Ch 5: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

Class 2

The first period for both Class 2 and Class 10 that day was English. Since the English department teachers had coordinated beforehand, both classes were given the same number of vocabulary words and range for their listening tests.

When the listening test ended in Class 10, Class 2 finished at the exact same time.

Hearing that she had gotten all the vocabulary words correct, Ren Qingqing’s face lit up with a radiant and self-satisfied smile. She was just about to pull out her mirror to see how her increased beauty points would reflect in her appearance when, unexpectedly, the cold voice of the system dealt her a harsh blow with the words “Task failed.”

Her gaze darted to the task panel and the now-diminished points total. Ren Qingqing’s face turned deathly pale, her lips pressed tightly together in disbelief.

“System, explain yourself! What do you mean by ‘The associated target completed the vocabulary test correctly before the host’? Are you saying Ruan Cha wrote all the words correctly? Impossible! How could her early completion affect my task?”

Ren Qingqing mentally seethed, convinced she had been tricked by the system.

“System, don’t you have a recon feature?! You said Ruan Cha had high IQ but only scored 340 on her mock exams. That’s why I chose to link with her!”

[Friendly reminder: The target was designated by the host as a priority character. The system did not intervene.]

[Ding. Second recon completed. Subject: Ruan Cha. English: 150 points. Math: 150 points. Physics: 10 points. Chemistry: 10 points. Biology: 10 points. Literature: 10 points.]

Ren Qingqing: “???”

Are you just here to validate my instincts?

[When the associated target completes a task ahead of the host, the host’s task is automatically marked as failed. This is explicitly stated in line 12 of page 132 in the Task B Host Agreement.]

[The host may terminate Task B at any time, but it will cost 10 points. Task A can then be reactivated.]

The Scholar System was initially designed by the Federation to cultivate individuals with extraordinarily high IQs. However, while the Federation needed highly intelligent individuals, it did not need geniuses who were madmen.

The Scholar System currently deployed in the 22nd century had been tampered with by such a genius madman. Part of its code had been rewritten to include choices purportedly meant to “test human nature.”

After binding with Ren Qingqing, the Scholar System managed to self-purge some of the illegal code thanks to its residual consciousness. However, a few deeply rooted viruses remained, locked in a constant battle with the system. For now, since Ren Qingqing had chosen Task B, the virus was clearly gaining the upper hand.

After all, Task B was introduced by the virus.

Looking at her measly remaining 19 points, Ren Qingqing pursed her lips in frustration. “What’s the probability of Ruan Cha scoring perfectly in other subjects?”

[Based on historical database analysis, probability = 0.]

Hearing this, Ren Qingqing’s tense nerves relaxed slightly. “I’ll wait and see. If I lose 3—no, 5 more points, I’ll restart Task A.”

---

Class 10

Ruan Cha, completely unaware of the conversations between Ren Qingqing and the system, could only hear the cold electronic voice of the system whenever it announced tasks.

As soon as class ended, the classroom burst into noise, with the boys chatting about games and basketball, while the girls delved into gossip and makeup.

“Wait, you’re dating the senior from Class 6? He’s like the campus crush of Year Three! Girl, how’d you manage that?”

“What else? She got Seasoned Informant Ji Feiyang to set her up.”

The girl being asked blushed and giggled, “Don’t let Ji Feiyang’s carefree attitude fool you—his info bank is legit. Likes, hobbies, favorite hangouts—you name it. Bumped into him a couple of times, and voilà, we’re together now.”

Ruan Cha, hearing snippets of the conversation by chance, was mildly surprised but quickly understood.

At Second High, early relationships weren’t strictly controlled. As long as students didn’t go overboard, teachers generally turned a blind eye. No one would snitch to the office either.

The Ji Feiyang they were talking about was the school’s infamous informant.

Ruan Cha dismissed the gossip as soon as she heard it, but to her surprise, after the second class, none other than Ji Feiyang—the gossip subject himself—blocked her at her desk.

Plopping down in the seat next to hers, Ji Feiyang wore an enthusiastic yet almost fawning expression. Despite the thin black-framed glasses on his face, there wasn’t a shred of scholarly refinement about him.

“Classmate Ruan, tell me your requirements!” he said eagerly.

Whenever a new student joined the school, Ji Feiyang was always the first to appear. With two new transfers in the grade, he’d naturally prioritized Ruan Cha. After all, her mom had famously been involved in the baby swap with his buddy Fu Chen’s mom years ago.

Ji Feiyang figured it was necessary to gather some intel.

“My info bank covers more than half the students at Second High—personality traits, preferences, contact info, favorite hangouts, you name it! It’s guaranteed to help you find your ideal high school crush!”

After a moment’s thought, he added awkwardly, “It also includes my detailed profile.”

Ruan Cha ignored his last comment, instead repeating softly, “Requirements?”

