Chapter 91 91 Will it be the Hongmen Banquet?
The honor roll was very long this time, as the names of the top 200 students in the city were posted. The most eye-catching one was the first one at the top, Jiang Lili. The three words "Jiang Lili" not only brought honor to the monitor of Class 7, but also to the school. Lu Jiaze was still second in the grade, but not second in the city. He was ten points behind Jiang Lili and ranked fifth in the city, which was the second best result in the school. As for Ji Mingyue's name, there was no sign of her on the first page.
"Jiang Lili is really amazing. She's even ranked first." Someone praised, with envy in their tone.
"Wasn't she the first in the city in the high school entrance examination that year? It's not surprising, right?" Some people think that it is not surprising that Jiang Lili ranked first in the exam, after all, she was the first in the high school entrance examination.
"High school courses are more difficult, and boys tend to become smarter in high school. It's really amazing that she can still maintain the first place." Jiang Lili couldn't help but sneer when she heard this. This statement is really everywhere. When boys have poor grades in elementary and junior high school, they will say that boys are slow to learn and will get better in high school. It is natural for girls to have good grades. She really hates this statement.
"The top student in the city is in our class. The teacher won't lose his temper again this time, right?" Everyone was discussing the meal in a low voice.
"Who knows what the average score is? This is what the teacher cares about most." The person who spoke carefully checked his ranking and breathed a sigh of relief when he found his name.
Ke Sisi's score was already outside the top 200 in the city. She glanced at the list of the top 200 and didn't see her cousin's name, which made her happy again. At least she still had a chance. She thanked Jiang Lili, "Lili, thanks to you this time. Your key points were as accurate as ever."
Although she was not among the top 200, her grade ranking had risen by several places, so she was very happy.
"I'm glad I can help you." Jiang Lili thought that the reason she could mark the key points so accurately was just because of her experience. After all, she had studied in one more high school than others.
Not only Ke Sisi, but also Huang Xiaoxia and Zuo Xingwei came to express their gratitude. Their grades had improved compared to before. Zuo Xingwei even said generously, "You're amazing, Jiang Lili. You're more accurate than the teacher. I will follow you until my death."
"Okay, instead of showing off, you might as well do a few more questions. There are only a few test points anyway." Jiang Lili waved her hand and told him to go back to his seat quickly. She didn't want to be stared at like a monkey.
Compared to the two previous people's flamboyant expressions, Huang Xiaoxia's thanks were much more gentle. In addition to expressing her thanks verbally, she also took care of all of Jiang Lili's daily tasks, such as fetching water and wiping the table. Jiang Lili had a serious talk with her: "You don't have to be like this, Xiaoxia. I'd be embarrassed."
"It's okay. I'm not doing it on purpose. I'm just helping you while I'm doing my own thing. It's just a small favor. Don't refuse." Huang Xiaoxia was very persistent. Seeing this, Jiang Lili had no choice but to let her go. From then on, she got used to helping her while she was doing her own thing.
Jiang Lili felt that getting first place in the exam was already normal, but this time both the school and the parents attached great importance to it, so the day after the results came out, they notified the parents to hold a parent meeting on Friday.
"No way, there's still a parent-teacher conference?"
"Can't we just not have a parent-teacher conference? It's so annoying."
Compared to their guesses, Jiang Lili guessed that this parent-teacher meeting was not necessarily because of the midterm results, but was held for the class division of the second year of high school. After all, for high school, subject division is a very important matter.
At this time, their homeroom teacher, Jian Hongmei, shared the good news. Their class's average score was the highest in the grade, two points higher than the runner-up. A hint of joy lingered in her voice: "I'm very proud of our class for achieving such excellent results this time. I also hope that you will keep up the good work and create more brilliance."
Probably because she did well in the exam this time, the head teacher has been nice to everyone these days, but that is only limited to the majority of people. Ji Mingyue is one of the unlucky few. She was called into the office. Her test scores have been steadily declining. Jian Hongmei is a teacher who values talent. She called her into the office mainly to ask if she encountered any difficulties. After all, her scores in the entrance exam and the first monthly exam were very good, but if she continued to decline like this, she would probably be dropped to other classes by the end of the semester, so she thought she would give her some help if she could.
Ji Mingyue lowered her eyes and said nothing. She felt a little embarrassed. She wasn't the only one in the class whose grades had declined. Why did they single her out? At this time, English teacher Tang Yan came into the office. Seeing her being scolded, she couldn't help but look at Jian Hongmei: "Sister Jian, what's going on?"
