Qin Zixin was still pondering what excuse to use to deflect Tang Yuyu that evening.
Her habit, cultivated over many years, was to minimize internal strife: first, devise an excuse when trouble arose, and then seek issues within the environment itself.
More bluntly, she excelled at deflecting blame.
This was not merely a matter of needing a good thrashing; though she certainly deserved a regular, harsh beating, she remained indifferent to the punishment, knowing she would inevitably discover new transgressions to stumble into.
Fang Bixian, believing her poor mood stemmed from her bad test performance, harbored a purely subjective prejudice, much like his tendency to pigeonhole Qin Zixin as a stereotypical “brainless, innocent little white flower” simply because of her beauty and exceptional figure.
“Qin, it’s quite normal not to have performed well on the exam, considering you weren’t here for the summer break. Don’t take it to heart.”
Qin Zixin’s expression was complex as she gazed at Fang Bixian, who appeared genuinely sincere; yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was deliberately poking at a sore spot.
“So what if I bombed the test? It’s hardly the end of the world. Look at you, so melodramatic and wishy-washy. If you want to chat, just say so; I won’t bite.”
Qin Zixin rolled her eyes at Fang Bixian.
“Why don’t you go comfort Zhang Wanbai instead? Compared to me, her emotional state is visibly much worse, wouldn’t you agree?”
Fang Bixian, feeling a touch awkward, rubbed his nose, perhaps imagining the gesture looked dashing, unaware that it merely drew Qin Zixin’s attention to his rather luxuriant nose hair.
A twitch played at the corner of Qin Zixin’s eye as she stifled the urge to make a cutting remark. Fang Bixian, having gathered his thoughts for a moment, then addressed Zhang Wanbai.
“Zhang, many of these questions were actually covered during the summer break. If you have any difficulties, you can always ask me. I thought you were quite diligent in class over the summer.”
No sooner had Fang Bixian uttered these words than Zhang Wanbai’s eyes welled up again.
Now, Mr. Fang was genuinely in a state of discomfort, fidgeting restlessly. He regretted opening his mouth and stirring up trouble in the first place.
Qiao Hua’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He wanted to speak, but his throat felt constricted. For some reason, he grew particularly nervous when directly facing Qin Zixin, terrified of uttering something foolish; yet, his nervousness always rendered him speechless.
Well, wasn’t that convenient? Now he wouldn’t even get the chance to make a fool of himself.
However, none of the three around him paid him any mind.
Qin Zixin was somewhat dazed, having just been daydreaming, now in a state bordering on mental wandering.
Zhang Wanbai was shedding tears onto her crimson-marked exam paper, completely absorbed in her own emotions.
Fang Bixian wore a pained expression, longing to say something to lighten the mood, but his emotional intelligence was lacking, leaving him without the ability. After several agonizing seconds, he finally spoke to Zhang Wanbai again.
“Zhang, exams are meant for us to identify areas for improvement. These questions aren’t the final results of the college entrance exam; it’s perfectly normal for the process to have its ups and downs. Although you performed quite poorly this time, as long as, as long as, well, as long as you work hard next time, you can still do well, right?”
As Fang Bixian tried to console her, he gradually lost his own conviction, ending his advice with a question that made him sound as if he were deliberately being sarcastic towards Zhang Wanbai.
The more Zhang Wanbai listened, the more aggrieved she felt. She sniffled, her voice thick with congestion, as clear snot began to stream out. A long, continuous string of mucus dangled, almost trickling directly into her mouth along her philtrum. She instinctively tried to powerfully inhale it back with a “slurp,” but it wouldn’t retract.
Qin Zixin watched, secretly clicking her tongue in dismay. She suspected this girl might have some sort of mental affliction; in just two days, she had witnessed her cry for the third time.
[System, do you think it’s possible she might suddenly commit suicide one day because of a bad test score? Dressed all in red, hanging herself at the classroom door. Oh, and she’d have to wear red embroidered shoes; that would really complete the look.]
[Stop reading such trash. What’s wrong with someone crying? Does their crying bother you?]
[No, it’s just that she cries at the drop of a hat; her emotions are too fragile. Do you know there’s a term online called “drama queen”? Someone who’s high-maintenance, has too many rules. If you don’t pay attention to their feelings, they’ll put on a show of breaking down for you, and even if you do cater to their feelings, they still won’t appreciate it.]
[Let’s talk about it if you actually encounter a drama queen. If she really is one, just bear with it for now; you’ll change seats after a while. Besides, she hasn’t caused any trouble; she just sets high standards for herself.]
[I set high standards for myself too!]
Qin Zixin felt indignant, sensing the system was being hypocritical; she had cried plenty when Tang Yuyu beat her, after all.
[You? High standards? Tell me, where are your standards high? Besides raising my blood pressure, what else do you excel at?]
[No, I was just saying. Tsk, can this girl not control her tear ducts? Should I test her to see if she’s a drama queen?]
Qin Zixin felt a mischievous itch, unable to resist being a nuisance again.
[How would you test her?]
[Punch her and see if she cries.]
[Go on, then, hit her! Stop talking nonsense. If you’ve got the guts, do it. You coward, you only dare to chew maggots. Don’t I know you inside and out?]
The system’s merciless taunts fell on deaf ears; Qin Zixin remained completely unfazed.
She was indeed rather bored. Having glanced at the answer key, Qin Zixin understood everything; there was no need for any further discussion. This so-called PBL seemed like nothing more than a lazy ploy by that fat guy named Zhang.
Though, in all likelihood, this was largely due to Qin Zixin’s excessively high self-perception.
