Start as a top student after transmigrating.

Around 5 o'clock, my aunt's family arrived.

My aunt's husband is named Zhang Yanqing. He is an intellectual and a schoolteacher. He has only one daughter named Zhang Mengjin, a very poetic name.

She was a bright and cheerful girl, two years younger than Chen Dong.

As soon as they arrived, Chen Lin pulled them away, seemingly forbidding them from paying any attention to Chen Dong and Chen Yuan.

When they were very young, the four of them could play together. Later, the two boys got together because they were naughty, and the two girls liked Chen Dong, but they didn't like him.

Dinner is served promptly at six o'clock.

Unlike before, where adults and children sat at separate tables, the entire family of twelve squeezed onto a large round table. The men drank, while the women kept an eye on the kitchen and would occasionally order dishes.

Chen Dong and the others just ate.

"Come on, everyone, let's raise a glass and have a drink!"

"Happy Spring Festival."

The atmosphere was very harmonious as they frequently raised their glasses during the meal, until Uncle Chen Zhennan suddenly started talking about his children's grades, at which point he began to sigh.

"I think Dongzi has changed a lot. He cut off his conspicuous long yellow hair. And look at my brat, he's so annoying to look at."

Chen Zhennan glanced at Chen Yuan's long, gray hair with obvious disdain and sighed.

Chen Zhenjiang raised his glass and lightly clinked it against the glass on the table in front of Chen Zhennan. "As the old saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. There's no use worrying about children. They will naturally change when they grow up and mature."

"My brat is a year older than Chen Dong. Chen Dong is all mature now, but my brat is still acting like a hooligan." Chen Zhennan got angrier and angrier as he thought about it.

He wasn't one to compare people. Before, Chen Yuan was a bit of a scoundrel, but he had Chen Dong to keep him company. But seeing Chen Dong's transformation today, he realized how much his own son was an eyesore.

He's supposed to be the older brother, but he doesn't act like one at all.

If we weren't spending Chinese New Year at my parents' house, he would definitely have cut it off with scissors.

"Young people have different pursuits, and besides, Xiao Yuan hasn't caused any trouble outside, he's quite obedient." Chen Zhenjiang patted Chen Zhennan, gesturing for him to drink.

"Dongzi, when did your dad become so open-minded?" Across the table, Chen Yuan gently nudged Chen Dong and asked in a low voice.

"When you are useless, you are full of flaws; when you achieve success, great scholars will come to defend you." Chen Dong said with a profound and inscrutable expression.

Chen Yuan didn't understand; he was just a college student and couldn't comprehend such convoluted explanations.

Chen Lin and Zhang Mengjin glanced at Chen Dong and nodded in agreement.

It has to be said that Dong Ge has changed a lot, and he deserves praise compared to before.

"Second brother is right. I think Xiao Yuan is just a playful kid."

Zhang Yanqing spoke politely, adjusted his glasses, raised his glass to Chen Zhennan, and smiled slightly: "Besides, Xiaolin is a good kid, she should have no problem getting into a top university."

As a teacher, no one dislikes students with good grades. Zhang Yanqing thought Chen Lin was very good. It wasn't because he was prejudiced against anyone; it was purely a professional reason.

Moreover, his preference is for all kinds of past exam papers and private tutoring. Given the original owner and Chen Yuan's personalities, they would only be glad that their uncle-in-law did not show them any favoritism.

These are past exam papers; anyone who wants to do them can do them.

"I heard from the teacher that getting into a top university isn't a sure thing, but there's hope. We'll see how well we do on the college entrance exam." Chen Zhennan smiled when he talked about Chen Lin's grades.

I didn't practice my large bowel movement well enough to only get into a first-tier vocational college, but luckily I practiced my small bowel movement well enough to have a chance of getting into a top-tier university.

"Xiao Dong and Chen Lin are in the same grade, and they'll be taking the college entrance exam this year, right? Do you have any plans for intensive study? I can make some study plans for you." Zhang Yanqing suddenly looked at Chen Dong.

He never showed favoritism. He used to favor Chen Lin because only Chen Lin was willing to ask him for advice, while Chen Dong and Chen Yuan would run as far away as possible.

But if Chen Dong is willing, he will definitely tailor-make intensive pre-exam training.

"Thank you, Uncle, but our school has a sprint plan," Chen Dong politely declined. He genuinely didn't need it; he had his own plans.

But to Zhang Yanqing, it was just another excuse for not wanting to learn.

Chen Yuan shared the same thought.

He leaned close to Chen Dong's ear and whispered familiarly, "I'll sleep at your place after dinner. We'll make our move discreetly tonight."

"What operation?" Chen Dong asked, puzzled.

Chen Yuan rolled his eyes at him, and said, "Keep pretending."

They all refused their uncle's tutoring because they just wanted to play. It's always been like this during Chinese New Year. Since the adults had to stay up all night to watch the Spring Festival Gala, they would sneak out to play for a few hours.

"Internet cafe, billiards, ice rink, bar, karaoke, arcade—which do you want to play?" He whispered directly in Chen Dong's ear.

Chen Dong shook his head; he had no interest in these things.

Chen Yuan was stunned. Was this really the same younger brother he knew?

He used to be even more proactive than me, but today he's suddenly back to square one?

In a daze, he seemed to think of a possibility, "Did you not do well on your final exams? Did your second uncle restrict your finances? Don't worry, I've got it. I'll treat you tonight."

He is now a college student and receives a monthly allowance. Although his father doesn't treat him well, he is generous with the allowance, so he has some savings.

Chen Dong looked at him instantly.

