Chapter 40: First in Grade
Even though Qiu Shaoli didn't reveal any information about the Jiang family, Lin Wenkang quickly found out. After all, the Jiang family had been running the cotton mill for years, so it would have been easy to find information about him. He also made a quick decision. Their department happened to need someone to go to Yuncheng Hospital for a year-long exchange program, and he signed up immediately, having initially hesitated. When he was young, he couldn't resist his mother, but this time, with the right time and place, he wanted to fight for himself.
Lin Wenkang's trip to Yuncheng and Qiu Shaoli's transfer to another hospital were both underway. Upon learning the news, Qiu Shaoli complained to Lu Liangjun with a tone of disdain, "Is he crazy? Going to Yuncheng for an exchange at this time? Does he really think others don't know what he's up to?"
"His legs are on his body. If he wants to go, can you stop him?" Lu Liangjun's tone was calm. After all, as long as Lin Wenkang had this idea, no one could stop him.
"It's really strange. Why didn't his mother stop him this time? He would rather do such a thing to come to Jincheng back then. Why is he going back now?" Qiu Shaoli was a little confused. This time, Lin's mother didn't stop him.
"Who knows." Lu Liangjun shook his head. He was not interested in other people's affairs, even those of his friends who grew up in the same family compound.
"But Lin Wenkang is so irresponsible. He went to Yuncheng by himself and just threw the child to his mother? He is really just evading responsibility as always." Qiu Shaoli couldn't help but complain.
"If he had a sense of responsibility, he would not have canceled the engagement back then. You get angry when you talk about him, so don't talk about him. How are the procedures going on your side?" Lu Liangjun asked.
"Everything is going on as normal. We have to cooperate with you, Secretary Lu." After saying this, Qiu Shaoli couldn't help but snort coldly. Lili's words last time made her feel a lot. If Jiaze hadn't completed the transfer procedures, she would have thought of staying in Jincheng with Jiaze. Over the years, it was not the first time that she compromised for his work.
"Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Qiu." Noticing her unhappiness, Lu Liangjun hurriedly tried to please her. She had been following in his footsteps all these years, and he knew he had wronged her.
"That's good to know. Lili, a child herself, knows how difficult it is for me. Unlike you two, father and son, you think it's your duty." After saying this, Qiu Shaoli rolled her eyes at him.
"Lili has always been a smart child. It will be beneficial for Jiaze to have such a virtuous wife in the future. I know you like Lili, and I like her too, but times have changed now. Let the children develop on their own." Lu Liangjun always felt that child marriage was just a joke between the two families. As for the future of the two children, it is too early to say anything now. Of course, he will be very happy if the two children can succeed.
"Look how happy your son is when he knew he was going to Yuncheng to study? But you are right about one thing, they are indeed still young, and I have to remind Jiaze." Qiu Shaoli nodded after saying this.
Seeing this, Lu Liangjun couldn't help but sigh. She could see Jiaze's happiness, but how could she not see Lili's alienation towards Jiaze?
The Lu family was preparing to move to Yuncheng. Jiang Lili finally took the last exam. Hearing the sound of chairs, Jiang Lili looked up and saw Ji Mingyue's elegant back. She had handed in her exams early in the past few days as in the plot. Everyone went from doubting them at the beginning to admiring them later. Some people even made private bets on what place Ji Mingyue would get this time.
Jiang Lili glanced down at her test paper. She was more concerned about this exam than ever before. She just wanted to know if her efforts would ultimately be no match for a line in the plot. After checking it again, she stood up at the ringing of the bell and handed it in. The test paper needed grading, and the results wouldn't be out for two days at the earliest. The students in the classroom who had finished their exams all looked like they had survived a disaster.
"Lili, you handed in your paper early today." Ke Sisi still had the pen in her hand. She planned to go outside to clean the carbon ink in the ink sac. She usually liked to use blue when writing.
"It's not really early. I got up only after I heard the bell." Jiang Lili shook her head.
"The exam is finally over. I can relax before the results come out." Ke Sisi cleaned the pen and then made room for Jiang Lili to wash her hands.
Wu Juyue was talking to Ji Mingyue about what had just happened with a look of disdain on her face. "Mingyue, you don't know, Jiang Lili just wanted to imitate you and hand in the paper, but the bell rang as soon as she stood up. It made me laugh to death. She's really imitating someone else."
"Juyue, I don't think it's nice for you to say that about Lili. After all, she and I are sisters. Can you please stop belittling her?" Ji Mingyue frowned, looked at her, then turned and left.
