Chapter 50 Walkthrough: How much money to give on the fiftieth day [Added storyline]...
My husband is so good-looking; it must be due to excellent family genes. I can't even imagine how good-looking my in-laws must be.
Xiang Di firmly believes in the power of family genes because her maternal grandfather was a very handsome man when he was young.
Her maternal grandfather was born in northern Jiangsu. Nurtured by the beautiful Jiangnan region, he developed a gentle and refined scholarly temperament. When he came to the north to study at university, he was so handsome that his maternal grandmother fell in love with him at first sight and took him into the Luo family as her son-in-law. As a result, all of Xiang Di's mother's sisters are very beautiful.
Among them, Xiang Di's aunt Luo Yayi is the youngest and also the most beautiful.
The siblings Xiang Di and Xiang Sheng did not inherit their father's straightforward and magnanimous northern manly temperament, but instead inherited their mother's gentle and refined appearance, making them well-liked by relatives on both sides from a young age.
This gave Xiang Sheng the capital to become an internet celebrity. When the siblings quarreled, Xiang Di loved to threaten Xiang Sheng with their grandfather, saying that she would tell their grandfather about his internet celebrity status and see how he would explain it to his grandfather.
Xiang Sheng, of course, was not to be outdone. She said, "If you dare tell Grandpa that I'm an internet celebrity, I'll tell Grandpa that you read pornography. Grandpa taught you to read and write since you were little, and taught you to be a girl with a pure temperament. But what have you done? You've used all the words you've learned to read those obscene and pornographic things."
Xiang Di felt a little guilty about this, but it was too late now; her mind had completely gone astray.
If only I hadn't searched for novels online back in junior high.
It was because she accidentally found a novel with explicit content back then. She was not yet fourteen years old at the time. When she saw the description of the male protagonist giving the female protagonist oral sex, she was completely shocked. This opened the door to a new world for her, and from then on, her morals were gone.
The Xiang family benefited from their maternal grandfather's influence, which altered their family's genes. Similarly, judging from Bai Jiangxin's face, one can infer just how impressive his family's good looks are.
As Xiang Di packed her schoolbag, she excitedly fantasized in her mind.
What an incredibly handsome and beautiful couple they must be to have a son like Bai Jiangxin, who perfectly matches all her aesthetic preferences?
Bai Jiangxin watched as she projected the faces of a bunch of celebrities onto his parents' faces, like trying to create a romantic pairing.
The result was, of course, completely wrong. Bai Jiangxin was speechless. How could his father possibly look like Daniel Wu?
And his mother, of course, was not the professional woman in a suit moving through towering buildings that Xiang Di imagined. His mother was a doctor. As for her appearance, Bai Jiangxin thought for a moment and suddenly realized that he could hardly remember what his mother looked like anymore.
The only thing he remembered was the look in her eyes when she looked at him for the last time before she left many years ago. It was cold and complicated, as if she felt a little guilty about giving up custody of him, but beyond the guilt, she felt more relief.
A long time had passed, and it wasn't anything worth recalling, so Bai Jiangxin stopped thinking about it.
Fortunately, Xiang Di stopped imagining his parents and started thinking about something else.
[...Not only are they all good-looking, but they're also rich! They even have a Rolls-Royce, oh my god! Does that mean I'm marrying into a wealthy family? Dad, Mom, and my brother, you're all going to rise to prominence with me!]
Bai Jiangxin: "..."
Do her parents and brother know they've become like chickens and dogs?
She's so greedy; she not only covets his looks but also his wealth.
He was clearly criticizing her in his mind, but Wang Sichen next to him suddenly asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Bai Jiangxin was taken aback, her expression instantly becoming serious, and asked him, "Was I laughing?"
"You smiled," Wang Sichen mimicked his earlier upturned lips, "and your smile was quite radiant."
Bai Jiangxin vehemently denied it: "You've mistaken me for someone else."
Wang Sichen was about to say something when he was cut off by another sentence: "You should find some time to get a new pair of glasses."
Wang Sichen: "..."
After being deskmates for a while, I finally felt that this person had become a little more human and could crack a few jokes, but their words were still so infuriating.
They said he laughed but didn't say he cried. Laughing isn't shameful, so I don't know what he's being stubborn about.
“Then you should go to the hardware store sometime,” Wang Sichen said. “Tell the owner to stop selling hardware and start selling your words. You’re much more persuasive.”
