Zong Jincheng and Zong Wenxiu simultaneously stepped in front of Lin Yu, forming a human shield to prevent Lin's Father from landing that slap on Lin Yu.
Lin's Father trembled with rage, his voice shaking as he said, "You... you students are completely out of control... This is disobedience to elders, a grave offense! Hasn’t the teacher at Qingbo Academy taught you this?"
"Disobedience to elders? You’re not our father, nor are you our relative!"
"We’re just standing up for what’s right, lending a helping hand!"
"That’s right, that’s right!"
Zong Jincheng raised his voice even louder, "The teacher has taught us so much, but I doubt you’ve learned any of it. For example, the Book of Rites says: What is human righteousness? A father’s kindness and a son’s filial piety. Have you shown kindness as a father?"
"That’s right! Have you shown kindness as a father?"
"If you can’t even do that, why should Lin Yu listen to you?"
The students’ protests grew louder, and with Zong Jincheng, the fearless troublemaker, leading the charge, it was clear they were determined to stand by Lin Yu.
Xu Wan was surprised that Zong Jincheng could now quote classics to help others. Not bad, his studies were improving.
She gave him a silent thumbs-up.
Lin's Father kept trying to take action, but Zong Jincheng and the crowd of students pushed him further and further away from Lin Yu.
The commotion was so loud that it caught the attention of the teachers at Qingbo Academy.
Finally, the headmaster stepped in and said, "It’s almost time for the exam. Students, stop gathering here and follow your teachers into the examination hall. Lin's Father, come with me."
Lin's Father shouted, "What exam? Lin Yu isn’t taking it! Such an unfilial son, why should I keep paying for his education?"
This statement reignited the students’ anger.
Lin Yu wasn’t surprised.
His father had always been like this.
The headmaster, usually mild-mannered, was also angered by this remark. He snapped, "Teacher Zhang, hurry and take the students in for the exam."
Teacher Zhang quickly responded, "Yes, yes, we’re going. Children, follow me. Leave this to the headmaster."
Zong Jincheng pulled Lin Yu along as they walked, comforting him, "Don’t worry about him. The headmaster will handle it. Let’s focus on the exam."
Lin Yu said gratefully, "Thank you, Zong Jincheng."
Zong Jincheng raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "You really know me? I don’t remember you."
He was secretly thrilled. It must have been because of his outstanding performance in the last exam, which had made him famous throughout Qingbo Academy.
After all, he was one of only two students from the academy who had made it onto the Four-Academy Joint Exam ranking!
Now he finally felt that Xu Wan had chosen a good academy for him. With his classmates’ abilities far inferior to his, they all looked up to him as a god of exams. It felt amazing!
Lin Yu said, "Because I was third."
"Ah? So you were just one spot away from making the ranking?" After all, Zong Jincheng was at the very bottom of the Four-Academy Joint Exam ranking.
Lin Yu replied honestly, "Actually, in the previous monthly exam, I was right behind you. You probably didn’t notice me, just like Qin Ye didn’t notice you."
Zong Jincheng: "…!"
His smirk instantly disappeared.
He even felt like cursing.
This guy not only knew how to argue with his father but also how to roast others.
Scary!
"But we all pay attention to the person above us and hope to surpass them," Lin Yu said. "So I know you, and I understand you well."
Zong Jincheng thought back to his earlier remarks and commented, "You do know me well. You know my family has power and influence, and the best teachers… but a good mother? Forget it! That bad woman is always finding ways to bully me!"
"But without her, you wouldn’t have become who you are," Lin Yu said.
Zong Jincheng immediately turned to look at Zong Wenxiu.
Zong Wenxiu nodded in agreement. Lin Yu was right; Xu Wan was a good person.
Zong Jincheng still didn’t want to accept this. He turned his head away and snorted.
Lin Yu said wistfully, "If only I had an elder like your mother, maybe I could surpass you."
Zong Jincheng grew more and more displeased.
Why did everyone like Xu Wan so much, when she was always giving him a hard time?
Zong Jincheng was unhappy and didn’t even want to talk to Lin Yu anymore. He pulled a long face and hurried into the examination hall.
Left behind, Lin Yu said to Zong Wenxiu, "He really doesn’t know how lucky he is. If he had a father like mine, he’d be crying with no way out."
Zong Wenxiu patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Do well on the exam. I’m sure you’ll get great results this time."
"Yeah, I don’t want to be third again."
The long exam finally ended as the sun set. The students rushed out of the examination hall, some looking troubled, others overjoyed. But they were all young, full of vitality and energy.
As soon as Zong Jincheng saw Zong Wenxiu, he bounded over and slung an arm around his shoulder, boasting, "Brother, I thought the exam was so easy and familiar. A lot of the questions were from the practice tests we’ve done."
Zong Wenxiu bent slightly under his weight but quickly straightened up. He smiled and said, "Xu Wan really is experienced. She had Teacher Zhao guide us through many past exam papers. No matter how the questions change, the core remains the same."
Zong Jincheng said proudly, "I’m sure I’ll rank first in the joint exam this time!"
Zong Wenxiu, seeing his brother so confident, didn’t want to discourage him. It wasn’t impossible—Qin Ye had moved to the Child Prodigy Class, and Zong Jincheng’s abilities should dominate the eight-year-old class.
Even if it was the most prestigious Hanlin North Academy in the capital.
"By the way, has Lin Yu come out yet?" Zong Jincheng asked.
He was worried that Lin Yu would be chased and beaten by Lin's Father as soon as he left.
Zong Wenxiu shook his head. "I’m not sure. Let’s ask Xu Wan. I’m sure she’s been keeping an eye on things."
"Oh… maybe. But you go ask. I don’t want to talk to her," Zong Jincheng said stubbornly.
Zong Wenxiu laughed. "Alright."
Every time they had an exam, Xu Wan would wait for them at the academy. Usually, the headmaster or a teacher would accompany her, answering her questions about their studies. But this time, because of Lin's Father’s outburst, the headmaster and teachers who weren’t invigilating had gone to reason with him.
Unfortunately, Lin's Father was impossible to reason with.
Xu Wan said, "Lin's Father said, either the child doesn’t take the exam, and he’ll take him home and beat him to death; or he won’t support or keep the child anymore, and Qingbo Academy can deal with it."
Zong Wenxiu exclaimed, "What? Then what happened? How did the academy handle it?"
"Yeah, what did they do?" Zong Jincheng was also anxious.
Xu Wan smiled mysteriously and teased, "Guess."
Zong Wenxiu: "…"
Zong Jincheng: "!!!"
Guess what?
Xu Wan laughed a few times and guided them, "Don’t be mad. You need to learn to think for yourselves. If you were the headmaster and teachers, how would you handle a situation like Lin's son’s?"
