Chapter 7

In her previous life, Lu Yan’s high school grades were average, but at that time, Beicheng No. 3 High School had a strong faculty, and the teachers’ expectations were much stricter than they are now.

As a result, the school had a college acceptance rate of 90% for top-tier universities.

In such an environment, even if Lu Yan didn’t pay much attention, her grades wouldn’t have been too bad. Moreover, Lu Zhen took great care in monitoring her studies. Every night after work, he would check her school bag, look at her homework, and read the teacher’s comments and feedback.

Lu Yan was more or less pushed into studying, and despite her lack of effort, she still managed to pass the college entrance exam and get into a provincial first-tier university.

Now, the entrance exam for Beicheng No. 3 High School was relatively distant from the academic knowledge Lu Yan had, but she still had a solid foundation. As long as she reviewed some study materials, passing the exam should be no problem.

That afternoon, Lu Yan went alone to the Xinhua Bookstore to buy some textbooks.

The Xinhua Bookstore in the city center had been open ever since Lu Yan was in middle school, and had undergone several major renovations over the years. Despite this, it still had an old feel.

At this moment, the bookshelves didn’t have many diverse books, the overall selection was small.

Lu Yan found the section with study materials and picked up a thick math textbook with accompanying exercises.

Through the gap in the bookshelf, she glanced at a handsome young man who was standing across from her, head lowered, taking notes.

Lu Yan stopped in her tracks, and suddenly, she walked around the corner of the shelf to look at him—

Shen Kuo was wearing a white shirt, looking neat and clean. He was holding a fountain pen, flipping through a study guide and copying something onto a yellowing notebook.

Lu Yan sneaked up to him quietly, almost like a thief, and finally saw… he was copying a few math problems from the guidebook.

He was so focused that he didn’t notice her even when she stood behind him for quite some time.

After a while, he closed the new study guide and returned it to the shelf. Lu Yan quickly hid behind the shelf to avoid being seen.

When Shen Kuo walked past her, he didn’t look at her at all, but his steps did falter for a brief moment.

After he left, Lu Yan approached where he had been standing and took out the “Complete Analysis of High School Math” study guide.

This set of study materials wasn’t very expensive, but he had chosen to copy the problems from the book and do them on his own, which clearly showed that his family was struggling financially.

Lu Yan finally understood why this man was able to use just ten years to rise from nothing and become a powerful new rich member of Beicheng’s upper class.

He had a calm temperament, was adaptable, and could endure hardships.

Compared to him, the immature and irritable Lu Zhen… was nothing but a helpless mess being crushed into the ground.

Lu Yan’s desk was stacked high with study materials. She started waking up early and staying up late to prepare for the entrance exam, working harder than she had for the college entrance exam.

Shi Xuexian had asked Shi Ya several times to check on Lu Yan’s progress, but Shi Ya thought her mother was overthinking things.

“She’s an idiot. She can’t even do basic math, let alone pass the entrance exam. What a joke.”

But Shi Xuexian didn’t think so. She clearly remembered what Lu Yan used to be like: innocent, foolish, and barely able to speak clearly. When Shi Xuexian had suffered under Lu Jian’s discipline, she had once secretly pinched Lu Yan’s palm, and all Lu Yan could do was cry, unable to say anything.

The Lu Yan who had returned this time was very different from the past. But… if she wasn’t really Lu Yan, how could she know so many things about their family?

Shi Xuexian couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

“If she doesn’t pass the entrance exam, your Uncle Lu will definitely use his connections to get her into the school, and maybe he can also help you along the way,” Shi Xuexian advised Shi Ya. “You’d better figure out what’s going on with her.”

Shi Ya didn’t take it seriously. “Do you really think she could do better than me? You don’t trust me enough.”

Shi Xuexian thought about it and agreed. Lu Yan was mentally challenged, maybe being on her own had made her a little more cunning, but a fool is still a fool, and she could never become a normal person.

—

Of course, it wasn’t just Shi Xuexian. Even Lu Jian didn’t have much faith in Lu Yan. He didn’t expect her to get into any prestigious universities. As long as she could live happily in school, he’d be content.

During the waiting days for the admission notice, Shi Ya was full of confidence, excited every day, and making plans with Shi Xuexian to travel once the middle school exams were over.

Lu Yan, on the other hand, was uncertain after the exam. The difficulty of the test exceeded her expectations. She thought that going back twenty years in time would make studying easier, but she didn’t expect it to be this hard!

Sure enough, the entrance exams for prestigious schools, which everyone wants to get into, are so difficult that they only select the best students.

Early that morning, the postman delivered an admission letter. Shi Ya rushed downstairs in excitement and happily took the letter. She shouted into the room, “Mom, Uncle Lu, I passed the exam!”

Lu Yan walked out of her room and stood by the railing on the second floor, watching Shi Ya joyfully celebrate in the living room.

