Chapter 21: How About Doing Some Problems Together?

The next morning, a brand-new car gleamed brightly as it stopped downstairs at the Ye family's apartment. Passersby couldn't help but turn their heads. In these times, owning a car was a mark of considerable wealth.

It was surprising to see such a wealthy guest visiting the Ye family.

A woman dressed in fur entered, holding a child by the hand, her face exuding arrogance. Following closely behind her, an elderly couple stepped out of the car's back seat.

Shen Yuhua was in the kitchen washing vegetables. When she came out to pour water, she was startled to see her sister-in-law entering with a child and two elderly people trailing behind.

"Father, Mother," she greeted the elders first, setting aside the basin. Prioritizing the elders, she helped them into the house before pouring them water and then turning to acknowledge the mother and child.

The child didn't greet anyone, but Shen Yuhua didn't mind. Whether the child chose to greet her or not, it was up to him.

Sitting on one side, Ye Qing's mother, Mo Wen, sipped her water slowly before asking, "Sister-in-law, I heard your Xiao Chen got first place in his grade this time?"

Shen Yuhua had expected this. Mo Wen's visit was clearly motivated by this news. Otherwise, why would a "wealthy lady" like her come over for no reason? She certainly wasn't bored.

Before Shen Yuhua could reply, the old man spoke up, "First place? Xiao Chen has made great progress. Not bad, not bad. As expected of my eldest grandson."

"Exactly! I always said Xiao Chen wasn't a dull child. See, now he's gotten first place," the old woman added, delighted.

Meanwhile, Ye Qing, the brat, listened with jealousy brewing inside him.

"Ha! It's just first place. What's so special about that? I've always been in the top ten in my grade. Who knows if he cheated for that first place?" Ye Qing muttered. After all, he knew that Ye Chen was often at the bottom of the class before.

Shen Yuhua frowned slightly.

Mo Wen pulled Ye Qing aside and smiled. "Children speak without thinking. Don't take it to heart, sister-in-law."

"Xiao Qing is a smart boy. Sister-in-law, you must educate and nurture him well. He's bound to achieve great things," Shen Yuhua replied with a faint smile.

Mo Wen could clearly hear the subtle jab in her words and let out a soft snort.

So what if Ye Chen came first this time? Does he think he can maintain that rank every time? She thought. After all, how could the education in a small county compare to that of the city?

At that moment, Ye Yuanfeng and Ye Chen returned home with some wine and saw the two elders sitting on the couch.

"Father, Mother!" Ye Yuanfeng greeted, setting down the wine and hurrying over to them.

After a round of pleasantries, Shen Yuhua took Ye Yuanfeng to help her with cooking, leaving Ye Chen to greet the elders and Mo Wen before heading to his own business.

Ye Chen had no interest in dealing with Ye Qing, this brat. However, it seemed Ye Qing was intent on provoking him.

"Ye Chen, did you cheat for that first place of yours?" Ye Qing sneered.

Ye Chen chuckled. "What's it to you?"

"Hmph! You're not denying it, are you? I bet you cheated. How else could someone who used to rank last suddenly get a perfect score?"

Ye Chen ignored him and tried to head to his room, but Ye Qing blocked his way.

"Do you dare compete with me?" Ye Qing challenged.

The two elders, seeing the boys talking, thought they were getting along well. Smiling, they remarked, "Look at those two brothers. Even after so long, they still get along so well."

Ye Chen: What?

"Exactly, Mother. They should spend more time together. Xiao Qing has consistently ranked in the top ten in his grade and even got first place in his class this time. If Xiao Chen has any questions, he can always ask Xiao Qing for help," Mo Wen said with a smug smile. Her words clearly implied that Ye Chen's first-place rank was just luck, and her son was the truly capable one.

The old man wasn't fooled and chuckled. "Xiao Chen did quite well too—perfect marks, no less. Xiao Qing hasn't achieved that yet. If there's anyone who should be asking questions, it's Xiao Qing asking Xiao Chen."

Embarrassed by the old man's comment, Mo Wen felt awkward but still believed Ye Chen wasn't as capable as her Xiao Qing. She even suspected that Ye Chen had cheated to achieve his rank.

At lunch, Shen Yuhua remained polite to Mo Wen, showing only the necessary courtesies. Were it not for the presence of the elders, she wouldn't have welcomed this mother and son at all. Every holiday, they'd come flaunting their city lifestyle, showing off and boasting about Xiao Qing's achievements.

To her, as long as Xiao Chen was happy, his grades didn't matter that much. He didn't need to be under immense pressure for a good rank.

During the meal, Mo Wen suddenly suggested, "Sister-in-law, since Xiao Chen improved so quickly, our Xiao Qing would love to ask him for some advice. What do you think?"

Shen Yuhua frowned but gestured for her to continue.

"Since he's first place, why don't we let the children do some problems together? If Xiao Chen gets everything right and Xiao Qing makes mistakes, he could ask Xiao Chen for guidance. That way, they can help each other improve."

The implication was clear—Mo Wen was openly doubting Ye Chen's first-place rank.

"That depends on Xiao Chen. If he doesn't want to, I won't force him," Shen Yuhua said with a calm smile.

Mo Wen smirked inwardly. Not forcing him? More like afraid to.

Turning to Ye Chen, she smiled sweetly. "Xiao Chen, what do you think?"

Ye Chen glanced at her. If he refused, this mother and son would pester him endlessly.

"Since Xiao Qing insists, let's do it," Ye Chen replied, smiling innocently.

After lunch, Ye Qing pulled out two identical math test papers from who knows where and handed one to Ye Chen, looking smug. "I got these from my school teacher."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. Clearly premeditated.

Taking the paper, he glanced at it and shook his head. These elementary-level problems didn't interest him at all.

But since the brat asked for it, he'd play along.

The dining table was cleared for the two boys. It was large enough for each to sit on one side. The adults watched from the sidelines.

Ye Yuanfeng patted Ye Chen's shoulder. "Son, don't push yourself too hard if you don't know the answers."

Ye Chen didn't respond.

Once the timer started, Ye Qing immediately began scribbling furiously, solving problems at lightning speed. Meanwhile, Ye Chen didn't even bother with scratch paper. He simply glanced at the questions and filled in the answers directly.

Multiple-choice? Fill-in-the-blank? He answered everything at a glance without any calculations.

Ye Yuanfeng watched, dumbfounded. How is he writing so fast? Is he just guessing?

Mo Wen glanced between the two boys, suppressing a chuckle. Not even calculating? He must be writing nonsense.

Ha! That first place was definitely faked. Such a show-off at such a young age!