The outstretched hand was ignored, looking especially like the ruthless back of someone being rejected in a Hong Kong drama. What was he thinking about, all this nonsense? Ji Xingzhi grabbed his hair, his helplessness turning into a sigh. He turned and opened the door again. Ji Yanyi's studying was at a standstill. The textbook on page eight hadn't been turned, and there were pitifully few notes. Ji Xingzhi flipped through several pages. "You hardly listened in class, did you?" Ji Yanyi stiffened his neck, looking unreasonable yet bold. "So what?" Ji Xingzhi pointed at the wall ahead. Bo Xin and Yuxu were in the next room. He asked curiously, "Have you ever used that attitude with your mother?" Forget being so cheeky—he wouldn't even dare to talk back. Ji Yanyi shrank his lips in fear at the memory, but since it was his father in front of him, he raised his head higher and met his eyes. "No, but so what?" Just a kid who only acted tough in front of him. Ji Xingzhi flicked Ji Yanyi on the forehead, satisfied to hear his wail. He immediately felt much better. Ji Xingzhi opened the book and looked at Ji Yanyi's textbook. Two quick glances were enough. He began, "What don't you understand?" Ji Yanyi rubbed his head, full of resentment, but since it was about something serious, he deigned to respond. "Everything." Ji Xingzhi lowered his head, his eyes rolling up in frustration as he gritted his teeth. But when he saw Yanyi's innocent gaze, he decided to let it go. The fountain pen beside him was red, probably one Bo Xin usually used. He unceremoniously picked it up and circled the key points. "Look here first." Ji Xingzhi explained from start to finish, but Yanyi's innocent look didn't change at all. This was really difficult. Ji Xingzhi subconsciously twirled the pen and then asked, "Have you eaten dinner?" Ji Yanyi said dryly, "No appetite." Meaning he hadn't eaten. Ji Xingzhi pushed the fried chicken forward. "Eat something first before you start studying." Ji Yanyi rested his chin on his hand, almost drooling. In the quiet room, a loud gulp echoed as he swallowed his saliva. Ji Yanyi reached out while testing his father's reaction. "...Is it really okay?" Ji Xingzhi used to feel indifferent about fried chicken. Maybe because he was getting older, his taste had become bland, especially after being injured—he had even less appetite. But this stuff, back in his day, he would have skipped class to catch wild chickens in the back hills just to make it. On the way here, he had eaten one piece. It seemed he understood why Yanyi liked it. Ji Xingzhi raised an eyebrow and gave a conspiratorial smile. "Just between us." The fried chicken wasn't as crispy as when it first came out, but at nine o'clock at night, eating a few pieces when both mind and body were exhausted was really nice. They shared it, four pieces each. But the tutoring after the snack still went poorly. Ji Xingzhi's throat was dry and hoarse. Drinking half a glass of water didn't help. It was a numb kind of ending. Why numb? Because Ji Xingzhi didn't feel any satisfaction. When he woke up again, Ji Xingzhi covered his eyes with his elbow. Remembering that today was the exam day, he slowly got up. Exam today, cramming yesterday. If it could be of any use, the night wouldn't have been wasted. When he went out, the schoolbags hanging by the door were gone. "Have the kids already left for the exam?" Bo Xin nodded. From this angle, she could see the corners of Ji Xingzhi's eyes were red and dry, like he hadn't slept well all night. "Looks like you had a rough time last night." Ji Xingzhi pulled out a chair, casually ate a bun, and said, "Pretty much." Bo Xin recalled the past and thought it was normal to be tired. If he wasn't tired, it meant he hadn't put in any effort. "What if what you taught last night doesn't work?" Ji Xingzhi had thought about that. If it worked, great. If not, he shrugged nonchalantly. "If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I'm not known for teaching." The room fell too quiet after his words. He had been casually breaking off pieces of the bun and eating them, but when he was more than halfway through, he realized something was off. Ji Xingzhi looked up to see Bo Xin covering her mouth, her eyes full of exaggerated relief. "You've really grown up, Yanyi's dad." Ji Xingzhi: "..." Was she determined to tease everyone she could? —
Leaving in the morning, Ji Yanyi checked his schoolbag three times. He couldn't let his all-night study session be ruined by stationery. That would be too unfair. Bo Yuxu didn't check. His things were all organized, which was why he hated Yanyi's messy packing—it was painful to look at. "Stop checking. It's just a pencil, eraser, and triangle ruler, isn't it?" Ji Yanyi went through it again and realized the eraser that had been there when he left was now missing! That little eraser had found a chance to mess him up! The side pocket of Ji Yanyi's bag was a small mesh pouch. He kept taking things out and putting them back, so dropping something wasn't surprising. That's why Bo Yuxu said not to keep checking. Bo Yuxu took one out of his pencil case. "Use mine." "What about you?" Bo Yuxu opened the pencil case wider. "I have two." Ji Yanyi accepted it with relief. Remembering that his father had supervised his studies last night while his mother had supervised Yuxu's, he asked, "How was Mom's tutoring yesterday?" "I had no problems, so naturally Mom