After Ji Yuxin moved out, Ji's parents immediately gave the bedroom a thorough cleaning. They packed everything except the furniture into boxes and threw it on the balcony. They also changed the bedding and curtains. By the time Yan Yaru went in, there was no trace of Ji Yuxin left.
Mrs. Ji wanted to help Yan Yaru pack her things, but when she saw that Yan Yaru had only taken two sets of clothes and almost everything else was books, she was taken aback. She then understood Yan Yaru's intentions and felt a pang of sadness. While they were cleaning the room, they discovered that Ji Yuxin had taken all the valuables, the more expensive clothes, and her bank cards. Although the total amount didn't exceed ten thousand yuan, compared to Yan Yaru, the difference was stark.
Mrs. Ji's mood suddenly plummeted. Did she really not know how to raise her child? The Yan family had raised her daughter so well, yet she had raised their daughter to be so unreasonable—this feeling was awful. But no matter how much she thought about it, aside from Ji Yuxin's recent disobedience, she had always been quite well-behaved. Even if she was a little spoiled like a little girl, she wasn't much different from other children. How could she suddenly seem like a completely different person, so heartbreaking?
Not wanting Yan Yaru to discover her worries, Ji's mother quickly finished tidying up the house and invited the Xu family out for dinner. They still owed the Xu family an apology, and this time they insisted on treating them to a big meal to express their remorse. Neither of the elders had ever eaten Japanese food before; they thought it was too expensive and didn't even look at the menu, so they let their two children order the food as soon as they entered the restaurant.
Yan Yaru ordered a moderately priced dish, clearly considering the needs of the Ji family, which made both elders feel sorry for her. Actually, Yan Yaru was in a bad mood when she left the Yan family and hadn't paid attention to others, but after spending the afternoon explaining problems to Xu Zifan, that mood completely dissipated, and she naturally regained her instinct to read people, revealing her keen observation skills.
Finally, Xu Zifan selected the dishes based on the Ji couple's budget for a large meal. He considered them practically like a son to them and knew them well, ensuring the dishes wouldn't make them feel bad about spending money while still making them feel he had shown sincerity. The portion sizes were also just right for the six of them. He then went on to talk about the neighborhood performances, funny stories from playing ball, and embarrassing mistakes his teacher made during lectures, quickly enlivening the atmosphere.
This restaurant was indeed quite good. Xu Zifan had eaten all sorts of delicious food, and he thought it tasted good, so Yan Yaru naturally accepted it as well. Plus, she was hungry, so she ate quite a lot during the meal. This relieved the Ji couple, and their smiles became even more obvious. They felt that getting along with their daughter wasn't so difficult after all.
Watching the neighborhood show after dinner was incredibly lively. Coincidentally, there was a song and dance performance that day, and not only were the performers dancing on stage, but many people in the audience were also getting into the fun. Being in the midst of it all gave me a strange sense of excitement. Yan Yaru had never seen anything like this before. Being surrounded by people made her feel both uncomfortable and excited, and she couldn't help but keep looking around.
Xu Zifan bought several bottles of purified water for them and said to Yan Yaru, "Want to jump together?"
Yan Yaru's expression changed slightly, and she quickly shook her head. Mother Ji smiled and said, "It's more fun to jump together, but if you're not used to it, you can watch from the side. Look at that musical fountain over there; it'll be even more beautiful when it's completely dark."
Yan Yaru had certainly seen musical fountains before, but she had never seen so many people having so much fun by one. Especially the children; their smiles were so innocent, and watching them cheered her up considerably.
After watching for a while, Xu's mother and Ji's mother started swaying along. Xu Zifan said with a laugh, "Mom, if you want to dance, go ahead. I'll go with Ya Ru. It'll be a good opportunity for Ya Ru to see that you are both very young and energetic parents!"
The four elders looked at Yan Yaru at the same time. Yan Yaru tightened her grip on the water bottle slightly and smiled, "I'm fine with Xu Zifan. You guys go have fun."
Xu Zifan's words touched the Ji couple. They pulled the Xu couple into the crowd, dancing to the music with joyful smiles on their faces. They thought Xu Zifan was incredibly clever. Compared to the Yan family, they were at a significant disadvantage, but they could make their daughter feel warm and happy. While the Yan family was kind, they found them somewhat rigid; the Yan couple even perfectly suppressed their emotions, lacking a certain warmth. They could make their daughter feel the warmth of parental love, making her feel that they had a youthful spirit and open-mindedness, which would surely make their relationship easier.
Yan Yaru's gaze did indeed follow Ji's parents, her eyes filled with surprise, and she didn't even notice the small curve of her lips.
Xu Zifan sat there bored for a while, then suddenly noticed an English advertisement on the sign next to him. His eyes lit up, and he asked Yan Yaru, "What score do you get when you always get first place? Are you good at English too?"
Yan Yaru answered calmly, "Over 740, with English almost perfect."
Xu Zifan immediately turned to look at her, his eyes brightening even more. Yan Yaru belatedly realized what was happening, "You...you wouldn't be..."
