Chapter 31

To be honest, Chu Yin had added the character out of sheer mischief. What kind of effect it would produce, she had no idea.
Just thinking about it was strangely thrilling.
Father Chen had just stepped into the kitchen and saw his handsome son talking to a young girl. He frowned. "This is..."
Father Chu followed closely behind and suddenly remembered his daughter Chu Yin. He quickly introduced, "Oh, this is my daughter who ranked first in her grade." After saying that, he scolded Chu Yin, "Why didn't you come out to greet everyone when you got home?"
Chu Yin replied, "Oh, hello, Uncle."
Father Chen initially thought the girl was impolite, but upon closer inspection, his eyes lit up, this girl was clearly prettier than the other one and had better grades! What was Old Chu thinking, introducing the less impressive one to them?
He stepped forward, amiably pulling his son along. "Xuanyuan, have you two met? This..."
But when he tugged, his son didn't budge.
So Father Chen tugged again, but Chen Xuanyuan still didn't move, only a dignified, roguish smile lingering on his lips.
Father Chen: ?
Chu Yin, however, understood,
A turtle, motionless as a turtle!
Look at that unwavering, domineering aura!
Father Chen felt a little awkward, thinking to himself, "Has my son been stunned into stillness? How unbecoming..."
Chu Qiuqiu also came over and, seeing the scene, grew very uneasy. She bit her lip angrily. Was Chu Yin trying to steal him from her?
And she deliberately chose such a private space, how cunning of her!
Just then, Chen Xuanyuan slowly turned his head to look at his father and then suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Father Chen was startled. "Xuanyuan, what's wrong with you!"
Chen Xuanyuan didn't answer. Instead, he pressed his hands against the floor, and Chu Yin understood again, oh, he wants to crawl!
Turtles crawl when they move, after all!
Father Chen was shocked and desperately tried to stop him. "Xuanyuan, what's wrong with you, Xuanyuan!"
Chen Xuanyuan let out a desperate, cold laugh. "Don't stop me!"
Seeing him like this, it was impossible to continue the conversation. Father Chen had no idea why his handsome son, who had been perfectly fine just moments ago, had suddenly turned into this state.
In the end, Father Chen and Father Chu worked together to haul Chen Xuanyuan into the car, both sweating profusely and feeling extremely awkward.
"Old Chu, we have other matters to attend to today. Let's meet at the banquet in a couple of days!"
Mr. Chu replied understandingly, "Go ahead and take care of your business. We'll see you then!"
Mr. Chen said, "The matter we discussed between our families remains unchanged. I'm quite satisfied with the girl from earlier..."
Before he could finish, Chen Xuanyuan in the car began crawling under the seat with a cold sneer on his face. Father Chen broke into a sweat. "Well, we'll be going now!"
Father Chu watched them drive away from the villa area before returning home.
He had originally been worried that Qiuqiu's sudden dancing habit would cause embarrassment... but now it seemed Old Chen's son wasn't entirely normal either...
Every family has its own troubles.
The final exam results were announced on the day students returned to school, and the test papers were reviewed on the same day.
For the students of Quiwen, the day of returning to school was particularly exciting, especially for elite classes like Class 5.
"Hey, I just passed by the teachers' office and overheard them saying the grade average this time is much lower than the midterms!"
"Of course! The exam was so hard, scores are bound to drop across the board!"
"Do you think Chu Yin can still take first place?"
"It depends on math. If she can pull ahead in math, she’ll probably hold onto first place..."
Chu Yin was also looking forward to her results. After all, this final exam was a stepping stone to the next major academic task. Only after clearing this hurdle could she think about the next step.
Song Zhaolin was even more nervous than during the midterms, sitting at his desk with his hands clasped together. "Please let me pass, please let me pass, I’m begging you..."
Chu Yin, aware of how strict his older brother could be, raised an eyebrow. "So if you pass, you won’t get beaten?"
It seemed his brother wasn’t that much of a devil after all.
Song Zhaolin shook his head with an air of resignation. "No... if I pass, I can keep everything from the neck up..."
