The results for the college entrance exam wouldn’t be available online until 10 PM, but in the afternoon, Jiang Li received a call claiming to be from the admissions office of Capital University, saying she could get a scholarship if she was willing to attend their school.
Jiang Li thought it was a scam and hung up. But shortly after, she received another call, this time claiming to be from the admissions office of Huaxia University, with the same pitch as the previous call. After emphasizing the outstanding quality of their medical program, the caller mentioned that, in addition to offering a full scholarship, they would assist in terminating her contract with Capital Medical University.
Jiang Li politely declined and hung up. Shortly after, she received a call from Tong Yi. As soon as she answered, the guy’s cheerful voice rang from the receiver, “Jiang Xiao Li, I just got calls from both Capital University and Huaxia University. They’re both fighting over me. How about you call me big brother in advance?”
Jiang Li asked skeptically, “Aren’t the results not out yet?”
“The results are already out, but they haven’t posted it for the general public yet. The top two universities always compete for the top scorers, which is why they obtained the results as early as possible. Didn’t you know?” Tong Yi was puzzled.
“Now I do,” Jiang Li replied calmly. “But I also just received their calls.”
Tong Yi: “…”
So who’s actually the top scorer? Could it be that Jiang Xiao Li and he got the same score?
At almost the same time, Qin Zheng also received calls from the admissions offices of the two universities. After winning an IMO medal in his second year of high school, he had signed a guaranteed admission contract with Capital University, so their call was quite unusual.
After his parents heard about this, they were eager to announce it to the world, as it meant their son was this year’s top scorer in science! When they were about to call and share the news, Qin Zheng quickly stopped them, “Let’s wait a bit longer. There’s no rush.”
His mother was puzzled, “Why wait for such good news?”
Capital University and Huaxia University were both elite institutes that attracted talents from all over the world. The underlying rivalry between the two resulted in fierce competition to secure the top exam scorers every year. Sometimes, admissions officers would even visit in person to secure the top students. Her son had already secured a spot at Capital University, and yet they called again. This only meant that he had taken the top spot in the exam and the Capital University was worried that he would be snatched away by Huaxia University!
It was a sure thing, so she couldn’t understand why her son wanted to wait.
Qin Zheng cleared his throat and said again, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”
Seeing that Qin Zheng’s mother still wanted to persuade him, his father, Qin Lin, smiled and said, “He’s never beaten Jiang Li in three years and has been humbled quite a bit. Now that he’s suddenly on top, it doesn’t feel real.”
“What’s so unreal about it? Jiang Li is a girl, and girls’ mindsets are naturally not as strong as boys’. It’s normal if she didn’t perform well.” Qin Zheng’s mother.
“Mom,” Qin Zheng frowned, “You’re a woman too. You don’t need to say that.”
His mother shrugged, “I’m a woman, but I still think women’s mindsets aren’t as strong as men’s. Is that a problem?”
“…” Speechless, Qin Zheng wisely shut his mouth.
His mother noticed her son’s disapproving silence and frowned, “You’re defending Jiang Li so much, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for her?”
Qin Zheng sighed, looking at his mother helplessly, “Jiang Li and I are just classmates. At most, we are barely friends. Can you stop imagining things?”
“I’m giving you this reminder for your own good,” His mother said righteously. “I have to say—Jiang Li is indeed excellent. Not only is she from a good family, but she is also quite pretty and smart. But she’s too cunning, probably not easy to get along with.”
Her husband, who was sitting nearby, chuckled, “You’ve never even interacted with her, how do you know she’s cunning?”
Qin Zheng’s mother immediately responded, “She grew up in an orphanage, then was taken back by the Jiang family but wasn’t acknowledged by them. Facing such a situation, she didn’t cry or make a fuss. When I first heard about this, I felt sorry for her, thinking it was tough for a girl to be so alone.”
Qin Lin raised an eyebrow, “Isn’t it?”
She waved her hand, “Later, the Feng family acknowledged her and held a grand banquet to welcome her return. After that, she managed to win over everyone in the Feng family, even the most difficult Third Master Feng. If she didn’t have some cunning, do you think that’s possible?”
