As soon as class ended, Chu Tao went to ask about his brother’s results. Chu Xingning ranked fifth in the grade, which was considered a normal performance—not too good, but not bad.

But when he heard that Chu Tao had improved so much, he happily rushed over to hug him tightly.

Chu Tao, being held by his brother around the neck, felt a little embarrassed: “Hey, you’re an Omega, can you act a bit more appropriately?”

He was practically pressed against an Alpha, and his brother was so close he almost touched his glands.

Chu Xingning let go of him, sighing in satisfaction: “Not bad, your recent study methods are really good. Looks like you’ve really started to get it.”

Chu Tao, feeling guilty, touched his nose and let his gaze fall downward.

Actually, it was Teacher Nian who connected the knowledge together, which made everything click for him.

And Teacher Nian Li Hua truly was the gem of Huainan No.1 High School. Every lesson he taught was useful for Chu Tao. Every type of question he discussed was a focus for the exam. Even the small knowledge points he expanded on never exceeded the high school exam syllabus, but they were things Chu Tao, and even more advanced students, had never paid attention to before.

So Chu Tao really felt grateful to be taught by such an amazing teacher; it was his luck.

Of course, that luck came from Jiang She.

That evening, as soon as he entered the house, before he could even take off his shoes, Song Mian came out of the bedroom holding her phone.

“Yes, yes, the kids are back, should I call you later?”

Tang Lingmei was waiting for the results of Chu Xingning and Chu Tao, so she wasn’t about to wait any longer.

“Don’t bother, Song. Just ask them directly, I just want to hear the results. Ugh, Shen Hongfang is really driving me crazy. Chemistry improved a little, but he messed up math again. He’s so careless! I’ll use Xingning’s results to spur him on, make him stop thinking about dating all the time. Such a disappointment!”

Actually, she wasn’t looking for stimulation, but rather comfort.

When the results came out, if only her own child hadn’t done well, it would be really frustrating.

But if Song Mian’s two son wasn’t doing well either, at least she’d feel a bit better.

Tang Lingmei’s main competitor for her son was Chu Xingning. Although the gap between them was still wide, Chu Tao was no longer on her radar.

In her eyes, Chu Tao had already gone off track, and would only continue down the wrong path, becoming more rebellious. In the end, it’d be a miracle if he got into a regular 211 university.

Song Mian hesitated, her expression awkward.

She didn’t know what the two kids’ results were either, what if they hadn’t done well?

Especially Chu Tao, who seemed more and more composed and mysterious.

The more he acted this way, the more uncertain she felt.

Song Mian was also competitive. Every time she spoke with Tang Lingmei on the phone, she didn’t want her child to be compared unfavorably to Shen Hongfang.

Plus, Tang Lingmei had a way with words, turning every point into something huge. She’d always make it sound like Shen Hongfang was getting smarter than his two sons, which made Song Mian feel especially stressed.

“Xingning, Aunt Tang is asking how your exams went.”

Song Mian still had more faith in Chu Xingning, so she asked him first.

Chu Xingning tossed his backpack on the couch and unzipped his school jacket. “Fifth in the grade, it’s okay, but not as good as Fu Kaiyi. He beat me by ten points.”

Song Mian immediately comforted him. “It’s okay, Fu Kaiyi is indeed an excellent student. He was always first in the grade back in middle school. I’m sure he’ll be recommended for a university spot.”

Chu Xingning paused for a moment and nodded. “Mm.”

When Tang Lingmei heard that Chu Xingning ranked fifth, she sighed. “As expected of Xingning, always steady. This obedient child has always been mature. He’s been doing well in his studies all along.”

Song Mian smiled. “Don’t say that. Shen Hongfang is so talented. You’re always not satisfied with him. This time, he just made a mistake in math, but his chemistry score improved. If he doesn’t make that mistake next time, he’ll be amazing.”

Tang Lingmei replied, “I just hope he can get into the top 20 of the grade. Even just breaking into the top 2 would be great. This time he ranked 47th, so he’s not far off.”

Song Mian nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, don’t worry, there’s still a year. He’ll definitely make it.”

Tang Lingmei hesitated for a moment and then quietly asked, “How did Tao Tao do this time?”

She spoke quietly because she assumed Chu Tao hadn’t done well, and she thought that if she spoke more softly, it would make it less awkward for Song Mian.

She had even prepared some comforting words in advance.

Like, you can’t force things, alphas are hard to discipline.

Or, as long as there’s one good student in the family, it’s fine. It’s a miracle if both are in the top of the class.

Song Mian glanced at Chu Tao, feeling a bit reluctant to ask.

Even if Chu Tao hadn’t heard Tang Lingmei’s words, he could tell by Song Mian’s expression what she was thinking.

He barely curved his lips and gave a nonchalant smile.

Song Mian cleared her throat, cautious as she asked, “Tao Tao, how did you do this time? Was chemistry hard?”

Hearing this, Chu Tao stopped what he was doing and suddenly raised his voice. “Me? I ranked 100th.”

With that, he casually slung his backpack over his shoulder and turned to head into his room.

Song Mian immediately felt her blood rush to her head, her temples pounding with pain.

The sudden shock was almost more than she could handle.

She had prepared herself for Chu Tao to drop 10 or even 20 places, but to suddenly drop 50 places, falling out of the top 100, meant no chance at even a top-tier 985 university.

Chu Tao’s voice had been so loud that Tang Lingmei had heard it clearly. She immediately slapped her thigh and sighed, “Look at this, look at how fast his grades have dropped! Oh, Song, don’t be too upset, like you said, there’s still a year, there’s still time.”

Chu Xingning looked at Chu Tao’s back, somewhat speechless.

