TPH Chapter 39.1

The Protagonist’s Halo [Arc 3] Chapter 39.1: I Have the Halo of a Top Student (4)

Cheng Yin got first place in the whole school. Not only was Father Cheng proud, but Sun Ping was also very happy for her. However, she privately pulled Cheng Yang aside and asked, “Why didn’t you say anything about Cheng Yin getting first place?”

“What business is it of mine if she doesn’t say it herself?”

Cheng Yang pursed her lips. She didn’t care that Cheng Yin got first place. As for her own grades, her report card, which only had a score of two or three hundred, had long since been crumpled up and thrown away.

Sun Ping was used to her daughter’s way of doing things, but she genuinely wanted what was best for her. “Your grades aren’t very good. How about Cheng Yin tutors you, or you two could study together?”

“I don’t want to,” Cheng Yang said with disgust. Neither studying nor staying obediently with Cheng Yin was something she liked.

Hearing this, Sun Ping had no choice but to give up.

Zhou You noticed that Cheng Yang had been unhappy these past few days and assumed it was because Xu Jun hadn’t spent time with her. This made him both happy that he had more opportunities to spend time alone with Cheng Yang and annoyed that Xu Jun didn’t value Cheng Yang enough. “This kid just lost first place, right? Anyone who didn’t know better would think it was a big deal.”

Cheng Yang was indeed quite unhappy. It was surprising that Cheng Yin got first place, but Xu Jun was still second, so what difference did it make?

“I didn’t care about Xu Jun at all,” Cheng Yang said sullenly, making up an excuse to cover it up. “It’s all because of my mom. She’s always concerned about my grades. This time she even made me study with Cheng Yin. Come on, I don’t want to become a bookworm.”

Zhou You immediately noticed the key point: “You know that Cheng Yin.”

Zhou You had heard from a friend about Cheng Yin going to Class Six to find Cheng Yang. He then asked suspiciously, “You two both have the surname Cheng, you can’t be related, can you?”

“Go away, she and I aren’t related at all.” Cheng Yang was unwilling to accept the fact that her mother had remarried, and she was very resistant to her father and Cheng Yin. She also didn’t want people at school to mention that they were related. If it weren’t for Zhou You asking, she wouldn’t have bothered to answer.

“Her father married my mother, so what kind of relationship do you think that is?”

Zhou You was surprised for a moment. He didn’t know that she and Cheng Yin had this kind of relationship. He frowned subconsciously and asked, “She won’t bully you, will she?”

Although Zhou You’s family was merely nouveau riche, not quite a wealthy family, he had heard plenty of stories about remarried families and the unpleasantness between step-sisters and step-brothers. Even biological sisters could have their squabbles and subtle barbs, let alone step-sisters with no blood relation. If parental favoritism was evident, it wasn’t uncommon for them to deliberately compete for affection. In his mind, Cheng Yang was perfect; her sharp tongue was a genuine expression of her true nature, unlike those pretentious, innocent, and pitiful girls.

Cheng Yang arrogantly raised her chin and said, “Who can bully me?”

Zhou You looked at her and couldn’t help but smile. He made up his mind that no matter what, he would protect Cheng Yang forever.

…

Xu Jun has had a really tough time these past few days, otherwise he wouldn’t have had no chance to go see his sweetheart Cheng Yang.

After the monthly exam results were announced that day, he faced a three-way interrogation from his parents as soon as he got home. His parents had close contact with his homeroom teacher, so they knew about the results immediately.

Both of Xu’s parents were highly educated intellectuals, and the Xu family was a scholarly family. They placed great importance on Xu Jun’s education from a young age. Xu Jun never disappointed them. From elementary school to high school, he was always number one. Many people praised their effective parenting and their understanding of how to nurture their child.

At first, Father Xu was relatively mild-mannered. “Xu Jun, we have seen your monthly exam results. Have you encountered any problems with your studies or life?”

Mr. Xu was trying to have a good talk with his son, but Mrs. Xu couldn’t hold back any longer and asked anxiously, “How did you drop to second place? You’ve always been number one. Is it because of that girl named Cheng Yang? Is she affecting your studies?”

Xu Jun retorted instinctively, “It has nothing to do with her.”

Cheng Yin from Class 7 rushed out too quickly and scored more than 20 points higher than him.

But Xu Jun couldn’t say such things to his parents, or perhaps he knew that explaining would be useless. His parents wouldn’t understand that his grades remained consistently high, and that his drop to second place was simply because someone even more outstanding had emerged.

Faced with his parents’ demanding and critical attitude, Xu Jun felt helpless and could only remain silent in such a depressing and cold atmosphere.

Mother Xu was even more convinced that Xu Jun’s drop in ranking was related to Cheng Yang, especially since Xu Jun was still protecting that girl in front of her. Mother Xu was furious; she knew she shouldn’t have let her son’s relationship go unchecked.

Mr. Xu stopped Mrs. Xu, who was about to get angry, and gave her a reassuring look. Then he said to his son, “Xu Jun, do you remember how you promised us? We said that as long as your grades and ranking don’t drop, we won’t interfere with what you want to do.”

After all, high school students face a lot of pressure, and it’s also adolescence. Xu’s parents were worried that if they were too strict, their son would become estranged from them and their relationship would become strained. They tried to communicate and discuss things as much as possible, but this drop in ranking still made them nervous. They were afraid that this was a sign that if he could drop one rank, his grades might continue to decline in the future.

Although Father Xu was much gentler in his approach to education than Mother Xu, when he was really strict and serious, Xu Jun was still taken aback. “But if you are distracted by this, we will have to reconsider carefully.”

