Chapter 84: Chapter 77: Children Without an Umbrella Can Only Run Forward

School’s out at noon.

Shen Qiushan went to the cafeteria to buy lunch himself.

He told Shen Yixiao and Shen Yanran to go to Lin Xiamo’s office first.

The siblings met in the hallway, both looking utterly defeated.

Five days a week, they had to attend English tutoring on three afternoons, and now even their lunch break was being used!

Even though it’s the critical stage before the college entrance exam, this intensity was still a bit much for the siblings.

“Shen Yixiao, do you know which teacher is giving us extra lessons?”

After they met, Shen Yanran asked with a bitter face.

“No idea.”

“Dad didn’t say either!”

Shen Yixiao shook his head and then lowered his voice: “Remember the message I sent you this morning?”

“Shen Yixiao, you’re so boring.”

“It’s just the scent, isn’t it!”

“That doesn’t prove Dad is dating. Besides, he’s so busy!”

Shen Yanran dismissed the idea with a pout.

“What if Dad’s girlfriend is also at the school?”

“Then they have time!”

“Uh?”

Hearing this, Shen Yanran finally showed some interest: “Are you saying Dad’s girlfriend is here at the school?”

“Who?”

“Could it be a teacher?”

Shen Yixiao smirked: “I’ve already found evidence.”

“Want to know? One can of Red Bull.”

“Che!”

“Dream on!”

Shen Yanran rolled her eyes and sped up her pace.

“Or Sprite works too.”

Shen Yixiao caught up and said.

“Tell me first.”

“I need to judge if you’re telling the truth!”

Shen Yanran was certainly curious; their dad’s love life was a big deal.

It’s just that she didn’t quite trust Shen Yixiao.

“Alright.”

“After all, this matter is closely related to both of us.”

Shen Yixiao looked around, making sure there was a safe distance from other students, then lowered his voice: “I suspect Dad is dating Teacher Chen!”

“Ah?”

“Teacher Chen??”

Shen Yanran’s eyes suddenly widened, her youthful face full of disbelief: “Shen Yixiao, stop talking nonsense. That’s impossible!”

“Listen to the detective’s analysis!”

“Didn’t I say I smelled the scent on Dad? I found the same scent on Teacher Chen.”

“If that’s a coincidence, remember I told you there were men’s slippers at Teacher Chen’s bathroom door?”

“Those slippers are about the same size as the ones I wear, meaning the man is likely not short, maybe about my height.”

“Besides, do you really think Teacher Chen is tutoring us just for money?”

“Now, at this crucial stage before the college exams, if Teacher Chen truly wanted to earn more money, she’d open a bigger class for a dozen students!”

“But she’s giving us private lessons. Does that make sense?”

“Don’t forget, Dad and Teacher Chen were supposedly high school classmates.”

“In conclusion, the possibility of them secretly dating is really high!”

“Probably, Dad stayed at Teacher Chen’s last night!”

After the analysis, Shen Yixiao shrugged smugly: “So, a Sprite is totally worth it, right?”

Shen Yanran didn’t refute; in fact, when Dad previously took her and Shen Yixiao to Chen Xiangyu’s house for English tutoring,

Shen Yanran was quite surprised, since in-service teachers are usually very cautious with tutoring, and they wouldn’t use afternoon school time.

With Shen Yixiao’s explanation, it all made sense now.

Teacher Chen’s special attention to the siblings was all for the sake of their dad.

Of course, she might also want to build good relationships with the siblings; because if she ends up with their dad, she’d be their stepmom.

“If it’s really like you said, it’s actually quite nice. I feel Teacher Chen is pretty good.”

Shen Yanran had a positive impression of Chen Xiangyu. She was approachable and knowledgeable, unlike their class teacher Zhang Xia, who was very strict.

“I also think Teacher Chen is nice, just a bit surprising that she’s interested in Dad. Compared to her, Dad’s situation isn’t as good, and he has us two as burdens…”

“It’s just one burden!”

Shen Yanran corrected.

“Wow, you really know yourself!” Shen Yixiao retorted.

“Shut up, it’s you!”

“I’m much less of a hassle than you!”

Shen Yanran let out a light snort: “Every time Dad gets called to school, it’s because of you, isn’t it!”

The siblings argued as they walked, quickly entering bickering mode.

They were used to this; if they didn’t argue a bit, it wouldn’t be their style.

Entering the office building, the two quickly reached the third floor where the vice principal’s office was located.

“Hey, isn’t that Xu Pipa?”

A distance from the vice principal’s office, the siblings spotted the mushroom-headed Xu Pipa lingering at the office door.

She was still wearing her loose, oversized school uniform, with a pair of yellowing white sneakers on her feet.

She raised her hand twice outside the vice principal’s office door, but she didn’t have the courage to knock.

