TFRLTOP Chapter 90 Part 2

But Xiao Yunmu didn’t leave right away. He chatted with her teacher, specifically asking about Ming Ming’s math.

The teacher handed over her workbook, showering Ming Ming with praise — as teachers usually did in front of parents — while Xiao Yunmu flipped through the neat handwriting and occasional nonsense mistakes like “3 + 7 = 0” and “9 – 6 = 0.”

Sloppy errors. Deliberate ones, if he had to guess.

The teacher continued, “Honestly, she’s the top of the class! None of the kids ever get a perfect score. She’s just a little careless, that’s all. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is teaching some of them — your Xinxi is a dream compared to most.”

Xiao Yunmu smiled but said nothing.

“Do you teach her math at home?” the teacher asked.

Xiao Yunmu glanced down at Ming Ming, who was clinging to his pant leg and looking utterly miserable, and said dryly, “No, I never teach her. Maybe it’s just because… she’s a genius.”

The teacher chuckled politely. “Yes, yes — she’s definitely smarter than most kids.”

Ming Ming just sighed in defeat.

When they got home, Xiao Yunmu personally prepared a test for her — one hundred arithmetic problems: twenty single-digit additions and subtractions, twenty double-digit ones, twenty involving thousands, ten single-digit multiplications and divisions, ten double-digit ones, and ten mixed operations.

Her nightmare had just begun.

Ming Ming’s eye twitched. “Bro, what are you doing?”

Her brother replied casually, “You’re not eating until you finish.”

Ming Ming looked up in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.

How. Could. He. Deny. Her. Food?!

But that wasn’t even the worst part. Xie Yunmu added calmly, “Little genius, don’t make any dumb mistakes on purpose. If I catch you doing it… you’ll get another hundred problems.”

Tears welled up in Ming Ming’s eyes instantly.

Her brother sharpened her pencil kindly and said with gentle cruelty, “Crying won’t help. Write.”

Ming Ming sniffled and started doing the math problems.

The problems weren’t hard for her, of course—but she was still just five. Her tiny hands got tired easily, and her fingers ached from holding the pencil. Before long, her writing started getting wobbly, actually looking like a child’s for once.

As for the calculations, she obediently solved all sixty addition and subtraction problems correctly. But when she reached the multiplication and division section, her hand was sore, so she began whining and playing cute. “I don’t know how to do these.”

Xie Yunmu raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Ming Ming shook her head firmly. “Really don’t.”

He checked her earlier work—all correct.

Smart kid.

So how could she suddenly not know multiplication and division?

Xie Yunmu sat beside her, pulled out a multiplication chart, and prepared to give her a little “refresher.” Ming Ming’s face went pale. How could he be this relentless?

She lunged at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, crying, “Big brother, big brother!”

He looked down at her.

Ming Ming pouted miserably. “Hungry…”

“Oh, hiding your genius, are you?” he teased. “Lying low, biding your time?”

She felt like he was mocking her rather than praising her, so she played dumb. “What does that mean?”

He didn’t bother explaining. “If you’re smart enough to get the answers right, then stop pretending to be dumb. If you’re gold, why hide your shine and blend in with the rocks?”

Ming Ming let go and said accusingly, “You’re not humble at all.”

“Does humility buy you cake?” he countered.

Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your daily mini cake is canceled,” he said coolly. “You’ll get it back when you start showing your real skills at kindergarten.”

Ming Ming gasped. “I promise! Tomorrow! I’ll do it tomorrow!”

“So today…”

He smiled sweetly. “No cake.”

Crack.

That was the sound of Ming Ming’s heart breaking.

Xie Yunmu ignored her rolling on the floor in despair. Heartbroken, Ming Ming barely touched her dinner that night.

“Since you look so pitiful…” Xie Yunmu started, pausing deliberately.

Her eyes lit up with hope. “So…?”

He said calmly, “I’ll let you have an extra bag of plain milk tonight.”

Ming Ming’s face went cold.

“You’ll get what’s coming to you!” she shouted viciously, though her soft, milky little voice made it sound utterly harmless.

