Chapter 35.1

Pei Zheng had accumulated a punishment buff, and his running penalty was scheduled for Saturday night.

Lu Nong was very satisfied with this arrangement. She had already planned Pei Zheng’s entire schedule, and in the spirit of humanitarianism, she left him a breathing space of two hours every weekend night.

Unexpectedly, Pei Ji’an seemed to be on the same wavelength as her.

During breakfast, Lu Nong thought of the other three unfortunate brothers and specifically asked her godmother, “Godmother, did Xiao Zhang, Xiao Shen, and Xiao Jiang come to complete their work on time yesterday?”

She glanced at Pei Zheng and continued, “Regarding the performance evaluation form I gave you, don’t be lenient. Give red flowers where they’re deserved and mark crosses where necessary. After a month, let’s post the evaluation form on the bulletin board for everyone to see.”

Aunt Wu also glanced at Pei Zheng. “Got it, I won’t be soft-hearted.”

“Not soft, not soft!” the little one shouted.

“…”

Pei Ji’an  patted the little one’s head, choosing not to comment on Lu Nong’s approach, but there was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Pei Zheng froze, and Xiao Zhou lowered his head to sip his porridge, thinking he should never offend his leader wife in the future. She was ruthless, really ruthless.

The ladies in the compound disliked going to the bulletin board because it was too far, but the leaders enjoyed checking it out during their leisure time to chat.

In the compound, Pei Zheng and his mischievous friends were fearless, not even afraid of their own mothers. The only thing they feared was their father’s leather belt, and his leader’s wife had a firm grip on their lifelines.

If that evaluation form were posted on the bulletin board, the leaders would notice it while chatting. They would see, “Hmm? Why is my son’s name here?”

Then they would look again, “Hmm? Why does my son’s name have a whole row of black crosses? Why do Old Zhang’s, Old Shen’s, Old Jiang’s, and Old Pei’s sons have more red stars than mine?”

Damn it, making me lose face. I’ll go home and beat him up.

Pei Zheng couldn’t escape this either. If the other brothers got beaten by their fathers, how could the Chief not symbolically beat Pei Zheng?

Xiao Zhou pondered the likelihood of Pei Zheng getting punished, while Pei Zheng shivered at the thought. If he could turn back time, he would definitely warn himself never to provoke a woman with the last name Lu. Even if he could only rewind for a short while, he would tell his past self, who was competing for the bathroom against the scheming Lu, to run away. He couldn’t outsmart her.

Pei Zheng took a deep breath. Now was not the time to regret the past. He had to find a way to resolve the current trouble. He absolutely couldn’t let Lu Nong post that ridiculous form on the bulletin board. He had his dignity. If it was accidentally seen by Han Lu and his gang, would he even survive?

If worst comes to worst, on the day Lu Nong posted it, he would sneakily follow her and tear it down once she left.

After breakfast, Lu Nong and Pei Zheng took the bus to school together. Pei Ji’an was back at work today and couldn’t drive them.

Actually, Pei Zheng had a bicycle. He had suggested giving Lu Nong a ride to school in the morning, but Lu Nong firmly rejected the idea.

The backseat of a boy’s bicycle is just like the passenger seat in a man’s car. It’s meant for his wife. His stepmother could sit on it once or twice in an emergency, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to ride it to school every day.

Besides, come on, Pei Zheng was the male lead in a novel. He should save the backseat for the female lead. The male lead must adhere to male virtues.

So when Lu Nong mentioned taking the bus, Pei Zheng inexplicably insisted on joining her instead of riding his bike.

On the way, he was like a thief, trying to keep her separated from the crowd. Whenever she spoke to someone else, he would stand beside her like a gatekeeper, eavesdropping. No, it was different. A gatekeeper is usually righteous and imposing, while Pei Zheng wore a gloomy expression, as if someone owed him two million yuan, scaring people away from them.

Arriving at school, Pei Zheng and Lu Nong had to part ways. After hesitating for a moment, Pei Zheng said to Lu Nong, “If anything happens, come find me. If someone bullies you, just have someone send me a message, and I’ll come over right away.”

Thinking about the thugs they encountered at the photo studio and the predatory looks from the men on the bus, Pei Zheng felt immense frustration. Why did his stepmother have to be so beautiful? Beauty doesn’t put food on the table.

Lu Nong closed her eyes and nodded vigorously. She stood on her tiptoes and patted Pei Zheng’s shoulder, saying without any hesitation, “Don’t worry, even if you don’t say it, I was already planning to do that. If something happens, who else would help you if not me?”

Pei Zheng replied, “…Thank you.” Truly, she was something else. If she were any more polite, he would think she was being threatened.

“You’re welcome. Here’s your schedule, take it,” Lu Nong said, lowering her head to pull out the course schedule she had organized overnight and handed it to Pei Zheng.

Confused, Pei Zheng thought, Didn’t Lu Nong insist on getting his schedule? Why is she returning it now? He took a look at it.

“…”

“…What is this!?” Pei Zheng exclaimed in disbelief, glancing between the schedule and Lu Nong.

“It’s the class schedule,” Lu Nong pretended not to understand his confusion, giving him a look that said, How could you not know this?

“…I know this is my schedule. What I meant to ask is, why is there so much self-study for second-year courses on it?”

Pei Zheng examined the schedule closely and found that it even included his evening rest time for studying. “Are you even human? With this schedule, do I have any personal time left?”

“There is,” Lu Nong pointed to a tiny blank box at the bottom of the schedule and said earnestly, “Look, on weekend nights, you’re free. Well, but you already wasted that time this morning.”

Pei Zheng: “…”

This morning, five kilometers, punishment, all pushed to the weekend.

Pei Zheng choked, recalling the self-inflicted predicament from earlier that morning. He suppressed the urge to strangle Lu Nong. The facts were clear: opposing a woman with the surname Lu would only lead to his own misfortune.

To make matters worse, Lu Nong added, “Don’t think about slacking off. I will check your progress. Our goal is to finish the first and second-year courses this year and the third and fourth-year courses next year. We aim to get your degree early, who knows, maybe you’ll even manage to get into graduate school.”

“Let’s do our best!” Lu Nong made a gesture, her ambitions evident as if she could already foresee that moment.

Pei Zheng’s expression was blank, filled with despair, looking like a lifeless fish. He silently held the course schedule, staggering away, and from behind, he seemed to exude a melancholic aura.

Lu Nong shook her head, thinking it was an illusion. She had heard that Pei Zheng was a top student. How could a top student not love studying? He must just be too excited.

This day was another relentless one for Lu Nong. Besides eating and taking her afternoon nap, she was constantly studying. Not only was she covering her own grade level material, but she also squeezed in first- and second-year courses and even attended fourth-year classes. After class, she rushed to the library to review and organize the diverse knowledge she learned throughout the day.

As a result, Lu Nong gained a reputation throughout the entire history department, and the reason was simple: she studied too diligently.

It wasn’t that others were not hardworking. In fact, most of the students who could get into this top university were both diligent and intelligent. However, their energies were limited. Plus, the school arranged courses based on the maximum knowledge capacity of this group of elite students. Those with slightly ordinary qualifications were overwhelmed, and without burning the midnight oil, they would struggle to keep up.

Of course, there were some students who managed to study additional materials after completing the school’s assigned courses. These individuals were the very top of the top, yet even they could not match the volume of Lu Nong’s studies.

Everyone else generally followed a systematic approach to their studies, ensuring they learned in an organized manner without mixing up the knowledge. But Lu Nong was unique; she tackled courses from all four years simultaneously, absorbing everything without discrimination, and remarkably, she didn’t show any signs of struggling.

Lu Nong’s intensity was evident.

Cheng Duoduo tried to keep pace with her. Wherever Lu Nong went to class, she followed. Whenever Lu Nong went to the library to study, Cheng Duoduo did the same, only to end up feeling increasingly frustrated.

In the library, Cheng Duoduo looked at Lu Nong with a complicated expression. She had once been a proud person. In this day and age, getting into college was a source of pride, and attending the best university in the country was even more so. Among her siblings, only she had gotten into Peking University, making her parents proud while her siblings envied her. She felt as though her tail could reach the sky.

But after just two days, she felt as if Lu Nong had diminished her pride.

In class, some students scoffed at Lu Nong’s studying methods, thinking that if she wasn’t pretending, she would back down after a couple of days. Everyone was waiting to see Lu Nong’s downfall.

Cheng Duoduo encountered those making sour remarks several times. She particularly wanted to tell them, Wake up! Some people are just naturally better than you; your inability doesn’t mean others can’t succeed.

For the past two days, she has been following Lu Nong closely. Lu Nong focused entirely during class and never took notes. However, once they were in the library, she could effortlessly jot down notes for several subjects, and whatever she wrote was bound to be a complete knowledge system. This meant she not only remembered everything but also organized it in her mind.

Cheng Duoduo compared her notes taken during class with Lu Nong’s and realized the difference was beyond significant. Whenever she asked Lu Nong about the content she hadn’t understood in class, Lu Nong always provided the perfect answer.

The truth couldn’t be faked, and the fake couldn’t become the truth. A slight test could reveal that Lu Nong was truly a genius capable of multitasking.

“Let’s call it a day.”

Noticing the sky was getting dark, Lu Nong realized that if she delayed any longer, she would miss the last bus. She closed her notebook, stretched her arms, and planned to continue studying once she got home.

Cheng Duoduo snapped back to reality and quickly stood up to pack her things. “Oh, okay, let’s go.”

“Do you want to take my newly organized notes home and keep studying?” Lu Nong looked at Cheng Duoduo with sparkling eyes.

At first, Lu Nong thought Cheng Duoduo was being overly familiar. However, after spending the last couple of days together, she successfully recognized one of her strengths—her love for learning. Following her around, asking her questions, and being enthusiastic about studying made her a good companion and classmate for Lu Nong.

Cheng Duoduo: “…”Thank you, but that’s not necessary.

In the end, Cheng Duoduo accepted the notes from Lu Nong with tears in her eyes. She had already regarded Lu Nong as a genius, and since she was lucky enough to be friends with her, she couldn’t let Lu Nong down.

Biting her lip, Cheng Duoduo thought, “Isn’t it just going home to study more? I need to study even if it means sacrificing sleep, sob sob sob.”

Lu Nong was unaware of Cheng Duoduo’s thoughts. After leaving the school together, she suddenly realized, upon seeing Pei Zheng waiting outside, that Cheng Duoduo might still harbor a crush on him.

Surprisingly, Cheng Duoduo, burdened with the notebooks Lu Nong had given her, said goodbye. She solemnly raised her fist and declared, “Sister Nong Nong, don’t worry, I will not let you down. I will study hard.”

Then, she walked straight past Pei Zheng, completely oblivious to his large presence right in front of her.

Lu Nong: “…” I respect that.

The allure of studying was so powerful that it made her forget about men entirely.

Pei Zheng, who had been listening to their conversation, thought, “…” Why are there so many oddballs around Lu Nong?”

Well, maybe Cheng Duoduo was just another person driven crazy by Lu Nong.