ASER - Chapter 74
Chapter 74: Homework
Chen Yang angrily accused A'Diao of throwing his homework notebooks and shutting the door on him, but Xie Yuqing wasn't quite convinced.
Firstly, she felt that although A'Diao wasn't close to her and was a bit fond of money, it was due to years of hardship outside. When she herself was young and poor, wasn't she also calculative? But A'Diao definitely wouldn't be overly arrogant to the point of damaging her own interests. Whether A'Diao was putting on an act or showing her true nature, now that she had entered the Chen family, she would, more or less, have to maintain appearances. Therefore, doing something as childish as directly throwing her own younger brother's homework notebooks didn't seem like something A'Diao would do—after all, she was the top student admitted to Danzhou's premier academy, her daughter!
Secondly, considering the first point, it must be her Yangyang who was putting on an act. This brat, to slander his sister and avoid doing homework, was being so despicable. He clearly hadn't been taught well and needed proper upbringing. Otherwise, among the four Chen children, Yangyang would be the only good-for-nothing. The one who grew up outside became accomplished on her own, while the one raised by her side turned out useless. If word got out, how could she face anyone? That woman surnamed Xu would laugh herself to death.
Considering these two points, Xie Yuqing looked down at him condescendingly and said lightly, "Don't you hate doing problems? Why are you suddenly so anxious about these homework notebooks?"
Chen Yang's body stiffened. He abruptly stood up and said resentfully, "I don't care about that! I'm just angry she didn't give me face."
Xie Yuqing, leisurely and haughty, blew lightly on her freshly manicured nails from the morning and said indifferently, "Face is something you earn yourself. Who would give it to you for no reason? Just like your mother, me. If not for my beauty, would your father have even glanced at me? And you, as a man, if you don't have real abilities, who would give you face?"
"You don't want the notebooks, right? Then forget about them."
In her entire life, she would never try to please any man; it should always be the other way around. So, she couldn't be bothered to coax him and turned to leave.
Chen Yang panicked. He quickly fumbled to pick up his homework notebooks and chased after her.
"Mother dear, Mother dear, can't I just admit I was wrong? I do want to do the problems, but she won't teach me. What can I do?"
"Why don't you try, Mother dear?"
As Young Master Chen said this, he saw his mother strike a beautiful pose, lightly adjusting a hairpin, and smile. "The so-called art of manipulation is to show weakness, to appear pitiable, to subdue the enemy without fighting, even making the other party admire, respect, and draw close to oneself, ultimately becoming someone you can control. This is the supreme way."
"My son, today I'll let you witness your mother's skills."
Young Master Chen's eyes widened instantly. Suppressing his excitement, he nodded repeatedly. Yes, yes, Mother dear, I'm waiting to see.
Then, the two of them arrived at A'Diao's door. Knock, knock, knock. They knocked.
The door opened. A'Diao saw the mother and son, raised an eyebrow, and before she could say much, Xie Yuqing's willow-like brows furrowed slightly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, on the verge of crying. "Diaodiao... It was Mother's fault in the past. I shouldn't have listened to your father and believed that Old Daoist Priest who said you were fated for an early death and needed to be taken away for arduous cultivation to fight for your destiny. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been separated for so many years. But now that I see you again, if you hate me or resent me, I'll bear it all. Just please don't ignore me..."
First, shift the blame to Chen Ran, then show weakness.
"If you ignore me..."
A'Diao: "You'll just do it all over again?"
Xie Yuqing: "..."
From Xie Yuqing +3333!
"You still resent me after all. Fine. My life has been bitter from birth, devoid of mother-daughter affection. Alas, this heart full of regret..." Xie Yuqing refused to admit defeat. She immediately clutched her chest, a tear appearing on cue, as if her strength was failing, her breath becoming as faint as a gossamer thread. Leaning against the wall, she looked about to collapse...
A'Diao: I'm familiar with this trick.
So, just before Xie Yuqing could fall, A'Diao said gently, "The floor hasn't been cleaned today. If Mother dear falls, your clothes will get dirty. As your daughter, I can't bear to see that. Let me pick a cleaner spot for you."
Xie Yuqing: "..."