Although Shen Qiushan had mentioned that the tutoring location was the vice principal’s office, Xu Pipa felt somewhat timid upon arriving.

Children who grow up without parental protection often develop one of two extreme personalities.

One is introverted and self-conscious, the other is unruly and fearless.

Xu Pipa clearly belonged to the former.

Shen Yanran was acquainted with Xu Pipa, though not very well.

They had a mutual friend, Zhao Dongmei.

So they would occasionally chat when they met.

“Pipa, what are you doing?”

Walking up to the office door, Shen Yanran asked curiously.

“Oh, you’re here.”

Seeing the two of them, Xu Pipa felt a sense of relief.

The presence of three people meant she wouldn’t have to face the aloof Vice Principal Lin by herself.

“Did you know we were coming?”

Shen Yanran looked suspicious.

“Uncle Shen asked me to explain the lessons to you!”

Xu Pipa thought Shen Qiushan had already informed them.

“What?”

“So you’re our teacher!”

Both Shen Yanran and Shen Yixiao were a bit surprised, as they had assumed a teacher would be tutoring them.

Unexpectedly, it was student Xu Pipa.

However, neither of them doubted Xu Pipa’s abilities at all.

She was the perpetual second in her grade, a Qingbei prospect.

In this mock exam, she scored 699 points.

Last year, Qingbei’s admission thresholds in physics for Sanjiang Province were 690 and 692 points, respectively.

Hence, Xu Pipa was very likely to make it to Qingbei.

While the three were talking, the office door was suddenly opened.

Lin Xiamo had heard voices outside and took the initiative to open the door.

“Hello, Principal Lin.”

Xu Pipa hurriedly greeted with respect.

To her surprise, both Shen Yanran and Shen Yixiao called out “Second Aunt.”

Lin Xiamo gently frowned: “It’s alright when there’s no one around, but avoid suspicion when there is!”

“Yes, Second Aunt!”

Shen Yanran responded with a grin, then intimately hooked her arm around Lin Xiamo’s: “Second Aunt, you don’t look old at all, you look like you’re in your early twenties, and the single male teachers at our school are all foolish over you…”

Though aloof, Lin Xiamo found such compliments always effective for any woman. She teasingly pinched her niece’s waist and joked: “You’re just like your dad, sweet-talking.”

“I’m just stating the facts!”

“Second Aunt, I can vouch for this. Our coach always stares at you whenever he sees you.”

Shen Yixiao chimed in, knowing that all the athletes were aware of sports teacher Yang Wei’s crush on Second Aunt Lin Xiamo.

The three of them chatted happily, while Xu Pipa quietly closed the door, envying the bond and atmosphere of family interaction.

Because she had never had it!

Yesterday noon at the cafeteria, Shen Qiushan guessed her background.

Her name indeed came from Gui Youguang’s “Xiang Jixuan’s Record.”

Her father had chosen this name because her mother passed away shortly after her birth.

Therefore, “In the courtyard, a loquat tree planted by my wife in the year of her death” perfectly matched this background.

The subsequent phrase, “Now it stands tall and canopy-like,” was her father’s expectation for her to grow strong.

Xu Pipa’s father was a poet and writer.

In his youth, he was extraordinarily talented, but after the accidental death of Xu Pipa’s mother, he fell to pieces, perhaps too traumatized, eventually going insane.

He is now confined in Sanjiang City’s Second Psychiatric Hospital.

Thus, Xu Pipa was raised by her grandparents since childhood.

When her grandmother was alive, Xu Pipa lived fairly well, despite the family’s poverty, having enough to eat and drink, with her grandmother caring for her.

However, in her third year of middle school, her grandmother also passed away due to illness.

Xu Pipa’s world instantly crumbled.

Only she and her grandfather were left to depend on each other, and her grandfather was unreliable, addicted to lottery and gambling.

When her grandmother was alive, he was somewhat restrained with someone to manage him.

After her grandmother’s death, Xu Pipa’s grandfather completely let go, gambling away any money he earned.

Xu Pipa unwillingly lived a life where her meals were uncertain.

She would have food only when her grandfather won money, but more often she went hungry!

A gambler ends with nothing!

Winning is impossible!

Xu Pipa knew that her future path could only depend on herself.

Even when she received a 2,000-yuan scholarship, she hardly dared to spend it.

With enough money, she could apply to the university she wished to attend.

Otherwise, she could only go to universities that offered her scholarships and waived tuition.

But given her current grades, universities offering her scholarships and waiving tuition were unlikely to be top-tier.

Therefore, she cherished this tutoring opportunity immensely.

According to her agreement with Shen Qiushan, if this tutoring continued until the college entrance exam, she would earn around 6,000 yuan.

Saving up for tuition gave her the confidence to apply to her dream university.

Children without someone to hold an umbrella for them can only strive forward on their own!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep