After meeting Su Yuan a few times, Geng Haifan could tell that the mother treated both her daughters differently.
He would no longer contact Su Yuan about Ning Li anymore, but Ye Ci was different.
Ever since Ning Li had transferred to Second High, Ye Ci had been offering a helping hand to her sister.
Even though he had heard the rumors that the sisters were not close out of the public eye, it was to be expected since they had not spent much time together.
Recently, Geng Haifan had noticed that many students had approached Ning Li to ask for her help. Ning Li would then patiently help them with their homework.
If Ning Li could help other students, she could definitely help Ye Ci, her sister.
They were family after all, even if it was just in name.
Moreover, Ye Ci had a strong foundation, and teaching her would not take up too much of Ning Li’s time.
Maybe the girls would become closer if they spent more time together.
Geng Haifan believed it was a good idea, and did not notice the change of expression on Ye Ci’s face when she heard the suggestion.
Ning Li raised her brow slightly when she heard the suggestion as well, and glanced over at Ye Ci.
Ye Ci had never felt so embarrassed before.
She had never thought that she would be standing in the same office as Ning Li and that Geng Haifan would ask Ning Li to tutor her.
Ning Li smiled and said, “Sure.”
Ye Ci curled her fists tightly. She felt like a rock had just dropped onto her chest and suffocated her.
The tone of Ning Li’s voice sounded soft but in Ye Ci’s ears, it was full of mockery and ridicule.
She took a deep breath and smiled stiffly.
“Mr. Geng, Sister Ning Li is quite busy. I don’t think it’s appropriate to take up that much of her time. What if—”
Geng Haifan smiled and stopped her. “It’s okay. Ye Ci, you don’t need to feel bad about it. Ning Li said yes, didn’t she? Besides, Ning Li will only need to spare a little of her time. It won’t affect her much.”
Geng Haifan was confident because of Ning Li’s results.
If Ning Li could pass the monthly test and midterm exam with flying colors, most of the homework and extra-curricular activities would not add much usefulness to her anymore.
She was also attending the competitive Physics class while maintaining her usual studies, both of which she handled skillfully and with ease.
If not for Ning Li’s result, Geng Haifan would not have suggested this idea.
Ye Ci felt embarrassed and scared.
Geng Haifan might not think his words were inappropriate but to Ye Ci, it was the worst news.
He had indirectly told Ye Ci to drop out of the competitive Physics class, yet he asked Ning Li to spare some time to tutor her instead.
The difference in treatment showed clearly that Geng Haifan did not look at the girls evenly.
Ye Ci had always been the smartest girl since she was young. She had excelled at everything until Ning Li’s arrival.
She paled in comparison since then.
The feeling was terrible.
“Then it’s settled. You girls can arrange your time among yourselves.”
Geng Haifan then looked at Ye Ci. “Missing the mark once or twice doesn’t mean anything. Go home, adjust your schedule and continue to work hard. You can do better next time. You can go back to class now.”
Ye Ci turned around and left without saying a word.
The atmosphere in the office had almost suffocated her.
She went out and took a deep breath immediately.
Back in the office, Geng Haifan said to Ning Li, “Ning Li, you did great this time. The school would like you to make a speech under the flag next Monday. What do you think?”
Ye Ci heard it and it made her feel even more terrible. She quickly left the teacher’s office.
…
“A speech?”
“Yeah. The school has been planning this since the monthly test but it was delayed due to various circumstances. The timing is perfect now, so it’s up to you whether or not you want to do it.”
Geng Haifan awkwardly cleared his throat halfway.
The circumstances that he was referring to was the incident where Ning Li had been suspected of cheating.
First of all, Ning Li had still been a new transfer student back then and her files had shown that her results had been below average.
It was not unusual that everyone had suspected her when she got first place.
Second of all, it had been because of the uncanny similarities with Duan Xu’s paper, so the school had treated that incident seriously.
Although the incident had been solved, the speech had been put aside due to various circumstances.
It was not until Ning Li had placed first in the midterm that the school brought it up again.
Ning Li had once again proven her capabilities.
Getting first place citywide with a high score of 741 was more than enough to clear any doubts.
Ning Li knew it as well but was not overly concerned.
The school had its own problems as well.
She nodded and said, “Okay.”
Geng Haifan was happy with the answer. He had thought that Ning Li was a cold person and would not say yes, but now it seemed like the girl was actually an easy-going person.
“Great. Please prepare the speech. It should only be about 5 to 10 minutes long.”
…
Ning Li’s phone buzzed just as she made her exit.
The buzz surprised her. She took her phone out and saw that Ji Shu was calling her.
She frowned. The delight in her heart faded instantly.
She went to the corner of the stairs and answered the phone.
“Yes?”
Ji Shu sounded extremely excited when the call came through. When he heard Ning Li’s slightly irritated tone, he was stunned.
He looked curiously at his phone.
‘Uh… Did I somehow make her mad without realizing it? She doesn’t sound welcoming at all…’
Fortunately, his excitement replaced his doubts.
“Sister Lili! You are really clairvoyant! LY came to me today and made me a better offer than FN!”
Ning Li’s eyes narrowed.
This day had finally arrived.
“Oh, really?”
