Xiao Li listened attentively in class, took notes, and went home with a pile of textbooks as soon as get out of class ended. She planned to review the material properly that evening, as she had missed half a month's worth of lessons and needed to catch up.
The original owner's grades were only average to above average, but now that she's here, she wants to make her parents proud.
After a week of review, with the added boost of her strong mental strength, Xiaoli was very confident in facing the upcoming midterm exams. She felt that her grades should improve significantly this time.
~~ ...
"Class, please be quiet. Several students in our class have made significant progress in this exam. I hope they will continue their efforts and persevere! Keep it up!"
The homeroom teacher, Ms. Liu, pushed up her glasses, her face hardening, and continued, "One student's grades have also declined significantly. I won't name names here, but I hope you will correct your attitude towards learning and achieve good results in the next exam."
Yang Liu was a little embarrassed. She had been having a lot of bad luck lately, and her studies had inevitably fallen behind.
"Now we'll start distributing the test papers. Li Li got 85 points, Liu Xiaodong got 79 points, and Chen Sisi got 92 points..."
As the test papers were distributed, Xiaoli also received hers, achieving a score of 99, ranking first in her class and second in the entire school.
Xiao Li was thriving at school, but the atmosphere at home was a bit tense.
Tao's parents both quit their jobs, and Tan Shuang's health improved. Both of them went out to look for work, but it was hard to find a job in middle age, and they sighed for several days in a row.
Xiao Li saw this and was quite anxious, but there was nothing she could do; she still had to maintain her public image.
It was the weekend, and Xiaoli woke up a little late. She had been doing practice problems until 11 pm last night, so she took a nap this morning. After breakfast, Tan Shuang announced that she was going to sell fried rice noodles, while watching Xiaoli's expression as she spoke.
"That's great, Mom! Your fried rice noodles taste amazing, your business is sure to be booming!" Xiaoli quickly offered her support.
"Tao'er, do you feel ashamed of me? After all, the night market isn't far from school, and I'm afraid your classmates will laugh at you if they see it," Tan Shuang asked cautiously.
"No, Mom, don't worry. We earn money honestly and cleanly, there's nothing shameful about it. Plus, we can often eat your fried rice noodles, it's really great."
Xiao Li genuinely felt there was nothing shameful about it. This era was equivalent to the early 21st century, a golden age of reform and opening up, when doing business was the most profitable.
Hearing her daughter's supportive voice, Tan Shuang breathed a sigh of relief. As long as one is diligent, one can earn money. They also need to save money for their daughter's college education and dowry. There are too many places to spend money, so they must work hard.
Now that they had no worries, the couple were full of energy and busied themselves with their business. They started with a small stall, gradually opened a store, and eventually grew it into a chain of restaurants—but that's another story.
Seeing her parents busy, Xiao Li focused on her studies and enjoyed her time at school. She even picked up her martial arts again, treating it as a way to exercise.
After the midterm exams, Yang Liu's bad luck charm was about to expire. Xiao Li hadn't paid any attention to her recently. Now that her studies were stable, she could start causing trouble. How could she forget the culprit who ruined the original owner's life?
As expected of the female lead, Xiao Li distanced herself from her, and soon she found a loyal follower. After class that evening, Xiao Li was on her way home when she felt a bit rushed, so she went to the restroom. There she overheard the female lead's new follower, Wan Qian, talking badly about her.
"You don't know, I heard it with my own ears. Tao Tao didn't come for half a month last time because she was sold to some remote mountain village. She's definitely been violated, and maybe more than one person, hehe...haha..."
"She's shameless. I don't know how she has the nerve to come to school. If it were me..." Zhao Lina stopped mid-sentence, as it's always a bit embarrassing to speak ill of someone in front of them.
"What if it were you? How can you be so shameless? I've already given you all my shamelessness." Xiao Li retorted directly; she wasn't one to be bullied.
"And you, who told you that? Bring the person out here so we can confront them face to face, or I'll show you the consequences of lying."
Wan Qian was startled, but she still stubbornly argued, "I forgot. Anyway, it was someone else who said it. I didn't lie. It's no use if you don't admit it. Everyone is talking about it. It's not just me who said it."
“You know perfectly well who’s spreading this rumor. From now on, I’ll confront whoever I hear spreading it. You have to apologize to me today.”
"Why should I apologize to you? I won't. Let's go." Wan Qian raised her chin and pulled Zhao Lina away.
Xiao Li immediately used a grappling technique to twist Wan Qian backward and pin her to the ground.
"Apologize! Otherwise, I'll show you why flowers are so red."
Wan Qian was unable to move; her arms, chest, and back were burning with pain. Zhao Lina and Mi Xixi, who were standing next to her, were stunned, but at the same time, they felt a secret admiration for him. He was just too cool.
The two immediately changed their tune and apologized to Xiao Li. Wan Qian's eyes were red, but the cold floor reminded her that discretion is the better part of valor, so she had no choice but to apologize as well. Only then did Xiao Li release her and leave.
Zhao Lina and Mi Xixi quickly followed, not even glancing at Wan Qian, who was still sitting on the ground crying. Talking behind someone's back is really annoying; it's better not to associate with that kind of person. They both forgot who had just been enjoying the gossip and even chiming in.
Xiao Li, carrying her books, walked through a slightly dark alley. It was a side path that she didn't usually take, but today she had been delayed, so she hesitated for a moment and then decided to go this way.
"No, please don't do this..."
"What do you not want? Like this... or like this..."
Xiao Li turned around when she heard the familiar voice and immediately saw two people hugging and cuddling in the alley. It turned out to be Yang Liu and a boy. If she hadn't heard her voice, she wouldn't have recognized them.
Xiao Li cursed under her breath, then hurried off to find her parents. She'd wash her eyes properly when she got home; having such good eyesight was a problem, too.
When she arrived at the stall, her parents were busy with their business. Xiaoli didn't say much and immediately rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
After an hour of busy work, things finally calmed down. Tao Zhenglin then asked, "Why are you so late today? Nothing's wrong, is there?"
"It's nothing, I just went to the restroom."
"It's alright, Tao'er. Go home and do your homework first. Your dad and I will be back in a bit."
Xiao Li agreed and left with her schoolbag. She would come to help out during the evening rush hour, but now that things were quieter, she could go home first.
Upon arriving home, she first took out some fruits and vegetables from her spatial storage, as if they were bought on the way. These fruits were believed to possess spiritual energy, capable of nourishing her parents' bodies and ensuring their good health and freedom from illness throughout their lives.
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