Chapter 49: Study Hard, Improve Every Day, the Next Top Student Will Be You
Qin Mo glanced at his watch. It was only 8:30, so there was still time to review some test papers. “Did you bring back the math test paper from this midterm?”
“Husband, do we really have to review test papers on a day like this?” Wen Xia blinked her eyes at him.
Qin Mo raised an eyebrow. “Can you score 150 on the math exam?”
And so, the two of them entered “test paper review mode.”
They stopped after going through half the paper. Qin Mo left her to absorb the material while he went to take a shower.
When he came out, Wen Xia was still focused on her calculations, her head bowed like an obedient elementary school student. Qin Mo’s lips curled into a smile as he took out his phone, snapped a picture, and posted it on his social media.
Caption: Today’s little elementary school student.
It didn’t take long before the Little Fairies group chat started buzzing.
Liu An’an: Oh my gosh, Xia Xia has it so rough. She’s doing homework on a day like this when she is single.
Jiang Yan: Looks like there’s no hope for Xia Xia’s love life this year either.
Liu An’an: An’an, why would such a handsome cousin post about Xia Xia instead of a girlfriend?
Liu An’an: Using Xia Xia as a shield, obviously.
Jiang Yan: Exactly. LOL. Just imagining Xia Xia doing homework is making me laugh uncontrollably.
Liu An’an: Evil laugh, +1
…
Wen Xia noticed the unread messages on her phone, her mouth twitching as she replied with a few words: You wouldn’t understand. This is what a top student’s date looks like.
Liu An’an: Hahaha.
Jiang Yan: Hahahahahaha. Alright, Xia Xia, keep up the “date.”
Wen Xia: “…”
She then opened Qin Mo’s post and looked at the comments.
Brother Drinks Loneliness: Nice, already brought your girlfriend home. Gonna have fun tonight, huh?
I’m Your Brother Zhao: Showing off to us single dogs, huh?
Rocket Class Homeroom Teacher replied to Brother Drinks Loneliness: Which class are you from, student?
Brother Drinks Loneliness replied to Rocket Class Homeroom Teacher: Society Class One.
I’m Your Brother Zhao replied to Brother Drinks Loneliness: Hahahaha…
The Rocket Class Homeroom Teacher replied to I’m Your Brother Zhao: Zhao Zichuan! That’s Qin Mo’s cousin!
I’m Your Brother Zhao: … So she’s just a cousin, huh.
The homeroom teacher debunking rumors online made Wen Xia laugh out loud. “Qin Mo, why do you even have your homeroom teacher added on social media?”
Qin Mo ran a hand through his damp hair. “Mr. Zhou said he needed to guide me on giving up on early relationships.”
“And what happened?”
“Scoring 744 shut him up.”
Wen Xia burst into laughter at the thought of that scene. She pretended to compliment him. “Wow, Qin Shueba, you’re so impressive!”
“There’s something even more impressive. Want to try it out?” Qin Mo said with a straight face, clearly teasing.
Wen Xia: “…”
If she hadn’t understood what he was implying after all these years of marriage, she would’ve married him for nothing.
Suddenly, the phone rang. It was a call from Wen De. Wen Xia quickly answered it, only to hear his stern voice. “Why did you take so long to pick up? What were you doing?”
Wen Xia: “…”
“Dad, I was doing homework.”
“Oh.” There was a brief pause on the other end before he added, “Lock the door before you sleep. Call me if anything happens.”
Although his concern was a little excessive, Wen Xia’s heart warmed. Her tone softened. “Okay, Dad, don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Wen De, holding the phone, took a drag from his cigarette. She was his only child; of course, he worried.
“I’ll sleep soon,” he replied.
Wen Xia grinned. “Dad, go to bed early. Saranghaeyo!”
Wen De didn’t understand what that meant but still responded with a grunt. After hanging up, he searched online: What does ‘Saraheyo’ mean?