After confronting Bai Jiangxin, Wang Sichen felt incredibly powerful. She picked up her backpack, gave him a light snort, and walked with an arrogance more haughty than a rooster laying eggs.
Bai Jiangxin: "..."
This person needs to have their eyes and brain treated.
Although he firmly believed that Wang Sichen must have been seeing things, he pursed his lips and cautiously raised his hand to cover his mouth with the base of his thumb.
Xiang Di, who had just been fantasizing about marrying into a wealthy family, suddenly sighed.
Marrying into a wealthy family is certainly wonderful, but she knows it comes at a price.
Bai Jiangxin's family owns a Rolls-Royce, but her parents are just civil servants.
She never attended any socialite classes as a child, never went abroad to broaden her horizons, and certainly didn't possess the talents that rich girls cultivate with money.
Xiang Di's family wasn't wealthy, but her parents were very open-minded. They didn't have high expectations for her and her brother, never pushed them too hard, and rarely enrolled them in tutoring classes. The fact that Xiang Di was able to get into a top high school and her brother was able to get into a top local university was partly due to the benefits of having local residency, and partly due to the siblings' self-discipline in their studies.
If I had to name any talent that cultivates my character, it would be that I studied painting and the recorder for a few years during elementary and middle school. I also played a minor role in the school orchestra and participated in a few performances with the orchestra. Later, when I went to high school, the academic pressure increased, and I had to catch up with Bai Jiangxin, so I didn't have time to learn the recorder anymore.
I've heard that being a daughter-in-law in a wealthy family is not easy. You have to be good at this and that. And what if Bai Jiangxin's parents are both very assertive?
Seeing that she was going home for the holidays and still looked listless, Liang Qianqian guessed that she was worried about the parent-teacher conference next week. She patted her shoulder to comfort her: "It's okay. Your grades have improved so much in your senior year of high school. Your teacher will definitely praise you a lot in front of your parents."
Xiang Di sighed.
If it were just a problem with her grades, that would be fine. After all, as long as she studies hard, she can gradually close the gap between herself and Bai Jiangxin.
The stark gap between the rich and poor meant that once they graduated, they would no longer be equal high school classmates. Thinking about this, Xiang Di suddenly wasn't so looking forward to graduation anymore.
School is still the best place. At least she can stay in school and catch up with Bai Jiangxin through hard work.
But the difference in their family backgrounds was determined from the moment they were born, so how could she catch up?
Suddenly pulled back to reality from her fantasy, Xiang Di pouted.
It's better to have a crush on someone you don't really care about. With a crush, you don't have to worry about these practical issues. Whether she likes someone or not, it's her own business. She can quietly start a relationship and quietly end it on her own.
Now, the person she had a crush on suddenly confessed his feelings for her, making it impossible for her to continue her crush. Getting together is inevitable, and once they're together, the practical problems they'll have to face are also inevitable.
Xiang Di knew that compared to many children, she was already well-off, but the more she liked him, the more she was prone to anxiety and insecurity. At this moment, she really wanted to complain about Bai Jiangxin. Why did he have to be so rich? Didn't he know that the greatest enemy of the proletariat was the bourgeoisie?
Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. Even if I do, his family won't go bankrupt. Xiang Di got up and went home.
She left, but Bai Jiangxin couldn't smile anymore. He pondered her worries about reality, his brows furrowing.
How carefree she was! She said she didn't want to think about it anymore and immediately stopped. She took Liang Qianqian's arm and went home, leaving all these practical problems to him.
One second she's cheering that she's marrying into a wealthy family and that her whole family will rise to prominence with her, the next she's complaining that his family is too rich and thinking about bankrupting them.
She wanted to marry into a wealthy family, but she was afraid of this and that. If she dared to ask him any questions, he could tell her very clearly that there was nothing to be afraid of.
He only needed her to do one thing: say that she liked him.
As for the rest, he took care of everything.
-
The mock exam was finally over, and Xiang Di gave herself a half-day off.
She felt good about the mock exam, thinking she did alright. She realized that mock exams weren't as scary as she had imagined.
The half-day holiday passed in the blink of an eye, and the time for grading papers went by just as quickly as the holiday itself.
