Ruan Yu had initially thought of explaining her blushing as an allergic reaction, but when she saw the worry in the man's eyes, that idea immediately vanished, and she quickly shook her head: "No, it's just that I sleep badly, it'll go away in a bit."
He then walked in confidently, picked up his dental tools, and quickly washed up.
She has now moved into the bedroom on the second floor, which is the renovated art studio. It's just a few steps away from that person's room, making it very convenient whether she's doing exercises or discussing things.
Wen Yun's washbasin was exceptionally large, easily accommodating three people washing up at the same time. As Ruan Yu brushed her teeth, inhaling the refreshing aroma of tea wafting from the side and listening to the unknown tune being hummed by the other person, she felt her nerves, disturbed by the strange dream, being soothed and gradually returning to calm.
"I wish I could graduate soon," she thought. "I wish I could grow up quickly."
When that long holiday arrives and they are no longer worried about their grades, she will be able to confide in that person.
-
The final exams for the first semester of senior year were held as scheduled, with a difficulty level similar to the first mock exam, which could be considered as making up for Wen Yun's regret.
Langying did not hold any "make-up classes" during the winter break, so as soon as the final exams were over, the students went home to prepare for a month-long winter break.
Before the results were released, Wen Lu, as agreed in the agreement, registered Ruan Yu for piano exams. According to the exam rules of this world, Ruan Yu could skip grades and directly take the exams without having to start from grade one.
Actually, it would have been fine to take the exam again during the summer vacation six months later, but Ruan Yu insisted that she wanted to do something more important during the summer vacation, so Wen Lu went along with her wishes and, after personally testing her current piano level, directly enrolled her in the Grade 6 exam.
It was only then that Wen Yun realized that Ruan Yu could already play such fast pieces. When she listened to Ruan Yu practice, although there were pieces with such fast tempos, they were nowhere near as fast as when she demonstrated them to Wen Lü.
“Given Xiaoyu’s learning ability, she should have no problem advancing to level eight,” Wen Lu even said. “However, you still have a review plan for the winter break, so it’s best not to spend too much time practicing the piano. Getting into a good university is more important than cultivating any hobby.”
At this point, he couldn't help but frown and look at Wen Yun, saying, "I asked your homeroom teacher for your usual report card. Yunyun's grades have indeed dropped significantly since she entered her senior year, especially in subjects she used to excel in, such as math and biology. But Aunt Ge said you didn't hire a tutor?"
“Because I’m tutoring Yunyun,” Ruan Yu continued. “She started with math, and after the elective exam results came out in October, she added biology.”
“If we follow this timeline, Yunyun’s progress is quite obvious.” Wen Lu said this, but his brows were still furrowed. “But if Yunyun wants to secure a stable position at C Finance, it’s far from enough.”
"What if Yunyun just goes to a top university in City C?" Ruan Yu asked tentatively.
However, Wen Lu disagreed: "For a better future, it's best to have some ambition. Besides, for those business people with assets, graduates from C Finance University are simply not on the same level as students from other top universities!"
"What should we do?" Ruan Yu's heart tightened.
“It’s alright, I’ll arrange it.” Wen Lu took out his phone. “The main problem is that math is holding her back. I’ll contact the math teacher who used to tutor me and give Yunyun some intensive training during the winter break.”
Wen Yun never expected that she would be so thoroughly arranged by the siblings simply because she hadn't had a chance to reply. Seeing Wen Lu about to make a call, she quickly stopped him: "My comprehension has declined a lot. What if the special training isn't effective enough..."
“That’s not true.” Wen Lu interrupted coldly. “I asked Xiaoyu about your study plan. I’m not saying this to be mean, but she spoils you too much. If you really want to work hard to change, you absolutely can’t let yourself be so complacent!”
Wen Yun: "..."
For the first time, she deeply understood why the original text described the protagonist's academic genius older brother as "purgatory-level" harshness.
The intensity of her intense studying, which she thought was driving her almost insane, was actually seen by Wen Lu as Ruan Yu spoiling her?!
But then she thought about the future of studying finance with Ruan Yu, gritted her teeth and nodded vigorously: "Okay! Then I'll trouble you to contact a teacher for me!"
The math teacher Wen Lu mentioned was a retired teacher from Langying, with rich experience who had even participated in setting the college entrance examination questions. Even Wen's parents treated her with great respect.
Three days later, when Wen Yun saw the elegant and sophisticated Teacher Zhang in the living room, she had a strange, unsettling feeling, like prey being targeted by a hunter.
She and Teacher Zhang made a study plan in the bedroom, while Ruan Yu practiced the piano under the guidance of Wen Lü in the music room. From eight o'clock in the morning to six o'clock in the evening, she was only allowed to rest when she went to the toilet and ate.
After seeing her teacher off, Wen Yun didn't want to move. She collapsed onto the bed like a dead fish, her mind filled with all sorts of formulas and auxiliary lines.
If being tutored by Ruan Yu was like taking a plane, then being tutored by Teacher Zhang was like taking a rocket. She felt that her body and mind were being ravaged, and she couldn't adapt to the new teacher's pace of doing practice questions at all. She even lost her appetite for dinner.
