As soon as Xu Zifan got home, he smelled the aroma of food. Following the original owner's habit, he called out, "Mom, what delicious food have you made? It smells so good!"
Mrs. Xu peeked out from the kitchen and laughed, "You little rascal, all you do is eat. Hurry up and change your clothes and wash your hands. Today I made your favorite chicken stew with mushrooms and fried pork tenderloin strips."
"Okay!" Xu Zifan carried his schoolbag back to his room and changed into some home clothes. Luckily, the original owner didn't like sweets, otherwise it would have been troublesome to make him pretend to like them.
After he left, Mrs. Xu had already filled a large bowl with fried pork tenderloin strips and asked, "Did Xin Xin come back today? If she did, take this to her. She likes to eat it hot. Don't forget to bring some dipping sauce."
Xu Zifan picked up a piece of pork tenderloin and put it in his mouth. Leaning against the kitchen door frame, he said, "She'll be back later. Her backpack is so heavy, I made her take the bus. She treats me like a slave every day. I'm practically her slave. Don't you feel sorry for me?"
Xu's mother glared at him. "What nonsense are you spouting, you brat? Xin Xin is so well-behaved, you should be more accommodating to her, otherwise she might get angry with you and you'll lose your little wife." After saying that, she looked at Xu Zifan again and asked suspiciously, "You didn't have a fight with Xin Xin, did you?"
Xu Zifan ate a few more bites of fried pork tenderloin and said casually, "It's not that we argued, it's just that she's been away from home a lot lately. I heard she's been getting really close to a rich guy..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xu's mother laughed, "Oh, I thought it was something serious. Turns out you're just jealous. Don't overthink things all the time. You two grew up together and have been a couple since you were little. There's nothing like that nonsense. Don't make a fuss with Xin Xin over this little thing."
Ji Yuxin was very good at pretending to be well-behaved in front of adults. Xu Zifan's attempt to subtly undermine her image failed, so he simply said, "Mom, I asked her after school just now, and she admitted that we are engaged. But whether she has feelings for me or not, I know best. I've noticed she's been looking radiant lately, and she's often lost in thought. She must have fallen for someone else. Mom, I'm just telling you this in advance so you can be mentally prepared, so you won't be shocked when you suddenly find out something. Your son is so handsome, why would I be afraid of not finding a wife? If she has feelings for someone else, we'll just consider the engagement null and void. Don't be angry; just consider all the years of pampering her as a waste."
Xu's mother was stunned for a moment, but she was optimistic and liked to think the best of things, so she immediately said, "Stop guessing. This is how you are at your age, making a fuss over nothing. You grew up together, you are two months older than her, and you are a boy, so don't be so petty."
"Yes, I know." Xu Zifan smiled. He knew his mother wouldn't take it too seriously, which was why he spoke so directly. But saying some things aloud is like planting a seed in his mother's heart. If Ji Yuxin goes out again, she will definitely remember this matter. Given her relationship with Ji's mother, she will definitely bring it up tactfully with her. It won't cause any immediate problems, but if Ji Yuxin really cheats on her boyfriend in the future, she shouldn't try to play the innocent little sister anymore. Neither of their elders will forgive her so easily.
The last bowl of fried pork tenderloin wasn't served; Xu Zifan ate it all. He's 1.85 meters tall but only weighs 120 pounds, too thin. He's very dissatisfied with his physique and decided to start a fitness plan during the meal. Xu's father returned a little later than him, and the three of them chatted and ate at the table in a warm atmosphere.
This was the kind of family Xu Zifan liked best. He could tell that Xu's parents were content, cheerful, and kind-hearted. But Ji Yuxin didn't care about these two loving elders at all, simply because their family's annual income was only 150,000 yuan, which she considered too poor. So she recklessly squandered the original owner's sincerity, harming her to the point of breaking her leg without remorse, and personally shattering the harmony of this family.
Home is Xu Zifan's Achilles' heel. Even without the original owner's request, he would protect this home and not allow anyone to destroy it. Ji Yuxin had better take back all her little schemes, otherwise, it wouldn't be him who would be embarrassed in the end.
After finishing his meal, Xu Zifan went into his room and took out his math book. He glanced at it but couldn't understand it, so he went to the study and rummaged through drawers looking for the original owner's books from elementary to high school. Xu's father, carrying a teacup, passed by and asked in surprise, "What are you doing all this time?"
Xu Zifan was busy flipping through his book and replied without looking up, "The college entrance exam is next year. I plan to study hard and get into a university."
Mr. Xu immediately laughed, put his teacup on the table, rolled up his sleeves and helped him search, "Good studies, getting into university will make your path easier, whatever you want, Dad will help you find it."
"First grade math book".
Mr. Xu paused, pulled off his slipper, and was about to hit him, yelling, "You little brat, are you kidding me! What are you studying in first grade?!"
Xu Zifan had already found it, and he laughed as he dodged away with a stack of books in his arms. "Dad, I'll just take a few glances to solidify my knowledge. I'll read other books after I finish this one. Isn't it better to start from the basics and build a solid foundation? Okay, I'm going to read now. You should put your shoes on so you don't hurt your back."
