Rong Ruoyao scrolled through the trending comments on social media, a faint smirk playing on her lips. The monthly exam rankings for the entire grade had been uploaded to Weibo by her alternate account, tagged with several major influencer accounts. Once those accounts reposted it, the topic exploded as expected.
At the same time, she used her alternate account to upload certificates of her achievements in piano, calligraphy, art, and other fields.
If it was a competition about who was the top student, she had never lost in that regard.
Sure enough, Rong Ruoyao’s name also trended, with floods of praise in the comments.
Meanwhile, Rong Yu was being torn apart by criticism.
Rong Yu herself didn’t care.
As a public figure, she had to accept being scrutinized by netizens.
She could handle it, but Ji Zhouye couldn’t. Neither could the entire Class 20, who all picked up their phones and waged war across the internet.
Rong Yu felt inexplicably touched.
She hadn’t known these students for long, yet they defended her so fiercely.
But with so many netizens attacking her, the few dozen students in Class 20 were no match. In the end, they had no choice but to reluctantly back down.
That afternoon, No. 1 High School held a parent-teacher meeting.
The school had notified parents well in advance.
Rong Yu had assumed Rong Wangtian wouldn’t show up. Standing on the sports field, she turned around and saw him walking in alongside others.
Shen Lin often attended Rong Ruoyao’s parent-teacher meetings, so many parents recognized her. The moment she entered, she was surrounded.
"Teacher Shen, you’ve raised your daughter so well. Yaoyao is first in her class again."
"Yaoyao has consistently ranked first in the humanities division—she’s definitely getting into Peking University."
"Teacher Shen, could you share some parenting tips with us?"
Shen Lin smiled. "It’s all Yaoyao’s discipline. She’s loved studying since she was little and never needed supervision..."
Rong Wangtian walked over to the Class 20 parents’ section.
His gaze immediately landed on Rong Yu, standing with a group of boys—one with pink-dyed hair, another playing games on his phone, slouching like delinquents.
Spending all her time with troublemakers—no wonder she ranked last.
One daughter was first in her class.
The other was dead last.
The contrast made his blood boil.
Rong Wangtian strode over and lashed out. "I paid good money to send you to No. 1 High, and this is how you repay me? Fooling around every day—if you keep this up, you won’t even qualify to sweep streets in the future!"
Rong Yu frowned.
Before she could respond, a voice cut in.
She looked up—it was Steward Yu.
Steward Yu had come in place of Old Master Ji to attend Ji Zhouye’s parent-teacher meeting. Rushing to the school, he was met with the sight of someone berating Miss Rong.
At the Ji household, Miss Rong was treated like royalty.
Yet in the Rong family, she endured such humiliation!
"President Rong, don’t you think your words are inappropriate?" Steward Yu suppressed his anger, speaking calmly. "No matter what, you shouldn’t shame and belittle your child in public like this."
"And who are you? Why are you meddling?" Rong Wangtian’s face darkened at the challenge. "She’s failing—I’m disciplining my child. What does it have to do with you?"
Other parents nearby couldn’t stay silent.
"You’re Rong Yu’s father, right? She ranked last this time because she missed the exam, not because her grades are bad."
"Exactly! My child made it into the top 100 this time, all thanks to Rong Yu’s help."
"My daughter improved by over 30 points in physics after studying with Rong Yu. I was planning to thank her after the meeting."
"Your child is already outstanding. There’s no need for such harsh words..."
The parents’ collective defense only made Rong Wangtian scoff in disbelief.
Failing and still getting so many excuses? Unbelievable.
These people wouldn’t understand unless the knife was at their own throats.
Just then, Rong Wangtian’s phone buzzed. Glancing at the caller ID—President Hai of Hai Corporation—he straightened instantly.
"President Hai... Understood. I’ll be right there."
The deal with Hai Corporation was top priority—not a second could be wasted. He quickly informed Pei Yaru before turning to leave.
"Great-Grandma, your dad’s got some nerve," Ji Zhouye cracked his knuckles. "Want me to get some guys to jump him with a sack?"
Rong Yu rolled her eyes. "You’d be better off memorizing a few formulas."
No matter what, Rong Wangtian was her biological father in this life. As long as he didn’t cross moral lines, she could let most things slide.
Steward Yu, however, frowned slightly.
Had he heard right? Did Rong Wangtian just say "President Hai"? As in Hai Corporation’s President Hai?
Hai Corporation, like the Ji Group, was a leading enterprise in Haicheng. A conglomerate of that scale wouldn’t normally collaborate with the Rong family. And even if by some chance they did, President Hai wouldn’t personally contact Rong Wangtian...
It wasn’t his concern, so he didn’t dwell on it.
Picking up Class 20’s score sheet, he felt a surge of relief.
Over the years, he had always attended parent-teacher meetings for the fifth young master. Every time, Ji Zhouye ranked among the bottom three.
This time, at least, there was progress.
Amid the noise, the parent-teacher meeting officially began—first with speeches from the principal and vice principal, both droning on for nearly an hour.
Then came the student representatives.
For the science division: Song Huai.
For the humanities division: Rong Ruoyao.
Gasps and murmurs rose from the crowd.
"Such a golden couple—so enviable."
"Bring the marriage registry office here! Let them tie the knot on the spot!"
"This is too perfect. With looks like theirs, they should have eight sons."
"Hahaha, someone’s jealous."
"..."
Standing on stage, Rong Ruoyao basked in the attention.
This was where she belonged—under the spotlight, radiant, always the center of admiration.
Her gaze drifted toward Class 20.
Among the sea of faces, she instantly spotted Rong Yu, chatting casually with Ji Zhouye, completely at ease.
There wasn’t a trace of envy or resentment in Rong Yu’s eyes.
How could she not feel jealous?
Rong Ruoyao refused to believe it.
Rong Yu must just be hiding it well.
Beside her, Song Huai, after finishing his speech, instinctively glanced at Rong Yu.
Someone invited by the Fourth Aerospace Research Institute had to be exceptional—even if he hadn’t yet seen where that brilliance lay.
After they stepped down, the academic director announced the scholarship recipients.
The Ji Group’s monthly scholarships, tied to exam performance, were unprecedentedly generous, motivating countless underprivileged students.
A long line of students stood on stage.
Ji Zhouye and Chen Nian were among them.
Ji Zhouye hadn’t wanted to go up—his family wasn’t poor.
But his records listed him as an orphan, so the school automatically classified him as a scholarship candidate without application.
Once called, he had no choice but to comply.
"..."
"Chen Nian—Most Improved Award: 12,000 yuan."
"Ji Zhouye—Most Improved Award: 8,000 yuan."
"..."
Tears instantly streamed down Chen Nian’s face.
Twelve thousand yuan—more than his grandmother could earn in a year from collecting scrap.
It turns out that studying hard really can lead to wealth...
He was deeply grateful to the Ji family—truly, from the bottom of his heart.
