Ch 39: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

As the two-day midterms wrapped up, the students seemed like they had been repeatedly battered. After finishing the last biology exam, Ruan Cha turned in her paper at the bell and slung her backpack over her shoulder to head back to Class 10.

The moment she stepped into the classroom, she was met with the scrutinizing stares of her classmates, pinning her to the doorway. Stiffly turning her neck, she asked, “What’s wrong with you all? It’s been two days—don’t recognize me anymore?”

Saying this, she dramatically brushed her hand across her face. “It seems… I’ve gotten a bit prettier.”

The entire class: “…”

To be honest, some people, once you get familiar with them, reveal their true nature pretty easily.

For days, Yu Zhiyan had been quietly observing Ruan Cha, trying to figure out her personality. His expression turned somewhat complicated. He realized he had oversimplified things—Ruan Cha wasn’t just simple-minded; she was absurdly self-obsessed.

So, was it through a combination of simplicity and self-obsession that Ruan Cha managed to crush Ren Qingqing, with her system-enhanced advantages, into such a sorry state?

Idly twirling a black leather cord in his fingers, Yu Zhiyan’s face held a faint smile. His amber cat-like eyes narrowed with interest. If he could uncover the details of the situation, it might turn out to be quite entertaining.

Xie Chang’an, perched on a desk and bragging about how he was bound to move up to Exam Hall 21 next time, jumped down when he spotted Ruan Cha. Clutching his chest, he said dramatically, “Ruan Cha, we saw it! Every time, you only handed in your paper at the final bell!”

“Midterms are harder than monthly exams—it’s normal! Don’t worry, even if you drop out of the top 100—no, the top 200—we’re here. Nobody will dare to laugh at you!”

A piece of chalk flew through the air, hitting Xie Chang’an squarely on his shiny forehead. The poor chalk bounced to the ground, shattering into three pieces.

“Shut up, you crow-tongued fool!” Huang Jiajia yelled. “Ruan Cha dropping out of the top 100? Impossible!”

Before midterms, Huang Jiajia had gotten some key notes from Ruan Cha and was well aware of how much she had mastered. Even if she didn’t maintain her sixth-place rank, she would still secure a spot in the top 20—or, at worst, the top 50!

Although Huang Jiajia had faith in her, seeing Ruan Cha turn in her papers right at the bell every time left her a bit worried about her state.

At the back of the class, a boy banged on his desk, laughing. “Ruan Cha, you promised a banquet of abalone if you took first place. Even if you don’t, we’ll still have one—consider it a class gathering!”

This immediately drew a round of cheers from the class. Among them, only Song Mengyu was secretly rejoicing. It seemed that Ruan Cha’s sixth place in the monthly exams had been sheer luck, and now she would finally be knocked back to reality!

Suppressing the upward curl of her lips, Song Mengyu refrained from pretending to be a doting elder sister this time. Even if the probability was slim, she was still afraid that Ruan Cha’s results might slap her in the face again.

After listening for a while, Ruan Cha figured out what was going on and couldn’t help but laugh. Who would’ve thought that her decision to follow the lead of Class 1 and not submit papers early would lead her classmates to misunderstand her?

Amused yet warmed by the situation, she couldn’t help but reflect on how different this was from the previous life in the book. This time, she had friends to talk to and classmates who joked with her.

Looking at the boy in the back, Ruan Cha smiled. “You’re willing to pay for a whole abalone banquet even if I don’t get first place. But if I actually do take the top spot, then—”

“I’ll cover half a month’s worth!” The boy wasn’t dumb. His family had already told him that it wouldn’t hurt to build a good relationship with the Liang family. Besides, Ruan Cha’s personality wasn’t annoying—she was fun to have as a classmate. A little money wasn’t a big deal.

“Ruan Cha, if you actually manage to take first place, I’ll seriously cover half a month of abalone banquets. Enough to make the entire Class 10 so stuffed we can’t eat anymore.”

Ruan Cha found it amusing. Because of the system looming over her, she was forced to study. But during breaks, she even managed to draw in business for her family’s hotel. A win-win situation.

