Villainous Poor Student (15)
About six months had passed when Song Xuyi felt that He Siyu had finally gotten back to her old self.
He Siyu’s recovery was particularly evident in her academic performance.
Even though He Siyu was usually quiet and unassuming, Song Xuyi knew she cared deeply about her grades, harboring a strong determination to vie for the top spot. However, perhaps preoccupied with thoughts of her secret crush, He Siyu’s grades during the first semester of the first year of high school hovered around the top ten in the whole school, peaking at fifth place.
By the second semester of year one, He Siyu seemed to have moved on from the heartbreak of her unrequited love, climbing to the number one rank in the whole school and consistently topping the charts in every monthly test.
Song Xuyi had thought that He Siyu would maintain this state until her final year of high school. As long as she kept up these results, she could choose almost any university in the country.
No one expected He Siyu would want to skip a grade.
High school is an extremely critical time in a person’s life, and most people prefer to play it safe during this stage. Skipping a grade at this time is a rather risky move.
But He Siyu has always been very opinionated, and Officer He and Auntie Wang spent a long time trying to persuade her to change her mind to no avail.
Eventually, with no other options, Officer He and Auntie Wang contacted Song Xuyi, hoping that since He Siyu always listened to Song Xuyi, maybe Song Xuyi could help talk her out of it.
Song Xuyi rushed back to Huashi just in time for the start of He Siyu’s school term.
The gatekeeper at Yizhong recognized Song Xuyi and let her into the school after she signed in. Not long after she entered the school gate, she heard an excited announcement from the loudspeaker: “Let’s celebrate with enthusiasm! We have just received news that our student, He Siyu, won the national first prize in the National Physics Competition, earning early admission qualifications from several prestigious universities! It has been reported that He Siyu, who holds multiple patents, has been involved in invention and creation since junior high school…”
The announcement was broadcasted three times, nearly turning into a personal profile recitation for He Siyu. Only at the end did they mention the names of other students who won awards in the city, which to Song Xuyi’s surprise included Li Qing who also participated in the physics competition.
There are only three national first prizes in the physics competition, and He Siyu winning means she’s at least in the top three nationally, securing her a spot in the World Physics Competition.
Regardless of whether she wins any awards at the World Physics Competition, having achieved such results, He Siyu has become a hotly sought-after talent by various institutions…
Suddenly, Song Xuyi felt a bit at a loss.
In this scenario, it’s a done deal that He Siyu will get into a prestigious university, making Song Xuyi feel as though her trip was… a wasted effort.
But since she was already there.
Song Xuyi didn’t rush to find He Siyu. She called Officer He and Aunt Wang to share the good news and then joined the students of Yizhong for the school’s flag-raising ceremony at the start of the term.
As expected, the principal mentioned He Siyu during the ceremony. She was promptly called to the stage to speak.
Soft sunlight poured down from the sky, casting a glow on He Siyu’s long, smooth, and black hair tied into a ponytail. The young girl stood on the podium with slender and elongated limbs, a straight spine, and a face so delicate that it seemed to shine under the sun.
“My baby Siyu is so beautiful!”
Song Xuyi regretted not bringing a camera, as that would have allowed her to capture the beautiful He Siyu—
The system in her mind chuckled with a “hehe” sound.
Lately, Song Xuyi felt that the system had been somewhat sarcastic, but she didn’t pay it any mind and began to listen to He Siyu speaking at the podium.
Song Xuyi once wholeheartedly wished for He Siyu to let go of her past shadows and become a sunny, lively, and lovely girl. But this idea was apparently too fanciful. The past always leaves traces on a person, and even though He Siyu is now willing to interact with others, perhaps because of her beauty and excellence, there’s always a faint sense of detachment about her, making her seem somewhat aloof.
Because of this quality, even when He Siyu was suddenly called to the podium to speak, she didn’t seem nervous at all.
She started with the customary thanks to the school leaders, teachers, and then expressed gratitude to her parents for their nurturing. She shared some of her learning experiences and insights. Just when everyone thought she was about to finish her speech, something seemed to catch her eye. He Siyu’s eyes brightened, and she suddenly smiled.
With that smile, the cool and detached aura faded away, and she became gentle and compliant, with a touch of inexplicable shyness.
“I want to thank one last person,” He Siyu’s eyes curved with her smile: “She took me from the mountain village and fled with me. Back then, I couldn’t even do addition and subtraction within ten, and I had no idea what a physics competition was. She is the one who made me who I am today, taught me to persevere in all things. She is my beacon, providing immense help in my life and in my spirit…”
“Meeting her is the greatest fortune of my life. I hope everyone here can also have your own fortune just like I did.”
“Thank you, everyone!”
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After finishing her speech, He Siyu stepped down from the podium.
Immediately after, thunderous applause rang out from below, and it continued for a long time.
In every student’s youth, there are always those who excel in grades and looks, the old dreams of many, and He Siyu was the epitome of such individuals.
Song Xuyi felt somewhat dazed, thinking that even if He Siyu simply got on stage and said “hello everyone,” she might still receive the same enthusiastic applause.
