Yao Ran perked up, her heart skipping a beat. She wiped her tears and looked meaningfully at Yao Yuan.
Beside her, Qin Manseemed to jerk back to her senses as well.
They had known about the release of the Olympiad’s results, but the family had to go and pick up the Old Madam around the scheduled time.
Thankfully, the old lady appeared to be somewhat mollified at the knowledge that Yao Ranhad participated in such a notable competition. For the first time that night, she looked straight at the girl. “Is this true?”
Qin Man’s face broke out into a smile. She felt as though the tables had finally turned in their favor. She nudged Yao Ran, urging her to take out her phone and check her scores.
Then she went on to gush about how outstanding her adopted daughter was, and how rare an opportunity it was to compete at the Math Olympiad.
“Is that so? Well, my Yao Tangis just as brilliant,” the old lady retorted. “Perhaps even more so, since she has thrived on her own all this time. It’s not as if she received any support from her biological parents.”
Qin Man’s stomach dropped. She had nothing to say to that.
Another awkward silence ensued, as nobody else dared to speak.
Yao Yuan gave his wife a sideways glance, an unspoken plea not to annoy his mother any more than they already had.
It hadn’t been easy to coax the Old Madam to pay them a visit, to begin with. They would do well not to provoke her and forever be on her bad side.
Getting the hint, Qin Manoffered the old lady an apologetic smile. “I’m sureYao Tangdid well, Mom. But she simply isn’t onRanran’s level. You cannot compare the two.”
In the end, however, she couldn’t keep her biases to herself as she added, “I mean, Ranranwas raised surrounded by an abundance of books and other learning resources. She is naturally superior to a country girl who only knows manual labor. Hard work alone cannot give you excellent grades.”
Qin Man was so self-absorbed that she failed to notice how the Old Madam’s expression grew fiercer with every word she spoke.
The old lady’s grip tightened on the head of her walking stick, and she was glaring at Qin Manas though she wanted to beat the younger woman up with it.
By this time, Yao Ranhad already verified her test results.
She stared at her screen, her brows furrowed.
“What is it?” Qin Manasked when she noticed the pause. She went over and patted the girl’s shoulder. “What is it,Ranran? How did you do? Come on, tell your Grandma.”
Even as she said this, she leaned over and peered at Yao Ran’s phone.
The Math Olympiad Competition had a total of 100 points. Those who reached the 80-point mark were generally considered to be very good math students.
And then there were those who scored above 90, and they were touted as the truly gifted in the field of Mathematics.
“I… I got 95 points,” Yao Ransaid under her breath, her eyes still fixed on the numbers on her screen, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Yao Yuan clapped his hands excitedly. “Look at this kid! She got 95 out of 100. 95 points! How amazing is that, Mom?”
“That’s right, that’s right, our Young Miss is really amazing,” the housekeeper chimed in from the side.
“Your rank,” Qin manexclaimed, only to be disappointed as she added, “is second. I see.”
She frowned. All at once, she forgot about Yao Ran’s 95-point score, and how impressive she had initially thought it was. She hadn’t expectedYao Ranto only rank second.
Yao Ran hadn’t expected it, either. She had a cheat sheet, with all the answers to the test, so how come she was five points short of the total score? Had the teacher made a mistake, by any chance?
Noticing her daughter’s bitter smile, Qin Mansmoothed her expression and put on a proud front. “How wonderful,Ranran! Your score is more than enough! I’m sure you’ll eventually win the first prize! Just imagine what an honor it would be when you bring home the medal for your family!”
Qin Man smirked to herself. Those last two bits were purposely said for her mother-in-law’s ears.
No matter how much the old bat liked Yao Tang, she would have no choice but to face reality sooner or later. That bumpkin was no match for their preciousRanran.
How could she, when she never had access to a proper education? She couldn’t even hope to catch up to Yao Ran, let alone best her.
Qin Man flashed a satisfied grin at the Old Madam. “See, Mom?Ranranhas done well for our family’s honor. Only the top three students will be awarded medals, and I’m confident thatRanranwill be one of them.”