"..." After a moment of silence, Chu Yin said, "So why can’t you just study properly?!"
Song Zhaolin wailed, "I did study! But the exam was so damn hard! My most optimistic estimate is that I’ll only get an 89 in math."
The passing score was 90.
Chu Yin sighed.
Silly boy, even your dear father can’t help you this time.
But the math exam really was quite difficult; Chu Yin had felt it while solving the problems. She encountered two question types she’d seen during advanced training, essentially, they were beyond the syllabus. Even she wasn’t entirely confident in her answers, let alone the other second-year students.
However, no matter how much they worried, the results had to be announced.
The first few classes covered the three humanities subjects, and the test papers were handed directly to each student. Chu Yin performed steadily as always: first in geography, second or third in history and politics, with her total score still firmly in first place.
"Damn, Chu Yin is first again!"
"She’s so amazing... The total points she lost across all three subjects are about the same as what I lost in just one."
"Top students will be top students..."
Fu Mingxuan had originally hoped to redeem herself this time, but after hearing Chu Yin’s humanities scores, she fell silent.
Sometimes, once being outperformed becomes a habit, one’s psychological resilience automatically improves.
In the subsequent Chinese and English exams, the class ranking didn’t change much. Jiang Yan still had the highest score in Chinese, Chu Yin still scored a perfect mark in English, and Fu Mingxuan came in second with 145.
Surprisingly, Fu Mingxuan seemed quite satisfied with her score, and those around her congratulated her: "145 is really high!" "Second place is awesome!"
Her friend Xing Lan sighed beside her.
At some point, the students in Class 5 had started competing for second place. It was as if securing second place was already a remarkable achievement.
After class, Jiang Yan ran over to Chu Yin’s desk. "Yin Yin, only math is left. Are you confident?"
Although Song Zhaolin’s own results were dismal, he had blind, unwavering confidence in Chu Yin’s performance. "Why even ask? She’ll take first place in no time!"
Jiang Yan retorted, "It’s not like you’re the one getting first!"
Song Zhaolin shot back, "Can’t I hype her up in advance?!"
Chu Yin found their bickering quite amusing and chuckled for a moment before answering objectively, "About 80%."
Although it was indeed challenging, Chu Yin felt that the extent to which she could solve it was probably still among the highest.
Soon, Sister Wang walked into the classroom carrying the test papers, making the students of Class 5 instantly tense.
Many of them had wanted to participate in the Hope Cup since last year, and this was their second school-level selection, so they couldn't help but feel nervous.
Because of the tension, no one clamored to discuss scores this time. After all, once the questions were reviewed, they could check their answers and figure out their scores themselves.
For most of the class, the test papers were a sea of red marks.
Song Zhaolin was already in a daze.
He could already picture the "brilliant" scene of himself getting beaten up...
Chu Yin checked her answers against the teacher's and calculated her score: 145. She had still gotten the last part of the final question wrong. She carefully recalculated it from the beginning and knew she deserved to lose those points.
When Song Zhaolin saw the score she had written at the top of her paper, he exclaimed, "Sister Yin, you got 145?!"
What kind of monster was she?!
He had only scored half of her total!!
Everyone was paying close attention to the math scores, and when they heard Chu Yin had scored 145, their faces turned pale with shock.
Chu Yin really wanted to shut Song Zhaolin's big mouth: "...This is just my own calculation."
But Sister Wang on the podium smiled and said, "No mistake! It's 145. I double-checked it specifically. Excellent job, very impressive!"
Chu Yin had indeed not disappointed her. The difficulty of this math test was almost at the level of the senior year. The other top students in the class had scored at most 130, while Chu Yin had still managed to maintain a score above 140. This gave Sister Wang great confidence in her competing in the contest.
The class erupted into murmurs, and everyone turned to look at Chu Yin.
Zhao Yuxiong said, "How is Chu Yin so amazing? She's practically a goddess."
Li Jin nodded, "She is a goddess."
