"What are you all laughing at!"
"Although beating my dad isn't really something to brag about, there was a bet, after all!"
"We have to honor our bets, right!"
Shen Yixiao said confidently.
This kid may not be good at studying, but he really has a great attitude and gets along well with the classmates, completely unbothered by their laughter.
Chen Xiangyu rolled her eyes at him, "Old Shen got 45 words right, do you have any idea how many you got?"
"What?"
"How many words did my dad get right?"
Shen Yixiao was stunned, looking incredulously at his dad on the other side of the blackboard.
"Go check it yourself!"
Chen Xiangyu pouted her lips slightly, then turned to the other classmates, "After peer reviewing, if you missed less than five words, write each word 20 times; if more than five, 50 times each!"
Clearly, Chen Xiangyu was using Shen Qiushan's number of missed words as a reference.
The students didn't dare to have any objections. You're a senior student about to take your college entrance exam and you lost a spelling contest to a middle-aged man; what face do you have to haggle!
Shen Yixiao moved next to his dad, planning to find fault, and started checking his dad's words on the blackboard.
However, another problem arose: there were some words he didn't know, so he couldn't tell whether his dad's answers were right or wrong.
"Just take the answer sheet."
While dictating, Chen Xiangyu had prepared an answer key, which she handed to Shen Yixiao, then said to Shen Qiushan: "Old Shen, you can go back to your seat now."
"Alright."
Shen Qiushan nodded and lightly patted his son on the shoulder, "A man must keep his word."
Finished speaking, he returned to his seat.
"Uncle Shen, you're amazing."
"You're literally my idol!"
As soon as Shen Qiushan sat down, Wang Yunpeng gave him a big thumbs up with excitement.
Shen Qiushan nodded calmly, maintaining his air of a seasoned pro.
On the podium.
Shen Yixiao eyed his dad's words on the blackboard while checking them against the answer key.
Though his dad's handwriting was atrocious, the accuracy was incredibly high; not a single mistake in the first twenty words.
Shen Yixiao's mouth twitched instinctively; he had thought it would be a one-sided match!
Turns out...
It really was one-sided!
Except, he was the one getting crushed.
No way, since when is Dad's English this good??
This can't be real!!
Shen Yixiao was puzzled beyond belief but couldn't deny that he lost the contest.
"Giving up yet?"
Seeing Shen Yixiao finish checking the answers, Chen Xiangyu asked with a straight face.
"Ugh..."
"Actually, I didn't perform well."
Shen Yixiao stubbornly denied.
However, as soon as he said that, the classroom erupted in a chorus of "boo"s.
Chen Xiangyu rolled her eyes, "Losing is losing, remember to fulfill your promise!"
"Go back, don't forget to write each wrong word 50 times!"
As the referee, Chen Xiangyu concluded the "father-son duel."
Shen Yixiao habitually scratched his head, drooping as he returned to his seat.
"Dad, since when did your English become so good?"
"How come I didn't know!"
Back at his seat, Shen Yixiao muttered quietly.
"There are a lot of things you don't know!"
"Stop talking, focus on class!"
Shen Qiushan scolded softly, then turned his attention to the podium.
After this English lesson, there were two consecutive self-study periods, so Shen Qiushan decided to redeem another "Memory Capsule."
This stuff was simply too magical; in the morning, with its effect, he memorized almost all the commonly tested words for the college entrance exam.
This time, he focused intently on the "Complete English Grammar."
Shen Qiushan silently formulated a study plan for himself: first memorizing words, then looking at grammar, and finally practicing listening extensively; with this combo, scoring above 120 in English shouldn't be a problem.
Not wanting to waste the "Memory Capsule's" effectiveness, after the English lesson, he stayed glued to his chair, continuing to study the "Complete English Grammar" diligently!
Seeing his dad working so hard, Shen Yixiao felt somewhat ashamed.
However, the feeling of guilt lasted only a few seconds before he signaled to Wang Yunpeng with a wink and dragged him to the restroom.
"Brother Xiao, how come Uncle Shen is so awesome, yet he has a slacker like you for a son!"
Standing at the urinal, Wang Yunpeng remarked casually.
"Get lost!"
"It's just a few words!"
Shen Yixiao smirked dismissively, "If Dad were really that great, he would've gotten into a university!"
"Because he didn't, my grandpa put all the hopes of reviving the Shen Family on my shoulders!"
"I feel so pressured!"
"Pfft~"
"Doesn't look like it!"
Wang Yunpeng didn't believe Shen Yixiao one bit, retorting, "Why not put the hopes on your sister? She scores way better than you!"
"My sister?"
Shen Yixiao chuckled, then sharply turned around, "Does she have this?"
"Jeez!"
Being longtime buddies, Wang Yunpeng reacted quickly, stepping back to avoid a biological attack.
Shen Yixiao smirked, "Yunpeng, you don't get it. My grandpa's generation favors boys over girls, and so does my dad. Grandpa even wanted me to change my surname to his when I was little!"
"So, in Grandpa's eyes, Shen Yanran is destined to be married off; only I can carry on Old Shen's lineage..."
"Do you get the importance of being the eldest grandson?"
Wang Yunpeng was used to his friend's narcissistic style and immediately quipped, "Eldest grandson, huh!"
"Makes it sound like your family has a throne to inherit!"
"Ouch!"
Wang Yunpeng's comment hit Shen Yixiao's sore spot.
The family is poor!
It wasn't noticeable as a kid, but as he grew older, he became more conscious of money!
As an athlete, Shen Yixiao always wanted a pair of AJ basketball shoes, but considering the family situation, he couldn't bring himself to ask.
"Ugh~"
"Can't hold it, gotta go..."
Just as Shen Yixiao was about to pull up his pants after taking a leak, he felt the urge to go big, so he quickly opened a stall door and rushed in.
"Brother Peng, can you get me some paper?"
"I love you~!"
Already in position, Shen Yixiao cheekily called out to Wang Yunpeng outside the stall.
"Hang on!"
"Why didn't you say before..."
Wang Yunpeng grumbled as he left the men's room.
Meanwhile, Shen Yixiao was pondering the father-son match while on the toilet, dissatisfied about losing to his dad and wondering if his dad had colluded with Teacher Chen to cheat...
As Shen Yixiao pondered this, outside he overheard some students chatting:
"Latest news, that Old Deng from Class Five actually beat his son in an English vocabulary test!"
"Isn't his son Shen Yixiao?"
"Yeah, that's right, it's him."
"What's surprising about that? Shen Yixiao's always been a slacker!"
"Once you put it that way, I guess it's true. Shen Yixiao really is just too awful..."
Ugh!
Squatting there, Shen Yixiao clenched his fists angrily.
The result...
"Pfft," relief came easily!