Chapter 52
Qiao Shao almost missed a step. He Shen pulled him to a stop. “Be careful.”
There was even a bit of helplessness in his tone, as though he though Qiao Shao was being reckless.
Qiao Shao firmly held his hand and said, “Who told you to speak such nonsense!”
Before, it had been ‘to live together until the white hairs of old age’, and now it was ‘to promise me your hand in marriage’. Was there anything this guy didn’t dare to say?
He almost took a tumble!
He Shen held his hand back tightly as well and said, “You were the one who asked first.”
Qiao Shao didn’t think there was anything wrong with this posture of two people holding hands, and said, “I was asking about the cost of tuition, like Chen Su’s.”
He Shen said, “And that was the question I was answering.”
Can you please make sense!
Qiao Shao said, “Cost! As in the ones related to money!”
He Shen asked him, “Do you have any money?”
Qiao Shao: “…”
Sorry, if he has no money, then there truly would be very few people who could consider themselves as rich in this country.
He Shen said, “Look, you don’t have money but you still insist on talking about it. Aren’t you just making things difficult for yourself?”
So he should pay with his body instead?! Qiao Shao unexpectedly heard this implication and really wanted to kick him.
“I don’t have any money now, but I definitely will in the future.” Qiao Shao really wanted to take him home and show him what having money truly meant!
He Shen said, “Oh, that’s why you’re charging it to your tab for now?”
Qiao Shao said, “I’ll pay you back everything, it won’t even be a penny less!”
He Shen curved his lips in a smile. “My tuition fee’s not as cheap as Chen Su’s.”
Qiao Shao raised an eyebrow. “Then how much do you want?”
He Shen said, “Two thousand.”
Qiao Shao’s eyes widened. That’s a lot! A lot less than how much Qiao Shao pegged it in his mind! 98,000 yuan less.
He Shen said, “But, it does come with a guarantee.”
“Ah?” Qiao Shao looked at him, “What do you mean?”
He Shen said, “It’s guaranteed to let you score within the top three.”
Qiao Shao: “!!!”
Then this was a f*cking hell of a deal!
He Shen said, “Of course, it won’t be for this coming final exam.”
Qiao Shao also didn’t expect to perform very well in the coming exam, all he’s asking is …
“Within these three years is fine!” Qiao Shao’s eyes were bright. “As long as I can get within the top three in these three years.”
Even once is enough!
He Shen laughed. “So does Young Master Qiao agreed to this deal?”
Qiao Shao knew that he had deliberately used this name to tease him, but unfortunately for He Shen, he wasn’t about to feel guilty. He was Qiao Zongmin’s son, his only son in the entire world.
“Deal!”
Qiao Shao took his hand out from the hollow of his palm and set his fist in front of him.
He Shen was not in any hurry to bump fists with him. “If I manage to do it, what happens if you can’t pay?”
Qiao Shao was very happy. “Then how about whatever you say goes?”
He wouldn’t be able to afford two thousand yuan? Maybe if it was twenty million, then, he might frown.
He Shen had been waiting for this statement. He suddenly drew close, almost whispering it into his ear, saying, “By that time, you might really just promise yourself to me.”
Qiao Shao’s ears went limp and his eyelashes fluttered. “Tsk, I’ll definitely be able to pay you.”
He Shen stared at his fair neck and asked, “But what if?”
Qiao Shao suddenly shoved him away. “Then I’ll give you &#k2026;”
He hadn’t even finished speaking when He Shen got up and cut him off. “Then, we’ve come to an agreement.” Having said this, he used his large strides to climb up two or three steps.
Qiao Shao jumped to catch up and asked excitedly, “Can you really make me score within the top three?”
He Shen said, “If I weren’t afraid you’d be completely exhausted, even second place is possible.”
Qiao Shao said, “I’m not afraid of being tired!”
He Shen said, “I am.”
Qiao Shao thought about it and agreed as well. He Shen still had to make money. Add tutoring him on top of that and He Shen would definitely be exhausted.
He didn’t know that what He Shen meant was that he was afraid Qiao Shao would be exhausted.
Qiao Shao asked curiously, “Speaking off, who’s in second place in our year? He must be pretty talented to be able to score higher than Chen Su.”
He Shen paused, “He’s a mental case. You should stay away from him.”
Qiao Shao blinked. “How can a mental case study so well?”
This was the natural filter through which underachievers viewed top students.