"Then her spot in the Hope Cup is secured, right?"
"Probably."
Fu Mingxuan looked at her own score of 132 and thought dejectedly, "Even if I get a spot, I’ll just be overshadowed by Chu Yin at the winter camp. Might as well not go!"
As soon as class ended, Jiang Yan rushed over to Chu Yin. She had scored 135, which was an improvement compared to her midterm results. Math had never been her strong suit, so she was quite satisfied with her performance this time.
A figure appeared at the back door of Class 5 and called out softly, "Chu Yin, Chu Yin!"
Chu Yin turned to see Han Chuying clinging to the doorframe, looking in eagerly.
Chu Yin smiled and waved, and Han Chuying happily ran over. Everyone in Class Five knew her, she was the second in the grade. Before Chu Yin arrived, Han Chuying had even taken the top spot before. Guess top students really do stick together, huh?
"I heard! You scored 145, right?" Han Chuying said excitedly. "You're definitely going to the Hope Cup!"
Chu Yin raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You already know?"
Han Chuying shook her phone. "People have been talking about it on the forum. You're so outstanding, everyone's paying attention."
After knowing her for a few days, Chu Yin had already learned to automatically filter out Han Chuying's endless stream of flattery. The girl was great in every way, except she just loved praising people too much.
Han Chuying didn't think she was exaggerating at all; in fact, she felt her words were too weak to do Chu Yin justice.
The weather was cold, and Chu Yin wore a high-necked black cashmere sweater under her school uniform. It not only made her neck look long and elegant but also accentuated her fair skin. Her chin brushed against the collar, and her tea-colored hair fell softly over her shoulders, making her look like a painting.
Han Chuying stared for a moment and got excited again. Oh my god, she's so beautiful! I'm so jealous of the people in Class Five! And her deskmate!
Jiang Yan hadn't been close to Han Chuying before; they were just nodding acquaintances from the top exam hall. But after this interaction, she realized Han Chuying was actually very cheerful, not at all the rigid, serious type of top student.
After fangirling over Chu Yin's face for a bit, Han Chuying finally remembered why she had come. "Oh right, I got 142 in math. I asked around, and no one in Class One scored higher than me. What about your class?"
Jiang Yan shook her head enviously. "I didn't break 140. Only Yin Yin did in our class."
Han Chuying grew even more excited. "Then does that mean I can get a spot too?!"
The thought of going to the winter camp with such a beauty, and possibly even sharing a dorm with her, made Han Chuying so thrilled she felt like jumping.
Chu Yin smiled, thinking it would be nice to go with her.
Song Zhaolin, who had just returned from a stroll, chimed in casually, "So, does that mean Sister Yin is the math top scorer now?"
Han Chuying, also a natural at making friends, immediately pulled out her phone and started scrolling.
Suddenly, her expression froze as she saw something. "Holy crap."
Song Zhaolin immediately sensed some gossip and quickly asked, "What? What happened?"
Han Chuying looked utterly disbelieving. "145 isn't the top math score?!"
Everyone present was shocked. "What?!"
"Then who's number one?"
Is there some hidden genius in our grade?!
Even Chu Yin was surprised. She looked up and asked, "Did they say who it is?"
"They did," Han Chuying stammered. "It's that... Lu, Lu Zhen..."
Song Zhaolin: "?!"
Chu Yin: "…"
Ding! Host's [Achieve Top Math Score] mission failed!
Damn you, Lu Zhen!!
...
At the same moment, the math teacher of the International Class looked pleased.
Old Chen had been teaching for many years and was highly respected. Previously, the Lu family had approached him with an invitation to tutor Lu Zhen privately, but he had declined due to his frontline teaching commitments. Later, he heard that the Lu family had hired a university professor to tutor Lu Zhen, so Old Chen had always known that Lu Zhen's math skills were exceptional.
This time, Lu Zhen had finally taken the exam and scored 147, two points higher than the top student from Class Five.
What made Elder Chen even more relieved was that Lu Zhen actually didn't reject the Hope Cup competition and was willing to accept the spot!
