RBCT Chapter 9 The Hill Where Poppies Bloom
Chapter 9 The Hill Where Poppies Bloom
After Zeng Cheng returned to the classroom, Li Xingzhi approached him and asked, "Brother Cheng, why did the teacher call you?"
That's right. Boys in this age group are very curious and generally lack a sense of boundaries.
Zeng Cheng first glared at the kid, then lowered his voice mysteriously, "I know, Teacher Ye told me that the Trisolaran fleet is about to attack, and asked me to participate in some Wallfacer program, saying that it is a matter of great importance and concerns the fate of all mankind..."
Why is Zeng Cheng making references to The Three-Body Problem here?
Besides being a huge fan of a certain electrician, it was also because Xia Ning's words to Qi Jiahao that day were so classic that they had already spread throughout the class.
Li Xingzhi laughed heartily: "Pfft, Brother Cheng, how do you manage to talk nonsense and still be so serious?"
Zeng Cheng shrugged: "Talent!"
After giving Zeng Cheng a disapproving look, Li Xingzhi moved on to another topic that he was more interested in.
"Cheng-ge, tomorrow's the third mock exam, are you nervous?"
"I'm not nervous, I'm even a little excited. I feel incredibly strong right now."
"Heh, don't you have any self-awareness about your own level?"
"Hey, don't you think you're being really tactless? What does my bad grades in the past have to do with who I am now? Your brother Cheng is all grown up now, you know? Believe me or not, I can get into the top ten in my class this time!"
"Cheng-ge, why don't you take a nap? I'll keep an eye on the patrolling teachers for you. You can dream about anything!"
Li Xingzhi's face was full of disdain.
What does it mean to be in the top ten of a class?
They could even barely make it into a bottom-tier 985 university!
Given Zeng Cheng's level, which is barely enough to get into a top-tier university, he would need to score at least 70 or 80 points higher than in the second mock exam to be in the top ten of his class.
How could that be?
"You look down on me, huh? How about we make a bet, you two?"
"What are we betting on?"
"Whoever does best on the exam will be the godfather!"
"Let's gamble!"
Looking at his overly confident childhood friend, Zeng Cheng couldn't help but chuckle, to the point that he really wanted to press a shortcut key.
[Cicada, I still prefer your rebellious self. Please restore it.]
During the final sprint of senior year, evening self-study sessions were basically all about doing practice problems. After finishing his banter with Li Xingzhi, Zeng Cheng quickly adjusted his mindset and entered an immersive problem-solving mode.
Just as I finished compiling a set of science exam papers, the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.
About half of the students in the class got up one after another, packed their things, and prepared to go home.
Those who remained were all boarding students.
They have to attend another evening self-study session, which ends at 11 p.m., and then they have to get up again at 6 a.m. the next day to continue the fight.
Even though commuting students don't attend evening self-study sessions, they're not much better off, since commuting both morning and evening takes time.
This is the miserable life of a senior in high school.
Zeng Cheng, however, did not feel bitter.
From an adult's perspective, reading is such an easy way to build positive feedback; if you put in the effort, you're bound to reap the rewards.
The problems encountered after entering society are much more complex than those encountered while studying.
There are no progress bars for many things.
It's a situation where you'll definitely get nothing if you don't work hard, but even if you do work hard, there's a high probability that you're just wasting your time.
Furthermore, how many times in life can one take a gamble?
Life may be long, but the summers that truly belong to adolescence only last a few years.
The two brothers went down the stairs and arrived at the school gate two minutes later.
Zeng Cheng waited at the door for a while longer and soon saw Yu Baiwei, who was about 1.7 meters tall—a height that would be considered exceptionally tall even in Sichuan Province, where most girls are petite and delicate.
Under the streetlights, her loose school uniform did not conceal her graceful figure at all. Her oval face showed no micro-expressions, yet she was still so beautiful that she stood out from all the other girls around her, possessing a pure, numerical beauty.
Zeng Cheng shouted, "Yu Baiwei!"
The school's most beautiful girl quickly spotted him, a slight expression appearing on her face: "Zeng Cheng, were you waiting for me?"
Zeng Cheng nodded: "Yes, there's something I need to tell you."
Yu Baiwei asked in confusion, "What is it?"
Zeng Cheng said somewhat helplessly, "We probably won't be able to have lunch together anymore."
Yu Baiwei's micro-expression vanished instantly. After a two-second pause, she uttered two words: "Okay."
Some things—like the emotional value Zeng Cheng has provided recently—either you never have them, or once you have them, you can't just suddenly lose them.
Yu Baiwei didn't know why Zeng Cheng suddenly stopped having lunch with her—he was the one who had pestered her first.
Given her personality, she wouldn't press the matter further.
It's definitely going to be uncomfortable.
However, she tried her best to control herself.