To better simulate the college entrance examination, the examination authority issued a notice in advance this year, unifying the mock exam times for all districts in the city. The speed at which all the marking teachers in the city worked overtime together was noticeably different, and the mock exam results came out very quickly this year.
On the evening of the day before the college entrance examination mobilization meeting and the parents' meeting were to be held on the same day, Chen Jinghua informed everyone that the results of the first mock exam were out, along with the undergraduate admission score line determined based on the mock exam results, and the approximate ranking range of the scores after the scoring was adjusted.
"The results and district rankings have already been sent to the parents' group and your mobile phones. The score distribution statistics table will not be published here; you can check it on the official website of the Examination Authority. In general, our class did quite well this time. According to last year's score line, all of us will be admitted to first-tier universities."
After speaking, Chen Jinghua took out a printed class ranking sheet, but it only showed the scores and the students' student ID numbers.
It's an honors class, after all. Competition creates pressure, so how can there be no ranking? This is a set of rules that Chen Jinghua set up for internal motivation and discipline. After each exam, the class rankings are published separately, but only the student ID number is listed, not the name. This way, students can know their level in the class, and if they don't do well, it's okay, since no one else knows.
"If you have any questions about your grades this time, you can come to my office. Okay, you can study on your own now. Bai Jiangxin, come to my office with me."
Other students might be called in by the teacher after an exam because they didn't do well and therefore need to be talked to. But for Bai Jiangxin, being called in by the teacher likely only means one thing.
The students were chattering away.
"Wow, did Bai Jiangxin really get the top score in the whole city this time?"
"Very likely."
"My goodness, our teacher must be laughing in his sleep."
After the homeroom teacher left, a group of students rushed to the podium to check their grades.
Most people only remember their own student ID number and don't bother to remember other people's. However, some people who are close to each other will help each other check their grades, while others who are not close will write down the student ID number and silently curse the other person to get the lowest score.
Or perhaps someone has a crush on the other person, like Xiang Di, who remembers Bai Jiangxin's student ID number perfectly.
But she wasn't the only one in Class 97 who remembered Bai Jiangxin's student ID number. It wasn't the one she had specifically memorized. The reason the others could remember it was simply because this student ID number was always the first one in the class, making it hard not to remember.
Xiang Di had planned to wait until the person on the stage went down a bit before going up to check, but then she heard someone in their seat ask, "Who came in first this time?"
The person on the podium countered, "What do you think?"
The person in the seat immediately said, "I understand, Bai Jiangxin. What was his score?"
"Seven hundred short by three points."
"Holy crap???"
Xiang Di thought to himself, "Wow, that's impressive! No wonder he's so good."
When it was her turn to go up and check her grades, the student ID number in the first column of the transcript was indeed Bai Jiangxin.
Xiang Di quickly looked up her student ID number, and after seeing her score, she calculated in her mind that she was more than fifty points behind Bai Jiangxin.
A fifty-point difference in the college entrance exam is terrifying, but Xiang Di was already very satisfied.
You should know that when she first entered high school, her first monthly exam score was a full two hundred points lower than Bai Jiangxin's. Bai Jiangxin got 680 points, while she got 480.
Just like she lamented that day, studying was the only thing she could catch up with Bai Jiangxin through her own efforts. She chased him for three years, scored 150 points higher, and even managed to get herself into a top university. Xiang Di felt that she was really amazing.
Her initial idea of catching up with Bai Jiangxin through her studies was quite simple. The person she liked was so outstanding, she couldn't just sit and have a crush on him. She had to try to get closer to him. If she didn't dare to confess or pursue him, she would work hard and try to get into his top class so that she could be his classmate. That would be enough for her.
Even if her crush doesn't work out after three years, at least she'll have achieved something in her studies. Between studies and love, she should at least have one thing to be proud of.
Not to mention that Bai Jiangxin now also has feelings for her. Although she doesn't know exactly how he developed those feelings, why bother? As long as he likes her, that's enough. She's now reaping the rewards of both her studies and love life, making her even more successful.
Xiang Di felt very lucky to have met Bai Jiangxin, and to have such a person as her motivation and goal during her three years of high school.
Just a few days ago, I was a little uneasy about the difference in our family backgrounds, but because I did well on this mock exam, all those negative feelings vanished instantly.
Why think so much? Bai Jiangxin likes her; she's already hit the jackpot and is a super winner in life.
