Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 720 - 721 Freeloading Man 6_1

Chapter 720: Chapter 721 Freeloading Man 6_1

The bell for the end of evening self-study rang, and Song Lei immediately grabbed her backpack and left.

She would still get to enjoy a meal when she got back home. The family had hired an auntie who came over every evening around six to clean and, incidentally, cook.

It only took about ten minutes to briskly walk home from the classroom without even running.

Song Lei was truly satisfied with this arrangement, especially since sleep was precious during her final year of high school.

Once home, Song Lei swiftly sat down to wait for dinner after washing her hands and face.

It wasn’t that the auntie was slow at cooking, but previously she had to drop Chiang Yi off and then come back, which made everything about forty minutes later than usual.

Seeing Song Lei arrive, the auntie got into a bit of a flurry, "I’ll be done soon."

Song Lei knew the original owner of this body was to blame, "Auntie, it’s fine, I’ll go do my homework first."

"By the way, Auntie, I’ll be getting home at this time from now on." Sending someone who would be ungrateful was the ultimate disrespect to one’s life.

Spending two hours commuting every day, could that time not be used for rest instead?

The auntie was unaware of these nuances, and of course, she was happy to finish earlier so she could head home sooner.

Having had her fill, Song Lei continued with her homework in her room, while the auntie cleaned up the kitchen and said goodbye before preparing to leave.

Song Lei suddenly remembered the fruit she had bought earlier, intended for Chiang Yi and his friend. Now that she didn’t want to give it to them, she wasn’t sure how long it would take her to finish it by herself.

She filled a bag with plenty of fruit in the kitchen, "Auntie, take some home to eat."

The auntie knew all the produce in the Song family’s house was top-notch, including the fruit from specialty stores, "Are you sure?"

"Take it, it will go bad if you don’t." The auntie was good at her job, efficient, and cooked delicious meals.

Resigned to accepting the offer, the auntie thanked her profusely and left for home.

Once the auntie had gone, Song Lei made sure to lock all the doors and windows. Although the security in the complex was responsible, many things still depended on oneself.

Song Lei was enjoying her second helping of dinner with chicken soup when Chiang Yi had just arrived home.

Mother Chiang was surprised to see her son coming home so late, "Why so late?"

Recalling that she hadn’t seen Chiang Yi’s car today, she asked, "Did you cycle to school?"

Previously, Chiang Yi had told his parents that a classmate lived nearby and that classmate’s family had a car and could give him a lift.

Chiang Yi’s parents didn’t find anything strange about this since their son was a top student and many people were eager to befriend him.

Chiang Yi nodded, "Yes, my classmate’s car has had some issues these past few days."

Cycling back and forth today had left Chiang Yi feeling exhausted. Winter was not even here yet, and the thought of cycling to and from school in the cold was daunting.

Upon hearing this, Mother Chiang was discontent, "Really, they should take better care of their car."

"Even if their car is broken, can’t they figure out another way to arrange one?" Mother Chiang prattled on, clearly feeling that the other party was being unreasonable.

Listening to his mother’s nagging, Chiang Yi felt overwhelmed, "Mom, I’m hungry."

"Besides, they’re doing it for free, voluntarily, so what if they don’t take me?"

Upon hearing her son mention he was hungry, Mother Chiang immediately went to the kitchen to serve up the food, "Eat up and then get back to your studies."

"Your father and I didn’t get much education, and this is our life."

"Your dad originally thought he could become the head of the equipment department, but then a graduate student showed up," Mother Chiang recalled Father Chiang’s failure to get a promotion this time and couldn’t help feeling unhappy.

Chiang Yi listened to Mother Chiang’s nagging, and for the first time, it made him feel truly exhausted.

Usually, he never found her prattle at the dinner table annoying, but why did it bother him so much this time?

After thinking it over for a while, Chiang Yi realized it wasn’t Mother Chiang’s nagging that was the issue, but rather the numerous things he experienced today that made him feel so weary.

After a full meal, Chiang Yi quickly retreated back to his room, primarily to avoid listening to any more of Mother Chiang’s nagging.

Once back in his room and about to continue his homework, Chiang Yi noticed the R University Affiliated High School tutoring materials on his desk.

R University was a well-known university nationwide, and its tutoring materials rarely leaked out, but Song Lei could always get them.

Chiang Yi was aware that his consistent high grades, despite not having private tutors like his classmates, were inseparable from the materials Song Lei provided.

Especially since these materials included thought processes for solving problems – even someone who didn’t know how to tackle an issue could figure it out if they weren’t too dim, just by following the steps outlined.

Now that he had fallen out with Song Lei, would she still let him see these materials? Chiang Yi knew the likelihood was nearly non-existent.

Ah, Chiang Yi truly regretted it now – why did he have to fight with Song Lei when a few softer words in private would have sufficed.

But he had already made his stance clear, and so had Song Lei. If he went back on his word and approached Song Lei, what would everyone think?

No, the materials were important, but his pride mattered too. He decided to wait a bit longer, just wait for the moment Song Lei would concede.

With that in mind, Chiang Yi continued to work through the practice book.

Mother Chiang gently opened the door and saw Chiang Yi working intently on his problems, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

Knowing her son was in a bad mood today, and that girl didn’t even come to pick him up, Mother Chiang was sure something was wrong.

Chiang Yi thought he had concealed it well, not letting his parents know about the issue with Song Lei, but he was naïve to think they wouldn’t care about their child’s every move.

If it wasn’t for the fact that she saw the other party picking up and dropping off Chiang Yi each day, that his grades hadn’t slipped, and that she often provided him with study materials, Mother Chiang would have already rushed to the school to talk to the teachers.

Now, she didn’t know whether they were just arguing or had broken up, leaving Mother Chiang a bit panicky, uncertain about what to think.

Mother Chiang didn’t know much about the Song Family’s background, but judging from the daily car rides to school and the branded sneakers given to Chiang Yi, she was certain their financial situation couldn’t be poor.

Mother Chiang hoped Chiang Yi would thrive on his own, but even more so, she hoped her son would marry a wife who could be a strong support.

The two of them couldn’t help their son much, whether in career or in the expenses of marrying a wife; they really couldn’t provide much assistance.

Mother Chiang tossed and turned, worrying about Chiang Yi’s future.

Chiang Yi didn’t rest well either — as soon as he closed his eyes, he dreamed of falling out with Song Lei and not receiving any tutoring materials ever again.

Without the boost from the tutoring materials and with no money for a good tutor at home, his grades dropped rapidly, plummeting from the top thirty in his grade to beyond two hundred.

That scared Chiang Yi so much he woke up from the dream, murmuring, "Impossible, impossible."

Even if his grades were to fall, they wouldn’t drop that drastically.

"Must be from thinking too much today," Chiang Yi thought, feeling this was the best representation of ’daytime thoughts turning into nighttime dreams.’

Chiang Yi kept reassuring himself, adamant that his performance wouldn’t suffer without Song Lei, "My grades will still be good without Song Lei."

Chiang Yi was determined not to give in; otherwise, it would definitely make him the laughingstock.