Chapter 33 Half-Understood Which University Do You Want Most…

Chapter 33: A Glimpse of Understanding – Which University Do You Dream Of?

In May, the school atmosphere grew palpably tense.

Yu Kui emerged from the teaching building after dark, the outside world almost devoid of people. Her father, Yu, arrived to pick her up, offering her a cup of fruit tea. "You’ve been working so hard, you’ve gotten thin."

"Not by much," Yu Kui said, pinching her cheek, then asked eagerly, "Dad, do I look prettier now than before?"

"No way!" her father immediately retorted. "What’s good about being so thin? A little more weight looks better."

Yu Kui: "…But my classmates all say I’ve become beautiful."

"They’re just flattering you," her father said without turning his head. "They probably just want to ask you for help with their studies."

Yu Kui touched the tip of her nose. "Really? I hadn’t noticed."

"Absolutely," her father grumbled softly. "Your mom stewed pork trotters tonight. Make sure you eat two extra bowls of rice."

Yu Kui’s eyes lit up instantly. "With kidney beans?"

"With peanuts," her father replied. "If you want kidney beans, we can do that next time."

Yu Kui wasn't picky. "I just told Mom this morning I wanted pork trotters, and she made them today. That’s so sweet."

"Of course. Your mom loves you the most," her father said with a hint of playful jealousy. "In this family, you’re her biggest treasure."

Yu Kui remained silent.

After dinner, Yu Kui finished her test papers and gazed at the full moon outside, a hard-to-describe melancholy settling in her heart. The thought of parting ways with her classmates after the college entrance exam filled her with deep reluctance.

Of course, the ones she would miss the most were Sun Shuya and… Qin You.

Qin You had already repaid one thousand yuan of the five thousand he borrowed, promising the rest during summer vacation.

Yu Kui hadn’t pressed him, simply saying he could return it when he had the money.

Yet, Qin You’s attitude toward her remained noticeably distant. When they met, he wouldn’t even offer a polite greeting. Perhaps the "loan" had wounded his pride.

Yu Kui wasn’t deeply hurt, just a little helpless.

After school that day, Xie Xingzhi came downstairs with his notebook, ready to tackle all the questions he had accumulated. Knowing Yu Kui was under immense academic pressure, he no longer sought her out daily. Instead, he came every few days, each time with more questions, but his grades showed clear, visible improvement.

"Why are there so few questions today?" Yu Kui asked, a little surprised.

"Didn’t you notice they’re all quite difficult?" Xie Xingzhi raised an eyebrow. "I’ve already figured out the earlier ones."

Yu Kui took his notebook. The questions were indeed challenging, so she patiently began to explain them.

Xie Xingzhi sat across from her, his gaze falling upon her soft-looking hair and fair forehead. "The baby fat on your face is completely gone now."

Yu Kui blinked. "It’s been gone for a while."

"It was still there before," Xie Xingzhi said. "Have you been staying up late recently?"

"No," Yu Kui said, having organized the problem. She looked up. "Why are you paying attention to that? Focus on the problem."

"Of course I have to pay attention," Xie Xingzhi said, meeting her gaze. "You’re my great benefactor. I need to understand any changes in you."

"How boring." Yu Kui tapped the question with her pen. "The logic of this problem is a bit convoluted, but the solution isn’t difficult…"

Xie Xingzhi lowered his gaze, noticing her slender, jade-like fingers.

Yu Kui didn’t notice his subtle observation and continued explaining the problem, then looked at him. "Do you understand?"

"Only partially," Xie Xingzhi readily admitted the parts he didn’t grasp. "Could you explain this section again?"

"Of course." Yu Kui rewrote the solution steps on the paper. "Is it clear now?"

"Yes," Xie Xingzhi nodded. "With your guidance, I’ve had a sudden enlightenment."

Yu Kui remained silent.

"Then let me give you a similar problem," Yu Kui casually posed an even more intricate question. "Let’s see if you’ve truly grasped it."

Xie Xingzhi reached for the pen in her hand. Yu Kui paused. "Didn’t you bring one?"

"No," Xie Xingzhi said unhurriedly. "Can’t I use yours?"

Yu Kui said nothing, handing him her carbon pen. She watched him write the correct answer before saying, "You’re not stupid at all."

"Of course," Xie Xingzhi smirked. "Just look at who my tutor is."

Yu Kui secretly rolled her eyes, too lazy to engage with him. "Any other questions?"

Xie Xingzhi pointed to the problems below. "These."

Yu Kui explained each one to him. "Do you understand everything now?"

"Yes," Xie Xingzhi put away his notebook. "Come on, I’ll treat you to dinner."

"No," Yu Kui packed her bag. "My mom made ribs today. I’m going home for dinner."

Xie Xingzhi paused. "Your mom cooks for you every day?"

"Yes," Yu Kui smiled at the thought of her mother. "She cares about me a lot."

Xie Xingzhi looked at the dimples at the corners of her mouth, his expression subtly shifting. He said teasingly, "I really envy you. Not only are you great at school, but your mom treats you so well."

"Why envy?" Yu Kui scoffed softly. "Don’t your parents treat you well?"

"It’s hard to say," Xie Xingzhi sighed faintly. "Sometimes good, sometimes bad. It’s quite contradictory."