“Alright, it’s a deal then,” she said confidently. “If I take first place, half a month’s worth of banquets it is.” Then she clapped her hands together, her self-assured grin spreading. “Of course, if I do take first, I’ll also treat everyone to a meal.”

Someone curiously asked, “What kind of meal? Street food or Seven-Star Restaurant?”

Hearing that, Xie Chang’an scratched his head in distress. “Huh? Seven-Star? Then, Ruan Cha, how about we just skip the ‘first place’ condition altogether?”

His suggestion surprisingly gained the support of several classmates.

Ruan Cha: “…”

You guys have no faith in me, do you?

As she returned to her seat to pack up, she noticed Yu Zhiyan spinning a leather cord in his fingers while looking at her. His lazy, cat-like eyes brimmed with curiosity. “Hey, if you treat us after getting first, can I tag along for a meal?”

Surprised by his words, Ruan Cha asked, “You believe I can take first place?” In Class 10, even Huang Jiajia and Xie Chang’an didn’t believe in her, and Yu Zhiyan, whom she had only known for less than half a month, actually did?

“Of course.”

If you don’t get first place, things might get ugly for you. I really hope you succeed.

Without much sincerity, Yu Zhiyan smiled and swung the leather cord before her eyes. “What do you think it looks like?”

Forced into the conversation, Ruan Cha lowered her gaze at the leather cord spinning mid-air. She frowned slightly. “A dog leash?”

Yu Zhiyan raised an eyebrow and leaned back against his chair with his eyes closed. “Well, that’s not a bad guess.” A leash, indeed. As for whom it was meant for… it didn’t really matter.

Finding Yu Zhiyan increasingly odd, Ruan Cha decided to ignore him. She busied herself arranging her books and notebooks neatly in her desk cubby.

---

The midterm papers were graded over two days. By Friday afternoon, the results were finally posted. However, before the students could rush to check the leaderboard, the class bell rang. Thankfully, Liao Lan, their homeroom teacher, walked in with the results in hand, clearly intending to announce them during class.

As expected, Liao Lan used the math class to announce the scores. Unlike before, she started from the bottom of the list instead of the top.

“Xu Shen, all subjects… zero.”

The class fell into a stunned silence, but they were somewhat used to it by now.

Ruan Cha’s expression turned thoughtful. Based on previous tasks, the upgraded 2.0 system should have already assessed the scores once they were finalized to determine if Ren Qingqing completed her task.

Yet now, with the leaderboard posted and the teacher holding the scores in hand, there was no sound or reaction from the system at all.

Ruan Cha pulled out a palm-sized compact mirror and secretly glanced at her reflection. Her appearance hadn’t changed. Next, she took out an unfamiliar classical poem she hadn’t learned before, scanned it from start to finish, and found she could recite it perfectly.

Had she temporarily preserved both her beauty value and intelligence value?

Ruan Cha’s eyebrows drooped slightly, her entire demeanor enveloped in a kind of melancholy. She realized she hadn’t overheard the system assigning tasks to Ren Qingqing. Given the system’s usual behavior, it was unlikely no tasks were assigned. Did this mean the system had fixed the bug, making it impossible for her to eavesdrop on assignments anymore?

Song Mengyu, noticing Ruan Cha’s gloomy expression, felt immensely pleased. Ruan Cha must have bombed her exams! After flaunting her sixth-place finish from the monthly exams, she was finally showing her true colors during the midterms!

Thinking of how she managed to answer several challenging questions correctly during the exams, Song Mengyu sat straighter, pride swelling. Surely, the midterm rankings would prove she had surpassed Ruan Cha.

“Song Mengyu, total score 432, ranked 301 in the grade.”

Snapped out of her daydream, Song Mengyu jerked her head up. Her rank had indeed improved, even moving her up to a higher exam hall, but what about Ruan Cha? Did the teacher skip her name?!

Noticing Song Mengyu’s wide-eyed stare, Liao Lan chuckled. “It seems Song Mengyu is thrilled. Keep it up, and aim to move up another exam hall next time.”

With that, Liao Lan continued reading the results.

Since Class 10 had fewer students, the list was read out quickly. Huang Jiajia’s score earned her a rank of 189 in the grade, drawing considerable praise from Liao Lan.