Wu Juyue, who was waiting for her to agree with her, was dumbfounded. What did she mean by that just now?
Ji Mingyue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw that Wu Juyue behind her didn't chase after her. She was trying to cut off the connection with Wu Juyue. Would the sign of successful strategy be cut off? She lowered her head to look at the notebook in her hand. She was going to find Zheng Gaoyang to increase his strategy value.
Jiang Lili and Ke Sisi, who happened to hear the entire conversation between the two, couldn't help but look at each other. No, what was Ji Mingyue playing at again?
"Let's go back to the classroom first." Jiang Lili was the first to come back to her senses. No matter what she was doing, it had nothing to do with her.
Most people in the classroom were checking their answers. Judging from the situation, everyone would probably be thinking about this matter before the results came out. However, Jiang Lili was thinking that today was already the seventh, and Lu Jiaze would probably be here soon.
"I still have one more class before school is over, and I feel so hungry." Ke Sisi touched her stomach.
"It's normal. The exam consumes too much energy. I feel a little hungry." Jiang Lili did not lie. She always felt that the three years of high school were the years when she felt the hungriest. She glanced at her wrist. Fortunately, there were still thirty minutes before school was over.
When she came home from school and saw Qiu Shaoli and her son sitting on the sofa, she wasn't surprised at all. Instead, Lu Jiaze looked at her with some dissatisfaction: "Jiang Lili, shouldn't you be surprised at this time?"
"Didn't you say you would arrive in the next few days? What's there to be surprised about?" Jiang Lili glanced at him, then greeted Qiu Shaoli obediently. She was very grateful to Qiu Shaoli for the last physical examination.
"Lili, please take good care of Jiaze at school in the future. If you need anything, just let him do it for you." Qiu Shaoli said with a smile while holding her hand.
"Don't worry, Auntie. The students in our class are very enthusiastic. Lu Jiaze will definitely adapt quickly after he comes." Jiang Lili didn't agree directly. Lu Jiaze couldn't help but frown. Qiu Shaoli didn't hear the difference. "That's good. Your Uncle Lu and I will be here in half a month at most."
"So will you live here or somewhere else then?" Jiang Lili was a little curious.
"We should live in both places, after all, Jiaze is studying here." Qiu Shaoli has not yet decided where they will live.
Jiang Lili nodded, looking thoughtful. According to normal logic, Lu Jiaze could actually go to a better school, but he came to their school and their class. According to the logic of the plot, at the beginning, they thought that having an acquaintance like themselves would help Lu Jiaze adapt to the environment faster. Then, it was the beginning of the heroine's strategy to conquer the hero.
Knowing they were coming today, Jiang Yulan had taken a leave from night school. She was holding some fruit in her hands. She placed it on the coffee table and looked at Qiu Shaoli apologetically, "I'm sorry for the poor hospitality. I'm sorry for the poor hospitality."
"You all have to go to work, I should be embarrassed." Qiu Shaoli gave her a reproachful look. Thinking of Lin Wenkang's matter, she felt that she should tell her in advance.
Watching the two of them go to the room, Jiang Lili couldn't help but frown and asked Lu Jiaze: "Aunt Qiu is so mysterious, could it be related to my mother's illness?"
"No." Lu Jiaze shook his head.
"Really?" Jiang Lili looked at him with a breathless expression.
"Of course, when have I ever lied to you? My mom said that Aunt Jiang's problem wasn't serious because it was discovered in time. It was all thanks to you for having them have a physical examination." Lu Jiaze felt that she was definitely the biggest contributor to this matter.
"What's that for?" Jiang Lili said and looked over there again.
"Really want to know?" Lu Jiaze only found out from secretly eavesdropping on his parents' conversation. Seeing her nod, he moved a little closer to her and lowered his voice, "Every year, doctors from my mom's hospital come to Yuncheng Hospital for an exchange program. This year, Lin Wenkang also applied for this position."
Lin Wenkang? Jiang Lili's eyes flashed with confusion. There didn't seem to be such a person in the plot.
Seeing her like this, Lu Jiaze was even more surprised than her: "You don't know Lin Wenkang?"
"Should I know?" Jiang Lili asked back.
"That's it. If they knew that I was the one who told you this, they would skin me alive." Lu Jiaze suddenly felt a little regretful. If he had known earlier, he would not have said anything more.
"Just tell me, who is this person?" After saying this, Jiang Lili suddenly had a guess in her mind. She only knew that the person Jiang Yulan broke off the engagement with was surnamed Lin. In this regard, everyone protected Jiang Yulan very well. Even the people at the cotton mill had never mentioned this matter in front of their family.
