Volume One, Chapter 12: The Examiner Turns Out to Be Huo Chenyuan?

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The Jiang siblings returned from the gates of the compound in humiliating defeat.

In his fury, Jiang Weimin smashed one of the household thermoses. Yet all he could do was curse behind Jiang Yu’s back, calling her an ungrateful ingrate and an immoral wretch.

While soothing her father, Jiang Yuehua was quietly making her own calculations.

She refused to eat or drink, repeating over and over that she was useless—that her health was poor, and that she was not even qualified to study like her older sister.

After hearing this, Jiang Weimin could no longer sit still.

He called in countless favors and somehow managed to force her into the Military District Children’s High School as well.

A week later, when the homeroom teacher led Jiang Yuehua into the classroom in a spotless white dress, a small commotion rippled through the room.

“This is our new transfer student, Jiang Yuehua. She’ll be a member of our class from now on. Everyone should help one another.”

Jiang Yuehua timidly bowed, her eyes immediately seeking out Jiang Yu in the corner.

She walked straight over and spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

“Sister, I told Dad that I was terribly worried about you being here alone. I begged him for so long before he finally agreed to let me transfer here and keep you company. From now on, the two of us sisters can be together again.”

Several boys who knew nothing of the circumstances instantly looked at her with added sympathy.

Qin Xuewei, seated in the front row, sensed a powerful threat and warily sized up this fellow little white lotus.

Only Huo Siye let out an undisguised scoff from the back of the room.

“A weasel paying respects to a chicken.”

He strode over, shoved Jiang Yuehua aside, and planted himself between her and Jiang Yu.

“Move. You’re so ugly that you’re blocking my view.”

Seeing him revert to the attitude he had shown her in her previous life, Jiang Yuehua blurted out, “What’s ugly about me? I’m obviously much prettier than Jiang Yu! Look at her—there’s machine oil beneath her fingernails that won’t wash off, and her hands are covered in calluses! And look at his face—it’s all wrinkled and black!”

Huo Siye gave a cold snort.

“Shallow.”

“No wonder. You’re the real ignorant country bumpkin.”

“Ostrovsky once said that a person’s beauty does not lie in their appearance, clothing, or hairstyle, but in the person themselves—in their heart.”

Jiang Yuehua was furious. She returned to her seat and remained silent for a long while.

After delivering his speech, Huo Siye felt incredibly impressive. He kept winking at Jiang Yu, clearly begging for praise.

Jiang Yu smiled.

“Where did you learn that?”

“I saw it on Big Brother’s desk yesterday. I simply put it to use today!”

As autumn deepened, a red-headed official notice issued by the Municipal Education Bureau was posted on the bulletin boards of every high school in the city. In response to the national call, and in order to identify outstanding talent, the city would hold its first interscholastic high-school mathematics, physics, and chemistry competition.

Beneath the notice was a list of contestants recommended by each school after several rounds of selection.

The bulletin board of the Military District Children’s High School was surrounded by layer upon layer of students.

Under Class Three, two names were written in bold:

Qin Xuewei, Jiang Yu.

Everyone understood the result.

Qin Xuewei had always been the teachers’ favorite, and she had consistently ranked first in the entire grade. Her selection was universally expected.

As for Jiang Yu, a newcomer parachuted in only recently, she had been chosen after taking first place just once. There were still people who refused to accept it and muttered under their breath.

Huo Siye paid them no attention. He was positively delighted as he stared at the competition list.

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“Our little sister’s got real talent! I’m going home to tell Dad to give her an extra serving at dinner!”

Once one became familiar with Huo Siye, it became clear that he was like a flea—yet not annoying in the least.

His constant chatter and noisy antics actually made Jiang Yu rather happy.

Besides, Huo Siye had recently discovered the joy of studying. His grades were improving by leaps and bounds, and his father had stopped smacking him on the head or shouting about sending him to the kitchen brigade to feed pigs.

His mood was excellent.

After school, Jiang Yu walked along a path scattered with fallen plane-tree leaves.

She remembered that in her previous life, her elder brother Jiang Zhenguo had also taken part in a similar competition.

At the time, he had to work during the day. Once he returned home at night, he would toss a pile of disorderly review materials to her and ask her to sort them out and summarize the key points.

Whenever he encountered a difficult problem he could not solve or a formula he could not understand, she would stay up late by the dim light of a kerosene lamp, work through each problem one by one, and then copy everything into clear notes in her neatest handwriting before delivering them to him.

He carried the fruits of her painstaking labor onto the stage with high spirits and returned home with a certificate of merit.

When he placed the certificate on the table, their father, Jiang Weimin, beamed with delight and, for once, stewed a whole chicken for him.

As for her—the true hero behind the scenes—she had not even been given a sip of chicken soup.

In this life, things were finally different.

For the first time, her name was not written as someone else’s appendage. It stood proudly alongside the names of the city’s top students, inscribed upon that honor.

Lost in thought, she heard Jiang Yuehua’s affected voice behind her.