Yu Kui turned to look at Xie Xingzhi. He had lowered his eyes slightly, making it impossible for her to discern his expression or the sincerity of his words. However, she didn’t doubt him, and said softly, "If they don’t treat you well, it’s their loss. Just make sure to treat yourself well in the future."

"That’s all?" Xie Xingzhi sighed in disappointment. "I thought you’d say someone else will treat me well in the future."

"I wouldn’t say something so vague," Yu Kui shook her head. "No matter how well others treat you, it will never compare to how well you treat yourself. Only by treating yourself well can you truly receive kindness from others."

Xie Xingzhi followed behind her, watching her ponytail sway gently. "So that’s how it is. Then I’ll definitely treat myself well from now on."

Hearing his casual tone, Yu Kui suspected he might have been teasing her earlier and decided not to engage further.

"Yu Kui." As they reached the stairs, where the light grew dimmer, Xie Xingzhi suddenly called her name.

"What is it?" The girl didn’t turn around.

"In the future, which university do you want to attend?"

Yu Kui stopped, looking down at the steps ahead, and didn’t answer immediately.

"Are you staying in this city?" Xie Xingzhi asked.

"I don't know." Yu Kui had never truly considered which university she wanted to attend, but ultimately there were only a few places she aspired to go, and she hadn't made any firm decisions yet.

"Be sure to tell me once you've made up your mind," Xie Xingzhi said.

"You want to go to the same university as me?" Yu Kui chuckled softly. "Why are you asking?"

"What, do you look down on me?"

"No," Yu Kui could never look down on him. "Your academic performance is really good now. Just work on your weaker areas, and you’ll do great in the college entrance exam. You’ve got this."

"It's all thanks to my amazing tutor."

"Stop calling me your tutor," Yu Kui said, annoyed. "Just call me by my name."

"Alright, alright."

Xie Xingzhi walked her to the bus stop and didn’t leave until he saw her board the bus.

By the end of May, the weather was gradually getting hotter, and some students had started wearing short sleeves.

Yu Kui walked out of the office carrying a stack of test papers. The hallway was utterly silent, devoid of any noise or commotion. Everyone was buried in their studies, pouring all their energy into review. The countdown on the blackboard felt like an alarm bell ringing in everyone’s hearts.

Yu Kui stood at the front, distributing the tests one by one. She felt no nervousness about the upcoming college entrance exam; instead, she felt a profound reluctance to part with such wonderful classmates.

"Yu Kui," someone slowly raised their hand, "there’s a math problem I can't figure out. Could you explain it to me?"

Yu Kui walked over to the student who asked, took a pen, and began explaining the problem. Her voice was soft, and she was incredibly patient, quickly helping the classmate solve the difficult question.

Tao Jiang watched Yu Kui’s beautiful profile, her feelings incredibly complicated. When Yu Kui stood up, Tao Jiang also raised her hand. "Yu Kui, can you help me too? There are still a lot of problems I don’t understand."

It seemed she had forgotten her previous hostility toward Yu Kui, appearing unusually gentle.

Yu Kui glanced at her, her tone also soft. "You can ask the class president. He’s very good at studying."

The class president’s seat was very close to Tao Jiang’s, so there was no need for her to go out of her way.

"What if I insist that you explain it to me?" Seeing that Yu Kui kept refusing her, Tao Jiang grew upset. "You can help others—why can’t you help me too?"

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Before Yu Kui could respond, Sun Shuya stood up. "Stop trying to emotionally blackmail Yu Kui. You know exactly why your grades are poor—don’t blame Yu Kui for it, or I’ll rip your mouth open."

"Yeah," other students chimed in. "Tao Jiang, your deskmate’s grades are really good. You can ask him instead of insisting on Yu Kui."

Ever since the parent-teacher meeting where Tao Jiang revealed her true, dishonest nature, everyone’s perception of her had shattered.

It’s one thing to struggle academically, but being a pathological liar is a serious issue. Having someone like that among them was pretty messed up, wasn't it?

Tao Jiang hadn’t expected so many people to stand up for Yu Kui. Her eyes darkened instantly, seething with resentment.

Why could Yu Kui help others but not her? Wasn’t that hypocritical? How could anyone still think she was a good person? It was utterly ironic!

Her heart felt like it was filled with poison, and she just wanted to find a way to vent her fury.

After school, she went upstairs to complain to Qin You. "I think your little childhood crush is deliberately targeting me. Who does she think she is? I tried to talk to her nicely, and she even got everyone to gang up on me."

Qin You squeezed her hand, saying sympathetically, "Don’t pay attention to her. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I’ll explain it to you."

"Stand up for me," Tao Jiang said unhappily. "Call her right now and chew her out, or I won’t feel better."

"I haven't talked to her in ages," Qin You said helplessly. "Didn’t you tell me to cut ties with her?"

"You call her," Tao Jiang said coldly. "I know you have her number. If I’m unhappy, she shouldn’t be happy either."

Qin You didn’t move. He still hadn't paid Yu Kui back—how could he possibly call to yell at her? He pulled Tao Jiang into his arms instead. "Alright, alright, don’t bother with her. She’s nobody."