He helplessly said to Song Mian, “Mom, don’t listen to his nonsense. This time, he ranked 20th in the grade, and his chemistry score improved a lot.”

Song Mian blinked, feeling like she could finally breathe again.

“Twentieth?”

Chu Xingning nodded. “Yes, 20th in the grade, he improved by 25 places. He had the biggest improvement among the top 100 students in the grade. Even that classmate of his that they say was a troublemaker improved, he improved by 300 places. It’s all over the school now.”

Just as Song Mian was overwhelmed with sorrow, she was now overjoyed by Chu Xingning’s few words.

What did ranking in the top 20 mean?

It meant what Tang Lingmei had said about the “ancestors blessing,” both kids could aim for top universities like Tsinghua or Peking University!

On the other end of the phone, Tang Lingmei’s tone immediately changed: “Twentieth? Tao Tao improved?”

Song Mian replied gently, “Ah, I didn’t expect it either. Maybe his previous chemistry teacher just wasn’t right for him. I see that his own studying has paid off, and he’s improved a lot. It also saved us money.”

Tang Lingmei was silent for a moment, her tone slightly subdued: “Looks like Tao Tao really knows what he’s doing. Even though he’s been busy with all sorts of things, he hasn’t neglected his studies. That’s great. Being able to improve on his own is better than anything. He just has to keep it up.”

Song Mian smiled, “Yes, I hope he can keep it up through midterms and finals. One good exam doesn’t mean much.”

After hanging up the phone, Song Mian specifically ordered a large tub of ice cream from the supermarket as a reward for Chu Tao and Chu Xingning.

She wasn’t sure why Chu Tao had improved so much, but progress was progress, and that was a good thing. It meant he hadn’t wasted time on things he shouldn’t have.

Chu Tao scooped up a sip of 7-Up, stuffing his mouth while listening to Song Mian’s gentle words.

Song Mian kept talking, and he just quietly listened.

How long had it been since he’d heard such a gentle tone?

He couldn’t even remember. Only when he did something that made Song Mian happy did he earn her praise.

Chu Tao felt very out of place.

But that evening, he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

In the top-floor private room of JW, Jiang Qifeng invited the school leaders from Huainan, the head of the grade, Nian Li Hua, and Yang Liu for dinner.

Jiang She sat there with his brows furrowed, half-leaning on the soft sofa, listening to Jiang Qifeng and the others exchange toasts and compliments.

Jiang She had received a 500 yuan scholarship for the biggest improvement, and Jiang Qifeng, excited, opened a 50,000 yuan bottle of wine.

“Thanks, thanks to all the leaders and teachers for their guidance and encouragement. His achievement today wouldn’t be possible without your efforts. As a father, I don’t know what to say, it’s all in this wine.”

Jiang Qifeng finished the drink in one go.

The others immediately returned the compliments.

“Director Jiang, you’re too polite. Teaching is our duty, there’s no need to thank us.”

“Yes, we should be the ones thanking Director Jiang, you’ve done so much for Huainan No.1 High over the years.”

“Jiang She’s progress today is because Director Jiang set such a good example. A tiger father doesn’t have a dog son, both you and Director Shen are such excellent people, how could Jiang She be any worse?”

“Right, I remember he wasn’t focused on his studies before, but he learn fast. Once he put his mind to it, he caught up quickly.”

Jiang She felt a bit nauseous hearing this.

When had he ever tried that hard? He didn’t care about studying at all.

The only reason he kept a record of mistakes and did homework was to make his wife happy.

Of course, it was also so they would have more common ground—otherwise, Chu Tao would be studying all day, and he couldn’t just talk about games and luxury with him.

He barely touched his food at dinner, but he still came because Jiang Qifeng asked him.

No matter how rebellious and unruly he was, Jiang She still gave his father enough face in front of others, doing what was necessary and not letting anyone feel uncomfortable.

Maybe it was genetic, but Jiang Qifeng was very clear about the tricks in business and at the wine table, and Jiang She could copy them effortlessly.

But he didn’t want to be as slick and worldly as his father.

That coldness and pride, at least in part, came from Shen Qing.

The reason Shen Qing and Jiang Qifeng couldn’t stay together was their incompatible personalities.

They looked down on each other, couldn’t tolerate each other, and naturally, it came to an end.

Jiang Qifeng raised his glass again. “The person we really need to thank is Teacher Nian. Even with his busy schedule, he gave Jiang She extra lessons, helping him improve so much. Teacher Nian truly deserves a lot of credit.”

Nian Li Hua modestly said, “No, no, actually, Jiang She is much more obedient and thoughtful than I expected. His homework is always done thoroughly, and he organizes his mistakes on time. He doesn’t take notes in class, but he remembers everything.”

Jiang She tugged at the corner of his lips. In his mind, he thought, he really hadn’t remembered anything; it was because Chu Tao had forced him to listen to recordings so many times.

As the only female Omega in the room, Yang Liu was quiet and gentle, hardly speaking.

Seizing the rare opportunity, she added, “Jiang She sits behind the top student in our class, so being constantly exposed to that must have influenced him.”

Jiang Qifeng raised an eyebrow. “Top student, really? That impressive?”

Yang Liu was about to speak when Jiang She suddenly interjected, “Impressive? Extremely impressive. Not only is he good at studying, but he’s also a strong leader. He’s even more handsome than me, and he listens to the teacher really well.”

Yang Liu was momentarily stunned, seemingly surprised by Jiang She’s praise for Chu Tao.

Jiang Qifeng didn’t seem to mind much. “Well, then you’d better get along with him.”

Jiang She smiled faintly, his fingers lightly tracing the rim of his glass, and said meaningfully, “Hmm, I’ll definitely get along with him. Very well.”