The answer: It’s likely ‘Saranghaeyo.’ It’s a common phrase in Korean dramas and means ‘I love you’ in Chinese.
Dad, I love you.
He stubbed out his cigarette and smiled.
*
Wen Xia waved at Qin Mo, who was standing at the door. “Go on, I’m locking the door now.”
Qin Mo raised an eyebrow, leaning against the door with a somewhat playful tone. “Wife, are you really not going to let me warm the bed? No charge, just the person.”
Wen Xia: “…”
With a “slam,” she shut the door.
Although Qin Mo joked around, he wouldn’t actually come in to sleep—after all, his grandparents were at home.
There were times when Qin Mo had his principles.
…
Back at school, Wen Xia saw Liu An’an and Jiang Yan looking half asleep. She grinned mischievously. “Went cow-stealing?”
“More like stealing stuff. It’s Double Eleven, so I got a sweater. If my card had money, I’d have bought a pair of pants too,” Jiang Yan yawned.
Wen Xia had a bank card with about a thousand yuan saved up recently. “I’ve got one. Want to buy it?”
“Yes, I’ll give you cash.”
Jiang Yan searched for pants on her phone while browsing, then added, “Xia Xia, aren’t you buying? They’re cheap.”
“I’m not buying, I’ve still got some clothes at home I haven’t worn.” Wen Xia shook her head, then thought of Wen De and Qin Mo. “I’ll get one for my dad.”
After Jiang Yan finished buying, Wen Xia showed Wen De a coat, then showed Qin Mo one. Wen De’s was a bit more expensive, and Qin Mo’s was cheaper by over a hundred yuan, or else buying both wouldn’t be enough.
“Xia Xia, who are you buying for?” Liu An’an asked, eyeing the black men’s jacket curiously.
Wen Xia clicked the order button. “My cousin.”
Jiang Yan nudged her shoulder playfully, joking, “Xia Xia, your cousin is your boyfriend, right?”
Wen Xia’s heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, she thought she’d been caught. She answered honestly, “Yeah.”
Liu An’an and Jiang Yan burst into laughter without hesitation.
…
Evening Self-Study
Cao Jun began his lengthy lecture. “This exam was a disaster. Some students, what on earth were they thinking? A bunch of people scored in the 30s and 40s. Then there were some talents who, if they couldn’t answer, just drew ducks on their test papers.”
“When the papers come back, I’ll let everyone admire the duck drawings from one of the students…”
He continued criticizing for several minutes.
In his usual style of education—one slap, one sweet date—he then praised, “Some students did really well, though. Our class was ranked first in physics among the science parallel classes. Great job! Let’s keep it up next time. To encourage everyone, I’ve personally bought you all lollipops. The class monitor can pick them up after class, but you’re not allowed to eat them during lessons.”
No surprises there—the next two classes were physics, where they would review the test papers.
Wen Xia estimated her physics score to be around 80 points.
…
The next day, the results for all subjects were released, along with the rankings.
The students of Class 8 were shocked to find that He Sheng, who had always been first in the class, had slipped to second place. Wen Xia had taken the top spot, and she was also second in the entire grade. She had scored a perfect score in English, leaving the entire class stunned.
To be honest, Wen Xia herself was surprised. This was how she ended up second in the grade?
Her perfect score in English had given her a huge advantage.
If only she could improve a bit more in math or boost her Chinese score, she could easily take the top spot in science.
The person who had dropped to second place, He Sheng, had a solid score in math and science, and even scored full marks in physics, which was quite difficult. But his English was only 98.
“Xia Xia, did you get possessed by your handsome cousin?” Liu An’an exclaimed after the shock wore off.
Jiang Yan nodded repeatedly in agreement, then stretched her arms wide and tilted her head back. “I want to get possessed by your handsome cousin too, to save my 388.”
Wen Xia laughed, reached out to knock them both on the head, and said earnestly, “Study hard, improve every day. The next top student will be you.”