Xu Jun pursed his lips.

He knew in his heart that he was only able to maintain his relationship with Cheng Yang because his parents had tacitly approved of it before, but if he didn’t return to first place next time, his parents probably wouldn’t allow him to see Cheng Yang anymore.

To prove that his grades weren’t dropping because of Cheng Yang’s distraction, Xu Jun had to work even harder to ensure his parents were satisfied with his final exam ranking a month later. However, spending more time studying would inevitably mean less time with Cheng Yang.

…

On Monday, Xiao Han was called to the office by her homeroom teacher, Ms. Song, to discuss the monthly exam bonus.

Although Donghua High School is just an ordinary key high school and can’t compare to the prestigious high schools in the province, it still has good financial resources. The top ten students in each grade receive a bonus: 1,500 for first place, 1,000 for second, 800 for third, and 500 for the rest. Teacher Song also told Xiao Han that the school would deposit a substantial allowance into her cafeteria card.

The food in the cafeteria may not taste as good as what students eat at home, but hygiene and nutrition are guaranteed. This is to prevent students who get good grades from squandering too much bonus money.

The monthly exam bonus is also deposited into a card opened by the school, and this applies to the top ten students.

This is also to prevent students from being in danger because they have too much cash on them. A little over a thousand yuan may not seem like much to them, but it could be a lucrative opportunity for some thugs outside of school.

This also serves as an incentive for the top ten students; I’m sure the students wouldn’t want to only have money deposited into their cards once.

They may issue dozens of cards every year, but it’s a small matter for the school.

Even Xiao Han remarked that Donghua High School really takes good care of students with good grades.

After finishing this, Teacher Song also said to Xiao Han, “Teacher Wu wants you to go see him tomorrow at noon.”

The Mr. Wu she mentioned is the physics teacher who teaches Class 7. Several of the exercise books Xiao Han is currently working on at night were recommended by him.

Xiao Han nodded.

Xiao Han first took the card and prize certificate that Teacher Song had given her to the finance office. There was a middle-aged female teacher sitting in the finance office. When she saw the first place on the prize certificate, she looked up and glanced at Xiao Han again. She had also heard that the first place in the whole school this time was not Xu Jun, but another girl.

The middle-aged female teacher was very gentle with the students who had good grades. She took the receipt and said that the bonus would be credited to the card in the next two days. “Keep the card safe. You can change the password at any time.”

Upon seeing the person entering through the door behind Xiao Han, the female teacher’s smile softened even more. “Xu Jun.”

“Teacher Jiang.” Xu Jun nodded slightly.

This was the first time she had seen the male lead since she transmigrated. He was just like the description in the novel: a clean-cut, handsome young man in a white shirt.

Considering Cheng Yang’s sometimes slightly edgy style, Donghua High School is quite lenient and doesn’t usually require students to wear school uniforms.

Compared to Xiao Han, Xu Jun is a regular winner of prize money, but this time he came in second instead of first.

“It’s just a coincidence that the first and second place winners arrived together.”

The middle-aged female teacher smiled and said, “Xu Jun, keep up the good work for the next exam.”

As Xu Jun left the finance office, his attitude was somewhat cold, and he didn’t say a word to Xiao Han. Because she had won first place, he was under pressure from his parents, and even his relationship with Cheng Yang was threatened. All of this made it difficult for Xu Jun to treat her well, even though he knew he had no reason to be angry with her.

Xiao Han showed no remorse for taking the male lead’s first place; why should she be second when she could be first? Xiao Han had no intention of keeping a low profile.

Xiao Han told Father Cheng about receiving the monthly exam bonus, and he told her to keep it for herself and asked if she had enough money.

It would be a lie to say that Mr. Cheng was unhappy or proud. It was the first time he had ever experienced his child getting a perfect score on an exam and receiving a bonus. Mr. Cheng was an honest and not very outgoing person. He never boasted about it to anyone outside, only talking about it privately with his wife, Sun Ping.

“Cheng Yin’s homeroom teacher called me and said that she has made rapid progress and her grades in all subjects are very good. As long as she continues to work hard, she will definitely be able to get into a good university in the college entrance examination.”

Good grades equal a good university, and a good university equals a good job and a bright future. This was a simple and easy-to-understand principle for Father Cheng, and he believed it wholeheartedly.

Sun Ping hesitated for a moment and said, “Then I’ll keep an eye on Cheng Yang and tell her to stop causing trouble and not disturb Cheng Yin’s studies.”

Besides showing concern for Cheng Yin’s studies as an elder, Sun Ping was also worried that Cheng Yang’s influence on Cheng Yin’s studies would give Father Cheng a bad impression of his stepdaughter.

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Cheng said, “That won’t be necessary. I’ll have someone install a soundproofing panel in Cheng Yin’s room. I’ve heard it’s good for a child’s studies.”

He didn’t care when his child’s grades were bad, but now that his child’s grades are so good, he feels helpless given his financial situation. He thinks he should work more overtime to earn more money so that his child can’t afford to go to university.

Xiao Han was unaware of these little incidents.

It wasn’t that Father Cheng treated Cheng Yin badly or was indifferent in the past; it was just that Cheng Yin rarely made any requests.

But now Cheng Yin’s grades have suddenly improved, and her homeroom teacher even called to ask Father Cheng to support her studies more. Father Cheng has heard that everyone says that children’s education costs money, such as tutoring classes, exercise books, and health products. He is worried that she doesn’t have enough money.