Chapter 127: The Report Card Arrives Home

The days surrounding the Spring Festival are always the busiest. Before the holiday, people are occupied with preparing festive goods, buying fireworks and firecrackers, and returning to their hometowns for ancestor worship. After the festival, the focus shifts to visiting relatives and friends; even if you stay home, relatives will inevitably drop by to visit you.

"Son, come with Mom to see your Second Aunt in a bit," Xu Qiaoling said to Xiao Lin.

"No, son, you need to come with me to see your Uncle Zhang," Xiao's father chimed in.

"Oh, I'm not going! I'm not going anywhere. I'm just staying home," Xiao Lin declared firmly. Since the Spring Festival began, Xiao Lin hadn't had a single moment of leisure; he was either dragged along by Xu Qiaoling to visit relatives or by his father to call on friends. When visiting relatives with his mother, he often didn't even know who they were, yet he had to address them exactly as she instructed, feeling like a marionette on a string. As for his father’s friends, they would shower him with so much praise that he couldn't help but blush in embarrassment.

Today was already the fourth day of the holiday. Hearing his parents insist he join them again, Xiao Lin made up his mind: no matter what they said, he wasn't going.

"Son, have you forgotten? When you were little, your Second Aunt came to see you and even gave you a set of toys," Xu Qiaoling urged.

"Mom, don't you only have one sister? Where did this 'Second Aunt' come from? And toys? How come I have no memory of this?"

"She is the second daughter of Mama Liu's family. According to our seniority, you should call her Second Aunt," Xu Qiaoling explained. Her explanation only deepened Xiao Lin's confusion, as he had no idea who this "Mama Liu" was either.

"Qiaoling, look, the boy doesn't even know her, so don't force him. Let him come with me to see Uncle Zhang instead. Son, you remember Uncle Zhang’s daughter, right? You two used to play house together when you were kids," Xiao's father said, beaming at him. He had his own agenda, hoping to use this visit as a chance for Xiao Lin to go on a blind date.

Hearing his father's words, Xiao Lin felt a headache coming on. He had played house with countless little girls back then; how was he supposed to remember this one?

"You two go ahead. You can kill me, but I'm not going," Xiao Lin said, retreating to his bedroom and locking the door. No matter how much his parents called for him, he refused to come out. Left with no choice, they eventually set off alone.

Seeing his parents leave, Xiao Lin let out a long sigh of relief. "Phew, finally a day of peace." Just as he reached to turn on the television for some entertainment, a knock at the door rang out.

Xiao Lin’s expression shifted instantly—could his parents have returned to nag him again? He walked to the door and peered through the peephole, only to see a postman in a small red cap.

"Can I help you?" Xiao Lin asked, opening the door for the young courier.

"Are you Xiao Lin?" the postman asked.

"Yes, that's me."

"Great. I'm from the post office. I have a package for you; could you please sign for it?" As he spoke, the postman handed over an envelope.

Xiao Lin took it and saw his name written on the front. Then, he noticed the sender: Innovation High School. He immediately understood—it was his report card. He took a pen and signed the receipt; his hand had nearly fully healed.

After closing the door, Xiao Lin tore open the envelope. Inside was a small slip showing his grades for each subject. He checked his total score: 459. Next to the total was his ranking: second place. Xiao Lin’s mouth curled into a smile. Second in the entire school. He felt genuinely happy, not just because the score was good, but because before the winter break, Wang Yuqing had made a bet with their homeroom teacher, Old Yan. The deal was that if he could place second in the school and Wang Yuqing placed first, Old Yan would never bring up the issue of switching their seats again.

"Given how smart Wang Yuqing is, taking first place shouldn't be a problem for her. But that guy Chai Yuan is no pushover either," Xiao Lin mused, his brow furrowing at the thought of his rival.

At that very moment, Chai Yuan, the academic prodigy of Innovation High, was staring at his own report card in shock. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, hoping he was misreading it. Yet, no matter how he looked, the total ranking clearly stated the number three.

"How is this possible? How could anyone at Innovation High score better than me, let alone two people?" Chai Yuan muttered to himself. Suddenly, a girl’s name popped into his head: Wang Yuqing. It had to be her; she had only been two points behind him in the last exam, so her surpassing him was plausible. But who was the other one? Could it be that guy Lin Xudong? No, that was impossible. Chai Yuan shook his head, dismissing the thought.

