Chapter 5

Tao Shushu read the agreement word by word.
System: …
After finishing the agreement, Tao Shushu had a basic strategy to deal with the female lead.
She put away her phone. [Hey, why hasn’t the female lead come to school yet? I miss her.]
The system reminded her, [Su Momo’s Academic Genius System has taken a hit and will definitely undergo an upgrade.]
[Then I’m so scared. I guess I’ll just have to study a bit more and hit her a few more times, boohoo.] Tao Shushu walked briskly back to the classroom to prepare for the exam.
In the afternoon, they had English and Biology exams.
With the intense exams over, the students of Huiwen Highschool, free from pressure, began to gossip.
As Tao Shushu walked back to her class, she overheard her classmates discussing.
“I heard the real daughter of the Su family, who went missing years ago, has been found.”
“She even came for the exam this morning, but after the chemistry test, she ran off crying. During the English exam this afternoon, Zhang Hai, the homeroom teacher of the International Class, personally escorted her to the last exam room. You should’ve seen Zhang Hai’s face, darker than the blackboard. I bet she’s going to have a tough time in his class.”
“Maybe her grades will improve after a while. At noon, her mom signed her up for a private tutoring class, the one I mentioned last time with the stunningly beautiful teacher.”
Huiwen was a private high school with high tuition fees, and most of its students came from wealthy families in Yancheng, so they were all familiar with one another. After gossiping for a bit, the students went to look up photos of the beautiful teacher.
Tao Shushu also leaned over to take a look and made a mental note of the name of Su Momo’s tutoring school.
Shortly after, Tao Shushu was called to the office by her homeroom teacher.
When Tao Shushu knocked and reported her arrival, Zhang Hai happened to be reprimanding someone in the high school physics office, and that someone was Su Momo.
Seeing it was Tao Shushu, Zhang Hai raised his voice irritably, “Su Momo, you need to toughen up. The exams at Huiwen are indeed a bit more challenging than what you were used to in your rural high school, but you can’t just burst into tears during the test. Have your parents arrange tutoring for you as soon as possible, I’ll be calling them. You may go now.”
Su Momo stammered, “Mr. Zhang, could you please not call my parents?”
Zhang Hai shook his head. "What did your parents tell me this morning? They said your grades are excellent and there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll have to have a proper talk with them to help them see their children in the right light"
Tao Shushu couldn’t be bothered to listen any longer. She walked past Zhang Hai’s desk and approached her homeroom teacher, Shi Yu.
Though Shi Yu had only graduated two years ago, she was exceptionally capable, had a youthful mindset, and got along well with all the students.
"Sister Yu, your bun looks really nice today," Tao Shushu said.
"Stop with the flattery. If you’re not feeling well, you should’ve asked for leave. I was so worried when I got Mr. Zhang’s call."
Zhang Hai, no longer scolding Su Momo, chimed in, "Teacher Shi Yu, Tao Shushu handed in a blank physics paper. I think the spot for the physics competition should go to the international class instead."
When it came to matters concerning her students, Shi Yu didn’t back down. "Shushu fell asleep today because she wasn’t feeling well. She didn’t even attempt the questions, so how can you judge her ability? My stance remains the same, let’s decide based on the results of the school’s training sessions."
Tao Shushu stood to the side.
Su Momo stared at Tao Shushu with a complicated expression. If it weren’t for Tao Shushu, she would have aced all her subjects today. She could have happily prepared for Sunday’s homecoming banquet, where she would have "surprised" everyone with the news that she scored full marks in three subjects and ranked first overall in the entrance exam.
By then, she would have been the undisputed star of the banquet. The elite circles of Yancheng would have learned how outstanding the Su family’s daughter was, and her classmates would have marveled at both her family background and her achievements.
No one would ever dare look down on her again.
But now, all of that had been ruined by Tao Shushu.
She had never felt so humiliated.
She was determined to make Tao Shushu pay.
Ignoring Su Momo’s murderous glare, Tao Shushu pulled a pebble from her pocket and gently squeezed it, cracking it into several pieces.
She took out another and crushed it as well.
When she pulled out a third pebble, she glanced at Su Momo’s head before crushing it.
Su Momo felt a chill run down her spine and shifted away from the direct blast of the air conditioner.
Zhang Hai glanced up and noticed Su Momo still standing there. "Su Momo, you can head home now. I’ll keep in touch with your parents about your study plan."
Gritting her teeth, Su Momo had no choice but to leave.
Zhang Hai returned to the topic of the physics competition spot.
Teacher Shi Yu said, "Mr. Zhang, competition spots are limited. The fairest way is to decide based on ability. Since you claim your class’s students are so outstanding, why fear a fair competition?"
Zhang Hai hesitated and glanced at Tao Shushu. His real intention was to prevent her from participating, he knew exactly how strong she was in physics.
Not daring to voice his selfish motives, he simply said, "Fine. Let’s just hope Tao Shushu doesn’t fall asleep again in the future."
Zhang Hai stormed out of the office in a huff.
Tao Shushu immediately tucked the pebble back into her pocket and stood obediently.
Shi Yu glanced at her. "Alright, you can head home too. School’s starting, time to get serious. Next week, you’ll begin training for the physics competition. Our Huiwen Highschool never used to compete with public schools in contests, but the principal changed the policy this year. For the sake of my salary, you’d better study hard."
Tao Shushu made a heart gesture with her hands and dashed off.
“Is Su Momo planning to steal others’ achievements in the physics training class?” Tao Shushu asked.
The system replied, [Well, I’m not sure about her plans.]
“Oh well, that just makes it more fun.”
On her way home, Tao Shushu stopped by a bookstore and bought a stack of materials, past competition papers for all subjects, intensive practice tests, and more.
Her parents grew even more guilt-ridden watching her. "It’s all because we almost got into trouble today, making Shushu worry. She’s usually so lazy, she can’t even be bothered to do problems that require rough work. But now she’s bought so many reference books and is determined to study hard."
They brought her a plate of cut fruit. "Shushu, you don’t have to push yourself so hard. Our family has enough to get by."
Tao Shushu was a bit puzzled. "Mom, Dad, I just want to study a little."
Hearing this, her parents exchanged a look and returned to their study to work overtime, continuing to investigate the partner company that had nearly caused them to lose their minds earlier. If their daughter was putting in the effort, they couldn’t fall behind.
And this investigation actually turned up some interesting findings.

After finishing a physics practice test, Tao Shushu called out to the system.
“System, I’m tired. Can you grade this for me?”
[I, I’m a system, not a nanny.]
“It’s simple. You just look at the answers, and you take screenshots or photos to check them.” Tao Shushu said, picking up the answer key and skimming through it.
Mentioning screenshots made the system angry again.
“System, evidence collection is a crucial skill in Blue Star’s legal society. I’ve taught you both screenshotting and photo-taking.” Tao Shushu said righteously
[Fine, I’ll help you just this once.]
“Mhm, mhm.” After brushing off the system, Tao Shushu opened her game.
As soon as the screen lit up, she was struck by the sight of her "cub" sleeping.
Nan Yuan was leaning halfway against the wall, his right hand gripping a weapon. Even in sleep, his brow was furrowed, showing extreme vigilance.
Author’s Note:
Tao Shushu: I’m making my parents join the grind.