《Sweetlove: Spoiled by My Childhood Sweetheart》 Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Childhood Sweethearts Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Childhood Sweethearts ¡°My life for you, do you want it?¡± The boy¡¯s face slowly approached, his black eyes deep like a swirling vortex. ¡°I want¡­ I can¡¯t afford it!¡± Shen Zhaozhao suddenly swallowed hard, especially when the face in front of her slowly overlapped with that of her childhood sweetheart¡­ Her legs weakly gave out! The next second, the boy wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his embrace, his cool voice possessing an enticing power, ¡°You¡¯ll have to take it, from now on, my life is yours, and¡­ so am I!¡± ¡°Snap¡ª¡± The crisp sound of a slap resonated in the room. ¡°Woah!¡± Shen Zhaozhao suddenly woke up with a start and sat up from her bed, meeting her mother¡¯s surprised gaze. ¡°You silly girl, why such a big reaction? You scared the life out of me!¡± Zhaozhao¡¯s mother¡¯s hand froze mid-air, but then she regained her senses and couldn¡¯t help slapping her again, urging, ¡°Now that you¡¯re awake, hurry up and get up, I packed your things, or else you¡¯ll miss the high-speed train!¡± Shen Zhaozhao couldn¡¯t help feeling guilty; it was all Sang Youyou¡¯s fault for showing her that adult comic, which made her have such a shameful and restless dream! And the face in her dream was that jerk, Sheng Chuyi! Ack, spit! She must be crazy! High-speed train station. ¡°Once you get there, don¡¯t cause any trouble,¡± Zhaozhao¡¯s mother admonished as she saw her daughter off. Shen Zhaozhao yawned, barely keeping her eyes open, and complained, ¡°Can¡¯t you trust me a little? Am I the type to stir up trouble?¡± Trouble usually found her, actually. Zhaozhao¡¯s mother glanced at her daughter¡¯s soft and innocent face; if she hadn¡¯t been cleaning up her messes all her life, she might have believed her. ¡°This time, Uncle Sheng bought a villa near your school. You and Yiyi will live there; it¡¯s convenient for school, and you can watch out for each other. Living in someone else¡¯s house, remember to be diligent.¡± ¡°Mom, at my age, so young and beautiful, you¡¯re actually having me live with a boy?¡± Zhaozhao¡¯s mother looked at her disapprovingly, ¡°Rest assured, he probably doesn¡¯t fancy you. Besides, didn¡¯t you used to love hanging out at Aunt Suxin¡¯s place as a kid and insist on living with Yiyi? Have you forgotten?¡± Reminded of the past, Shen Zhaozhao couldn¡¯t help but blush, ¡°That was when I was a child,¡± she muttered. ¡°Alright, the train¡¯s here, hurry on now!¡± Zhaozhao¡¯s mother urged, with a look of eagerness to send her off. Perhaps due to the back-to-school season, the train was crowded. Upon stepping out of the high-speed train station, Shen Zhaozhao immediately took out her phone to call Qin Suxin, ¡°Aunt Suxin, I¡¯ve arrived.¡± ¡°Is that you, Zhaozhao? I sent Yi to pick you up. Have you seen him?¡± Qin Suxin¡¯s gentle voice came through the receiver. Shen Zhaozhao instinctively looked around. The crowd was bustling, but she spotted a tall figure standing at the end of the crowd. The youth was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, the top button undone, revealing a handsome neckline. Above that, his face was exceptionally beautiful, his deep-set eyes ink-like as if painted with watercolors, and although his features were breathtakingly gorgeous, his overall demeanor exuded a chill that set him apart from the crowd, instantly drawing attention. Standing amidst the light and shadows, he made everyone else look like mere backdrops. After two years, her childhood friend had grown even more devilishly handsome. Shen Zhaozhao blinked, it took her a moment to compose herself before she said to the phone, ¡°Aunt Suxin, I see him.¡± ¡°Good, if you need anything, just ask Yi, and don¡¯t be shy with him,¡± Aunt Suxin laughed on the other end. ¡°I understand, thank you, Aunt Suxin. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be shy with him.¡± Ending the call, Shen Zhaozhao put away her phone, straightened her messy hair, and pulled her suitcase toward the figure. ¡°Hey, handsome, waiting for someone? Take a good look at me, do I look like the person you¡¯re waiting for? How about this¡ªdon¡¯t wait anymore. Since you¡¯re meant to take someone home, take me! I¡¯ll go home with you, how about that?¡± The young man frowned slightly and looked at her with a faint gaze, ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, speak properly, don¡¯t go crazy!¡± Uh¡­ Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s expression instantly turned sour. Tsk, having not seen him for so long, her childhood friend was still as aloof as ever¡­ darn, still had that cold demeanor. Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Born on the Same Year, Same Month, Same Day Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Born on the Same Year, Same Month, Same Day The day Shen Zhaozhao was born, many other women were also giving birth; when the nurse wheeled several babies out together, Daddy Zhaozhao pointed excitedly at the middle one and said to the nurse, ¡°Nurse, the child in the middle looks good; I want that one.¡± It¡¯s said that because of this, despite the pain from her C-section, Zhaozhao¡¯s mother chased her husband around the delivery room three times. And the child her dad said looked good was Sheng Chuyi. Shen Zhaozhao and Sheng Chuyi shared the same birth year, month, and day, and they were even in the same maternity room. Not only that, they lived in the same residential complex, in the same building. Their families were right across from each other, separated only by a wall. Every time Daddy Zhaozhao looked at his own wrinkly, ugly daughter and then at the clean and tidy neighbor next door, he deeply suspected that the nurse had made a mistake. His daughter, Shen Mo¡¯s daughter, couldn¡¯t possibly be so ugly. Fortunately, after some time had passed, Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s features had matured; she was no longer wrinkly, and her skin had turned from pink to white. It was then Shen Mo finally accepted the fact that this was indeed his daughter. At first, when it came to naming her, Daddy Zhaozhao suggested, ¡°Why not call her Shen Piaoliang?¡± A girl should be pretty, after all. Due to the ridiculous suggestion, naming rights were immediately revoked from Zhaozhao¡¯s dad by Zhaozhao¡¯s mother. Shen Zhaozhao felt lucky that her mother had the final say, otherwise she would have been stuck with a hugely embarrassing name. Mr. Sheng and Daddy Zhaozhao were childhood friends, as close as iron, and even bought houses next to each other when getting married. With their children born on the same day, the families¡¯ bond grew even closer, practically becoming one family. Although the two children were born on the same day, their personalities were completely opposite. From a young age, Sheng Chuyi was quiet, content with just eating, sleeping, and playing by himself. Shen Zhaozhao, on the other hand, was different¡ªshe cried the moment she opened her eyes, her cries almost as loud as thunder on a clear day. She could startle the entire building. She only behaved when she was with Sheng Chuyi. Not really behaved, just not crying, but instead excitedly babbling away non-stop. Every day, Zhaozhao¡¯s mother was driven to distraction by her daughter¡¯s crying, and finally, she simply sent her daughter next door as soon as she woke up. Strangely enough, the moment the girl saw the boy next door, her crying would stop abruptly, her tears as controllable as running water. By the time she was eight months old, Shen Zhaozhao already knew how to crawl next door herself. Mrs. Sheng was quite welcoming, but it seemed Sheng Chuyi wasn¡¯t too happy. Every morning, he was rudely awakened by a small chubby hand. The owner of the chubby hand not only drooled but also enjoyed making bubbles and then giggling incessantly, like a little fool. Children grow fast, changing month by month. On this day, 10-month-old Sheng Chuyi was once again woken from his sleep by a slap, opening his eyes to a magnified face. The owner of the face was lying next to him, blowing bubbles and waving her hands, babbling at him. Woken up, Chuyi tried to ward off the annoying intruder with his little hand, but it only touched the bubbles at the edge of her mouth. ¡°Pop¡ª¡± The bubble burst!!! Zhaozhao seemed stunned for a moment, her wet big eyes blinked twice, as if she had discovered something new and interesting; immediately, she blew another bubble and looked at Sheng Chuyi. But after waiting a long time, when her companion did not burst her bubbles again, Little Princess Shen became unhappy, pouting her lips, and the next second, she burst into tears. Sheng Chuyi, still unscathed by societal pressures, was immediately shocked by her crying. And with that cry, Shen Zhaozhao firmly established her place in the family next door. Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Adopted Daughter-in-Law Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Adopted Daughter-in-Law Qin Suxin heard Little Zhaozhao¡¯s voice and immediately rushed in from outside the room. As soon as she entered, she saw Shen Zhaozhao crying a river and her own son sitting opposite, blankly staring at the other child. Qin Suxin quickly checked Little Zhaozhao¡¯s diaper; it was neither wet nor soiled, and then she made some formula for both little ones. But the little girl¡¯s crying didn¡¯t stop. Qin Suxin couldn¡¯t help but turn her gaze to her own son. While consoling Shen Zhaozhao, she sternly asked Little Chuyi, ¡°Son, did you bully your sister?¡± Zhaozhao had always been well-behaved at their house, and she definitely wouldn¡¯t cry without a reason. And the only suspect in the room was her own son. Little Chuyi: ¡°Yiyaya¡­¡± He didn¡¯t! Qin Suxin couldn¡¯t understand her son¡¯s babbling and could only continue to soothe the little girl in her arms, ¡°Zhaozhao, darling, did brother bully you?¡± At the mention of the word ¡°brother¡±, Shen Zhaozhao instantly stopped crying, her eyes, soaked with tears, stared in the direction of Sheng Chuyi. Pointing at him, she babbled in complaint: Yes, he wouldn¡¯t play with her. Although Qin Suxin couldn¡¯t understand her son¡¯s rebuttal, she seemed to understand the little girl¡¯s complaints and said to Sheng Chuyi, ¡°Son, you must be nice to your sister in the future, you know not to bully her, right?¡± However, Little Sheng just grabbed his bottle and decisively rolled over. When they turned one year old, both little ones had learned to walk and had also learned to snatch things from each other. That day, Sheng Chuyi¡¯s toy was taken, and in his urgency, he pointed towards Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°Zhao¡­ Zhao¡­¡± ¡°Eh? Son, did you just speak?¡± It was the first time Qin Suxin had heard her son speak, and she wasn¡¯t quite sure. ¡°Zhao¡­ Zhao¡­¡± Seeing that the adults didn¡¯t help him get the toy back, Sheng Chuyi pointed in the direction of Shen Zhaozhao and called out again. Qin Suxin now heard it clearly. Although most children¡¯s first words were ¡°mommy¡± or ¡°daddy¡±, her son¡¯s first words were actually the name of the little girl. ¡°Eh? Our son can speak?¡± Mr. Sheng had just walked in the door and heard his son¡¯s voice, with Zhaozhao¡¯s mother following behind, coming to take her daughter home. ¡°Indeed, the little guy can say ¡®Zhaozhao¡¯ now.¡± Although Qin Suxin felt a bit jealous, she was more thrilled: ¡°I knew it. This boy always acts indifferent towards Zhaozhao, but deep down, he really likes our Zhaozhao.¡± Mr. Sheng laughed heartily and said, ¡°The kids are together every day, just like twins; they¡¯re bound to have a good relationship in the future.¡± Moved by his words, Qin Suxin turned her head to look at Zhaozhao¡¯s mother and said, ¡°Look, the children get along so well, why don¡¯t we just arrange a betrothal for them?¡± Shu Ran brightened up at the idea. It was a good relationship. She had always felt a bit embarrassed about leaving her daughter next door every day, but if she was going to be their future daughter-in-law, after all, she would be part of their family, so sending her over early seemed alright. Worst case scenario, she would just prepare a generous dowry later on. The two families quickly agreed and immediately went out for a meal together to celebrate the engagement. Ever since the engagement, Qin Suxin truly treated that little girl like her own daughter. Even her own son had to make room. Other than sleeping at her own home at night, Shen Zhaozhao spent almost all her other time next door. If this had happened in the past, they could probably have considered it fostering a child bride. Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Taking the Blame for the Daughter-in-law Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Taking the Blame for the Daughter-in-law In the blink of an eye, the two toddlers turned two years old. Shen Zhaozhao woke up from her nap and was stunned to see a puddle on the ground beneath her. She blinked her big eyes for quite a while, pouted her lips, and looked like she wanted to cry, and then suddenly caught sight of Sheng Chuyi to her side. The little girl¡¯s eyes darted around and then she resolutely crawled to lie down on the other side. Before long, footsteps sounded at the door. Shu Ran and Qin Suxin walked in together, guessing that it was about time for the two children to wake up from their naps. ¡°Oh? A wet bed.¡± As Qin Suxin approached the bed, she saw a wet patch on it. Shen Zhaozhao, who had just stealthily opened her eyes, couldn¡¯t help feeling guilty. When she saw Shu Ran looking over, she immediately said, ¡°Brother did it.¡± The two-year-old Shen Zhaozhao was already speaking very fluently. And she was quick to lay the blame on others. Just awake, Sheng Chuyi opened his eyes to be accused of wetting the bed, completely dumbfounded. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense.¡± Shu Ran was torn between laughter and tears; if it weren¡¯t for seeing her daughter¡¯s wet pants, she might have believed her. Wonder who this girl takes after. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for letting your Chuyi be wronged,¡± Shu Ran said, feeling embarrassed as she looked at Qin Suxin. Qin Suxin smiled warmly, ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying, taking the blame for his wife, that¡¯s what he¡¯s supposed to do!¡± she said, and didn¡¯t forget to glance at her son, who was still looking dazed. Feeling his mother¡¯s gaze upon him, Little Chuyi couldn¡¯t help but frown. Lately, he had been hearing the word ¡°wife¡± from his parents¡¯ mouths a lot. Although he didn¡¯t know what a wife was, he was sure it wasn¡¯t anything good. He didn¡¯t want one!!! Soon, the two little ones turned three, the age where they find everything, even poop, worth exploring. Shen Zhaozhao was lively and active, with a quirky and lively personality. Now she spoke in long strings of words, had many mischievous ideas, and if not watched, would cause havoc everywhere. Even the dogs in the neighborhood disliked her. Zhaozhao¡¯s mother would often look at her and feel overwhelmed with worry. On the contrary, Sheng Chuyi liked quiet, and could sit alone with a book all day long. The two children had completely different personalities. Shu Ran thought her daughter was too noisy, while Qin Suxin felt her son was too dull, and together they decided to send the two little ones to kindergarten. In kindergarten, with many other children around, they hoped the personalities of the two kids might change somewhat. The entrance procedures went very smoothly. Early in the morning, the adults from both families took the two little ones to kindergarten for registration. Dressed in brand-new clothes and carrying identical backpacks, the two little ones looked like a pair of beautiful dolls. Daddy Zhaozhao had previously thought that those parents who found it hard to let their children go to school, making it seem like a matter of life and death, were being melodramatic. But when it came time for Shen Zhaozhao to go to kindergarten, Daddy Zhaozhao didn¡¯t feel like going to work at all, and wished he could follow her inside. Standing at the entrance of the kindergarten, Shen Mo reluctantly clutched Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s hand and admonished: ¡°My girl, you should listen to the teacher in kindergarten, you know?¡± ¡°If the other kids hit you, hit them back. We don¡¯t start trouble, but we¡¯re not afraid of it either!¡± ¡°You must eat well in kindergarten, you can¡¯t go hungry.¡± ¡°My girl, if you miss Daddy, just give me a call, I¡¯ll be waiting for you after school¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The kindergarten teachers watched as Daddy Zhaozhao hesitated several times before finally let go of Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s hand, prompted by Zhaozhao¡¯s mother, who couldn¡¯t bear to watch any longer. ¡°Bye Daddy, bye Mommy, bye Uncle Sheng, bye Aunt Suxin!¡± Shen Zhaozhao had been looking forward to it, waved her little hand, grabbed Sheng Chuyi¡¯s hand, and without looking back, stepped into the kindergarten. Daddy Zhaozhao watched his precious daughter¡¯s retreating figure, his nose tingled, and tears ¡°swooshed¡± down uncontrollably. Seeing this, Mr. and Mrs. Sheng and Zhaozhao¡¯s mother were torn between laughter and tears. Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Who Can Refuse a Request from Little Cutie? Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Who Can Refuse a Request from Little Cutie? Zhaozhao had a sweet mouth; as soon as she saw the young and pretty teacher, she took the initiative to greet, ¡°Hello, Teacher.¡± The young female teacher was charmed by the little girl¡¯s sweet, milky voice and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re Zhaozhao, right? I¡¯m your Teacher Taozi.¡± ¡°Teacher Taozi, you¡¯re so pretty!¡± The little girl was so sweet with her words that Teacher Taozi beamed with happiness as soon as she spoke. ¡°You are pretty too!¡± Teacher Taozi held Zhaozhao¡¯s little hand and felt that the little girl in front of her was soft, cute, and sweet-mouthed, just like a little angel. After greeting, Zhaozhao didn¡¯t forget to introduce the boy next to her and said, ¡°Teacher, he is Sheng Chuyi.