Chapter 46-Part 1

When Ji Ran returned home, Aunt Zhao had just opened the door for her. After changing her shoes, she headed upstairs without even acknowledging Aunt Zhao.

When Ji Ran pushed open the door to her room, she flopped directly onto the bed.

She gazed at the patterns on the ceiling, suddenly rolling around the bed for several rounds, feeling utterly annoyed with Shen Zhi.

How could he let someone hug her like that, especially with so many classmates watching and cheering? What was there to cheer about?

Ji Ran felt a bit irritated, but then she thought that biting him at the door earlier was too cheap. She should have kicked him as well.

While Ji Ran was rolling around on the bed, suddenly a buzzing vibration came from her pocket. Ji Ran immediately quieted down. She bit her lip, but a smile couldn’t be suppressed on her face.

It must be a call from Shen Zhi…

Ever since she realized her feelings, Ji Ran found that just thinking of Shen Zhi’s name made her feel sweet, as if pink bubbles automatically rose in her mind.

Why did she like him so much?

Ji Ran sat cross-legged on the bed, and as she leisurely took out her phone from her pocket to answer the call, she suddenly froze.

Because she saw the phone number on the screen.

It was her mother.

Since Ji Ran followed Ji Qingli to B City, aside from occasional phone calls, Pei Yuan surprisingly did not interfere much in her life. Ji Ran always felt like she was set free.

But when she saw the flashing phone on her mobile, the invisible chain around her neck suddenly reappeared.

After ending the first call, the other side didn’t give up and quickly made a second call.

This time, Ji Ran didn’t hesitate and pressed the green answer button.

Pei Yuan’s voice came through: “Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?”

Her tone was not dissatisfying, just the habitual questioning. Ji Ran lightly pinched her phone’s screen, whispering, “I was taking a shower.”

Pei Yuan made a sound of acknowledgment, not dwelling on the question.

She said, “I remember you mentioning last time that midterms were coming up. Are they over?”

Ji Ran nodded. “They’re over. I ranked second in the grade, with 709 points.”

After a moment of thought, she whispered, “Just one point less than the first in the grade.”

“Ranran.”

Suddenly, Pei Yuan slightly raised her voice, seemingly a bit dissatisfied, but Ji Ran couldn’t figure out what exactly was bothering her.

Ji Ran didn’t speak; she just waited quietly.

Fortunately, at this moment, there was another voice on the phone, softly saying, “President Pei, Manager Ji, and the others have arrived.”

“Did you live with your dad for a few months and learn all his annoying habits?” There was dissatisfaction in Pei Yuan’s voice: “When your dad messes up, he never reflects on himself, only finds excuses.”

Ji Ran was confused for a few seconds.

Her mother was truly amazing—she divorced and still remembered all of her ex-husband’s annoying habits so clearly.

Pei Yuan continued, “Ji Ran, even if you messed up exams in the past, you never acted like this.”

Ji Ran took a deep breath. She knew that arguing with Pei Yuan was futile; what she needed to do was comply. So, Ji Ran spoke softly, “Next time, I will take first place.”

Upon hearing these words, Pei Yuan finally seemed somewhat satisfied.

After a moment, someone else spoke on the other end. After Pei Yuan responded with a sound of acknowledgment, there was a brief silence.

Ji Ran broke the silence, taking the initiative to say, “If you’re busy, you can hang up first.”

“Ranran,” Pei Yuan called her, and Ji Ran listened in silence.

Pei Yuan said, “No matter where you go, you must understand what matters most. I don’t want you to be influenced by unimportant people.”

Ji Ran furrowed her brow slightly, unsure who Pei Yuan meant by “unimportant people.”

But soon, it seemed Pei Yuan couldn’t wait any longer; she hung up the phone on her own.

Ji Ran placed the phone beside her and laid back on the bed. Every time she spoke with Pei Yuan, she felt exhausted.

She knew that, compared to Ji Qingli, Pei Yuan was actually more concerned about her.

But in her previous life, she was bound too much, and even as an adult with a job, her work issues were still scrutinized.

Sometimes, excessive expectations can also be a burden.

After some thought, Ji Ran decided to get up and take a shower.

The next morning, when she got up to eat, she discovered that Jiang Yi was unexpectedly at home again. Carrying her own backpack, she looked at Jiang Yi with a furrowed brow.

Surprisingly, Jiang Yi smiled at her and said, “Morning, Ji Ran.”

Jiang Liqi was already waiting downstairs, and as the two of them came down, Jiang Liqi took the initiative to say, “Ranran, I heard from Little Yi that you ranked second in the whole grade this time.”

“Yeah, Mom, Ji Ran is amazing now. She’s a famous academic genius in our school.”

Since the results of the midterms came out, Ji Ran has become known again. If there were still people who didn’t know her before, now the entire grade, especially students from Class One and Class Two, knew her.

After all, being able to surpass students from Class One and Class Two in a regular class was quite remarkable.

Jiang Liqi showed a pleased expression and said gently, “Your dad always said your grades are excellent. When your grades fluctuated before, your dad was really worried. Now that I see your grades have returned to the previous level, I’m completely relieved.”

Ji Ran glanced at her and said nothing, going directly into the dining room.

Jiang Yi rolled her eyes at her from behind, and Jiang Liqi quickly pulled her away.

“Mom, why are you so afraid of her?” Jiang Yi snorted.

Jiang Liqi immediately glared at her, lowering her voice. “I told you last night; did you forget already? If you don’t learn your lesson, I’ll really make you stay at school permanently.”

“No, no, Mom, I beg you, please save me. The people in our dormitory grind their teeth. I can’t sleep at night at all.”

Jiang Yi hurriedly clung to Jiang Liqi’s arm, pleading.

Jiang Liqi was finally satisfied.

However, as she looked at Ji Ran, who had already taken her seat at the dining table, she couldn’t help but sigh and say, “Look at you; there’s really no comparison to her in any aspect.”

Even though Jiang Yi was her biological daughter, Jiang Liqi had to admit that Ji Ran excelled in every aspect.

Just in terms of academics, she outperformed Jiang Yi in every way. If it hadn’t been for Ji Qingli’s arrangements, Jiang Yi probably wouldn’t have been able to attend a school like 4th Middle School. Even now, although she managed to get in, she planned to pursue an art examination route.

If she really wanted to take the regular college entrance examination, Jiang Yi probably wouldn’t even qualify for a second-tier university.