He was so happy that he drank a large cup of tea.
The news of Lu Zhen scoring 147 in math spread throughout the entire school as if tied to a rocket. Forums, QQ groups, and WeChat groups were all discussing the matter.
In everyone's impression, although Lu Zhen was good-looking and came from a prominent family, his grades were poor, and he was somewhat laid-back.
But this time, on such a difficult math paper, he actually surpassed the previous top student in the grade!
Liang Yueqi looked at her shocked classmates and smiled, indicating that she wasn't surprised at all.
"You just don't know him well. The Lu family has hired private tutors specifically for Lu Zhen," Liang Yueqi said with the air of someone in the know. "His grades are actually very good. I've always known."
Those around her sighed in admiration, noting that the Lu and Liang families were indeed old friends and seemed to have a close relationship.
After subtly showing off, Liang Yueqi felt a pang of regret, if she had known that Lu Zhen would take the exam and might even participate in the competition, she would have definitely crammed for math before finals!
Lu Zhen himself was the calmest.
He was aware of his own knowledge level and had a good grasp of the difficulty of the paper. This score fell within his estimated range.
Lu Zhen couldn't help but pass by Class Five and casually glanced into the classroom.
Chu Yin was sitting by the window, her head lowered as she looked over her test paper with a serious expression.
The warm winter sunlight streamed through the glass and fell on the top of her head. She was wearing a black turtleneck sweater today and looked very well-behaved.
Lu Zhen's heart suddenly softened.
Didn't she like people who were good at studying? Lu Zhen thought.
So this time, did he count?
Lu Zhen didn't linger for too long. After seeing her, he turned and went back to his own classroom. Song Zhaolin had already slipped over and was waiting for him.
As soon as he saw Lu Zhen, Song Zhaolin started howling: "Brother Zhen! You're amazing! I'm your little fanboy!"
Lu Zhen curled his lips and cursed at him: "Get lost."
Song Zhaolin: "Seriously, you actually managed to beat my deskmate. That's insane!"
Lu Zhen lowered his eyes nonchalantly and asked, "Was your deskmate surprised?"
Song Zhaolin: "Surprised? Of course!"
Lu Zhen's hand, resting under the desk, subtly rubbed his knuckles as he asked calmly, "What did she say?"
Song Zhaolin scratched his head: "Oh, she said she wanted to kill someone."
Lu Zhen: "..."
…
Chu Yin had slipped up.
This time, being the top scorer in math and the top scorer in the grade were linked tasks. Failing one meant failing both.
So even though she still ranked first in the grade with a total score of 704, she had lost to that bastard who scored 147 in math!
"Ahhhhh, "
Chu Yin was so angry she wanted to tear her hair out.
But even though she was furious, this time she didn’t plan to secretly plot against him.
Failing to outscore him was just that, she lost by two points, plain and simple. She could mess with Lu Zhen over past grudges, but not just because she scored lower than him.
Besides, she refused to believe she’d never beat him!
Chu Yin’s parents, however, were extremely pleased with her results and showered her with praise at the dinner table.
Chu Qiuqiu had moved up to sixth place this time, but her parents completely overlooked her because they found their biological daughter more impressive.
Chu Qiuqiu’s grip on her fork tightened slightly.
"And there’s more good news," Father Chu said, beaming. "Tomorrow, I’m taking you all to a banquet. Uncle Chen and his son, who visited us before, will also be there. Make sure you prepare well!"
Chu Yin said, "You all go ahead. I’ll pass."
Chu Qiuqiu’s heart lifted with joy.
But Father Chu immediately scolded, "No!"
The Chen family had made their intention to form a marriage alliance clear, and after returning home, Chen Xuanyuan had explicitly stated he preferred Chu Yin. For the sake of the family’s interests, even if Chu Yin was uncomfortable, she had to attend and socialize.
Chu Yin gave him a cold look.
She understood his motives all too well, in his eyes, this was just part of her duty as a daughter of the Chu family.
What nonsense!
