The evidence was clear: Xie Qian wasn’t a god. He, too, had the troubles of youth.
When the top student was in a bad mood, the struggling students suffered.
Among the underachievers around Xie Qian, Wang Shuang had temporarily distanced himself, out of Xie Qian’s reach. Wen Ying and Li Mengjiao had adapted to Xie Qian’s tutoring intensity. Knowing they needed to push hard in their senior year, they accepted his increased study load without complaint.
The worst off was Peng Guoxing.
His foundation was so weak he couldn’t keep up, and Xie Qian’s rigorous tutoring left him in tears.
Peng Guoxing wished he could end it all and be reborn.
“Give me another chance, and I’d study hard from kindergarten…”
Peng Guoxing muttered endlessly, looking half-crazed.
Teacher Liang, however, was delighted.
“No madness, no transformation.” For a chronic underachiever like Peng Guoxing to change, it was like breaking and reshaping bones—how could it not hurt?
Pain was good.
Teacher Liang hoped Peng Guoxing would remember this experience forever. Even if he didn’t get into a 211 university, a renewed attitude toward learning would lead to success elsewhere.
Xie Qian’s intensity had already broken one chronic underachiever, Peng Guoxing, and sent Wen Ying’s two cousins into a grueling life ahead of schedule. Indirectly, it sparked a tutoring arms race between Deng Shangwei and Chen Li.
And it didn’t stop there.
The ripple effect reached Shanghai a few days later, with striking results.
When Shen Huan received the package from Rongcheng, he was thrilled before opening it.
Was it snacks?
Or toys?
Wu Chunqin smiled and told her son, “It’s books.”
Books were fine too!
Shen Huan loved reading, from picture books to comics, fairy tales, and even world classics.
With highly educated parents, Shen Huan learned to read early and had a vast home library. Reading was one of his many hobbies. Before opening the package, he thought Wen Ying was a thoughtful big sister. But when he saw the contents, he was stunned.
Wu Chunqin kept smiling at her son. After a long silence, Shen Huan couldn’t hold back: “Mom, what kind of person sends a kid test papers and study guides? And a whole pile!”
This wasn’t a family friend’s daughter—it was an archenemy!
Wu Chunqin’s smile faded, and she answered seriously, “Someone who cares about you. Bitter medicine heals, and harsh advice helps. People who want to please you will flatter you, but those who truly care, even knowing you might resent them, will do what’s right. Your dad and I can’t watch over you forever. You need to learn to recognize these people, understand?”
Shen Huan was speechless.
Wu Chunqin patted her son’s head. “Your dad and I planned to send you abroad early, but after discussing it recently, we’ve decided to delay it a few years.”
Shen Huan didn’t care much about studying abroad. Staring at the pile of papers and guides, he was distraught.
Wu Chunqin, watching her son, felt a mix of emotions.
Sending Shen Huan abroad was a joint decision with her husband. In Shanghai, many believed overseas was better, and with their means, the sooner, the better.
Wu Chunqin’s change of heart came after a call with Wen Ying.
The conversation started with Wen Ying’s plan to study in Shanghai, then shifted to studying abroad. Wen Ying had no interest in it, which surprised Wu Chunqin. She suggested Wen Ying consider going abroad to experience different cultures and broaden her horizons.
Wen Ying agreed that traveling was valuable, but studying abroad? No interest. She also questioned why some parents sent kids abroad so young.
“Auntie Wu, no offense, but kids lack judgment. They adapt to their environment. And leaving parents so early, missing the key years of growth—won’t that weaken the bond with parents?”
Wen Ying’s words were casual, but they hit Wu Chunqin hard.
Would Shen Huan go astray?
Wu Chunqin used to be confident that she and her husband had laid a strong foundation for him. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
The second point—Shen Huan growing distant from his parents if sent abroad young—was unbearable to her.
As a late-marrying, late-birthing mother, with old classmates’ kids already in high school while Shen Huan was still in primary school, how could she not cherish him?
No mother wants a distant relationship with her child.
Wen Ying, a high school senior but more than that, had words that carried weight. After a deep talk with her husband, they changed their minds: studying abroad was still the plan, but delayed a few years.
Junior high was too early.
Maybe, like other kids, they’d wait until after high school.
By eighteen, Shen Huan would have his own judgment and be less swayed by his environment.
Making this decision, Wu Chunqin felt lighter. She called Wen Ying to thank her, seizing the package’s arrival as an opportunity: “Thanks for the reminder. Your Uncle Shen and I decided it’s too early to send Shen Huan abroad.”
Wen Ying’s eyes grew warm.
She didn’t know if delaying would keep Shen Huan from going astray, but it reduced the odds.
She’d keep an eye on him, alerting Wu Chunqin and her husband if she saw any signs of trouble, further lowering the risk!
“Auntie Wu, does Shen Huan like the papers and guides I sent?”
Wu Chunqin chuckled. “What do you think?”
Wen Ying laughed too. “I bet he doesn’t, but it’s truly for his good.”
Indeed, it was for Shen Huan’s benefit.
He might hate the gift, but Wen Ying, his big sister, left a deep impression!
Wen Ying didn’t mind him resenting her. She was happy to be his nightmare, a daunting presence~
Wen Ying was delighted.
Meanwhile, Zhao Dong, back in Shanghai from Europe, was less so.
After a European trip, Zhao Dong secured the right technology and was eager to grow Silan.
Back in Shanghai, he learned the reporter Zhao Qian had bribed had run into trouble.
Zhao Dong had moved on from that, but the reporter’s sudden issue made him suspect Xie Qian’s retaliation.
The two events seemed unrelated.
Yet Zhao Dong felt uneasy.
If Xie Qian was behind it, that young man was terrifyingly patient!
Zhao Dong had someone check on Xie Qian and learned the Hongqiao demolition was announced. The land under Xie Qian’s name was about to skyrocket in value. Zhao Dong quickly informed Xie Jinghu.