¡± Teacher Taozi then looked at the little boy next to her, secretly surprised by the beautiful boy. ¡°Hello, little friend Chuyi!¡± Teacher Taozi patted Sheng Chuyi¡¯s head. Sheng Chuyi was somewhat resistant; he didn¡¯t like people touching his head. However, his mother had told him before leaving the house to respect the teacher and listen to her in kindergarten, so he stiffly said, ¡°Hello, Teacher!¡± ¡°Shall I take you to the classroom, okay?¡± Teacher Taozi held Zhaozhao¡¯s hand and was about to take Sheng Chuyi¡¯s. But he dodged before she could touch him. Teacher Taozi paused for a moment. Then she heard the soft, mushy voice of the little girl next to her, ¡°Teacher Taozi, he doesn¡¯t like others holding his hand, you just hold Zhaozhao¡¯s!¡± After saying that, she went to hold Sheng Chuyi¡¯s hand, and this time he didn¡¯t dodge. Teacher Taozi couldn¡¯t help but smile. So, was she being rejected??? Zhaozhao was eager to go¡ªoh no, she wanted to play with the other children, she tilted her little head up and urged, ¡°Teacher Taozi, let¡¯s go fast!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Teacher Taozi thought these two children, one good-looking and the other fun, were both likable types that would probably get along well with the other children. She didn¡¯t need to worry too much and then led them to the nursery classroom. The classroom was a bit messy. With the two little ones, Teacher Taozi walked into the classroom, and the children immediately gathered around, staring at the two with big, curious eyes, and asked chattering, ¡°Teacher Taozi, who are they?¡± ¡°Teacher Taozi, are they new friends?¡± ¡°Teacher Taozi¡­¡± The classroom buzzed with noise. Teacher Taozi smiled and interrupted the children, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll count to three, and everyone should go to your seats and sit nicely.¡± ¡°1¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°2¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°3¡ª¡ª¡± The children who had just formed a circle immediately ran back to their seats. Teacher Taozi continued with the call and response: ¡°Little eyes?¡± ¡°Look at the teacher.¡± The voices responded in unison. ¡°Little ears?¡± ¡°Point them up.¡± ¡°Little hands?¡± ¡°Put them on your laps.¡± ¡°Little mouths?¡± ¡°Close them.¡± As she saw every little radish sitting up straight, Teacher Taozi was pleased and said, ¡°You all are doing very well. Now, Teacher Taozi wants to introduce two new friends. Let¡¯s all clap our hands to welcome the new friends, shall we?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The little hands below clapped together, all eyes curious, looking at Zhaozhao and Sheng Chuyi on the stage. ¡°Shall we introduce ourselves?¡± Teacher Taozi encouraged Zhaozhao and Sheng Chuyi with her eyes. ¡°Hello, everyone, I¡¯m Shen Zhaozhao, and you can call me Zhaozhao.¡± Zhaozhao was naturally sociable; Teacher Taozi nodded, and she confidently made the introduction, not forgetting to introduce Sheng Chuyi as well, ¡°This is Sheng Chuyi.¡± Zhaozhao had just finished introducing herself when she heard the children asking all at once: ¡°Are you twins?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you look alike?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zhaozhao looked at the children below and was happy thinking about playing with so many friends every day from now on, but Sheng Chuyi looked unhappy, finding them too noisy. Teacher Taozi then helped them arrange their seats. ¡°Teacher, I want to sit with Sheng Chuyi,¡± Zhaozhao requested. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want to protect Yiyi.¡± Although Qin Suxin and Sheng Yan Cheng always taught Sheng Chuyi at home to protect Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao always felt that it was Sheng Chuyi who needed protection. ¡°Alright then!¡± Who could refuse a request from a little cutie? Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Chapter 6 Scapegoat, Its All Zhaozhaos Doing Chapter 6: Chapter 6 Scapegoat, It¡¯s All Zhaozhao¡¯s Doing Teacher Taozi arranged for the two to sit together. Next to them sat a little chubby boy. The little chubby boy was very fat¡ªtwice as plump as Zhaozhao¡ªsitting with his back to them, a tuft of silly hair sticking up on his head. The little girl¡¯s gaze drifted towards the boy¡¯s head from time to time, and as she watched, her little hands became irresistibly itchy. Taking advantage of the moment when the little chubby boy was not paying attention, Zhaozhao stretched out her tiny hand and swiftly pressed down the tuft of hair on his head. The result was that as soon as she pressed it down, it sprang back up, and after repeating this several times, Zhaozhao became impatient and slapped it down hard. The little chubby boy, known as the tyrant of the class and spoiled at home, was bossy and feared by other children. He immediately looked up unhappily when his head was slapped. Zhaozhao realized that she had caused trouble and, after assessing the size difference between them, quickly hid her face behind her hands and lay down on the desk, pretending to be asleep. The little chubby boy turned around to see Zhaozhao lying as if asleep and Chuyi sitting next to her reading a book. After looking back and forth between them, his gaze finally rested on Chuyi, and the little chubby boy asked fiercely, ¡°Was it you who hit me just now?¡± Chuyi glanced at Zhaozhao, who was lying on the desk sneakily peeking out with a pair of eyes. ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°It was you.¡± The little chubby boy stood up from his seat, waving his little chubby fists, ready to hit Chuyi. Zhaozhao, panicking, could no longer pretend to sleep, quickly stood up and called out softly, ¡°Teacher Taozi is coming.¡± The little chubby boy believed it was true, but when he turned around, he realized he had been tricked. Meanwhile, Zhaozhao took the opportunity to grab Chuyi and run outside, calling out as they ran, ¡°Teacher Taozi, help! The little chubby boy is hitting people.¡± The little chubby boy, furious, shouted and chased after them, waving his chubby fists. Teacher Taozi, hearing the commotion, quickly came over and gathered the three, asking the little chubby boy, ¡°Why are you hitting others?¡± ¡°It was him who hit me first,¡± the little chubby boy said indignantly, pointing in Chuyi¡¯s direction. ¡°Chuyi, is that true?¡± Teacher Taozi turned to Chuyi. Chuyi glanced at Zhaozhao standing next to him with her little hands behind her back, standing straight and staring innocently with big shining eyes, and kept his lips sealed. Teacher Taozi bent down and patiently said to him, ¡°Fighting is not right. How about we apologize to Jingyang?¡± ¡°Teacher Taozi, I will apologize to the little chubby one on his behalf.¡± Before Teacher Taozi could finish, Zhaozhao took the initiative to bow to the little chubby boy, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, can you forgive us?¡± Since she was the one who had hit, her apology was very sincere. However, the little chubby boy was not appeased, pointing in Chuyi¡¯s direction and demanding, ¡°I want him to apologize.¡± Teacher Taozi turned to Chuyi, ¡°Chuyi, can you apologize to the little chubby¡­ oh no, almost got that wrong¡ªto Jingyang?¡± Chuyi, with a stern face, said, ¡°I cannot.¡± Teacher Taozi felt very troubled. The seemingly beautiful and quiet little guy turned out to be quite stubborn. Being called to the kindergarten on the first day was something neither Suxin nor Sheng Yan Cheng had expected. As soon as Zhaozhao saw Suxin and Sheng Yan Cheng appear, she knew she had caused trouble. Without waiting for them to speak, she immediately confessed, ¡°Don¡¯t scold Yiyi, it was all Zhaozhao¡¯s doing.¡± The little girl pointed at her fingers, a guilty expression on her face. Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Chapter 7 Can I take a lick? Chapter 7: Chapter 7 Can I take a lick? Before coming, Teacher Taozi had already told them about what happened, and they were originally puzzled as to why their stinky boy would get into a fight. It¡¯s only the first day and he¡¯s already in trouble, that won¡¯t do, he must be taught a lesson. But as soon as they heard that Shen Zhaozhao was the one who hit someone, the couple¡¯s sympathy immediately shifted, patting the little girl¡¯s head and saying, ¡°Our Zhaozhao is so good, she definitely didn¡¯t mean to bully other kids.¡± Sheng Chuyi really wanted to roll his eyes. Did they have some kind of misunderstanding about the word ¡°good¡±? Upon hearing this, Zhaozhao¡¯s eyes lit up, and she immediately lifted her little head and nodded vigorously. That¡¯s right, she didn¡¯t do it on purpose, it was her little hands acting up on their own. The two small tufts on her head shook along with her movements, and the sight of her so milky and cute almost melted Qin Suxin¡¯s heart. Their Zhaozhao is really adorable. ¡°Then can Zhaozhao tell us what exactly happened?¡± Qin Suxin asked gently and patiently. ¡°Zhaozhao didn¡¯t mean it, Zhaozhao just wanted to help him stroke his fuzz,¡± the little girl said innocently and sincerely, with big shimmering eyes and a milky voice. Everyone then noticed the tuft of hair on the little fatty¡¯s head and guessed what probably happened. Qin Suxin said with amusement, ¡°Then how about we apologize to him, okay?¡± ¡°Zhaozhao has already apologized!¡± the little girl turned to Teacher Taozi as if seeking confirmation. Qin Suxin also turned to Teacher Taozi. Teacher Taozi was somewhat embarrassed. She did apologize, but she didn¡¯t actually say she was the one who hit him! After figuring out the whole story, Mr. Sheng patted Sheng Chuyi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Good son, well done. A real man should be able to take responsibility and be flexible. You are the big brother, so you have to protect your sister, and if necessary, taking the blame for her is no big deal.¡± Sheng. The Scapegoat. Chuyi kept a straight face, expressionless: Could he say no? On the way home after school, Qin Suxin saw someone selling sugar figurines by the road and bought one for each child. The sugar figurines were made to look like the two kids. Shen Zhaozhao didn¡¯t want to eat her own sugar figurine, so she gazed at the one in Sheng Chuyi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°It looks tastier than mine, can I have a lick?¡± Sheng Chuyi refused, ¡°No!¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Shen Zhaozhao looked regretfully away from his, then at the sugar figurine in her own hand, opened her mouth, closed it again, and then lifted her head to Sheng Chuyi, ¡°I can¡¯t bear to eat mine, can we trade?¡± Sheng Chuyi didn¡¯t have so many thoughts and found her annoying, so if Zhaozhao wanted to trade, he traded with her. After taking Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s sugar figurine, he promptly put it to his mouth. ¡°Crunch¡ª,¡± it made a sound. Before Sheng Chuyi had a chance to taste the sugar figurine, he heard Shen Zhaozhao shout, ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve bitten off my head.¡± Sheng Chuyi was so startled that he almost dropped the sugar figurine. While Shen Zhaozhao was heartbroken over the loss of her head, she was also curious about the taste of the sugar figurine, and looked expectantly at Sheng Chuyi, ¡°Does my head taste good?¡± Sheng Chuyi: ¡­ Without waiting for his reply, the little girl concluded on her own, ¡°It must be very tasty!¡± Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s gaze then fell upon the remaining half of the sugar figurine¡¯s body in his hand, and she salivated, ¡°My hand also looks very tasty.¡± Sheng Chuyi: !!! The sugar figurine in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor!!! Sheng Chuyi directly handed over the remaining sugar figurine to her, ¡°Here you go!¡± Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s eyes immediately brightened. Without the head, the sugar figurine didn¡¯t look like her at all anymore, and Shen Zhaozhao ate it without any psychological burden. Maybe feeling a bit guilty for having eaten his sugar figurine, Shen Zhaozhao reluctantly offered the untouched sugar figurine in her hand to him, ¡°Here¡¯s your head too, do you want it?¡± Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Do you not like Zhaozhao? Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Do you not like Zhaozhao? ¡°That¡¯s not right. Why didn¡¯t the teacher notify her dad and me about this girl fighting? How come they called the two of you instead?¡± She is the girl¡¯s guardian, shouldn¡¯t they have looked for her instead? Qin Suxin: ¡°It was nothing, just a mistake by the teacher. Zhaozhao and Yiyi were sitting together, and the child who hit someone mistakenly thought it was Yiyi who did it, so the teacher called us.¡± ¡°What misunderstanding? It must have been that Zhaozhao causing trouble again, right?¡± No one knows a daughter better than her mother. She knew exactly what kind of trouble her own daughter had been causing since she learned to walk and talk; she had never stopped making Yiyi take the blame for her. ¡°Yiyi, tell Aunt Ran, did Zhaozhao do it on purpose?¡± Shu Ran didn¡¯t ask the girl but directly asked Sheng Chuyi. Little friend Sheng Chuyi glanced in the direction of Shen Zhaozhao before looking up at Shu Ran: ¡°Aunt Ran, Zhaozhao didn¡¯t do it on purpose. She didn¡¯t mean to hit someone and then pretend to be asleep. Aunt Ran, don¡¯t scold her. She even apologized to Yiyi!¡± With the little cunning her daughter possessed, there was nothing left for Shu Ran to misunderstand. Upon hearing that the girl not only hit someone but also tried to pin the blame on Sheng Chuyi, she became furious: ¡°Goodness! Not only do you fight in kindergarten, but you also make Yiyi take the fall? Come out here, I need to give you a good lesson today no matter what.¡± Shu Ran rolled up her sleeves, beginning to look for a handy tool. ¡°Wah¡ª¡ª¡± Hiding behind Qin Suxin, Shen Zhaozhao burst into tears directly. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, Aunt Suxin is here.¡± While soothing her with sympathy, Qin Suxin tried to calm Shu Ran down, ¡°Look at you, making a big deal out of a small matter. Besides, Zhaozhao didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Don¡¯t scare the child.¡± Qin Suxin quietly signaled her son, hoping he would take Zhaozhao to the next room to hide for a bit. But little Sheng Chuyi acted as if he saw nothing. Qin Suxin: ¡­ Qin Suxin, both frustrated and amused, watched her son, realizing she had given birth to a little rascal with a black sesame filling. The little guy wasn¡¯t big, but he was no slouch when it came to being crafty. ¡°Forget it, if this girl doesn¡¯t get taught a lesson now, she might become unmanageable. She dared to fight with other kids on her first day in kindergarten and even dared to make Yiyi take the fall. If we don¡¯t deal with this, she might just go too far,¡± Shu Ran was almost out of breath with anger. Other people¡¯s daughters were gentle and quiet, but hers was like a muddy monkey, getting into even more trouble than boys. Suxin held Shen Zhaozhao tightly in her arms: ¡°You are exaggerating. Besides, if you want to punish my daughter-in-law, can I just stand by and do nothing?¡± ¡°Fine, you deal with it. I think from now on, it might as well be all up to you. Anyway, it¡¯s you who spoiled her, so if there are any complaints later, don¡¯t expect me to take any returns,¡± Shu Ran huffed. ¡°No problem!¡± Qin Suxin replied with a laugh, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if I don¡¯t want a son, I will definitely keep Zhaozhao as my daughter-in-law.¡± Under Qin Suxin¡¯s protection, Shen Zhaozhao narrowly escaped a beating, but after dinner, she adamantly followed Qin Suxin to the next room. That clever child was deathly afraid that after Qin Suxin¡¯s family left, there would be a reckoning, insisting on not staying at home no matter what. After taking the two little ones back next door, Qin Suxin called Sheng Chuyi over: ¡°Yiyi, do you not like Zhaozhao?¡± The little guy pursed his lips and said nothing. Qin Suxin feigned a sigh: ¡°Alright, mom understands. Since you don¡¯t like Zhaozhao, we won¡¯t let you play together anymore. There are so many kids in kindergarten, there will definitely be children who like Zhaozhao. From now on, let other kids play with Zhaozhao.¡± The little friend Sheng Chuyi¡¯s lips immediately pursed even tighter. Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Do you not like Zhaozhao? Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Do you not like Zhaozhao? ¡°That¡¯s not right. Why didn¡¯t the teacher notify her dad and me about this girl fighting? How come they called the two of you instead?¡± She is the girl¡¯s guardian, shouldn¡¯t they have looked for her instead? Qin Suxin: ¡°It was nothing, just a mistake by the teacher. Zhaozhao and Yiyi were sitting together, and the child who hit someone mistakenly thought it was Yiyi who did it, so the teacher called us.¡± ¡°What misunderstanding? It must have been that Zhaozhao causing trouble again, right?¡± No one knows a daughter better than her mother. She knew exactly what kind of trouble her own daughter had been causing since she learned to walk and talk; she had never stopped making Yiyi take the blame for her. ¡°Yiyi, tell Aunt Ran, did Zhaozhao do it on purpose?¡± Shu Ran didn¡¯t ask the girl but directly asked Sheng Chuyi. Little friend Sheng Chuyi glanced in the direction of Shen Zhaozhao before looking up at Shu Ran: ¡°Aunt Ran, Zhaozhao didn¡¯t do it on purpose. She didn¡¯t mean to hit someone and then pretend to be asleep. Aunt Ran, don¡¯t scold her. She even apologized to Yiyi!¡± With the little cunning her daughter possessed, there was nothing left for Shu Ran to misunderstand. Upon hearing that the girl not only hit someone but also tried to pin the blame on Sheng Chuyi, she became furious: ¡°Goodness! Not only do you fight in kindergarten, but you also make Yiyi take the fall? Come out here, I need to give you a good lesson today no matter what.¡± Shu Ran rolled up her sleeves, beginning to look for a handy tool. ¡°Wah¡ª¡ª¡± Hiding behind Qin Suxin, Shen Zhaozhao burst into tears directly. