CHAPTER 639: CHAPTER 628: VICIOUS VILLAIN

"So why do you say you come home so late every night? You wouldn’t claim Brother Cheng is tutoring you, would you? As if we don’t know his grades?" Luo Sitian sneered.

"Mom, can you not make such subjective assumptions? I’ve told you before that I’m working a summer job, and why couldn’t Brother Cheng tutor me? Although his grades weren’t good before, can’t he improve? Why do you always have to negate us? Uncle Jiang, do you also think that Brother Cheng is incapable of accomplishing anything?" Ye Qiu retorted.

Jiang Hongcai’s expression turned ugly, and Jiang Yi gave a helpless smile in response: "It’s not that we don’t trust you. It’s just that Cheng... indeed had some problems before. We are just worried about both of you."

"So you’ve decided that we’re up to no good? Assuming we’re romantically involved?" Ye Qiu rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Is this what you call caring for us? Frankly speaking, standing here today, Brother Cheng and I feel like we’re not children of this family but more like your prisoners."

"But how can you make us believe that there’s nothing going on between the two of you? Sister Qiu, Big Brother also wanted to taste the food you made, but didn’t you say it was only for Cheng?" said Jiang Yi, looking heartbroken.

Ye Qiu, genuinely despising his hypocrisy and duplicity, was about to retort when Jiang Cheng lifted his head: "Didn’t you yourself say not to eat at night? I ate because I didn’t have dinner. Did you not eat either?"

Jiang Yi was caught off guard by Jiang Cheng’s retort, completely unable to believe he had said that.

His eyes suddenly became elusive, always feeling like Jiang Cheng had slipped out of his control. But it didn’t matter much after all; Jiang Cheng was useless, how could he possibly surpass himself in the future?

"So today you’re questioning us just based on Big Brother’s words?" Ye Qiu looked at Jiang Yi, "Just because he’s the good child in your eyes and we’re the bad ones? That’s right, if that’s the case I feel arguing further is pointless. Let’s just wait and see what happens, see if Brother Cheng and I really are what you think."

Jiang Hongcai, Luo Sitian, and Jiang Yi all looked at Ye Qiu, not knowing if she had suddenly changed or if she was exploding after enduring for many years, their expressions were quite ugly.

"I don’t care what kind of relationship you have, nor do I care what you do day and night, but if something inappropriate involving you two leaks outside, don’t blame me, the parent, for being rude." With that, Jiang Hongcai warned with a look at Jiang Cheng and Ye Qiu before going upstairs.

Jiang Yi followed him, casting a significant glance at them.

Luo Sitian still sitting, her hands roughened by labor over the past two months almost poked Ye Qiu’s nose, visibly shaken with anger: "Fine, you really are something, truly my good daughter, go ahead and degrade yourself, just don’t blame me, your mother, for not caring about you later."

In the end, only Ye Qiu and Jiang Cheng were left in the living room. They looked at each other, and Ye Qiu was the first to laugh: "Alright, now we’re completely off the leash."

Jiang Cheng looked at Ye Qiu, his eyes gentle: "It’s okay, I’m here."

From the next day onwards, Ye Qiu saying they were unsupervised was not much different from before, except that Jiang Cheng no longer had pocket money. He didn’t tell Ye Qiu, just studied harder and frequented the underground racetrack more often.

He needed money, a lot of money, to escape from this family with Ye Qiu.

Soon, it was September, the start of school. Though Ye Qiu was a year younger than Jiang Cheng, they were in the same grade, just different classes.

They both attended City Experimental Middle School, but unlike Jiang Yi who earned scholarships every year, they were there because they had paid their way in. However, Jiang Hongcai had declared that if their grades did not reach the average level of Experimental Middle School this year, he would not pay their hefty sponsorship fees anymore.

If it weren’t for the sponsorship fees being paid earlier and him too embarrassed to ask for a refund, Jiang Cheng and Ye Qiu might have had to transfer schools this year.

Jiang Hongcai originally had little affection for this illegitimate son, let alone Ye Qiu who defied him, his stepdaughter, so he didn’t want to waste any more effort on them.

Since their last fallout, Jiang Yi had been closely monitoring Jiang Cheng and Ye Qiu. He really disliked these younger siblings. He had intended to show them some kindness as leverage for potential future use, but since they were ungrateful, he didn’t want to see them prosper. There was a placement test when school started, and he wanted to see how good their results could be!

"Don’t worry about the exam, we still have a year." Ye Qiu comforted Jiang Cheng before the exam, but the results actually made her lose face.

In the second year of high school, there were nearly a thousand students. Jiang Cheng used to be among the last ten, while she was around the five to six hundred range. This summer, Jiang Cheng only reviewed for a month at most. Ye Qiu thought he wouldn’t improve much, but he ended up scoring 480 points, ranking at four hundred thirty-four, while she only scored 450 points. Although it was just thirty points lower, she fell behind by a hundred places in the rankings.

Jiang Cheng looked at the disheartened Ye Qiu and a slight smile appeared in his eyes, then he ruffled her hair: "It’s okay, didn’t we agree that I would learn well and then teach you?"

"I’ll work hard, Second Brother. How about we aim to rank within the top ten in one year’s time?" Ye Qiu ambitiously suggested.

"Okay!"

"Top ten, you two?" A girl whose academic performance was similar to Ye Qiu’s scoffed, "Don’t overestimate yourselves."

"What’s it to you?" Jiang Cheng coldly stared at her.

The girl shrank back; she had almost forgotten that he was their school’s bully. She gritted her teeth and ran away, looking back at them spitefully.

Humph! An illegitimate child putting on airs? Even Jiang Yi, the legitimate son, isn’t as showy as him!

So, within less than half a day, the whole school was abuzz with the news that Jiang Cheng was going to try to rank within the top three of their grade within a year, a rumor started by the girl, possibly with some push from Jiang Yi.

As for why Ye Qiu’s name wasn’t included, of course, it was because she wasn’t famous enough, and as for the ambitious leap from the top ten to the top three, it was because the girl wanted to see Jiang Cheng fail.

"Did you really spread such words?" Han Fei looked at Jiang Cheng in surprise.

"You’re awesome, Brother Cheng!" Gao Feng gave a thumbs up.

"I didn’t say top three." Jiang Cheng said with an even expression.

Han Fei raised his eyebrows: "Then someone is hoping to see you fail?"

"They won’t get their wish." Jiang Cheng’s gaze was determined.

"Bro, good luck." Mo Ziang clapped Jiang Cheng’s shoulder with his large hand, full of admiration.

Jiang Cheng turned to look at the two: "Are you two planning to just fall behind like this?"

Gao Feng and Mo Ziang awkwardly grinned: "We probably shouldn’t, we really don’t have that kind of talent!"

Han Fei lightly laughed: "Just consider it keeping your Brother Cheng company. What, don’t you want people to look at you differently? Look at Brother Cheng, in one month, his ranking jumped by more than four hundred places. You guys can do it too."

Under Jiang Cheng’s intimidating gaze, Gao Feng and Mo Ziang had no choice but to agree, though deep down they also harbored the same thought, otherwise they wouldn’t have been easily persuaded.