Seeing her like this, Lu Jiaze actually breathed a sigh of relief. He knew she had guessed it, so he directly admitted, "It's just as you guessed. His wife passed away two years ago due to illness, and he never remarried."
"Oh, whether he comes to Yuncheng or not is none of our business." Jiang Lili said this on the surface, but she was thinking in her heart that even if the plot is still running, many places have exceeded the original plot, just like Lin Wenkang who suddenly appeared now, so Jiang Yulan's illness will definitely be cured.
"That's true, but isn't my mother worried that he will come to bother Aunt Jiang?" Lu Jiaze thought, he probably knew Lin Wenkang's purpose.
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Lili's emotions remained relatively calm. She had no opinion on whether Jiang Yulan remarried, but she also knew that Jiang Yulan would never choose Lin Wenkang. Although she didn't know much about what happened back then, she knew that Lin Wenkang was irresponsible. Just like his recent trip to Yuncheng, just because of a whim, his children would have to leave their hometown with him or stay behind as left-behind children. Didn't he consider that his actions would only cause his children to transfer their hatred to Jiang Yulan?
At this time, Jiang Yulan in the room had the same reaction as Jiang Lili when she heard about this. She said calmly, "I understand. Thank you for telling me this."
"He asked me about your previous physical examination before, so I thought I'd inform you in advance." Seeing her like this, Qiu Shaoli knew that Lin Wenkang had no chance.
"It's probably time for dinner, let's go out." Jiang Yulan nodded, then reached out to open the door. She didn't take her words just now to heart. Lin Wenkang and she had long been different people, and it was none of her business where he went.
After dinner, Jiang Lili still had to go to evening self-study, and Lu Jiaze volunteered to stand up and say, "Shall I take you there on my bike?" He also brought his bicycle with him when he moved this time.
"No need. I just had a meal and I want to walk there to digest it." Jiang Lili shook her head and rejected him directly. She didn't know why there were always people keen on riding a bike for such a short distance.
"Okay, then I'll walk too, just to familiarize myself with the school in advance." Lu Jiaze will report to school tomorrow.
Since he had said so, it would be disrespectful for Jiang Lili to refuse. Besides, Qiu Shaoli was still there, so she nodded and said, "Okay, as long as you don't mind making two extra trips."
So, the two of them went downstairs to school together. Just as they were leaving the cotton mill's family compound, they ran into Zheng Gaoyang on his bike. He was clearly more attracted to Ji Mingyue, but when he saw another boy standing next to Jiang Lili, he couldn't help but frown and asked directly, "Jiang Lili, who is this?"
Lu Jiaze looked him up and down, then asked tentatively, "Zheng Gaoyang?"
Zheng Gaoyang was stunned for a moment, then pointed in disbelief and asked, "Are you Lu Jiaze?"
"Yes, I am Lu Jiaze." Lu Jiaze nodded with a smile.
"Are you going to come back?" Zheng Gaoyang couldn't help but ask, thinking of the news he heard from home.
"Yes, we will be classmates again from now on. By the way, which class are you in?" Lu Jiaze asked.
"I'm in Class 3, how about you?" Zheng Gaoyang's expression was a little complicated after he said that. He thought that even if Lu Jiaze followed his parents back to Yuncheng, he would still go to a government school. He didn't expect that he would choose their school.
"I should be in Class 7. It seems we can play together again. Are you going to school too?" Lu Jiaze asked casually.
"Yes, go to school." After Zheng Gaoyang said that, he secretly glanced at Jiang Lili next to him and felt that she was too quiet today.
"Then you go first. Jiang Lili and I don't have bikes, so we can only follow behind." Lu Jiaze waved at him with a smile.
"Okay." Zheng Gaoyang responded reluctantly. After he rode away, Lu Jiaze spoke slowly, "Don't you like him?" Although he used a question, his tone was very certain.
"What?" Jiang Lili didn't quite hear what he said.
"I said you don't like him." Lu Jiaze continued to repeat what he had just said.
"Why should I like him?" Jiang Lili found him a little weird.
"That's not what I meant. We grew up together. You've never been so cold before. Did he do something to make us angry?" Lu Jiaze couldn't help but guess.
"You're overthinking it. We've all grown up and aren't in the same class anymore. Isn't it normal for us to gradually become distant?" Jiang Lili was a little surprised by Lu Jiaze's sharpness.
