While Xu Zifan and Ji Yaru were live-streaming their high school Chinese, math, and English lessons, they also managed to compile high school science review materials. They obtained publication approval for these materials, printed them, and put them on the market. This time, they also selected several workbooks they considered excellent and useful to stock up on and sell in their Taobao store. The two of them are now considered internet celebrities, and both are top-performing high school seniors, so their credibility is guaranteed, and all their books are selling extremely well.
Their earnings from live streaming and book sales have reached 30,000 to 40,000 yuan per month. After deducting shipping costs, they can each earn more than 10,000 yuan. This is of course very little compared to the money they used to have, but it is a lot for them, who are just ordinary students at the time.
In the next two monthly exams, Ji Yaru remained first in the grade, while Xu Zifan steadily improved, achieving a perfect score in math, 148 in English, and surpassing 90 in physics and chemistry, making their live streams and shops even more popular. Li Xudong continued to play all day, scoring just over 300 points and ranking last. Only Yan Yuxin felt particularly distressed because she couldn't calm down and couldn't adapt to the high-intensity tutoring. The pressure of that imbalance caused her to fail the exams, not scoring above 550 points twice in a row!
This is tantamount to standing still, greatly disappointing her strict parents. Especially compared to Xu Zifan, a classmate who is constantly making progress, it makes Yan Yuxin seem utterly unmotivated. Xu Zifan, for example, sleeps only three hours a day to improve himself; why does Yan Yuxin only know how to complain and not put in any effort?
Yan Yuxin thought she was putting on a good show and being very obedient and charming in front of her parents, but little did she know that her parents had known all along that she was two-faced. They had never stopped monitoring her from the beginning and had a private investigator watching her all along, so they knew her true reactions, including her dissatisfaction with them.
As a result, Yan Yuxin's parents grew increasingly cold towards her. They remained silent at the dinner table and in bed, and after meals, they would go to their studies to work, not allowing Yan Yuxin to disturb them. Gradually, Yan Yuxin lost even the chance to please them. They often worked overtime, and she couldn't even see them. She could only spend her days doing exercises with several teachers. Unbeknownst to her, while she was suffering through her studies, Li Xudong had already secretly changed girlfriends three times, paying for hotel rooms—exactly the same kind of relationship he had with her.
The Li family lost a business partner and was outmaneuvered by their rivals, which greatly upset Li's father. He frequently lost his temper at home, and Li Xudong became his target, often being scolded. Frustrated and unable to spend time with Yan Yuxin privately, he naturally became irritable and simply started seeing other girls. He kept this a secret, only bringing female companions to a few friends' gatherings, avoiding other public appearances. He still hoped to forge a good marriage alliance with the Yan family. However, Xu Zifan, who had been keeping a close eye on him, wouldn't let him have his way. He had many intimate photos of Li Xudong with three different girls taken, intending to give them as a New Year's gift during the winter break. For now, he'd let Li Xudong enjoy himself to avoid causing him further trouble.
Xu Zifan himself wasn't idle either. He still remembered the incident where Ji Yaru was tied to a telephone pole, so he rented an empty room, set up some equipment inside, and began teaching Ji Yaru self-defense techniques.
Ji Yaru was surprised when she first went to the practice room with him. "You're so good at fighting, is this where you practice?"
"Even if it's not here, it's pretty much the same. I'll teach you so you'll be safer when you're alone in the future." Xu Zifan punched the sandbag, steadyed the swaying sandbag, and turned to smile at Ji Yaru.
Ji Yaru said, "I've learned some of it. Mr. Yan used to make me learn it because he was afraid I would be kidnapped."
Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You've studied it? Then try attacking me."
He walked to a large mat first and beckoned to Ji Yaru with his finger. Ji Yaru put down her small crossbody bag, stretched her body, and stood opposite him in a fighting stance; she was a Taekwondo practitioner.
"Be careful," Ji Yaru warned, and quickly launched her attack.
The next second, Xu Zifan grabbed her ankle and threw her onto the mat. She couldn't even withstand a single move!
Xu Zifan put his hands on his hips, looked down at her, and shook his head. "Your coach seems unreliable. You should learn from me again."
Ji Yaru immediately sat up and pulled her feet back; the temperature of her ankles felt strange. Hearing Xu Zifan's words, she frowned slightly, "He wouldn't lie to Mr. Yan, but I really haven't studied for very long."
Xu Zifan smiled. Actually, Ji Yaru wasn't that bad. She could probably take down two of the thugs from that day, which was pretty good. But if a dozen or so attacked her at once, she would be completely powerless, or rather, most people couldn't handle that many opponents. What he needed to do now was to train Ji Yaru into an extraordinary person, to show her what it was like, so that she would be motivated to learn.
Sure enough, Ji Yaru became very serious afterward, completing everything he taught her flawlessly and learning exceptionally well. He was right; a learning prodigy learns everything quickly, even fighting techniques. Thus, in addition to studying and earning money, the two had another activity: spending almost every day from morning till night together, sometimes even eating out before going home.
While chatting, Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Ji started gossiping. Mrs. Xu's eyes lit up as she said, "Zifan and Yaru are getting so close, is there something going on?"