At this moment, she felt extremely happy: her chest was warm and glowing, as if bathed in sunlight amid deep winter, feeling indescribably comfortable all over.
Song Xuyi guessed that He Siyu had seen her, but she never imagined He Siyu would express her gratitude so openly on such an occasion.
All of Song Xuyi’s efforts were rewarded at that moment, and she couldn’t help but feel her eyes moisten, suddenly understanding how He Siyu must have felt each time she was on the receiving end of Song Xuyi’s sugar-coated bullets — her heart felt like it had drunk a pot of honey, indescribably sweet, so much so that her lips would curve upward without her control…
He Siyu, however, was the true master of sugar-coated bullets, seldom speaking but when she did, she spoke straight to the heart, almost making you want to hand over your heart to her.
It was then decided that He Siyu would skip a grade.
For a long time after that, Song Xuyi did not see He Siyu again, only catching glimpses of her news in the media.
He Siyu took leave from school and went to the capital for the intensive training for the World Physics Competition.
The World Physics Competition is a team event.
A month later, news came back that He Siyu and her teammates had won first place at the World Physics Competition. In the photo, He Siyu holding the trophy stood out in the crowd. The local newspapers of Huashi literally lifted He Siyu to the skies, praising her as “a rare genius beauty seldom seen in Huashi in a century.” Geniuses were rare but not unheard of, and many had seen beautiful girls, but the only one who perfectly combined the two was He Siyu alone!
Overnight, He Siyu became Huashi’s most famous “child of someone else’s family.” Even Father Song deliberately paced around Song Xuyi with the newspaper in hand, ‘tsk-tsking’ in sigh: He always felt that children were better off taking the straight and narrow path academically. Although Song Xuyi’s NeighborNet Supermarket is now doing better than Father Song’s company, it also means that if Song Xuyi’s company ever encounters any problems, Father Song can’t help at all, which makes him feel somewhat frustrated…
During this time, Song Xuyi also became extremely busy as the NeighborNet trademark was in the phase of rapid development.
Shortly after He Siyu returned to Huashi, she approached her eighteenth birthday.
During this period, He Siyu once again plunged into intensive studies.
She was almost certainly slated to enter the country’s top university, yet He Siyu worked harder than all the rest upon her return. Since she had skipped a year to join the senior class and had missed just over a month at the beginning, she naturally couldn’t keep pace with the other seniors who had completed the first round of review. In the first mock exam, He Siyu scored third in the entire school.
This was already considered an excellent result, but He Siyu wasn’t satisfied and became even more diligent: she was studying as if her life depended on it, becoming noticeably thinner, much to Aunt Wang’s distress. Aunt Wang was so concerned that she specifically called Song Xuyi, pleading with her to take He Siyu out for some fun on her birthday to relieve some stress.
Aunt Wang requested leave for He Siyu on her birthday.
Upon seeing He Siyu again, Song Xuyi noticed a change in her aura—she had grown thinner and there was a dark, quiet intensity in her eyes that made her seem even more detached. However, that light in her eyes, as it always had, shone slightly when she saw Song Xuyi.
After having lunch at Officer He’s place, Aunt Wang hurriedly shooed the two of them out of the door, insisting they should not come back until evening.
It was the prime season for skiing, so Song Xuyi decided to take He Siyu to hit the slopes.
With her strong learning abilities and years of martial arts training, He Siyu quickly picked up skiing. She even mastered several advanced moves in just one afternoon, earning admiring tsk-tsks from onlookers.
However, an afternoon of fun did not seem to diminish the melancholy in He Siyu’s eyes.
Song Xuyi furrowed her brows; initially, she thought Aunt Wang was being overly worried, but now it seemed He Siyu’s stress was indeed a bit much.
As the sky grew dim, Song Xuyi led He Siyu out of the ski resort, planning to take her for barbecue. She hoped that after a hearty meal with plenty to drink, He Siyu might open up and release some of her pressure…
When Song Xuyi shared her plan, He Siyu gave no clear response, yet upon leaving, she grabbed Song Xuyi’s hand—
“Xuyi,” He Siyu looked earnestly at Song Xuyi, her eyes pleading, “Before we eat, could you do something with me?”
Song Xuyi didn’t know how she had the guts to get on the back of He Siyu’s motorcycle.
Perhaps it was the coolness that He Siyu exuded, different from her age, in her jeans, black hair, and red lips that confused Song Xuyi with beauty, which is why she got on He Siyu’s motorcycle.
At first, He Siyu rode extremely fast, as if she was venting, with the motorcycle roaring as it sped along… Song Xuyi felt like her heart was being tossed up and down by a wire, panicked, she could only tightly hug He Siyu’s waist.
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Perhaps sensing Song Xuyi’s fear, He Siyu gradually slowed down.
When He Siyu finally stopped the motorcycle, Song Xuyi let out a long breath. She almost collapsed due to weak legs instinctively, but fortunately, He Siyu, with quick reflexes, wrapped her arm around her waist, preventing Song Xuyi from falling to the ground.