“Sister.”

Jiang Yu turned around and saw Jiang Yuehua hurrying after her, her face wearing just the right degree of anxiety and concern.

“Sister, I went to look at the citywide competition list just now and saw that Big Brother’s name was on it too!”

She paused, then raised her face and lowered her voice.

“Big Brother has been studying day and night so he can get into college next year. He’s lost several pounds. This competition is truly important to him. Could you… could you help him during the competition? Do it for the sake of our Jiang family, all right?”

She spoke with such sincerity that one might have thought she alone was the person most concerned with the greater good, the one making the greatest sacrifices for the Jiang family.

But why did Jiang Zhenguo need Jiang Yu’s help instead of relying on his own abilities?

Before Jiang Yu could answer, a lazy, mocking voice came from the side.

“Who are you, and what gives you the right to ask my little sis to help your family? Go look at yourself in a stream, a river, or the Yangtze before you start flattering yourself!”

Huo Siye was leaning against a tree trunk a short distance away, both hands in his trouser pockets. He tilted his head and let his gaze sweep over Jiang Yuehua.

The corner of his mouth curled into a malicious smile.

“What, you want your sister to pass your brother answers during the citywide competition? Why? Because your skin is thick? Or because you know how to cry?”

He paused, then sauntered over and gave a derisive laugh.

“You think someone like you can put on an act in front of me? At best, you’re a defective vase being sold off at a street stall—hardly fit for a respectable display. This is an academic competition. It tests brains, not who can pretend the best. My advice? Save your breath.”

With that, Huo Siye grabbed Jiang Yu by the arm and dragged her forward as though a pack of dogs were snapping at their heels.

“Jiang Yu, if you don’t wait for me after school next time, I’ll be angry.”

“All right.”

Their exchange sounded especially grating to Jiang Yuehua.

Tears immediately welled in her eyes as she stared at Huo Siye in disbelief.

She could not understand why this unruly devil, who in the past had been too lazy even to spare her a proper glance, was now saying such things to her for Jiang Yu’s sake.

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In the end, she could only glare viciously at Jiang Yu and clench her fists.

…

That evening, at the Jiang residence.

Jiang Yuehua wept before Jiang Zhenguo as though her heart had been torn apart.

She embellished Huo Siye’s words and repeated them to him, ultimately placing all the blame for her grievances on Jiang Yu.

“Big Brother, it’s all because I’m useless… I only wanted to help you, but I never expected Sister to… Not only did she refuse to remember our past affection, she even let Young Master Huo humiliate me like that…”

“How dare she! What a wicked beast! If I’d known, I would have beaten her from the start!” Father Jiang roared, smashing another thermos.

Jiang Zhenguo’s expression darkened further.

Recently, he had been staying up late working on problems, yet he could not solve any of them.

In the past, Jiang Yu would organize everything for him and mark the important sections in particular.

Now that Jiang Yu was gone, not only were his papers a complete mess, he could not even understand the formulas corresponding to the problems.

He clenched his fists, the joints cracking loudly.

“She won’t be pleased with herself for long.” He let out a cold laugh, patted Jiang Yuehua’s back consolingly, and allowed a calculating gleam to flicker in his eyes.

“Without my review notes, she’s nothing but a useless fool! In this competition, I’d like to see what she thinks she can win with. I’ll make sure she loses face in front of everyone!”

Jiang Zhenguo thought that her first-place finish had only been a fluke. The reason she had managed to keep up was that she had happened to be the one organizing his review materials before.

Hmph. How could she possibly solve questions of this difficulty?

Jiang Yu, you’ll come crawling back in tears, begging me for more of my papers and notes.

Several days later.

The pre-competition mobilization meeting was held in the small auditorium of the Municipal Education Bureau.

By the time Jiang Yu arrived, it was already filled with top students from high schools across the city.

In this life, she could finally rely on herself to earn the chance to sit shoulder to shoulder with everyone else.

Qin Xuewei sat on the opposite side, surrounded by classmates from the Military District Children’s High School.

Jiang Zhenguo, meanwhile, sat in another section as the representative of the Workers’ High School. His face wore the arrogant confidence of someone certain of victory. When he saw Jiang Yu enter, he shot her a contemptuous look.

Jiang Yu found a seat in the corner and waited quietly.

Soon, the auditorium doors opened. A young man in a sharply pressed military uniform, tall and upright, walked onto the stage carrying a stack of documents, accompanied by several city officials.

His figure was straight as a pine, his features stern and cold. The star insignia on his shoulders gleamed beneath the lights.

One of the city officials first delivered a few formal pleasantries, then solemnly introduced him.

“To ensure that this competition is fair and impartial, we have specially invited Comrade Huo Chenyuan of the military district to serve as the competition’s chief coordinator and head examiner. Let us welcome him!”

Amid thunderous applause, the auditorium below fell utterly silent.

“Welcome, everyone. I am Huo Chenyuan.”

Jiang Yu looked up.

Huo Chenyuan?