Chapter 45: Too Hard, Isn’t It? (1/2)

Zhao Qingfeng never expected his cousin Zhao Ming to ‘raid’ the Shen residence at night.

A woman accompanied him, dressed in a white silk blouse and denim skirt, adorned with black stockings.

Zhao Qingfeng was startled.

Looking at the time, it was nine o’clock at night. What could this couple be doing here now?

He had only scored 500 points this time, not even close to the first-tier university line. Was that still not enough?

Indeed, it was.

The Zhao family had specifically sent someone to inquire about the second mock exam scores in the afternoon.

The students said that the second mock exam was the closest to the university entrance exam in terms of difficulty, and with less than a month left before the actual exam, good performance in this exam meant there was still room for improvement.

Upon learning that Zhao Qingfeng had improved by a hundred points, his aunts were frantic.

They not only hoped that Zhao Qingfeng would not make it into the top three in the county but also wished for him and his mother to be utterly defeated.

After all,

The worse Zhao Qingfeng performed, the more they could dominate and bully the mother and son duo.

After discussion,

The aunts unanimously decided that Zhao Qingfeng’s scores must be completely dragged down.

Zhao Ming was tasked with this important mission.

He swore to lead Zhao Qingfeng astray.

But that wasn’t all.

He had an even more sinister plan to implement, a scheme so vicious that it could potentially ruin an ordinary middle school student.

“Little brother, why haven’t you been to the internet café these days? I’ve been keeping the computer for you, not letting anyone else use it.”

“You did well this time, so you should relax a bit.”

“Bro knows you need to focus on your studies now, but teachers also say you need a balance of work and play. We can just play for a little while, right? Don’t get addicted.”

“Come on, I’ll treat you to some barbecue.”

“Let’s play all night tonight, I’ll keep you company and arrange some fun programs for you.”

Zhao Ming, with feigned closeness, was dragging Zhao Qingfeng outside.

Zhang Ping, standing beside him, also reached out her small hand, caressing and dragging Zhao Qingfeng, acting coquettishly and seductively.

This woman was no good, having previously danced in dance halls as a part-time hostess.

She clung to Zhao Ming because he had some money, planning to use him to improve her life and also eyeing Zhao Qingfeng’s compensation money.

After all, if Zhao Qingfeng failed, she would get a Nokia phone.

In 2001, a Nokia wasn’t cheap, costing around 5000, a symbol of wealth and status in hand.

“I’m not going, I have to go to the provincial city tomorrow.”

Zhao Qingfeng shook his head and refused.

“Why go to the provincial city? Let’s play all night.”

Zhao Ming wanted to find out any details about Zhao Qingfeng’s family.

Zhao Qingfeng didn’t tell the truth, saying he had someone he liked in the provincial city and wanted to pursue her.

Zhao Ming was overjoyed.

That was good news; they had been worried Shen’s family might betroth their daughter to Zhao Qingfeng, not wanting him to get such a big advantage.

After a struggle,

Zhao Ming’s words were more convincing than his singing, suggesting balancing study and games, relaxation to ease the mind, almost wishing Zhao Qingfeng would die in the internet café.

Zhao Qingfeng had a plan in mind and pretended to agree after a struggle, “Bro, how about I go play on Sunday? Actually, you’re right, I’m getting too absorbed in studying. I’ll come to play every week after school, just don’t tell my mom.”

“A deal!”

Zhao Ming wasn’t in a rush.

After saying goodbye, he left with Zhang Ping, both grinning from ear to ear.

Once outside, they stood in the shadows, laughing heartily.

Zhao Ming touched his chin, smugly, “Heh, a property and compensation money, that’s tens of thousands. Our family is the most dedicated among the three, so getting fifty to seventy thousand won’t be a problem.”

“I’ll prepare well, need to arrange some interesting stuff to get him hooked these next few days.”

“You too, get your friends to come along.”

“When he stays overnight, then we can…”

“Just let him taste the pleasure, he’ll never forget it! Once he fails, we’ll tell the whole county he’s a bad student. See if he and his mother can still turn things around, the money and property must be ours!”

The two left arm in arm.

Meanwhile,

Shen Lingyao was still in the kitchen, diligently cooking ‘royal fried rice.’

“Great, it’s all mushy now. Since it’s not turning into fried rice, I’ll just make a pancake!”

“Should add some side dishes now, right?”

“Let’s add some egg, vegetables, cucumber strips, and ginger, all on top of the pancake, why does it suddenly look like a pizza…”

“Eh… should the vegetables be cut horizontally or vertically?”

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