From Xie Yuqing +9999!
From Chen Yang +1+1+1+1+1+1...
From...
The scene was incredibly awkward for a moment. Xie Yuqing didn't know whether to collapse now or wait until A'Diao had picked a cleaner spot for her to fall.
Fortunately, the place A'Diao picked was...
"Come in."
Quickly, my son, bring your homework notebooks and come in!
Chen Yang: "..."
Xie Yuqing, who had been as weak as a gossamer thread, instantly perked up. She dragged her precious son into the room. Before the door clicked shut and locked, A'Diao glanced at the room opposite hers.
If she remembered correctly, a few of the matrons by her grandmother's side had just sent her mental feedback.
So, Her Ladyship Grandmother must have seen it through the surveillance cameras in the hallway.
And she also saw the acting showdown just now?
But she hadn't given any mental feedback at all.
Inside her room, the Chen family's Old Grandmother saw A'Diao look up through the screen. For a brief moment, their eyes almost met, and a hint of a smile seemed to touch her aged face.
She did indeed chuckle softly, then instructed the matron beside her, "Prepare two fewer portions of food tonight to avoid waste."
The old matron bowed her head and acknowledged.
Meanwhile, Chen Yang, entering A'Diao's room for the first time, was initially a little excited but tried to hide it with a bit of reserve. It wasn't until later that he belatedly realized this wasn't A'Diao's room; this was on the airship.
In Lingcheng, she had only stayed for one night, right? But she would definitely be living in the main Jinling residence.
Hmph, hmph, hmph, is getting first place in the exam such a big deal?
At the main residence, his room must be bigger than hers. But would they live close to each other? If they were very close, he would go find her every day and infuriate her!
Thinking of this, Chen Yang got excited again. Then he saw printed paper, a thick stack of it, and even more drafts.
"It looks so messy, not tidy at all. You're so untidy... What are these?" Young Master Chen asked with a touch of haughtiness.
"Homework."
Xie Yuqing was actually a little excited too, but she concealed it very well. Appearing elegant and composed, she walked to the desk. "Yangyang, your sister is a top-tier genius; you must learn well from her. Speaking of which, your father has been a rare talent since his youth, and when I, your mother, was young, my grades were also excellent. No problem was too difficult for me. Your sister's problems, actually, I also..."
Her slender, jade-like fingers, resembling spring onions, picked up a sheet of paper. She glanced at it casually, and with just that one glance, she put the paper down, silently straightened it, and quickly changed the subject. "A'Diao, are you hungry? You and Yangyang study hard. No need to teach him, to save time. Just watch him do his problems and read. If he doesn't do them, hang him up and beat him. I'll go get you two something delicious to eat."
She turned to leave but saw the door click shut, intelligently locked.
Xie Yuqing: "???"
Then, A'Diao, who was organizing books behind them, said faintly, "Mother, did you know I have a classmate from the Song family? We have a good relationship. She said the Song family is close to our Chen family and would also like to meet my biological mother. I was thinking, if there's truly an invitation in the future, and the Song family members keep asking you academic questions, if you were to lose face, Father would probably be furious, and your reputation... What would we do then?"
"So, you should do problems with Younger Brother."
A'Diao casually had Yuanbao export and print out some knowledge-based questions.
"Here, sit!"
The mother and son: "!!!"
No, I don't want to do problems! Open the door!
At dinner, only the Old Grandmother, Xu Zhaoyin, and A'Diao were at the large table. But A'Diao glanced at the amount of food and knew her grandmother was still as astute as ever with age. However, she didn't show it and just focused on eating.
Xu Zhaoyin was also a composed person. She wasn't close to A'Diao but showed no hostility either. She asked a few things about her studies, appearing elegant and gracious, impeccable.
She also didn't ask about the whereabouts of the mother and son, as if she understood everything.
There probably weren't many fools in this family; the two most naive ones were already locked up by her doing homework.
It was quite a "harmonious and elegant" dinner. As they were about to disperse, Xu Zhaoyin even instructed the kitchen to prepare a late-night snack and asked about A'Diao's preferences.
"Thank you, First Madam. I'm fine with anything."