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, Aunt Suxin is here.¡± While soothing her with sympathy, Qin Suxin tried to calm Shu Ran down, ¡°Look at you, making a big deal out of a small matter. Besides, Zhaozhao didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Don¡¯t scare the child.¡± Qin Suxin quietly signaled her son, hoping he would take Zhaozhao to the next room to hide for a bit. But little Sheng Chuyi acted as if he saw nothing. Qin Suxin: ¡­ Qin Suxin, both frustrated and amused, watched her son, realizing she had given birth to a little rascal with a black sesame filling. The little guy wasn¡¯t big, but he was no slouch when it came to being crafty. ¡°Forget it, if this girl doesn¡¯t get taught a lesson now, she might become unmanageable. She dared to fight with other kids on her first day in kindergarten and even dared to make Yiyi take the fall. If we don¡¯t deal with this, she might just go too far,¡± Shu Ran was almost out of breath with anger. Other people¡¯s daughters were gentle and quiet, but hers was like a muddy monkey, getting into even more trouble than boys. Suxin held Shen Zhaozhao tightly in her arms: ¡°You are exaggerating. Besides, if you want to punish my daughter-in-law, can I just stand by and do nothing?¡± ¡°Fine, you deal with it. I think from now on, it might as well be all up to you. Anyway, it¡¯s you who spoiled her, so if there are any complaints later, don¡¯t expect me to take any returns,¡± Shu Ran huffed. ¡°No problem!¡± Qin Suxin replied with a laugh, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if I don¡¯t want a son, I will definitely keep Zhaozhao as my daughter-in-law.¡± Under Qin Suxin¡¯s protection, Shen Zhaozhao narrowly escaped a beating, but after dinner, she adamantly followed Qin Suxin to the next room. That clever child was deathly afraid that after Qin Suxin¡¯s family left, there would be a reckoning, insisting on not staying at home no matter what. After taking the two little ones back next door, Qin Suxin called Sheng Chuyi over: ¡°Yiyi, do you not like Zhaozhao?¡± The little guy pursed his lips and said nothing. Qin Suxin feigned a sigh: ¡°Alright, mom understands. Since you don¡¯t like Zhaozhao, we won¡¯t let you play together anymore. There are so many kids in kindergarten, there will definitely be children who like Zhaozhao. From now on, let other kids play with Zhaozhao.¡± The little friend Sheng Chuyi¡¯s lips immediately pursed even tighter. Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: Chapter 10 You Got Your Saliva All Over My Face Chapter 10: Chapter 10 You Got Your Saliva All Over My Face The mere thought of Zhaozhao playing with other kids and not with him made little Sheng Chuyi¡¯s face scrunch up, his lips tightly pursed. Actually, Zhaozhao had only been a tiny bit annoying, not that intolerable. After a good while, the little guy awkwardly spoke up, ¡°Sorry, Mom, I was wrong!¡± ¡°Wrong about what?¡± Qin Suxin asked. Sheng Chuyi hung his little head and said, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have deliberately tattled to Aunt Ran.¡± I knew that little rascal did it on purpose. ¡°Knowing your mistake is good. Don¡¯t do it again, okay? Now, go play with Zhaozhao! She just got scared. Remember to comfort her well.¡± Qin Suxin kept her face impassive, but internally she was laughing her head off. Brat, I¡¯ve eaten more rice than you by over two decades, I can certainly handle you. At night, after Qin Suxin had bathed the two little ones, she shooed them both to bed. Sheng Chuyi expressed his protest. But his protest was ineffective. In the end, his bed was still shared with Zhaozhao. But Zhaozhao, ever so easygoing, climbed onto the bed first, patted the pillow next to her, and in a very grown-up tone said to him, ¡°Yiyi, come quick, I¡¯ll tell you a story to put you to sleep.¡± Zhaozhao¡¯s stories were stammered, and midway through, she fell asleep herself. She slept on her belly, limbs splayed out, even beginning to snore softly. Sheng Chuyi frowned and, with a look of disgust, grabbed his little blanket and covered her before finally lying down beside her. The next morning, Qin Suxin came to wake them up and saw the two little ones head-to-head, cuddled up together, sleeping soundly. Zhaozhao¡¯s little hand was on Sheng Chuyi¡¯s face, Sheng Chuyi¡¯s little foot was placed on Zhaozhao¡¯s chubby belly. It had been a long time since she had seen such a loving picture of the two children sleeping. Qin Suxin couldn¡¯t resist picking up her phone and started snapping away with a ¡°click, click¡ª¡±. The noise of the camera woke Sheng Chuyi up, and the little guy, rubbing his eyes, sat up and said, ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s time to get up for kindergarten.¡± Qin Suxin hastily put away her phone, deciding to show the pictures to the kids when they were older. Qin Suxin was thinking ahead; she even imagined showing these photos at the kids¡¯ future wedding ceremony. Sheng Chuyi, still unaware that he had been photographed, glanced at Zhaozhao, who was sleeping like a little piglet next to him and, with a disgusted face, nudged her awake, ¡°Get up already, your drool has dirtied my pillow.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Zhaozhao, pushed awake, opened her eyes to see Sheng Chuyi in front of her and couldn¡¯t help but flash a big smile, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck and planting a loud kiss on his face with her sweet baby voice, ¡°Yiyi, good morning!¡± Sheng Chuyi kept a straight face, pushed her away, and complained, ¡°Don¡¯t kiss me, you got your drool all over my face!¡± Qin Suxin watched on the side, unable to suppress an aunt¡¯s smile. Zhaozhao, unfazed by the rejection, cheerfully got up and ran towards Qin Suxin, embracing her neck and repeated the earlier action, ¡°Aunt Suxin, good morning!¡± ¡°Little Zhao¡¯er, good morning!¡± Qin Suxin hugged her as they climbed down from the bed and touched her head, ¡°Go brush your teeth and wash your face with Yiyi, it¡¯s time for breakfast.¡± ¡°Yiyi, let¡¯s go quickly!¡± Zhaozhao turned around and took the initiative to hold Sheng Chuyi¡¯s hand. Though Sheng Chuyi verbally disapproved, he still proactively grabbed a small stool to reach for his new toothbrush in the cupboard, prepared the toothpaste, and handed it to Zhaozhao. The two little ones stood side by side, in matching pajamas, each holding a matching toothbrush, and the image of them brushing their teeth together was especially adorable. Qin Suxin¡¯s auntly heart overflowed as she secretly took out her phone again. Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: Chapter 11: With Sunglasses On, Nobody Loves Chapter 11: Chapter 11: With Sunglasses On, Nobody Loves Although Sheng Chuyi complained with his words, he still proactively grabbed a small stool to reach his new toothbrush from the cupboard and, after squeezing the toothpaste onto it, handed it to Shen Zhaozhao. The two little ones stood side by side, dressed in matching pajamas, each holding an identical toothbrush, and the scene of them brushing their teeth together was especially heartwarming. Aunt Qin Suxin, with her maternal heart overflowing, once again sneakily pulled out her phone. By the time the two kids had finished washing up and come out, they saw that breakfast had already been set on the table. There were golden-fried eggs and ham, toasted bread wafting a tempting wheat aroma, grilled steak that had been sliced, and hot milk. And there was also cut fruit. All of it was Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s favorite. The little girl climbed up onto the stool, her eyes sparkling, her lips as if coated in honey ¨C even before starting to eat, she was already complimenting, ¡°It looks so yummy! Aunt Suxin is so amazing, I wish you were Zhaozhao¡¯s mom.¡± Then she could live at Aunt Suxin¡¯s every day and have such delicious breakfast every day.¡± And Aunt Suxin is beautiful and kind, too. If she were Aunt Suxin¡¯s child, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting her little butt spanked every time she went home. ¡°Then Zhaozhao can be Yiyi¡¯s little bride, and Aunt Suxin will be your mom as well,¡± Qin Suxin said. She prepared breakfast for father and son every day but never heard a word of praise from either. Truly, children are the most grateful. Shen Zhaozhao didn¡¯t know what a ¡°little bride¡± was, but she wanted Aunt Suxin to be her mom. Her eyes lit up when she heard Qin Suxin¡¯s words, and she turned her head to look at Sheng Chuyi and said, ¡°I want to be Yiyi¡¯s little bride.¡± Sheng Chuyi glanced at her and refused, ¡°No!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you like Zhaozhao?¡± Qin Suxin asked her son with a smile. ¡°Then who do you want to be your little bride?¡± The little guy put on a cool expression and declared, ¡°Don¡¯t want a little bride!¡± He knew at the age of two that a wife was nothing good, and he definitely didn¡¯t want a little bride. He didn¡¯t want anyone!!! ¡­ The kids in the kindergarten all liked to play with the pretty children. Sheng Chuyi and Shen Zhaozhao had only been in the kindergarten for two days but had already become the most popular kids in the class. Especially Sheng Chuyi, who was surrounded by lots of little girls every day; they would give him all the snacks and treats they brought from home. Sheng Chuyi didn¡¯t like them and thought they were too noisy. Shen Zhaozhao, however, was very happy because the snacks given to Sheng Chuyi would all end up in her stomach. Sheng Chuyi frowned, disapprovingly watching her, ¡°Dad and Mom said you can¡¯t just take other people¡¯s things.¡± Shen Zhaozhao blinked and retorted with defiant confidence, ¡°But Dad and Mom also said we need to get along well with the other kids. They give us things because they want to be friends with us. If we don¡¯t eat, they will be sad.¡± Sheng Chuyi felt what she said wasn¡¯t right, but he couldn¡¯t argue against her either. So every day when they went home, Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s little backpack was always full of snacks. Ever since the two little ones started going to kindergarten, both families would pick them up, whoever was available. That day, it was Daddy Zhaozhao who came to pick them up. As they passed by a vendor selling sugar figurines, Shen Zhaozhao wanted one. Thinking of the fishing rod he had secretly bought and tucked away in the back of the car to hide from his wife, Daddy Zhaozhao guiltily said, ¡°Daddy has run out of his allowance for the month. Let¡¯s do it next time, okay? Next time Daddy will definitely buy it for you.¡± The little girl glanced at Daddy Zhaozhao and said in a tone like a little adult, ¡°Daddy, next time don¡¯t come to pick us up.¡± The spurned Daddy Zhaozhao: ¡­ He suddenly felt that the new fishing rod wasn¡¯t so appealing anymore. Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Yiyi is mine, you cant like him Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Yiyi is mine, you can¡¯t like him Sheng Chuyi, the little buddy, didn¡¯t like going to kindergarten at all because the kids there were so noisy. Every day, a lot of little girls surrounded him and asked questions. ¡°Sheng Chuyi, can I read books with you?¡± ¡°No!¡± He liked to read books alone. ¡°Sheng Chuyi, shall we play together?¡± ¡°No!¡± He just wanted to play by himself. ¡°Sheng Chuyi, can I be your friend?¡± ¡°No!¡± They were too noisy, and he didn¡¯t want to be friends with them at all. ¡°Sheng Chuyi¡­¡± ¡°Sheng Chuyi¡­¡± ¡°Sheng Chuyi, I like you so much, can I marry you when I grow up?¡± Sheng Chuyi frowned, about to refuse, when suddenly a super loud voice rose from beside him, ¡°No, it¡¯s not okay, you can¡¯t, Yiyi is mine, you all can¡¯t like him.¡± Shen Zhaozhao, who was playing with building blocks, suddenly sprang up from her seat and, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, stretched out her arms to stand between the little girl who had just spoken and Sheng Chuyi. Aunt Suxin said that if she became Yiyi¡¯s little wife, she could call her Mom. If Yiyi found another buddy to be his little wife, she wouldn¡¯t be able to be Aunt Suxin¡¯s child anymore. That couldn¡¯t happen, it was not allowed. The little girl, interrupted, glared at her and said angrily, ¡°That¡¯s not true, Sheng Chuyi is everyone¡¯s!¡± ¡°Exactly, why can¡¯t we play with him?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to listen to you, we still want to like him.¡± ¡°Right, we don¡¯t want you to control us.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A group of little girls looked at Shen Zhaozhao unconvinced, and while speaking, they angrily reached out to push her. Shen Zhaozhao, the little buddy, was pushed back and forth and, in a moment of panic, said loudly, ¡°I, I am his little wife, and I say you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a little wife?¡± ¡°What is a little wife?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The buddies stopped their actions and looked at her with bewildered eyes, one by one. Shen Zhaozhao didn¡¯t know what a little wife was either. But Aunt Suxin had said that being Yiyi¡¯s little wife meant she could live at Aunt Suxin¡¯s house every day, eat the food Aunt Suxin cooked, play with Yiyi¡¯s toys whenever she wanted, sleep in Yiyi¡¯s bed, and call Aunt Suxin Mom. Shen Zhaozhao decided then that she would be Yiyi¡¯s little wife and no one else could compete with her. The little girl stood with hands on hips, raised her chin and said loudly, ¡°A little wife means he can only play with me, you all go find someone else to play with!¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying, that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Right, we¡¯re going to play with him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The little buddies didn¡¯t believe Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s words. Shen Zhaozhao turned her head to look at Sheng Chuyi, ¡°Yiyi, do you want to play with them?¡± Sheng Chuyi: ¡°No!¡± They were all so noisy, like a bunch of ducks; he didn¡¯t want to play with the ducks. Shen Zhaozhao turned her head back, looking at the group of little girls with triumph, like a victorious little rooster, strutting proudly, ¡°You all heard him, he said he doesn¡¯t want to play with you.¡± One little girl, with tears welling up, burst into tears with a ¡°wah,¡± and like something contagious, one after another followed suit, and the classroom quickly turned into a chorus of cries. When the teacher arrived and figured out what happened, she could hardly hold back laughter and tears. Teacher Taozi, forever single, said she felt like crying too, having lived for more than twenty years without a partner, yet here were two three-year-old toddlers doing better than her. After that, everyone in the kindergarten knew there was a particularly good-looking little buddy named Sheng Chuyi. He also had a little wife named Shen Zhaozhao. Sheng Chuyi only played with Shen Zhaozhao. It wasn¡¯t until they started elementary school that Shen Zhaozhao slowly understood the meaning of a little wife and finally stopped claiming to be Sheng Chuyi¡¯s little wife. Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: Chapter 13 As long as you dont cry, I will agree to anything you say Chapter 13: Chapter 13 As long as you don¡¯t cry, I will agree to anything you say ¡°Little wife, let¡¯s hold hands and go to school together, so embarrassing.¡± Ever since everyone knew Shen Zhaozhao was Sheng Chuyi¡¯s little wife, kids would shout this at them every day after school. ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, you¡¯re not allowed to hold my hand anymore.¡± Sheng Chuyi came home with a scowl, and as soon as he entered, he shook off Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s little hand. Shen Zhaozhao lost her balance, ¡°Plop¡ª¡± she fell to the ground, face first. The front tooth that had already been wobbly¡­ fell out!!! Shen Zhaozhao opened her mouth wide, stunned by the tooth that fell out, and the next second, she started crying with a loud ¡°wah¡ª¡±. ¡°Wah, my tooth, you owe me a tooth.¡± Shen Zhaozhao wailed with her gusty smile, crying with a powerful force. Sheng Chuyi, looking at the tooth on the ground, was also stunned. He pursed his lips, his little face full of regret, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it wasn¡¯t on purpose. Please stop crying. Isn¡¯t it okay if I let you hold my hand from now on?¡± But Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s tears flowed like the floodgates of the Yellow River had opened, unstoppable. ¡°What exactly do you need for you to stop crying?¡± Sheng Chuyi regretted deeply, ¡°As long as you stop crying, I¡¯ll agree to anything.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Shen Zhaozhao hiccupped and paused, her eyelashes still holding a tear that wouldn¡¯t fall, looking especially pitiful! ¡°I want to see Yiyi wear a dress.¡± Shen Zhaozhao suddenly had a wild idea, pointing at the dress hanging on the balcony, she told Sheng Chuyi. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Upon hearing this, Sheng Chuyi¡¯s little face froze in an instant, and with a scowling face, ¡°Impossible!¡± He would absolutely, absolutely not wear a dress. Shen Zhaozhao pouted, and the next second she opened her mouth wide, ready to start wailing again. ¡°I¡¯ll wear it!¡± Sheng Chuyi gritted his teeth and spoke before she could cry. ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± Shen Zhaozhao instantly stopped crying, cheerfully helping him get the little dress. ¡°Wow, Yiyi you look so pretty, like a real princess.¡± After Sheng Chuyi changed into the dress, Shen Zhaozhao joyfully spun around him. Sheng Chuyi: ¡­ Thanks! He wasn¡¯t feeling too happy. ¡°Click¡ª¡± Suddenly, a flash went off at the doorway. Qin Suxin was seen standing there holding a phone, smiling as she looked at the two of them in the room. Sheng Chuyi¡¯s little face instantly stiffened, and looking in Qin Suxin¡¯s direction he said, ¡°Don¡¯t snap pictures! Delete it!!!¡± ¡°Hey, you little rascal, are you teaching your mom how to behave?