The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 759 - 758: College Entrance Exam Results Released

Chapter 759: Chapter 758: College Entrance Exam Results Released

When Shen Mingzhu saw Zhuang Xu neatly dressed and following Pei Ziheng through the door, not only did Mother Zhuang and Lou Hua drop their jaws, even Shen Mingzhu was surprised.

"My dear son, how did you do it?"

While Pei Ziheng went to the kitchen to grab some bowls and chopsticks, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help her curiosity and asked.

"Mom, take a guess."

Shen Mingzhu thought for a moment, "Did he lose a bet to you? Or lose a video game?"

Boys always loved playing such tricks.

"You guessed wrong."

"Then what method did you use?"

Pei Ziheng said, "I told him I had a way to ensure his father’s safety."

Shen Mingzhu was shocked and surprised, "What can you do?"

"I can’t do anything."

Pei Ziheng smirked mischievously, "I was just fooling him, but since he’s here, I’ve completed the task you gave me, right?"

Shen Mingzhu: "..."

My son, you do know being this cheeky can get you into trouble, right?

When mealtime arrived, motivated by a sense of compensation and guilt, Shen Mingzhu didn’t stop offering food to Zhuang Xu, taking very good care of him.

She only hoped that when he found out he was tricked, he would be a bit more forgiving towards her son.

It seemed as though the heavens might have heard Shen Mingzhu’s prayers, because the next two days were calm and peaceful.

Zhuang Xu, who normally kept to himself within his house, surprisingly started dropping by to see Pei Ziheng every day.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t press for details; she let the young people handle it themselves without worry that the two boys might end up fighting.

Since sparring with the boxing athlete Gong Rong from the martial arts school last year, Pei Ziheng kept up with his training and boxing, which was more than enough to handle a delicate young master like Zhuang Xu.

Two days later, taking advantage of the short break after the first semester of the MBA program, Shen Mingzhu, along with her two children, visited Zhao Yun, who was training at the Basketball Academy in Eugene, Oregon in M Country.

...

To surprise Zhao Yun, they didn’t breathe a word about their visit beforehand.

When he walked into the reception room and saw the three guests sitting in a row at the table, Zhao Yun thought he was dreaming.

"Auntie Mingzhu? Ziheng? Guoguo?"

"Brother Hei Xiong, long time no see!"

Pei Tang happily waved her little hand towards him, her beautiful almond eyes curved like crescents.

"Wuuu, Guoguo, it really is you!"

Zhao Yun wiped away the physiological tears that flowed from being too happy and excited, and the next second, he lifted Pei Tang into the air.

The sudden sensation of being lifted and weightlessness scared Pei Tang into continuous shrieks.

After Zhao Yun set her down, she puffed up and swung her little fists in a flurry of rage.

"Brother Hei Xiong, you’re so annoying, what if you broke me? Could you afford that?"

"Silly Guoguo, your brother would never want to hurt you."

After playfully fooling around with Pei Tang and then turning to hug Pei Ziheng, he was avoided by Pei Ziheng’s strategic step back.

Zhao Yun stood with his arms open, looking somewhat dejected, "Come on, give me a hug. We haven’t seen each other for so long, don’t you miss me?"

"Talk properly, keep your hands to yourself."

Zhao Yun turned around reluctantly, his face breaking into a smile as he faced Shen Mingzhu, "Auntie Mingzhu, let’s have a hug."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was pulled away by Pei Ziheng.

"Hug, you can hug me."

Zhao Yun got his wish and held on to Pei Ziheng for a long time, not wanting to let go.

However, this interruption made Zhao Yun drop the idea of hugging Shen Mingzhu.

The Basketball Academy allowed two days of family visits every quarter. Zhao Yun initially wished to save up his days to visit Director Zhao and his new baby sister back home after a week, but Shen Mingzhu came to visit him with her kids from so far away. Overjoyed, Zhao Yun took all his leave at once to enjoy Eugene City with his mother and siblings.

Eugene’s natural scenery was exceptionally beautiful, featuring both snow-capped mountains and beaches, as well as various museums. Zhao Yun led his mother and siblings on a tour of it all.

During their visit, Shen Mingzhu rented a family-style hotel with a kitchen and took turns cooking hometown dishes for Zhao Yun, which moved him to tears.

On the last day of their excursion, the high school graduation results were released.

In that era, without the internet or telephone score checking services, one had to visit the school or be notified individually by the teachers to learn their results.

Pei Ziheng received the call with his results at two in the afternoon, which was eleven at night back in China.

Out of a total score of 710, Pei Ziheng scored 698, missing the title of city top scorer by just one point.

His homeroom teacher, Dong Lan, expressed sympathy to Pei Yang but wasn’t heartbroken.

Because it was Jian Xun who was the city top scorer, just one point ahead of Pei Ziheng.

The school and homeroom teacher only cared about having the city top scorer; whether it was Pei Ziheng or Jian Xun didn’t matter.

As for the score, both Pei Ziheng and Shen Mingzhu were very satisfied.

Shen Mingzhu cooked a big table full of Pei Ziheng’s favorite dishes to celebrate.

Before they could even eat, calls from the recruitment groups of several prestigious schools came in.

It was only because Pei Ziheng was abroad. If it were Jian Xun in China, his house would already be surrounded and besieged by recruitment groups.

Among the prestigious schools, Pei Ziheng chose Qing University, as it was the top engineering university in the country.

Attending Qing University would not only help him with his professional learning and improvement, but it would also facilitate his search for engineering talent for the company.

Before even attending Qing University, Pei Ziheng already regarded it as his personal talent market.

As for Pei Ziheng’s choice, Shen Mingzhu naturally supported and respected it.

Pei Tang shook his head happily, "When I grow up, I also want to apply to the Central Academy of Fine Arts, so I can go study in the Capital with Brother!"

The table erupted in laughter at Pei Tang’s naive statement.

Zhao Yun laughed the loudest, "Silly Guoguo, how old are you this year? By the time you take the college entrance exam, your brother will have already graduated."

Pei Tang pouted, stubbornly saying, "Then I’ll take the college entrance exam next year, that way I’ll definitely catch up!"

The laughter around the table grew even more joyful.

After the celebration meal, Zhao Yun’s vacation also came to an end, and it was time for him to return to the Basketball Academy.

Before parting, Zhao Yun confided his inner frustrations and troubles to Pei Ziheng.

Having been encouraged by Pei Ziheng with words of "amassing extensively and progressing steadily", Zhao Yun happily dedicated himself to training and practicing his skills.

His efforts were not in vain, as he now ranked within the top ten in overall ability at the Basketball Academy, yet he still had no chance to participate in selection matches, while others, even those less skilled than him, were being signed by clubs one after another.

"I feel like I’m just wasting my time here. What’s the point of good skills if nobody gives a damn about you, just because I am of Chinese descent? They look down on us from the bottom of their hearts. Fuck! I might as well have stayed in China, taken the college entrance exam with you, and gone to university together."

Pei Ziheng listened to Zhao Yun’s rant in silence, not offering any comfort.

Willing to listen was already a gesture of brotherhood.

When Zhao Yun had finished, Pei Ziheng finally spoke up, "It’s only here that you have the chance to get into the NBA."

"Forget it, I’ve already given up on that dream," Zhao Yun said, self-deprecatingly.

Pei Ziheng looked at him, "Wait just one more year."