"That's right." Seeing that she was unwilling to say it, Lu Jiaze didn't force her. He nodded in agreement, indicating that he believed her words.
"Hurry up, Master Lu. With the speed you're walking like ants, I'm going to be late." Jiang Lili gave him a displeased look. How could a person walk so slowly?
"Starting tomorrow, I can ride my bike to give you a ride." Lu Jiaze said as he quickened his pace.
"No, I choose to walk just for exercise. I already spend more and more time in the classroom during high school, and then I ride my bike home after school, so I can't breathe a few breaths of fresh air every day." Jiang Lili refused again.
"You're still calling me Young Master, but I think you're becoming more and more difficult to please." Lu Jiaze complained.
Jiang Lili ignored him and walked straight ahead. When she reached the school gate, she finally had time to glance at him and said, "I'm here. Feel free to do whatever you want."
"You go to the classroom, I'll just take a walk." Lu Jiaze nodded and watched her walk towards the teaching building. After her figure completely disappeared from his sight, he turned around and looked around the campus.
At this moment, the tire of Ji Mingyue's bicycle almost caught up with his foot, and the tire had already scraped the edge of his shoe. She quickly apologized: "Sorry, sorry, the brakes didn't work properly. Are you okay?"
"It's okay. Brake failure can be serious or minor. It's very dangerous. You should go and repair the car first." Lu Jiaze frowned.
"Thank you for the reminder. I'm really sorry." Ji Mingyue said, clasping her hands together and apologizing to him again.
"It's okay, you are a student too, you should go to class first." Seeing this, Lu Jiaze didn't know what to say.
"I'm Ji Mingyue from Class 7, Grade 1. If your feet hurt, just come to me and I'll take responsibility." After saying that, Ji Mingyue pushed his bicycle and ran to the parking shed.
Lu Jiaze stood there looking at her back and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. What a coincidence, she was also in Class 7.
Arriving at the parking shed, Ji Mingyue lowered the tripod and locked the car in one go. She had just seen the two people standing together from a distance. Coupled with Lu Jiaze's temperament that was different from others in the class and the sign on his head that said "Have Conquerable", she guessed his identity.
No wonder Jiang Lili doesn't care about Zheng Gaoyang. It turns out that there is such a top-notch person around her. In addition to his height and appearance, his family background is far better than Zheng Gaoyang. It can be said that his existence crushes Zheng Gaoyang in all aspects. Ji Mingyue turned the key in her hand in a good mood. Lu Jiaze, Jiang Lili's childhood sweetheart, is determined to be her husband.
Because of this little incident, Ji Mingyue arrived at the classroom five minutes later than usual. Wu Juyue glanced up at her, then quickly dropped her gaze, her face practically written with "I'm angry, come and comfort me." Noticing that the sign above her head still said "Captured," Ji Mingyue ignored her. She returned to her seat and listened to everyone discussing grades. Yes, she had almost forgotten about the monthly exam results tomorrow.
"I heard that there is someone in our class who got full marks in English, but I don't know who it is." The most discussed topic at this moment was the English scores. This was the first time that someone got full marks in English, and everyone was curious about who it was.
Jiang Lili already had a guess. Her English was good, but she'd never gotten a perfect score, so it was more likely that Ji Mingyue had gotten it. She couldn't help but clench her pencil. So, no matter how hard she worked, it couldn't outweigh the plot's favoritism, or the heroine's halo? This thought suddenly made her feel a little uncomfortable, for her and for the other students who had worked so hard.
"I guess it's Jiang Lili. She has always been the English class representative since junior high school." Someone guessed it was Jiang Lili.
"I think it's Ji Mingyue. She performs very well in every English class, and her pronunciation is very standard. Didn't Teacher Tang praise her several times?" Some people have different guesses.
"I think it's Ji Mingyue too. She even handed in her paper early. She looks so confident. Maybe she'll be the top student in the grade."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone couldn't help but think of Jiang Lili, who had been ranked first in junior high school for three consecutive years. If Ji Mingyue really was the first this time, then there would be something exciting to watch.
The discussion was getting louder and louder. Ke Sisi couldn't help but glance at Jiang Lili next to her. Worry flashed in her eyes. She couldn't help but frown. This group of people was really annoying. The results haven't come out yet, and they were talking so much.
Ji Mingyue curled the corners of her lips. She had taken English very seriously this time. She even wrote the composition on a scratch paper before copying it onto the test paper. She had worked so hard, so it was not too much to get a full score.