¡± Deleting it was out of the question, such a classic photo must be printed out in several copies for keepsakes! Qin Suxin looked down at the photo on her phone, somewhat proud and also a bit regretful, ¡°Tsk tsk, true to form my son is really good looking! People would believe he¡¯s my daughter, right?¡± Sheng Chuyi stood with a grimacing little face, both angry and aggrieved. ¡°Aunt Suxin, let me have a look,¡± Shen Zhaozhao excitedly ran toward Qin Suxin with her little short legs. Qin Suxin showed her the sneakily taken photo. ¡°Wow, so pretty!¡± Shen Zhaozhao looked at the photo, then raised her head to look at Sheng Chuyi. The more she looked, the more she thought Yiyi looked like a little princess, and if she were a prince, she would definitely marry him. Ignoring her son¡¯s disgruntled face, Qin Suxin said smilingly to Shen Zhaozhao, ¡°How about I print out the photo and give you a copy later?¡± ¡°Yes yes yes!¡± Shen Zhaozhao immediately nodded her head, bobbing it like she was pounding garlic. Her big eyes sparkled, her face full of excitement. ¡°Aunt Su Xin, Zhaozhao wants to take a photo too.¡± Having said this, she ran back to Sheng Chuyi¡¯s side, holding his little hand, wanting to take a photo together. ¡°Sure! Aunt Su Xin will take a photo for you.¡± Qin Suxin smiled as she raised her phone. The scene froze. And the photo showed two little people holding hands, one in a dress with a scowling face, the other displaying her gappy teeth with a radiant smile. Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Chapter 14 Who Will Save Zhaozhao Chapter 14: Chapter 14 Who Will Save Zhaozhao Three years of kindergarten life quickly passed. Shen Zhaozhao, bearing the title of Sheng Chuyi¡¯s little wife, managed to offend most of the little girls in her class using her own power. Once summer break ended, both officially became elementary students. Their elementary school was very close to their residential area. Exiting the main gate of the residential area, they only had to cross one intersection to reach it. After the first day of school, the two little ones proposed going to school by themselves. From carrying backpacks with curiosity-filled elementary school chicks to wanting to turn around and leave upon seeing the school gate, evolving into reluctant school-loathers who procrastinated daily, Shen Zhaozhao only took a week¡¯s time. ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, can you walk a bit faster?¡± Sheng Chuyi looked impatiently at the person beside her who walked slower than a tortoise, making a hundred meters feel like the arduous twenty-five thousand kilometers of the Long March. Shen Zhaozhao raised her head, revealing a pair of innocent eyes, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, my legs aren¡¯t listening to me.¡± She just couldn¡¯t move whenever she saw the school gate. Sheng Chuyi glared at her, ¡°If you keep walking this slow, I won¡¯t go to school with you tomorrow.¡± She repeated the same words every morning. But the next day, she would still promptly pull her out of bed. ¡°I get it!¡± Shen Zhaozhao sighed while drooping her little head. Zhaozhao is struggling, Zhaozhao doesn¡¯t want to attend elementary school, Zhaozhao wants to go back to kindergarten! Who will save Zhaozhao!!! ¡°Lalala~~~ Someone is going to school with his little wife again!¡± Just as they reached the school entrance, they heard a teasing voice from behind. Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Zhaozhao instantly perked up. ¡°Gou Dan, don¡¯t you bully Yiyi!¡± Shen Zhaozhao turned around, hands on hips and glaring at the talking little boy, her two small ponytails swinging energetically with her movements. The face across from her was chubby; upon hearing her, he immediately glared back, ¡°Don¡¯t call me Gou Dan!¡± The talking boy was the little chubby boy from their kindergarten class. Back in middle class, Teacher Taozi had taught the little ones to draw, and after drawing, they were to write their names on their works. When the children handed in their drawings, Teacher Taozi held one of them and asked, looking at the name written, ¡°Zhu Goudan? Do we have a child named Zhu Goudan in our class?¡± Then heard a voice next to her, ¡°Teacher Taozi, that¡¯s my drawing.¡± The chubby kid¡¯s real name is Zhu Jinyang, but he couldn¡¯t write his name properly. While writing, he only wrote half of each character in his name and even got one half wrong, turning ¡®Jinyang¡¯ into ¡®Goudan¡¯. Ever since, the chubby kid gained a nickname, Gou Dan! ¡°I¡¯ll just say it, Gou Dan, Gou Dan, Gou Dan¡­¡± Shen Zhaozhao made faces at him while shouting loudly. She would retaliate against anyone who bullied Yiyi! Humph¨q(¨s^¨t)¨r The chubby kid grew anxious, his face turning red, but he couldn¡¯t out-talk her. In his anger, his chubby body charged towards her. Now, the chubby kid was taller and bulkier than during his kindergarten days, resembling a moving meatball. Shen Zhaozhao couldn¡¯t dodge in time and was knocked to the ground by him. The little girl¡¯s eyes rolled back, and she fell directly onto the ground. Seeing this, the chubby kid was completely startled, ¡°She, she isn¡¯t dead, is she? I didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡­¡± Finally, he broke down crying with a loud ¡°wah¡ª¡±. Sheng Chuyi was also scared and hurriedly ran over. Seeing Shen Zhaozhao with her eyes closed, motionless on the ground, her face turned pale with fright. Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: Chapter 15: You Dont Care About Me Anymore? Chapter 15: Chapter 15: You Don¡¯t Care About Me Anymore? ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, get up!¡± ¡°Stop it, we¡¯re going to be late for class!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never complain about your slow walking again, Zhaozhao? Shen Zhaozhao¡­¡± Sheng Chuyi¡¯s voice grew more anxious with each call. Just as he was about to call Qin Suxin with his phone watch, his eyes red, he saw the person who had been lying on the floor suddenly open her eyes. ¡°Hahaha, got you!¡± Sheng Chuyi was startled, then stood up angrily and glared at her, ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, that¡¯s too much, is fooling people fun?¡± Shen Zhaozhao looked at his reddened eyes, blinked twice and said, ¡°Yiyi, did you cry? Sorry, I just wanted to scare Zhu Xiaopang.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t cry, you saw wrong!¡± Sheng Chuyi reverted to his usual cool demeanor in a second. Zhu Jingyang, who had been scared by Shen Zhaozhao suddenly opening her eyes, stopped crying abruptly, and in his haste, even hiccupped, ¡°You, you¡¯re not dead?¡± The little girl rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, ¡°I am dead, I am a ghost now!¡± Zhu Jingyang was only a bit slow, not stupid, realizing he had been tricked, he glared at Shen Zhaozhao before running off. ¡°Get up now, it¡¯s almost time for class!¡± Sheng Chuyi, seeing she was alright, extended his hand towards her. Shen Zhaozhao, however, lay there unmoving, looking at him and said, ¡°I can¡¯t get up.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get up, then just lie there!¡± Sheng Chuyi withdrew his hand and turned to leave. Shen Zhaozhao was dumbstruck, not expecting he would actually leave her there. As she was about to get up, she realized her hand hurt terribly. Shen Zhaozhao reached out to touch other parts of her body, and with each touch, her little face grew paler. Sheng Chuyi walked a distance, saw that the girl was still lying there, furrowed his brows, and despite himself, turned back and stood in front of her, ¡°If you don¡¯t get up now, I really will leave you there!¡± Shen Zhaozhao, with a somewhat blank look, raised her head to look at Sheng Chuyi and suddenly burst into tears with a ¡°wah¡±. Sheng Chuyi was completely stunned by her crying! ¡°Why are you crying?¡± ¡°Stop crying, isn¡¯t that enough for you!¡± Every time this girl cried, he was the unlucky one. So much so, that as soon as Sheng Chuyi saw her tears, he got a bad feeling. Shen Zhaozhao cried very sadly, sobbing and said, ¡°Am I going to die soon? I¡¯ve not become your little wife yet, I don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°What are you blabbering about?¡± Sheng Chuyi stared at her. The little girl pouted, crying even more sadly, ¡°I¡¯m about to die, and you¡¯re still being mean to me, wah, Sheng Chuyi you big meanie, I won¡¯t ever talk to you again.¡± Shen Zhaozhao felt very wronged. Wronged to death! She was in so much pain, yet Yiyi, instead of comforting her, was scolding her. She didn¡¯t want to be his friend anymore. Sheng Chuyi: ¡­ How much drama does she have? ¡°Stop crying, you¡¯re not going to die.¡± He had never seen anyone nearly dying able to talk so much! And she had just been pretending to be dead to scare people, not at all looking like someone in trouble. But seeing that she shows no sign of stopping, Sheng Chuyi also began to falter, ¡°Are you really hurt?¡± Shen Zhaozhao couldn¡¯t stop crying, sobbing and said, ¡°I¡¯m not lying, I¡¯m really about to die, everything hurts when I touch it!¡± Could it be possible that her hand was hurt? Sheng Chuyi stared at her for a while, then turned around. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Shen Zhaozhao saw him about to leave again, and immediately her eyes began to fill with tears again. Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Can You Be a Little More Settled? Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Can You Be a Little More Settled? ¡°I¡¯ll go get the teacher for you!¡± Sheng Chuyi stopped in his tracks and said after giving her a look. ¡°Oh!¡± Realizing that he wasn¡¯t going to abandon her, Shen Zhaozhao managed to hold back her tears. The class teacher arrived quickly and after understanding the situation, lifted Shen Zhaozhao off the ground and said to Sheng Chuyi, ¡°You go back to the classroom to attend the class, I¡¯ll take her to the hospital.¡± ¡°Teacher, I want to go with you,¡± Sheng Chuyi said. ¡°Chuyi, the teacher cannot take you with him,¡± the class teacher knew the two were close, hearing that their families lived together and they always went to and from school together. However, the hospital was crowded and it wouldn¡¯t be convenient to bring him along. If anything were to happen, he couldn¡¯t bear the responsibility. Sheng Chuyi glanced in the direction of Shen Zhaozhao then continued looking at the class teacher, ¡°Teacher, I¡¯ll stick close to you and won¡¯t run off.¡± Shen Zhaozhao also looked at the class teacher longingly, clearly ready to burst into tears if he disagreed. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s hurry then!¡± The class teacher had no choice but to allow Sheng Chuyi to follow, as he was in a hurry to get Shen Zhaozhao to the hospital. At the hospital, the doctor examined Shen Zhaozhao and said, ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any major issue with other parts of the body, but her hand seems to be fractured. We need to take an X-ray to confirm.¡± ¡°Doctor, am I going to die?¡± Shen Zhaozhao asked pitifully while lying on the hospital bed. The young male doctor replied with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just your hand that¡¯s hurt. It¡¯ll be fine in a few days.¡± Shen Zhaozhao, knowing she wasn¡¯t going to die, revived from her near-death demeanor in an instant. By the time Daddy Zhaozhao and Zhaozhao¡¯s mother had arrived at the hospital, Shen Zhaozhao had already had her X-ray done. It was a minor wrist fracture, fortunately without displacement. Upon leaving the hospital, Shen Zhaozhao, with her hand in a plaster cast, bounced along beside Sheng Chuyi, ¡°Yiyi, are you upset?¡± Sheng Chuyi didn¡¯t want to speak to her. He had never seen anyone so carefree; her hand was fractured, yet she still pretended to be dying to scare him. She might as well hurt for real! Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°See, I didn¡¯t lie to you. My hand really got hurt, and it¡¯s still painful¡­¡± She even lifted her plaster-casted hand to show him. Sheng Chuyi grabbed her wildly shaking hand and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you stay still for a bit?¡± ¡°Okay then!¡± Shen Zhaozhao finally quieted down. But her quietness lasted less than three seconds before she couldn¡¯t help but speak up again, ¡°My hand is hurt, does that mean I don¡¯t have to go to school?¡± Elementary school isn¡¯t fun at all. Every day I have to write so many characters and do math. Sheng Chuyi: ¡°No!¡± ¡°But my hand is injured, I can¡¯t do my homework.¡± Shen Zhaozhao seemed teary on the surface, but inside, she was already overjoyed. Sheng Chuyi: ¡°You can write with your left hand.¡± Shen Zhaozhao looked at him with wide eyes. Was he a devil? ¡°But, but¡­ My hand is injured, I can¡¯t carry my backpack!¡± Shen Zhaozhao struggled desperately. ¡°I¡¯ll carry it for you!¡± And so, Sheng Chuyi ended up carrying her backpack for an entire term. Until one day, while Sheng Chuyi was downstairs throwing out the trash, he saw Shen Zhaozhao holding an ice cream cone in one hand and carrying a big bag of snacks in the other, bouncing back from outside. They locked eyes. Sheng Chuyi¡¯s gaze settled on her supposedly injured right hand, and a slow burn ignited in his beautiful eyes. She had said her hand was still not healed, hadn¡¯t she? Oh no, busted! A flash of guilt crossed Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s little face. Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Chapter 17 His Child Came to Repay a Favor Chapter 17: Chapter 17 His Child Came to Repay a Favor ¡°Yiyi, look, my hand is all better now! I bought these snacks especially for you as a thank you for always carrying my backpack.¡± Shen Zhaozhao stuffed the snacks into the other¡¯s arms before they could even speak, wearing a pleadingly cute smile on her face. Oh, she really is a clever little cutie!!! ¡°Are you sure all of these are for me?¡± Sheng Chuyi glanced at the snacks, which were all the kinds she liked herself. Shen Zhaozhao nodded her little head vigorously. As long as she didn¡¯t admit it, they were for him. ¡°Fine!¡± Sheng Chuyi stretched his hand towards her. ¡°Huh?¡± Shen Zhaozhao was a bit stunned. He actually wanted them? But, didn¡¯t he dislike snacks? ¡°What, weren¡¯t they bought for me?¡± Sheng Chuyi scoffed inwardly, not fooled by her little schemes. The little girl looked at the full bag of snacks with reluctance. She had spent her entire month¡¯s allowance on them. Shen Zhaozhao swallowed hard, her eyes hopeful, ¡°Can you leave some for me?¡± Seeing that Sheng Chuyi didn¡¯t respond, she quickly added, ¡°Even just one packet!¡± ¡°No!¡± Sheng Chuyi took the bag of snacks from her hands. ¡°Not even one packet?¡± Shen Zhaozhao stared intently at the bag in his hands, her little face falling. Woo, her happiness was gone!!! ¡ª¡ª During the first exam in elementary school, Shen Zhaozhao scored zero, her eyes red as she left the school. It just so happened that Daddy Zhaozhao was coming home from work and, seeing his precious daughter¡¯s condition, he immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, sweetheart? Did someone at school bully you? Tell Daddy, and I¡¯ll teach them a lesson.¡± ¡°It bullied me.¡± Upon seeing Daddy Zhaozhao, Shen Zhaozhao felt so wronged and handed him her test paper with a big zero on it. Daddy Zhaozhao studied the blank paper carefully several times, even rubbing his eyes vigorously before looking up and asking, ¡°Sweetheart, did you take the wrong test paper? There¡¯s nothing written on this one!¡± Shen Zhaozhao said with a pitiful face, ¡°I read through it, knew everything, and just handed it directly to the teacher.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Daddy Zhaozhao took a deep breath. Don¡¯t be mad, don¡¯t be mad, his child was here to repay a favor. How could she study properly, what if she learned too much? What if she left him to go far away for college? What if she never came back? She needs to stay by his side! After all, someone still needs to sweep the streets, and someone needs to pick up the rubbish on the roadside. Daddy Zhaozhao took several deep breaths to calm himself, then squeezed out a smile towards Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°Sweetheart, hungry? Let¡¯s go home and eat, Daddy will make you braised spareribs.¡± Scoring zero was just that; there was no room for regression, only progress from now on! That evening, Daddy Zhaozhao posted the zero score test paper on TikTok: ¡°Without surprises, the entire district¡¯s streets will be swept by my daughter. Other parents, please educate your children well and don¡¯t compete with her for the job.¡± No sooner had he posted it than a slew of comments appeared: ¡°Let your daughter keep the roadside steps cleaner next time, or my son won¡¯t sleep comfortably!¡± ¡°Please, have your daughter be careful not to sweep away my son¡¯s bowl placed on the roadside.¡± ¡°Tell your daughter to sweep aside, don¡¯t block my daughter from catching the northerly wind!¡± ¡°You¡¯re overdoing it, at least leave one street for my daughter¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Daddy Zhaozhao spent the entire evening reading comments on his phone, somehow becoming fond of the idea of street sweeping. It¡¯s a decent job, after all! Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Yiyi, I feel so bad Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Yiyi, I feel so bad After the first exam, the school decided to let everyone relax, so they organized a field trip. The destination for the lower grades was the forest zoo. Early in the morning, Sheng Chuyi was rushed by Qin Suxin to wake up Shen Zhaozhao next door. By the time Sheng Chuyi pushed open the door to Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s room, she had already gotten up and was sitting on the bed, stuffing snacks into her bag with effort. Seeing him, she excitedly waved him over, ¡°Yiyi, look, I¡¯ve prepared so much food, we can eat it together when we get to the zoo.