Before resting, Wen Yun told the housekeeper not to call her for meals, drew the curtains, turned off the lights, closed her eyes, and began to recover her energy.
She didn't know how much time had passed when a familiar, spicy smell suddenly entered her nose, making her sneeze. She jolted awake and sat up abruptly.
Mala Xiang Guo!!!
The moment the thought crossed her mind, she met the gaze of Ruan Yu, who had just turned on her bedside lamp.
"You're awake?" Ruan Yu sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the large insulated bowl from the bedside table. "I was just about to wake you."
"Did you make me a spicy stir-fry?" Wen Yun asked. Seeing her nod, she happily said, "Thank you for the treat, Xiaoyu," and quickly put on her coat and got up.
In the eyes of the Wen family, spicy hot pot is junk food and should not be served. However, Ruan Yu insisted on cooking a special meal for Wen Yun, who did not want to eat dinner. The housekeeper did not stop her and let her use hot pot base and extra spicy bean paste bought from the supermarket to stir-fry a generous portion of spicy hot pot with expensive ingredients.
Spicy hot pot and white rice are a perfect match. With the addition of fresh shrimp, beef rolls, meatballs, enoki mushrooms, tofu skin, broccoli, and other abundant ingredients, Wen Yun felt alive the moment she smelled the aroma and saw the food.
She cleared her desk, placed two bowls on it, and began to eat heartily. Soon, tears welled up in her eyes, whether from the spiciness or from being moved by Ruan Yu's thoughtfulness, she didn't know.
She rarely revealed her preferences from her past life, and she had only mentioned spicy hot pot once unintentionally a long time ago, but she never expected that Ruan Yu would remember it!
While Wen Yun was peeling shrimp, she suddenly heard a text message notification on her phone. She subconsciously looked up to look at it, but Ruan Yu took the phone away from her. "You should finish your meal first. You can check the message anytime."
“Okay!” Wen Yun was thinking the same thing. She stuffed the glistening fried shrimp in her hand into her mouth and happily peeled the next one while eating.
Before turning off the screen, Ruan Yu glanced at the new text message and found it was her class teacher's report card. She felt very fortunate for her subconscious action just now.
Although she didn't know how well this person performed in the final exams, she had a feeling that after seeing the report card, the person probably wouldn't have the appetite to continue eating the dinner she had made.
After dinner, Wen Yun took the bowl to the kitchen, washed her hands, and came back. On the way, she heard a cat meowing coming from the art studio, so she hurried to open the door and carried the impatient black and white cat to her bedroom.
The smell of spicy hot pot still lingered on her clothes, which the cat found repulsive. As soon as it saw Ruan Yu, it jumped out of Wen Yun's arms, stepped over the blanket and pillow, and jumped onto Ruan Yu's lap, ready to lie down.
But after smelling the same scent on Ruan Yu, the black and white cat let out an unhappy "meow," jumped back onto the bed, and went to beat up Wen Yun's tabby cat pillow.
The two women were both amused and exasperated. Fearing that the cat might get angry and cause trouble, Wen Yun simply changed into clean clothes and coaxed and tricked the cat into a storage box under the desk. The black and white cat usually liked to crawl under the desk, and it would get covered in dust, so they simply made a "nest" for it there.
"The homeroom teacher sent the report card." After settling the cat in, Ruan Yu reminded Wen Yun to check the text message.
As she expected, the person's smiling expression instantly turned distorted the moment they saw the report card.
"I've been thinking about some things." After a long while, Wen Yun finally came to her senses and murmured to herself, "Is my effort really going to be effective? Is C University of Finance and Economics just wishful thinking? With my abilities, I'd be lucky to get into any of the top universities in C City..."
She saw her grades and realized that compared to the previous monthly exam, she had made little progress in math, and even her best subject had slipped a few points.
“It’s useful.” Ruan Yu nodded vigorously. “Even if you and I aren’t sure, isn’t there still the experienced Teacher Zhang?”
Thinking of the old teacher who was twice as "hellish" as her academically gifted brother, Wen Yun frowned even more, and a look of sadness unconsciously appeared on her face.
She had been scolded by her boss countless times in her past life, but she had never felt so defeated as she did today!
“You’ve fallen behind in so much knowledge, and you’re extremely bad at math. We can only fill in the gaps and strengthen your knowledge little by little.” Ruan Yu put her hands on her shoulders and said earnestly, “Actually, you don’t need to doubt your learning ability. In five months, I can raise your math score from 30 or 40 points to a stable 100 or above! There are still four months left until the college entrance exam, we have plenty of time!”
So, cheer up!
Don't be like her in her past life, where there was still hope ahead, but she let herself defeat it before the dust settled.
A note from the author:
The second update is here!
I'm getting a booster shot tomorrow, not sure how the reaction will be, so here's a short update to let you all know _(:з」∠)_
Chapter 47
As the year draws to a close, Mr. and Mrs. Wen also took some time to return home and brought their three children an invitation to the New Year's Eve banquet hosted by the wealthy Shen family.
