Volume 1, Chapter 5: Diligence Makes Up for Mediocrity

The start of the school term was far more peaceful than Jiang Yu had imagined.

Perhaps Huo Siye simply didn’t consider her worth his attention, or perhaps it was due to something Huo Chenyuan had said after his return. For the following month, although the fourth brother, Huo Siye, still looked at her with disdain, he stopped bringing his cronies around to stir up trouble.

For Jiang Yu, life at school was a luxury she had never possessed in either of her two lifetimes. She cherished this opportunity to study deeply. Compared to her previous life, where she had to wash the engine oil off her hands four or five times after work before she dared to touch a book, this present life felt like an indescribable blessing.

However, her nearly obsessive dedication to studying became yet another joke in the eyes of the young masters from the military compound.

"Look, the 'dead weight' is reading again. Who is she putting on a show for?"

"Exactly. At best, she’s just a factory girl. I heard she used to drive a tractor—I doubt she even knows as many characters as I do!"

Huo Siye was a boarder and only returned home on weekends. He had assumed his stepsister would fall behind and eventually quit out of an inability to adapt to the school environment. To his fury, not only did Jiang Yu not flee, but she settled into her studies with complete composure, fueling his resentment even further.

On his first weekend home, he stormed into Huo Jianjun’s study.

"Dad! I don't agree with Jiang Yu continuing to attend our school! Do you know what people are saying about her? They call her a bumpkin, a wild girl who doesn't even know where the school gate opens!"

"It’s embarrassing for me to be in the same school as her! Make her transfer! Tell her to go back to her factory and tighten screws!"

Hearing this, Huo Jianjun slammed his newspaper onto the desk in a rage and scolded, "You scoundrel! Your sister just arrived; instead of protecting her, you find her embarrassing? I think you’re the one who is embarrassing me! You run rampant at school with abysmal grades, yet you have the nerve to criticize others?"

"From today on, if you dare to bother Xiao Yu at school again, I’ll break your legs!"

Berated by his father, Huo Siye felt incredibly aggrieved. He didn't want to be the butt of everyone's jokes—Jiang Yu was a stain on his school life! Seeing her calm, unbothered demeanor at school only made him angrier.

With the first monthly exam approaching, he thought: *It doesn't matter. This bumpkin from the countryside will surely fail miserably, and then Dad will be deeply disappointed in her. That will be my chance to get her expelled!*

"Just you wait!" he told his followers. "Once the results are out and she ranks last, let’s see what face Dad has left to keep her in school! We won't even need to chase her off; she’ll have to crawl away in disgrace!"

The day before the exam, an anxious atmosphere permeated the classroom. A few girls gathered around the desk of the class beauty, Qin Xuewei, chattering away. Qin Xuewei was the daughter of the art troupe leader; she was pretty, consistently ranked first in the grade, and was the center of everyone's attention.

"Xuewei, you're definitely going to be first in the grade again!" one girl flattered her.

Another girl glanced pointedly at Jiang Yu, who was quietly reading in the corner, and sneered, "Exactly! Unlike some people who sit around clutching books, putting on a show, thinking that just rote memorization is enough. A bumpkin will always be a bumpkin!"

Listening to the praise, Qin Xuewei revealed a coy smile. She gently toyed with her braid and said in a modest, helpless tone, "Oh, don't say that. I haven't really reviewed much this time; I feel like I don't know how to solve so many of the problems. Maybe I'll fail this time."

Despite her words, her peripheral vision darted toward Jiang Yu with a hint of imperceptible superiority. Finished, she seemed to remember something, picked up her completed math problems, and walked over to Huo Siye, who was busy boasting to his followers.

"Brother Siye," her voice was sweet and soft, laced with deliberate adoration, "look, I’ve solved this problem. Won’t you praise me?"

Huo Siye, who acted like a tyrant at school, was most susceptible to this. Having the school’s famous talented beauty show such adoration for him greatly satisfied his vanity. Without even glancing at the problem, he waved his hand carelessly. "Hey, does our Xiao Wei even need praise? You're the absolute queen of the school! After the exam, I'll take you to the skating rink!"

Qin Xuewei achieved her goal and smiled even more sweetly. "Okay, it's a deal! You're so kind, Brother Siye!"

The two flirted as if no one else were around, inadvertently making Jiang Yu, who was buried in her books in the corner, seem even more out of place. Jiang Yu didn't even lift her eyelids. She didn't understand where these city people learned such tacky little tricks. Besides, she had no time to spare for the petty schemes of these young girls.

The monthly exam arrived as scheduled. On the day the results were posted, the bulletin board at the school entrance was surrounded by layers of people. Huo Siye and his band of cronies squeezed to the front, shouting loud enough for everyone to hear, "Hurry and look! Find the one named Jiang Yu! I bet she can't even get a hundred points across all her subjects!"

"Hahaha, Brother Ye, you’re overestimating her. I bet fifty!"

"I bet she turned in a blank paper!"