¡± Sheng Chuyi looked at the big bag full of snacks and couldn¡¯t help frowning. Had she packed snacks for the entire next month? They were going on a field trip, not fleeing for their lives. With so many snacks, she wouldn¡¯t be able to walk. After stuffing all the snacks from home into the bag and glancing at the still available space, Shen Zhaozhao ran to the living room and stuffed two large apples from the table into her bag as well. Not until she had stuffed the backpack full and the zipper was barely able to close did she stop, satisfied. Sheng Chuyi looked at the bulging backpack on the bed and pressed his lips tightly, saying, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to carry that much, and I won¡¯t help you carry it.¡± ¡°I can definitely carry it,¡± Shen Zhaozhao patted her little chest. She had it all figured out. She would start eating as soon as she got on the bus, which would lighten the load by the time they got off. The rest she would eat while walking; the bag would be empty soon enough. ¡°Whatever you want!¡± But there was no way he would carry it for her. The bus had been parked early at the school gate, a long line visible as the two of them came out of the neighborhood. ¡°Are we going to take this bus to the zoo?¡± Shen Zhaozhao was full of excitement, looking like a naive simpleton encountering something new. ¡°This bus is so big, it must be very comfortable to ride in,¡± Shen Zhaozhao ran to the side of the bus, touching and looking around, almost wishing she could get on immediately. ¡°Can I go sit in it now?¡± Shen Zhaozhao was eager to move. ¡°No!¡± Just as he was about to run towards the bus, Sheng Chuyi pulled him back. ¡°The teacher said we need to gather in the classroom first before we can board,¡± he explained. ¡°Alright then!¡± Shen Zhaozhao reluctantly took her gaze back. After what felt like an eternity waiting for the departure time, the children lined up and walked out, each one incredibly excited. Chattering nonstop, they were like a flock of small birds just released from their cages. Under the guidance of their teachers, they lined up in front of their class¡¯s bus to board. ¡°Yiyi, hurry up.¡± Shen Zhaozhao eagerly chose a seat and patted the one next to her, waving at Sheng Chuyi. The other girls looked at her enviously. They also wanted to sit with Sheng Chuyi. But Sheng Chuyi usually only played with Shen Zhaozhao. After the teacher took the roll call, the bus quickly set off. Shen Zhaozhao sat on the bus, excitedly watching the moving scenery outside the window. She had only ridden in her dad¡¯s and Uncle Sheng¡¯s cars before, and this was her first time on a big bus. However, one second she was excited, and the next, she was nauseated by motion sickness. ¡°Yiyi, I feel so sick.¡± Shen Zhaozhao looked completely listless, like a frostbitten little cabbage. Her little face was deathly pale. Sheng Chuyi looked at her pale face and furrowed his brow slightly, ¡°If you feel sick, close your eyes and sleep. You won¡¯t feel the motion sickness if you fall asleep.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Shen Zhaozhao looked at him with teary eyes. ¡°Hmm!¡± Sheng Chuyi nodded; that¡¯s what the books said. ¡°Okay then!¡± Shen Zhaozhao hugged his arm and rested her little head on his shoulder. Sheng Chuyi pressed his lips together, wanting her to let go, but seeing her distressed face, he ultimately didn¡¯t say it. The bus bumped along the road, and Shen Zhaozhao quickly fell asleep. Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Raising Just One Is Enough Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Raising Just One Is Enough ¡°Wake up, we¡¯re here!¡± Shen Zhaozhao was awakened by a push. Groggily, she opened her eyes and found that the car had stopped. Getting off the bus, still dizzy, Shen Zhaozhao was led by Sheng Chuyi into the group. ¡°Have some water.¡± Sheng Chuyi opened her bag, took out her cup, and handed it to her. After drinking the water, Shen Zhaozhao finally felt a bit clearer. Everything in her bag remained untouched. To prevent everyone from getting scattered, the class teacher divided the students into several groups; each group was led by a group leader who made sure everyone kept close to the teacher and did not wander off. Finally, when they could enter the garden, Shen Zhaozhao waved her little hands and shouted excitedly, ¡°Little animals, here I come!¡± In the zoo. While the other children obediently followed the teacher, Shen Zhaozhao kept running here and there to check things out. She was like a little bee busily collecting nectar. ¡°Stop running around,¡± Sheng Chuyi reminded her from behind. He was the leader of their group, yet looking after Shen Zhaozhao alone was a handful as she was the least well-behaved. Fortunately, the other students listened well to the teacher. Halfway through, Shen Zhaozhao finally got tired. She tugged on Sheng Chuyi¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°Yiyi, my bag is so heavy, I can¡¯t carry it anymore.¡± Sheng Chuyi snorted, ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Shen Zhaozhao pouted and simply sat down on the ground. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sheng Chuyi glared at her. Shen Zhaozhao said, ¡°I¡¯ll eat all of them before I get up.¡± Sheng Chuyi¡¯s face immediately darkened, ¡°No, the teacher said we all have to stick together. You can¡¯t stay here alone.¡± ¡°So what should we do? I really can¡¯t carry it!¡± Shen Zhaozhao blinked her eyes, wearing an innocent (cheeky) look on her face. Sheng Chuyi gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯ll carry it for you!¡± Shen Zhaozhao immediately stood up, handed her backpack over, and didn¡¯t forget to flatter him with a string of sweet nothings: ¡°Yiyi, you¡¯re the best! I knew you wouldn¡¯t leave me behind.¡± Sheng Chuyi: It looks like he¡¯s just a big sucker! So annoying! Yet he couldn¡¯t really leave her alone. The group continued forward and arrived near Panda Garden, Shen Zhaozhao took two big apples out of her bag, bit into one, and handed the other to Sheng Chuyi. Looking at the apple peel, Sheng Chuyi declined. Shen Zhaozhao withdrew her hand, fine, if Yiyi didn¡¯t want it, she¡¯d eat it herself. Just then, the giant panda in the garden was also eating. It grabbed the bamboo on the ground with its paws and stuffed it into its mouth, eating quickly and urgently. Eventually, it got a hiccup from eating too much but still clutched a pile of bamboo tightly and wouldn¡¯t let go. Sheng Chuyi pointed at the panda and said to Shen Zhaozhao, ¡°Look quick, doesn¡¯t that resemble you?¡± The greedy expression was almost exactly like Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s. Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m cute?¡± Sheng Chuyi glanced at her, not knowing where her confidence came from, ¡°No, I¡¯m saying you are as silly and greedy as it is.¡± Shen Zhaozhao chose to ignore that comment: ¡°I don¡¯t care, I just think they are very cute, and I want Shen Mo to get me one too.¡± Sheng Chuyi: ¡°Uncle Shen raising one of you is already enough, and besides, this is National First, keeping National First will put you in jail.¡± ¡°What¡¯s National First?¡± Shen Zhaozhao turned her head to look at him. ¡°Dolt, it¡¯s a national level 1 protected animal, you don¡¯t even know this, you¡¯re so silly!¡± Sheng Chuyi said disdainfully. Doltish Shen Zhaozhao didn¡¯t get mad and just chuckled, ¡°Yiyi, you¡¯re so smart! How do you know everything?¡± Sheng Chuyi, slightly embarrassed by the praise, blushed and haughtily lifted his chin: ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re too silly, always refusing to read more books. It¡¯s all written in the books.¡± Shen Zhaozhao stated: She really didn¡¯t want to read books. Are toys not fun, or cartoons not appealing? Isn¡¯t lying down and playing games delightful?!!! Why read books? Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Quarreled Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Quarreled ¡°Yiyi, look, there¡¯s a giraffe, and a peacock, this one is a zebra¡­ wow¡­¡± All along the way, the chirping and chattering voice of Shen Zhaozhao could be heard. ¡°Eat!¡± Sheng Chuyi pulled out a pack of snacks and stuffed them into her hand. ¡°Wow wow wow, Yiyi, are you afraid I¡¯m hungry? But I just ate an apple and can¡¯t eat anymore!¡± Shen Zhaozhao rubbed her little tummy. Sheng Chuyi: ¡°No, you¡¯re just too noisy!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Shen Zhaozhao puffed her cheeks. She wasn¡¯t that noisy at all. Everyone else was just like her. Shen Zhaozhao decided to give him the silent treatment for one minute, unilaterally. She ran off to play with the other students. Sheng Chuyi watched her pull another little boy to go see the tigers and pythons, and his face darkened with displeasure. Then seeing her press her head against the glass alongside another little boy, getting so excited that their hands clutched together while they exclaimed loudly, his face grew even darker! On the way back, Sheng Chuyi sulked all on his own. As for Shen Zhaozhao, she had played around and soon forgot the earlier incident, sitting in the car and excitedly talking about the funny things at the zoo. Only, she had been talking for a long time without Sheng Chuyi paying her any attention. ¡°Are you angry?¡± Shen Zhaozhao moved closer and stared into his eyes. ¡°No!¡± ¡°You¡¯re clearly upset but won¡¯t admit it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so noisy, can¡¯t you just stop talking?¡± Sheng Chuyi suddenly said irritably and loudly. Shen Zhaozhao was unexpectedly scolded and startled, her whole person froze, and tears of grievance welled up in her eyes. Sheng Chuyi pursed his lips, his face involuntarily flashing a trace of annoyance. ¡°Sorry!¡± Shen Zhaozhao said softly, and then she lowered her little head. Sheng Chuyi looked at her, wanting to say something several times, but then he pressed his lips tightly again. Neither of them spoke again. The bus swayed all the way back to school. ¡°Shen Zhaozhao¡­¡± Finnaly, Sheng Chuyi mustered up his courage. Only, as soon as he began to talk, he saw Shen Zhaozhao leap up like a little rabbit: ¡°Eh, we¡¯re here, I¡¯m going back first.¡± With that, she grabbed her bag, dashed off the bus, and ran all the way home. ¡°Baby, you¡¯re back? Did you have fun today?¡± Daddy Zhaozhao had specially left work early today and bought groceries in advance to cook for her, afraid that his daughter hadn¡¯t eaten lunch and was hungry. ¡°Fun!¡± ¡°Tired or not?¡± Daddy Zhaozhao asked again. ¡°Hmm!¡± Shen Zhaozhao nodded her little head, looking a bit listless. Daddy Zhaozhao looked at his daughter with concern, ¡°Did your little arms and legs get skinnier from running around? Daddy made you some stewed meat; we can eat in a bit!¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy!¡± Before Daddy Zhaozhao could say more, Shen Zhaozhao ran back to her room. ¡°What¡¯s with this child? Why do I feel she¡¯s a bit off?¡± Zhaozhao¡¯s mother looked puzzledly at Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s room. Normally, the moment she heard there was meat to eat, that girl would have been excitedly calling out already. ¡°She¡¯s just a kid. What could be wrong? She must be tired from playing!¡± Daddy Zhaozhao didn¡¯t think too much of it. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Aunt Ran didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it either, as the child was always carefree. The next morning, Sheng Chuyi was standing at Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s front door. He hesitated for a moment before knocking on their door. ¡°Yiyi, you¡¯re here to wake Zhaozhao up? She¡¯s already gone to school,¡± said Shu Ran, who came to open the door, smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t know what got into that girl today; she got up early in the morning and even dragged your Uncle Shen out to have breakfast with her.¡± ¡°I understand, Aunt Ran.¡± Sheng Chuyi pursed his lips and lowered his head as he went back next door. Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Dummy, Wishes Wont Come True If You Say Them Out Loud Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Dummy, Wishes Won¡¯t Come True If You Say Them Out Loud Qin Suxin saw that he was the only one to look back and couldn¡¯t help but lean forward to look behind him and asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to call for Zhaozhao? Where is she?¡± ¡°She went to school!¡± Sheng Chuyi said with his head down. ¡°This early?¡± Qin Suxin was startled, then glanced at her son¡¯s face and said, ¡°Did you two have a fight?¡± These two kids are always inseparable; if Zhaozhao went to school without waiting for him, it must be because this brat made her angry. Sheng Chuyi pursed his lips and said nothing. ¡°Alright, then you should eat quickly too!¡± Qin Suxin urged him. After finishing breakfast, Sheng Chuyi went to school alone. When he arrived at the classroom, he saw that Shen Zhaozhao was already sitting at her desk. Upon seeing him enter, the little girl¡¯s big eyes flickered like a startled little rabbit, and she quickly turned her head to look the other way. Sheng Chuyi¡¯s eyes darkened slightly as he walked over, and after sitting down, he took out a bottle of yogurt from his bag and placed it in front of Shen Zhaozhao. He just couldn¡¯t bring himself to say the words ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The little girl sat up straight, neither reaching for the yogurt nor looking at him. During the first class, the homeroom teacher brought in a new student. It was a girl who was very cute, named Sang Youyou. ¡°Who would like to sit with the new student?¡± After introducing the new student, the homeroom teacher asked everyone. ¡°Teacher, me, me, me¡­¡± Shen Zhaozhao was the first to raise her hand. Sheng Chuyi frowned with his beautiful brows and looked over at her. To think that before she always fought to sit with him, and now she actually wanted to sit with someone else. ¡°Fine, then Shen Zhaozhao you can sit with Sang Youyou in the front!¡± the homeroom teacher instructed, pointing to the front seats for the two of them. Then, he made the boy who was originally sitting up front move to sit next to Sheng Chuyi. All day, Shen Zhaozhao was playing with the new student. During that time, Sheng Chuyi looked over at her many times, but that girl only had eyes for the new student and didn¡¯t look back even once. Finally, school was over. The two of them walked home, one after the other. Shen Zhaozhao opened her front door to go inside and realized Sheng Chuyi had followed her in. ¡°Why are you following me?¡± For the first time, the little girl initiated conversation with him. Sheng Chuyi opened his mouth and said, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to be mean to you yesterday. Can you please not be mad anymore?¡± Shen Zhaozhao bit her lip and said nothing. She didn¡¯t want to forgive him just like that; she wanted to stay angry for another day, no, three more days. ¡­ In the blink of an eye, the two youngsters¡¯ tenth birthday arrived. Since they shared the same birthdate, both families celebrated it together every year. This year was no different. Both families had specially arranged a trip to the seaside resort. On the birthday itself, they booked a five-star restaurant by the beach and dressed up the two little ones like a little princess and a little prince. Sheng Chuyi was wearing a little face, uncomfortably tugging at his little suit, disliking this kind of attire. On the other hand, Shen Zhaozhao really liked the princess dress she was in. Besides that, they had prepared a huge cake for the two. Before eating the cake, they had to make a wish and blow out the candles together. The flickering flames illuminated their fair little faces. The two little ones closed their eyes and after a while, opened them again. ¡°We can blow out the candles now!¡± Shen Zhaozhao couldn¡¯t wait to call to Sheng Chuyi. The two little heads leaned in together and blew out the candles with combined effort. ¡°What did you wish for, Zhaozhao?¡± Qin Suxin asked with a smiling grin. ¡°My wish is to grow up fast, so I don¡¯t have to take exams or do homework,¡± Shen Zhaozhao said loudly. Qin Suxin burst into laughter. Zhaozhao¡¯s mother felt somewhat embarrassed and didn¡¯t want to admit that this girl was born to her; what should she do? Sheng Chuyi glanced at Shen Zhaozhao and said, ¡°Dummy, a wish won¡¯t come true if you say it out loud!¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Shen Zhaozhao suddenly became flustered, ¡°What should I do? Can I make another wish?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Sheng Chuyi said, ¡°A person can only make one wish at a time.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Shen Zhaozhao hung her little head low, slightly unhappy, but quickly cheered up when she thought about getting to make another wish next year. Curiously, she looked at Sheng Chuyi and asked, ¡°What did you wish for, Yiyi?¡± Sheng Chuyi gave her a look as if staring at a dimwit, ¡°I told you, a wish won¡¯t come true if it¡¯s said out loud.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Shen Zhaozhao finally gave up on asking further. Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: Chapter 22 The Young Rascal Gets Shy Chapter 22: Chapter 22 The Young Rascal Gets Shy ¡°` ¡°Okay!¡± Qin Suxin interrupted the two with a smile and urged Sheng Chuyi, ¡°Yiyi, didn¡¯t you prepare a gift for Zhaozhao? Hurry up and get it out.¡± Chuyi reluctantly took out a small box from his pocket and handed it to Shen Zhaozhao, ¡°Here, happy birthday!¡± Zhaozhao curiously opened the box to find a tiny golden locket, very exquisite, with the character for Zhao engraved on it. The item was specially customized by Qin Suxin. Chuyi also had an identical one, only with the character for Yi engraved on it. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Zhaozhao really liked it and couldn¡¯t wait for Zhaozhao¡¯s mother to help her put it on. She also took out a gift she had prepared especially for Sheng Chuyi from her bag, ¡°I¡¯ve also prepared a gift for Yiyi, one for each of us.¡± It was two resin dolls, customized to look like her and Sheng Chuyi. Not exactly the same, but at least seventy percent similar. She gave the male doll to Sheng Chuyi and kept the female doll for herself. Although it wasn¡¯t as valuable as the golden locket Yiyi gave her, it was her own pick. Qin Suxin, holding her phone to record, exaggeratedly giggled like an aunt, ¡°Don¡¯t they look like they¡¯re exchanging betrothal gifts?