When Chu Fang returned home from his walk, he saw his sister-in-law standing by the window, gazing at the night view of Shanghai, seemingly lost in thought.

Chu Fang nudged his sister-in-law, but seeing that she was unmoved, he made a face.

"Aaaaah, Zhong Rou, give me back my life!"

Zhong Rou's eyes focused, and she slowly came to her senses: "Brother-in-law, you're so silly..."

"You heartless bastard, I was just trying to amuse you." Chu Fang curled his lip.

"I am not sad."

Chu Fang: "Bullshit! Your thoughts are written all over your face."

Zhong Rou kicked away the little stray dog ​​rolling around at her feet and said slowly, "I'm really not sad, I'm just a little... excited."

Chu Fang: "???"

Are you more excited the worse you do on a test?

This kind of personality is rare, could it be that...

"Ouch, why did you hit my head?" Chu Fang woke up and glared at Zhong Tingyue.

Zhong Tingyue looked at her younger sister and said, "Have you thoroughly reflected on your actions?"

“I’ve reflected on it.” Zhong Rou nodded. “I’ve reviewed what I’ve been doing lately: setting up a stall, exercising, participating in the sports meet, serving as the class monitor, playing games… These activities have squeezed out my study time, causing my grades to drop. I’ve spread myself too thin; I should tone it down a bit.”

Chu Fang then realized that his sister-in-law, a high school sophomore, was doing so many things unrelated to studying.

Even so, my sister-in-law still managed to rank seventh in her class.

Having talent means you can do whatever you want.

It's sour.

Zhong Rou continued, "Back in my hometown school, I always got the top grade in my class no matter what I did. But Shanghai is different. There are always people better than me, and there are many amazing classmates who are more talented and work harder than me. I underestimated them."

"This was my oversight."

At this point, Zhong Rou clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with fury: "I've decided that from this day forward, I will dedicate all my energy to my studies, to surpass those who have better grades than me. I will crush them under my feet, make them sing 'Conquer,' and I will..."

Chu Fang's lips twitched.

The beginning was all well and good, but then it got to the point where it involved teaching the homeroom teacher a lesson, slapping the principal in the face, and ultimately climbing to the top of the world's richest list.

Seeing his sister-in-law's energetic and enthusiastic state, Chu Fang was speechless.

Most people make empty promises to themselves, so why are you making empty promises to yourself?

Zhong Tingyue crossed her arms: "So what should you do now?"

"Reading and studying!" Zhong Rou returned to her room and began to study.

Chu Fang: "... ..., that's it?"

"Hmm," Zhong Tingyue hummed softly.

Chu Fang couldn't help but sigh, "People with a competitive spirit are truly terrifying."

For someone as laid-back as him, it was impossible to understand his sister-in-law's incredibly hardworking mentality.

... ...

For the next week, Zhong Rou seemed to have gone mad. She stopped setting up her stall, exercising, and playing. She thought about studying all day long. Sometimes she would utter a few English words while eating and study until late at night.

Early in the morning, Chu Fang got up to cook and saw his sister-in-law reciting her lessons. He said with concern, "Rou Rou, you should sleep a little longer."

"No!" Zhong Rou shook her head. "I want to be number one in the class in the next exam."

A high school near the Tanhua residential area.

The homeroom teacher walked into the classroom with the report cards, a faint smile on her face: "Everyone did very well in this exam, and deserves encouragement."

"Here, I would like to give special praise to a student, Zhong Rou. She was seventh in the last exam, but this time she is first in the class. Her grades have improved tremendously. Let's give her a round of applause and ask her to share her learning experience."

Snap snap snap... ...

The classmates applauded, and Zhong Rou stood up, smiling and saying, "Hey, I never expected that I, who was only seventh, would suddenly become the first in the class."

"Actually, I don't have much experience. My failure in the last exam was simply because I wasn't in good form that day, while this time I was only one percent better, which is why I was able to get first place in the class. It's nothing special, everyone, just stay calm and relaxed..."

Wenqing covered her mouth, trying her best not to laugh out loud.

As Zhong Rou's sister, she knew best what Zhong Rou had been going through during this period, to the point that she had almost forgotten to eat and sleep, and had studied so hard that she had to hang her head from the rafters and prick her thigh with an awl.

But Zhong Rou spoke so casually at this moment, just to show off and demonstrate to her classmates that she could get good grades without studying.