"Her grades have declined. Ask her why. However, her English grades have always been good." This is why Jian Hongmei talked to Ji Mingyue. Her English score was among the top five in the grade, which proved that she was capable of doing well.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Pu. I will try my best." Ji Mingyue glanced at the still stable strategy value above Tang Yan's head and apologized quickly. She couldn't let the strategy value above Tang Yan's head drop again. Thinking of this, she apologized absentmindedly.
"Okay, you go back to the classroom first." After she left, Jian Hongmei couldn't help but sigh. Having been a teacher for so many years, how could she not know the perfunctory meaning in her words? She was not afraid of her students' bad grades, but she was afraid that she herself was unwilling to make progress. She had done what she should do, and whether she listened or not was her own business.
*
"Are we going to hold a parent-teacher meeting?" Ji Yushu frowned and looked at Ji Mingyue.
"Yes, Dad, you will come, right?" Ji Mingyue thought that compared to Ye Qiuju, she would rather let Ji Yushu go, so that Jiang Lili would feel uncomfortable.
"How many points did you get in the exam?" Ji Yushu asked.
Ji Mingyue didn't say anything. She knew that Ji Yushu was comparing her to Jiang Lili again. She looked up at Ji Yushu and said, "Although my test scores weren't high, I tried my best. With so many things going on at home at the beginning of this semester, how can I concentrate on studying? Dad, when you ask for grades, you have to consider the situation."
"Others can do it, why can't you?" Ji Yushu's tone was filled with anger. When Jiang Lili was in school, they never worried about her. She always got first place in the exams. But what about her? She always asked for money to buy this or that, and now she can't even get into the top 200 in the city. Thinking that Jiang Yulan would also be attending the parents' meeting, he directly refused: "I want to set up a stall. You can ask your mother to open it for you."
Although she had anticipated this outcome before coming, Ji Mingyue still felt chilled when she heard him say that. So, in his eyes, only good grades were worthy of him attending the parent-teacher conference? Forget it, he wouldn't go. As for Ye Qiuju, thinking of her bulging belly, Ji Mingyue gave up the idea. If no one went, she would hold the parent-teacher conference for herself.
The atmosphere at the Jiang family was cheerful, and everyone was very happy. Zhou Qingfen even praised directly, "This is first in the city. Keep up the good work, and you'll almost be able to become the top scorer in the college entrance examination. Lili, you're amazing."
"Tongtong, you should learn more from your sister, okay?" Jiang Aiguo pinched his daughter's shoulder.
"I will, Dad." Jiang Qitong nodded quickly, her eyes full of admiration as she looked at Jiang Lili.
Jiang Jianyi had already spread the news upstairs and downstairs about Jiang Lili getting the first place in the city, and he was still taking a walk downstairs at this moment. He was determined to tell everyone the good news.
"Then you must go to this parent-teacher meeting, it's such an honor." Jiang Aiguo said with a smile.
"You must go to the parent-teacher meeting." Jiang Yulan rubbed Jiang Lili's head. No matter what her grades were like, she would go to the parent-teacher meeting.
"This parents' meeting is probably to tell everyone about the subject divisions in advance so that parents can have an idea." This is Jiang Lili's guess.
"Have you decided what to choose?" Jiang Aiguo suggested studying science.
"It should be science." This time, Jiang Lili's voice was a bit more determined.
"Science is good. If you learn math, physics and chemistry well, you won't be afraid to travel around the world. It's a good choice." Jiang Aiguo agreed.
"Lili is not biased towards any subject, so it doesn't matter which one she chooses, but generally more people choose science, and I also think science is good." Zhou Qingfen agreed.
Jiang Yulan didn't say anything. No matter which one Jiang Lili chose, she would support her. Friday soon arrived and the parent-teacher meeting started in the afternoon. Jiang Yulan dealt with the factory affairs in the morning and went directly to school in the afternoon.
The school is a school for children of students, so Jiang Lili has been considered a "celebrity" since she was a child. Now Jiang Yulan has also become a "celebrity". Almost everyone she meets will come over to congratulate her and ask her how she teaches the children on a daily basis. In this way, Jiang Yulan is never free on the way from the school to the classroom.