Mrs. Ji nodded. "The two of them are like conjoined twins. They go live together after school, exercise together, and sometimes they come back so late. Maybe they've been on a date. Even before, Zifan and Yan Yuxin were never this close. I think this has potential."
Mrs. Xu laughed and said, "The older generation has always hoped that our two families could become in-laws. If it really happens this time, they would be happy to see it from heaven. But this time we won't get involved. Let them do whatever they want. We'll just pretend we don't know anything and no one should make fun of them."
"right"
"If we hadn't thought the two kids got along so well, we would never have told them about the arranged marriage. Who knew such a big thing would happen? This time, let them be themselves. They're only 18 anyway, and they still have four years until they graduate from university." Mrs. Ji sighed, agreeing wholeheartedly with Mrs. Xu's words.
The two women exchanged a smile and decided to observe the situation without interfering with the child. They simply maintained a supportive attitude towards the child's interactions.
Final exams arrived quickly, and Xu Zifan scored 723 points, much to his family's delight. In just one semester, Xu Zifan had gone from failing to get into university to being a shoo-in for a top university, making his parents extremely proud. The whole family was filled with joy and decided to reward him with a trip, a reward shared by the Ji family. This was a secret plan between Xu's mother and Ji's mother. While elders wouldn't say much, they could subtly mediate. Isn't it said that travel best exposes each other's flaws? Whether they get along or not might become clear after a trip; if not, they could just travel as friends, which would be just as good.
The winter break for senior high school students is short, only half a month at No. 1 High School, which includes the Chinese New Year. So, they decided to travel seven days before the New Year. Xu Zifan understood his mother's intention and didn't object. Instead, he and Ji Yaru chose Ice City, where they could see ice sculptures and ski in winter, and there were also hot spring resorts.
Their families bought them plane tickets, but they refused the rest, since they had earned a lot of money and felt more comfortable spending their own.
They left on the second day of the holiday. That day, Yan Yuxin took a car to the Ji family home. When she entered the house, she only saw Ji's mother. She said sadly, "Mom, I haven't seen you for several months. I miss you and Dad so much. I've been wanting to come see you ever since I went to the Yan family home, but they've arranged so many classes for me. They don't even let me go out after school, so I haven't had a chance. I can only come to see you this time because of the holiday. Mom, will you be angry with me?"
When Ji's mother saw her, she was momentarily dazed, and a feeling of unfamiliarity welled up inside her. The girl in front of her was wearing an expensive coat that looked like it cost thousands or tens of thousands of yuan, diamond earrings, diamond hair clips, delicate makeup, and beautifully painted nails. She really was... different from before.
Mrs. Ji felt a sense of relief. She hadn't raised her child well and felt guilty towards the Yan family. Now, the Yan family seemed to be doing a good job raising their child, especially since they had raised Ya Ru so well. She didn't mention the past, but simply smiled and said, "Now that you've reunited with your parents, you can call me Auntie. I'm so happy for you that you've received such a good education in the Yan family. It's okay if you don't have time; you don't need to come all the way to see us. You and Mr. and Mrs. Yan have been separated for eighteen years; you should cultivate a better relationship with them. If you come too often, they'll start to worry, so maybe they shouldn't come anymore."
Yan Yuxin felt a lump in her throat. "Mom, are you still upset about what happened between me and Xu Zifan? Even if you think I was wrong, Xu Zifan has already gotten his revenge. My classmates don't like me anymore because of what he said, so it's even, isn't it? By the way, Zifan has improved so much this semester. He must have some secret, right? Mom, how come he's so amazing? I'll go apologize to him later. If he's willing to teach me his secret, I definitely won't have to study so hard, and I can visit you all more often, isn't that great?"
Mrs. Ji frowned. "There's no secret to studying. Zifan really worked hard to improve his grades. During that time, we were worried that he would ruin his health. We tried to persuade him countless times, but he wouldn't listen. He just got up early and stayed up late to improve his grades. Now that he's finished studying, he can relax a bit."
Yan Yuxin didn't believe this. She and Xu Zifan had been deskmates for over ten years since childhood. Didn't she know Xu Zifan's level? If he suddenly learned so quickly, he must have mastered some trick. Otherwise, how could he suddenly become smarter? She only scored 516 on her final exam. Her father scolded her and looked at her like she was trash. Feeling uneasy, she thought of Xu Zifan. If she could learn some trick, wouldn't that satisfy her father? Who knew that her mother wouldn't help her at all and dismissed her without even asking a question.
Yan Yuxin suppressed her displeasure and said with a smile, "I'd better go ask him, just in case it really is true."
Mrs. Ji shook her head and said, "He's not home. He went on a trip with Ya Ru. Besides, things were so unpleasant before. I think you'd better not go looking for him." She glanced at the wall clock, stood up, and said, "Your uncle is busy these days and won't be back for meals. I'm going to bring him some food. You should go back first."
Yan Yuxin was thrown out of the house before she could even react. Even after getting into the car and heading home, she still couldn't believe it. Xu Zifan had actually gone on a trip with Ji Yaru? Had they both been won over by Ji Yaru? Why was she always so unlucky in the Yan family, while Ji Yaru got everything so easily? Why was Ji Yaru so lucky?