Xiang Di happily returned to her seat and exchanged scores with several classmates she was close to. Everyone had done quite well, including Zhou Linxiao, who had just joined the class.
People generally have a stereotype about those who choose to study abroad, thinking that they are people who can't compete in the domestic college entrance examination and want to take a shortcut to go abroad, but Zhou Linxiao is clearly not like that.
"I was wrong, bro. I'll never think your Ivy League acceptance letter was worthless again. You've only been in class for a few days and you've already scored 600. You're amazing."
Wang Sichen, who scored 560 on the test, genuinely admired Zhou Linxiao.
Zhou Linxiao was quite modest: "But with my grades, I really can't get into the top universities in the country. I took some shortcuts, so you don't need to apologize to me. If we're talking about who has higher scores, then Ye Minjia and Bai Jiangxin are the better ones."
Bai Jiangxin was still in the office and hadn't returned yet, but Ye Minjia was there. Upon hearing Zhou Linxiao's words, he immediately threw his head back and laughed loudly.
He finally redeemed himself this time, scoring 680 points. He wasn't as smug as that freak Bai Jiangxin; he was quite pleased with himself.
When he gets cocky, he gets carried away. So he waved his hand and said in a boastful tone, "Friends, to celebrate my triumph over this defeat, we can't miss the college entrance exam mobilization meeting tomorrow during the day, but the parent-teacher meeting in the evening is fine. Come on, I'll treat you to a relaxing time."
Liang Qianqian's eyes lit up: "Where to!"
Ye Minjia: "You guys go ahead and say it, it's on me anyway."
Having just finished the mock exam, few people were able to concentrate on studying during self-study. The classroom was noisy, with a few people huddled together chattering and discussing. Ye Minjia listened to the opinions of the group and quickly asked Xiang Ditou.
"Where would you like to relax tomorrow, young man?"
Xiang Di thought the tickets to the places they mentioned before, like clubs, were a bit expensive. To save money for the class monitor, Xiang Di thought for a moment and said she wanted to try her luck at playing claw machines.
"Just to win a prize?" Ye Minjia chuckled. "You're a pretty easy kid to take care of."
Opinions differed, and finally Ye Minjia said, "Let's play rock-paper-scissors, whoever wins gets to decide."
The group got ready to play rock-paper-scissors, and Xiang Di suddenly asked, "Class monitor, will Bai Jiangxin be going tomorrow too?"
The expressions on the faces of the group instantly became subtle.
Ye Minjia, in particular, asked in a drawn-out tone, "What's wrong? Just because he's not going doesn't mean you won't go either?"
"No!" Xiang Di quickly denied. "Didn't you say you were going to listen to the opinions of the masses? If Bai Jiangxin is going tomorrow, he's one of the masses too. Shouldn't we ask him where he wants to go? That's what I meant."
Ye Minjia waved his hand: "No need to ask him. He's never been one to participate in discussions. The fact that he's even bothered to join a group activity is already a favor to us."
Just like the last time they went to a buffet together, Bai Jiangxin originally didn't plan to go. Even if he did go, the group of people would decide what to do that day first, and then he would join them.
“But I still think we should ask him,” Xiang Di said softly. “We’ve always been the ones deciding where to go. If we ask for his opinion every time, maybe he’ll be more willing to participate in group activities in the future?”
She said this in a high-sounding way, but she actually had ulterior motives, because she wanted to know where Bai Jiangxin liked to go and what he liked to do when he relaxed.
Xiang Di felt that her selfish motives were quite hidden, but the way the group of people looked at her was even more meaningful.
Wang Sichen suddenly said, "Hey, I feel like I'm about to have a wedding banquet, don't you guys think so?"
Ye Minjia agreed, "Yeah, I feel the same way. Don't you think we should start saving up for wedding gifts?"
Then he asked Zhou Linxiao, "Do you know what 'gift money' means? If not, I'll explain it to you."
“I know, I attended one of my mom’s friends’ weddings when I was little,” Zhou Linxiao said with a smile. “But I don’t really know how much to give as a wedding gift to a friend in China, do you know?”
Ye Minjia took out her phone: "I don't know, let me check."
Liang Qianqian sighed, "Alas, daughters grow up and leave home."
"Hey!!! You guys!!" Xiang Di shouted, her face flushed, "That's enough of you!"
However, no one paid attention to her; everyone was busy figuring out how much money to give as a wedding gift to a friend.