Seeing Ji Feiyang nod, she tilted her head, thought for a moment, then casually opened her physics book. Pointing to the additional problem in the practice section, she said nonchalantly, “Anyone who can answer this question within a minute is my ideal high school crush.”

Ji Feiyang stared at the question—a bonus problem he’d spent three hours struggling with just yesterday and still couldn’t solve. He immediately felt a pang of despair.

“…vo = 4 × 10⁶ m/s!” he blurted out.

Seeing this, Ruan Cha was genuinely surprised. “You know the answer?”

“I just asked Fu Chen this morning,” Ji Feiyang admitted, his earlier enthusiasm completely deflated. “I’ve seen people set high standards for a dream guy, but never one that requires being a literal academic god. Even Fu Chen, who always scores full marks in science subjects, took five minutes to solve this! Other than him, no one in the entire school qualifies!”

Ruan Cha: I was just trying to make you back off.

She decided to steer the conversation away. “You know Fu Chen?”

This casual question immediately drew the attention of most of the class.

Forty years ago, the Liang and Wei families were considered equals—Liang family prominent in Nanshi and Wei family in Shenshi. However, during a trip to Nanshi, Madam Wei received news of her husband’s arrest for embezzlement. The shock caused her to go into premature labor.

No one could have imagined that two children born in the same hospital would end up swapped. The switched individuals were Wei Jiao, who had just returned to the Liang family, and the late Liang Yue.

The Wei family’s decline was swift after its patriarch’s fall—properties sold, assets liquidated, and within three months, the family was left destitute. Over time, the members of the Wei family either died in prison or succumbed to illness, leaving a young Wei Jiao to be taken in by a small-town orphanage.

In contrast, Liang Yue, raised in the prosperous Liang household, had a life that could only be described as idyllic.

The stark disparity between their fates fueled speculation that there would be tension between Ruan Cha and Fu Chen, the children of the two swapped women.

When Ruan Cha asked about Fu Chen, Ji Feiyang’s immediate reaction was to assume she disliked him. He quickly explained, “About what happened with your mothers—it was entirely the hospital’s mistake. Fu Chen just visited the Wei family graves yesterday and said he feels sorry for your mom.”

It wasn’t just lip service, either. Ji Feiyang had a feeling Fu Chen was preparing to hand over a significant portion of his shares as compensation to Wei Jiao. The only issue was that Fu Chen insisted on doing it quietly, fearing that public knowledge would make Wei Jiao feel obligated to forgive him.

Seated diagonally in front, Song Mengyu caught snippets of their conversation and raised an eyebrow. “Cha Cha, Ji Feiyang is right. Even though you spent over a decade in a small town without a good education or exposure to certain social norms, and Fu Chen has always been outstanding, you shouldn’t hold a grudge against him.”

“Why would I dislike him?” Ruan Cha retorted, confused. “You’re so young—can’t you have a brighter outlook? Why are you always thinking about grudges and resentment? I see him as a role model.”

Top of the class, she thought. If I can reach that level, maybe I won’t have to worry about being exploited by the system!

Song Mengyu: “…”

Who are you calling dark-minded?!

Meanwhile, Lin Ling, who was applying lipstick nearby, rolled her eyes dramatically. “Hah, you see Fu Chen as a role model? You could study for a lifetime and never match him! Ever since he started high school, he’s scored perfect marks in every math and science test. Just because you’re decent at English doesn’t make you a genius.”

Ruan Cha looked puzzled. “What does Fu Chen’s perfect scores have to do with you? You’re so proud it’s like you’re the one scoring them.”

“Ruan Cha!” Lin Ling shouted angrily, slamming her desk and preparing to confront her.

Snap!

The noisy classroom instantly fell silent. Ji Feiyang swallowed hard, clutching the A4 paper filled with Ruan Cha’s information, his hands trembling slightly.

A pencil snapped in half.

Under everyone’s gaze, Ruan Cha had casually pinched the pencil between her thumb and forefinger, breaking it cleanly in two and letting the pieces drop onto her desk.

Breaking a pencil wasn’t hard, but to do it effortlessly like this? That was another story. Several classmates who initially thought Ruan Cha was just a delicate girl were forced to reevaluate their first impressions.

She looked soft and dainty, but damn, her strength was something else.

Even Ruan Cha herself was taken aback as she stared at the broken pencil. Her mind was racing with expletives.

No wonder her dad had told her to test her grip on the special pencils he’d bought before confronting anyone at school. She hadn’t even applied pressure!

Though internally panicking, Ruan Cha kept a composed face. She glanced at the stunned Lin Ling and smiled disarmingly. “Do you need something?”

The entire class shifted their gaze to Lin Ling… or more specifically, to her neck.

Compared to a pencil, her neck was significantly thicker, but if Ruan Cha could snap a pencil so effortlessly… well, Lin Ling’s neck didn’t seem all that durable.

Lin Ling: “…”