Chapter 200: The Study
At dinner, Cui Wanning brought up Yu Yuan and Wei Xiao again.
“It’s already been a week since school started,” she said, a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone. “Why haven’t you met Wei Xiao at all over the weekend?”
Yu Yuan paused with her chopsticks and replied obediently, “He might be busy adjusting to the new term. Our classrooms are quite far apart—I haven’t even seen him at school.”
“What class is he in again?” Cui Wanning asked.
“Class Two.”
Yu Yuan naturally knew which class Wei Xiao was in. She also knew he had been “bothering” Gu Qinghuan lately—Yu Xin had told her privately.
Cui Wanning frowned. Class Two and Class Twelve were indeed far apart.
But she quickly found another angle. “Then you can go find him during lunch break and eat together.”
This time, it was Yu Xin who frowned.
She set down her chopsticks, stood up to serve herself some soup, and in doing so interrupted Yu Yuan before she could answer.
When she sat back down, she had already organized her thoughts.
“Class Twelve hasn’t been in a good situation lately, right?” she said calmly.
Cui Wanning was immediately speechless.
Since the Yan family fell, Class Twelve’s position at Mingde had become awkward.
Before, people would mention them as “students in the same class as Yan Zhengqing.”
Now, even the same phrase carried a completely different meaning.
This semester, the students of Class Twelve were practically “walking on eggshells.”
If Yu Yuan hadn’t been a lead during the program filming, her frequent association with Lin Xiaoxue would likely have become gossip by now.
Yu Xin’s reminder was clear:
If Yu Yuan started getting close to Wei Xiao now, people might see her as someone who shifts with the wind—a fence-sitter.
If they didn’t want her reputation to worsen, it was better to stay low-key.
Cui Wanning understood the implication.
But what surprised her more was—
Since when could Yu Xin speak like this?
“Alright,” Yu Wenli finally spoke. “They’re only in their first year. No need to rush. Young people have their own pace.”
Cui Wanning echoed him, and the topic was dropped.
Yu Jinxin wasn’t home tonight—he had a dinner gathering—so he didn’t have to hear any of this. In Yu Xin’s eyes, that was rather fortunate.
After dinner, Yu Xin was about to return to her room to do homework when Yu Wenli unexpectedly spoke:
“Yu Xin, come to the study with me.”
The study had always been a place where Yu Wenli asserted authority.
Yu Yuan used to envy Yu Jinxin for being allowed inside.
But now, hearing Yu Wenli call Yu Xin, she only felt worried—worried that he might do something to her.
She glanced at Yu Xin.
Yu Xin gave her a reassuring look, then followed Yu Wenli inside.
Once in the study, Yu Wenli sat down first.
Seeing Yu Xin still standing by the door, he frowned.
“Close the door and come here.”
Yu Xin complied and stood before the desk.
“You’ve been back for almost a year now. How have you been adjusting?” he asked.
“Fine,” Yu Xin answered casually.
That response clearly didn’t satisfy him.
The lines on his forehead deepened, but after a moment, he let it go.
“Your grades have always been good. Keep it up this semester.”
A string of meaningless words, in Yu Xin’s ears.
On the surface, she maintained a polite and obedient demeanor.
In reality, she was reviewing the geography lesson from that afternoon.
Thanks to their self-study sessions, multitasking had become second nature for Class Three.
When Yu Wenli felt he had fulfilled his duty as a father, he finally got to the point:
“What do you think about your sister’s engagement with Wei Xiao?”
What do I think? That you’re selling her off?
The words reached Yu Xin’s lips—but she swallowed them.
“I don’t really understand these things,” she said. “Isn’t it too early to get engaged?”
Her reaction was expected.
Yu Wenli patiently explained, “For families like ours, marriage is a way to bind interests together. Only then can the relationship be stable.”
Yu Xin let out an “Oh,” pretending half-understanding.
Her vague response made it difficult for him to continue, but he forced it anyway.
“Yu Yuan and Wei Xiao have known each other since childhood. It’s practically a childhood engagement. At school, you should be mindful—Yu Yuan is our family’s daughter. Do you understand?”
Yu Xin didn’t quite follow his meaning.
But she had been standing for too long and was already tired. She just wanted to leave.
So she gave a couple of agreeable responses.
Seeing her compliance, Yu Wenli nodded in satisfaction and dismissed her.
After being delayed so long, Yu Xin returned to her room and immediately started on her homework—specifically the geography she had just mentally reviewed.
Only after finishing did she pick up her phone and message their small group chat:
[What did he mean by that last sentence?]
Jiang Chuchu replied immediately:
[If he weren’t your biological father, I’d be cursing him out already.]
Yu Xin thought for a moment and typed seriously:
[Honestly, I wouldn’t mind even if you did.]
Gu Qinghuan burst out laughing:
[HAHAHAHAHAHA!]
Jiang Chuchu: […] Fine, let’s talk business.]
With Jiang Chuchu there, interpreting Yu Wenli’s words was easy.
The so-called childhood engagement was simply a way for the Yu and Wei families to bind their interests.
But—
Was Yu Yuan their biological daughter?
No.
Legally, yes. But biologically, the real daughter was Yu Xin.
If the Wei family found out, they might switch the engagement target.
Yu Xin: [I refuse to get engaged to a cockroach.]
Jiang Chuchu: [Well… regardless, Yu Wenli probably still prefers Yu Yuan to marry Wei Xiao.]
Gu Qinghuan: [But this kind of thing can’t be hidden forever, right?]
Jiang Chuchu: [As long as Wei Xiao confirms Yu Yuan before that happens, it won’t matter.]
Gu Qinghuan: [Ah, I get it. So Yu Wenli not only wants Xinbao to stay silent, but also to keep a low profile—so she doesn’t attract Wei Xiao’s attention.]
Yu Xin: [I don’t think that’s something to worry about.]
Jiang Chuchu: [Hm?]
Yu Xin: [His attention is on Qinghuan right now. He probably doesn’t even notice me.]
Gu Qinghuan: [Even if it’s true, spare a thought for my feelings—]
Feeling aggrieved, Gu Qinghuan silently added another grievance against Wei Xiao.
Now that Yu Xin understood Yu Wenli’s intention, she no longer cared.
To be honest, quite a few people at Mingde already knew Yu Yuan wasn’t the biological daughter of the Yu family.
But a semester had passed. Even if it was once a topic, no one brought it up anymore.
After all, there was no visible conflict between Yu Xin and Yu Yuan.
In Class Three, seeing how well Yu Yuan got along with Gu Qinghuan—and how Yu Xin treated her like a younger sister—people had already accepted her as one of their own.
And no one would deliberately spread rumors about one of their own.
As for Class Twelve, it had become an “island” within the school.
No one actively sought them out for information.
Other classes cared even less—why would they bother discussing something unrelated?
Especially Class Two—the calm, easygoing “capybaras.”
Even if they heard about the engagement, they’d probably just respond with a casual “oh.”
After thinking it through, Yu Xin felt there was no need to worry about Wei Xiao targeting her.
Rather than waste energy on that—
She might as well use the time during Gu Qinghuan and Yu Yuan’s sanda breaks…to tutor them with a couple more practice questions.