Still, she probably should attend this banquet. If she didn’t, who knew what agreements her father might make behind her back? By the end of the night, she might even find herself engaged.
"Fine," Chu Yin said. "I’ll go."
She could always cause some trouble once she got there.
Father and Mother Chu both smiled with satisfaction and relief. Only Chu Qiuqiu kept her head down, hiding her resentment.
…
The banquet was held downtown, and Father Chu brought both daughters along.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, he frowned disapprovingly. "Xiao Yin, you’re dressed too casually. Look at Qiuqiu."
Chu Qiuqiu had put a lot of effort into her appearance, skillfully highlighting her strengths and downplaying her weaknesses. Her evening gown was perfectly chosen. In contrast, Chu Yin’s dress was very simple, a warm knit style.
Father Chu sighed inwardly. It seemed the daughter raised at home really did have better taste.
As they entered the banquet hall, they were greeted by many wealthy socialites. Father Chu quickly stepped forward to begin mingling.
Chu Qiuqiu glanced at Chu Yin and couldn’t resist saying, "Sister, you must be really uncomfortable in this kind of setting, right?"
Chu Yin replied, "It’s alright."
It had been a long time since she’d attended something like this.
Chu Yin scanned the room and suddenly spotted Chen Xuanyuan. She immediately slipped away, leaving him to Chu Qiuqiu.
Chen Xuanyuan approached, and Chu Qiuqiu blushed, widening her eyes as she looked at him. "Brother Xuanyuan…"
Chen Xuanyuan gave a casual nod, then began searching the room for Chu Yin.
Though he didn’t want to admit it, that woman had somehow bewitched him, he couldn’t get her out of his mind!
How could he, Chen Xuanyuan, fall so easily?
Chu Qiuqiu noticed his distraction and bit her lip. "Brother Xuanyuan, did you know? My sister was actually brought back from the countryside."
Chen Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Chu Qiuqiu continued, "She was raised there for over ten years. She can’t compare to typical wealthy young ladies, her fashion sense and upbringing are lacking. My parents are actually quite worried about it…"
Chen Xuanyuan smirked. "So that’s how it is. Interesting."
Hah, so that woman must feel inferior deep down when she’s around him!
No wonder she was so cold to him!
Her coldness was just her protective coloring!
Chen Xuanyuan scanned the room and finally spotted Chu Yin’s figure in the corner. A bewitching smile spread across his face as he strode confidently toward her.
On the second floor of the hall, two men leaned against the railing, each holding a glass of wine.
Lu Linyuan looked down at the scene of fame and fortune below and remarked with a smile, “Lu Zhen, since when did you start paying attention to these kinds of occasions?”
Lu Zhen’s gaze was fixed on a certain point as he replied nonchalantly, “Just bored, that’s all.”
…He had accidentally outscored a certain good student and was worried she might be angry.
He’d heard she was attending the banquet, so he came to check on her.
So, was she still angry? Lu Zhen wondered silently.
Lu Linyuan followed his line of sight, trying to identify the object of his attention, but Lu Zhen quickly averted his gaze. Unable to pinpoint who it was, Lu Linyuan chuckled lightly and probed, “The daughter of the Chu family is your classmate, isn’t she?”
Lu Zhen took a sip of his wine. “Mm.”
Lu Linyuan said leisurely, “I heard tonight’s banquet is meant to bring the Chu and Chen families together, they have plans for a marriage alliance. But they’re just minor families, hardly worth paying attention to.”
Lu Zhen’s expression suddenly darkened.
Lu Linyuan raised an eyebrow slightly. “What’s wrong?”
Downstairs, Chen Xuanyuan strode confidently up to Chu Yin, saying something they couldn’t hear.
So the marriage alliance the Chen family was pushing for… was with Chu Yin?
Lu Zhen’s expression grew colder by the second, his pupils dark and unfathomable, though his voice remained controlled and calm.
“Nothing,” he said coldly. “The wine is just terrible.”
