Chapter 37 – Fifth Grade (Class 3)

Ou Zichen softened his tone and said to Zhao Jiaying: “As long as you finish this bowl of porridge like a good girl, Daddy will agree to let you transfer to Fifth Grade (Class 3).”

Hearing this, Zhao Jiaying turned her little head and widened her eyes in disbelief. She asked: “Daddy, are you serious? You really agree to let Yingbao transfer to Fifth Grade (Class 3)?”

“I’m serious. So hurry up and eat the porridge so you can recover your strength quickly.”

Zhao Jiaying was about to eat but suddenly thought of another problem.

“Daddy, you’re not just saying this to trick Yingbao into eating, are you? Once I finish, you won’t go back on your word, right?”

“Of course not. Don’t worry!”

Ou Zichen was speechless. He never expected that his daughter’s trust in him had dropped so low—it was heartbreaking.

“Yingbao, Second Uncle will be your witness. Your Daddy wouldn’t dare go back on his word. Now, eat up.”

Ou Zilong had been heartbroken when he saw Zhao Jiaying faint from hunger. Since his big brother had already agreed, he had no objections either. If Zhao Jiaying wanted to be willful, so be it. After all, the children of the Ou family had the privilege to be willful.

“Yes, yes! Yingbao, Great-grandma will also be your witness. Be good and eat your porridge… ah!”

With Great-grandma and Second Uncle both vouching for her, it had to be true. Zhao Jiaying finally felt reassured.

“Alright then, I’ll trust you this time.”

Taking the porridge from Ou Zichen’s hand, she devoured it hungrily. She was simply too famished and finished the entire bowl in just a few mouthfuls.

Lin Zhenzhu watched her eat so quickly and, fearing that she might choke, said: “Yingbao, slow down. No one is going to take it from you.”

After finishing the bowl, Zhao Jiaying handed it back to them and said eagerly: “Delicious, delicious! I want more, I want more…”

Ou Zichen served her another bowl, and Zhao Jiaying happily began eating again.

Seeing how much she was enjoying her meal, Ou Zichen finally felt at ease. So what if she was a little spoiled? She was his daughter—she had every right to be.

That evening, Ou Zichen called Principal Lin Haibo and informed him that Zhao Jiaying would be transferring to Class Three of the fifth grade. He wasn’t asking for permission—he was demanding it as the major shareholder of St. Petersburg Academy.

Lin Haibo felt helpless. Allowing Zhao Jiaying to enroll last time, despite not meeting the age requirements, was already against the rules. And now, this? But he had no choice. He could only obediently make the arrangements—after all, the school belonged to the Ou family!

And so, once again, Zhao Jiaying became a legend at St. Petersburg Elementary School, skipping straight from second grade to fifth grade.

The next day, when she arrived at school, she went directly to Class Three of the fifth grade. The homeroom teacher had even arranged for her to sit next to Shen Linghao, making them desk mates.

After sitting down beside him, Zhao Jiaying waved at him and said: “Hi, little brother! We meet again! From now on, I’m your desk mate, so you’ll have to take care of me!”

After saying that, she shot him a teasing look—this was her revenge for being ignored. Let him ignore her again! From now on, she would sit beside him every day and annoy him to no end.

Shen Linghao was also surprised. He hadn’t expected that after ignoring her the other day, she would actually chase him all the way here. A faint, unreadable smile appeared on his lips. Interesting.

Shen Linghao was the only son of Shen Changfeng, the chairman of the Shen Corporation. He had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, with an IQ as high as 225.

It was precisely because of this that he had developed a cold and aloof personality from a young age, preferring solitude and disliking social interactions.

By the age of six, he had already self-studied and mastered all elementary school subjects. The only reason he hadn’t skipped grades like Zhao Jiaying was that his mother, Liu Lanzhi, wanted him to have a normal childhood—to play and learn alongside children his own age.

As a filial and understanding child, Shen Linghao obeyed his mother’s wishes. However, when he started school, he soon realized that he didn’t fit in with the other kids and found it difficult to communicate with them. Over time, he simply stopped trying and chose to keep to himself, ignoring others completely.

This was why his female classmates had previously told Zhao Jiaying that he never spoke to anyone. And this was exactly what had sparked Zhao Jiaying’s determination to conquer him.

The Shen Corporation was one of the top five enterprises in Bincheng and had a business partnership with the Ou Corporation. Their industries complemented each other perfectly.

In other words, the Ou Corporation required specific auto parts for their car production, and they sourced them exclusively from the Shen Corporation. Likewise, the Shen Corporation only supplied these parts to the Ou Corporation. This exclusive partnership made them brother enterprises, joining forces to become the most powerful business alliance in Bincheng.

Privately, Shen Changfeng and Ou Zichen were also good friends. Since Shen Changfeng was older, Ou Zichen respectfully addressed him as “Big Brother.”

Ou Zichen had no idea that the handsome boy Zhao Jiaying had her eyes on was actually Shen Changfeng’s son, Shen Linghao. Even more unexpected was the fact that this very boy would one day become his son-in-law.

During the break, Zhao Jiaying chattered incessantly, clinging to Shen Linghao and talking to him non-stop.

“Brother Linghao, why don’t you talk?”

“Brother Linghao, do you like braised pork? Yingbao loves braised pork! When you take a bite, the oil coats your mouth—it’s absolutely delicious!”

As she spoke, she nearly started drooling. Shen Linghao, seeing her silly expression, felt both amused and slightly disdainful. What a little foodie!

He stood up and walked out of the classroom. Like a persistent piece of sticky candy, Zhao Jiaying immediately followed him.

“Brother Linghao, where are you going? Can you tell Yingbao?”

Since Zhao Jiaying had transferred into their class, Shen Linghao had not spoken a single word to her. Yet, she had been sticking by his side, chirping away non-stop.

When he reached the entrance of the boys’ restroom, he suddenly stopped. Zhao Jiaying, not understanding why he had stopped, curiously asked,

“Brother Linghao, why aren’t you walking anymore?”

Shen Linghao still didn’t say a word and simply gave her a look.

Following his gaze, Zhao Jiaying finally noticed that they were in front of the boys’ restroom. Feeling embarrassed, she scratched her head awkwardly and said,

“Oh, so Brother Linghao needs to use the restroom! Go ahead, then! Yingbao won’t go in with you!”

Three black lines seemed to appear on Shen Linghao’s forehead. Did she actually think about going in with me?

When he came out of the restroom, he found Zhao Jiaying still waiting for him at the entrance. He felt utterly speechless. Why is she like a piece of sticky candy? I can’t shake her off no matter what I do.

And just like that, Zhao Jiaying accompanied Shen Linghao to the restroom… and then walked back to the classroom with him again.