The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 614 - 613: Humans Stumble, Horses Trip

Chapter 614: Chapter 613: Humans Stumble, Horses Trip

"Bro Yun, it’s bad, something big happened!"

As Zhao Yun stepped into the classroom, several of his close brothers immediately surrounded him, looking like they were facing a major crisis.

Zhao Yun went through all the bad things he had done recently in his head, his CPU nearly overheated, "... Did Mr. Xu find out about my puppy love?"

"No, you forgot, today the mid-term exam results came out!"

Zhao Yun was stunned, "Fuck, I’m not the last one, am I!?"

Saying this, he pushed away the people at the podium in just a few steps, his gaze landing on the last line of the ranking list, and he sighed in relief upon realizing it wasn’t his name.

If he actually ended up last, Boss Zhao would skin him alive.

"Bro Yun, it’s not you, it’s Pei Ziheng, he got second place this time!"

"Bullshit, when has Ziheng ever ranked second? If you can’t see properly you might as well donate your eyes."

Zhao Yun cursed instinctively, while looking towards the first line of the ranking list.

Jian Xun?!

Zhao Yun raised his hand to rub his eyes, looked again, and Jian Xun was still the top of the list.

Just below was the second place, with the familiar name — Pei Ziheng.

"Shit, this ranking must be wrong!"

One of the brothers pointed at the scores behind the names, "It’s not wrong, Jian Xun scored 735 this time, 5 points higher than Pei Ziheng."

Zhao Yun took a close look, and it was true!

But he still couldn’t accept this result. In his heart, Pei Ziheng was awesomely exceptional, how could he have been surpassed by Jian Xun, the perennial runner-up.

"Shit, there must be an underhanded scheme! Surely, Jian Xun bribed the person who marked the tests, deliberately framing you with a lower score!"

"I’m going to the school authorities now to demand a recheck of the scores! I don’t buy that Jian guy could outscore you?"

Zhao Yun was naturally hot-tempered, and was about to storm off to the principal’s office when his brothers grabbed and blocked him clumsily.

"Bro Yun, don’t be impulsive."

"Ziheng, say something."

Under everyone’s gaze, Pei Ziheng spoke calmly: "There’s nothing wrong with my grade."

It was as if he was indirectly confirming that he was indeed defeated by Jian Xun.

Yet Zhao Yun’s thought process was unconventional, "If you have no issue, then the problem is with Jian Xun! How could you possibly be second?"

Pei Ziheng didn’t know whether to feel touched or speechless.

"Bro Yun, calm down. Ziheng said it, his grades are fine. Maybe he got a bit careless this time and that’s how he lost to Jian Xun. Even the best can fail at times, it happens, there’s nothing to fuss about."

"Yeah, it’s just a mid-term exam. At the end of the year, Ziheng will crush him!"

At this point, Zhao Yun had to come to terms with the reality that Pei Ziheng had lost to Jian Xun.

Despite feeling incredibly frustrated, he comforted Pei Ziheng, "It’s not a big deal, you’ve been number one for so long, just let him have it this once, we’ll take it back next time."

Pei Ziheng gave no response.

Back in the classroom, all his classmates gave him looks filled with strangeness or sympathy.

The one long revered toppled from his pedestal.

Especially since the person who dethroned him was in the same class, relishing his reaction right now—it was an uncomfortable and embarrassing thought.

"Pei Ziheng, the class teacher wants to see you."

Pei Ziheng ignored the sympathy in the class leader’s eyes and turned to leave the classroom.

As he left, the classroom instantly burst into chaos, with conversations centered around the mid-term exam rankings.

"I feel like he’s about to cry, holding it back hard."

"He’s just a kid, isn’t it normal to cry when facing setbacks?"

This comment elicited a round of laughter.

Some people were flattering Jian Xun too, "Jian God, awesome, you’ve finally claimed your rightful throne. How do you feel about that?"

Jian Xun pushed up his glasses, "No special feelings, this was an inevitable outcome."

His indifferent yet arrogant tone made a group of young bloods cheer in admiration.

The class teacher was looking for Pei Ziheng just to express care and comfort.

On the way back to the classroom, Jian Xun blocked his path.

"Pei Ziheng, I won!"

"So what?"

Not seeing any shame or anger on Pei Ziheng’s face made Jian Xun feel as if he had punched cotton, frustrated and discontented.

Having strived every day to surpass Pei Ziheng without ever letting up, why could Pei Ziheng afford to lose so calmly?

"This is just the beginning. Next time, and the time after, I will still surpass you!"

Pei Ziheng looked at him, "What are you feeling right now?"

Of course, it was pride and excitement, as if he had the whole world under his feet.

However, Jian Xun naturally wouldn’t express such triumphant feelings; it would make him seem impatient and unable to keep his composure.

While he was considering how to respond in a way that seemed modest yet impressive, Pei Ziheng had already lost his patience and walked away.

Jian Xun stared at his retreating back, his eyes behind the glasses burning with determination.

...

After school, he headed home.

Pei Tang was sitting on the sofa, holding a pack of small steamed bread cookies, enjoying them while watching a cartoon on TV, and sweetly called out "brother" when he came in.

Pei Ziheng responded while placing his schoolbag down and casually tousled her hair, then looked towards the kitchen from where a fragrant aroma was drifting.

Through the open kitchen door, he could see Shen Mingzhu and Cui Lianying busily preparing dinner.

He stepped towards them.

"Mom, Great-Aunt."

Hearing his call, Shen Mingzhu and Cui Lianying both turned to look.

Shen Mingzhu greeted him tenderly, "You’re back. Dinner includes your favorite sweet and sour pork, and there is some washed fruit on the tea table. Have some if you’re hungry."

"Mm."

Silently watching Shen Mingzhu fry slices of meat, Pei Ziheng turned and went back to the living room, sitting next to his little sister to watch the cartoon together.

"Brother, do you want some?"

Seeing the small steamed bread cookies she offered, Pei Ziheng said affectionately, "Don’t eat too much. We’re about to have dinner."

"I can still eat a bowl of rice after these. My appetite has become surprisingly big."

Pei Ziheng’s lips curled up in amusement, "Eating so much, aren’t you afraid of turning into a little piggy?"

Pei Tang gave him a cute rolling of her eyes, "Can you not say such appetite-spoiling things until after I’ve finished eating?"

Pei Ziheng laughed quietly.

In the kitchen, Shen Mingzhu was keeping an eye on the pot while also secretly observing her son in the living room.

Seeing her son and daughter joking and laughing together, she silently breathed a sigh of relief.

She had received a call from the class teacher in the morning, mentioning her son’s midterm exam results were below expectations and suggesting she provide some psychological guidance.

Although she didn’t think a score of 730 required psychological guidance, since the class teacher had brought it up, she took it to heart and specifically left work early to cook her son’s favorite dishes.

After dinner, Shen Mingzhu took Fugui on a leash, leading the two children to a nearby park for a walk.

Once in the park, Pei Tang played a frisbee game with Fugui.

Shen Mingzhu sat with Pei Ziheng on a bench, watching her daughter and the German Shepherd play, while having a heart-to-heart.

"Why the long face? Are you upset about your midterm exam results?"

"I came in second this time," Pei Ziheng looked at her.

"Mhm, I know. Your class teacher called me this morning."

Shen Mingzhu was somewhat annoyed, "It’s just one midterm exam, I don’t know what he’s so worried about. Second place in the whole school is pretty great, isn’t it?"

While complaining, she was actually trying to tell her son that it was just a trivial matter and not worth dwelling on.

"Mom, did I disappoint you?"