He Siyu took off her helmet, lips tightly pursed, eyes slightly red, but the gloom that had been enveloping her seemed to dissipate a bit.
Relieved, Song Xuyi followed the original plan and took He Siyu out for barbecue.
It took some time before the barbecue was served, so Song Xuyi ordered two fruit salads to tide them over.
To set the mood, Song Xuyi specifically ordered some beer. She intended to loosen up after getting a bit tipsy and then comfort He Siyu properly, but she underestimated her tolerance. After one glass, He Siyu was unaffected, while Song Xuyi saw double images of He Siyu—
“You…” Song Xuyi’s brain felt extremely sluggish. She vaguely remembered her purpose, not even sure of what she was saying herself, she leaned towards He Siyu with tears in her eyes, grasping her hand, “Sister Siyu, you shouldn’t stress so much, you’re already so excellent, beautiful, and smart…”
“No,” He Siyu looked down, mocking herself with a twisted smile, “I’m not excellent at all, I have the dirtiest blood flowing in me…”
He Siyu seemed to be smiling, but Song Xuyi felt that He Siyu’s smile at that moment looked uglier than crying.
“Dirty? Where is it dirty?”
Song Xuyi’s sluggish brain didn’t comprehend at all.
Puffing her cheeks, she huffed and hugged He Siyu, rubbing against her neck haphazardly, then firmly gripped He Siyu’s shoulders, looking earnestly at He Siyu’s fair face: “Sister Siyu smells nice, clean and neat, both fragrant and clean—”
“Xuyi, you’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk!” Song Xuyi answered loudly, her gaze falling on He Siyu’s lips that were close at hand—there was a bit of salad dressing on the corner of He Siyu’s mouth.
Was it because of this that Siyu felt herself to be dirty?
Then just wipe it off!
Against the screaming in her mind that was warning “Xuyi, you’re playing with fire” and He Siyu’s widened eyes, Song Xuyi leaned in and carefully licked the tomato sauce off the corner of He Siyu’s lips…
He Siyu’s lips twitched, and her eyes instantly became incredibly dark.
“The dirt has been licked away by me!” The little drunkard didn’t realize at all the dangerous and ambiguous act she had just committed while drunk. Her eyes were misty and filled with a watery light, she looked at He Siyu happily: “You’re very clean now, Sister Siyu. From now on, be happy, okay? Don’t be unhappy anymore, okay?”
He Siyu closed her eyes, seemingly trying hard to suppress something. She bowed her head and hugged Song Xuyi tightly. The grip was so strong, veins on the back of her hand standing out as if she wanted to meld Song Xuyi into her marrow. Only when Song Xuyi made an uncomfortable whimper, did He Siyu’s voice gently rise by her ear—
“Okay!”
The barbecue stand wasn’t far from He Siyu’s home. Carrying the drunk Song Xuyi on her back, He Siyu walked home step by step.
This road was very quiet. Listening to her own footsteps, He Siyu’s mind couldn’t help but conjure up many things:
She remembered the sponsor she met in the capital before the competition—the chairman of a nationally famous machinery group, a man named “Xu Hongjiang.” She also thought of his son, the general manager who was two years her senior…
Thanks to good maintenance, Xu Hongjiang hardly looked any different from the man in the photo her mother had hidden away…
Her mother had a hard life because of Xu Hongjiang, fantasizing that he would return to find her in the mountains. Yet, this man had already established a family with a wife and children on the outside—
How ironic!
A casual romantic affair for Xu Hongjiang had resulted in a lifetime of suffering for her and her mother…
Why should she and her mother suffer endless humiliation in the village while he could enjoy a carefree and happy life outside, even earning the title of a good husband?
Countless pains burdened her heart, nearly driving her insane, as hatred freely grew within. He Siyu could only throw all her energy into her studies, yet she still couldn’t suppress the crazed thoughts of revenge in her mind.
He Siyu thought that revenge would be her life’s sole pursuit, and that her future would be tirelessly dedicated to this cause. She even concocted plans to frame and ruin Xu Hongjiang’s company…
But then, Xuyi appeared.
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Xuyi was like a predestined halter, who with a hug, and a kiss that wasn’t quite a kiss, effortlessly pulled He Siyu back from the brink of stepping into the abyss of vengeance…
How heartbroken Xuyi would be, knowing that she had invested the rest of her life in revenge?
Her own life was saved by Xuyi, and she wanted to stay with her for the rest of her days…
A future with Xuyi was irresistible to He Siyu.
It was like the only light in a dark marsh…
…
“Song Xuyi, it was you who said you’d never abandon me for life, you absolutely cannot go back on your word!”
Xu Hongjiang has aged, whereas she has a lifetime ahead of her, to openly confront and contend with Xu Hongjiang, gradually making him lose all his wealth and status, exposing his hideous true face to the world…
The author has something to say:
Don’t be like Xiaohe, don’t take the girl you fancy for a joyride.
It’s dangerous~~
LP: Re-translated on March 12, 2024
Thanks for the chapters Translator-sama~<3
Thanks for the chapters Translator-sama~<3