu’s busy, why assume I’m free?”

“........”

During this novel-writing phase, Li Ye had naturally stopped offering “free tutoring” to classmates.

He had enough on his own plate—how could he spare time for others?

But after repeatedly refusing classmates’ requests, rumors began spreading in Retake Class One: “Li Ye isn’t studying—he’s writing love letters in class.”

Li Dayong, Hu Man, and Fu Yingjie erupted in anger, loudly condemning the “ungrateful brats.”

But their efforts backfired—the rumors grew louder, even evolving into “Li Ye is dating in class,” dragging Wen Leyu into the gossip.

Wen Leyu wasn’t one to take it lying down—she acted immediately.

Previously, after finishing the papers Li Ye gave her, she’d take them home for Teacher Ke to use as reference. Now she tore them up the moment she finished—erasing all traces.

In short order, the number of practice papers in Retake Class One plummeted, and the question types grew stale.

This made some people even more convinced Li Ye was useless—because the exam questions Teacher Ke created felt familiar; with effort, they could figure them out.

【Li Ye? Not that impressive.】

This was just a college prep class—if it were a major martial sect, they’d already be staging “disciples overthrowing their master.”

Led by Xia Yue and Jin Shengli, the “top students” reemerged, successfully pulling in many students who’d been scolded by Hu Man and Li Dayong.

Li Dayong was frantic—he saw this as a sign of evil forces rising again—but after several fruitless talks with Li Ye, he could only sigh helplessly.

He didn’t know that Li Ye had agreed to help Teacher Ke draft questions precisely to wait for this moment—to let the scheming ungrateful ones and the loyal, righteous friends reveal themselves naturally.

The rumors in class finally reached the teachers, and since Wen Leyu was involved, they discreetly informed Teacher Ke to look into the matter.

But after asking Wen Leyu, Teacher Ke could hardly believe her ears.

“What? Li Ye isn’t writing love letters—he’s writing a novel?”

“Yes, I’m his proofreader. In a few days, it’ll be finished.”

“Proofreader? You...”

Teacher Ke was speechless. She’d originally paired Li Ye and Wen Leyu to help each other, hoping to break Wen Leyu’s social withdrawal.

But now you’re telling me the two of you are “writing a novel” together?

This is ridiculous.

Still, Teacher Ke didn’t immediately object—Wen Leyu’s transformation had been remarkable.

Her daughter’s eyes had grown lively day by day, no longer the lifeless, cold stare of before. Teacher Ke was overjoyed.

So she didn’t press Wen Leyu further. Instead, she waited until her daughter fell asleep, then quietly opened her backpack.

For some time now, Wen Leyu had forbidden Teacher Ke from touching her backpack. Teacher Ke had respected her privacy—yet today, she had to become a “thief.”

A thick stack of manuscript pages was pulled out, and Teacher Ke’s expression turned serious.

As a high-culture figure of this era, she knew how much effort it took to produce such a lengthy manuscript. Whether good or bad, it deserved respect.

But Li Ye was a high school student preparing for the college entrance exam! Why waste so much energy on a novel now?

Even if Li Ye had fresh insights into math and science, countless geniuses competed nationwide—this exam was a brutal battlefield. How could he afford to neglect it?

【I need to pull this boy back—he’s straying now, and it could ruin his whole life...】

Frowning, Teacher Ke opened the first page of manuscript, ready to critique it.

And, as expected, she got sucked in.