She only had one admission letter. So, she hadn’t passed after all…

Lu Yan felt a bit disheartened. Although she hadn’t paid much attention to her studies in her past life, she had given her all this time, but still didn’t make it. It seemed that learning couldn’t be achieved overnight.

Lu Jian and Shi Xuexian heard Shi Ya’s voice and came out of their rooms.

Shi Xuexian looked at Lu Yan, standing by the railing with a dejected expression, and a faint look of contempt flashed in her eyes.

“Yaya is amazing.” She walked over and patted Shi Ya’s head, praising her, “I heard this exam was very tough. Several of my friends said their children didn’t make it. I didn’t expect our Yaya to do so well!”

Lu Jian asked Shi Ya, “Is that the only letter?”

“Yes, this is the only admission letter I’ve received!”

Lu Jian shrugged, not feeling disappointed. This was to be expected.

Shi Xuexian urged Shi Ya, “Hurry, open the envelope and let your Uncle Lu take a good look.”

So, Shi Ya asked the servant for scissors and opened the envelope of the admission letter.

Shi Xuexian said to Lu Jian, “I think we should throw a big celebration for Yaya’s entrance. We’ll invite relatives, friends, and your business partners to celebrate Yaya getting into No. 3 High School. After all, a prestigious school like No. 3 High School is not something just anyone can get into. It’ll bring you honor too.”

Lu Jian didn’t respond. After all, she wasn’t his biological daughter. How much honor would he get throwing a celebration for his stepdaughter?

Shi Ya happily opened the envelope, and when she saw the name at the top of the admission letter, it read “Lu Yan.” She froze.

Shi Xuexian, seeing her daughter’s lips turn pale, grabbed the admission letter from her and looked at it. She was stunned.

This admission letter was for Lu Yan.

Lu Yan took the letter from Shi Xuexian and saw her score—614.

She couldn’t help but mutter, “I’m pretty amazing.”

Since childhood, Lu Yan had never scored above 600 on an exam.

Lu Jian couldn’t believe it either. He kept flipping the admission letter back and forth, then silently called the principal to confirm.

The principal laughed and said, “Mr. Lu, you’re too humble. This year’s entrance exam was very difficult. With 2,000 candidates, only 18 scored over 600. Your daughter is among the top, scoring 614!”

“Are you… sure?”

“As you said, if she hasn’t studied middle school courses at school, to score this high is not a sign of intelligence issues, but sheer genius! We not only want her to enroll, but we’re also offering her a scholarship!”

Lu Jian hung up the phone in a daze, unable to process it. His mentally challenged daughter had somehow become a genius.

In the past few months, Lu Yan had bought stacks of study materials and locked herself in her room to study hard every day. Lu Jian had thought nothing of it, considering it just a passing whim of hers.

He never imagined she would actually pass!

Shi Xuexian hurriedly asked Shi Ya, “Is that the only letter? Where’s your admission letter?”

Shi Ya, greatly impacted, stamped her foot. “How would I know!”

“Didn’t you say the exam was easy and you could pass?”

“Don’t ask me! Who should I ask?!” Shi Ya angrily ran back to her room and slammed the door shut.

Lu Jian stood on the balcony, making calls to relatives to share the good news.

Lu Yan got in, Shi Ya didn’t. Shi Xuexian felt too embarrassed to ask Lu Jian to use his connections to help Shi Ya get into school.

Shi Xuexian turned around and happened to meet Lu Yan’s gaze.

Lu Yan stared at her expressionlessly, her lips curving up slightly.

Shi Xuexian could detect the sarcasm in her eyes.

She felt a shiver run down her spine. Could it be that this little girl was… targeting her? Did she know something about the incident when she went missing all those years ago?

Shi Xuexian suddenly felt a chill run down her back.

Later, Lu Jian consulted a doctor, who said that perhaps Lu Yan’s condition was gradually improving. While such cases were extremely rare, it wasn’t impossible.

Lu Jian was overjoyed, even throwing a grand celebration to share the news with several business partners that Lu Yan had been accepted into Beicheng No. 3 High School.

In the days before school started, Lu Zhen mysteriously took Lu Yan to the backyard of the mansion, saying he had a surprise for her.

Curious, Lu Yan followed him and was stunned to find a brand-new Giant bicycle on the green lawn!

To be honest, Lu Yan hadn’t ridden a bike in years. Since high school, her father had sent a driver to pick her up after school to prevent her from going out and causing trouble.

In fact, Lu Yan had always envied those classmates who had bicycles, being able to ride to and from school together.

Now, Lu Zhen had given her a brand-new bicycle, which in a way, could be seen as a form of compensation.

Lu Yan excitedly hugged her father and eagerly hopped on the stylish girls’ bike.

The bike was small, perfectly suited to her petite frame. Lu Zhen, with his typical “straight male” aesthetic, had chosen a particularly pink bike, believing that all girls loved pink.

This preference for “straight male” aesthetics had remained even into his middle age. Whether it was the dresses Lu Yan wore as a child or the design of her room, everything had always been in soft pink, girly styles.

