Top Student

An hour was pure torture for someone like Cui Cancan, who struggled with her weak body.

After one round, she was drenched in sweat.

By the time she returned to the Xu residence, sweat was still dripping from her face. Even her clothes on her chest and back were completely soaked through.

Qibao said: "Go wash up first. Then we'll have breakfast."

Cui Cancan nodded, gasping for breath. As soon as she entered, she bumped into Su Chenyu, who had just woken up.

Seeing Cui Cancan's sweaty face, he was a bit taken aback and said: "Did you fall into a lake or something? You look like a madwoman!"

Cui Cancan lowered her head. Feeling horrible, she said nothing and ran straight for her room.

"Don't be so hard on her all the time." Qibao said.

"She's used to it." Su Chenyu replied: "Everyone in the capital bullies her for fun. She just doesn't know how to resist."

"You mean, by getting her all riled up like this, you want her to become stronger?" Qibao asked.

"Ai!" Su Chenyu said: "Tsk! Let's not talk about this anymore. If my cousin knew that I sneaked into your house, he would definitely be upset again."

Smiling, Qibao said: "Who would've guessed that the mighty Young Master Su is actually a soft-hearted person who puts on a tough act!"

"Ugh!" Su Chenyu said: "Let's not talk about that. My cousin would get all weird if he knew I sneaked out to visit you."

"Do you mean Jingchen?" Qibao asked.

"I only have one cousin, who else could it be if not him? Anyway, I heard lately he wanted to join the military and get some experience, but his grandmother wouldn't let him."

"Oh!" Qibao exclaimed.

Su Chenyu scratched his ears and said: "You just oh? Every time your family sends food over, he treats it like a treasure, except his grandmother can eat it, even his father has to look at his face if he wants to eat it, no one else should even think about it."

Qibao said: "That means the food I make is delicious!"

Su Chenyu was speechless.

For breakfast, Cui Cancan could only have two hard-boiled eggs, but without the yolks. She also got a small bowl of rice porridge. The yolks were saved for Xiaoba.

Before lunch, Cui Cancan had to do fifty high knee lifts. She was also told to drink more warm water before eating.

At noon, she got a small bowl of rice with some vegetables and a piece of chicken. After lunch, she had to go for a walk.

This meal was about half the amount Cui Cancan usually ate. With all the exercise, she got hungry before the afternoon was over. All she could do was drink more water and eat a tomato Qibao picked for her.

Su Chenyu kept munching on crayfish right in front of Cui Cancan. Occasionally, he'd exclaim with delight: "These are amazing! So delicious! You've never had them before, have you?"

Cui Cancan could only swallow her saliva.

Dinner was even worse. There was no main dish—just a plate full of various chopped vegetables.

An hour after eating, she went out for another run.

By the time Cui Cancan returned, it was already dark.

"Could I stop running here?" She asked in a small voice: "Can't I find a place where nobody will see me?"

"Do you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable running in front of the villagers?" Qibao asked.

Cui Cancan nodded.

Qibao stated firmly: "No! Don't you think that the reason you are so cowardly is because you have low self-esteem and can only avoid problems? What you need now is confidence. Don't be afraid of anyone's eyes. Just go in the direction you want to be. You can take the initiative to greet and talk to everyone to train yourself."

Qibao's words made Cui Cancan blush. She clenched her teeth and said: "All right, I'll do as you say. Starting tomorrow, I will greet others first."

Qibao nodded: "Once you take this step, you'll find it's not as hard as you think. For the next few days, follow the routine we set today. Remember to drink plenty of warm water too, okay?"

Cui Cancan nodded: "Got it."

The next day, Cui Cancan went out running as usual. As she passed one house, an older woman was watching her from the doorway.

Summoning her courage, Cui Cancan said: "Hello, Granny."

"Hello there! Running again, I see? That's good for you."

Cui Cancan nodded with a smile, feeling a bit excited. She had taken the initiative to greet someone, and in return, she'd received a friendly response.

She realized then that taking that first step wasn't as hard as she'd thought.

From then on, she didn't run with her head down anymore. She kept it up, and when she encountered villagers, she'd secretly encourage herself to greet them.

When Cui Cancan returned to the Xu family's house, she was tired but still had a smile on her face.

Mrs. Wang was surprised: "Cancan, you should always hold your head up and smile more. Look at you now. That's more like a young lady."

Cui Cancan nodded, smiling a little bashfully: "Thank you, Granny Xu."

Mrs. Wang smiled and nodded back: "Cankan, I'm sure you can lose weight. Keep going."

Cui Cancan nodded vigorously.

Qibao nodded in satisfaction. It looked like this would work on Cui Cancan after all.

From then on, without Qibao needing to say anything, Cui Cancan faithfully followed Qibao's plan every time. She performed well and, with the Xu family's encouragement, became even more confident.

The next day, Huamen Town came alive with excitement. Magistrate Wu announced that an important visitor was coming to town.

Many people went to join in the fun.

Xujia Villagers also knew about this, but didn't take it to heart.

Unexpectedly, a group of yamen runners in red robes came from the town, beating drums and gongs and heading towards Xujia Village.

Another official shouted: "Congratulations to Xu Wenwu from Xujia Village for winning third place and becoming the top scorer!"

With this shout, the entire Huamen Town exploded!

"Wow, this is incredible! Xu Wenwu from the Xu family got first place again this time! You said he got first place in the Tongsheng, first place in the Xiucai, and even the Juren was first place! This has never happened before!"

"That's right! And he's only fifteen years old! How can he be so smart?"

"No, I want to see what kind of Feng Shui treasure land the Xu family lives in to produce such a talented person!"

"Let's go together! We can pay our respects and maybe catch some of that good luck!"

Spring and Autumn College...

"Headmaster, Headmaster, it's fantastic news!"

Mr. Sun's face flushed red as he wobbled unsteadily toward the headmaster's courtyard, his legs trembling.

The headmaster heard the commotion from afar and rushed out to meet him.

"What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?" the headmaster asked.

Excited tears streamed down Mr. Sun's face as he replied: "Headmaster, Wenwu passed the imperial examination! He's the top-ranked Zhuangyuan!"

At these words, the headmaster was nearly overwhelmed with joy, catching his breath just in time.

Startled, Mr. Sun quickly helped the headmaster steady himself.

"Say that again!" the headmaster said, his emotions settling as tears welled in his eyes.

Mr. Sun grinned widely: "Headmaster, Wenwu passed the examination with honors. The official messenger is already on his way to Xujia Village with the good news."

"Wonderful! Wonderful! I never thought I'd live to see one of our academy's students become such a genius! Hahaha! The heavens have been kind to me indeed! I can die in peace now!" Overcome with emotion, the headmaster nearly fell to his knees, but Mr. Sun held him up.

"Headmaster, don't get too excited." Mr. Sun advised: "Everyone at the academy should know about this great news. We should all celebrate together."

"You're right!" the headmaster agreed: "Quickly, send word to Wenwu to rush home! And I'm going too! I'll drive the carriage!" He was still too emotional, speaking with unsteady fervor.

"I'll do it right away!" Mr. Sun responded, and immediately sprinted off.