¡± Watching the two little ones exchange presents, she seemed to envision them swapping wedding rings in the future. ¡°Come to think of it, they do seem like that.¡± Ever since the two little ones had settled on a marriage alliance, Shu Ran couldn¡¯t wait to just pack up the girl and toss her next door, ideally to also have the neighbors help with her homework. Mr. Sheng laughed cheerfully throughout the whole process, except Daddy Zhaozhao was feeling a little uncomfortable inside. A bit annoyed, but not too much! After all, seeing his daughter standing with the boy next door, it was clear that his own family was getting the better deal. Sheng Chuyi rolled his eyes secretly, his mom was such a drama queen! He suspected that Shen Zhaozhao was becoming a drama queen just like his mom from spending too much time with her. And then there was the doll Zhaozhao gave him, which he couldn¡¯t help but remember the sugar figurine seller at the kindergarten gate. As well as that head which he had bitten off in one go. But despite his disdain, he still carefully stored the doll away. After lunch, the family went to the beach to play. Shen Zhaozhao specifically went back to the room to change into the little swimsuit Zhaozhao¡¯s mother had prepared for her. It was pink with a skirt, and she loved it. Waiting at the hotel entrance for a while, they finally saw Sheng Chuyi being pulled out of the room by Qin Suxin, wearing small swim trunks with a superhero pattern. Even from a distance, they could feel his displeasure. He had prepared a very cool two-piece swimsuit for himself, which somehow got swapped out by his mom. Sheng Chuyi felt it was childish and a bit embarrassing. Qin Suxin was somewhat at a loss between laughter and tears, it was just swim trunks, and the boy was even feeling shy about it. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t admit that she did it on purpose. After all, the joy of teasing her son¡­ who would understand!!! As soon as Zhaozhao saw him, she ran over to take his hand, ¡°Yiyi, let¡¯s go have fun!¡± At first, Chuyi felt a bit uncomfortable, but seeing many boys at the beach wearing the same kind of swim trunks, he gradually relaxed. The beach was crowded this season, and Qin Suxin put swim rings on the two little ones, telling them they could only stay in the shallow area, and then let them go play. At first, the two indeed played near the shore in the shallow water, but as they played, they gradually drifted further from the shore. By the time Sheng Chuyi realized it, they had reached the edge of the shallow area. ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, let¡¯s go back,¡± Sheng Chuyi said, feeling suddenly uneasy. ¡°What did you say?¡± Shen Zhaozhao, engrossed in playing with the water, didn¡¯t quite catch what he was saying. Just then, a wave hit from behind, and Shen Zhaozhao was swept up in the wave, screaming in panic. Sheng Chuyi¡¯s little face went white with fright. ¡°` Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Learn to Swim Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Learn to Swim At the critical moment, Daddy Zhaozhao suddenly emerged from the water, with one hand lifting up Shen Zhaozhao and the other hand tugging at Sheng Chuyi, bringing both back to shore. Seeing the two little ones looking scared out of their wits, Daddy Zhaozhao said, ¡°Look at you two, all scared stiff. When I was your age, I could swim two laps back and forth in the reservoir near our town without even taking a breath.¡± Shu Ran walked over from the beach and, hearing this, rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to your dad¡¯s boasting. When he was little and playing in the reservoir with his buddies, he claimed he¡¯d race everyone to the opposite bank. But after jumping in, he didn¡¯t come up for ages and scared all his friends witless. They ran all the way to your grandpa¡¯s house crying, saying your dad had drowned while playing in the water. Your grandma fainted on the spot, and by the time your grandpa got there, your dad was just bathing in the reservoir. Grandpa immediately pulled him out and gave him a thrashing so loud that the whole town thought someone was slaughtering a pig.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s eyes sparkled as she inquired eagerly. ¡°Then,¡± Shu Ran glanced in Daddy Zhaozhao¡¯s direction, ¡°your grandpa forbade him from going near the reservoir. But your dad always sneaked off to it, and each time your grandpa would chase him with a big stick, sometimes for as far as two li. Everyone in the town knew your dad. Whenever your grandpa hollered, everyone would stand in their doorways holding bowls, watching the spectacle!¡± Zhaozhao¡¯s mother and Daddy Zhaozhao grew up in the same town, along with Mr. Sheng, the three of them practically raised together. When it came to recalling each other¡¯s unreliable deeds, they could go on for days and nights without end! ¡°Pfft, hahaha!¡± Shen Zhaozhao hadn¡¯t expected her dad to be such a rascal as a kid. Imagining the scene of her dad being chased and beaten by grandpa, she couldn¡¯t help but cover her mouth with her hand and laugh. Even Sheng Chuyi couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud. Daddy Zhaozhao didn¡¯t feel embarrassed at all; in fact, he boasted proudly, ¡°That¡¯s because they were too timid. Not to brag, but no one in the whole town could match me. I could hold my breath underwater for ten minutes without needing to come up for air.¡± ¡°Enough, not everyone¡¯s like you,¡± Shu Ran rolled her eyes at him again, and then once more reminded the kids never to go to the deep parts of the water. Especially not to go to the water¡¯s edge alone. Shen Zhaozhao, who had just been frightened, nodded like a pecking chicken at her words. As for Sheng Chuyi, seemingly deep in thought, he looked up seriously at Daddy Zhaozhao and asked, ¡°Uncle Shen, can you teach me how to swim?¡± ¡°Of course, I can,¡± Daddy Zhaozhao said confidently, hooking his arm around his shoulder. ¡°Come on, lad, let¡¯s go. Uncle Shen will teach you right now.¡± Shen Zhaozhao hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Daddy, I want to learn too!¡± Once she learned to swim, she wouldn¡¯t be afraid if she fell into the water again. ¡°That¡¯s my girl. Let¡¯s go swimming!¡± Daddy Zhaozhao lifted Shen Zhaozhao up and carried her on his shoulders, heading toward the water. Perhaps because she had been caught in the waves earlier, Shen Zhaozhao felt nervous entering the water again. But Daddy Zhaozhao kept cheering her on, and with Sheng Chuyi also watching, Zhaozhao, not wanting to be ridiculed by Yiyi, had no choice but to adapt to the water. The first step in learning to swim was practicing holding breath, and Shen Zhaozhao accidentally swallowed quite a few mouthfuls of water in the process. ¡°Ptui, ptui, ptui, why is the sea water bitter?¡± said Shen Zhaozhao, her face wrinkling into a bitter melon shape as she emerged from the water. Sheng Chuyi said, ¡°Dummy, sea water is both salty and bitter because it has a high concentration of salt, with the sodium causing the salty taste and magnesium causing the bitter taste.¡± Shen Zhaozhao felt bewildered. What sodium? Magnesium? The struggling student didn¡¯t understand a word!!! The two spent the afternoon at the seaside, and although Shen Zhaozhao didn¡¯t learn to swim, her belly did grow a whole size larger. Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Is Your Face Cramping? Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Is Your Face Cramping? After celebrating her tenth birthday, the two little ones advanced to fifth grade. Learning became more difficult and there was more material to study, but for struggling student Zhao, it made no difference. The only impact might have been an increase in homework, which affected her sleep at night! ¡°Shen Zhaozhao!¡± Half-asleep, Shen Zhaozhao was nudged awake and looked up at her deskmate Sang Youyou with a pair of bewildered eyes. Sang Youyou squeezed her eyes toward the direction of the teacher¡¯s desk, signaling her to look that way. However, the two failed to communicate with their glances, Shen Zhaozhao didn¡¯t catch her hint, reached out, cupped the other¡¯s face, and leaned in to ask, ¡°Youyou, is your face cramping?¡± Abandoning her attempts at eye contact, Sang Youyou resorted to mouthing words: ¡°Look, up, there.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Sadly, they were completely out of sync. ¡°She said, ¡®look up there.''¡± Only when an angry voice finally rose, suppressed with rage. A jolt went through Shen Zhaozhao as if her spiritual cover was struck, and her mind suddenly cleared. She stiffly turned around, facing the direction of the teacher¡¯s desk. She saw their homeroom and math teacher, with a face darker than the bottom of a pot, bellowing at her, ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, you¡¯re sleeping in class again, out you go to stand as punishment.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The little girl drooped her head and shuffled slowly to the outside. Sang Youyou sent her a look of morose solidarity. ¡°And you!¡± The next second, the teacher¡¯s voice rang out again from the podium, pointing at her, ¡°Snacking in class, you roll out too.¡± Taken by surprise when called out, Sang Youyou froze, her expression turning to stone. Outside the classroom, the two girls stood in a row. Their heads together, they whispered, not quite appearing to be punished, more like they were out on a breath of fresh air. ¡°You even dare to sleep during the homeroom teacher¡¯s class, you¡¯re awesome, my Zhao,¡± Sang Youyou said with a look of admiration. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to sleep, but his voice is just like a lullaby!¡± Shen Zhaozhao yawned, squeezing out a couple of tears of exhaustion, her fair little face filled with an expression of abject despair. ¡°And weren¡¯t you snacking during his class too?¡± Patting her stomach, Sang Youyou confessed, ¡°I was hungry, okay? By the way, how did he notice?¡± She had been so careful. It took her eight bites to finish a single cookie! Shen Zhaozhao glanced at the dark crumbs around her mouth and solemnly advised, ¡°Next time you sneak snacks, remember to wipe your mouth clean.¡± Realizing it belatedly, Sang Youyou swiped at her mouth, then turned gossiping, ¡°Did you hear? Yao Xinxin from Class Two likes Sheng Chuyi and even asked someone to deliver a love letter for her!¡± ¡°What?¡± Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s eyes widened, the quintessential gossip-loving expression on her face, ¡°Isn¡¯t Yao Xinxin the class president? Even class presidents write love letters?¡± ¡°Anyway, some classmates saw it. But it seems like Chuyi didn¡¯t accept it and even had the messenger return it.¡± ¡°What happened next?¡± ¡°Then Yao Xinxin went to find him herself! She asked him to step outside, but Chuyi ignored her. It happened during the class when we went to the bathroom,¡± Sang Youyou said with a face full of regret for missing the drama. ¡°Isn¡¯t that really embarrassing for her?¡± Shen Zhaozhao felt a pang of sympathy. After thinking for a moment, Sang Youyou nodded in agreement, ¡°It¡¯s pretty embarrassing.¡± As they were discussing fervently, suddenly a large shadow fell over them. The homeroom teacher had appeared before them out of nowhere, his entire face darkened, his eyes flickering with fire. Sang Youyou instinctively shrank her neck, too frightened to speak. Belatedly, Shen Zhaozhao raised her head. Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Shes Familiar with This Problem! Chapter 25: Chapter 25 She¡¯s Familiar with This Problem! In the office The homeroom teacher ranted at the two students, spraying saliva, ¡°You two really are the sleeping dragon and young phoenix¡ªyou, sleeping in class, and you, eating during class. Do you even see the teacher anymore? Is there any sense of classroom discipline left? What on earth do you think the school and classroom are?¡± ¡°What is the sleeping dragon and young phoenix?¡± Sang Youyou quietly asked Shen Zhaozhao. Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s eyes lit up¡ªthis was a question she knew the answer to! ¡°The sleeping dragon refers to Zhuge Liang, and the young phoenix is Pang Tong. Both of them were famous figures during the Three Kingdoms Period,¡± Shen Zhaozhao excitedly whispered back. ¡°So, is the teacher praising us?¡± Sang Youyou looked uncertainly in the direction of their homeroom teacher. But the latter¡¯s expression was grim, as if his head was about to catch fire. Well, she must have guessed wrong! Hearing every word of their conversation, the homeroom teacher, looking both angry and exasperated, said, ¡°Enough, I won¡¯t waste words with you. Have your parents come here tomorrow.¡± This was a scenario she knew well! Shen Zhaozhao immediately responded, ¡°We can solve this ourselves, there¡¯s no need to call our parents.¡± ¡°How are you going to resolve it?¡± Shen Zhaozhao rapidly brainstormed a convincing excuse to persuade the teacher not to call their parents. ¡°So, you can¡¯t think of anything?¡± Seeing her hesitate to speak, the homeroom teacher took out his phone and said, ¡°If you really can¡¯t think of a solution, I¡¯ll have to call your parents now.¡± In a panic, Shen Zhaozhao blurted out, ¡°I was sleeping because¡­ because I already knew everything being taught today.¡± ¡°You knew everything?¡± The homeroom teacher looked at her with a cold laugh, utterly disbelieving what Shen Zhaozhao had said. This girl, how many marks did she usually get on tests? And yet she dared to claim she had learned everything. With that kind of attitude towards studying, it would be a wonder if she did well! Shen Zhaozhao, gritting her teeth, nodded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve learned it all!¡± In fact, she didn¡¯t even know what the today¡¯s lesson covered, let alone learned it all. But the words were already spoken. Whether she knew it or not, she had to act as if she did. Shen Jiazhaozhao was just that stubborn!!! ¡°Alright, since you say so and seem to have such confidence in yourself, thinking you don¡¯t need my teaching to excel in mathematics¡­ Here, I have a test here. If you can solve half of the problems on it, you are free to sleep in my classes from then on,¡± the homeroom teacher said as he pulled out a test paper and handed it to her. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Shen Zhaozhao hadn¡¯t expected such a good deal and her eyes lit up immediately. ¡°Would I lie to you?¡± the homeroom teacher snorted. This was an Olympic Mathematics competition paper, significantly harder than the usual class assessments. Someone who hadn¡¯t studied Olympic Math before would definitely struggle to solve it. This girl usually couldn¡¯t even score eighty on a test, and she didn¡¯t seem like the type to spend time tackling Olympic Math problems. Let alone solving half, she¡¯d be lucky to solve even one. Let¡¯s see if she ever claims to know it all again. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Determined to secure her right to sleep openly in future classes, Shen Zhaozhao decided to give it her all. From the side, Sang Youyou timidly spoke up, ¡°Teacher, I want to try too. If I can also solve half, can we not have my parents come to school?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Having spare test papers on hand, the homeroom teacher handed one to her as well. Sang Youyou got the test paper and was stunned by the first question alone. My goodness, she recognized every word, but put together, she couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the question. She simply had no clue how to do it. Luckily, she only needed to get half right. She heaved a tiny sigh of relief and continued looking through the rest. In the end, after flipping through it from start to finish, not a single question was something she could solve. £þ¡õ£þ£ü£ü Well, this is awkward! Chapter 26 - Chapter 26: Chapter 26 Did You Study Secretly Behind My Back? Chapter 26: Chapter 26 Did You Study Secretly Behind My Back? Sang Youyou sneakily lifted her head and glanced in Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s direction. Her eyes then widened in shock. She actually knew how to solve them. Shen Zhaozhao had already solved several problems in a row. Whether they were right or not, Sang Youyou didn¡¯t know. But the other party was definitely writing something. Even though there were some blank problems in between, it was still much better than not knowing how to solve any at all like herself. At most, she could only write the character for ¡°solve¡±. Sang Youyou, with a look of grievance on her face, imagined a little figure in her heart shaking Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s shoulders like crazy, ¡°Tell me, did you secretly study behind my back?¡± They had agreed to be academic slackers together, yet it turned out she was the only true slacker. The homeroom teacher was also surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected that girl to actually solve them. Although not all were correct, they were, after all, problems meant for competitions. The difficulty was beyond the standard curriculum, so it was normal to not be able to solve them. With Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s test paper in hand, the homeroom teacher said that as long as she could solve half of it, he wouldn¡¯t call her parents, and she really did solve just half, not writing a single word more. Go to ????????????????????.co But even doing just half was enough to surpass his expectations. ¡°Did you study Olympic Mathematics before?¡± he asked. Shen Zhaozhao shook her head. What the heck was Olympic Mathematics? She was too lazy to even study the stuff in the textbooks, let alone something like Olympic Mathematics. It sounded difficult to learn at first hearing. ¡°Really never studied it?¡± the homeroom teacher asked again, glancing at the test paper, ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± He had never taught these types of problems, and a person who never studied Olympic Mathematics wouldn¡¯t be able to solve them. Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°Teacher, I really haven¡¯t studied any Olympic Mathematics. However, I¡¯ve seen Sheng Chuyi doing these problems.