Few guys can resist those words. You know, even a cigarette that costs just a few cents can make a guy smile. You can't call someone your godfather when you're treating them.

However, Chen Dong wasn't really interested in any of that, and if he had time in the evening, he was thinking of writing some more, since the book was going to be published soon.

"Xiaolin, what score did you get on the final exam this time?" Zhang Yanqing didn't urge Chen Dong; there was nothing he could do if he didn't want to study. Instead, he turned to look at Chen Lin.

"The questions were a bit difficult this time, and I only got 651," Chen Lin replied with a smile.

"Is it the mock exam in your city?" Zhang Yanqing asked again.

"Mm." Chen Lin nodded.

"Not bad, not bad. A score of 650 in the mock exam should be enough to get into a top university." Zhang Yanqing nodded repeatedly.

Although the mock exams vary from place to place—some regions hold joint exams while others have individual school exams—the difficulty of the mock exams is not low.

If you can get 650 in the mock exam, you won't do badly in the college entrance exam.

Chen Zhenying said, "Xiaolin is really good. Mengjin, learn more from your sister Lin and see how she studies. Don't just play all day."

Zhang Mengjin was speechless. In her parents' eyes, other people's children were always better, and her family was no exception. Even though she did well on her final exams, they didn't know how to praise her.

"Mengjin's grades are pretty good. Don't discourage her, and don't flatter Lin'er. Her grades only give her a chance to get into a top university."

Chen Zhennan stopped Chen Zhenying, but in his heart he still liked to hear it. The big trumpet had caused them a lot of trouble, but the small trumpet's achievements had always been their pride.

"650 on the first mock exam, you're almost guaranteed a spot in a top university. Do you have any weaknesses in any subject?" Chen Dong asked Chen Lin. Although the location and exam papers were different, her score was only slightly lower than Ye Wanwan's and Han Ning'er's.

There's a high probability they'll get into a top-tier university.

If you have a weakness in a particular subject, try harder to get into a top university.

"My math is a little weak," Chen Lin said honestly. This is the situation for most girls, especially in the combined science subjects, where math is relatively a weak point.

"Mathematics tests your thinking skills; it's best to build your own knowledge system," Chen Dong said casually.

Chen Lin agrees with this point, but a knowledge system cannot be built at will. She has tried various methods to build it, but she has always found it difficult to break through 130 in mathematics.

When encountering a mock exam of this difficulty, the score is less than 110, and math accounts for almost half of the total deduction.

puff.

Chen Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Hey bro, what are your grades? Talking about knowledge systems like this isn't our topic, okay?"

Academic performance is a topic for top students; their conversations should revolve around things like internet cafes, arcades, skipping school to fight, or chasing girls.

Talking about grades and studies is just asking for humiliation.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about grades during the New Year." Chen Fumin urged everyone to eat quickly. They were all his grandchildren, so how could he not know how they were doing in school?

Tan Chenlin and Zhang Mengjin have decent academic performance; both are excellent students. Since Zhang Yanqing is a teacher, they can ask him for help if they don't understand something.

But Chen Yuan and Chen Dong aren't cut out for studying, and talking about their grades during the Lunar New Year would make them uncomfortable.

Chen Zhenjiang raised a glass to Chen Fumin and said with a smile, "Dad, actually your grandson did quite well on the final exams this time, so you don't need to worry about his feelings."

"Oh, really?" Chen Fumin's eyes lit up.

Qiu Shuying was somewhat surprised and patted Zeng Ling next to her, asking, "Is what Zhenjiang said true? Did Xiao Chen really do well on his final exams?"

"Mm." Zeng Ling nodded with a smile.

In the past, when we got together during holidays, we would talk about our children's grades, but it mostly revolved around Chen Lin and Zhang Mengjin, because these two children were good at academics and we weren't afraid to say so.

As for Chen Yuan and his son Chen Dong, their academic performance was so poor that the adults were tactful enough not to ask them about it, so as not to upset either the adults or the children.

However, Zeng Ling was actually quite happy this time. She didn't intend to show off, but when talking about Chen Dong's achievements, she naturally didn't deliberately hide them.

"That's real progress."

Zhang Yanqing was quite surprised to hear this and asked curiously, "This mock exam in Qingjiang should be a city-wide joint exam, right? What score did Xiao Chen get?"

Several adults looked at Chen Dong, curious about exactly how many points Chen Zhenjiang meant by "not bad".

Chen Lin and Zhang Mengjin didn't care about any of that; they ate and drank as usual.

Chen Yuan nudged Chen Dong with his elbow and joked, "I didn't expect you to improve so much, bro. You're still making progress right before the high school finale. What was your last place in the exam this time?"

A helpless, bitter smile appeared on Chen Dong's lips. He didn't want to show off, but his family would find out about his grades sooner or later. After all, he couldn't keep his college entrance exam results a secret.

Rather than announcing it later, it's better to reveal it now so the family can be mentally prepared.

He picked up a fried peanut and put it in his mouth, saying casually, "I did well in the mock exam this time, scoring 701 points and luckily getting first place in the city."

"How much?" Chen Yuan, who had been joking, suddenly widened his eyes.

Chen Lin, who hadn't paid any attention, suddenly trembled as she picked up some food, causing the chicken feet to fall back onto the plate. She looked up abruptly, staring at Chen Dong with a face full of surprise.

Zhang Mengjin, who was drinking a beverage, almost spat it out.

Zhang Yanqing and his wife, Chen Zhennan and his wife, and Chen Fumin and Qiu Shuying were all stunned, looking at each other as if they were trying to confirm whether they had heard correctly.

701? Number one in the city?

Is this the kind of academic achievement a student who consistently ranks at the bottom can get?