"Alright." Xu Zhaoyin smiled.
In the evening, the late-night snack was delivered. There was a lot of food, enough for A'Diao's appetite, and also enough for...
Chen Yang was surprised and subconsciously looked at A'Diao. "Mother dear, these are all your favorites! But I like them too."
Xie Yuqing was also excited. "Diaodiao, you really do still care about your mother in your heart."
A'Diao smiled and said it was Xu Zhaoyin's arrangement.
Xie Yuqing's body stiffened. She couldn't help but feel suspicious and began to ponder, her eyes darting around. "She didn't poison it, did she? Diaodiao, do you have a silver needle here? I'll test for poison."
What an ancient method! Why don't you just say you want to find a eunuch to test it?
A'Diao said nothing, directly pried open Chen Yang's mouth, and stuffed a piece of meat inside.
Chen Yang: "???"
Xie Yuqing: "!!!"
Although she knew since childhood that her biological mother was someone who looked like a "green tea bitch" but was actually full of "tea water" (though it's green tea, it's still just water) in her head, seeing her like this again after so many years...
Seen up close, how come she hasn't aged at all?!
Her second child is already 12, right? And she still hasn't aged!
A'Diao's train of thought quickly derailed, leaving her somewhat irked. She glanced at the good-for-nothing Chen Yang, who had to painstakingly consult supplementary books even for the simplest problems. Her attention shifted from one type of "heavenly endowed" individual to another.
She quickly recalled certain unbearable experiences from her childhood.
Fuck!
Seeing the mother and son heartlessly start eating since Chen Yang hadn't collapsed foaming at the mouth, A'Diao snatched most of the dishes and ate them, leaving only a little for them. The two of them, fearing her, trembled and didn't dare to get angry, until A'Diao, with a dark face, went to the cultivation room to train.
Chen Yang felt extremely wronged. "Mother dear, what's wrong with her? Why does she get angry at the drop of a hat? And she ate so much and is still angry. What is she angry about?"
Xie Yuqing: "Because you can't do any of those problems, she suspects you're not her biological younger brother."
Chen Yang: "But Mother dear, you can't do these problems either..."
Xie Yuqing: "It's not that I can't do them. My top-student memory is still recovering. Just give me a few days, and I'll definitely be able to do them all."
But A'Diao, who was originally in a very bad mood in the cultivation room, kept receiving Toilet System notifications.
From Xie Yuqing +2222.
+3333.
+4444.
+5555.
It was very consistent; every time she encountered a problem, she would surge with mental feedback, much more stable than Song Ling and the others. A'Diao finally felt relieved and sneered inwardly: Hmph, if I weren't looking to fleece some wool, who would bother with you! Just wait to be annoyed to death by these problems!
However, she was also a little surprised internally.
Is this the awesome part about a "conquest target" with super high attractiveness?
Xie Yuqing alone was comparable to an entire sheep farm.
But the younger brother could be ignored (because he only contributed +1+1+1+1).
Before arriving in Jinling, Song Ling suddenly contacted A'Diao, "Do you have any extra talismans?"
A'Diao: "?"
Song Ling: "The talismans you used that day were quite good. I want to buy some, at market price."
A'Diao was a bit puzzled. Although talismans were consumables that ordinary cultivators in the early stages couldn't afford, they weren't something Song Ling couldn't afford. The Song family should have channels to acquire them.
A'Diao: "I don't have any right now; I've used them all up. My Spirit Power is low, so I didn't make many."
Song Ling: "Next time, if it's convenient, make a batch for me. I'll buy them."
At market price, A'Diao would make a profit. This was a trade, beneficial to both sides.
But A'Diao was definitely puzzled as to why Song Ling wanted to buy from her.
Song Ling didn't waste A'Diao's time and gave her the answer directly.
"Those are family connections."
"But I hope you can become my connection."
Some people are good-looking and speak pleasantly; they are truly peerless talents.
A'Diao agreed but replied to Song Ling, "Why be so polite talking about connections? Actually, I'd rather become your daddy, everyone's daddy."
"But since we have a good relationship, I'll allow you to make an advance payment. Come on, try calling me that."
From Song Ling +6666!
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