¡± Sheng Chuyi didn¡¯t like going out. At home, if he wasn¡¯t reading books, he was solving problems, and Shen Zhaozhao spent every day with him, occasionally being forced to study together. Otherwise, her snacks would be confiscated. She didn¡¯t want to study, but for her snacks, she had to be forced to solve problems with him. ¡°You understood just by watching others do it?¡± ¡°I guess so!¡± Otherwise, she also couldn¡¯t explain why she was able to solve these problems. ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, lying is not good!¡± the homeroom teacher still somewhat disbelieved. ¡°Teacher, I¡¯m not lying!¡± ¡°Really not lying?¡± After hearing this, the homeroom teacher had to reevaluate her, considering that this girl might actually be a good math prospect. Shen Zhaozhao was lazy, not dumb, she was too lazy to do homework or read books, but she had an unusual sensitivity to mathematics. Although she often failed both English and Chinese, she always managed to barely pass in mathematics. The main reason for failing English and Chinese was because there were too many words, and she was too lazy to write them. ¡°How about this, bring your parents to school tomorrow, I have something to discuss with them.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t call my parents if I did it, teacher, how can you go back on your word?¡± Shen Zhaozhao panicked, then hadn¡¯t she done it all for nothing? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just have something to discuss with your parents,¡± the homeroom teacher said. That¡¯s still the same thing. ¡°By the way, here are two more test papers for you to take home and do, you must complete all the problems, not a single one less, and hand them to me tomorrow.¡± He realized that this girl was truly lazy. If not pushed, one would never know her potential. After so many years of teaching, he had never seen anyone lazier than this girl. ¡°What?¡± Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s expression was as if she had been struck by lightning. Calling her parents wasn¡¯t enough, she had to do two more test papers too??? This was like a bolt from the blue!!! Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Do you think... is it possible that Im a genius? Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Do you think¡­ is it possible that I¡¯m a genius? ¡°Teacher, what about me?¡± Having seen the two had almost finished talking, the forgotten Sang Youyou finally spoke up weakly. ¡°You?¡± The class teacher looked at her blank test paper. ¡°What do you think?¡± She felt she was just extra for having a mouth. If she hadn¡¯t asked, the class teacher might have forgotten about her. Sang Youyou hung her head and said, ¡°I will tell my parents to come to the school tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright, go back to class!¡± With the discovery of a promising student, the class teacher was in a good mood and didn¡¯t trouble them further, waving them off to return to class. The pair walked back to the classroom with gloomy faces. ¡°What¡¯s with those faces? Did the class teacher scold you?¡± Shi Xu, sitting in the back row and sharing a desk with Sheng Chuyi, curiously looked at them. ¡°I wish he had scolded me.¡± Shen Zhaozhao pursed her lips. She felt the class teacher was too sinister, knowing full well that she hated doing problems the most, yet he deliberately punished her by making her write tests. ¡°So, what did the class teacher do to you?¡± Shi Xu¡¯s eyes were filled with gossip. Go to ????????????????????.co Even Sheng Chuyi, who had been working on problems, looked up. Shen Zhaozhao took out two test papers, her expression lifeless: ¡°This!¡± Shi Xu: ¡°Did the class teacher punish you with test papers?¡± Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°Not us, just me.¡± But thinking about being able to sleep freely during class in the future seemed not so bad! At this moment, Shen Zhaozhao still didn¡¯t know what she was about to face, blame it on being too young! ¡°What test is this, let me see.¡± Shi Xu snatched them over, ¡°Wow, these problems look so difficult!¡± Sheng Chuyi¡¯s gaze fell on those two test papers, then looked back at Shen Zhaozhao, surprise flickering in his eyes, but he quickly returned to his usual demeanor. ¡°Of course it¡¯s difficult, these are contest simulation questions.¡± Sang Youyou, realizing she hadn¡¯t solved a single problem, looked at Shen Zhaozhao with a hint of resentment: ¡°Babe, tell me, have you been secretly trying hard behind my back?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Shen Zhaozhao took back the test papers listlessly. Her goal was to be a salted fish; trying hard was out of the question, not in this lifetime. ¡°Then why could you do those contest questions?¡± Sang Youyou also found it unlikely, as this girl was even more prone to slacking off than her. Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°Do you think, just maybe¡­ I am a genius?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m a Little Fairy!¡± ¡°Youyou the Little Fairy!¡± ¡°Zhaozhao the Great Genius?¡± The two split personalities for a second. But soon, Shen Zhaozhao looked at the test papers in her hands and wilted again. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Just then, a boy sitting in the front row turned around and said to Shen Zhaozhao, ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, my dad signed me up for Olympic Mathematics classes, if you can¡¯t do it, I can help you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s eyes instantly lit up, and she grabbed his hand, ¡°Si Yan, you¡¯re really a good person!¡± After saying that, she immediately stuffed the two test papers into his hands, ¡°The class teacher said they are due tomorrow, sorry for the trouble!¡± Sheng Chuyi watched Shen Zhaozhao holding the boy¡¯s hand, his handsome face darkened. Xu Siyan was stunned; he had only meant to say he could teach her. But facing her sparkling eyes, the boy¡¯s pale cheeks turned slightly red and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll do them tonight, and give them to you tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Shen Zhaozhao nodded vigorously, thrilled to have found someone to do the test papers for her, her mood immediately improved, ¡°I will bring you a cake tomorrow, Aunt Suxin¡¯s cakes are so delicious!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The boy nodded, his face flushed. Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: Chapter 28: In your dreams! Chapter 28: Chapter 28: In your dreams! In the evening after school, Shen Zhaozhao hadn¡¯t finished packing up when she saw Sheng Chuyi passing by with his backpack. Seeing this, Shen Zhaozhao hurriedly stuffed the remaining items into her backpack, not even bothering to zip it up, and chased after him, calling out, ¡°Yiyi, why are you walking so fast? Wait up for me!!!¡± Sheng Chuyi ignored her. Shen Zhaozhao jogged all the way to catch up with him and said, ¡°I heard someone wrote you a love letter today?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know!¡± Sheng Chuyi frowned, looking quite unhappy. His tone wasn¡¯t very nice either. ¡°How could you not know someone wrote you a love letter? I heard the girl who wrote it is the class president of Class Two. I¡¯ve seen her before; she¡¯s pretty good-looking.¡± Shen Zhaozhao knew since childhood that he was popular, with little girls lining up every day in kindergarten to give him treats. In the first grade, someone wrote him a love letter. Now even more young girls wrote him love letters, even the upperclass women would specially come to their class to inquire about him. Back in kindergarten, Shen Zhaozhao would claim to be his little wife and wouldn¡¯t let those girls near him, but ever since she learned the meaning of ¡°little wife¡± in primary school, she never said it again. Sheng Chuyi: ¡°Didn¡¯t read it, didn¡¯t know it was a love letter.¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± Go to ????????????????????.co This response was so Sheng Chuyi!!! Shen Zhaozhao silently sympathized with the girl who sent him the love letter for one second before continuing to ask, ¡°Do you have any regrets now? I heard she even came to the classroom looking for you.¡± Sheng Chuyi furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Why should I regret anything? I don¡¯t like her.¡± That seemed to make sense in a way. ¡°Then who do you like?¡± Shen Zhaozhao took a step forward, continuing her inquiry. Sheng Chuyi suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked right into Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s eyes. The two of them were so close that their faces were almost touching. Sheng Chuyi was momentarily dazed, but as soon as he regained his composure, he immediately stepped back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Zhaozhao blinked and looked at him with confusion. ¡°Nothing!¡± Sheng Chuyi glanced at her and quickly averted his gaze, continuing forward. Shen Zhaozhao felt he was a bit weird today but soon pushed the thought aside and kept up with him, asking, ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered me. Do you actually like any girls? If you do, I can help you out!¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then what kind of girl do you like?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Shen Zhaozhao, you¡¯re so noisy!¡± Without waiting for her to speak again, Sheng Chuyi interrupted her impatiently. ¡°Fine!¡± Shen Zhaozhao finally shut her mouth. When the two arrived home, Shen Zhaozhao was about to open the door when she suddenly remembered something, looked up at Sheng Chuyi, and said, ¡°Oh, Yiyi, can you tell Aunt Suxin for me that I want to eat the cake she makes?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Sheng Chuyi looked at her and scoffed, saying, ¡°In your dreams!¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± Shen Zhaozhao was stunned! Before she could say anything else, Sheng Chuyi, with a dark look on his face, opened the door next door, walked in, and heavily shut his own front door right in front of her. Shen Zhaozhao felt he was even weirder today! Had she offended him somehow? What was up with him, throwing a tantrum out of the blue? Shen Zhaozhao was utterly bewildered. The guy was getting more and more unreasonable. Hmph, if he wouldn¡¯t help, she wouldn¡¯t bother asking; she would go tell Aunt Suxin herself. Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Smoke Rises from the Shen Familys Ancestral Grave Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Smoke Rises from the Shen Family¡¯s Ancestral Grave ¡°` Zhaozhao stood at the door for a while before returning to her own home. Upon entering, she heard Daddy Zhaozhao¡¯s voice, ¡°Girl, you¡¯re back? Try the chicken wings Daddy made.¡± ¡°Coming!¡± Zhaozhao immediately dropped her backpack and dashed into the kitchen. ¡°Ah, open wide¡ª¡± Daddy Zhaozhao handed her a freshly cooked chicken wing. Zhaozhao, while being scalded, mumbled unclearly, ¡°Good to eat!¡± After devouring the chicken wing, Zhaozhao glanced over at the living room to make sure Ms. Shu Ran had not yet returned, then she approached Daddy Zhaozhao and said, ¡°Dad, could you find some time to go to school tomorrow? The homeroom teacher said he wants to have a chat with you.¡± Daddy Zhaozhao momentarily paused his cooking, turned his head to look at her and said, ¡°Girl, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?¡± Zhaozhao replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t get into a fight, nor did I cause trouble; it¡¯s just that I accidentally¡­ fell asleep during class!¡± On hearing this, Daddy Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he had thought his daughter had beaten up somebody else¡¯s bratty boy again. He then glanced once more at his daughter¡¯s short legs. She was in the middle of her growth spurt and needed enough sleep to grow tall so that she would have the strength to sweep the streets later on. Ever since he had accepted the possibility of his daughter¡¯s future sweeping streets, Daddy Zhaozhao had very low expectations for her; falling asleep in class was, after all, a minor issue that at least didn¡¯t disturb the other students. Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°However, girl, let¡¯s make a deal; next time, can you try not to sleep during class? Can we wait until after class to sleep?¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Zhaozhao was unusually obedient this time, but whether she could stick to her promise, who cared¡ªfor now, agreeing to it was certainly the right move. ¡°Alright, Daddy will talk to your homeroom teacher tomorrow.¡± ¡°Love you the most!¡± Zhaozhao tiptoed and kissed her dad on the cheek, then winked at him, ¡°And, this is our little secret, okay?¡± Daddy Zhaozhao instantly received his daughter¡¯s hint, nodded, and made a zipping motion across his lips, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell your mom.¡± Father and daughter shared a smile. The next day, Daddy Zhaozhao went to the school. In the office, The homeroom teacher briefly described Zhaozhao¡¯s performance and expressed his wish for her to join the competitive math class. It took quite a while for Daddy Zhaozhao to digest the teacher¡¯s words, and he began to doubt himself, ¡°You mean to say my girl is a math prodigy?¡± Did he have a problem with his ears? Or was it the homeroom teacher who had lost his mind? Her? Joining a math contest? With her brain that was as good as rotten wood? The teacher slightly twitched his mouth, ¡°Not exactly a prodigy, but I¡¯ve noticed that she has some talent in math. With proper guidance, she might have a few more opportunities in the future.¡± He finally understood who the girl¡¯s erratic nature came from¡ªit was inherited. Daddy Zhaozhao: ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re talking about my daughter? Could there be a misunderstanding?¡± The idea was more unbelievable to him than winning the lottery. The homeroom teacher pulled out the test Zhaozhao had taken the day before and said, ¡°This is her test from yesterday; you can have a look.¡± Daddy Zhaozhao took the test and glanced at it before looking back up at the teacher, ¡°But isn¡¯t this only half completed?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because your daughter is too lazy,¡± replied the teacher helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ve checked the questions, and the ones she did are all correct. The rest she didn¡¯t write simply because she didn¡¯t feel like it.¡± Daddy Zhaozhao blushed slightly, ¡°You¡¯re right, teacher. If the child has talent, she must be nurtured properly.¡± Maybe she won¡¯t have to sweep streets after all if she learns well. Sweeping streets is a decent job, of course, but what if she can find something better? Daddy Zhaozhao left the office, his steps airy and buoyant as if walking on clouds. Unable to contain his glee, he pulled out his mobile phone to call Zhaozhao¡¯s mother, ¡°Tonight we must celebrate. The ancestral graves of the Shen family are spouting green smoke!¡± ¡°` Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Chapter 30 Youre being unreasonable! Chapter 30: Chapter 30 You¡¯re being unreasonable! In the evening, Daddy Zhaozhao personally cooked a big table full of dishes. He even invited the family of three next door to celebrate together. Hearing that Shen Zhaozhao had a talent in Olympic Mathematics, Qin Suxin was smiling even happier than Shu Ran, her own mom: ¡°I¡¯ve always said our Zhaozhao was smart, that girl has been clever since she was little.¡± Shu Ran glanced at her daughter, ¡°Clever, yes, but she never puts it to good use.¡± Mr. Sheng brought some fine wine that had been treasured at home for many years, calling out to Daddy Zhaozhao, ¡°Come, let¡¯s have a good drink tonight.¡± Everyone was happy, except Sheng Chuyi did not seem either surprised or excited. After all, he had been the one teaching her Olympic Mathematics. He had noticed her mathematical talent quite early, but she was too lazy; if he didn¡¯t threaten her with snacks, she wouldn¡¯t even bother to do her homework, let alone extra questions. Shen Zhaozhao was also very happy because Daddy Zhaozhao made all her favorite dishes tonight. And there was the big Green Dragon crab she had been wanting to eat, but her dad had always been reluctant to buy. If she knew that doing a worksheet was all it took, she would have done several more. Although she was lazy, she was willing to put in a bit of effort for good food. Two days later, the homeroom teacher called Shen Zhaozhao, Sheng Chuyi, and two other classmates to the office, handing them each a registration form, ¡°Summer vacation is almost starting, this is the registration form for the city¡¯s Olympic Mathematics training camp. This summer, you guys should give it a try!¡± Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°Do I have to go too?¡± Shen Zhaozhao pointed at herself. ¡°Yes!¡± the homeroom teacher nodded, ¡°You have to go.¡± No way, she was a poor student, what was she doing in an Olympic Mathematics camp? ¡°Can I not go?¡± Shen Zhaozhao instinctively wanted to refuse. What training camp? It sounded like a place crawling with nerds! Why would she want to waste her summer indoors with air conditioning and ice cream instead of competing with a bunch of nerds? No way, no way!!! ¡°You cannot!¡± The homeroom teacher looked at her, saying, ¡°This training camp will have experienced teachers leading it, the opportunity is very rare. It¡¯s a month-long training, and there will be assessments. Those who pass the final assessment can represent our city in the national middle school students¡¯ Olympic Competition. I don¡¯t expect you to compete, just as long as you get into the camp, you can skip my classes in the future.¡± Shen Zhaozhao hummed, ¡°You said the same thing last time.¡± Really, so he was thinking of going back on his word? ¡°Yes, I did say that, as long as you could do half of the problems, you could sleep in my class whenever you like. But I have one more condition I didn¡¯t mention before.¡± Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°You never said there was another condition!