Chapter 22: You Are Truly Excellent

As the saying goes, like mother, like son. The mother thought so, and opposite them, Ye Qing thought the same: he certainly wouldn't be able to do it and would just scribble randomly.

Shen Yuhua subconsciously grabbed her husband's sleeve and whispered, "Honey, do you think our Xiao Chen can really do it?"

"You have to trust our son. Even if he can't, it's okay; just consider it a game the kids played," Ye Yuanfeng naturally hoped his son would win.

Fifteen minutes later.

Ye Chen finished the last question, put the paper aside, and stood up. "I'm done."

In such a short time, Ye Qing had completed less than a third.

By the time he finished writing, an hour had passed.

Ye Chen was already a bit sleepy from waiting.

Bratty kids are just troublesome.

Although Ye Yuanfeng only had a high school education, grading an elementary school math test was more than manageable.

He picked up a red pen and began marking.

Ye Qing was full of confidence, pride evident on his face.

Quickly, Ye Yuanfeng finished grading, his face glowing with excitement.

Mo Wen's heart skipped a beat; could it be that Ye Chen's score was really higher than Ye Qing's?

"Ye Qing, 90 points." There's no denying it—the child's performance was indeed quite good.

Ye Qing couldn't see anything amiss and became even more pleased upon hearing he scored 90.

Ye Chen just leaned back on the sofa, eyes closed, resting.

"Xiao Chen, a perfect score."

!!!

As soon as she heard this, Mo Wen was the first to express disbelief. "Are you sure there isn't a mistake?" She snatched the test paper over, clearly suspecting that Ye Yuanfeng had deliberately given Ye Chen a high score.

She was educated herself; scanning Ye Chen's test paper, she found that indeed, not a single question was wrong.

This...

What's going on?

A perfect score? How is that possible? He filled it out right under her nose, and the test paper was brought from school by Xiao Qing, so there couldn't have been any answer keys...

Suddenly, she felt her face burning with embarrassment.

Seeing her expression, Shen Yuhua understood the situation. She was so excited she almost screamed, continuously tugging at Ye Yuanfeng's arm, trying hard to contain herself.

Her son had actually achieved a perfect score!

A perfect score!

For a child of his age, how incredible is that!

Two other people were equally thrilled—the two elders.

"I told you our Xiao Chen is smart. Look, he got first place."

"Yes, Xiao Qing, you need to be like your brother, study hard, and you'll have a bright future."

The brat had nothing to say now and looked down in silence.

To save face, Mo Wen smiled and said, "Xiao Chen has improved a lot, but this kind of test paper is just like homework for the kids; it's not the same as an official school exam."

Shen Yuhua was speechless.

After dinner and the competition settled, Mo Wen felt there was no need to stay any longer and prepared to leave with the two elders.

Shen Yuhua couldn't wait for the mother and son to leave, though she was a bit reluctant to part with her in-laws.

After they drove away, excitement was written all over Shen Yuhua's face. She slipped on her slippers and headed straight to the sofa.

She showered Ye Chen's face with kisses.

"Haha, son, you are truly excellent—you've made Mom proud."

"I've never seen your aunt so deflated before. You did great, kid!"

Ye Yuanfeng also showed a gratified smile.

Ye Chen suddenly felt a lump in his throat. In his memory, he had never made his parents show such happiness—never.

He had only ever made his parents worry about him.

In this life, no matter what, he wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.

But thinking about that calamity at fifteen... forget it, he'd deal with it later.

"Mom, I will work hard from now on," Ye Chen said earnestly.

Although she didn't know why her son suddenly said this, Shen Yuhua patted his shoulder. "It's okay; we'll deal with things as they come. Even if you don't achieve great things, Mom can support you for a lifetime."

Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh.

Shen Yuhua felt her intuition was right; her son had indeed changed.

He had become more sensible.

Today, he even made her proud. Let's see how that woman Mo Wen could show off now.

In the evening, after dinner, Ye Chen took a bath and went to bed early.

Because early the next morning, he had to get up and go hiking with the little girl to enjoy the scenery.

In their county, there was a Phoenix Mountain, about five kilometers from here—they had to take a taxi.

On weekends, Phoenix Mountain was usually crowded and lively.

The next day, Ye Chen woke up on time, got dressed, and washed up.

Today was sunny with clear skies.

Seeing her son up so early, Shen Yuhua was a bit puzzled. "Xiao Chen, you don't have school today; why are you up so early?"

Ye Chen smiled. "Mom, I made plans with Xiao Xi to go climb Phoenix Mountain today."

"Just the two of you? Are you sure that's okay?" Shen Yuhua was worried. Although her son was sensible, he was still a child, and with so many bad people around, she couldn't help but fret.

Ye Chen smiled. "Mom, don't worry. It's not like I haven't been there before; I'm familiar with the place."

After his reassurances, Shen Yuhua agreed but handed Ye Chen a cell phone and taught him how to make calls. "If anything happens, remember to call your dad, okay? I've saved the number in the phone."

The cell phones of this era were simple green-screen Nokias.

Sturdy and practical—the kind that wouldn't break even if you dropped them.

Seeing this kind of phone again, Ye Chen felt a bit nostalgic, fiddling with it.

"Alright, don't break it; it's brand new and cost us several hundred yuan!" Shen Yuhua cautioned.

"Got it."

After breakfast, Ye Chen went out and knocked on the door of the Gu family next door.

Gu Nianxi opened the door; seeing her Brother Ye Chen, her face lit up immediately. She said cheerfully, "Brother Ye Chen, you're here! Come in quickly."

Gu Wenguo and his wife were also there; the family was having breakfast. When Ye Chen came in, Lin Wan put down her chopsticks and asked with a smile, "Xiao Chen, why are you here? Have you eaten? Do you want some more?"

A flurry of questions. Ye Chen replied with a smile, "I've eaten. On Friday, I made plans with Xiao Xi to go out and play. I'm waiting for her."

"Going out to play? Where are you going?" Lin Wan asked curiously.

Gu Nianxi smiled so widely her eyes became crescents. "Mom, Brother Ye Chen and I planned to go climb Phoenix Mountain today."

"Climbing a mountain?"

Gu Wenguo and his wife exchanged glances. The two kids going alone? This...

"Just you two?" Gu Wenguo asked.

Ye Chen nodded, then took out the cell phone his mother had given him. "My mom gave me a cell phone and told me to call my dad if anything happens. Uncle, don't worry—I will protect Xiao Xi!"

The couple wasn't entirely at ease; mainly, the two kids were too young. They couldn't feel comfortable letting them go out alone.

Gu Nianxi finished the porridge in her bowl and quickly said, "Mom, I trust Brother Ye Chen; he'll definitely protect me."

With Brother Ye Chen around, she wasn't afraid.