Amidst the raucous laughter, Huo Siye triumphantly began searching from the very bottom of the list.

"Last place, not her."

"Second to last, not her either."

...

He searched all the way up to his own name at tenth from the bottom, yet he didn't see the name "Jiang Yu."

"What's going on? Is she so scared that she didn't even dare to take the exam and dropped out?" one of his followers asked, puzzled.

Just then, a sharp voice cut through the crowd. "What are you looking for? Isn't Jiang Yu right there at the top?"

At these words, everyone's gaze snapped to the very top of the list. Below the bold heading "Senior Grade Academic Rankings," on the first line of the flourishing red notice, two clear characters were written: Jiang Yu.

In that instant, silence fell before the bulletin board. The smile on Huo Siye’s face froze.

Meanwhile, in the classroom, Qin Xuewei was chatting and laughing with her friends. They hadn't bothered to check the rankings, as in their minds, there was no one else who could possibly take the top spot besides Qin Xuewei.

"Xuewei, you said you didn't do well, but look at you, first place again! You have to treat us to Arctic Ocean soda after school!"

"That’s right! Let’s celebrate our Xuewei for holding onto the top spot!"

Qin Xuewei smiled modestly, saying, "Oh, how could I?" while secretly accepting the result as a matter of course. She even began to plan how she might orchestrate a "chance encounter" with Huo Siye after school.

Just then, a classmate ran in, gasping for air, with a look as if they had seen a ghost. They stuttered, "Big news! Big news! The top of the grade... isn't Qin Xuewei!"

"What?" The smile on Qin Xuewei’s face stiffened.

Her friends immediately retorted, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting! If it's not Xuewei, who else could it be?"

The classmate caught their breath and said in a trance-like voice, "It's... it's that dead weight from the countryside... Jiang Yu!"

"What??"

The entire classroom exploded in chaos.

Qin Xuewei felt her mind go blank and the color drain from her face. The words "How is that possible?" stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered. *Could the name be a mistake? Surely there’s someone else in the grade with the same name?*

Qin Xuewei rushed out and stared at the list again and again. There was no duplicate name; there was only one Jiang Yu.

Qin Xuewei gritted her teeth. Several girls nearby whispered, "She must have cheated. There’s no way she could beat Sister Xuewei!"

*Yes, she must have used some trick.* Qin Xuewei had hired tutors every week, and she had already practiced problems similar to those on the exam. Jiang Yu couldn't have surpassed her! She must have used some underhanded method! She had to expose her!

...

The news spread like wildfire, reaching the entire military compound by evening.

When Huo Jianjun returned that night, he was humming a military tune, his face glowing with pride. For the first time ever, he was carrying a bottle of Maotai and two pounds of pig’s head meat. As soon as he entered, he saw Lin Wenxiu and Jiang Yu sitting on the sofa, along with his sons, who all wore varying expressions.

He strode over, slammed the Maotai and the meat onto the table, and then, to everyone's shock, opened his arms and gave Lin Wenxiu a solid, resounding hug, even spinning her around!

"Wenxiu! My dear Wenxiu!" he laughed aloud. "You are my lucky star! You’ve brought me such a promising daughter! First in the grade! Hahaha! Do you know, at the military district meeting today, several of the old guys came over to tell me how envious they were, saying I, Huo Jianjun, am truly blessed? I’ve regained all the dignity I’ve lost in my life in just this one day!"

He set Lin Wenxiu down, then lovingly ruffled Jiang Yu’s hair before turning to glare at Huo Siye, whose face had turned green.

"Did you hear that, you little brat? Learn from your sister! If you had half her ability, I’d wake up laughing in my dreams! From now on, whenever there’s meat at home, your sister gets the fatty pieces, and you can gnaw on the bones!"

The eldest brother, Huo Chenyuan, kept his gaze fixed on Jiang Yu’s calm, unruffled face for a long, long time.

Only Jiang Yu felt a warmth spreading through her heart. In her previous life, she had given everything only to be met with coldness and betrayal. In this life, she had simply done what she ought to do, yet she received such unreserved praise and fatherly love. Looking at the man before her who was so proud of her and stood up for her, she felt a deep, comforting warmth.

Later that evening in the living room, Huo Chenyuan saw Jiang Yu while he was pouring water. He stopped her and asked, "Have you studied this before?"

"No."

"The fourth brother hired many teachers, and I’ve seen the exam questions—they weren't simple." Huo Chenyuan lowered his head, his gaze seemingly trying to see through her. "How did you catch up in just this one month?"

Jiang Yu did not flinch. She looked up, poured herself a glass of water, and replied with quiet dignity, "I believe the eldest brother has also heard the saying: 'The early bird catches the worm,' and that diligence can compensate for a lack of talent."

"Who ever decreed that a person’s birth determines their class for the rest of their life?"

Huo Chenyuan smiled, clinked his glass against hers, and turned to walk away. *This little girl has great ambition.*