She put down her chopsticks and stomped upstairs.

Xie Yunmu sat alone in the dining room, then suddenly burst out laughing.

—

Starting the next day, Ming Ming was full of determination. Living up to her “genius” title, she became the brightest star among all the little kids in class.

She still didn’t like playing with the other children, but during lessons—whether it was math or phonics—she was the best. Her math worksheets were always perfect, the only one with full marks every time.

Under the teacher’s constant praise, the other kids slowly realized that Xie Xinxi was actually amazing. No wonder she didn’t bother talking to them—she was just on another level.

After all, geniuses were supposed to be aloof and lonely, right?

Some kids even tried to imitate her cool attitude, thinking maybe that would make them better at math. But within minutes, they’d get bored and run off to play tag again.

Ming Ming’s excellence, of course, drew more and more attention—lots of kids wanted to be her friend.

She became the class darling.

But with admiration also came jealousy.

Before, when no one ever got a perfect score, everyone felt fine—“Sure, I’m not great, but no one else is, either.”

Now that Ming Ming was always getting full marks, the gap was clear for everyone to see.

One chubby boy, feeling resentful, decided to pick a fight.

“Xie Xinxi, you cheated, didn’t you?” he sneered.

Ming Ming glanced at him coolly, too lazy to respond.

Being ignored made him even angrier.

And in a place full of gossiping parents, rumors spread like wildfire. Most of the adults had heard about Ming Ming’s background—that she was the illegitimate daughter of the famous Xie family.

Most parents knew better than to gossip in front of their kids. But some… didn’t.

Like the chubby boy’s parents.

So he tried to attack her with words: “I know what you are! You’re a bastard! Your mom’s a homewrecker! You’re not even a real person! So embarrassing, bleh bleh bleh!”

Ming Ming’s eyes narrowed. There was no way a five-year-old came up with that on his own—clearly, he’d heard it at home.

No mercy for loose-mouthed brats.

“Oh, you think you’re proper?” she shot back. “You can’t even do basic math. Guess your so-called ‘proper parents’ gave birth to an idiot.”

“Or maybe they picked you up off the street?”

“That makes more sense, actually—your genes clearly don’t come from anyone smart. No wonder you’re jealous of me.”

“I’m not jealous—”

Ming Ming gave him a once-over and smirked. “Oh, right, I almost forgot—chubby boys never grow properly. You’ll probably be a eunuch when you grow up. No woman will ever want you. Honestly, your parents couldn’t even pick up a decent kidthey —had to settle for trash like you.”

“People say you can see someone’s future at three years old. At five, you’re already doomed to be single for life. Tsk, tsk. Guess I’ll call you… Fat Eunuch.”

“You’ll be the last eunuch of the 21st century. What an honor!”

The chubby boy: “……”

He burst into tears.

And then tried to punch her.

But Ming Ming wasn’t scared—she had already aimed for his weak spot, ready to kick him where it would really hurt.

Before she could, another little boy—her self-proclaimed fan—jumped in.

“Don’t you dare bully Xie Xinxi!”

“What’s it to you?!”

And just like that, the two boys were brawling—punches, kicks, the works.

Ming Ming just stood there, wide-eyed, watching them beat each other up.

Then all three got called to the principal’s office.

Ming Ming: Wait, why am I involved?!

By the time Xie Yunmu arrived from work, the other kids’ parents were already there, arguing heatedly about who started it and who should apologize—and pay medical bills.

He noticed Ming Ming sitting nearby, dazed and spacing out. After listening to the bickering for a while, he finally spoke up, voicing the same question she had.

“Sorry, but what does any of this have to do with my kid?”

The teacher explained, “Well, Mr. Xie, during the fight, both boys were shouting her name. One yelled, ‘You dare mess with my Xin-jie? You wanna die?!’ The other said, ‘Xie Xinxi, take your dog away from me!’ And since she was right there, I thought it best to get everyone together to sort it out.”

Xie Yunmu looked at Ming Ming with a very complicated expression—as if to say, Wow. You’ve already got boys fighting over you?

Ming Ming looked completely innocent.

How is this my problem?!