Space was limited in the classroom, so the parents held a parent-teacher conference there, while the students gathered in the playground. Everyone was chattering and speculating about what was happening in the classroom. Someone mentioned Jiang Lili first, and someone suddenly said, "I wonder who held the parent-teacher conference for Ji Mingyue. If it was her father, would he regret it?"
"Of course not. One is number one in the city, and the other is out of the top 300. Whoever it is would regret it, right?"
"Do you remember the first monthly exam last year? Everyone thought Ji Mingyue would surpass Jiang Lili in the future. Who could have imagined that the gap between them is so big now?" The person who spoke couldn't help but sigh, not knowing what he was thinking about.
"Ji Mingyue's grades are only decent in English now. The last time I saw her, she was distracted during physics class." The person who spoke glanced at Ji Mingyue over there.
Ji Mingyue was a little overwhelmed by this kind of discussion. She was already angry at being kicked out of the classroom by Jian Hongmei, and now these people bumped into her. She stood up, turned around and looked at the students who were talking about her, and said coldly, "Does it matter to you whether I'm distracted in class or how many points I got on the test? Before you mock others, take a look at your own test scores!"
The person who was speaking just now quickly fell silent. His grades were indeed not as good as Ji Mingyue's. His face turned pale and blue for a moment. Others also felt that Ji Mingyue was too aggressive. Everyone discussed her grades because they cared about her. How could she be like this? So everyone looked at her with accusations in their eyes.
Ke Sisi and Jiang Lili were standing together. Seeing this, they couldn't help but whisper to her, "She should have been prepared when she used everyone's sympathy to get everyone to side with her. After all, people are easily carried away by their emotions."
Jiang Lili didn't say anything. Ke Sisi was right. She should have thought about today when she used everyone's kindness to gain sympathy. It was all her own fault that she ended up in this situation now.
After spending nearly two hours on the playground, the parent-teacher meeting was nearing its end. After a while, everyone dispersed and went to find their respective parents. It was at this time that someone noticed that Ji Mingyue's parents did not seem to be there, so they speculated that Ji Yushu did not come because he disliked her for embarrassing him.
Jiang Lili didn't pay attention to these things, but just asked Jiang Yulan what was discussed at the parent-teacher meeting. As expected, the focus this time was the upcoming subject division. As for the mid-term grades, the head teacher just mentioned it casually.
Friday was the holiday, and after the parents' meeting, school was over. Everyone left with their parents, carrying their schoolbags. Ji Mingyue was the only one left. Jian Hongmei was the only one who stayed behind. Jian Hongmei frowned and looked at the person standing in front of her: "Ji Mingyue, this parents' meeting is very important. Is your family busy?"
"Teacher, I'm an adult now. You can tell me directly if you have anything to say." Ji Mingyue's words were the same as before, directly blocking Jian Hongmei's next words. So she nodded and said, "Okay, the focus of this parents' meeting is on the subject selection. Go back and discuss with your family whether to choose liberal arts or science."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, teacher." Ji Mingyue nodded at her.
"Based on your grades, I suggest you choose liberal arts." Jian Hongmei hesitated for a moment, but still gave this suggestion. No matter what, she hoped she could listen to her advice.
"Okay, thank you, teacher. I'll consider it." Ji Mingyue had already decided to choose science. The people she wanted to capture would all choose science. If she chose liberal arts, how would she capture them? Of course, capture value was more important than grades.
Seeing this, Jian Hongmei knew that she hadn't listened. She couldn't help but sigh. At today's parent-teacher conference, she had specifically emphasized to the parents that they shouldn't blindly choose science subjects, but should make the most appropriate choice based on their children's grades. Her parents hadn't come, so she could only emphasize this to her. But seeing her like this, she probably hadn't listened. Jian Hongmei rubbed her temples. Forget it, she'd bring it up later.
The turmoil at the parents' meeting had passed, and the impact of the city rankings seemed to be slowly fading. When they got home, Jiang Lili asked with concern, "Is Sister Cheng not back yet?"
"She called yesterday and said she had booked a flight for tomorrow. I heard that she has almost finished the booking, so she just left the rest of the matter to her dad, asking him to be in charge of the negotiations." Jiang Yulan couldn't help but smile when she thought of the phone call yesterday.
"That's right. Uncle Cheng is traveling all over the country now, so he must have more experience." Jiang Lili agreed with Cheng Yuntian's decision.