Qin Lin chuckled and shook his head, “A pretty and smart girl is naturally likable. It’s not as serious as you make it out to be.”
Qin Zheng’s mother pouted, “Girls like her are naturally liked by men. Otherwise, why do people always say fathers dote on their daughters? But when it comes to determining if a girl is cunning or not, we women are better than you men.”
Qin Zheng didn’t want to continue this meaningless argument and got up from the sofa, intending to return to his room.
But his mother immediately called out to him, “Do you really not like Jiang Li?”
Qin Zheng sighed, “You say Jiang Li is cunning one moment and then say I like her the next. Don’t you think that’s contradictory?”
“What’s contradictory about it? Didn’t I just say that you men all like girls like her? It’s quite strange if you don’t like Jiang Li.”
“…” Many times, Qin Zheng simply couldn’t understand his mother’s logic. To him, Jiang Li was indeed the smartest and prettiest girl he had ever known. But he only saw her as a friend and a rival, never with romantic feelings. All his life, he had only ever liked one girl, but that was in the past. He simply wasn’t in the state to think about romance now.
Seeing his silence, his mother frowned and asked, “You’re not still thinking about Jiang Ruo, are you?” Without waiting for Qin Zheng to respond, she continued, “I advise you to give up on that idea. The Jiang family has fallen, and Jiang Ruo herself is no good, going on livestreaming platforms to sell products like a common sales girl. Isn’t that self-degradation?”
Qin Zheng frowned, “Jiang Ruo and I have nothing to do with each other anymore, but you don’t need to belittle her like this.”
Seeing him defend Jiang Ruo, his mother exploded, “How am I belittling her? A once well-known child star, now livestream for money! Do you know what those internet celebrities are like? They would say anything to attract traffic, groveling to their audience in exchange for a small amount of tips… What else it is if not self-degradation?”
Feeling particularly annoyed, Qin Zheng argued back, “The Jiang family has been declining. She can’t get good resources, and she refuses to follow the unspoken rules of the industry, so she has to leave the entertainment circle. Livestreaming is just a way for her to make a living. She didn’t steal or rob people, she is earning money honestly. Do you have to call that self-degradation?”
Qin Zheng’s mother turned to her husband, “Old Qin, did you listen? Say something! It’s obvious your son’s still thinking about that Jiang Ruo girl. Can’t you do something about it?””
Qin Zheng sighed, “I’m going to take a nap. I’m not having dinner.”
He returned to his room, leaving his mother stunned. She looked at her husband in disbelief, “How did Zheng’er suddenly become like this?”
Qin Lin shrugged, “Zheng’er is an adult now, he has his own ideas. Maybe you shouldn’t push him so much.”
“What’s wrong with that? I was just speaking the truth!” Qin Zheng’s mother sighed, confused.
Qin Lin sighed, “After all, Zheng’er and Jiang Ruo grew up together. Of course he will be upset if you spoke ill of Jiang Ruo.”
Seeing his wife about to argue again, he quickly added, “And about Jiang Li, stop bringing it up. If I were Jiang Li, I definitely wouldn’t choose our son either.”
“Why?” Qin Zheng’s mother asked, puzzled.
Qin Lin explained, “Just because Zheng’er had a past with Jiang Ruo. Jiang Li would become a joke in their circle if she chose him. She has a good family background, talent, and looks. Why would she choose someone with such baggage?”
“Our Zheng’er is great in every way. It’s perfectly normal for Jiang Li to fall for him,” his wife pouted.
“…” Qin Lin had realized that his wife had a severe case of parental bias. To her, their son was the best in the world, and no other child could compare to him.
At this moment, Qin Lin felt a sudden pity for his future daughter-in-law. With a mother-in-law like this, life was bound to be difficult.
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Ma’am, just because you struggle academically does not men every other woman in the world does too. That is a blanket statement and Qin Zheng clearly gets his sense from his father, cause what was that conversation? She was just everywhere with that conversation, I didn’t understand what the purpose of it was.😂