As names were called, the classmates couldn’t help glancing at Ruan Cha in surprise. How had she not been mentioned yet?

“Yu Zhiyan, 715 points, ranked 13th in the grade.”

The class erupted: “!!”

The boy who had promised the abalone feast slammed the desk in excitement. “Holy crap! Ruan Cha is definitely in the top 12!”

Xie Chang’an looked equally ecstatic. “Ruan Cha, you’re incredible!”

Even Liao Lan, seeing their enthusiasm, couldn’t help smiling. She then turned her gaze to Ruan Cha, whose expression remained curiously calm—well, calm with a hint of awkwardness. Liao Lan nodded approvingly and announced with deliberate clarity:

“Ruan Cha, 755 points, including the 10 bonus points for the additional math questions. Ruan Cha, ranked first in the grade!”

Ruan Cha: “!!”

First place!

She had thoroughly and completely outperformed Ren Qingqing!

Ruan Cha’s joy was nearly uncontainable. Not only had she secured first place, but the absence of the system’s task notifications or any indication of Ren Qingqing’s failure confirmed the earlier message: their connection was truly severed!

Just as a grin began spreading across her face, Ruan Cha reined it back in. No, now wasn’t the time to relax. Her enemies weren’t limited to Ren Qingqing; there was still someone named Yu Zheng lurking in the shadows.

For now, she had only achieved a temporary victory over Ren Qingqing.

At the same time, she had gleaned an important clue: Yu Zhiyan likely knew about Ren Qingqing’s system and tasks. However, he seemed unaware of when Ren Qingqing’s connection with her had been severed.

Otherwise, there was no need for him to urge her to aim for first place.

The ominous feeling in Song Mengyu’s chest exploded the moment she heard the words “first in the grade.” Her mind went blank, and a buzzing sound filled her ears. Her face burned as if someone had slapped her hard.

Her heart was a chaotic mess, a pot of mixed emotions. There was the humiliation of being thoroughly crushed by Ruan Cha, but also relief that she hadn’t openly mocked her earlier.

The noisy Class 10 fell silent, stunned into disbelief.

Ruan Cha actually—truly—secured first in the grade?!!

What the—?!

Huang Jiajia shot her hand up, her voice tinged with nervousness as she asked, “Teacher, first in the grade—is it shared, or does she hold it alone?”

Hearing this, Liao Lan couldn’t suppress her pride any longer. Her smile overflowed, brimming with evident satisfaction. “Ruan Cha holds first place in the grade, alone!”

Huang Jiajia’s jaw dropped as excitement overtook her. She almost screamed out loud. “Ruan Cha, you’re first! You’re the sole first! You’re incredible!!!”

For someone like Fu Chen to get first, it wasn’t surprising. For students from Class 1 or 2 to land in the top ten, it wasn’t unusual. But Ruan Cha—from their very own Class 10—defeating Fu Chen, who had held first place for so long?

It was like a little monster defeating Ultraman!

They could brag about this until graduation!

Liao Lan clapped her hands against the lectern, cutting through the growing noise. “Quiet down! Quiet! Don’t disturb other classes. Ruan Cha’s dedication and hard work are something you’ve all witnessed. It’s no surprise she’s managed to achieve first in the grade!”

Of course, even she was deeply astonished.

“Let’s continue with our lesson now. During the evening self-study session, we’ll let Ruan Cha share her thoughts and study strategies. While she’s still here in Class 10, you should seize the opportunity to learn from her. Perhaps, like Yu Zhiyan, some of you might make it into Class 1 and continue as her classmates.”

Huang Jiajia and the others: “…”

Yeah, maybe let’s not aim that high.

Ruan Cha pulled out her textbook, ready to focus on class, but suddenly, in front of her, where there had been nothing but air, a palm-sized white virtual panel materialized out of thin air!

[Note: Xu Nan has been designated by the host, Ren Qingqing, as the second associated target. Please read the following content carefully, Task Devourer Ruan Cha.]

Ruan Cha: ???

Devourer?

Did you graduate from some edgy intergalactic academy?

Wait, hold on—

Xu Nan?!