"Yes! That's right! Can you tutor me? Actually, I'm very smart and learn quickly, so it'll be easy for you to teach me. I also have a foundation; my spoken English is perfectly fine, it's just that I sometimes struggle with grammar and reading comprehension on tests. I think my physics is okay, it's just that I haven't finished math yet, so I haven't touched physics. My chemistry is a bit weak, but if I can't learn that, that's fine too, I won't force it. What do you think?" Xu Zifan looked at her earnestly and expectantly.
Yan Yaru pursed her lips and hesitated, "I... I want to work in my spare time. I... I feel that coming to the Ji family was too sudden, and I don't want to add to their burden, so I want to earn tuition for next semester. I may not have time."
Xu Zifan didn't care
He laughed and said, "Making money is a small matter. How about this, you tutor me, and I'll pay you by the hour, two hundred per hour, is that okay?"
Yan Yaru restrained herself from looking at his clothes, which cost only a few dozen yuan, and said tactfully, "This price seems to be higher than the market price. You could have hired a good teacher to teach you. I think your uncle and aunt might trust the teacher more."
"It's my own money, I won't ask them for it. Of course, I don't have it yet, but if you promise me, I'll earn it back for you soon. Think about it, if you're working outside after school and during holidays, how sad would your parents feel? It would seem like you're estranged from them. Actually, I think you can just not think about anything else and just treat them as your closest parents whom you can rely on. If you can truly integrate into one family, you will be very happy." Xu Zifan persuaded her for a while, and thinking of Yan Yaru's personality, he added, "How about this, I've thought of a way for the two of us to earn money together without interfering with our tutoring. When Uncle Ji and the others ask, we can say that we're adults and want to try being independent. With me with you, they won't think too much about it, okay?"
Yan Yaru thought what he said made a lot of sense, and nodded, saying, "Of course it would be great if that were the case. Thank you, you've helped me a lot."
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "Uncle and Aunt are actually like my godparents, just like family. I also hope they can be happier and get along well with their daughter. You'll see later, they're just like my parents, they're easygoing and don't take anything to heart, they're very content and happy, it's very easy to get along with them, you don't have to think too much, you'll like them."
Yan Yaru gave a genuine smile. "I understand, thank you."
On her first day back at the Ji family home, Yan Yaru thought she would have a depressing, sleepless night, but to her surprise, she fell asleep within minutes of lying down on the bed. On the bedside table next to her was a jar of warm yellow sunlight, which filled the room with warmth and coziness even in the darkness.
On Monday, Ji Yuxin had been transferred to Class 1. This high school was the best in their city, a provincial key high school, No. 1 High School. Actually, only Ji Yuxin was admitted to No. 1 High School; Xu Zifan was admitted to another ordinary high school. Coincidentally, Xu's father had a good relationship with a vice principal of No. 1 High School and used his connections to pay the transfer fee to arrange for Xu Zifan to be placed in Ji Yuxin's class.
The classes at No. 1 High School are arranged according to academic performance, with three classes for science and three classes for humanities, and no extra students are admitted. Yan Yaru, who came from top-tier schools all the way up, is naturally still the top student in Class 1. Ji Yuxin's grades are also good, but she is only in the top five of Class 3 at No. 1 High School. Xu Zifan is at the bottom of Class 3, and Li Xudong got into Class 1 by paying money. They all study science, so those three are now all in Class 1.
After arriving at school, Xu Zifan glanced at the empty seat vacated by Ji Yuxin and had a feeling that Yan Yaru would be bullied. He tapped his fingers on the desk. The midterm and final exams would reassign classes. Most students' grades would remain stable, but the top and bottom students might be switched classes. The upcoming monthly exam was still a month away, and Xu Zifan decided that he had to be in Class 1 after that.
After setting his goal, Xu Zifan stopped doing so many practice problems and began studying frantically. This included not only math but also all other subjects, including chemistry, which he disliked the most. He stopped playing basketball after class and used every spare moment to study. His classmates were surprised; didn't Xu Zifan used to say he got sleepy as soon as he heard a lecture? Why was he suddenly working so hard?
Every day after school, Yan Yaru would tutor Xu Zifan for two hours after he finished his homework. Because she was busy every day, she didn't spend much time with her new parents, mostly just eating together or asking a few questions about his studies. There was no pressure at all, and she was surprisingly relaxed. Three days later, Xu Zifan also came up with a way for the two of them to make money together: live-streaming lessons.
Xu Zifan has been running and exercising every day lately, his hairstyle has changed, and his temperament has changed too. He's definitely a heartthrob now, if not the school heartthrob. Yan Yaru has the air of a rich heiress and is also very beautiful. Their live stream quickly attracted a large number of fans who were there just to see their faces.
Then, people noticed that a pretty young woman was explaining various subjects for junior high school, and a handsome young man was studying diligently. Every day, the young man could understand everything the woman explained, showing he was very smart. He also asked questions that were mostly about points that were easy to get wrong. Watching their live streams was surprisingly educational! This live stream quickly became popular among junior high school students, and they actually made money by studying!