Xu Zifan dashed back to his room and diligently began studying the first-grade elementary school textbook. He discovered that most of the material was common knowledge, which he already knew, but some mathematical terms were easy to confuse without referring to the book. Each book took only about ten minutes to read, and he had understood the entire elementary school math textbook in just two hours. He then moved on to middle school math, which was a bit more difficult because it included a lot of knowledge that wasn't used in everyday life and that he hadn't encountered before.
Fortunately, the example problems were explained very clearly. After reading them two or three times and doing a few practice problems, he basically understood them. He looked at the other subjects and found that he was quite talented in mathematics, as he could understand them even by self-study. He was a little weaker in physics, as he could understand some parts but not others. He was not good at chemistry, and he was completely confused when he tried to learn it by self-study. So he honestly picked up the math book again and continued to study.
People always call him a workaholic, an iron man, but he's really just meticulous in his work; when he's completely absorbed in something, he neglects everything else. Now he treats studying like a job, so engrossed that he doesn't even notice the time. When his mother knocked on the door to call him to bed, he had already finished his first-year junior high math and was about to do some practice exercises to solidify his knowledge. Looking at the clock, it was past eleven. He went out to take a shower, listening to his mother nag him about not neglecting his health while studying—it was a very ordinary and heartwarming moment, and he slept very soundly that night.
The next day was a holiday, and he got up early to go out for a morning run. His family's financial situation didn't allow him to go to the gym, but luckily their community had a large green area with many winding paths in the small garden, so he could breathe fresh air while running, which was nice.
When Xu Zifan returned from his morning exercise, he ran into Ji Yuxin. Ji Yuxin was wearing a pink dress and carrying a delicate little bag, looking very pretty. Seeing Xu Zifan covered in sweat, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes, and she stood at a distance, saying, "You were running?"
Xu Zifan casually wiped his face with a towel and replied, "Just getting some exercise. Where are you going?"
"I made an appointment with a friend to go to the bookstore."
"I'll go too, wait for me a bit."
Ji Yuxin quickly said, "We girls hang out together, what are you going to do? We're going shopping to buy some girly things, you can go by yourself if you want. Okay, I'm going to be late, I have to go now, bye~"
Xu Zifan glanced at her and said, "You're all dressed up so nicely, are you on a date with Li Xudong? If anyone tells me they saw you two together, I'll have to ask him why he keeps bothering my fiancée."
Ji Yuxin turned around abruptly, looking both flustered and annoyed, and said, "Why don't you spend more time reading books? You always get the worst grades in exams, and you don't even know how to reflect on your actions. This isn't how you show jealousy; it's so inexplicable!"
"Just remember, if you do anything, you'd better not let me know." Xu Zifan ignored her and ran into the building.
Ji Yuxin watched his retreating figure, feeling a surge of anger, but there was nothing she could do. After standing there for a while, she still went on her date. However, she had a guilty conscience and was constantly worried that someone would see her and Li Xudong. Whenever she got in or out of a car, or even when entering or leaving a certain place, she would look around anxiously. When the two of them went to the restaurant, she was paranoid, feeling that someone was watching her. In the end, she refused to eat in the main hall and insisted on going to a private room instead.
Li Xudong felt she wasn't focused at all on their date, not even looking happy, which annoyed him. After dinner, he simply left her at the restaurant entrance and walked away. Ji Yuxin felt wronged and wanted to cry, hating Xu Zifan, but she didn't dare do anything. Li Xudong had taken advantage of her, yet he was always lukewarm towards her and wouldn't acknowledge her as his girlfriend to others. She felt insecure, afraid that Li Xudong would dump her. If she argued with Xu Zifan now, he would definitely tell her parents about Li Xudong, which would cause even more trouble. She could only be careful and wait until her relationship with Li Xudong was stable before daring to tell her family. She just had to endure it a little longer. Then she would definitely give Xu Zifan a good beating. Did he even deserve to be compared to Li Xudong?
Ji Yuxin was worried that Xu Zifan would come to play with her when she got home, but Xu Zifan didn't show up at all. He went straight to school on Monday morning without waiting for her. She ran to take the bus, but there were so many students at the various schools that there were no seats and it was incredibly crowded. She couldn't stand it after one stop, so she hurriedly got off and hailed a taxi to go to school. By the time she got to school, morning self-study was already over.
The homeroom teacher criticized Ji Yuxin by name during class, saying, "The senior year is a busy time, and every student needs to make the most of every minute. Today, Ji Yuxin missed the morning self-study session and did not memorize the English text. After school, copy the English text that you need to memorize ten times and hand it in to me tomorrow. Okay, let's begin class."
Ji Yuxin lowered her head, her face flushed with anger. She had always been among the top five in this average class, a model student in the teachers' eyes, and had never received any praise. When had she ever been singled out for criticism? It was all Xu Zifan's fault! She turned her head slightly and glared at Xu Zifan, whispering, "Why didn't you wait for me!"
"Didn't I tell you to take the bus from now on? I'm still growing, and I'm so thin from driving you around every day. But you've gotten even fatter. You should be more aware of your place." Xu Zifan opened his notebook and started copying notes. "Quiet, don't disturb my studies during class."
Ji Yuxin was furious with him. She glared at him for a long time, then secretly took out a small mirror and looked at herself behind the teacher's back. She had been eating too well with Li Xudong lately and had really gained weight. What should she do?