After finishing his meal, Shen Chengwei wiped his mouth and looked at Shen Yelan, who was still eating. She was resting her chin on her palm while lazily eating, something no lady from an elite family would do. But for some reason, her movements were quite refined.
Her cleared his throat, making everyone look at him except for Shen Yelan. He frowned. This girl's manners...
"Shen Yelan," he called her name, glaring at her.
Shen Yelan paused the chopsticks to her mouth and looked at him. "Yes, father?"
"Now that you are back, we need to announce your return to others. I would have held a banquet for you, but you have just recovered, and I don't want it to affect your health. So, I have decided to release an official statement instead." He told her as if he was genuinely worried about her, if one ignored that perfunctory tone.
Shen Yelan knew that they would never allow her to appear before the public officially, but they also could not keep hiding her, as it would damage their reputation. So the best way was to just release a statement and give an excuse that she was not in good health. That way, they would create an image of a useless daughter instead of an unwanted one.
"Also, you need to go to school. I know that you have not gone to school these recent years, so it will be hard for you to adjust to it. But don't worry, I have already contacted No. 12 High School and explained your situation. They have agreed to take you in, but you still need to take their placement exam to decide your grade."
Hearing this, Shen Wanwan smiled to herself. So what if she was beautiful? In the end, she was nothing but an unwanted waste.
Both she and her brother studied at No. 1 High School, which was the best school in the city. Though No. 12 High School was near their school, it was the den of poor-grade students and delinquents. Sending her there was like sending her to her ruins, given there was not much to ruin. A waste would always be a waste.
If she could see what Shen Chengwei was doing, how could Shen Yelan not know? But she did not mind, so she gave him a simple nod. To her, school was not something to worry about.
Seeing her agree to his arrangement, the little doubt Shen Chengwei had about Shen Yelan disappeared. It turned out he was just overthinking. Shen Yelan was not as smart as he gave her credit.
.
.
It had been five days since Shen Yelan returned to the Shen family. She mostly spent her time in her room. Sometimes, she could be seen walking around, but was always ignored by the servants. The Shen family members also treated her like a guest. When they saw her, they would say a few words before walking, while the rest of the time, she was completely ignored.
Today, it was the day she was going to school, yet there was no car available for her to use, and the school was too far away for her to walk, leaving her no choice but to get a taxi. The twins could have offered her a lift in their car, given their schools were nearby, but Shen Wanwan had to pick up her friend on the way, so there was no space for her.
In the driving seat of the taxi was a handsome, muscular man with a beard. He looked more like he should be working security than driving a cab.
"Boss," Zhao Zhan greeted her, his eyes slightly sparkling with excitement. After not seeing his boss for a year, she had gotten even more beautiful. Now that she had moved to the South City, he could not wait to tag along to experience all the fun things she was planning.
"Hmm," Yelan acknowledged him with a slight nod and pulled out her phone.
Seeing that she was busy, Zhao Zhan did not say anything further to disturb her and silently drove towards the school.
Shen Yelan was going through her messages, replying to some while ignoring others. Her gaze paused at a message.
[Slim Waist Fairy: Are you really not going to consider the offer? They are willing to pay ten million for the theme song. That is ten times more than what the famous Singer Chen Wanqing is paid.]
[White Rabbit: I am busy.]
She did not wait for a response and started playing games to pass the time. Twenty minutes later, the car stopped before No. 17 High School. Shen Yelan got out of the car and stared at the building for a moment before she walked inside.
It was almost time for the bell, so many students were running inside to avoid being late. They might be bad in studies or called delinquents, but no one wanted to be late for class just to be punished by the devil they referred to as their principal.
Many students paused when they noticed her.
"Hey, who is that?"
"Since when did we have a beauty in our school?"
"Mommy, I think I am in love."
"Do you think she is a new student?"
"I don't care if she is a new student or not. All I want to know is if she is single."
Shen Yelan walked past them as if she had not heard anything. She went inside the building and into the office. There were many teachers inside. Some were getting ready for their class while the others were busy with their work.
"Ah, you must be Shen Yelan," one of the teachers noticed her, making everyone look at her.
They had all heard that a new student was joining them, and with Teacher Baiyin, who loved gossip, they were all aware of her past...or at least what was said on the news these days.
"I am Teacher Gao and teach the math subject," he introduced himself, smiling at her.
He had not expected the new student to be so beautiful, and then, thinking about her pitiful past, her heart clenched painfully. He was not the only one who shared the same thoughts. The other teachers also looked at her warmly.
Unlike the other schools, there was no competition between the teachers here. Rather, they were more focused on surviving the day here with those rebellious students who would always cause trouble and the devil principal. Compared to them, this girl looked like an angel.
No, we have to protect this girl.
At that time, almost everyone had the same thought in their mind. If Shen Yelan knew what they were thinking, she would have called them crazy. It was them they were supposed to protect from her.
"I heard your health is not good. How are you feeling?"
"I am alright, teacher. Thank you for asking." Shen Yelan replied politely.
"You have to take a placement test before we can decide your class," he told her.
Shen Yelan nodded her head and followed the teacher to a chair in the corner. Some of the teachers who had classes left while those who were still here turned their attention back to their work. It didn't matter to them which class she would be sent to. There wasn't much difference between them anyway.
"Take your time," Teacher Gao handed her the paper and walked away, not to disturb her.
Shen Yelan did not bother looking at all the questions and started from the first question her eyes fell on. She did not take much time on each question and did not stop to think. The teachers who saw this shook their heads in disappointment.
In just an hour, Shen Yelan was done. She looked at it and frowned slightly. She then stood up and went to Teacher Gao's table, where he seemed to be marking the class test. Seeing the red color that filled almost every inch of the paper, her eye twitched.
"Teacher, I am done."
"Already?" Teacher Goa seemed surprised, but then he thought that she might have left many questions unanswered. After all, she hadn't been to school for many years.
He began to check her paper, and the more he read, the serious he became. He took out the answer sheet from his drawer and began to compare it with her answers. Once he was done, he looked up at Shen Yelan with surprise.
"Is something wrong?" Shen Yelan asked. But that should not be the case. She had already made sure to answer some of the questions incorrectly so as not to catch unwanted attention.
"Uh, it's nothing. Why don't you wait here while I take this to the Principal? He is the one who will make the final decision about your grade."
"Okay," Shen Yelan went back to the seat while Teacher Gao ran to the Principal's Office.
This was big news. There was finally someone who had scored more than three hundred out of four hundred in the placement test.
He knocked on the door, and once he got a response, he walked inside.