She was actually happy inside, but her body was still shy. Xiang Di felt helpless, as everyone was teasing her.
She turned her head, determined to isolate them by herself.
Go ahead and investigate, keep investigating these useless things. Don't bother studying. If she's the only one studying, they'll all fail to get into university, and she'll be the only one who does. Then they'll regret it.
Xiang Di thought maliciously.
When the bell rang for evening self-study, Liang Qianqian asked her to wait for her, but she didn't wait, afraid that they would tease her again, so she picked up her schoolbag and ran away.
Ye Minjia and Wang Sichen laughed so hard they couldn't stand up straight, but Liang Qianqian said, "Stop laughing. Who can run fast? Hurry up and chase after her. What if something happens to her if she takes the bus home alone?"
Ye Minjia said confidently, "Don't worry, I can catch up with her. She's so small, I can catch up with her in no time."
When Bai Jiangxin returned from the office, he saw two idiots laughing.
He had no interest in what those two idiots were laughing about; his gaze fell on Liang Qianqian standing to the side.
When Zhou Linxiao saw him, a smile appeared on her lips: "You're back?"
Bai Jiangxin hummed in agreement and then asked Liang Qianqian directly, "Where's Xiang Di?"
Liang Qianqian shrugged: "They've already left."
Bai Jiangxin frowned: "Why weren't you with her?"
Liang Qianqian pointed at the two idiots who were still laughing: "Ask these two people, they're so awful, they drove people away."
"Oh, as if your best friend didn't chime in just now," Wang Sichen snorted sarcastically.
Liang Qianqian pouted guiltily.
Bai Jiangxin asked in a deep voice, "What exactly did you say?"
Ye Minjia explained, "We're talking about how much money we should give as a wedding gift when you and Xiang Di get married."
Bai Jiangxin: "..."
Ye Minjia: "How much do you think we should give?"
Bai Jiangxin ignored him, treating him like air, returned to her seat, picked up her bag, and prepared to leave.
Then Ye Minjia stopped him again. The next day, a few of them planned to go out and have some fun together during the parent-teacher conference, and asked him if he had any good suggestions.
Bai Jiangxin replied dismissively, "You can decide for me."
Ye Minjia: "We can't decide. We told Di Gang in a righteous manner that you are also one of us, so we must ask for your opinion on where to relax tomorrow. We can't leave you out. This way, you might not resist participating in group activities in the future and you will become more sociable."
Bai Jiangxin paused for a moment.
He lowered his eyes, something flashing within them, and when he spoke again, his voice was much softer: "Where does Xiang Di want to go?"
"She said she wanted to try her luck at the claw machine."
Bai Jiangxin nodded and said, "Me too."
Ye Minjia called him back: "Wait, there's something else."
Bai Jiangxin looked at him impatiently. Ye Minjia raised an eyebrow and smiled in a way that was quite irritating: "You still haven't answered me. How much do you think we should give as a wedding gift?"
That foul-mouthed bastard, no wonder he scared that little coward away.
Bai Jiangxin said calmly, "Don't ask me, just listen to her."
Ye Minjia was prepared to be scolded, but he didn't expect this answer. After the person left, he scratched his nose and asked the others.
"...What's going on? So fast?"
-
Xiang Di, carrying her schoolbag, walked forward with her head down.
She walked slowly, thinking that she wanted to give Qianqian a chance to catch up with her. As long as Qianqian caught up with her, she would reluctantly forgive her for the mistake of teasing her with those boys while she was studying.
She was almost at the school gate when no one came to chase her.
Xiang Di slowed her pace again, and as she slowed down, she felt like she was walking slower than a snail.
Unexpectedly, even Qianqian didn't want her anymore and sided with the men. Now she was really angry.
Xiang Di walked dejectedly down the street, the streetlights illuminating her lonely shadow.
She walked while staring at the ground until she saw a shadow silently approaching her.
By now, most of the day students have left, and there's no one behind her anymore, so it must be Qianqian.
Okay, I'll approach her quietly without saying a word, just to give her a good scare.
He had to strike first. Without time to observe the shadow, Xiang Di squinted, suddenly turned around, and shouted at the person behind him.
"Whoa!!!"
He blinked, the snow between his brows melted away, and his pupils shimmered with light. A faint smile spread across his Adam's apple. Bai Jiangxin: "Pfft."
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