September, the beginning of the school season.
The couple sent their daughter Ji Ruochu to enroll, although Ji Ruochu repeatedly emphasized that she could go by herself, the stubborn Ji Mochen couple still insisted on sending her.
"My daughter, dad and mom bought you an apartment near the school. If you are not happy living in the dormitory, we can move out."
As the highest scorer in the national college entrance examination, Ji Ruochu was bothered by the admission offices of several top universities for days before finally choosing Peking University by rolling dice.
The top universities that lost the valedictorian due to luck: ...freaking out on the spot.
Ji Ruochu majored in economics and finance. When Ji Moyi, the head of the Ji family, learned of her decision, he was ecstatic for three days, as if he had finally found a successor.
Unfortunately, Mr. Ji was still disappointed in the end. Ji Ruochu's ambition did not lie there.
Of course, that's a story for later. For now, after Ji Ruochu finished enrolling, the Ji Mochen couple went to her dormitory to make her bed and clean the room.
The dorm conditions at Peking University were naturally excellent. It was a two-person room with a loft bed, desk and wardrobe underneath.
Although the couple felt the room was not big enough, they did not show it. After seeing their daughter start to put away her study supplies, they also got busy.
As for Ji Ruochu's roommate... an old friend, Ren Yujun, her elementary school classmate. The Ren family had a nanny to clean up. In contrast, the Ji Mochen couple's actions, which were very normal for ordinary people, seemed a bit abnormal.
"Si Yu from the foreign language department lives in the dorm next door. She said she'll come to see us later."
Ren Yujun said while looking at her phone.
"That's great. Later uncle and auntie will take you out for a meal," Ling Chujin said with a laugh right away while putting bed sheets on for her daughter.
"Your uncle looked at several restaurants yesterday. He said they were places you girls would like."
"Thank you, uncle and auntie." Ren Yujun smiled sweetly.
The couple families were of similar economic status. Ren Yujun was not thanking them for an expensive meal, but for their thoughtfulness.
"Dad, I can do it myself. You take a break."
Ji Ruochu looked at her old father with laughter in her eyes. With one turn of her head, she saw her father had rolled up the legs of his suit pants. The expensive material immediately took on the wrinkled look of cheap bargain bin clothes.
If she hadn't heard her father specifically tell the maid at home yesterday to neatly iron his suit, she would have thought he didn't care.
"No need. Don't get your hands dirty. Dad can do it," Ji Mochen quickly stopped Ji Ruochu. "You and Yujun pick what you want to eat later."
Ji Ruochu was extremely helpless. She could only go pour water for the couple.
Originally she wanted to do it herself. When her suggestion was rejected, she proposed letting the maid at home, who was worried about losing her job at any moment, come do it to reassure the maid.
But the couple still refused, saying they wanted to "experience the sense of responsibility other parents feel when going to their child's dorm to clean up."
No matter how many times Ji Ruochu emphasized that in life, one doesn't need to experience everything, she couldn't stand up to the pitiful looks in the two's eyes.
One said, My daughter, do you think we're embarrassing you?
The other said, Yes, if people find out the valedictorian's parents are academic failures, you'll definitely be mocked in the future...
Ji Ruochu...could only agree.
She thought to herself, if they want the experience then let them experience it. With her parents' status, aside from learning to cook for her sake, they probably hadn't done any housework in years. At worst she could tidy up again afterwards.
But now at second glance, they were pretty skillful!
Ji Mochen didn't even miss the corners. He mopped the floor until it was slightly shiny. As for Ling Chujin, not even two sentences later, the pillowcases were changed. She was hanging up the custom mosquito net she ordered for Ji Ruochu.
As she hung it, she also asked Ren Yujun, "Yujun, auntie custom ordered two mosquito nets. Do you want auntie to hang one for you too, to match with Ruochu's?"
Ji Ruochu looked at the pink mosquito net, then looked at Ren Yujun's solid black and white, cool-toned clothes. She was about to politely decline for her friend, when...
"Yes, yes!" Ren Yujun, the cool girl, looked extremely excited.
Ji Ruochu: ...Sister, I'm just saying, don't try to force yourself to fit into circles you don't belong.
Half an hour later, the couple brought Ji Ruochu and her two friends towards the school gate.
In just the five minute walk, their group kept growing as if they were picking up equipment.
When they met up with four other elementary school classmates from neighboring schools at the gate and got into the families' luxury cars under many stares, they finally left amidst a sensation like a wedding procession.
That day, they made it onto Peking University's campus forum.
#Exposing the (crossed out) ten (crossed out) (four of whom were academic standouts from neighboring schools) six outstanding figures at our school this year.
The neighboring school's campus forum post:
#Exposing the (crossed out) ten (crossed out) (six of whom were academic standouts from neighboring schools) (the admissions office should reflect on why they only snatched four) four outstanding figures at our school this year.
Top comments:
1F [Haha I'm dead, heard this year's top students all liked to flip coins, heads for Peking U, tails for Tsinghua.]
2F [Tsk, our school's luck is that bad?]
3F [Bad review!]
4F [Not bad, thanks to the valedictorian's coin flip landing on our school, otherwise I guess we wouldn't have gotten any. The ten top students all averaged over 730, moved as a pack.]
5F [Heard the Nanjing U and Donghua U admissions staff emo'd for a month.]
...