Zhang Wanbai remained silent, tears falling one by one, her snot stretching endlessly. Qin Zixin, not daring to provoke her further, hastily pulled some tissues from her desk drawer and offered them. Zhang Wanbai took them to blow her nose, but the long, clear stream of mucus couldn’t be contained by the tissue; half of it, trailing a lengthy strand, splattered directly onto Qiao Hua’s face.
Qin Zixin’s eyes widened.
[Holy cow! Did you see that? It flew so far! Amazing!]
Qiao Hua seemed unable to believe what had just transpired, foolishly reaching up to touch his face. Feeling the wet, slimy residue on his hand, he reacted as if on a delayed fuse, letting out a loud “Ugh!” and leaping from his seat. However, his thighs caught under the desk, causing him to overturn it, sending all the books from the tabletop tumbling onto Zhang Wanbai.
[Holy cow! Does this kid have springs in his legs? Quite the jumper, isn’t he?]
Qin Zixin wanted to laugh, her lips uncontrollably curling upwards, but she forced herself to hold it in. Her expression, strained from suppressing laughter, took on an almost exaggerated, artistic quality.
[Hiss, that’s just terrifying to watch. What kind of bizarre classmates do you have?]
[You were just praising her!]
[When did I praise her? Is not cursing her considered praise?]
****
Returning home that evening, Qin Zixin stealthily inserted her key, then carefully turned the doorknob. Upon opening the door, she immediately spotted Tang Yuyu seated in the living room, watching television.
It could only be said that the little brat, accustomed to beatings since childhood, understood her mother perfectly, as the outcome was almost exactly as Qin Zixin had anticipated.
Seeing her return, Tang Yuyu wasted no words, cutting straight to the chase and ordering her to lie face down on the bed and stick out her rear.
The anticipated step of her evasively searching for excuses was skipped entirely, leaving Qin Zixin somewhat unaccustomed. She wanted to argue, to offer various explanations, but Tang Yuyu chose not to listen.
Especially after receiving the virtual number text message from the system.
In the guise of a teacher, the system informed Tang Yuyu that the middle school exam ranking absolutely could not represent actual test scores, particularly for the top students in the elite class. Several who had entered as the lowest-ranked in the elite class had now scored in the upper-middle range. It specifically mentioned that only a very few unmotivated students in the entire grade, who had entered last, remained last in this entrance exam.
It was practically calling out Qin Zixin by name.
The text message’s wording was calm, yet it still made Tang Yuyu furious. This wasn’t merely the power of language; it was more a testament to Qin Zixin’s “effort.”
It could easily deceive Tang Yuyu by presenting only partial truths.
After all, Qin Zixin truly was last this time, but her score wasn’t actually that bad; the elite class of Nanling First Middle School might not even achieve an average score as high as Qin Zixin’s on the same paper. However, by using partial facts to create a false impression, that illusion could easily become reality.
Indeed, it was a fact that Qin Zixin had failed the exam, a fact that she stayed up late playing games, and an even greater fact that she deserved a beating.
Originally, Tang Yuyu wouldn’t have hit Qin Zixin, as she knew Qin Zixin had entered as the lowest-ranked student, and this current score was already the result of the mischievous girl’s exceptional performance.
With Qin Zixin’s sharp tongue, she might genuinely have talked her way out of it, but the system would not tolerate her. It was determined to teach this stubborn girl a lesson. For days, it had watched the girl’s playful nature become uncontrollable, and with school starting, it was time for her to rein herself in. It was with this intention that the system orchestrated the text message.
Tang Yuyu herself was well aware of her daughter’s true nature.
Although she initially thought Qin Zixin had improved in this exam, moving from last place to seventh-to-last—how could that not be considered progress?
However, the “school teacher’s” analysis made her realize that, given such a performance, her delinquent daughter deserved a beating. Moreover, that mischievous girl had used her own husband as an excuse to skip school during the summer.
Now, beating her was a way to settle both “new grudges and old scores” simultaneously.
Though it pained her to strike Qin Zixin, a regular beating was still deemed essential.
With her husband missing, she had been both father and mother, struggling to raise this girl. Yet, this stubborn child was incredibly mischievous; if she wouldn’t obey, she simply had to be beaten into submission.
Finishing the beating quickly meant she could get back to work sooner. Tang Yuyu still needed to go to the late-night snack shop; although it was getting late, she could still earn some money. Moreover, Tang Yuyu had also seen Yang Qichao’s grades, and her eyes had turned red with envy.
This was what one might call “stacking blood rage.”
She truly envied Yang Qichao’s mother, Ye Xiaosu, for raising such an easygoing child like Yang Qichao. As a single mother, she couldn’t constantly keep an eye on her daughter.
Perhaps it was her own lack of consistent discipline, but now this little rascal was completely out of control. She should have given her a good beating during the summer when she found out she was lying about not going to school.
****
After Tang Yuyu finished the beating and left, Qin Zixin remained in the same position, face down on the bed with her rear raised.
Despite her stubborn nature, Qin Zixin’s almond-shaped eyes were red and streaming with golden tears from the pain.
However, these tears were unlike Zhang Wanbai’s; they were simply from the agony, yet alongside the pain, there was also a strange satisfaction.
Grimacing in pain for a while, she eventually wiggled her rear to retrieve her phone.
The moment she opened her phone, she saw messages in the “work group”: Mr. Pickles had ordered a prototype Holy Grail from the factory and was currently filming a video demonstration for the other three members in the group.
Besides herself, Grand Master Hunyuan, the other three included Fang Shicheng, whom Wang Tianzhuo had already added to the group earlier that day.