It's nothing serious, anyway... I'm used to being alone.
Zeng Cheng is a very shrewd person. Even though Yu Baiwei's facial expressions changed very subtly, he was still able to understand her inner emotions from them.
Quickly start explaining.
"It's not that I don't want to eat with you, it's just that your homeroom teacher, Liu Jifen, thinks I'm affecting your studies. She even said that if I bother you again, she'll send me home to study... If that happens, my mom will kill me!"
Yu Baiwei's expression changed again.
It was as if a strong wind had blown away the heavy clouds, and sunlight shone through the gaps in the clouds, making the world suddenly bright and clear.
For example, on a night without stars, the moon suddenly leaps out from the horizon, its light bathing the world.
However, a certain campus belle bluntly expressed her dissatisfaction.
She tried hard to keep her oval face straight: "You called me here just to talk about this? Actually... I didn't really want to have dinner with you."
Zeng Cheng went along with her, saying, "Fine, fine, it was all my fault for pestering you... But then again, Yu, if I could win over your teacher Liu, would you still be willing to have dinner with me?"
Yu Baiwei rolled her eyes at someone: "Zeng Cheng, it's not that I look down on you, but how could you possibly handle our Teacher Liu?"
Who is Liu Jifen?
That was a terrifying figure in the entire Class of 09 who earned the nickname "Extinction Master." Not to mention being unparalleled throughout the ages, she was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Over the past two or three years, she has broken up countless couples.
"Hehe, that's my business." Zeng Cheng snapped his fingers smugly, then changed the subject, "However—before I win over your Teacher Liu, we need to keep a low profile and develop our friendship covertly!"
"A secret friendship?"
Yu Baiwei said she heard a very new word.
Zeng Cheng explained, "For example, we can chat on QQ after we get home, and we can also hang out together on weekends."
Yu Baiwei frowned: "I don't have QQ."
"Huh? Are there still high school students who don't use QQ these days? Yu Baiwei, are you from Mars?"
"I really don't have QQ; my mom won't let me use it."
"What's wrong with chatting on QQ? It's not like it's some kind of monster... You can't say that everything your mother says is correct."
Zeng Cheng, like a young punk seducing an innocent girl, subtly planted a seed of distrust in a certain noblewoman he had never met.
"Okay, I'll give you my QQ number. With your memory, you'll definitely remember it. If you want to chat with me, just create a QQ account and add me."
As Zeng Cheng spoke, he recited his six-digit phone number to Yu Baiwei, then waved goodbye to her.
Watching Zeng Cheng walk towards the bus stop, Yu Baiwei stood there in a daze for a while.
She was pondering a question—should she listen to Zeng Cheng or her mother?
After the two brothers boarded the bus, Li Xingzhi lowered his voice and asked Zeng Cheng if he had feelings for Yu, the campus belle.
"Hey, what does this have to do with you?"
As Zeng Cheng spoke, he glanced at the fleeting street scenes outside the car window.
At that moment, the bus happened to pass by two music and video stores.
One of the houses was playing "Rice Fragrance," a song from Jay Chou's album "Capricorn," released last year.
The other store was playing Phoenix Legend's newly released song "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Trend".
The two companies seemed to be having a showdown, each trying to outdo the other.
Li Xingzhi said confidently, "Brother Cheng, I think you have ideas!"
"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?" Zeng Cheng rolled his eyes. "Alright, enough with the chit-chat. Just spit it out!"
So Li Xingzhi started talking.
"Brother Cheng, let's not even talk about how beautiful Yu, the campus belle, is. She's like a fairy; you're not even worthy to carry her shoes. As for her personality, aside from being naturally aloof, she's actually alright. And she doesn't seem that aloof towards you... The problem is that her family is too rich. Didn't you tell me? Her family's big black car alone is worth seven million!"
Zeng Cheng replied in a joking tone.
"Hey, there's a saying—'Meet a good man and you'll start a family; meet a benefactor and you'll establish a career; meet a rich woman and you'll start both a family and a career!' When a man is young, he either works hard to make money or works hard to find a partner. But with Yu Baiwei, your brother Cheng can totally combine both and work hard to make money by finding a partner!"
"..."
Li Xingzhi rolled his eyes dramatically.
He knew Zeng Cheng was trying to change the subject with jokes and was planning to say a few more words, but Zeng Cheng didn't want to listen and waved his hand to tell him to shut up.
Why is Zeng Cheng unwilling to discuss this issue?
Because he's essentially an old man, he's not even sure if he can still be as passionate and genuinely fond of himself as a true youth.
A young person's heart is like the wild grass of spring, which can never be cut down or burned out, and can reach the sky with just a gentle breeze.
For middle-aged people, the thrill of something is the ultimate luxury.
