TPH Chapter 36.3

The Protagonist’s Halo [Arc 2] Chapter 36.3: True Love In Period Literature (22)

Cheng Yang was someone the original owner of this body had admired since childhood. Rebellious and flamboyant, she was capable of many daring and outrageous acts, yet she received so much love and attention. Not only did her parents favor and care for her, but two outstanding boys also liked her, surrounding her and willing to do all sorts of things for her. It’s fair to say that not only Cheng Yin envied the female lead, but all the girls in the high school were envious and jealous of her.

Perhaps it was by observing Cheng Yang’s life as a female protagonist that the original owner hoped that she could also live a more dazzling life.For Xiao Han, this was indeed a relatively easy task. In the previous world, she was a military information expert, but due to the political situation of the time, it was difficult to publicize her achievements, even if she made significant contributions. This time, at least it was a peaceful and prosperous era, so she might not do any worse than last time.

But for now, let’s focus on our studies.

Xiao Han’s gaze fell upon the set of math test papers that had just been handed out.

The teacher tapped the desk with a book. “This set of math test papers is a practice mock test jointly produced by the four major high schools in the province. The school spent a lot of money to buy it. Every class has one. Starting this week, there will be three sets every week, for a total of twelve sets. Okay, you can start now.”

Xiao Han glanced at the questions—fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and calculation problems—and then started working on them.

Xiao Han had only been in this world for a short time, and the original owner’s memories had not been fully integrated. Moreover, the original owner’s grades were not high, so even trying to extract some knowledge points about mathematics was a blur. Xiao Han could only roughly figure out most of the answers, and many of the answers were chosen based on intuition.

It’s not that Xiao Han did it casually. In her previous life, Xiao Han was a big shot, so she could handle high school math problems.

It’s like after studying advanced mathematics at the university level, when you look back at math problems from junior and senior high school, you have a superior perspective. You can see through them at a glance, and your thinking will be very direct. It’s just that the solution process may not be as straightforward.

The bell rang after two classes, and the teacher said, “Collect the papers.”

Many students collapsed onto their desks, such as Xiao Han’s current deskmate, who said, “Why are these practice papers so difficult? We haven’t even finished the first year of high school yet, what will the third year be like?”

Xiao Han handed the completed test paper to the student collecting the papers, stretched, and pushed up her black-rimmed glasses. The original owner of this body had been nearsighted since elementary school, and now it was over 600 degrees. She would wait for the opportunity to switch to contact lenses, as wearing glasses all day was quite affecting her life.

In the high school where the original owner of this body studied, most students were day students and there were no evening self-study sessions, and she was no exception.

After school, she packed her schoolbag and passed by Class 6 on the same floor. She glanced at the classroom and didn’t see Cheng Yang. Both parents arranged for Cheng Yin and Cheng Yang to attend the same high school so that they could take care of their children with peace of mind. They also arranged for Cheng Yin and Cheng Yang to go home together after school every day.

The latter had never heard of it before, but Cheng Yin waited patiently several times, only to find no one there by nightfall.

Many bicycles were parked at the school gate. Day students who lived far away rode bicycles to and from school, but the original owner of this body didn’t, because the school was only a twenty-minute walk from home. Xiao Han walked back slowly.

The Cheng family lived in the old city area, in an 80-square-meter house that could comfortably house their family of four. “I’m back,” Xiao Han said as she opened the door and entered.

“Cheng Yin is back.” The person who came out of the kitchen was the original owner’s stepmother, Cheng Yang’s biological mother, Sun Ping. She wiped her apron with her hands and had also just returned from get off work.

“Auntie,” Xiao Han called out obediently, just like her original self.

Sun Ping glanced behind her; there was no one else there. “Cheng Yang didn’t come back with you.”

Xiao Han shook her head. “I didn’t see her when I went to her class.”

Sun Ping sighed with some disappointment, “I wonder where this child has gone off to play again.”

Then she smiled at Xiao Han and said, “You watch TV for a while. I’ll cook in the kitchen. We can eat when your dad and Cheng Yang come back.”

“I’m going back to my room to do my homework.”

Xiao Han returned to her room and closed the door behind her . Originally, Cheng Yang and Cheng Yin were supposed to share a room in the new house, but Cheng Yang insisted on having her own room. So, Father Cheng had a partition made, turning the original two-bedroom apartment into a three-bedroom apartment, which cost a lot of money. The room that was divided in two was naturally not very big, with a small desk and a 1.8-meter bed right next to the wall.

Both Father Cheng and Sun Ping had ordinary jobs, and the Cheng family was only a middle-class family.

Cheng Yang’s father was a policeman, also surnamed Cheng. Unfortunately, he died in the line of duty at a young age. Although Sun Ping received a pension, it was still quite difficult for her to raise her child alone. Later, she met Father Cheng through an introduction and found him to be kind and reliable. The two got along well and started dating.

Compared to Cheng Yin, who was mentally prepared for her father’s remarriage and was used to being obedient, Cheng Yang showed great resistance to her new family and was cold to both her father and Cheng Yin. She was rebellious and in the throes of teenage angst, acting like a hedgehog even towards her own mother. Since losing her husband, Sun Ping had been busy earning money to support the family and had no time to discipline her daughter, which led to Cheng Yang becoming increasingly rebellious. Skipping classes, fighting, spending time in internet cafes, and submitting blank papers became commonplace.

