Even after she got home, Qin Jiao still marveled at how surreal the whole thing was.

’In my past life, Shen Yi and I fought countless times, yet here we are, studying hard together and trying to improve every day.’

After arriving home, she picked up the Spiritual Spring Water and took a large gulp. Then, as usual, she went to help her parents with their work and casually asked if they had run into her uncle and aunt in the last few days.

Su Yun shook her head. "Ever since we ran into them that day and told them we were deep in debt, they scurried away with their tails between their legs. I imagine they won’t be back anytime soon. But... should we make a trip back for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

Without looking up, Qin Jiao said, "Let’s just go back for the Lunar New Year. In past years, when you two were working out of town, Grandpa and the others were pretty happy you didn’t come back for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

They wouldn’t bring much of their salary home if they returned for the Mid-Autumn Festival. They usually only brought money back around the Lunar New Year or sometimes in the middle of the year.

At the mention of his family’s frustrating affairs, Qin Zhonghui sighed. "I’m going to go knead the dough."

Su Yun shook her head.

’You really can’t choose your own parents and family. In the past, Qin Zhonghui would always brainwash himself into believing his parents weren’t biased and that his brothers were good people. That was the only way he could get by.’

’But now that the thin veneer had been shattered and everything was out in the open, he could no longer deceive himself. Qin Zhonghui wasn’t an idiot, after all.’

Knowing her husband’s nature, Su Yun went to console him in a low voice. The two of them worked together in the kitchen, talking quietly as they went.

Qin Jiao went to wash up and then headed upstairs. She saw Xiao Shi’s eyes shining brightly. The little girl announced excitedly, "Sis, I got a little red flower today! My teacher gave it to me because I got all the questions right on the last assignment!"

A gentle look filled Qin Jiao’s eyes. She patted her little sister’s head and said, "You’re so smart, Xiao Shi!"

Life was still quite difficult, but Qin Jiao believed that as long as her family worked together, there was no obstacle they couldn’t overcome.

**

The teachers treated the first monthly exam as a baseline assessment of the students, so they graded the papers quickly. The overall school rankings were posted soon after.

Qin Jiao had improved a lot this time, landing in 101st place. She was just one spot away from breaking into the top one hundred.

She went to take a look and saw that Lin Nian hadn’t performed well, ranking 61st. It was a drop for her, as her grades had always kept her in the top fifty.

Chen Feng performed consistently, ranking 32nd in the school. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Qin Jiao knew, however, that both Chen Feng and Lin Nian were bound to improve. ’By the time the college entrance exams roll around,’ she figured, ’those two will probably both make it into the school’s top twenty.’

As for Shen Yi’s rank... he was 328th.

His rank had an entire extra digit compared to Chen Feng’s.

But from another perspective, Shen Yi’s results showed huge improvement. Previously, aside from math, which he was decent at, he basically didn’t study any other subject.

The young master had a bad temper and was just as willful when it came to his studies.

But now, the uniformed boy sat there staring at his exam papers, his brow slightly furrowed. He didn’t seem to be in high spirits.

Qin Jiao felt the urge to offer a few words of comfort, but then she remembered her promise to herself to stay away from him, so she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

’She had even planned it out. At the end of the semester, when the class seating was rearranged, she would ask Mr. Sun in advance to give her a new deskmate.’

’Yep, she already had her excuse ready. She would tell Sun Guotao that the two of them got along a little *too* well and that she was worried that if they remained deskmates, it could lead to trouble and affect both of their studies.’

Having settled on her plan, Qin Jiao calmly began reviewing the mistakes on her exam papers. Suddenly, the tall boy beside her leaned in close, his warm breath brushing against her face.

She heard Shen Yi say, "Qin Jiao, I don’t get what I did wrong on this problem. Can you explain it to me?"