He Shen sighed, “Not everyone who studies well are as good-natured as I am.”
Qiao Shao’s filter broke instantly.
Yes, He Shen, this first placer, was also a kind of mental case. It couldn’t be ruled out the second place also had his own hidden dangers!
When they entered the classroom, many of the boarding students had already returned.
From very far away they could already hear Song Yixu saying, “Yu Jie Jie! Let me copy your homework!”
Yu Yuanxi pushed him away.
Song Yixu changed to another person: “Xiao Xiao, can’t you lend me your exercise sheets? I’ll just look at one question, really! Just one question!”
Mo Xiaoxiao: “Oh, really?”
Song Yixu rushed to the Chinese class representative: “Jie! Save me! Have pity on your little brother! As long as you let me copy your homework, I will immediately pour my heart into performing your most loved …”
Lin Su sneered. “Sorry, lately, my tastes have improved. I’m very picky. I wouldn’t be able to bear to watch your rough and slipshod performance.”
Song Yixu opened his eyes wide and said, “How is that possible? Am I not your treasure? Jie Kai and I are truly in love!”
Saying so, he hugged the big and stalwart Jie Kai, rubbing himself against the other’s shoulder. “Look, you see, we go so well together.”
The girls in the class: “… Blargh!”
Jie Kai grabbed onto his back collar and picked up his good brother and said unhappily, “Poop-faced Song, please have some dignity.”
Song Yixu cried out, “Now that you girls have a new love, you’ve forgotten your old one! God He Shen and Shao Ge won’t be able to give you …” my kind of performance!
Lin Su held his cheap mouth shut and pressed him down onto his seat.
It was only then that Song Yixu saw the two at the door.
Qiao Shao came over and asked, “What about me and He Shen?”
Song Yixu: “Wu Li Wow …” His mouth was still being covered.
Lin Su translated for him. “He said, you two wouldn’t look at our homework!”
Qiao Shao thought that something wasn’t right, but it didn’t stop him from looking down on Song Yixu. “Please do your own homework.”
Song Yixu: “Wu Li Wow …”
Qiao Shao looked at Lin Su. “What did he say?”
Lin Su translated, “He said, ‘Yes, Shao Ge. I know, Shao Ge. I will be a good person from now on, Shao Ge!'”
Qiao Shao was very amused. He returned to his seat and was about to sit down when He Shen said, “Wait a minute.”
He took a thick cushion from out of his table drawer and put it on Qiao Shao’s chair.
Qiao Shao said, “Thank you very much.” and then sat down.
He Shen doesn’t put anything in his table drawer, so he keeps this cushion in there in order to help Qiao Shao gain a little height…
Although it hurts his self-esteem, with Qiao Shao’s height, he needed a bit of assistance to sit in the back row.
Lin Su desperately clasped Song Yixu’s mouth shut. Her thoughts were flying off to a longed for place. With there being such a natural pair, who would place any value in the malicious rot-selling of straight men!
Song Yixu: “Al La Wu Li …” It hurts, it hurts! My mouth! Ah!
Everyone returned to their seats once the bell for self-study rang.
Self-study on Sunday night was quite relaxed. So long as they don’t go crazy, the teacher would turn a blind eye on almost anything. Frankly speaking, this self-study session was to give them a chance to go over their homework.
With their classmates buzzing in the background, Qiao Shao said to He Shen. “Will you take a look at my homework?”
He Shen said, “Give it here.”
Qiao Shao quickly gave him all the exercise sheets he had answered. The Chinese language exercises which required them to write down from memory, didn’t need to be checked. The important ones were the mathematics and science exercises.
In fact, Dong Gao’s system is quite favorable for Qiao Shao.
East High already asked its students to choose between liberal arts or sciences by the 2nd semester of their first year. They no longer had the conventional integrated liberal arts and sciences curriculum, but were instead asked to specialize. And depending on the specialization, liberal arts or sciences would take up most of the classes.
The so-called liberal arts were history, geography and politics. While the sciences were physics, chemistry and biology.
Qiao Shao didn’t have any thoughts about liberal arts or sciences, he just simply chose sciences.
Sciences … There was always the misconception that the sciences had smarter students.
Qiao Shao, though, just wanted to study hard and improve every day.
Because they had to choose a specialization early on, Qiao Shao didn’t need to make up for the previous lessons on history, geography and politics. Although physics and chemistry made his head hurt, it was much better than having to study all six subjects.
