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“Yuxin, is this money yours?” Tang Zhinian, pointing at the money on the table, asked his daughter.

Tang Yuxin looked at the money on the table, her eyes calm, as serene as the still water in a deep pool, almost rippleless.

“No,” she replied, pulling Sisi closer.

“Did Chen Lidong give it to you?”

Sisi blinked her eyes and then nodded forcefully, “Brother gave it to Sisi, he said he will give it to Sisi in the future.”

Tang Zhijun’s face darkened instantly. His daughter was still so young, and someone was already setting his sights on her. That brat! He genuinely felt like he was looking at his future son-in-law; the more he saw him, the more he disliked and resented him.

He grabbed the money and directly gave it back to Chen Lidong, then took Sisi back to Li Tang village.

Chen Lidong stared at the money, on the brink of tears.

Dad said a man should give the money he makes to a woman for safekeeping, so didn’t he do the right thing?

His father, the miser Chen, blushed with embarrassment. He waved his hand, feeling too ashamed to face anyone. His son was such a fool.

Chen’s mother just shook her head. Nevermind, she thought, she didn’t want to interfere anymore. They would find their own way when they grew up. By that time, she would be old.

This year had been somewhat dangerous, but it had passed. They were all still here and so was their time.

They were still middle school students, and their lives had just begun, at a bright, vibrant age.

When they returned to school, there were some changes in the class, at least the absence of Zhang Yindi. When others asked about it, Tang Yuxin just shook her head. She knew nothing. Zhang Yindi might be dead, and the world had one more Zhang Xiaomei, the woman who could break a man’s heart with one hand.

Several other unfamiliar faces didn’t come back either, dropping out for various reasons. But most classmates were still there, actually they hadn’t changed, even though they were changing every day.

What changed were their ages, and their intellects.

“Yuxin, you seem to have become fairer,” said another girl who came over, touching Tang Yuxin’s face. “Really, how did you become so fair?”

When Tang Yuxin was in the first year of junior high school, she was an ordinary girl like many girls in the village, because she had been exposed to wind and sun since she was a child, unlike the city kids.

Moreover, most children from the countryside always had cold hands and feet. Tang Yuxin was a bit better in this respect, her fingers never got frozen, but still, they were dark and her skin was not good, blasted by the wind and sun.

But only half a year later, things had changed.

Her complexion had lightened, and her features seemed to have grown more defined. Her baby fat had gone, and even her chin had become more pointed this year. Most importantly, Tang Yuxin had a set of nice teeth, very white and neatly arranged. When she smiled, a charming, gentle glow touched her face.

They say a fair complexion hides many flaws.

So, because she had become fair, she had become more good looking.

“I will get tanned again in summer.”

This was all Tang Yuxin said. Whether or not she would get tanned, she was waiting for time to tell.

“Humph!” Suddenly, a cold, contemptuous voice came from somewhere.

Tang Yuxin turned her body to meet Wei Jiani’s provocative gaze.

She sneered, “True, you will tan eventually. How could someone like you possibly turn fair, what a joke.”

Wei Jiani stretched out her hand. Since she was a child, she knew she was pretty, her fingers were long and graceful. Her teacher said she had perfect hands for playing an instrument, even playing an electronic keyboard was beneath her. She should be playing the piano, but her family couldn’t afford the high cost of piano lessons.

Sang Zhilan always said that it would have been great if Tang Yuxin had stayed with her. That way, all the money from Tang Yuxin’s father would be theirs. With that money, she could afford piano lessons.

Thus, her resentment for Tang Yuxin grew, she couldn’t stand people praising her.

Tang Yuxin pursed her red lips; she did not want to argue with a fool. Whether she would turn fair or not, they would wait to see.

Furthermore, Tang Yuxin flipped through her book. This semester, Wei Jiani was destined to be outperformed by her again. She was waiting to see how her pale little cabbage, Wei Jiani, would fare compared to herself.

The workload for the second semester was much heavier than the first one. However, due to their intense extra classes during the holidays, not just Tang Yuxin, even Chen Lidong and Xu Miaomiao felt quite relaxed.

They no longer needed to copy homework from others, they could finish it independently. Chen Lidong, who had been copying others’ homework all his life, was shocked. One day, someone actually came to him for answers.

The feeling was too good, and his spirits lifted.

But when he saw the class’s top student, the second-best in the whole grade, a quiet bookworm, sitting in front of him, all his superiority and bloated ego shattered into pieces.

What did he have to be proud of? That student was the class’s top scholar, while he was the twelfth. The gap wasn’t merely twelve places; it was as wide as the Pacific Ocean, no, the entire solar system.

For him to jump from twelfth place to first place, it was a Herculean task. He couldn’t even beat Tang Yuxin, let alone the top student.

One day, the class teacher walked up to the podium. She was very satisfied with the recent academic attitude of her students. The subject teachers mentioned that these children were all working very hard lately. Especially Xu Miaomiao and Chen Lidong, who used to be underperforming students, had improved significantly. They were quick to grasp concepts, did their homework well, and were proactive in class. So, the class teacher was quite relieved.

She cleared her throat, “Our school is preparing an English contest. After selections at school, the winners will participate in citywide competition, then the provincial one. It’s a wonderful opportunity to glorify our school. I hope everyone aggressively signs up.”

When it came to signing up enthusiastically, if it had been any other subject, there would have been many eager participants. Trying wouldn’t hurt, they would know whether or not they are capable. But this time was different, it was English.