Chapter 200 Great Progress!

Words : 1310 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

After Yun Tiancheng came back that day, Yun Shifei didn’t ask him what he said to Xu Ya, and Yun Tiancheng didn’t bring up anything about Xu Ya either. The father and daughter seemed to have a tacit understanding, choosing not to speak about it. In truth, Yun Tiancheng wanted to talk to Yun Shifei, but he felt that the timing wasn’t right. During this period, the child has been living quite happily, and he was afraid that he might unintentionally take away that happiness. After all, Xu Ya had once caused such deep pain to Yun Shifei, and Yun Tiancheng thought it was best to take things slowly. Besides, he wasn’t sure whether Xu Ya might end up causing secondary harm to Yun Shifei. The way Xu Ya treated Yun Shifei in the past filled him with fear—what if her return brought more harm to the child? Old wounds hadn’t even healed, and new scars could be added. That was something he didn’t even dare to imagine. At the tail end of summer vacation, Yun Shifei continued to focus on her studies. To avoid Yun Tiancheng worrying about her becoming a bookworm, she would invite Cheng Lie to her house or take him out for snacks and fun. One time on their way out, Yun Shifei caught sight of Yun Sisi, and to her surprise, Yun Sisi was accompanied by her biological mother! From the looks of it, their relationship seemed pretty good. Yun Shifei felt a twinge of confusion. Could it be that Yun Sisi had finally returned to her original family? In her previous life, Yun Sisi was always the cherished daughter of the Yun Family. But in this life, so much had changed; it felt like it was completely different now. Returning to her biological parents’ home wasn’t impossible. Yun Shifei’s heart swelled with mixed emotions. In this life, everything felt so altered. She herself had been improving bit by bit. Cheng Lie also noticed Yun Sisi and Liu Congfang buying things at a street stall. For someone once overflowing with the airs of a young lady, she now seemed so ordinary. Yet, he showed no expression, watching her as if she were a stranger, without a tinge of guilt despite being the root of it all. "Hurry up and finish your ice cream; it won’t taste as good once it melts," Yun Shifei glanced at Cheng Lie’s ice cream box as she happily dug into her own. She hadn’t had ice cream in such a long time. Yun Tiancheng worried that eating too much cold food would harm her health, allowing her only one treat per week. The summer heat was unbearable. So whenever Yun Shifei went out with Cheng Lie, she indulged in plenty of snacks. Maybe it was due to her younger age after reincarnation—her appetite seemed greedier, wanting to try everything. Still, she couldn’t eat it all, so she often took a few bites and passed the rest to Cheng Lie. Thankfully, Cheng Lie didn’t mind at all and helped finish off the leftovers. Yun Shifei also felt that Cheng Lie should eat more; the boy seemed a bit too skinny, clearly not eating well at home. Starting her senior year, Yun Shifei’s study load grew even heavier. Her dismissal time after school was later than that of other grades, weekends were filled with supplementary lessons, and exams seemed endless and routine. But Yun Shifei noticed that her grades kept improving with each test. In the most recent quiz, she astonishingly placed in the top fifty of the grade. Even the homeroom teacher was shocked. Having such a promising student emerge from their bottom-ranked class was unprecedented. He specifically sought out Yun Tiancheng to discuss how, with a bit more effort, the child might even be able to get into a bachelor’s program. For now, it seemed Yun Shifei had no problem securing a junior college placement. Yun Tiancheng was thrilled—a sense of pride that his daughter was coming of age blossomed within him. He bragged about Yun Shifei’s academic progress to everyone, making her the talk of their neighborhood. Now, when people saw Yun Shifei, they would smile and encourage her, saying, "Shifei, keep working hard! Let’s aim for our neighborhood to produce next year’s top college entrance exam scorer!" Their words made Yun Shifei feel immense pressure! The previous top scorer was Mu Chengzhu—a benchmark no one in the neighborhood had come close to matching. But within her year, there were plenty of capable peers. Just Yun Sisi and Mu Jiayu alone were far ahead of her in grades. Though Yun Sisi’s performance had been slipping drastically, she was still ahead, but Mu Jiayu was even more solid—her grades were always steady. There were other academically strong peers among her grade, too. Surpassing them was no easy feat. So, faced with the elders’ playful remarks, Yun Shifei responded with a shy, polite smile: "I still need to work really, really hard." Effort had practically become synonymous with Yun Shifei. The progress she made wasn’t only noticed by Yun Tiancheng, but also by her teachers and even parents in the neighborhood. Parents there would urge their children to learn from Yun Shifei and treat her as a shining example. "Look at that girl—she was one of the worst in the grade when she started. They say she studies until midnight or later every day, and now her grades have improved so much. Learn from her!" That was how parents went about educating their kids. Even Chen Min echoed this sentiment to Mu Jiayu. "I think Shifei’s dedication really proves the saying: hard work pays off!" Mu Jiayu wasn’t pleased. "But my grades are better than hers." "Yes, but think back—your ranking has stayed about the same since freshman year, hasn’t it?" Mu Jiayu giggled mockingly and said, "Mom, you’re just saying that Yun Shifei started low, so she has more room to improve." Mu Jiayu wasn’t entirely wrong in her analysis. Still, Chen Min advised Mu Jiayu to stay humble. "Who knows, maybe Shifei will catch up and outplace you after a few more exams." Mu Jiayu dismissed the notion: "That’s impossible. She’s practically reached her ceiling, while I still have a long way to go." "So arrogant," Chen Min scolded her lightly. This daughter of hers had been spoiled since childhood, often playing with Yun Sisi. Both girls were pampered and entitled, difficult to discipline. Chen Min’s thoughts wandered to Yun Shifei—the girl she had met a few times and admired for her humility, even a touch of timidity. Among the children in the neighborhood, that was quite rare. Glancing at Mu Chengzhu, who was quietly absorbed in a book, Chen Min felt unsure about her son’s thoughts. She had once believed he liked Yun Sisi, even considering proposing marriage between the two families to ensure Yun Sisi wouldn’t pair up with someone else. But after everything that had happened, the situation was far different now. Now, Yun Shifei, the older sister, had surpassed Yun Sisi—not only in beauty but also in achievement. Chen Min had heard how Yun Sisi’s grades had been plummeting lately; she couldn’t quite fathom why. That child was pitiful, too... Sure enough, as Chen Min predicted, in the next exam, Yun Shifei actually placed ahead of Mu Jiayu. Surprisingly, she scored 23rd in the grade! Mu Jiayu, meanwhile, ranked 27th. Seeing the rankings, Mu Jiayu nearly burst into tears of frustration. And then she glanced at Yun Sisi’s score. Once consistently among the top ten of the grade, Yun Sisi had now dropped to 19th place. Their rankings were eerily close. Mu Jiayu felt humiliated—it wasn’t that her own score wasn’t great, but why did she have to land lower than Yun Shifei of all people? That was the source of Mu Jiayu’s discontent.

Chapter 200 Great Progress!

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