Back to 1993: The family splits up at the start, and the ingrates regret it so much they cry.

It's said without intention, but it sounds intentional.

From that day on, Wang Cheng began to intentionally or unintentionally strike up conversations with Zhang Qianqian, gradually getting to know her temperament.

The first monthly exam is here.

In the words of the homeroom teacher, Chen Qingshu, this is a test of the learning outcomes after a month of school.

The only sounds in the exam room were the scratching of pens on exam papers and Wang Peng's occasional cough.

I caught a cold yesterday morning because I wasn't dressed warmly enough for morning exercises.

The exams are Chinese, Math, and English in the morning, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology in the afternoon, and Politics, History, and Geography in the morning of the second day.

The results were released in the afternoon, and the students received their exam papers.

"Wang Peng, come to my office with me." Class teacher Chen Qingshu said sternly.

“Okay.” Wang Peng got up and left the classroom, then followed him to the teachers’ office.

The office, less than 20 square meters in size, has eight desks and six teachers working there.

Chen Qingshu sat down, looked up at him, and asked, "Are you satisfied with your results in this monthly exam?"

“Satisfied.” Wang Peng pulled up a chair and sat opposite him. “I’ll talk while I’m sitting down. It must be tiring for you to look up when you talk.”

The teachers all looked up at him, thinking that this student was quite bold.

Compared to his classmates, he didn't seem to be afraid of his homeroom teacher at all.

In the last diagnostic test, Wang Peng ranked 48th in the grade; in this monthly exam, he ranked 30th.

They moved up eighteen places in a month, what more could they want?

Chen Qingshu shook his head and let out a long sigh.

"You are the top scorer in the high school entrance examination, ranking first in the entire county."

"My expectation for you is to be in the top five, so that you have a chance to get into prestigious universities like Tsinghua and Peking University."

“A person’s energy is limited. Doing business will definitely affect your studies, and the situation I was worried about has come to pass.”

At this point, Chen Qingshu's eyes held a hint of resentment, lamenting their misfortune and angering at their lack of ambition.

"Teacher, aren't your expectations for me a little too high?" Wang Peng said softly.

He didn't want to study at Tsinghua or Peking University; he just wanted to go to the provincial capital to study at the provincial university.

Because his wife from his previous life would be studying at a university in the provincial capital three years later.

"Wang, it's a good thing that your teacher has high expectations for you."

"Exactly, all the other students want to be the teacher's special attention, and you're complaining about it?"

"Scholar Wang, don't take your good fortune for granted."

……

The teachers formed a united front, each contributing their own words, spouting the same old, tired platitudes.

Wang Peng promptly shut up; one mouth can't out-argue seven mouths.

Chen Qingshu opened the drawer and took out eight books, placing them on his desk.

"Your points were deducted for your essay and English essay, and the reason for the deduction was poor writing style."

“Take these books home and read them. Give me a 1,000-word reading report every week, first in Chinese and then translated into English.”

"From now on, I'm removing you from your position as class monitor. You should focus all your energy on your studies."

Upon hearing this, Wang Peng was completely stunned.

Whether I'm class monitor or not doesn't matter, but what's with the 1,000-word reading response, and it's even bilingual in Chinese and English?

Looking at the books on my desk again, I felt a chill run down my spine. The Count of Monte Cristo, Don Quixote, War and Peace, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (both in Chinese and English).

“You need to work on your English listening comprehension too. There are a total of 10 points for the listening section, and you only got 2 points.”

Chen Qingshu opened the drawer and took out a Sony Walkman and seven or eight English cassette tapes.

The other teachers then started talking again.

"Wang Peng, your homeroom teacher is so kind to you."

"His Walkman is his treasure; he usually won't lend it to me."

"Wang, why don't you hurry up and thank Teacher Chen?"

Wang Peng felt a lump in his throat.

In his past life, Chen Qingshu was his cousin-in-law, and he treated him very well. In this life, he is his homeroom teacher, and he treats him just as well.

Besides, studying hard and striving for excellence is something I should do.