"I have to find out who this is, or I won't be able to sleep tonight." Chai Yuan picked up his phone and called his homeroom teacher.

"Hello, Teacher. This is Chai Yuan. I have a question—who are the students who placed first and second, and which classes are they in?"

"Chai Yuan, don't be discouraged. You actually improved compared to last time; it’s just that two students did slightly better than you. First place is a student from Class 1 named Wang Yuqing. Second place is also from Class 1, named Xiao Lin."

"What? You mean Xiao Lin came in second? This... this..." Chai Yuan exclaimed in agitation upon hearing the name.

"It is indeed him. To be honest, the teachers were surprised too. But don't overthink it, Chai Yuan; this one exam doesn't define everything..." Chai Yuan didn't hear the rest of what the teacher said; he was completely stunned by the news.

As for Old Yan, the homeroom teacher of Class 1, his expression upon learning of Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing’s scores was a sight to behold. From that day on, he knew better than to ever bet against Wang Yuqing again.

Meanwhile, Wang Yuqing had also received her report card: 461 points, first in the school. Upon seeing the result, her expression barely flickered as she tossed the slip onto the table.

She wondered how Xiao Lin had fared, though given his intelligence, he shouldn't have done too poorly. She remembered the bet with Old Yan, but she was confident that if she could reach the top, Xiao Lin would surely hold up his end.

"Hey, Yuqing, what’s that?" Shangguan Xueer asked, picking up the report card.

Xueer had come over to hang out with Wang Yuqing today—at Yuqing's request. Yuqing was facing the same dilemma as Xiao Lin: her mother, Liu Mei, wanted her to visit relatives, while her father wanted to take her to meet the children of various government officials. She didn't want to do either, but she wasn't as firm as Xiao Lin. Desperate, she had invited Xueer over and told her parents she needed to spend time with her friend, successfully escaping the social obligations.

"461 points? My god! Wang Yuqing, are you a fighter jet among academic geniuses? Are you a god of learning?" Xueer gasped after reading the card.

"It's alright," Yuqing replied nonchalantly, looking at her stunned friend.

"If this is just 'alright' for you, what are the rest of us supposed to do?" Xueer groaned, feeling overwhelmed.

"Haha, your scores shouldn't be too bad either, right?" Yuqing asked with a smile.

"I used to think my grades were pretty good, but seeing yours, I finally understand what it means to have 'heavens above the heavens, and people above the people.' Compared to you, I'm just a failure," Xueer said, feeling a bit down.

"Oh, by the way, didn't you have that bet with your homeroom teacher? You should check and see how Xiao Lin did. You don't want to lose that bet!" Xueer suddenly remembered. That night in the car, Yuqing had told her almost everything about her situation with Xiao Lin, including the bet.

"I don't think I need to. I'm sure Xiao Lin did well. I believe in him."

"Hmph, if you won't ask, I will!" Xueer pouted, pulled out her phone, and dialed Xiao Lin’s number.

"Hey, Xiao Lin, it’s me, Xueer. What do you mean 'what do you want'? Don't be silly, I wouldn't call if I didn't have a reason!"

"I heard the report cards are out. Tell me, what was your score? What's your rank? Yuqing got first! What? Second in the school? Okay, got it. Bye."

"Yuqing, Xiao Lin got second place! Not bad! Looks like you two won the bet!" Xueer shouted after hanging up, sounding as if she were the one who had won.

Wang Yuqing just smiled faintly, looking as if she had expected it all along.

"Xueer, how is that investigation going?" That night, when Yuqing had finished telling her story, Xueer had insisted there was something fishy about their breakup and that it wasn't Yuqing's fault. Xueer had argued that a guy like Xiao Lin wouldn't just break up for no reason, nor was he the type to abandon a new love for an old one. She suspected the cause lay with Ma Yunrou and had promised to get to the bottom of it.

"I've made some progress. Don't worry, Yuqing, I'll definitely help you win Xiao Lin back," Xueer promised, patting her chest.

Yuqing nodded slightly. She, too, wanted to know the truth behind their breakup. Since Xueer was willing to help, she was more than happy to accept.

(Note: The scores in this novel are based on the Jiangsu Province college entrance examination model. The total score for both arts and sciences in Jiangsu is 480. Both include 160 points for a common Chinese language section, with an additional 40 points for a specialized section, totaling 200 points for language. There is also a 5-point 'small' college entrance exam score. Therefore, Wang Yuqing's score of 461 out of 480 is an exceptionally high achievement.)