¡± ¡°I have the final say on this matter!¡± the homeroom teacher said, ¡°In any case, what I say goes. If you don¡¯t want to come to my classes in the future, participate in this camp.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± Shen Zhaozhao protested angrily. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask for clarification, what I¡¯m doing is just clever tactics.¡± Shen Zhaozhao: ¡­ Are all teachers particularly crafty? ¡°What if I pass the camp¡¯s assessment and you add more conditions after that?¡± Same goes, she wouldn¡¯t fall for it a second time. Homeroom teacher: ¡°I promise, this is the last condition.¡± Shen Zhaozhao really didn¡¯t want to agree, but the thought of being able to legitimately sleep during his classes made her reluctant to give up. Plus, Sheng Chuyi would be going too, she hesitated for a long time, and finally nodded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll trust you one more time.¡± Chapter 31 - Chapter 31: Chapter 31: She Just Wants to Lie Flat, Why Is It So Hard? Chapter 31: Chapter 31: She Just Wants to Lie Flat, Why Is It So Hard? ¡°Yay! I can finally go out and play.¡± Shen Zhaozhao had just copied down the last character with great effort when she stretched lazily, preparing to get up, only to hear Sheng Chuyi say, ¡°You can¡¯t go out yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve finished all my homework, so why can¡¯t I go out and play?¡± Shen Zhaozhao frowned, looking at him with a confused expression. Sheng Chuyi reminded her, ¡°Don¡¯t forget your promise to the class teacher.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten!¡± Shen Zhaozhao said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I promise I would participate?¡± Sheng Chuyi put down the pen in his hand, looked up at her, and said, ¡°You don¡¯t think that just by participating, you¡¯ll definitely get into the training camp, do you?¡± ¡°Otherwise?¡± Shen Zhaozhao blinked. Sheng Chuyi glanced at her and said indifferently, ¡°All we have is the qualification to register. Before officially joining the camp, there will be an entrance exam. Only those who pass the exam can stay.¡± ¡°What, there¡¯s a test?¡± Shen Zhaozhao exploded instantly. The words she hated most were ¡®homework¡¯ and ¡®exams.¡¯ She wondered who had invented these things, thinking if she could travel back in time, she would definitely find the person who came up with them and give them a good beating. Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°Is it still possible for me to change my mind now?¡± The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had been tricked! Go to ????????????????????.co What a crappy training camp, she didn¡¯t want to go anymore! ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, that¡¯s fine too¡­¡± Sheng Chuyi took back his own homework book from in front of her and said, ¡°But from now on, you¡¯ll do your homework yourself; you¡¯re not allowed to copy mine anymore.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do!¡± Shen Zhaozhao immediately panicked upon hearing this. She usually relied on copying homework to save her life. If Yiyi wouldn¡¯t let her copy anymore, she would die. She would become the first person to be driven to death by homework. ¡°Go, go, go, I¡¯ll go, okay?¡± Why was everyone more concerned about her studies than she was? All she wanted to do was lay flat; why was it so hard? Only then was Sheng Chuyi satisfied, and he then drew out a piece of paper already prepared with Olympic Mathematics questions and handed it to her, saying, ¡°Starting today, one practice sheet every day. You must solve all the questions on the sheet correctly before you can do anything else.¡± ¡°What? I just finished my homework, and now I have to write again? Can¡¯t I just not do it?¡± Shen Zhaozhao instinctively wanted to refuse. Then she saw Sheng Chuyi take out a big bag of snacks and place it in front of her, saying, ¡°As long as you finish the questions on the paper, all these snacks are yours.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Shen Zhaozhao glanced at the bag of snacks, considering that it might not be so bad. ¡°Okay, I agree!¡± Shen Zhaozhao grabbed the snack bag from his hand and sat back down obediently in her seat. There were only five questions on the paper, not many at all. Shen Zhaozhao looked up at Sheng Chuyi: ¡°Are you sure that if I finish these questions, all these snacks are mine?¡± Something seemed off to her. It seemed too easy a requirement! Shen Zhaozhao was a bit skeptical. When had this guy become so easygoing? Sheng Chuyi nodded. It wasn¡¯t because he was easygoing, but because he knew Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s personality too well. If he gave her too many questions at once, she would definitely quit. The kind that even snacks couldn¡¯t tempt. ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± Thinking she had gotten a great deal, Shen Zhaozhao happily arranged the snacks and then began to look at the questions on the paper. Chapter 32 - Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Why are you sneaking around? Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Why are you sneaking around? ¡°` Don¡¯t be fooled by the mere five problems; the difficulty far surpassed anything she¡¯d encountered before. She barely managed to solve the first and second questions, but starting from the third, she began to flounder, facing a problem type she had never seen before. After pondering for ages without success, she could only seek help from Sheng Chuyi, ¡°How do I solve this problem?¡± Sheng Chuyi tossed her an Olympic Mathematics textbook, ¡°The examples and explanations for the last three problems are on pages 132, 145, and 154. Read those first, and if you still don¡¯t understand, then you can ask me.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Shen Zhaozhao pouted, took the book, and flipped to the pages he had mentioned, indeed finding similar problem types. The textbook in her hands, known as the ¡°ceiling¡± of the Olympic Mathematics world, was infamously difficult just by the name alone. And yet this person had mastered the entire content through self-study, even remembering the page numbers for every problem¡ªit was downright abnormal. Mathematics is a discipline with a very strong logical component, with knowledge points building from granular to comprehensive, progressively and cyclically forming a complete knowledge system. Olympic Mathematics, as a branch of math, places even greater emphasis on the cultivation and training of one¡¯s thinking abilities. By the time Shen Zhaozhao finished all the example problems and clarified the logic, only to realize night had fallen by the time she solved the questions¡ªnearly an hour had slipped away on these five problems. It took even longer than her usual homework. Shen Zhaozhao once again regretted her earlier carelessness. Go to ????????????????????.co Fortunately, snacks were there to console her. But just as she was about to dig into a bag of chips, Zhaozhao¡¯s mother¡¯s voice came through from next door. It¡¯s time for dinner! Reluctantly, Shen Zhaozhao put the snacks away and said to Sheng Chuyi, ¡°I¡¯ll leave these with you for now. Sneak them to me later.¡± Ms. Shu Ran had strict control over her snacking; although she didn¡¯t forbid Zhaozhao from eating them, she also didn¡¯t allow her to indulge. It was better to leave them next door for now and get them from the balcony when Ms. Shu Ran was not paying attention. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting caught. When Shen Zhaozhao walked in, she instinctively glanced at the kitchen, just as Shu Ran came out. Seeing her peeking around, Shu Ran couldn¡¯t help but express her disdain, ¡°Why are you skulking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Shen Zhaozhao immediately straightened up. ¡°Your homeroom teacher said you signed up for the summer Olympic Mathematics training camp?¡± Shu Ran placed the dishes on the dining table and went back to dish out rice. Shen Zhaozhao closed the door behind her and followed in, ¡°Mom, would you and Dad be disappointed if I don¡¯t make it into the camp?¡± Shu Ran glanced at her, ¡°Isn¡¯t it quite normal if you don¡¯t make it? Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. Your father and I never expected you to achieve anything spectacular.¡± Shen Zhaozhao puffed her cheeks, ¡°Mom, can¡¯t you have a little faith in me? Maybe I¡¯m a math genius.¡± ¡°Alright, if you say so,¡± Shu Ran handed her a bowl of rice, her tone couldn¡¯t be more nonchalant. It was clear she didn¡¯t believe her. This disbelief sparked a defiant spirit in Shen Zhaozhao; it was just an Olympic Mathematics training camp¡ªshe was sure she could get in. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Dad?¡± Shen Zhaozhao placed her rice on the table and then noticed someone was missing from the house. Her dad hadn¡¯t come home yet. Zhaozhao¡¯s mother: ¡°Your dad heard you were representing your class at the Olympic Mathematics training camp and started bragging to his colleagues. He¡¯s been dragged out to treat them to a meal!¡± Shen Zhaozhao: ¡­ Would he still be so thrilled if he knew she only agreed to sign up so she could nap openly during class? And it was just signing up¡ªwhether she could stay was still up in the air. ¡°` Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Having You is My Blessing Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Having You is My Blessing What could Shen Zhaozhao do? To keep her dad from losing face, Shen Zhaozhao had to study hard! One evening, Sheng Chuyi had just finished his shower when he heard some noise coming from the balcony. He stepped out only to see Shen Zhaozhao standing on the neighboring balcony, waving at him. ¡°Where¡¯s my snack?¡± Sheng Chuyi handed her the snacks, but instead of leaving, Shen Zhaozhao looked at him and said, ¡°Could I borrow your Olympic Mathematics textbook to take a look?¡± Sheng Chuyi gave her a surprised look but didn¡¯t ask any questions, before returning to his room. When he came back, he had a book in his hand and said, ¡°Here¡¯s what you wanted!¡± ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll return it once I¡¯m done!¡± Shen Zhaozhao grabbed the textbook, waved at him, and ran back to her room. Sheng Chuyi stood on the balcony, watching Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s room for a while before turning away. In the middle of the night, Shen Zhaozhao was sleeping in a daze when she heard someone whispering in her ear. She opened her eyes and abruptly saw a face, illuminated by a beam of light, next to her bed. The sight was as creepy as it gets. Shen Zhaozhao was thankful for her strong heart; even so, she was scared out of her wits and nearly let out a scream. Go to ????????????????????.co All her hair stood on end, her three souls scared away and seven spirits nearly lost. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, girl, it¡¯s me!¡± Fortunately, the person spoke, and the voice was quite familiar. Shen Zhaozhao rubbed her eyes and realized that it was her dad speaking. Shen Zhaozhao let out a big sigh of relief, then came back to life and said, ¡°Dad, you scared me to death!¡± Don¡¯t you know that scaring people can actually scare them to death? ¡°Hehe, sorry, girl! Daddy didn¡¯t mean to scare you,¡± Daddy Zhaozhao chuckled apologetically, then raised his hand triumphantly, ¡°Look what I¡¯ve brought you!¡± Even through the bag, without seeing it clearly, Shen Zhaozhao could already smell the aroma. ¡°Is it barbecue and crayfish?¡± Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s eyes lit up instantly, and she excitedly jumped out of bed. ¡°Shush,¡± Daddy Zhaozhao made a shushing gesture and said in a low voice, ¡°Keep it down, don¡¯t let your mom hear.¡± Shen Zhaozhao nodded vigorously, indicating she understood. Apart from the barbecue and crayfish, Daddy Zhaozhao also brought her a milk tea. Worried about making too much noise and waking up Zhaozhao¡¯s mother, the father and daughter hid in Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s room, eating their late-night snack in the light of the cellphone. Daddy Zhaozhao peeled a crayfish and brought it to Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s mouth: ¡°Here, girl!¡± Shen Zhaozhao gobbled it down with a ¡°wow¡± and didn¡¯t forget to shower Daddy Zhaozhao with compliments: ¡°Dad, you¡¯re the best. I¡¯m so lucky to have you.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Daddy Zhaozhao laughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re my girl. We have this life but not the next, if I don¡¯t treat you well, then who do I treat well? Just let Dad know what else you want to eat next time, and I¡¯ll secretly bring it to you.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm!¡± Shen Zhaozhao nodded vigorously. The late-night snack was delicious, and the father-daughter duo ended up with greasy mouths. The only problem was that they were so full, they couldn¡¯t sleep in the middle of the night. Shen Zhaozhao lay in bed tossing and turning, eventually getting up and taking out the Olympic Mathematics problems she had borrowed from Sheng Chuyi. Unknowingly, she found herself working on the problems until three in the morning. This was the first time she had worked so hard in her life. Shen Zhaozhao was moved to tears by her own effort. The next morning, with dark circles under her eyes, she emerged from her room. Daddy Zhaozhao jumped at the sight: ¡°Girl, what happened to you?¡± Shen Zhaozhao wistfully replied, ¡°Dad, let¡¯s not buy milk tea next time at night!¡± It¡¯s tasty indeed, but drinking too much of it can lead to insomnia. Daddy Zhaozhao instantly got it, glanced at the direction of the kitchen to see that Zhaozhao¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t noticed them, and then nodded while whispering to Shen Zhaozhao, ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll bring you something different next time.¡± The father and daughter exchanged smiles, forming a secret pact. Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: Chapter 34 I Really Want a Childhood Sweetheart Too Chapter 34: Chapter 34 I Really Want a Childhood Sweetheart Too ¡°Zhaozhao, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± As soon as Shen Zhaozhao entered the classroom, Sang Youyou held her face and looked from side to side. ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it, I had a cup of milk tea at midnight last night and couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± Shen Zhaozhao was listless, like a sapling ravaged by stormy weather. Sang Youyou sympathetically let go of her. Shen Zhaozhao yawned and then, groggy, returned the Olympic Mathematics textbook she had borrowed from Sheng Chuyi the night before. ¡°You finished it all?¡± Sheng Chuyi looked at her somewhat surprised. Olympic Mathematics wasn¡¯t like other literature books that could be understood with just one read; one needed to thoroughly grasp the content. Shen Zhaozhao nodded, pointing at her dark circles, ¡°See? These are the proof of my overnight ordeal.¡± The Olympic Mathematics material was dull, and naturally, she couldn¡¯t possibly study in depth and do a thorough analysis, so she just roughly went through the example problems and their solving approaches once. Anyway, she felt she had finished it. Sheng Chuyi glanced at her dark circles and said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that caused by your midnight milk tea and insomnia?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Doesn¡¯t this guy know what it means not to add insult to injury? Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve returned the stuff to you.¡± Shen Zhaozhao turned away huffily. Sheng Chuyi wasn¡¯t sure what he had done to upset her again, but seeing her angry, he said, ¡°I have some more Olympic Mathematics materials at my place, do you want them?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Although she disliked studying, Olympic Mathematics seemed somewhat interesting. It was more interesting than other subjects! To avoid embarrassing her dad, she thought she might delve into it a bit more. ¡°I¡¯ll bring them tonight.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so jealous of you two,¡± Sang Youyou whispered, resting her chin on her hands and looking at them with a face ready to ship the couple. ¡°Jealous of what?¡± Shen Zhaozhao looked at her puzzled. ¡°I wish I had a childhood friend too.¡± Sang Youyou cradled her face, her eyes twinkling with envy. Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°What the heck?¡± ¡°Just like you and your Sheng Chuyi!¡± Sang Youyou excitedly grabbed her hand and said, ¡°The two of you are just like the childhood sweethearts in books! Always eating together, going to school together, growing up together. It¡¯s always only been you by my side since childhood, it sounds so perfectly adorable!¡± ¡°Have you been reading some weird books again lately?¡± A trace of exasperation crossed Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s face, ¡°Also, don¡¯t talk nonsense, he¡¯s not from my family.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you his little wife?¡± Sang Youyou grinned mischievously, ¡°I¡¯ve found so many good novels on TikTok recently, and I think you two are just like the protagonists in those novels.¡± Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s face flushed, ¡°What little wife, certainly not, don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Sang Youyou: ¡°Why not? Didn¡¯t you two even have a toy marriage when you were kids?¡± Before she could finish speaking, Shen Zhaozhao covered her mouth. Struggling to pry Shen Zhaozhao¡¯s hand away from her mouth, Sang Youyou spit out the last word, ¡°Kiss.¡± ¡°Shush¡ª¡± Shen Zhaozhao hastily made hand signals, ¡°Weren¡¯t we agreed not to mention that? Those were just playful words from adults when we were kids. I was young and na?ve then and took it seriously.¡± ¡°Then do you like him?¡± Sang Youyou whispered in her ear. Shen Zhaozhao: ¡°Of course not, he only knows how to study and put me down, I wouldn¡¯t like him.¡± ¡°But everyone is so envious of you, you¡¯re the only girl who can stay so close to Sheng Chuyi.¡±