Wen Ying was desperately trying not to corpse on the spot.
Bao Lixin really was a bloody genius!
And this wasn’t entirely an insult. If Bao Lixin had just a slightly higher moral baseline, if he hadn’t secretly printed extra copies and hadn’t encouraged plagiarism, Wen Ying wouldn’t have fallen out with him so completely.
When it came to pushing Blue Whale to stardom, Bao Lixin had truly been willing to throw money around. Kiki said that at least half the “readers” were paid for; that was an understatement. In reality, at least two-thirds of the crowd had been hired to cheer.
Blue Whale suddenly collapsed. Bao Lixin rushed her to hospital, the signing was abruptly cancelled, and the remaining staff weren’t capable enough to control the scene. The hired crowd immediately kicked up a huge fuss.
The reporters were losing their minds with glee.
“No wonder her popularity seemed so insane. It was all fake!”
“Today was worth it. This is proper news.”
Several reporters deliberately photographed the stark contrast on either side of the venue.
On one side: Wen Ying’s signing. A long, snaking queue of genuine readers, all craning their necks eagerly, waiting for her autograph.
On the other: a deserted hall, toppled posters, and a noisy mob outside demanding their pay.
Both sides were lively.
Just two completely different kinds of lively.
Blue Whale’s collapse didn’t affect Wen Ying’s event at all. Wen Ying summoned every last ounce of energy and signed for hours until every single reader in line went home happy.
Her hand genuinely felt like it was about to fall off.
But the books really did sell like crazy.
The previous record for copies sold at a young author’s signing had already belonged to Wen Ying. Today she smashed her own record.
When the final numbers came in, Ding Chao’s grin was so wide his face nearly split.
“We’re issuing a press release. This absolutely has to go out.”
That five-million advance suddenly felt like the bargain of the century!
Wen Ying figured tomorrow’s headlines probably wouldn’t focus on her breaking the sales record. The front page would be reserved for Blue Whale.
No helping it. Any single thing that happened to Blue Whale today was explosive on its own. Wen Ying could only admire the spectacle in awe.
Ding Chao wanted to treat Wen Ying to dinner on behalf of the publishing house, but she turned him down.
“Thank you, Chief Editor Ding, but I already have plans tonight~”
She wasn’t lying. She really did have plans.
Wu Chunqin wanted to treat her, Wang Shuang (who’d stayed in Shanghai instead of returning to Chengdu) also wanted to treat her, and even Xie Tang had reached out… Little Fish-sensei was simply too busy. Ding Chao felt a twinge of regret.
Then he remembered Wen Ying was planning to apply to universities in Shanghai and would probably settle here long-term, so there was no rush to wine and dine her now.
Wu Chunqin and her husband treated Wen Ying to dinner and brought their son, Shen Huan.
The moment Shen Huan saw Wen Ying, his gaze turned deeply resentful.
What grudge did this woman have against him? Every single month she mailed him a giant stack of test papers!
Shen Huan thought Wen Ying was a total weirdo, but he didn’t dare say it out loud because, after doing so many papers, his grades really had improved.
Professor Shen had originally been against his son grinding problems all day. He believed in “joyful education” and wanted Shen Huan to have a carefree childhood. Wu Chunqin used to think the same. After talking with Wen Ying, however, she abandoned the idea of sending Shen Huan abroad early. If he was going to study in China, he had to adapt to the Chinese system. While other kids were studying, Shen Huan couldn’t just play happily forever.
“Academic ranking doesn’t have to be a lifelong competition, but once good study habits are formed, the benefits last a lifetime.”
At the table, Wu Chunqin smiled gratefully at Wen Ying. “At first your Uncle Shen thought you were sending too many papers, worried it would exhaust his precious son. I supervised Shen Huan for two months, and not only did his marks go up, he’s become much more focused on everything he does. It’s been an unexpected bonus!”
Was Shen Huan smart?
The answer was obvious.
Both Wu Chunqin and Professor Shen were highly intelligent. It would be stranger if their son were stupid.
Shen Huan was very smart, and the rare kind of smart child who knew he was smart. His entire upbringing had taught him he could coast near the top of the class without much effort.
Other kids went home and did homework first. Shen Huan always played first, only rushing through his assignments at the last possible minute before bed.
