Cen Huai’an nodded and ran out.

Yan Hemin still lived in the house next to the research lab.

When Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an arrived, he was having a meal.

“Teacher.”

“Zhengnian? An’an is here too. Let’s eat together. This is the pickled beans your wife specially sent me.”

Cen Zhengnian declined the invitation, but Yan Hemin didn’t mind.

He continued eating comfortably and said, “You don’t come to me unless it’s something important. So, what’s the matter?”

“Teacher, this is related to An’an…”

“Bang! Wang Qingen is truly lawless! To dare create special treatment in the research institute and repeatedly target a child like An’an—he has no shame at all.”

The affiliated middle school was also under the jurisdiction of the research institute, and Yan Hemin had the authority to intervene in its affairs.

Seeing An’an standing by with his head lowered, appearing frightened, Yan Hemin felt a pang of sympathy, which made him even angrier at Wang Qingen’s actions.

It’s one thing for adults to be unscrupulous, but to have no boundaries at all is unacceptable.

“Teacher, please don’t get too angry,” Cen Zhengnian urged, worried about Yan Hemin’s health given his age.

“I’m not angry. I understand the situation. You two go back for now. I’ll make sure An’an gets a resolution.”

Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an thanked Yan Hemin, reassured that with the teacher’s intervention, no matter what Wang Qingen’s intentions were, he wouldn’t be able to achieve them.

Soon, news came that Director Wang had been removed from his position.

Not only was Director Wang dismissed, but many other leaders in the research institute also faced varying degrees of disciplinary action.

Some were dismissed and expelled from the research institute, while others faced demotion, reprimands, or warnings.

During this period, the research institute was tense, and everyone was very cautious, except for Cen Huai’an’s family.

The homeroom teacher, relieved by Director Wang’s dismissal, finally relaxed.

He called Cen Huai’an to his office and said, “The recommendation form for your exemption from the high school entrance exam has been submitted. You don’t have to worry about it being taken away.”

The principal had been negotiating with Director Wang for a long time, and the homeroom teacher was afraid of any complications with the recommendation form.

He had only recently felt completely at ease.

---

As the middle school entrance exam approached, Cen Huai’an finally received confirmation from the Fourth High School that he was exempt from the entrance exam.

However, there would still be an entrance exam for all exempt students and others who passed the entrance exam, which would determine their class placement.

Cen Huai’an learned this from Zhang Lu, but he wasn’t overly concerned.

Despite being exempt, Cen Huai’an still participated in the entrance exam.

By then, July had arrived, and the weather was very hot.

The examination venue was not in the southern suburbs but far from the research institute, requiring them to stay overnight at the exam location.

Given the large number of candidates, the school arranged for them to stay in the student dormitories of the exam venue’s school.

Accommodations in hotels would be too costly, and not every student could afford it.

The affiliated middle school had students not only from the research institute but also from nearby villages, so the school needed to consider all students’ situations.

Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian took leave on the first day to accompany Cen Huai’an for the exam, as it was a significant turning point in his life.

Even if the exam results weren’t the main focus, they couldn’t afford to be careless.

It was also preparation for future college entrance exams.

The exam venue had no fans, and the dormitories were like furnaces.

Plus, the tension during the exam made every student look pale and distressed.

However, this didn’t include Cen Huai’an. His expression was calm and unchanged, as if he had just participated in an ordinary test.

Among the candidates, he seemed out of place.

When he saw Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian coming to pick him up, his face immediately lit up, and his expression changed.

“Mom, Dad, when did you arrive?”

“Just now.” Chuxia, fanning Cen Huai’an with a hand fan, didn’t ask about his results but asked, “Will you be coming home with us or staying with the school?”

Chuxia pointed to a nearby car where Jiang Zhida was standing.

Seeing Cen Huai’an’s gaze, Jiang Zhida smiled and walked over.

“I’ll go with you,” Cen Huai’an said. Now that there were no more issues at the school, he didn’t need to stay in the dormitory or move his luggage.

He would just wait a couple of days to check the exam answers at school.

The high school application had been filled out before the exam, based on an estimate of what he might score.

So, before the results were out, no one knew if he would get in.

Everyone would only have a rough idea after checking the answers at school.

“Alright.”

After picking up Cen Huai’an, Jiang Zhida went on to pick up Zhang Lu.

He used to also pick up Jiang Weixian, but now Jiang Zhida avoided the in-laws’ house due to the slot machine incident.

The Jiang family still resented him, and he didn’t even dare to bring Jiang Weixian to Yunmengze.

Zhang Lu was very excited.

Her exam venue was close to home, and her parents had sent her off for the first exam, but she went on her own for the rest.

Sitting in the car, she turned to Cen Huai’an and asked, “How did you do on the exam?”

Before Cen Huai’an could answer, she smacked her forehead. “You’ve already been recommended for admission to the Fourth High School. It doesn’t matter how you did. Oh, it’s a pity my competition results weren’t as good as Tang Song’s. Our school grades are about the same.”