had nothing to teach." They had just sat together yesterday. His mother sat behind him, occasionally rubbing his back. Although it was a bit ticklish and made him straighten up every time, it wasn't unpleasant at all. Bo Yuxu curved his lips. The air was silent for a moment. Bo Yuxu zipped up his pencil case and said helplessly, "What's that look?" Ji Yanyi's eyes were watery—clearly an expression of disbelief, sadness, and 'Why does my brother always beat me?' But could he say that? Ji Yanyi resumed his teacher-like posture, clasping his hands behind his back, and explained, "It's praise, just praise." Bo Yuxu was very calm. After all, this kind of outburst happened once or twice a month, and he was used to it. Ji Yanyi tilted his head, thinking. Maybe this time, Yuxu really could get first place. As long as he beat the class monitor, who was Yuxu's biggest rival on exams. "Are you confident against the class monitor?" Bo Yuxu spoke up for the monitor. "You could at least remember the guy's name." Ji Yanyi said, "I'm used to calling him that. I'm used to it." Bo Yuxu didn't know how well the other had been studying lately, because they hadn't studied together in a while. But as for himself, he was fully prepared. He looked confident. "We'll see." He had heard that the midterm exam was different from the first exam at the start of the term—there were rewards. That was great. He had always talked about making money, but so far, besides his allowance, he had no extra income. So this exam would be his first earnings. The prize money for first and second place was quite different. First place got three hundred yuan, while second through fourth got one hundred yuan. That was three times the difference? Bo Yuxu coughed twice. Clearly, he was now seriously eyeing first place. When would the results come out? He remembered it was fast—last time it only took an afternoon. Bo Yuxu began to look forward to it. Wen Jichuan sat in front, propping his chin, looking sleepy and dazed. But when he saw Bo Yuxu, his drowsiness vanished. He bent down and could see Bo Yuxu putting his bag into the desk. "What are you smiling about?" Bo Yuxu snapped out of his happy mood and felt a bit guilty, since he was coveting the other's first place. He remembered Jichuan had said his family cared a lot about his grades, if he did poorly. "Nothing." Bo Yuxu thought about what to say. "...How have you been studying lately?" Wen Jichuan was very calm, even showing a hint of delight. "Of course not well, because my brother came back this time, and there's been a lot going on." And because his brother was back, Wen Jichuan felt, somehow, that the burden on his shoulders had lightened. So he had even skipped class to do things he wasn't allowed to do before. His parents didn't stop him. Wen Jichuan had been out after school a lot lately, having a great time. Bo Yuxu remembered Yanyi complaining that the class monitor's words couldn't be trusted. Every time he claimed he hadn't studied, he still ended up first next time. So was it the same this time? But coming from Yanyi, it seemed less convincing. Bo Yuxu had a faint premonition that maybe this time, Wen Jichuan's claim of not studying was serious. The exam papers were handed out. First, he wrote his name on top. His surname was difficult to write, forming a stark contrast with the following two characters on the paper. Maybe his handwriting was too childish—he could practice his mother's beautiful script. The exam ended, and the papers were submitted. The afternoon was still self-study, while the teachers graded the papers in the office. The scores were finally posted on the blackboard notice board during the last class. He got first place, but Bo Yuxu couldn't muster any excitement. Was it because the victory felt undeserved? Maybe he could ask for a little red flower. The homeroom teacher was a very kind adult. There was no progress award, but after hearing his request, the teacher still drew one for him. Still, he felt no excitement. Bo Yuxu tilted his head, his hesitant expression startling the teacher. "Do you want another one?" Bo Yuxu bowed slightly. "Thank you, teacher, but no need." The three words came out one by one. The little red flower was bright red. He put it in his pocket to avoid rubbing it off while washing his hands. If it could earn him a compliment from his mother, that would be its final value. So it turned out what he envied wasn't the red flower itself. After figuring this out, Bo Yuxu hurried home. On the way, he saw a tall figure and thought he was mistaken. He stopped to look back and realized he wasn't. Ji Xingzhi was holding someone's backpack strap, smiling as he greeted, "Yuxu, over here." Bo Yuxu saw that he couldn't avoid it, so he stopped. He snorted with a laugh. "What made you come to pick me up today?" Yuxu stressed the word "you." As if it was impossible for him to do such a thoughtful thing. And indeed, it had never happened before. Because he had never thought the kids needed to be picked up—the concept had never crossed his mind. So now... Ji Xingzhi's mind inexplicably flashed back to the line 'You've really grown up, Yanyi's dad.' No, it should be 'Yuxu's dad' now. Ji Xingzhi covered the lower half of his face, feeling he needed to calm down. To be precise, he had run away. Because how could anyone be so fond of teasing? The phrase 'Yanyi's dad' still made his whole body tingle every time he thought of it.