Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 891 - 892 Toxic Fatherly Love 24

Chapter 891: Chapter 892 Toxic Fatherly Love 24

Everyone looked at Zhang Yu in surprise—she was sick herself yet still worried about whether others could understand the teacher’s lecture. Was this really just a typical classmate relationship?

Zhang Yu was completely stunned by Liu Hui’s words and expression.

"Don’t worry, I can understand. I’ve hired a tutor, and I think I’m doing fine now."

"You should care more about yourself."

"After all, everyone in the science track is working hard. If you don’t start putting in effort..." Zhang Yu didn’t hold back at all.

"Thanks for helping me before, but now I have a tutor. You don’t need to worry, just focus on your own efforts."

Zhang Yu directly interpreted Liu Hui’s concern as an attempt to continue acting as her tutor. "You’re also someone who needs to take the college entrance exam, so work hard."

Liu Hui deliberately said misleading things, and judging from the expressions of those around him, he knew his plan was successful.

But who could’ve expected Zhang Yu to respond so quickly? She outright said that he was just reluctant to spend money.

He wanted to refute and say their relationship was great, but before he could speak, Zhang Yu smiled playfully at him with a "Let’s see if you dare to say that" expression.

With no way to respond, Liu Hui could only turn around and leave. If he stayed any longer, he was afraid Zhang Yu would say something even more biting.

No problem. He’d made up his mind—he’d perform well in the monthly exams and ensure Zhang Yu regretted not letting him be her tutor.

Watching Liu Hui walk away, Zhang Yu was briefly surprised. She thought he’d stick around and drag the conversation out longer.

Since he left, she focused back on her memorization. Why did so many events feel similar, even though the people and circumstances were different?

Zhang Yu sighed again, "Why don’t I have a smarter brain? If I did, I’d much rather go to the science track to grind through practice questions."

Wang Lei, on the verge of collapsing over her math problems, muttered as she fought with the questions, "You think switching to the science track would solve everything?"

"At least there, if I don’t know something, I can just admit defeat and give up!"

"But now, I’m not willing to give up! These concepts are just something to memorize—I keep thinking that if I put a little more effort in, I’ll be able to remember them."

The people around her nodded in agreement. "True."

"But only after you’ve tried memorizing them do you realize it’s really not easy." Zhang Yu took a deep breath again. "Forget it, regretting now does no good."

"I’ll just keep memorizing." After venting a little, Zhang Yu lowered her head and went back to rote practice.

Wang Lei continued grinding through her problem set. "One tough year, and we’ll finally be free."

"But only if we get decent grades," someone at the front of the classroom sighed. "My mom already told me: if I don’t score well enough—even if I get accepted by a college—she won’t let me go. She’ll make me repeat the year."

Curious, Wang Lei asked, "What does your mom consider ’good grades’?"

"The cutoff score for entering an undergraduate program, whether it’s Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3. Basically, it has to be an undergraduate degree," the student replied helplessly.

"You know what kind of class we’re in—a middling class for the arts stream. Sure, our school is good, but that’s mainly because its science track performs well." The student slumped onto their desk in frustration.

Someone else felt a pang of resonance. "Your mom’s requirements are pretty fair. My mom says I need to aim for Tier 1 or Tier 2 since our school has strong college entrance exam results."

"But that’s for the science track!" A girl was on the verge of tears. "With my grades, even if I try my hardest, the best I can manage is Tier 3."

"Why wouldn’t she let you go to a Tier 3 school?" someone asked, confused.

The girl stayed calm. "Tier 3 schools are expensive. My mom says our family can’t afford it."

"Yeah, Tier 3 tuition is steep," another chimed in. Though they were high school students—usually not concerned with such matters—they still knew a bit about it.

The conversation strayed far from its original topic, yet everyone earnestly debated it. Meanwhile, Zhang Yu kept quietly memorizing her material.

She firmly believed that whether she got into an undergraduate program or a vocational college, it’d be her own hard work paying off.

Instead of wasting time discussing Tier 1 or Tier 2 or Tier 3 schools, why not put more effort into memorizing or practice questions?

At least now, your efforts won’t betray you.

Wang Lei wanted to join the conversation, but when she noticed Zhang Yu already buried in her books and glanced at the stack of assignments she still had to finish, she sighed and gave up the idea. Why waste time chatting when she could focus on solving problems?

By the end of the month, Li Cuifen was preparing for her second round of chemotherapy. "I already spoke with Xiao Huang. For the next few days, she’ll have to deal with extra work, running between places."

"She’ll also stay overnight at the hospital." Wary that Zhang Yu might come to the hospital after school to stay with her, Li Cuifen had directly arranged things with the caretaker.

"Doesn’t she have chores to do at home?" Zhang Yu knew Aunt Huang, after finishing her day job, still had a pile of housework waiting for her every evening.

"That was before. Now she doesn’t work at home anymore, and her income’s decent. Her in-laws and husband have started doing the chores themselves." Li Cuifen didn’t feel the need to discuss others’ family matters at length.

"Little Yu, you must never marry into a family like that in the future." Li Cuifen reminded Zhang Yu.

"Of course not. If we’re both bringing home money, why should I spend all day working and still handle chores afterward?" Zhang Yu wasn’t that foolish.

"Exactly. Once you act too hardworking, over time, they’ll think it’s your duty. The day you stop, you become the one at fault." Li Cuifen always seized opportunities to give advice.

"Don’t worry, Grandma. Your granddaughter isn’t a fool." Zhang Yu knew Li Cuifen wouldn’t let Aunt Huang suffer unfairly.

"As for dinner, she’ll come home to cook. When you get back, just eat by yourself."

"And keep the doors and windows locked." Though the neighborhood’s security guards were diligent and there hadn’t been any thefts or break-ins, it was still better to be cautious.

Zhang Yu gave a soft "mm." "Grandma, don’t worry."

"After school, I’ll come visit you." Zhang Yu insisted on visiting Li Cuifen daily.

Li Cuifen knew that even if she objected, this girl wouldn’t listen. "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine."

"Don’t push yourself too hard." When making her choice, Zhang Yu opted for the most expensive treatment package. While its effectiveness wasn’t guaranteed, the side effects were minimized.

Li Cuifen had wanted to pick a mid-range option, but she couldn’t win against Zhang Yu’s insistence. Reluctantly, she went along with her granddaughter’s choice.

During the two days of the monthly exams, Zhang Yu submitted her papers quickly each afternoon and disappeared right afterward.

Wang Lei knew what Zhang Yu was up to. When classmates saw her finishing early, their first thought was that she must not know how to answer the questions and gave up.

Liu Hui was ecstatic when he heard Zhang Yu submit early; he too believed she couldn’t answer, otherwise why would she leave so soon?

The homeroom teacher heard about it from the invigilator and couldn’t hide her frustration. She had watched Zhang Yu’s efforts over the past month and was very aware of her progress.

She thought Zhang Yu’s focus was entirely on studying, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

When Zhang Yu once again submitted early during the final exam, she found herself face-to-face with the homeroom teacher upon exiting. Seeing the displeasure on her teacher’s face, she walked over but hadn’t even opened her mouth when the teacher unleashed a torrent of reprimands.