Having witnessed far too much nonsense and rottenness, how many people can still be as sincere and passionate as a young person?
The two brothers had already arrived at the entrance of Jianhua Residential Area.
Zeng Cheng shook his head and looked up at the sky. Through the silver-edged clouds, the clear, round moon appeared and disappeared, as if it had transformed into the exquisite oval face of a sect girl.
The moon is beautiful tonight, and the wind is especially gentle.
He wasn't exactly smitten, but Zeng Cheng was a little curious.
I wonder if she got home yet, and if she'll add me on QQ?
Located on the shore of Jinghu Lake, it is the richest residential area in Dezhou.
Yu Baiwei rang the doorbell in front of a detached villa that would have been worth tens of millions in 2009.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and a woman in her early fifties with graying hair stood in the doorway, saying respectfully, "Young Miss is back?"
Yu Baiwei hummed in agreement, changed her shoes in the entryway, and entered the living room.
Sitting on the sofa, which is worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, is a very elegant woman, her mother Chen Danqing.
Ms. Chen looks to be only thirty-five or thirty-six, but she is definitely older than that, since Yu Baiwei is already eighteen.
She was brewing tea at that moment, and through the rising steam, one could vaguely see an incredibly delicate oval face.
Her temperament is also aloof and cool; she can basically be seen as a plus version of Yu Baiwei.
However, the gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose somewhat detracted from her beauty, adding a touch of assertiveness to her otherwise elegant demeanor.
"Mother."
Yu Baiwei called out.
Chen Danqing glanced at the Patek Philippe watch on his wrist before his gaze fell on his daughter, carrying a strong sense of scrutiny.
"Weiwei, why are you five minutes late?"
"I was delayed in the classroom for a while."
"Don't do it again next time."
"OK."
Neither the mother nor her daughter showed any micro-expressions during their conversation.
For so many years, the two have maintained this way of getting along, and they have both become accustomed to it.
The only difference is that Yu Baiwei just told her first lie in life—she wasn't delayed in the classroom, but chatted with Zeng Cheng for five minutes at the school gate.
Just then, a nanny carrying a tray walked over cautiously.
"Mr. Chen, the millet porridge that Miss wanted is ready."
Chen Danqing waved his hand, signaling the nanny to place the plate on the agate coffee table, and then tasted it himself with a spoon.
She frowned slightly and looked at the nanny.
"It's still a bit hard and might upset Weiwei's stomach. Discard this bowl and simmer the rest of the pot for another fifteen minutes."
"Okay, Mr. Chen."
The nanny picked up the tray and respectfully withdrew.
After confirming that the nanny could no longer hear him, Chen Danqing dialed a number and gave her instructions in a low voice.
"The new nanny at home is too careless. She can't even cook a bowl of millet porridge properly... Fire her as soon as possible and find someone who can do things well. If you can't find one in Sichuan, look in Shanghai."
After finishing the call, her gaze fell on her somewhat thin daughter, and a rare tenderness appeared in her eyes.
"Weiwei, you don't need to study so hard. For most people in this country, the college entrance examination is a chance to leap over the dragon gate, but it has no meaning for you."
"The combined wealth accumulated by the Chen and Yu families over three generations means you don't need to prove anything further. The school has already made arrangements for you; it's not in China, but at Imperial College London in the UK..."
His tone was completely straightforward, without any intention of discussing it with Yu Baiwei.
It's been like this for so many years.
Ms. Chen would simply give her daughter whatever she thought was the best.
She didn't even know that the nanny cooked the porridge a little harder because Yu Baiwei herself preferred it firmer.
"I'm not hungry today, so I won't have any porridge. Goodnight, Mom."
Before Chen Danqing could say anything more, Yu Baiwei fled into her room, then leaned against the door and let out a heavy sigh.
After sitting on the bed for a while, she bit her lip and then turned on the Apple computer in the bedroom.
I quickly figured out how to apply for a QQ number.
After registering, she sent Zeng Cheng a friend request.
Zeng Cheng approved it quickly and even sent her a message.
【What a coincidence, you surf the internet too! Are you male or female?】
Yu Baiwei frowned, and it took her more than ten seconds to reply.
[I roughly know what "GG" and "MM" mean by surfing the internet, but what are they?]
[Yu Baiwei, you really are from Mars. This is the pinyin abbreviation for brother and sister...]
[Zeng Cheng, this kind of abbreviation only creates communication barriers for both parties and offers no positive benefits. Only a fool would do this.]
A certain campus beauty's straight punch stunned Zeng Cheng, who was playing a tired joke.
He threw three bombs at Yu Baiwei before typing.
Wow, what you said makes a lot of sense, but don't say it again.
Yu Baiwei did not reply.
It's worth mentioning that her QQ nickname is very nice; it's called "The Hill Where Poppies Bloom".