…
Chu Yin had given Chu Qiuqiu and Chen Xuanyuan space to develop their relationship, but unfortunately, things didn’t seem to be progressing as she had hoped.
This arrogant fool was back in front of her again.
“So, it’s because you feel inferior that you’ve been so cold to me!”
Chu Yin: “…??”
Where the hell did he come up with that idea??
Just in case he tried any shady moves, Chu Yin decided to pull out her script this time.
Go ahead, do as you please. I’m ready to strike at any moment.
Chen Xuanyuan laughed arrogantly and wildly. “I know you’re from a small, humble background. If you follow me, I can give you everything you’ve ever dreamed of!”
Chu Yin: “…”
“Your parents are very satisfied with me, I can tell. And even if you try to hide your feelings for me, I can see through it,” Chen Xuanyuan said with a roguish grin. “, Woman, don’t even think about escaping my grasp!”
Chu Yin: "Ugh."
She genuinely let out a dry heave.
My eyes! My ears!!! Can someone save me?!
Amid her disgust, Chu Yin soberly realized that this guy was dead set on marrying her, so she had to do something.
Ding! System friendly reminder: The special item [Replacement Card] in the host's account is about to expire!
Chu Yin: "This thing has an expiration date?!"
Yes, it does!
Chu Yin: "What exactly does the Replacement Card do?"
The Replacement Card is used on a specific character. It can replace every instance of a certain word or phrase in that character's script with another word or phrase.
Chu Yin instantly understood, wasn't this just the "replace" function in Word??
Chen Xuanyuan was looking down at her condescendingly and said with a smirk, "What, are you too excited?"
Chu Yin had been slightly hesitant before, but upon hearing this, she immediately made up her mind: ...Alright, you're the one.
Dealing with a show-off with a show-off move, no problem .
"Use the Replacement Card," Chu Yin said.
She thought about it, if Chen Xuanyuan had mental issues, the chances of ruining this marriage alliance would increase significantly.
Chu Yin looked at the script, which was filled with Chen Xuanyuan's flashy lines.
How could she maximize the function of the Replacement Card? Of course, by replacing the most frequently appearing word in the script.
...You love to talk, don't you? Chu Yin thought. Then go ahead and let it all out!!
Chu Yin said to the system, "Replace every instance of 'said' with 'roared.'"
Study System: ...As expected of you! An artist!
As soon as she finished speaking, the script was instantly replaced.
Just then, Chu Qiuqiu happened to walk over and weakly tugged at Chen Xuanyuan's sleeve: "Brother Xuanyuan, Sister, Dad is calling us over."
Chen Xuanyuan turned around, opened his mouth, and suddenly let out a thunderous roar: "I'm going right now!!"
Chu Qiuqiu was caught off guard and trembled in fright.
Even Chu Yin was so startled she took two steps back, such powerful force!
Father Chen heard the commotion and hurried over: "Xuanyuan, what's wrong?"
Chen Xuanyuan turned around and let out another dragon-like roar: "I'm fine! I don't want to be like this either!!"
"Damn! What's going on?!"
Father Chen was sprayed right in the face, and his heart nearly leaped out of his chest from the roar.
Chen Xuanyuan's voice was so loud that the entire banquet hall could hear it. This was an elegant high-society social occasion, and no one had ever been so out of control before. Everyone looked at him with strange expressions.
Chen Xuanyuan panicked and continued roaring frantically: "Damn it! God! Heaven! What's wrong with me?!"
Father Chen: "Calm down! Xuanyuan, calm down!"
Chen Xuanyuan roared hysterically: "I am calm!!!"
Father Chen was even more frantic: You are not calm!!
Just then, someone stopped behind Chen Xuanyuan and said coldly, ", Hey."
Father Chen recognized the newcomer and looked horrified, quickly trying to pull his son back: "Don't roar, "
But Chen Xuanyuan had already turned around and bellowed deafeningly: "What do you want?!"
Silence fell all around.
Lu Zhen looked at him expressionlessly and said, "Are you a loudspeaker that gained sentience?"
"Get out."