The fake heiress loves to act? The max-level boss isn't interested in playing along.

Fu Youchuan paused for a moment, then finally nodded slightly.

Fu Chaochao burst into laughter through her tears, gave a few more words of advice on walking together after school, and then turned back to the classroom.

Fu Youchuan stood there, looking at the soda in his hand.

Water droplets condensed on the bottle, and it was icy cold.

On the other side of the court, Zhao Meng finally succeeded in making a crossover dribble past his opponent.

She shouted excitedly, "I learned it! Fu Hua is amazing!"

Fu Youchuan tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of soda.

The bubbles made his eyes sting.

Some things seem to have really changed.

He hadn't figured out how to face it yet.

Wednesday morning, Principal Gao's office

The room was filled with a faint aroma of tea and the smell of paper.

Fu Hua and Lin Bei entered the room one after the other.

There were already seven or eight students standing in the office; they were all familiar faces.

Those people turned around at the sound and nodded slightly to them.

Fu Hua and Lin Bei stood by the window.

Besides the two of them who are in their second year of high school, there is another girl who is also in her second year of high school.

The top student in Class A is named Li Jing.

She wore glasses and was quiet and reserved.

Surprisingly, Fu Youchuan was also there in the senior year.

He stood by the bookshelf, and when he saw Fu Hua come in, his eyes flickered with a complex expression.

Fu Hua was a little surprised.

She had never paid attention to Fu Youchuan, always assuming he was just a physically strong athlete.

I never expected my grades would rank among the top three in the grade.

Fu Youchuan was even more surprised, as in the past, transfer students were never allowed to participate in competitions.

Fu Hua is actually qualified to participate in the math competition selection?

It seems she really is a hot commodity in the eyes of the university principal.

Principal Gao cleared his throat, signaling everyone to be quiet: "Everyone's here. Your homeroom teachers should have reminded you all."

I called you all here today for the National High School Mathematics League next month.

His gaze swept over everyone present: "Originally, each school could only submit five applications, but Minghua is a key school, so we managed to secure four more spots."

He paused, his tone serious, "After the league ends, there will be first, second, and third prizes. Only the top ten in the first prize will be eligible to enter the winter camp."

"If you get into the winter camp, the gold medalist gets a direct admission guarantee—Tsinghua University or Peking University, you can choose any of them."

A soft gasp was heard in the office.

Admission without examination.

These two words are incredibly tempting for students in their second and third years of high school.

Fu Youchuan clenched his fist.

This is his last chance.

If you can't make it to the provincial team through basketball, then you have to get into a good university.

Math competitions were his backup plan.

The others also seemed determined to win.

Next, Principal Gao explained in detail the registration period and competition process.

Finally, he waved his hand and said, "Go back and prepare well. Remember, you represent the honor of the school."

The students left one after another.

Just as Fu Hua was about to turn around, Principal Gao called out to her, "Fu Hua, stay for a moment."

Only after everyone else had left did Principal Gao finally smile.

He took a document out of the drawer: "Professor Yan called me yesterday. He said your performance at the research station is good enough for direct admission to the Department of Mathematics at Peking University."

He pushed the documents over.

"So you don't need to feel pressured in this competition. Just play normally and gain experience."

Fu Hua took the document; it was a preliminary offer of admission to the Department of Mathematics at Peking University.

She calmly expressed her gratitude: "Thank you, Principal."

"It's because you're determined to succeed."

Principal Gao exclaimed, "In my more than 30 years of teaching, I have never seen such an all-around talented student as you."

He can play basketball at a provincial team level, and he can get a special appointment in the military for scientific research.

Principal Gao was very confident about Fu Hua in this competition.

If even one student could make it into the training team and win a gold medal.

That person must be Fu Hua.

Principal Gao blew on his teacup and chuckled, "Sometimes I wonder if you were sent by aliens."

Fu Hua smiled; Principal Gao was indeed humorous.

As she walked out of the office, she saw Fu Youchuan still standing at the corner of the corridor.

Seeing her come out, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

In the end, he just gave her one last deep look, then turned and left.

In that look, there was resentment and frustration.

There was also something... something Fu Hua couldn't quite put her finger on.

Back in the classroom, Class 6 erupted in chaos again.

"Huahua! Are you sure you really want to participate in the math competition?!"

Zhang Wen was the first to rush forward, her eyes shining brightly.

Chen Zhe squeezed in, saying, "I heard that winning a gold medal at winter camp guarantees a place in university. Fu Hua, you'll definitely succeed!"

Zhao Meng scratched his head: "Math competition... just thinking about it makes playing ball harder. I really want to get a guaranteed admission to university."

Surrounded by them, Fu Hua looked somewhat helpless: "It's just a selection process. Even if I win an award, there are still winter camps, training camps, and layers of selections to come. I might not be able to win an award."

"Definitely!"

Zhang Wen said firmly, "You've scored 750 before, a perfect score! I believe in you."

Fu Hua...

Sometimes, being trusted unconditionally can be quite a burden.

The classroom was noisy, filled with congratulations and envious voices.

No one noticed that outside the glass window at the back of the classroom,

Fu Chaochao stood quietly for a while, then left without a sound.

She walked very slowly, her nails digging deep into her palms.

On what grounds?

Why does Fu Hua have everything?

Good grades, good at piano, and great at sports.

Do we still need to participate in the league?

And what about her?

After practicing piano for over a decade, he was ultimately criticized by Steinberg in public for "lacking warmth."

Efforts to maintain the image of the Fu family's daughter

But when people in the compound mentioned the Fu family's daughter,

The first person that came to mind was Fu Hua.

They weren't even qualified to participate in the math competition.

Even my second brother...

Her second brother, who loved her the most

Lately, he's stopped going against Fu Hua and even says nice things about her from time to time.

No.

She couldn't just give up like that.

Fu Chaochao returned to her class and couldn't concentrate on any of the afternoon's lessons.

The teacher was explaining function graphs on the podium.

But she had only one thought in her mind—to ruin Fu Hua.

Yes, she's determined to ruin Fu Hua.

Everything will go back to the way it was before.

As soon as the school bell rang, Fu Chaochao was the first to rush out of the classroom.

She didn't wait for Fu Youchuan; she went home alone and rushed into her bedroom.

I took all my pocket money and the new clothes from the closet, put them in a bag, and rushed down the stairs again.

They happened to run into Su Yurou, who was coming home from get off work.

"Chaochao, why are you up so early today? Where's your second brother?"

Fu Chaochao slung her things over her back, her eyes darting around, "My second brother was playing ball, and I... I wasn't feeling well, so I came back first."

"uncomfortable?"

Su Yurou quickly put down her bag and pulled her to the sofa: "Where do you feel unwell? Tell Mom, and maybe we can go to the hospital to get it checked out?"

"Mom, I'm fine now. My stomach was upset earlier, but after eating something, I feel much better."

Fu Chaochao looked towards the door: "Mom, I'm meeting up with a classmate at the library, I'm leaving now."

She quickly walked towards the door.

Su Yurou called out loudly from behind, "Be careful, don't stay out too late."

"I see."

Fu Chaochao left the compound and took several buses instead.

We arrived at the residential compound of the textile factory in the west of the city.

This is Zhou Rong's home.

She didn't dare go in directly to find the person, so she could only try her luck at the door.

Fortunately, after a short while, Zhou Rong was seen pushing his bicycle over from a distance.