At the Fourth High School, students from the affiliated middle school had an advantage when applying for high school, with lower scores needed and many recommendation spots available.

However, Fourth High School didn’t just have mathematics competitions but also competitions in Chinese, English, Physics, and other subjects.

Zhang Lu, who had better grades and competition results than Cen Huai’an, only missed out on a recommendation by one point.

But Zhang Lu wasn’t worried.

As long as she didn’t perform too poorly in the middle school entrance exam, with her usual grades and competition awards, getting into Fourth High School was a sure thing.

“After the exam, don’t worry about the results,” Jiang Zhida said from the front seat before Cen Huai’an could respond. “Uncle will take you to have a great time! We’ll play all night!”

“Oh yeah!”

“No way!” Zhang Lu and Cen Zhengnian, along with Chuxia, said in unison.

“Let’s play for a while today. They’re tired after the exam; they need to rest for a couple of days. They can play as much as they want afterward.”

“Auntie, I’m not tired.” Zhang Lu, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned around and pleaded with Chuxia.

“You are tired.” Chuxia wasn’t swayed by her big, watery eyes and extended her hand. “I’ll check your pulse, and you’ll see.”

“No need, no need.” Zhang Lu quickly shook her head, sitting back down.

She didn’t want Chuxia checking her pulse; it would expose any issues with her health.

Even without an all-night adventure, Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu still had a great time in Yunmengze.

They first enjoyed a meal at the best restaurant in Yunmengze, then went ice skating, singing, and playing until after 9 p.m. It was only then that Chuxia reminded them to end their fun and head home.

---

Two days later, Cen Huai’an reviewed the middle school entrance exam answers and returned home feeling even more relaxed. Even without the exemption spot, he was confident about getting into Fourth High School.

Zhang Lu had the same thoughts after checking the answers and was very happy.

With no more academic pressure, she began inviting Cen Huai’an to go out and play every day.

She had initially wanted to invite Jiang Weixian, but he didn’t perform well in his midterm exams and was kept at home by his parents.

The Bai Han couple worried that Jiang Weixian might not get into a desirable high school, so they kept him at home studying during the summer.

He might only get to have some fun once his grades improved enough to get into a top high school.

Eating ice cream, Zhang Lu, Cen Huai’an, Tang Song, Liu Hongyu, and Cen Huai’an’s former desk mate all enjoyed their time in the Summer Palace.

Walking with Cen Huai’an, Zhang Lu sighed and said, “It would be great if Weixian were here. I haven’t seen him for a long time.”

Cen Huai’an nodded in agreement.

“Game consoles are really a love-hate thing!”

Cen Huai’an responded, “Game consoles are just a way to play. Addiction mainly depends on self-control.”

“You’re right.” Zhang Lu agreed, nodding. “We haven’t gotten addicted, so we won’t let Weixian play any of the fun games until he’s in college, to keep him from neglecting his studies.”

Due to frequent summer outings, Cen Huai’an’s originally fair skin had tanned, and Zhang Lu was even darker.

If it weren’t for the sunscreen provided by Chuxia, they would have ended up with severely sunburned skin.

The summer sun was harsh.

---

On the day Fourth High School students reported, Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian borrowed Jiang Zhida’s car and arrived at the school early.

Since the school was not close to the southern suburbs, Cen Huai’an couldn’t commute back and forth for meals, so he would need to stay in the school dormitory during high school.

Zhang Lu would also be living in the dormitory, mainly to experience dorm life.

Moreover, with the increased academic workload in high school, she couldn’t spend as much time commuting as she did in middle school.

Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu had already been assigned to classes.

The Fourth High School’s entrance exam was held a few days before school started, and the results were posted on the honor board, with the class assignments listed below it.

Cen Huai’an was assigned to Class 1, the same class as Zhang Lu.

First, they went to check in with the homeroom teacher and received the dormitory assignment slip.

Class 1’s dormitory was located on the first floor of the boys’ dormitory building. Fortunately, the dormitory building faced the sun and had a large window, otherwise, the first floor would have been very damp.

“An’an, will you be sleeping on the top or bottom bunk?”

“Mom, I’ll sleep on the top bunk,” Cen Huai’an said.

He preferred the top bunk as he would be the only one sleeping there, making it cleaner.

“Alright.”

Chuxia asked Cen Zhengnian to throw the bedding up, while Cen Huai’an climbed to the top bunk to make the bed.

Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian helped to tidy up the bottom area.

While they were organizing, the dormitory door was opened again, and a group of people entered.

Among them, a female voice exclaimed with surprise, “Chuxia, what are you doing here?”

Chuxia looked over, and her smile vanished.

Guo Yan saw Cen Huai’an making the bed and became even more delighted. “An’an is here for school too? This is such a coincidence! My nephew passed the entrance exam for Fourth High School this year, and next year, when Xiao Ming takes the middle school entrance exam, I’ll have him apply here as well. Then they’ll be classmates and can look out for each other.”

Before Chuxia could respond, Guo Yan continued speaking, making Chuxia’s face grow colder.

She hadn’t expected to run into Guo Yan here.