Wang Peng stood up and said seriously, "Don't worry, Teacher Chen, I will try my best to enter the past life in the next monthly exam."

"Good!" Chen Qingshu laughed. "You were the top scorer in the high school entrance exam, but you can't get into the top ten under my tutelage. This will make others question my teaching ability."

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Wang Peng turned around and saw that it was his "good second brother" Wang Cheng.

Wang Cheng walked up to the homeroom teacher of Class 8 and said with a smile, "Teacher Dong, you wanted to see me?"

Dong Jiaying nodded, "You've made significant progress this time, getting second place in our class. Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you, teacher. I will definitely study hard and live up to your expectations." Wang Cheng said, head held high.

Wang Peng couldn't help but sneer. The second place in Class 18 was outside the top 400 in the whole grade.

“English is your weak point, so you need to read, listen, and write more.” Dong Jiaying glanced at Wang Peng. “I don’t have a Walkman for you, so you’ll have to work hard on yourself.”

Wang Cheng glanced at Wang Peng's Walkman, fashionable clothes, and sneakers, a hint of jealousy flashing in his eyes.

"Teacher Chen, I'm leaving now." Wang Peng left the teachers' office carrying a pile of things.

In order not to disappoint my homeroom teacher and for a better future, I should strive to be in the top ten of the grade.

Suddenly, I felt someone bump my right arm and heard a woman scream.

Wang Peng hurriedly turned around and found himself passing by the stairwell, where a girl was standing there, stunned.

He was of average appearance, short and stout, but his clothes were quite nice. There was a puddle of water and a stainless steel rice bowl on the ground.

Her jeans were soaked with water, and the wet spot was right between her legs.

“I was walking normally when she went downstairs to get water. She wasn’t looking where she was going and bumped into me at the corner of the stairs. The water tank was knocked over and spilled on my pants.”

"It's like a car turning a corner colliding with a car traveling straight; the car turning the corner is fully responsible."

Thinking of this, Wang Peng said softly, "I'm sorry, classmate, are you alright?"

Zhang Qianqian bent down to pick up the jar, examined it closely, and pointed to it, saying, "It's flattened here."

"I'll give you a new one," Wang Peng said.

A jar costs four yuan, which isn't expensive. Although he was not at fault, he didn't want to waste too much breath.

A sly glint flashed in Zhang Qianqian's eyes. "My jeans are an American Apple brand. They cost 860 yuan when I bought them. What do you say, Wang Peng?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Peng immediately frowned.

"Hey kid, don't you usually wash your pants? It's not like you spilled oil on them, they'll just dry and be fine."

"You were the one who bumped into me, it was your fault, how can you expect me to pay for your pants?"

After saying that, Wang Peng became somewhat angry.

"I was just kidding," Zhang Qianqian said with a fake smile. "Wang, you don't need to pay for the jar."

She turned and went back to the classroom, a playful glint in her eyes. "My family is rich, who cares if you pay me? I just want to play around with you because you're handsome."

"Zhang Qianqian, did you wet your pants?" A short-haired girl pointed at her crotch.

"No, I just got my pants wet while getting water," Zhang Qianqian quickly covered her pants.

"An explanation is just a cover-up, it's like wetting your pants," a girl with a ponytail laughed.

The students, unaware of the truth, laughed. Warm water splashed into their crotches; even if it wasn't urine, it was still urine.

Zhang Qianqian sat with her head down, tears welling up in her eyes.

She was not good-looking, had poor grades, and was often bullied by her classmates.

Wang Cheng stopped the two troublemaking girls, saying, "Hey, don't bully people."

"Wang Cheng, you want to be a hero and save the damsel in distress?" the short-haired girl sneered. "Even though you're the second in our class, you're still trash in the whole grade."

Laughter erupted in the classroom again.

"Are you two out of your minds?" Wang Cheng pretended to be angry and started arguing with them.

Zhang Qianqian chuckled inwardly.

“Recently, Wang Cheng has been deliberately trying to strike up a conversation with me, and his words and actions have an element of flattery.”

He figured I was rich just by looking at my clothes, and he's trying to live off me. Fine, I'll play along.