WBSGVS Chapter 40 V1

Qingli had indeed kept a ledger. She carefully sorted through the memories of her original self, noting every little detail from the moment she arrived at the Pei family, recording everything that hadn’t been completely erased from her memory.

If someone made a sarcastic comment about her, she noted it down.

If someone insulted her in a mocking tone, she wrote that down too.

However, when she added it all up, the most frequent offenders were Wen Shi and Pei Xiyue. Of course, Pei Mingjiang, as the primary culprit, far surpassed the others. He had adopted the original owner but coldly observed everything she went through. Others might say that Qingli’s presence had taken away some of their interests, but Pei Mingjiang was different.

Adopting someone meant he should be responsible for them, just as having a child meant he had to raise them well.

The ledger was sent in the form of a detailed table.

Pei Mingjiang received it, opened it, and nearly had a fit from the shock.

No engagement!

After all, he didn’t lack for granddaughters-in-law!

Was it necessary to be so humble?

Pei Xiyue looked at the ledger and turned pale; any hint of youthful exuberance he had was swiftly extinguished. Seeing this made him realize just how much he was despised in her eyes.

For a moment, the once well-calculated grandfather and grandson exchanged glances, feeling a bit disheartened.

Although everyone in the study had been persuaded, they suddenly became stubborn again about kneeling. They refused to do so, arguing loudly. Pei Mingjiang felt a splitting headache and angrily threw his teacup, shouting, “Shut up!”

Everyone fell silent, looking at him in fear.

Pei Mingjiang rubbed his throbbing temples and wearily said, “Just go home. Let’s forget about this matter.”

A girl who hadn’t fully grown up didn’t need him to compromise to such an extent; maintaining a superficial harmony was sufficient.

Pei Qi and the others let out a sigh of relief. They had thought Pei Mingjiang’s resolute stance meant they had to kneel and apologize, but thankfully, he still had some sense.

One by one, they consoled him, “Brother, with Ah Yue’s good looks, he wouldn’t lose a granddaughter-in-law, right? No need to rush!”

“Out with the old, in with the new. That girl is unruly. If she becomes a daughter-in-law of the Pei family, the household will be in chaos!”

“I’ll take my leave first; I have matters to attend to at home.”

As they spoke, everyone hurriedly bid farewell, fearing Pei Mingjiang might change his mind.

Before long, the Pei family members had all left.

Pei Xiyue walked dejectedly back to his room. He Yue, still concerned for her son, followed him to offer comfort: “You’re still young; you never know how many different types of people you will meet in the future. There will be someone better than her.”

Pei Xiyue forced a smile, barely managing to lift the corners of his lips, “I understand, Mom.”

In truth, everyone understood the reasoning; it was just that they still felt uneasy inside.

This was his first crush; it wasn’t so easy to say “I don’t like her” and truly mean it.

The Pei family remained quiet, and Qingli wasn’t in a hurry. This apology was merely an extra; Pei Mingjiang’s shamelessness exceeded her plans, which led to the creation of the ledger.

However, the emergence of the ledger was quite beneficial; for the future…

Qingli smiled and continued with her studies.

Soon, summer break for the second year of high school arrived.

However, the third year implicitly required supplementary classes for some time, so the over-a-month-long summer break was shortened to just over twenty days, with the remaining time devoted to extra classes.

Qingli still lived in the rented room, and as a student in the Olympiad class, she needed even more time for make-up classes.

Pei Mingjiang didn’t mention the apology or the engagement, but he was somewhat anxious about whether she would return to the Pei family, calling her several times to persuade her.

But since Qingli wasn’t going back, there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t force her to return, could he?

Qingli wasn’t as obedient as before. If she reported him, he would be in serious trouble, so he could only let her be.

This continued until September 7, the day of the Olympiad competition.

The competition was a provincial semifinal, and she had to place in the top six to have a chance to go to the winter camp, which was the national finals.

However, usually, securing a spot in the top six wasn’t guaranteed; it was more reliable to aim for the top four.

This exam consisted of two parts, both in the morning. They finished around noon, and the difficulty was much greater than the previous one.

After a period of intense review, Qingli found the problems not exactly easy but easier than she had imagined. After completing the questions and returning to the air-conditioned car, she saw a few of her classmates from the Olympiad class who had finished earlier. Their faces were pale, foreheads glistening with cold sweat, looking lost.

One student, looking particularly distressed, was on the verge of tears.

Qingli glanced at Teacher Chen.

Teacher Chen sighed, “The last big problem had a trap that many students didn’t notice.” He worried, “Did you catch it?”

