Yan Aohan pondered for a moment. Zhu Yanyi’s words made sense, so he nodded. "Alright, I’ll take care of your parents."
"Parents? You have thick skin. Don’t say that outside. Usually, mothers-in-law love their sons-in-law more the longer they look. But in our case, my family will likely crush you like a mountain, beat you up, and break us apart." Zhu Yanyi smiled mischievously.
Yan Aohan didn’t get angry. He just laughed heartily.
The next day, Yan Aohan drove Zhu Yanyi to school. Before she got out, she said, "It’s Thursday. I won’t come home tonight. I’ll return tomorrow night. Remember to pick up my parents then. We’ll eat together. Oh, and buy groceries. I’ll cook."
"No need. I’ll book a private room at a restaurant. You’re tired from school. Plus, you’re busy next Saturday visiting Elder Chun at the Capital Hospital and discussing matters with your senior brothers regarding Elder Yao. So, no cooking tomorrow night. I’ll handle the dinner reservation," Yan Aohan said seriously.
"That works. Please notify my sister and Doumiao. If possible, have them come home for dinner tomorrow," Zhu Yanyi thought. Her family hadn’t gathered in a long time. It would be nice to reunite.
"Okay, I’ll notify them. Go in," Yan Aohan smiled gently.
Zhu Yanyi nodded, got out of the car, waved goodbye, and walked toward Class 3, Grade 10.
She entered the classroom just as morning self-study began. The classmates were surprised. Luo Kun asked directly, "Yanyi, you’re back?"
Zhu Yanyi greeted everyone with a smile. "I returned yesterday. I’m here for class today." She sat down next to Luo Kun, her desk mate.
Luo Kun chuckled. "After the midterms, the teacher distributed many practice exercises. I put them in your drawer. They’re organized and quite thick."
"Thank you." Zhu Yanyi took the stack of papers from her drawer, put her bag away, took out a pen, and opened the exercises. She had only been gone for half a month, yet there were over forty sheets. Indeed, key high schools had endless practice tests.
She sighed silently and began working. Fortunately, Zhu Yanyi was very fast. She finished one sheet in about five minutes.
As she worked, the classroom fell silent. Everyone knew Zhu Yanyi was excellent. She had ranked first in the school during the midterms.
The midterm exams covered nine subjects: Math, Chinese, English, Politics, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Math and Chinese were worth 120 points each; the others were 100 points each. The total score was 940. Zhu Yanyi scored 937. She lost one point in the Chinese essay and two points in the English essay. All other subjects were perfect scores. This incredible result had shocked the entire school.
Before the midterms, no one had thought much of it. They were classmates. Although they knew Zhu Yanyi was good, they hadn’t expected such dominance.