While Qiao Shao was letting his thoughts wander, He Shen had already looked over his math exercises.
Qiao Shao said nervously, “How is it?!”
He Shen said, “Eighty-nine points.”
The exercise sheet had one hundred and fifty points in total.
Qiao Shao blinked.
He Shen picked up a pen and circled several questions. “Redo these ones.”
“You…” Qiao Shao was still shocked. “You can tell how many points I have with a glance?”
He Shen winked at him. “Don’t tell the teacher.”
Qiao Shao: “???”
He Shen added, “If they knew, they would trick me into grading the test papers.”
To be able to grade with a single glace. Teachers would definitely want this skill!
The corner of Qiao Shao’s mouth twitched. “Trick you?”
You would be the one doing the tricking!
He Shen said, “You know. It’s because I’m so honest, that I’m so easily duped.”
He Shen!? Honest?!! Qiao Shao gripped his pen too hard and the tip of the pen broke through the paper!
Qiao Shao reworked the several questions that He Shen encircled. Upon reading the questions, he knew why He Shen had singled these out.
These questions were incorrect due to Qiao Shao’s carelessness. Either he hadn’t understood the questions, he had missed some the requirements or his calculations were wrong.
Qiao Shao soon finished it, He Shen looked then over and said, “One hundred and five points.”
Qiao Shao was very satisfied. “That’s over a hundred!”
He Shen said, “Now, we’ll do the rest.”
The last forty-five points on the paper were from the hardcore problems. These were the ones Qiao Shao didn’t even know how to begin to tackle.
Qiao Shao said, “Don’t I get a point for this question?”
It was a big 14-point question. Qiao Shao filled it with answers but unfortunately, no matter how much he’d written, it was no use. Teacher He still gave him a zero mark.
He Shen took a pen and tapped on the question. “Your entire approach is wrong.” So, no amount of writing would get him any points.
Qiao Shao asked, “Where is it wrong?”
He Shen whispered, “Read the conditions clearly, 0…”
He spoke slowly and his voice was clear. While reading the question, he was already guiding Qiao Shao’s thoughts.
Qiao Shao finally understood. “I see! It’s wrong here, x1 should be equal to 3-2y1!”
He Shen smiled. “En.”
Qiao Shao quickly said. “I know what to do now. I’ll answer this by myself!”
He Shen put down his pen and watched his pen fly across the paper.
This little kid wasn’t stupid, and he was hardworking. How did his last monthly exam get like that? Was it really because he’d missed too many lessons from the last semester?
He Shen stared unblinkingly at him.
The child was very focused on the problem. His short hair hung down against his fair and clear forehead. Long curly eyelashes cast shadows beneath his eyes. He had that delicate nose bridge and his lips … well, he’s biting down on his pen tip again.
He Shen suddenly said, “Qiao Shao.”
Qiao Shao had just finished writing down his answer. He turned to look at him. “En?”
What He Shen said had nothing to do with the exercise sheets. “Did you really hear everything at the barbecue restaurant?”
“Ah?” Qiao Shao didn’t know why he was bringing it up again.
He Shen slowly asked him, “Aren’t you curious?”
Qiao Shao looked at him. “Curious about what?”
He Shen stared at him.
His stare was making Qiao Shao a bit uneasy. “What are you doing?”
He Shen whispered, “I have someone I like, you heard this statement too.”
Qiao Shao: “!”
He Shen said, “Don’t you want to know who it is?”
What Qiao Shao wanted even more was for Teacher He to look over his science homework. But if his teacher wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk, he had no choice but to accompany him.
Qiao Shao: “Who is it?”
He Shen: “You …”
“Ahhh!” The classmates’ screams rang out. The classroom had gone dark. Song Yixu shouted, “What’s happening? A power outage????” The question marks were filled with wild joy.
The author has something to say:
Song Yixu: Hey, hey, hey! I’m so happy! There’s a power outage! Now, we can have some fun! Hey! Shen Ge, why’d you hit me? Ow, ow, ow!
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Translator notes:
Chen Su’s actual rank, whether third in the year or 2nd in the year, is different in different chapters. The only thing that can be agreed upon is that he is in the top three. Once all the chapters are done, and I can narrow down exactly what his rank is, I will revise all the mentions in the other chapters (with a note marking the change) to be seamless. Until then, it will be kept as the author wrote it.