"When Xiao Cheng comes back this time, we will start applying for a mortgage loan, and the assets we have will become negative assets." This was the first time Jiang Yulan had experienced such a thing, so she was inevitably a little nervous, but at the same time she was a little excited, so it was difficult for her to explain her current mood.
"Don't worry, the music mimicking doll is about to be successfully produced, and then we will get a lot of orders." Jiang Lili was not worried about the mortgage loan. She was confident about it.
"After your last communication, the mold group succeeded very quickly. I guess it will be almost done by the time Xiao Cheng comes back. Now the orders for hand-torn books are still increasing. They are selling better than we expected at the time." This was something Jiang Yulan did not expect. After all, a hand-torn book can be played with for a long time. She was worried at first because the quality was too good, but now it seems that her worries were in vain.
"It's time to get on with the stickers." Jiang Lili was incredibly obsessed with the stickers. She thought, perhaps the three little ones carried her memories of her past life. A new idea popped up in her mind: perhaps the same plush toys could be released together, and she wanted to be the first owner. Thinking of this, she looked at Jiang Yulan and asked, "Mom, you said Sister Cheng is coming back on tomorrow's flight, right?"
"Yes, what's wrong?" Seeing the anxiety in her eyes, Jiang Yulan also became nervous.
"It's not a big deal, just something related to work." After saying that, she turned her head to look at the calendar next to her. It was May now, and there were still nearly two months until the college entrance examination in July. It should still be in time.
"No rush. The factory is on holiday tomorrow and she shouldn't be back until Monday. How about you talk to her next Saturday?" Jiang Yulan still hoped that she would not delay her study time from Monday to Friday.
"Okay, I'm fine with anything." Then she could use this week to draw everything she wanted.
*
The mother and daughter had been discussing matters at the factory, but they didn't know that Lin Wenkang at the hospital had used his connections to retrieve Jiang Yulan's medical records, and secretly memorized the time of her follow-up examination, intending to take action on that day.
He originally thought that after revealing Jiang Yulan's shareholder identity to Ji Yushu, he would go looking for trouble with the mother and daughter, hoping to get a piece of the pie, and then he would choose the right time to show up and help them solve the problem of Jiang Yulan. Unexpectedly, this useless person was directly solved by Jiang Lili. This incident also made Lin Wenkang have a new understanding of Jiang Lili. Coupled with the city's top score, Lin Wenkang couldn't help but feel a little regretful. If he had fought with Kang Xiaoping to the end, this smart child would have been his daughter.
He had originally planned to wait until Jiang Yulan's follow-up examination to take action, but unexpectedly, he was reported beforehand. He was accused of accepting red envelopes from patients at Jincheng Hospital and abusing his position to commit other illegal acts. Lin Wenkang, always cautious, had only scoffed at the reports. But he hadn't expected the investigation team to have definitive evidence, even down to the exact time of each incident. Lin Wenkang felt as if the sky had fallen. The only person who knew so clearly was his ex-wife, Huang Qiuyu.
Soon, his guess was confirmed. The person who reported him was the Huang family, and the evidence was the notebook left by Huang Qiuyu. He never thought that the Huang family would actually report him. After Kang Xiaoping knew about it, she went to the Huang family and made a big fuss.
Huang Qiuyu's brother just glanced at him coldly: "The Huang family can lift him up, so they can naturally pull him down." If they and their mother had not gone too far, they would not have done such a thing. Even for the sake of the child, they had to do this to prevent him from making a bigger mistake and affecting Jingyi's future.
The evidence was irrefutable, and Lin Wenkang was quickly taken away. Kang Xiaoping's tantrums and trickery could not change this fact, and she could only accept her fate. At this moment, she suddenly remembered the time when Lin Wenkang first received his admission letter. She wondered if she had not encouraged Wenkang to cancel the engagement, would the outcome be different now? Unfortunately, there are no ifs in life, and every day since then, she could only live in regret.
The fact that Lin Wenkang was taken away for investigation was a secret in the early stages, so no one knew about it at first. It was not until the results came out that people at Yuncheng Hospital realized that Lin Wenkang was not transferred back to Jincheng Hospital, but was under investigation. Probably because of the evidence provided by Huang Qiuyu, the time from the investigation to his confession was very short this time.
After Qiu Shaoli heard the news, she felt as if it was expected. She said how could the Huang family be so generous. Lin Wenkang achieved such success thanks to the Huang family, but not long after Huang Qiuyu's death, he directly abandoned his daughter and returned to Yuncheng. It would be strange if the Huang family did not do something.
