Chapter 19 The Secret Base
Peng Chengyi was taken aback and looked up.
He was listening to music and looking out the window, so how could he know that she was about to ask him a question?
Could it be that...
She subconsciously turned her head and, sure enough, saw her own face, filled with surprise, reflected in the car window.
She thought she had gotten away with it, but it turns out he had already discovered her!
But no matter how clear the reflection from the car window was, he couldn't possibly see the calculations on her exam paper.
So it turns out he was also secretly keeping an eye on her movements.
Thinking of this, Peng Chengyi's awkwardness completely disappeared. She raised her clear little face again and looked at him, saying, "Then which formula should I use?"
"Okay." Chen Yubai's slightly tense brows relaxed a little. He reached out and took her test paper and pen, placed them in his large palm, and quickly began to write.
Seeing that he had suddenly lost his grip on the handrail, his body swayed slightly with the bumps of the bus.
Peng Chengyi nervously tugged at the strap hanging from his backpack, then pretended to be nonchalant and said, "I see there are still seats in the last row. Shall we move over? It'll be easier to write there."
Chen Yubai paused, a barely perceptible twitch appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Okay."
After helping her break down the solution to the problem, Chen Yubai handed her the test paper: "Like this, first..."
“No need to explain, I can understand it myself.” Peng Chengyi interrupted him, not wanting to lose too badly.
Chen Yubai paused, then raised his eyelids: "Can you really understand it?"
Peng Chengyi snorted and grabbed her test paper: "Who do you think you are? I'm still in the top ten of the class."
As she spoke, she glanced down at the screen.
Then, embarrassingly, she discovered that she really couldn't understand it.
His already free and unrestrained handwriting became even more illegible due to the bumpy ride on the bus.
She couldn't tell whether the number above was 3 or 8.
Chen Yubai glanced at Peng Chengyi, who was tense, and said with a hint of teasing, "Top ten in the class, why are you so quiet?"
"...Your handwriting looks like you've drawn some kind of ghost talisman. Even the top student in the class wouldn't be able to understand it!" Peng Chengyi said speechlessly.
"The top student in the class can understand it." Chen Yubai smiled.
Peng Chengyi took two seconds to realize—
Yes, he's number one in the class.
Damn it.
Helpless, she had no choice but to ask him to explain it step by step.
She hadn't asked him any questions before, and she thought his teaching style would be as relaxed as he was.
Unexpectedly, he was actually very organized, and he would provide further analysis for every point she missed.
After explaining one problem, she felt like she had attended another math class.
It turns out that he really didn't become the top scorer in the city by sheer luck.
It was she who was blinded by jealousy or resentment.
They simply refused to acknowledge his true strength.
Peng Chengyi squeezed the test paper in her hand with mixed feelings, and suddenly thought of another question: "Speaking of which, you are so good at solving difficult problems, why didn't you get into the experimental class?"
Chen Yubai paused slightly before smiling casually and saying, "Because I was too sleepy that day, I accidentally fell asleep during the science exam in the afternoon, so I didn't have time to finish the last two big questions."
Peng Chengyi: "..."
Although it sounds outrageous, it's something he's capable of doing.
However, it's thanks to his unreliability that he's so unreliable.
Otherwise, he might get into the experimental class, but she might not.
She doesn't know how difficult those last two months of junior high school will be.
Just like now, the thought of getting home and realizing that her grades were more than a hundred points behind Chen Yubai's...
She felt that pressure, like the rising tide, surging into her chest.
So when he said goodbye to Chen Yubai and opened his own door.
Peng Chengyi appeared somewhat downcast.
Zhou Lifen, who was cooking in the kitchen next door, turned around when she heard the noise. Seeing her dejected look, she quickly turned off the noisy range hood and asked with concern, "The monthly exam results are out? You didn't really come in last in the grade, did you?"
“No, I’m 8th in my class and 110th in the grade.” Peng Chengyi changed into slippers and raised her face.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Lifen's voice instantly brightened again: "That's pretty good! I thought you failed your exam when I saw you like that. Go put down your bag and wash your hands. I'll start cooking this dish and we'll eat right away. If you're hungry, you can eat the steamed hairy crabs on the table first."
"I understand." Peng Chengyi nodded, her mood improving somewhat because of her praise.