Because he was clever and had abundant family resources, he had loads of hobbies. He’d play a couple games of Go and get bored, abandon the board to fiddle with an electronic keyboard, master two songs and lose interest, then run next door to learn traditional Chinese painting from the neighbour.
He was surrounded by premium educational resources that other children had to struggle to access, yet he obtained them effortlessly.
So he never learned the meaning of “cherish.” He could do a little of everything, but excelled at nothing. He had the attention span of a goldfish.
Perhaps it was the classic “cobbler’s children go barefoot” situation. The couple hadn’t noticed this major flaw in their son’s character until Wen Ying generously gifted him an enormous pile of test papers.
From that day on, Shen Huan’s days of suffering began.
Come home from school and play until dinnertime, then scramble to finish homework right before bed?
Absolutely not.
Wu Chunqin was her own boss, no need to clock in. She watched him like a hawk every single day.
At first, when she made him do homework, Shen Huan’s body was in the house but his heart was in the courtyard.
He’d get questions wrong that he obviously knew how to do, simply because his mind wandered.
He dawdled, wrote slowly, and clearly hated every second.
Wu Chunqin didn’t scold him. She just sat there. Until he finished, she refused to let him go play.
Seeing his own mother turn strict, Shen Huan tried plan B: speed through everything half-heartedly, shove the books into her arms, and bolt. But Wu Chunqin changed the rules again; immediate marking on the spot.
Any wrong answers had to be copied out ten times, then she would patiently explain each mistake.
By the time that was done, Shen Huan had even less playtime than before!
After a full month of this mother-son battle of wits, Shen Huan finally realised the truth: only by concentrating fully and doing the work properly would he make the fewest mistakes and maximise his own free time.
So the test papers were merely the tool.
Through that tool, they had cured his chronic three-minute-passion disease.
Listening to Wu Chunqin recount the hilarious details of their struggle, Wen Ying smiled the entire time.
The Way of the Test Paper could conquer all. After being tempered by it, Shen Huan’s willpower had definitely grown stronger. Plus, with Wu Chunqin had postponed sending him abroad, so the chances of him going down the wrong path like in his previous life had plummeted; really wonderful!
Wen Ying enjoyed the dinner immensely. Shen Huan remained quietly resentful throughout.
Halfway through the meal, Wu Chunqin and her husband ran into acquaintances in the restaurant and had to go make the obligatory toasts in a private room.
Seizing the moment his parents were gone, Shen Huan grabbed Wen Ying and demanded, “Where on earth do you find so many papers? They keep getting harder! They’re completely unsuitable for primary school kids!”
Wen Ying wasn’t angry at all. She just grinned and teased, “Getting harder? Perfect! They’re custom-made just for you!”
“You—”
Shen Huan’s little face turned red with fury.
Wen Ying changed tack. “If you really think they’re too hard and can’t do most of the questions, I can lower the difficulty next time. I thought you were super smart and way ahead of ordinary primary school level. Looks like I overestimated you!”
Far from cheering him up, this made Shen Huan even angrier.
What did she mean, not smart enough?
Male pride works the same at eight or eighty. Shen Huan immediately puffed out his chest and declared that he’d only mentioned it in passing; the papers she sent were child’s play!
“Really? Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Wen Ying double-checked several times. Shen Huan dug his hole deeper and deeper. “Of course! That level is nothing to me!”
Wu Chunqin’s table was near the corridor. Across the corridor stood a row of private rooms.
One room’s door was half-open. Three people sat inside.
The two girls still had baby fat on their faces, clearly only in their teens. One wore a lotus-pink dress, the other a black dress; their styles were easy to tell apart.
The boy looked much more mature, like the big brother of the two girls.
Having watched the entire exchange between Wen Ying and Shen Huan, the boy couldn’t help laughing. He turned to the girl in lotus pink. “You were just as tricky when you were little, always bargaining with me.”
“Brother!”
The girl flushed. “You said that was when I was little. I’m all grown up now.”
The siblings were reminiscing about old times when the girl in the black dress stared fixedly outside the room, practically shooting flames from her eyes.
The boy, being attentive, asked what was wrong.
The black-dress girl pointed outside. “Do you know who that is? My brother has mentioned her so many times!”