Jiang Yulan actually knew the outcome before them. It was the Huang family who told her about this. She hadn't expected them to take revenge on Lin Wenkang this way, but it was good news for her anyway. What she didn't expect was that the Huang family actually wanted to meet her. She hesitated a little about whether she should agree.
Perhaps this incident affected her state, so Jiang Lili easily saw through her clues. In response to Jiang Lili's question, Jiang Yulan thought about it and decided to tell her the whole story from beginning to end.
After hearing Jiang Yulan's words, Jiang Lili was just surprised. It took her a while to fully digest the news. "So when Ji Yushu came to cause trouble for us last time, you started planning this?"
"No, it was when I discovered Lin Wenkang's true intentions. Speaking of which, I should thank you, Aunt Qiu." Jiang Yulan believed that no one could remain calm after learning that his intentions were directed at their child, so from that day on, she tried to contact his deceased wife's family. She thought that since he had abandoned the child and came to Yuncheng, the Huang family and the child couldn't possibly not have resentment towards him. All she had to do was let them know why he came to Yuncheng and how the Huang family disliked the child. She knew this was a cruel thing for the child, but she had no better solution.
"It seems that his wife is not completely brainless." Jiang Lili felt a little admiration for Huang Qiuyu, a stranger.
"She did it for the child. I heard that she gave this notebook to the child before she died, just for this day. I don't know why she didn't take it out before." Jiang Yulan was a little confused as to why she didn't take out the notebook when Lin Wenkang sent her to her grandfather's house.
"Maybe he still has fantasies about this father?" Jiang Lili guessed.
"Maybe. So why do they want to meet me this time? Will this be a Hongmen Banquet?" If it weren't for Jiang Lili, Jiang Yulan would have agreed without hesitation, but she had a soft spot, so she seemed very conflicted.
"Then let's meet them and see what they want to do. Even if you refuse, if they really want to see you, you can't stop them at all. It's better to just agree to it." This was Jiang Lili's idea.
"What you said makes sense. Let's meet them. After all, we haven't done anything wrong, so we're not afraid of meeting them." Jiang Yulan quickly regained her composure.
*
At the Huang family in Jincheng, Lin Jingyi looked at the photo frame in her hand, then raised her head and looked at the person next to her: "Uncle, do you think she will agree?"
Huang Qiushi nodded, his tone firm: "She is a smart person, she will agree. Jingyi, why do you want to see her?"
Hearing this question, Lin Jingyi slowly raised her head, and many images flashed through her mind. Finally, she slowly spoke: "I want to see for my mother what kind of person the person he has been talking about for so many years is. I also want to see how outstanding that girl is, so outstanding that he would rather give up my biological daughter and raise someone else's daughter."
"Jingyi, he puts profit above all else. He chose them because he thought that girl could bring him greater benefits. It has nothing to do with whether you are excellent or not. It's a pity that this is just his wishful thinking." Huang Qiushi sneered at the end. When his younger sister married Lin Wenkang, they did not approve of it because they thought that he was too utilitarian. But his younger sister was determined to marry him. At that time, he and his father felt that they could protect his younger sister for the rest of her life, so if she wanted to get married, then she could get married. Who could have thought that the result would be like this?
Lin Jingyi didn't say anything. Her mother had always known about Jiang Yulan's existence. She also learned about it from her mother's diary after her mother passed away. It was not until Lin Wenkang was determined to settle down in Yuncheng that she realized that in his heart, she was just an ordinary daughter, a burden that could be abandoned at will, so he chose to abandon her.
At the beginning, she had resentment towards Jiang Yulan and her daughter, resentment towards them for stealing Lin Wenkang's attention. It was not until Jiang Yulan took the initiative to contact her uncle that she realized that the fatherly love she longed for was avoided by someone. The notebook that she had been reluctant to hand over was taken out by herself. She condoned her uncle's behavior, so she was also an accomplice in this matter.
"Jingyi, you did nothing wrong. If we don't report such a person, he will make a bigger mistake. Instead of letting him implicate you then, it's better for me to be the bad guy now." Moreover, he has a legitimate reason to take action now.
"I know, uncle." Lin Jingyi had just finished speaking when the phone at home rang. She glanced at her uncle and saw him answer the call. After a while, she heard her uncle say to her, "Jingyi, they agreed to meet!"
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