A short while later, Peng Weiguo also returned from get off work.
He saw that her shoes were already placed at the door, and as soon as he came in, he asked, "Chengcheng, have your monthly exam results come out? How did you do?"
Zhou Lifen, who had just finished cooking, turned off the range hood and answered for her, "It's pretty good. She's in the top 10 in her class and just over 100 in the grade."
“That’s good!” Peng Weiguo nodded with satisfaction, put down his briefcase, and looked at Peng Chengyi, who was peeling crab shells at the table. “But don’t let your guard down. The higher you go in high school, the harder the knowledge becomes, and girls are more likely to fall behind.”
Peng Chengyi paused, then raised her eyes with displeasure: "What do you mean girls are more likely to fall behind? So boys are naturally smarter?"
"I'm just talking about this phenomenon from my past teaching experience. Look at Xiaoyu, his grades weren't as good as yours before the third year of junior high. But once he started working hard in the third year, his grades quickly surpassed yours, and he even got the top score in the high school entrance exam. That's really amazing," Peng Weiguo said.
"That's just an isolated case. Do you have any statistics to prove it? And why don't you mention Zhang Yang? He worked hard in his final year of junior high, so why didn't he get the top score and had to rely on art points to get into the top high school?" Peng Chengyi said dismissively.
Peng Weiguo frowned: "Why do you always compare yourself to those who are bad at studying?"
Peng Chengyi pouted: "Then why do you always compare me to Chen Yubai?"
“You can only improve by comparing yourself to those who are better,” Peng Weiguo said matter-of-factly.
Peng Chengyi subconsciously retorted, "How is he better than me?"
Peng Chengwei took a sip of water: "What was his ranking in this monthly exam? Was he behind you?"
Peng Chengyi choked for a moment, then said, "Still number one."
Peng Weiguo took a sip of water and began to patiently instruct her: "Look, isn't this the difference? In junior high, you two were only one place apart at most, but now in high school, you're 100 places behind others. Aren't you going to humbly learn from them?"
"..." Peng Chengyi didn't say anything, but just broke off the crab leg in her hand.
"Weiguo, hurry up and wash your hands and get your rice. We can talk after you finish eating."
Hearing Zhou Lifen call out from the kitchen, Peng Weiguo stopped lecturing and turned to help.
Peng Chengyi felt suffocated as she cracked open the crab shell, her mood even worse than when she first entered the room.
After finishing her meal, she wanted to sit on the sofa and watch some cartoons to ease her bad mood.
Peng Weiguo then started nagging in her ear again.
"With the time you spend watching cartoons, you could have done two math problems. You're already lagging behind Xiaoyu, so why aren't you working harder?"
"Chen Yubai only memorized his homework this holiday, he didn't bring any extra practice books, while I brought a lot of supplementary books." Peng Chengyi retorted to him in a frustrated mood.
“That’s because they have the means to do their homework,” Peng Weiguo said.
“Yes, although you did well on the exam this time, you should still be aware of the risks and not let Xiaoyu fall further behind.” Zhou Lifen, who had just finished cleaning up the kitchen, chimed in.
"..." Peng Chengyi couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved again, "When I got first place before, I didn't see you guys say that I had the qualifications to just do homework. Why did you praise me like this when it came to Chen Yubai?!"
Peng Weiguo: "That's because you got first place through hard work. If you had Xiaoyu's brains, I wouldn't always be pushing you."
Zhou Lifen: "Xiaoyu is really smart. I don't think Lin Qingying had time to borrow any high school books for him to study. He got into a key high school and even got first place. He's really a worry-free person."
Peng Weiguo: "Yes, and this child has been independent since childhood and can do housework, unlike some people who sit on the sofa like a princess after eating."
Upon hearing this, Peng Chengyi could no longer suppress her anger and resentment, and abruptly stood up from the sofa:
"You also sit on the sofa like a king after you eat! What gives you the right to criticize me!"
"Besides, Chen Yubai is better than me in every way, so why are you still raising me? You might as well let him be your son!"
After saying that, she walked past the two people who were stunned at the same time and rushed straight out of the house.
The motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on with a bang as the door slammed shut.
Peng Chengyi suppressed the tears welling up in her eyes, slipped on the slippers she hadn't had time to change, and went downstairs.