He's a master of pretense!

The homeroom teacher smirked, "I'll give you face and not expose you because you got first place in this exam."

After class, Zhong Rou leaned back in her chair, twirling her textbook between her fingers, and her spirited demeanor returned.

Lu Rixing glanced at her: "Zhong Rou, apologize to me."

"Apologize?" Zhong Rou tilted her head. "You should apologize to me first."

Having been bullied by Zhong Rou for so long, Lu Rixing had said "I'm sorry" countless times, and subconsciously said, "I'm sorry."

He only realized what he meant after he said it: "Huh? Why did I apologize to you? You should apologize to me!"

"On what grounds?"

Lu Rixing said, "If you don't apologize to me, I will expose your true colors."

He paused, then continued, "The reason you haven't been setting up your stall lately isn't because you didn't have any goods, but because you were secretly studying and ultimately got first place in your class. I know you put in a lot of effort. If you don't apologize, I'll tell everyone..."

Lu Rixing became more and more excited as he spoke, when suddenly he felt the sky darken. He looked up and saw Zhong Rou looking down at him: "What are you talking about?"

“… …” Lu Rixing remained silent, then slowly stood up, walked to the podium, and knocked on the table. The students in the class all looked at him.

Lu Rixing took a deep breath: "Zhong Rou got first place in the class by secretly studying. She's a despicable person!"

After saying that, Lu Rixing dashed out of the classroom.

He can't stay here any longer; he needs to find a secluded place to spend the rest of his life.

Zhong Rou's gaze sharpened; she could hardly believe it: "You actually dared to say that?!"

Lu Rixing had made so many moves before, she thought the other party wouldn't dare to say it, but little did she know he was serious.

Zhong Rou thought of a life philosophy that Chu Fang had taught her: "The most difficult skills to defend against in this world are not fancy tricks, but skills with extremely long wind-up and zero-frame start."

"Rou Rou, where are you going?"

Zhong Rou picked up a chair and left the classroom without looking back: "Murder!"

... ...

In the Central Plains, just after 10 a.m., the scorching sun seemed to make the air tremble.

Zhong Ping wiped the beads of sweat from his face and said, "President Gao, the sun is so strong, shouldn't we go home?"

Gao Ruoyun said while working, "The farm work isn't finished yet. If you feel hot, go home first."

Zhong Ping muttered a couple of words and then buried himself in farm work. Seeing her husband's reluctant expression, Gao Ruoyun put down her work and said, "Alright, let's go home. It won't make a difference if we wait a little longer."

Zhong Ping was immediately delighted: "Okay!"

Gao Ruoyun patted her forehead, as if she remembered something, and then took out more than a dozen red banknotes from her pocket and handed them to her husband: "We don't have much corn left, go and buy some."

“OK.” Zhong Ping made a gesture.

Gao Ruoyun instructed, "Go home after you've bought it. Don't wander around outside. It's hot, so don't get heatstroke."

Zhong Ping said, "Understood!"

Then Zhong Ping drove away in his beloved tractor with a bang, and Gao Ruoyun shook her head with a smile at her husband's dashing demeanor.

Passing by the card and mahjong parlor at the village entrance, the parlor owner asked, "Pingzi, where are you going?"

"Buy corn."

"It's so sunny, come in and rest for a bit, play a couple of rounds."

"Alright."

Zhong Ping entered the village's card room and sat down to play cards.

For some reason, he had terrible luck today, as if he had been cursed with bad luck. After several rounds of playing cards, he lost all his pocket money, and most importantly, he lost the money Gao Ruoyun had given him to buy corn.

"Damn it!" After losing all his money, Zhong Ping finally came to his senses. "My life is coming to an end."

"If that woman Gao Ruoyun finds out I lost money gambling, she'll skin me alive and tear me apart!"

"No, I can't let her know, but I don't have money to buy corn, she'll definitely find out."

The owner of the card room suggested, "Pingzi, your son-in-law isn't exactly rich, but he's a big boss. Asking him for a few thousand yuan is like child's play."

"That's right, that's right," the card player next to him nodded.

Zhong Ping shook his head: "No."

Why?

"It just won't work."

Zhong Ping never considered asking Chu Fang for money, nor did he even think about asking his eldest daughter for money to cover the deficit. After much deliberation, he finally decided: "Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best."

Run!

... ...