After remarrying, life became more stable. Sun Ping tried to discipline her daughter again, but this only fueled Cheng Yang’s rebellious spirit. After trying once or twice, Sun Ping had no choice but to let it go. In addition, she felt guilty towards her daughter because of her remarriage, so she treated her daughter even more carefully, afraid that her daughter would become estranged from her again.

Mr. Cheng was a kind-hearted man who didn’t ask much of his new wife. She was good to his daughter, could take care of the family, and gave him companionship. He and Sun Ping were truly in love; he found her virtuous, kind, and good at managing the household, so he had no complaints. After the marriage, he treated his stepdaughter, Cheng Yin, like his own daughter. He knew that Cheng Yang was resistant to him as her stepfather and her new family, but he tried his best to be tolerant and kind to her.

Sun Ping never mistreated her stepdaughter. She gave her the same clothes and schoolbags as her biological daughter, and never neglected her daily care.

These parents aren’t exactly biased; it’s just that children who cry and fuss don’t necessarily get candy, but they often attract more attention.

Moreover, neither Father Cheng nor Sun Ping were the kind of parents who strictly disciplined their children, nor did they know how to teach according to aptitude. All they could do was try their best to provide Cheng Yang and Cheng Yin with better material conditions and satisfy their needs as much as possible.

The original owner was quiet and sensible, but too dull. She wouldn’t say anything, and with Cheng Yang, a rebellious and troublesome child, at home, her parents naturally tended to overlook her.

Overall, the impact is not significant.

Having traveled through so many worlds, Xiao Han has encountered some truly awful and troublesome families, so she takes it all in stride now.

Xiao Han placed her schoolbag next to the foot of her desk, took out her high school textbooks and junior high school textbooks. Fortunately, the original owner of the body had kept them well.

Xiao Han opened the books, twirled her pen, and began to learn how to take notes.

She heard the sound of the door lock opening; it sounded like Cheng Yang had returned.

In the kitchen, Sun Ping said to Cheng Yang, “Didn’t I tell you to wait for Cheng Yin to come back together?”

“Why should I wait for her?” Cheng Yang said nonchalantly, tossing her schoolbag onto the sofa.

She wanted to try a piece of pork rib on the table, but Sun Ping said, “Don’t touch it yet, your Uncle Cheng hasn’t come back yet.”

“And when did you get your hair permed? Go wash your face and take off your makeup. It wouldn’t look good if your Uncle Cheng saw it.”

From the moment her biological mother mentioned her stepfather, Cheng Yang’s face turned cold, and she threw down her chopsticks, saying, “I can do whatever I want, it’s none of your business.”

After saying that, she went straight back to her room and slammed the door shut.

The soundproofing in the small 80-square-meter apartment was really poor, and the noise Cheng Yang made when she closed the door was quite loud, interrupting Xiao Han’s train of thought as she was working on a math problem.

Father Cheng and Sun Ping have been married for two years, but Cheng Yang’s resistance is still very strong. Her mother, Sun Ping, is reluctant to discipline her. Father Cheng is kind and treats Cheng Yang like an immature child, and he doesn’t hold it against her. He often works until very late and comes home late. Cheng Yin, who is the same age as Cheng Yang, is even more difficult to discipline. No matter how much Cheng Yang makes a fuss, the family remains peaceful.

Sun Ping thought so too. She sighed. Fortunately, her stepdaughter was sensible and well-behaved, and her remarried husband was kind-hearted. Otherwise, the family would be in trouble and there would be no peace. She would not be able to handle it.

Mr. Cheng returned home relatively early today. He even bought two pomelos on the way back and had his wife peel them for the children as dessert.

It wasn’t until dinner that Xiao Han officially met the female lead, Cheng Yang. She said she had dyed her hair and put on makeup, but it was really just some eyeshadow. However, this mature look didn’t quite match Cheng Yang’s still childish face at sixteen. It was like a child wearing adult clothes.

Cheng Yang noticed that Cheng Yin, who was usually quiet and reserved, was looking at her, but by the time she looked over, Cheng Yin had already looked away and was eating. Cheng Yang couldn’t help but glare at her.

After finishing her meal, Cheng Yang threw down her bowl and chopsticks and said, “I made plans with some friends to go out and have some fun.”

Sun Ping had previously been unable to persuade her otherwise, and over time she could only say, “Don’t come back too late.”

Xiao Han wanted to help wash the dishes, but Sun Ping politely declined. It didn’t make sense for her biological daughter to go out and play while her stepdaughter did the dishes and housework.

Xiao Han didn’t insist and went back to her room to continue reviewing her high school and junior high school textbooks. Once she got into studying, she even forgot about the time.

“Cheng Yin, why aren’t you asleep yet?”

When Mr. Cheng got up to use the bathroom at night, he saw light coming through the crack in the door and knocked on it.

Seeing that Xiao Han seemed to be doing math problems, Cheng’s father patted his daughter’s head and comforted her with some heartache, “Don’t work too hard, go to sleep early, or you’ll be sleepy in class tomorrow.”

Mr. Cheng and Aunt Sun are ordinary people living at the bottom of society. They don’t have any ambitions for their daughter to become a phoenix. They just want their child to grow up healthy and well. They don’t have any other requirements. Therefore, Cheng Yang, who is in her adolescence and likes to cause trouble, makes them even more worried.

Cheng Yin felt only envy, not jealousy, for Cheng Yang, who attracted most of her parents’ attention. She wanted to be more dazzling, perhaps hoping to better help her parents and lighten their burden.