But as soon as she opened the security door downstairs, she bumped into a solid chest.
The familiar scent of soapberry wafted over, and Peng Chengyi staggered back two steps before being supported on the shoulder by a steady and strong hand.
"Where are you rushing off to so late at night like a little cannonball?" Chen Yubai's casual, youthful voice rang out above her head.
Not in the mood for joking around with him, Peng Chengyi slapped his hand away and pushed away his body blocking the doorway: "Mind your own business!"
Chen Yubai was stunned by her fierce words and before he could react, she had already rushed out and disappeared into the night. Peng Chengyi ran out of the residential area in one breath before gradually stopping, holding her knees and panting.
The Mid-Autumn Festival night was already a bit chilly.
She ran so fast that she didn't even have time to change her shoes or put on her coat.
A gust of wind blew, raising goosebumps on her arms.
Peng Chengyi crossed her arms, sniffed, and didn't want to go home just like that.
After all, she had only been gone from home for less than 10 minutes, and her anger had not completely subsided.
Moreover, she didn't know how her parents would react to the somewhat excessive words she had kept bottled up inside for so long.
So I'm a little afraid to go back and face it, so I can only find a place to stay for now.
But she had no money or phone, and was too embarrassed to sit in a convenience store on the street, so she eventually went to a nearby park.
Then, passing through a long corridor covered with wisteria, we pushed open a small revolving door and entered a long-neglected children's playground.
It's called a children's playground, but it only has a few play facilities such as an elephant slide, swings, seesaws, and a small beach.
When she first started kindergarten, the amusement park was quite popular.
She often came to play with Chen Yubai.
Back then, her favorite thing was to dig sand and build castles, and then she would be the knight guarding them, while Chen Yubai would be her horse.
Although he barely cooperated with her riding him.
Later, when she started elementary school, a larger and better-equipped park was built next door, and the children's playground was gradually forgotten.
But occasionally, when she's in a bad mood, she'll still come here to sit for a while.
Chen Yubai would naturally go with her.
Thus, this quiet children's playground gradually became their secret hideout.
However, this was the first time she had visited the place at night.
The original four corner lights are now reduced to just one lamp beside the swing, which faintly illuminates the rusty iron chains on it.
Peng Chengyi patted her pocket and luckily found that she still had a tissue left. She took it out, wiped the dust off the swing chair, sat down, and stared blankly at the sand pool in front of her, which had now turned into hard earth.
Although you can still faintly hear the noise of children playing in the nearby park and see the lights of thousands of homes lit up in the residential buildings not far away.
But accompanied by the chilly autumn wind, the overcast night sky, and the occasional flickering of the dim streetlights overhead.
There's still a subtle, unsettling feeling.
In particular, just two days ago in the dormitory, Zheng Xinyue had told her a scary story, and now that she was sitting alone on this dilapidated swing, it was hard not to associate it with that.
Maybe she should go somewhere else...
Peng Chengyi was lost in thought and was about to stand up when he suddenly heard the creaking sound of the iron gate turning behind him.
Is it the wind? Is it a person? Or is it a ghost?
Peng Chengyi's hair stood on end instantly, and he froze.
Only when she heard footsteps again and was certain it was a person did she muster her courage and slowly turn her head.
To her surprise, she saw a familiar figure, casually walking towards her with his hands in his pockets.
"Why are you here?" Peng Chengyi was taken aback, lifted her long, thick eyelashes, and looked at the boy standing in front of her.
The dim yellow light shone on his head, making his facial features appear even more deep and three-dimensional.
However, it was difficult to discern his facial expression or determine his intentions for being there.
Could it be that he came here to clear his head because she accidentally said something mean to him earlier?
Chen Yubai glanced at her slightly reddened eyes and nose: "Looking for you."
Peng Chengyi paused for a moment, blinking her eyes in confusion: "...Why are you looking for me?"
Chen Yubai paused for two seconds: "To prevent tomorrow's newspapers from featuring news like 'Underage girl runs away from home, citizens are urged to provide clues'."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Peng Chengyi: ...
Update tomorrow at 12 PM! Thanks to Leventsleve, 起个破名想半天, GF, 〇十七, 折就是爱, colorwind915, Sunshine, 若若萌是一个天才, Soleil, and 澪炘 for the nutrient solution! [Lop-eared rabbit head]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
