Leng Siyu had no time to care about Xia Pengfei's little emotions. Her eyelids were already fighting again. She yawned and finally lay down on the desk… completely forgetting the self-criticism she had just recited.
When the homeroom teacher, Nian Wentian, walked onto the podium, the class monitor, Xiao Tianhao, called out, "Class, stand up!"
Naturally, Leng Siyu couldn't get up—she was sleeping like a log…
Xia Pengfei asked, "Teacher, should I wake her?"
Nian Wentian replied gently, "She doesn't need studying right now. What she needs is a proper sleep… Forcing someone to suppress physical needs for the sake of learning is putting the cart before the horse, and it won't be efficient."
He didn't have the class sit down yet and continued speaking:
"A great scientist once said: The trait of modern life is that our means grow increasingly efficient, while our goals grow increasingly confused.
We work day and night, overloaded—what are we doing it for? Think about it… Many of us have mistaken the means for the goal, and the goal for the means…"
Nian Wentian's unconventional teaching and soul-searching questions completely overturned Xia Pengfei's worldview.
He thought of his mother, who worked herself sick for money, to the point she once collapsed on the street… Wasn't that a perfect example of mixing up survival goals and survival means?
He looked at Leng Siyu. Deep asleep, she had shed all her armor—her face peaceful, harmless, yet utterly exhausted.
He wondered: What kind of turbulent life could make someone as tough as her so worn out?
At this moment, Leng Siyu truly didn't need studying—she needed sleep.
When the history class ended, Siyu opened her eyes. Embarrassed, she watched the enigmatic Nian Wentian walk out.
She asked Jiang Meidan behind her, "Why did Mr. Nian leave?"
"He finished his class. It's not like next period is his. Girl, you slept through the entire class!"
"An entire class?! He didn't wake me?"
"He told us not to disturb you."
"He didn't call me to his office?"
"No."
"Didn't make me write a review?"
"No."
"…?"
Leng Siyu fell into deep confusion.
Her deskmate Xia Pengfei was spreading the Leng family's secret safflower oil onto his bruised arm…
She suddenly felt a sting in her own arm. Lifting her sleeve, she saw the marks from where she had been pinched earlier. Without a word, she lowered the sleeve again.
A tiny pinch mark? What was that compared to the things she had seen—bullets flying, blood spraying, someone's head blown open right in front of her…
In a luxurious villa, Lin Wanru—wearing a panda-print apron—was cleaning the living room.
Despite the loud vacuum cleaner, she heard her phone ringing.
She quickly stepped into the guest room, picked up the phone, and saw an unfamiliar number. Confused, she answered.
"Hello, are you Leng Siyu's mother?"
"I am. And you are?" Lin Wanru's tone was warm and gentle—completely different from the way she spoke to Xia Pengfei.
"I'm her homeroom teacher, Nian Wentian. Your daughter is carrying burdens far beyond her age. As her teacher, it pains me to see it. As her mother, don't you feel anything?"
Lin Wanru froze. She heard the accusatory tone but before she could reply, Nian Wentian continued:
"This child is extremely gifted. If she focused on studying, she could absolutely get into a top school. But now she's so physically exhausted she can barely meet the basic requirements of class."
"Physically exhausted? Siyu is healthy. Doing chores and tutoring her sister shouldn't exhaust her."
"You really are an irresponsible mother! You don't even know your daughter works multiple part-time jobs during her after-school hours?"
"What?…" Lin Wanru was stunned. "I… I give her plenty of money…"
A few hours later, Lin Wanru stormed into Nian Wentian's office.
Leng Siyu had also been summoned.
The thin, quiet Lin Wanru pulled a leather belt from her bag the moment she saw Siyu—ready to give her daughter a "stir-fry with a leather belt."
Nian Wentian hurried in front of Siyu. "Mrs. Leng, let's calm down and understand the situation first!"
A voice from Class 2-1 shouted outside: "The demon girl Leng Siyu is about to get beaten!"
In seconds, the entire class crowded outside the history office to watch.
CRACK!
The belt landed squarely on Nian Wentian's back.
"Sorry, Mr. Nian! I apologize on behalf of my mom!"
Leng Siyu stepped out from behind him. "Let me take it."
She obediently turned around and presented her back.
Lin Wanru paused only briefly after hitting the wrong person, then resumed her fierce momentum—laying blow after blow on Siyu's back while shouting:
"I give you so much money, where does it all go?! I'll teach you to misbehave! I'll teach you to slack off!"
Leng Siyu stood like a mountain—unmoving, expression calm.
No frown.
No tears.
No cry of pain.
Something cowardly became inexplicably cool when she did it.
The more Wanru beat her, the harder she swung.
Gentle scholar Nian Wentian had absolutely no experience dealing with such chaos—he froze completely.
The girls outside were terrified.
The boys were dumbstruck.
Xia Pengfei couldn't take it anymore. He charged in, snatched the belt from Lin Wanru, and shouted:
"Aunt Lin! What kind of mother are you?! Do you know how hard Siyu works at home? If you don't care, fine—but how can you torture her like this?! What mistake has she made to deserve this kind of beating?!"
"Pengfei, stay out of it. Let her finish. Give her the belt back."
Leng Siyu said calmly.
"You brat—how I discipline my daughter is none of your business! Give me the belt!"
Lin Wanru grabbed at it, but Xia Pengfei didn't budge an inch.
"Aunt Lin, if you close your door at home and beat her, I can't interfere.
But chasing her all the way to school to hit her? Sorry—this is my business now."
"You—you—you…"
Lin Wanru trembled with rage, pointing at his nose.
"Fine, Xia boy! I—I'll remember this! I'll settle this… with Xia Zhengyang!"
Xia Pengfei held the belt over his shoulder, looking like he was ready to fight a war.
Then, freshly beaten, Leng Siyu stepped to her mother's side and said softly:
"Mom, calm down. You'll hurt yourself if you get too angry. If you didn't hit enough, rest a while and continue. I didn't misuse the money. I just wanted to earn some spending money through my own labor…"
SLAP!
A deafening slap struck Siyu's face.
Even Xia Pengfei and Nian Wentian were stunned.
This mother tiger was savage.
"If you dare work again instead of studying, I'll break your legs!"
With that, Lin Wanru stormed out under the shocked gazes of everyone—
Only to come back, point at Xia Pengfei, and say to Siyu:
"Stay away from him! From now on, I'm his enemy!"
"She's only like this because she's hurting inside… You two wouldn't understand."
Siyu glanced at them and walked toward the door.
"Hey—go to the infirmary," Xia Pengfei said.
"It's nothing. She held back."
Held back? Did that slap scramble her brains?
"Siyu… I'm sorry!"
Nian Wentian walked over, apologizing sincerely.
"I didn't know your mother was so… intense. I should have talked to you first."