The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 744 - 743: The Goal of Life

Chapter 744: Chapter 743: The Goal of Life

Zhao Yun squatted alone next to a street telephone booth, glancing up at the sky one moment and peering at passersby the next, visibly bored out of his mind.

Not far away, a few African American cadets, who were friendly with Zhao Yun, waved at him.

"Hey, Bayer, let’s go play some video games!"

Zhao Yun waved them off, "You guys go ahead, I’ll join you later."

One of the cadets spread his hands in confusion, "Why not go now? Didn’t you already get in touch with your family?"

Zhao Yun grinned, showing his teeth, "Waiting for my girlfriend!"

"Psht~"

The cadets jeered at him, seemingly disgusted, but actually full of envy and goodwill.

After the cadets left, Zhao Yun checked his watch, 12:25. Just thirty-five more minutes.

He and Ren Jingshu had agreed to contact each other at one o’clock noon during his monthly leave.

Eugene City and Fengcheng have a fifteen-hour time difference; one o’clock here is ten o’clock at night back home.

"Ding..."

As the bell signaling the end of the class rang, the previously quiet classroom, like hitting the mute button, immediately burst into noise.

The screeching of chair legs against the floor, the rustling of flipping books, the breathing of students stretching lazily, and the voices talking over each other.

Ren Jingshu usually took her time, but tonight her movements were a bit quicker than usual.

Leaving the classroom, she did not wait for Lin Ping and Xu Haining in the hallway but went straight back to the dormitory building.

There were four landline phones in the lobby on the first floor of the dormitory.

Ren Jingshu walked up to the first phone on the left, checked her watch while catching her breath, and waited patiently.

Time ticked away.

As more and more students returned to the dorm, the entire building became as noisy as a marketplace.

Aside from the phone in front of Ren Jingshu, the other phones gradually found users.

"Classmate, are you going to make a call? If not, I’ll use it first."

"Sorry, I’m waiting for an international long-distance call; this is the only phone that can receive it. Come back a bit later, please."

After the girl left, Ren Jingshu checked her watch again; it had already been five minutes since her agreed time with Zhao Yun.

Ding-a-ling-a-ling.

The phone in front of her finally rang.

"Hello?" Ren Jingshu answered immediately.

"Jingshu, it’s me!"

Hearing the familiar voice on the other end of the line, Ren Jingshu couldn’t help but smile faintly, "Mhm."

"Sorry, the phone booth I was waiting at got taken, I had to run two streets over to find a new one. Did you have to wait long?"

"Not too long."

Knowing she wasn’t angry, Zhao Yun burst into a sheepish laugh.

"Jingshu, I miss you so much."

"Mhm."

"Do you miss me?"

"Guess."

"I guess you do!"

His usual thick-skinned banter brought a smile to Ren Jingshu’s lips, yet she didn’t deny it.

The two exchanged greetings, concerns, and encouragements over the phone.

Before hanging up, Zhao Yun told Ren Jingshu, "Jingshu, I still really like you."

After hanging up the phone, Ren Jingshu couldn’t help but laugh, as if she were a gardenia blooming outside the window.

...

The second mock exam had ended.

The homeroom teacher, Dong Lan, specifically sought out Pei Ziheng for a heart-to-heart, "Now that the second mock exam is over, how do you feel?"

"Pretty good."

Although she knew that he was a man of few words, Dong Lan was not satisfied with his answer.

As the homeroom teacher of the focused and watched senior three class in the entire school, she needed miracles.

"I know a bit about your situation. I heard you started your own company, and to be honest, I admire your rationale and ambitions. But each age has its own appropriate pursuits."

"Right now is the critical moment for sprinting toward the college entrance exam. Of course, with your grades, there’s absolutely no problem getting into a top-tier university, but that’s not your upper limit. Ziheng, you should be aiming for the city’s top scholar, or even the provincial top scholar."

Compared to Dong Lan’s excitement, Pei Ziheng himself seemed very calm.

"I appreciate your affirmation, Teacher Dong, but my aspirations do not lie there."

Dong Lan felt frustrated, like ’hating it when iron doesn’t become steel,’ "Even if you don’t consider it for yourself, you should think about your parents. They’ve worked so hard to raise you, to nurture you. If you truly became the top scholar, imagine how proud they would be."

"I only do what interests me, striving only for what I want. My life is not defined by anyone else."

Pei Ziheng was not persuadable, and Dong Lan could only turn to Shen Mingzhu.

Over the phone, she highly praised Pei Ziheng’s outstanding performance in the two mock exams and directly said that Pei Ziheng was a rare candidate for the top scholar.

"If Ziheng could return to school to strengthen and consolidate his understanding of knowledge points, he would certainly have a chance to compete for the provincial top scholar."

Faced with other parents, they might have done as Dong Lan wished, sending their children back to school without delay.

But Shen Mingzhu was not ordinary.

She did not agree to the homeroom teacher’s request, instead indicating she wanted to consult Pei Ziheng’s own wishes.

In front of Shen Mingzhu, Pei Ziheng changed from his cool and proud demeanor in front of Dong Lan to being obedient and soft, like an ordinary beautiful boy.

"Mom, do you want me to go back to school?"

Shen Mingzhu told him, "To your mom, your excellence already far exceeds your peers by too much. You are still young, and too many honors can be a burden and a shackle to you."

"The tree that stands out in the forest will be battered by the winds. Maintaining a degree of modesty and conformity can make life easier and more comfortable."

Pei Ziheng’s dark eyes shone bright, his tone full of the excitement of being understood, respected, and recognized:

"Mom, that’s what I think too. I’ve found my goal, and from now on I will only strive for that one goal."

The title of college entrance exam top scholar was never his goal.

The results of the second mock exam were quickly released, and Pei Ziheng ranked third in the grade by a mere seven points, fifth in the city.

Honestly, this score wasn’t bad, but compared to being first in the city in the first mock, it seemed somewhat lacking.

On the day the results came out, Dong Lan and the senior three grade director personally visited Shen Mingzhu, their goal nothing more than trying to get Pei Ziheng back to school to boost his falling grades.

Shen Mingzhu resisted the pressure, and with "respecting her son" as the reason, Dong Lan and the grade director returned empty-handed.

Jian Xun, who successfully claimed the first place in the grade, obsessively found Pei Ziheng and issued a challenge:

"Pei Ziheng, let’s compete again in the third mock. Show me all your strength."

Pei Ziheng didn’t understand why Jian Xun targeted him, but he respected it.

...

Pei Tang had recently taken a liking to running off to Pei Ziheng’s studio.

On one hand, the studio was spacious enough for her to play to her heart’s content; on the other hand, the studio had delicious treats every day!

Having recently celebrated his birthday, Pei Ziheng had grown much taller than last year. His commitment to sports and boxing had gradually built his physique robustly, yet his face remained beautifully delicate as if he were a beautiful youth from a comic book.

With his chilly pride, brilliant mind, exceptional abilities, and a soul-capturing appearance, Pei Ziheng effortlessly earned the title of ’campus heartthrob.’

Every day, girls came to the studio with gifts and letters.

Even though Pei Ziheng always discarded the letters and passed the gifts to others, it did not deter their affection and pursuit.

For them, Pei Ziheng’s existence was more like a ray of light, a faith, a wildly dazzling dream.

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