Lu Yan enjoyed riding her bike aimlessly around the streets. Back then, most bicycles on the streets were old-fashioned models, so owning a trendy, niche brand bike was quite a cool thing.

The area around Beicheng had not been developed yet, so it seemed particularly small. Familiar faces were everywhere on the main roads.

As Lu Yan turned a street corner, she suddenly spotted Shen Kuo’s tall figure.

He was wearing a tank top and carrying a bag of yellow pears, walking toward a nearby alley that led to a tenement building. He seemed to be heading home.

Lu Yan quickly pedaled and followed him, keeping a distance of over ten meters to avoid being noticed.

The alley was home to many residents. Many families, for convenience, cooked using coal stoves in the alley and hung clothes to dry. Children ran around with paper airplanes…

The air in such an alley was always thick with the warmth of human life.

Shen Kuo’s tall figure was bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun.

The mischievous kids running around saw him walking by and immediately yelled, “The bad guy’s here!” before scattering in all directions, hiding as far away as possible.

A woman who was drying clothes at the alley’s entrance deliberately raised her voice after Shen Kuo passed by, saying, “There’s a sickly person at home, always yelling and disturbing the kids. It’d be better if they died sooner, it’d be good for everyone.”

Shen Kuo abruptly stopped, turned around, and gave her a cold glance.

The woman, feeling the chill in his gaze, was slightly scared. Trying to act tough, she muttered angrily, “It’s the truth, can’t even say anything about it!”

Shen Kuo didn’t argue with her and turned to walk toward the tenement building at the end of the alley.

Lu Yan, riding her bike through the alley, deliberately sped up and aimed for a puddle near the woman.

With a splash, the bike kicked up the muddy water from the puddle, splashing it all over the woman’s freshly hung sheets—making them unrecognizable.

The woman, taken by surprise, was furious. Her brows furrowed as she shouted at Lu Yan, “Are you blind?!”

Lu Yan provocatively smiled at her, pedaling quickly and leaving like a gust of wind.

The woman tried to chase her, but her heavy body couldn’t run far before she was out of breath. She could only stand at the corner of the street, shouting curses.

Lu Yan had never seen such a vicious street bully before. Being chased and scolded, she felt a little intimidated. However, seeing Shen Kuo being bullied made her feel uneasy.

He was like a tightly wound spring, not knowing when he would snap back.

All his sharp edges would eventually turn toward Lu Zhen, towards their family. For example, his years of crazy revenge on Lu Zhen, which had bankrupted him in just a few years.

Lu Yan rode into Shen Kuo’s tenement building, only to be caught off guard when a pair of hands grabbed her collar and yanked her off the bike.

Lu Yan cried out in surprise, and before she could see clearly, she was pressed against the wall by his strong, agile arm.

“Why are you following me?” His voice was low and forceful.

Lu Yan looked up at his face, which was so close, and her heart raced.

His features were particularly sharp, with eyebrows like blades, eyes cold as ice, and an aura of “don’t get close” surrounding him.

“I just saw you earlier, wanted to say hello,” Lu Yan said, feeling guilty. “You’re hurting my hand.”

Shen Kuo’s gaze shifted, and indeed, her delicate wrist was being squeezed, and her pale skin quickly turned red from the pressure.

Girls weren’t like boys. They were fragile and soft, easily hurt—especially this pampered little girl.

He slightly loosened his grip but leaned closer to her face, staring into her avoiding black eyes, and said, “What, are you interested in me?”

Lu Yan leaned against the wall, blinking her bright eyes, staring at him in a daze.

“Yeah,” she admitted frankly. “Can we go to the arcade together again sometime?”

Shen Kuo sneered.

He was self-aware, a pampered rich girl like her would never have feelings for a poor boy like him.

“I don’t have time. If you want to play, call your brother…” Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Yan reached out and touched the corner of his lips, where there was a bruise.

“Did you get into another fight? Did my brother do this to you?”

Shen Kuo flinched as if shocked, stepping back two paces, the faint cool sensation of her fingertips still lingering on his lips.

“No,” he turned his head, avoiding her gaze, his heartbeat suddenly quickening.

At this moment, a heavy cough came from inside the nearby door, followed by a hoarse, deep middle-aged voice: “Xiao Kuo, who are you talking to?”

“A classmate.”

Lu Yan glanced at the dark crack in the door, and Shen Kuo immediately reached out to close it, saying to her, “Go quickly. Don’t come back here.”

Lu Yan, feeling a bit embarrassed, picked up her bike from the ground and looked back at his place.

The damp first floor had iron-barred windows, dark and grim, looking oppressive and stifling.

“By the way, I got into No. 3 High School. We’ll be seeing each other a lot from now on,” Lu Yan said, flashing him a slight smile. “Uncle Shen Kuo, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Count on your ass, just get lost.”

Lu Yan hurriedly got on her bike, pedaling faster as she left the alley.

He watched her figure gradually disappear, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly, muttering to himself:

“Who the hell is your… uncle?”