When Ruan Yu received the invitation with her name on it, she gripped it tightly and looked at the person who was talking to the Wen family elders with a complicated expression.
In her past life, her parents, ashamed of her, repeatedly told her to stay home and watch over the house before taking Wen Yun and Wen Lu to the banquet, and not to go anywhere.
She stayed obediently in her room doing practice problems, and when she got tired, she would go upstairs to play the piano for a while. However, because Wen Yun loved the piano dearly, the housekeeper would stand by and supervise her while she played to prevent her from getting the keys dirty or damaged.
Now, Ruan Yu thinks back to that time and realizes she was like a Cinderella who could never attend the ball, without the magic of a fairy godmother, or the magical pumpkin carriage and glass slippers.
—And that person's arrival became the magic that changed her fate.
"This banquet is of great significance. It's better to be reserved than to get into another conflict!" Father Wen said sternly.
Wen Yun was immediately filled with reluctance. Ruan Yu was going this time too. What if someone took the opportunity to ridicule and mock Ruan Yu? Could she just sit idly by?
But then she remembered the agreement she had just signed with Wen Lu—that she must not harm the Wen family's interests at large-scale events—so she obediently nodded in agreement, planning to improvise once she arrived at the venue.
Wen Lu crossed his arms and quietly read through the invitation. Suddenly, he smiled and asked, "Is this banquet a prelude to a marriage alliance?"
Upon hearing this, an eerie silence fell over the living room.
Wen Yun, who had read the original text, could be considered one of the insiders.
In the story, Wen Yun forbids Ruan Yu from attending the banquet under any circumstances, precisely to ensure that her marriage prospect wouldn't be overshadowed. Since she sees Ruan Yu as a rival, she naturally knows how much potential the other woman has and is determined not to give her any chance to turn things around.
However, since they were all preparing to leave the Wen family to attend this banquet which was essentially a marriage alliance, it was somewhat awkward. To put it bluntly, it was indirectly deceiving the wealthy young men who had "taken a liking" to them.
Presumably, Wen Lu was aware of this, which is why he spoke up to remind them in time.
"If that's the case, then Yunyun and I shouldn't go."
After a long silence, Ruan Yu suddenly said, "Firstly, I am no longer surnamed Wen; secondly, Yunyun is not good enough right now."
These are two facts that the whole family can see.
While arranged marriages prioritize family value, the individual worth of both families' children must also be considered. Strictly speaking, given their current "value," they are unlikely to attract a more prestigious family than the Wen family.
“I think so too, especially since Yunyun and Xiaoyu have been in special training lately.” Wen Lu immediately chimed in, “Dad, Mom, it’s enough for me to go with you.”
“Your sister has never experienced anything like this before, so it’s understandable that she doesn’t understand, but why are you joining in the nonsense!” Mother Wen retorted. “Since they sincerely invited our whole family, how can we leave Yunyun and Xiaoyu at home?”
"Then let's create some kind of emergency and tell them they don't not want to go, they just can't." Wen Lu pushed up his glasses. "For our family, it shouldn't be too difficult to fool them, right?"
"What you're saying..." Mrs. Wen said, a little angry, tugging at Mr. Wen's sleeve, "Yuanmin! Say something too!"
Father Wen asked calmly, "You're saying such capricious things because you don't want your sisters to marry into another family, right?"
“Yes, and not entirely,” Wen Lu said. “In short, I don’t mind being a ‘willful’ older brother.”
“Being willful requires capital, and you are far from qualified yet,” Father Wen coldly reminded him, then looked at Wen Yun and Ruan Yu, “My only requirement for you is not to cause trouble. As for whether you want to meet your marriage partners through the banquet, that is your own choice.”
In the end, they were still forced to attend the banquet.
The tense atmosphere in the house continued until after dinner. After Wen's parents went into the bedroom, Wen Yun quickly pulled Wen Lu and Ruan Yu into the music room.
"All I can say is that I hope you will work hard after you come of age and strive to leave this family as soon as possible." Wen Lu spread his hands helplessly. "Dad is being lenient today only because you are not yet of legal marriage age, and the Wen family does not need any allies or assistance for the time being. As for how many more years this situation can last, I can't guarantee it."
“We understand.” Wen Yun sighed. “Brother, do you know anything about that banquet? Is there a talent show or something?”
"It's a bit like a classical ball in Europe," Wen Lu said. "The show will feature professional performers, and the guests have a lot of freedom. They can go around toasting, chatting, and, with the host's permission, play the piano indoors or dance in designated areas."
He paused for a moment, then said, “However, since you are all minors, you are not allowed to drink alcohol as usual, unless it is a non-alcoholic cocktail like ‘Cinderella’ or a special fruit wine with a very low alcohol content.”
"What are the Shen family members like?" Ruan Yu asked.
“Mr. Shen is kind and approachable, Mrs. Shen is gentle and considerate, and both young masters are refined and handsome.” After Wen Lu finished speaking, he added sarcastically, “Of course, you can take my description as just a facade. As long as the formalities are acceptable, there’s no need to take it to heart.”
As the saying goes, people of the same sex understand each other better, so Wen Yun nodded seriously at his advice.