Chapter 1443 — The Change in Ying Ziyu: It Seemed Brother Hei Had Not Deceived Him; These Were All Students of Good Grades Who Truly Loved to Learn

The next moment, Wei Zhao began scanning the crowd for Ying Ziyu, and soon enough he spotted her — sitting beside Chen Xi in her school uniform, her hair still in the cute *** style Wei Zhao had fixed for her last time, no longer done up in anything strange, and her face bare of makeup.

Only, Ying Ziyu kept her brows knitted the whole while, plainly unable to follow much of what the teacher at the front was saying...

Watching her, Wei Zhao found it rather amusing. It must be hard on Ying Ziyu: she had hardly studied before, so her foundations were bound to be poor, and cramming at the last minute would get her nowhere.

But Wei Zhao had only meant for her to feel the atmosphere of study; he did not expect her to master anything overnight. Even if she failed to test into a high school, he could still get her into First High School — it took no more than a word from Gu Pengzhan. He would not even need to show his face; the Young Miss or Uncle Qing could settle it.

Wei Zhao did not go in to disturb her. He simply stood at the classroom doorway, waiting quietly for the bell.

Before long the dismissal bell rang. The teacher at the podium gathered up his lesson notes, announced the end of class, and left. Yet hardly anyone in the room got up to go — a few slipped out to the lavatory, no more. This class was full of students who loved to learn. The high school entrance exam was almost upon them, and none of them would waste a minute; now that they had finally found a class with such an atmosphere, everyone was all the more set on pressing ahead.

Come to think of it, all these people owed their thanks to Ying Ziyu. Without her, they never would have gathered together. It was a little like studying in attendance on a princess — except that this princess's grades were dreadful.

After class Ying Ziyu did not leave the room either. She pulled out a workbook and earnestly asked Chen Xi for help, and Chen Xi explained it all just as earnestly. Seeing this, Wei Zhao began to look at Ying Ziyu with new eyes.

Wei Zhao had assumed Ying Ziyu was merely putting on a show to get through this stretch; he had not expected her to have truly set her heart on studying.

Wei Zhao walked into the classroom, went over to Ying Ziyu, and came to a stop.

"Little Hei, don't you ever get tired of this? Coming to see me every day — your grandaunt has already said she's started studying. You really are a devoted little running dog. Zou Ruoguang is a spineless one too. Are you all that obedient?" Ying Ziyu did not lift her head, but her mouth grumbled in displeasure.

"Heh..." Wei Zhao laughed. "It seems Little Hei really is devoted."

"Ah?" Ying Ziyu started — because the speaker was not Little Hei... it seemed to be Wei Zhao!

"Brother Wei Zhao, you're here!" Chen Xi had heard his voice too. She looked up at him, startled and delighted at once.

"Mm. You're explaining problems to Ying Ziyu?" Wei Zhao glanced at the workbook in Ying Ziyu's hands — a workbook for the first year of junior high, no less. It seemed she was starting from the very beginning. "First-year problems?"

"I... I never studied any of this before!" Ying Ziyu blushed, a little embarrassed. After all, she was already in her last year of junior high and still poring over a first-year workbook — it really was a bit shameful.

"Not bad. You've shown me a little change. A poor foundation can be made up slowly." Wei Zhao nodded in satisfaction.

"It's just that my foundation is too weak, and the high school entrance exam isn't far off. I'm afraid it'll all be wasted effort in the end!" Ying Ziyu pouted, a little discouraged. Her change had been forced on her by that tyrant Wei Zhao, it was true, but after several days of studying beside Chen Xi in the classroom, she was no longer so resistant to it. Learning was better than going out to be a street thug, after all; Ying Ziyu was not stupid, only a bit rebellious in her adolescence.

And besides, the school environment she had once been in had been such that she'd had no mind for study at all. Now that the conditions were right, and with Wei Zhao pushing her, she had half-reluctantly, half-willingly come to love learning.

"As long as you've made the effort, that's enough. You needn't fret over the rest. But if you don't work hard and expect to sit back and reap the rewards, don't blame me for being unkind." Wei Zhao spoke sternly. "I'll arrange for you and Chen Xi to get into First High School — but only this once. If, once you're there, you can't win a scholarship, then you can wait for a beating!"

"..." Ying Ziyu was speechless for a moment. Earlier, hearing Wei Zhao's words, she had breathed a sigh of relief — it seemed she could get into a high school without studying much. But the conditions that followed were far too harsh! She had to win a scholarship? No scholarship, and she'd be beaten? What kind of logic was that?

Even other students' parents wouldn't make such demands, surely? Ying Ziyu did not know what the standard for a scholarship was, but probably only the top few students in a school could win one. That struck her as awfully difficult...

But thinking of Wei Zhao's ways, Ying Ziyu felt a tingling in her backside. This man really might give her a beating!

Chen Xi, though, was delighted. She had not expected to benefit along with Ying Ziyu — to be able to study at First High School, the academy she had dreamed of. She'd had some confidence in herself, but she had also feared she might perform badly; with Wei Zhao's promise, though, there was nothing to worry about.

"Did you hear me?" Seeing Ying Ziyu silent, Wei Zhao asked again.

"I heard! I heard, I heard, I heard!" Ying Ziyu said, puffing with anger. "You're really no good. Why would my brother hand me over to you to manage? You're not gentle at all!"

"What's all this nonsense? Is your backside itching?" Wei Zhao glared at her. "Until your brother comes back, I'm the one keeping you in line!"

And yet, hearing Ying Ziyu mention Pangolin, Wei Zhao felt a tightness in his chest. There was still no word of Pangolin; he did not even know whether the man was still alive in this world... If he told Ying Ziyu that news, who knew what a blow it would be to her?

"Fine, I'll try." Under Wei Zhao's pressure, Ying Ziyu could only say it, unwilling as she was.

"Mm. I'll be leaving for a while — half a year at most, a month at the least. But I'll have your affairs arranged before I go," Wei Zhao said.

"Ah... you're going out on a mission?" Ying Ziyu was taken aback, then reflected that since Wei Zhao and her brother were colleagues, it was only natural that he would go out on missions as often as her brother did.

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