Qingli silently nodded.

Teacher Chen felt relieved and smiled in satisfaction.

At that moment, a tall, thin figure rushed over. Not wanting to be in the scorching sun, he quickened his pace, jumped into the car, wiped the sweat from his face, glanced at Teacher Chen, and looked at Qingli, asking, “Did you notice the trap in the last big problem?”

Qingli quickly nodded and made a “shh” gesture. Once he settled in, the two found a seat at the back and she asked, “Why did you come out so late?”

Xu Nianhan said softly, “It’s too hot, so I went to buy some popsicles.”

As he spoke, he pulled two small puddings from his uniform pocket and handed one to Qingli. “Here, have this.”

“Thank you.” Qingli took the pudding; it was pleasantly cold, though the outer packaging had a bit of warmth. Her eyes brightened with a hint of joy.

Xu Nianhan muttered, “What are you thanking me for?”

Recalling how they looked during their second meeting, Qingli replied a bit awkwardly, “No need to thank me. Should I give you money?”

Xu Nianhan’s beautiful peach blossom eyes widened in surprise. But when he saw the smile in her eyes, his irritation dissipated. Leaning back lazily, he said, “If you want to give it, then just give it to me. Two bucks.”

“That’s expensive,” Qingli remarked, but she didn’t give him any money.

Xu Nianhan took a bite of the sweet, cold pudding and smiled lightly, a softness appearing in his usually cold demeanor.

After the competition, everything returned to normal.

Since there was no monthly exam in June due to the approaching final exams, Qingli received her results directly on her phone. She had improved over twenty ranks compared to her last ranking.

As they entered the third year, after the league competition in early September, there would be another monthly exam at the end of September.

Now that the Olympiad math competition had concluded, Qingli focused on her other subjects, eager to advance further.

Due to the end-of-term exams in the second year and the reorganization of classes in the third year, Qingli was placed in a key class, which happened to be farther away from the class Pei Xiyue was in.

During the previous semester, they had occasionally run into each other, but since the start of the new term, they hadn’t crossed paths even once.

That was until the awards ceremony following the release of the Olympiad results on Monday during the flag-raising ceremony.

They barely caught a glimpse of each other, one on stage and the other below.

The school had established cash prizes: the first prize for provincial first place was fifty thousand, the second prize for provincial second place was thirty thousand, and the third prize for provincial third place was ten thousand.

Qingli had secured third place, earning herself fifty thousand yuan.

When the principal called out her name, Qingli walked to the podium to receive her praise, certificate, and prize money. After months of recovery and training, the soon-to-be eighteen-year-old girl had gained some roundness in her cheeks, her skin no longer pale and sickly, and her arms, revealed under her short sleeves, were no longer just skin and bones.

She had blossomed, sporting a ponytail that was common yet appealing, and her beautiful features made her stand out among the crowd.

Pei Xiyue had been lazily standing at the back of the line, but upon hearing the familiar name, he instinctively looked over. His good eyesight allowed him to see the girl on stage, even more stunning than before, and his heart, which he hadn’t completely given up on, started to race again.

The principal happily spoke into the microphone, “Students, Fu Qingli has worked hard since the second semester of her second year, improving her grades significantly in a short time. Now she has achieved third place and will represent the province in the national Olympiad competition. Her example shows that it’s never too late to put in the effort!”

The surrounding students, who didn’t know Fu Qingli, erupted in chatter, and with so many people on the playground, the noise grew even louder.

Pei Xiyue felt a buzzing in his ears, the principal’s words echoing in his mind as he watched the principal present the certificate and prize money, suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of inferiority.

As the favored son of heaven, his background and looks allowed him to feel superior to everyone else, yet at this moment, he felt ashamed.

Then another boy stepped onto the stage.

“Xu Nianhan is the…” Before the principal could finish, a familiar classmate below chimed in, “First place!”

The principal couldn’t help but laugh, “Yes, that’s right! First place!”

Qingli was still on stage, as the first prize winner; the principal would later take pictures with them. Hearing the students’ coordinated cheers, Qingli bit her lip.

First place.

She was only third; that wasn’t enough!

Xu Nianhan, having received his prize money, wore a more genuine smile and tilted his head to show Qingli the red envelope in his hand.

Fifty thousand yuan!

After the national competition, there would be more prize money.

Yingde High School, as an elite institution among the wealthy, was never short on funds and was always generous in this regard.

Qingli smiled back and softly said, “Just wait; next time I’ll pull you down!”

Xu Nianhan clicked his tongue playfully. “I’ll be watching.”