Translator: Tuiwen Editor: Tuiwen
Meanwhile, in the Cheng Residence…
Old Madam Cheng slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was still blurry, and she had to squint and blink a few times before the figures in the distance finally cleared.
Cheng Wei was studying some documents about precision instruments. Now and then, she would look up to discuss something with her colleagues in hushed voices.
One of the military doctors happened to glance in the bed’s direction and found that the old madam was staring at them. “Miss Cheng, your grandmother is awake.”
Cheng Wei whirled around, her eyes bright with excitement. She went over to the bed and held the old woman’s hand. “Grandma!” she exclaimed shakily, her eyes filling up.
“Why are you crying?” Old Madam Cheng chided in a weak voice. “I’m not even dead yet.”
“Don’t joke about such things, Grandma. You have no idea how worried we were. I was beginning to think I won’t be able to save you.”
The other doctor flinched upon hearing that, but he said nothing and only lowered his head.
It seemed that Miss Cheng had decided to take this successful treatment to be her own.
The world’s leading experts hadn’t even been able to do anything. If word got out that Miss Cheng had managed to cure Old Madam Cheng, it would certainly shock the medical field.
And then she would be the center of fame and fortune, and no one would question her claim.
“It must have been difficult for you,” Old Madam Cheng said kindly. “But now I see that Wei Wei’s medical skills have gotten better. You will only succeed in the future.”
Cheng Wei pursed her lips in satisfaction, though the smile she put on was on the humbler side.
The old woman sighed and looked around the room. “Where is your Sixth Uncle?”
She recalled seeing her errant son the first time she had woken up.
Cheng Wei’s expression froze for a couple of seconds, but she instantly regained her composure. “He left as soon as we knew that you were out of danger. Sixth Uncle is a very busy man, apparently.”
“Busy, my foot,” Old Madam Cheng grumbled.
She hadn’t even fully recovered yet, and the devil had already fled!
“Don’t stress yourself out over this, Grandma. You still have Uncle and Aunt waiting for you outside. Should I call them inside?”
Old Madam Cheng took a few deep breaths to calm herself. “No, let them go home for now. Tell them to come back once I am able to get out of bed. I’m sure it won’t be long now, since I have you to take care of me.”
“Of course, Grandma.”
Cheng Wei couldn’t keep the delight from her voice. The matriarch was treating her better than she ever had.
At this rate, she would certainly rise among the ranks of the Cheng family.
‘Sixth Uncle and that filthy girl were already gone. Now, as long as Third Brother doesn’t say anything, no one else in the family would bring her up.’
As for the prescription she had left behind, the blood clot in the old madam’s brain had already disappeared. Cheng Wei knew she was more than capable of handling her grandmother’s recovery from now on.
In another part of the city, Yao Tang was plopped on the passenger seat of a car. Bored, she took out her phone and started a round of her favorite game.
Cheng Yan cocked his head to the side and studied the girl beside him. She had her legs crossed long on the seat, like a little gangster boss. A smile flashed briefly across his face as he placed his purchases on the
dashboard.
“Milk tea and some snacks.”
Yao Tang glanced up from her screen and took note of the goods—macarons, matcha mille-feuille, strawberry mille-feuille, and a packet of marshmallows.
An eyebrow raised in mild surprise. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Cheng Yan replied as his eyes wandered to her waist with interest. “You always eat so many sweets. Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?”
Yao Tang smirked. “I’m still a growing girl.”
“Hmm.” Cheng Yan didn’t expect her to cut him off on the subject like that. “The parent-teacher conference is tomorrow. You will have to be there, won’t you?”
“Yes,” Yao Tang said distractedly. Her eyes were already glued back to her phone, and her slender fingers were expertly controlling her chosen avatar. “I’ll wait for you at the entrance of the classroom building.”
He nodded, then his mind drifted off to the matter of her grades. “Do you think I’ll be called aside by your teachers for some serious conversation?”
Yao Tang paused and considered Xi Yan’s personality. “Hmm, probably.”
Cheng Yan gave her a sideways glance, his eyes glinting with something. He looked like a wolf staring at its prey, with the certain knowledge that he would be able to pin her down whenever he wanted to.
Indeed, he could simply use his studies as an excuse to look for her in the future. After all, he was about to prepare for the college examinations, and his grades put him among the cream of the crop, where Yao
Tang would surely belong to as well.
They drove to the airport and returned to City A in no time.
The next day came swiftly. Not only was it the first parent-teacher conference for the third-year students, but it was also the first step for their moving-up ceremony.
The school pooled a lot of money into the event, and the whole affair was as grand as any of them had hoped. Radio music blared from the speakers around the campus, and the grounds were filled with parents and
third-year students who proudly sported their school uniforms.
A few parents gathered to the side began comparing their children’s academic performance. In particular, they discussed the matter of the school rankings, which led to the topic of Classes 1 and 12.
“What? So this year’s number one is from Class 12, and a transfer student at that?!”
“That’s right. What I don’t understand is how such a brilliant student ended up at the bottom class in the first place. They should have assigned her to Class 1 upon her enrollment!”
“Well, the school must have their own plans that we know nothing about.”
Luo Hua was coincidentally passing by at that moment. His face twitched. No matter where he went, he always heard a similar conversation among the parents. Still, he held on to his stiff smile, even though his teeth
were practically grinding against each other behind his lips.
Was he regretting his initial decision? Of course, he was! How could he not?
If he had known from the start that Yao Tang was such an excellent seedling, he would never have insisted against the principal’s orders on that fateful day..