Tonight's self-study class happened to be English. When the English teacher Tang Yan entered the classroom, she was holding the test paper in her hand. The classroom, which was originally a little noisy, suddenly became silent. It seems that we will know the English results soon.
Tang Yan placed the test paper on the podium and said calmly, "This time, our class's average score was more than one point lower than the class next door. You are truly the worst class I've ever taught."
Everyone was silent, their heads bowed as they listened to the scolding. Fortunately, Tang Yan quickly changed the subject: "In this monthly exam, the only student to get a perfect score in English is from our class. This student's success is inseparable from her usual hard work. You should all learn from her."
Before anyone could speculate on who had scored full marks, Tang Yan gave the answer directly: "Everyone can take a look at Ji Mingyue's test paper. Look at how beautiful her handwriting is. And her composition. You should learn from her."
Tang Yan really didn't expect Ji Mingyue to get a perfect score in English. The other students in the class had much better learning resources than she did, but they still couldn't do as well as Ji Mingyue. Thinking of this, she glanced at the test paper in her hand and said, "Jiang Lili, 148 points. Keep up the good work."
This score was within Jiang Lili's expectations, so she remained calm. As the other students' papers were distributed, the classroom became filled with a few more voices: some lamenting their own scores, some praising Ji Mingyue, and some asking to borrow her paper. For a moment, Ji Mingyue was the talk of the town. She glanced up at Tang Yan's rising score and curled her lips in satisfaction. Her efforts on this exam were worth it. Now it was time to wait for the other results and rankings tomorrow.
She put away her test paper and looked at Jiang Lili with a little pride. What mattered if she worked hard every day? The first place was not hers. Yes, after the English results came out, she thought that the first place in the grade was also in her pocket.
Apparently, besides her, many others shared the same idea. After the first self-study class, the classroom was filled with discussions: "English is so difficult, and Ji Mingyue managed to get full marks, so maybe she'll be the first this time too."
"I think so too. You see, she finishes her math and Chinese homework very quickly. When she is called upon to answer questions in class, she answers them well. And I heard that she seems to hand in her papers early for every subject. Usually, people hand in their papers early if they are confident in themselves. It seems that she will definitely be first this time." After the speaker finished speaking, he did not forget to glance in Jiang Lili's direction.
"In that case, will Ji Mingyue also get first place in other subjects? Some people said before that she must be a bad student because she came from the countryside. Now they have been proven wrong."
"Yeah, I didn't expect her to do so well in the exam. Jiang Lili must be very sad. Her father was taken away from her, and now she can't even keep the first place."
"Don't talk nonsense. What do you mean dad was taken away? It was Jiang Lili's mother who insisted on getting a divorce, okay?" Wu Juyue no longer needed Ji Mingyue's coaxing and spoke for her automatically. She got full marks in English and might even be first. Thinking of this, Wu Juyue felt happy. She had a good eye for making friends.
"No, the results haven't come out yet, and you already know who's number one?" Ke Sisi couldn't help but retort. It's just the English results now, why do they act like they're sure of winning?
"Aren't you all just guessing? No matter whether Ji Mingyue or Jiang Lili gets first place, it's someone from our class who gets first place. I don't think you will think too much about it, right, Jiang Lili?" Wu Juyue said with ill intention.
"Of course, no matter who takes first place, this is the honor for Class 7." At this time, Jiang Lili had completely calmed down.
"I said Lili isn't such a stingy person, but the fact that they are both so powerful may be due to genes," someone joked.
"The overall score ranking is out. I just saw it in the office." At this time, Xie Bin's voice came from the classroom door. He had just been called to the office, and he didn't expect to see the age ranking list.
"Who is the first place?" This is the question that everyone is most concerned about at the moment.
"The first and second place in the grade are both from our class." Xie Bin deliberately kept the secret.
"Who is it? Tell me quickly." Someone urged impatiently.
"Of course, the first place goes to our high school entrance exam champion Jiang Lili. The second place goes to Ji Mingyue from our class. The third place goes to Class 5. Our class has two of the top three students in the grade. That's really impressive."
Xie Bin was unaware of the discussion in the classroom, so his tone was particularly excited. After he finished speaking, he realized that the atmosphere was a little off. He was a little confused: "What's wrong? The top two students in the grade are in our class. Shouldn't we be happy?"
"Happy, of course I'm happy." Ke Sisi quickly took over the conversation.
Those who had said that Ji Mingyue was first this time turned their heads away in embarrassment, and then pretended to be busy and returned to their seats. Only Ji Mingyue could no longer keep the smile on her face. How could Jiang Lili be first?
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