Deliberately Approaching
Chapter 143: The Little Devil Got Full Marks

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: The Little Devil Got Full Marks

"What a carefree, cute little girl, how nice!" Ye Wanhua muttered to herself.

Wang Junchen had just walked a few steps away when he suddenly heard his wife say this, so he immediately turned back, gently patted her shoulders, his eyes hiding an indecipherable smile.

"Yes, this girl is quite cute, just like you when you were young—sweet when you spoke, even when..."

"Like me? If you want to mock me, just say it directly, why use a child?"

The conversation meant to be heartfelt was met with skepticism, and Wang Junchen felt an indescribable sense of loss, but what could he do? She was his beloved wife and the mother of their lost young child.

Ah Hua, I meant everything I said!

It’s been so long, why can’t you move on?

In the fifteen years since they’d lost their child, Wang Junchen had continually suppressed his grief and anger, constantly encouraging himself and comforting his wife, never giving up.

"Why are you looking at me like that, am I wrong?"

"Yes, yes, yes, what you said is correct, I misspoke just now, no, no, I meant what I said, it’s not what you think, I meant that the little girl just now looks like you..."

Ye Wanhua frowned and suddenly interrupted, "What about the ladder, didn’t you say you were going to get it?"

"Oh, I forgot when we got sidetracked, I’ll go now."

The more he tried to explain, the worse it got. Watching Wang Junchen’s back as he walked away, Ye Wanhua suddenly felt incredibly irritable to the point where even breathing seemed difficult.

She forcefully patted her chest, trying hard to control her emotions.

But it was useless, she still felt unbearably annoyed.

"Forget it, you pick it yourself, I’m going to take a shower. The shirt is over there, just take it yourself."

Ye Wanhua pointed casually at the wicker chair in the courtyard, where Wang Junchen’s gray shirt was hanging on the backrest.

It had been temporarily set there while he helped Tang Xiaowan look for a paper bag earlier.

Wang Junchen realized something was off with his wife and immediately hurried back, completely forgetting he was still carrying a ladder.

Fortunately, it wasn’t heavy as it was a portable type.

"Ah Hua, are you alright?"

"I’m fine, I’m going to shower."

"Wait a second, I’ll turn on the water for you, this new water heater works differently from the one at home."

"No need, I can turn it on myself."

Wang Junchen clutched the ladder, his gaze intense.

Love is mysterious—it either heals you or it depresses you, always leaving something behind.

For Wang Junchen, Ye Wanhua had indeed been cute and sweet when she was young, even her cries and shouts were soft and tender, haunting his dreams.

She healed him but also inflicted depression on him; their relationship fluctuated like the weather.

...

Meanwhile, at Jinda Foreign Language College.

Li Ying sat cradling her chin with one hand, her brow furrowed, lost in thought, as Chen Siyao quietly approached and suddenly slapped her back.

"You scared me, what is it?"

"Hey, hot news, that little devil in English and American literature got a perfect score."

Hearing this, Li Ying instantly stood up, her eyes intensely focused on the back row near the door of the classroom.

That was Tang Xiaowan’s usual seat.

She liked sitting there because it was easy to slip out.

"Tang Xiaowan? A perfect score?"

Chen Siyao nodded vigorously, her eyes wide in surprise, "Yeah, crazy right? When she first transferred here, Jiaqi and I thought she was a slacker, always skipping class, it’s shocking!"

"The day of the test, she was called away by the counselor halfway through, right?" Xiao Wan returned only after finishing the test and scored full marks. How is that possible?"

"Why would I lie to you? It’s true. The scores have all been tallied; I saw it with my own eyes. It’s just her handwriting that’s terrible, super ugly, like a worm crawling."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Siyao covered her mouth and giggled, even deliberately glancing back at the classroom door.

She was terrified that Tang Xiaowan might suddenly appear!

On the first day of school, a brief confrontation in the girls’ bathroom had totally subdued Chen Siyao. Even if you gave her ten times the courage, she still wouldn’t dare to provoke Tang Xiaowan.

Song Jiaqi called Tang Xiaowan a devil, but in Chen Siyao’s eyes, "little demon" seemed more fitting since Tang Xiaowan was thin and frail.

"What about Chen Nan? Did he score full marks too?"

"Oh, no, just 82. I guess his top-student status is at risk now!"

"Only 82! Where is he?"

"Who, Chen Nan? Oh, the counselor called him away, I heard it was something about..."

Before Chen Siyao could finish, Li Ying grabbed her phone and ran off.

At that moment, her only thought was to quickly console Chen Nan’s bruised ego. The teacher must be criticizing him, and soon his classmates would mock him, not to mention his parents—another round of scolding and reprimand was inevitable.

The aura of being a top student was too important for Chen Nan!

However, when Li Ying reached the counselor’s office, she was completely stunned.

The door was half open, and the teacher was nodding and clapping.

She saw Chen Nan and Chen Yu, both dressed in suits, smiling and walking briskly back and forth in the office, shouting the slogans for the sports meet opening ceremony.

What was going on? Chen Yu was the sign holder?

Wasn’t it supposed to be Tang Xiaowan?

Did they change it to Chen Yu?

So, Li Ying frowned and rushed back to Business Class A, full of anger, seething with frustration, almost wishing she could pick a fight.

Seeing her condition, Chen Siyao quickly came over, "Hey, what happened? Did you see Chen Nan? Did you confess your feelings?"

Confessing to Chen Nan had been on Li Ying’s mind since her freshman year, an open secret known by many in the class, including Chen Yu.

Now that they were juniors, nothing had happened yet.

As a good friend, Chen Siyao was naturally anxious for Li Ying.

"Come on, speak up, were you rejected? It’s okay, it’s his loss. Let’s not get mad, alright? Don’t be upset."

"Why was Chen Yu chosen as the sign holder, not Tang Xiaowan as planned?"

Her words were thick with jealousy!

"Didn’t you know? Tang Xiaowan registered for the 800-meter dash. She said she wouldn’t have time, so she gave up the chance to be the sign holder and let Chen Yu take over. It’s already been spreading; didn’t you know?"

That statement was like a bombshell, and Li Ying’s eyes immediately turned red.

She had dreamed of being the sign holder, which not only meant extra credits but also a huge advantage when competing for national scholarships.

Yet, Tang Xiaowan had graciously stepped aside!

"Chen Yu is so ugly, flat-nosed, and she even has single eyelids! I think Tang Xiaowan did it on purpose, trying to matchmake Chen Nan and Chen Yu. There are so many pretty girls in the class, why did she choose Chen Yu?"

"Oh, right, but honestly, Chen Yu isn’t that ugly, just that birthmark is somewhat unsightly, but her features are fine."

"Birthmark? The birthmark seems to be gone!"

"What do you mean gone, the birthmark? Stop joking, it’s such a large patch, so dark, how could it be gone?"

"But I... I think..."

Li Ying shook her head, hesitating, trying hard to recall the scene she had just witnessed.