Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

Chapter 106 Not from the Same World

Parents have grown up. Happiness +3, Total 27

This system, after learning to express itself subtly, has now learned to be sarcastic and insincere, hasn't it?

Li Changlin was so engrossed in his conversation with Zhou Xiaoyun that he didn't even notice Li Zhao opening the door to go to the bathroom—of course, the main reason was that Li Zhao had left the door slightly ajar from the beginning, so there was no sound when he opened it.

In addition, the washing machine is really loud.

So Li Zhao overheard their conversation while washing his hands in the restroom, and his happiness level gave a response.

However, the system is right; growth doesn't discriminate based on age.

Learning is a lifelong pursuit, not only in terms of knowledge but also in terms of how to be a person.

Their conversation continued, so Li Zhao simply hid in the bathroom to listen.

"Sure, that's what I was going to say anyway," Zhou Xiaoyun said. "Anyway, I don't have any ideas. I'd be anxious to death if I had to think about it. Since I'm not capable, I'll leave it to someone who is."

She paused, then added, "Even if it's a son."

"See, you still look down on him. What do you mean by 'even if'?"

"Oh dear, you know I'm not good with words," Zhou Xiaoyun waved her hand. "Our son said something quite right, that our understanding is limited. I don't know if you agree, but I do."

"—Then I have nothing to say."

Then the two of them suddenly started sighing repeatedly.

After a while, Li Changlin suddenly said something that really touched Li Zhao: "I was suddenly thinking—if our son doesn't suddenly become a genius, given our personalities, will we gradually dump all our expectations and pressure on him?"

"I won't."

I think you can.

"oops----"

Li Changlin grasped Zhou Xiaoyun's hand and patted his knee. "I was just thinking for no reason that if it weren't for the fact that my son has really become a genius, making it difficult for me to communicate with him, or rather—if he didn't say those things to me, like what he just said about not loving him only when he achieves results, I might not have realized my problem."

"Now that you mention it—" Zhou Xiaoyun remembered something, "Do you remember, one day when our son came back, about two or three months ago, when we were still arguing and talking about divorce."

"Oh, I remember now."

"What did he say when he came back? He just said the food wasn't good."

Li Zhao was starting to lose his composure.

Goodness, this is really all Mom remembers?

Is it really that damaging to say she's a bad cook?

Li Changlin couldn't hold back either. "He analyzed it for us, and all the reasons you and I argued disappeared. Then he said that it was wrong for us to transfer our emotions and pressure to him through arguing."

"Oh, right, right, right." Zhou Xiaoyun nodded vigorously. "That's it. I felt something was off about him that day. Why did he suddenly start speaking his mind so directly, and so maturely?"

"Then he had an epiphany," Li Changlin added.

"That's great news!"

"So, I'm saying, if things weren't like this, wouldn't our relationship with him get worse and worse in the future?"

"Is it really that bad?"

Li Changlin said seriously, "I don't think it's worth it. Besides, we only have this one child. If we ruin our relationship, the conflicts will definitely be more intense when it comes time for him to take care of us in our old age."

Zhou Xiaoyun wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words out.

It seems there's no way to deny it.

"At that time, we might end up like those stubborn old folks in TV dramas, causing chaos at home and having irreconcilable differences with our son and daughter-in-law."

"Is it really necessary?"

"You must be the kind of wicked mother-in-law who falls out with her daughter-in-law."

"What are you saying?"

Li Zhao felt a mix of emotions upon hearing this.

Dad has a pretty good sense of self-awareness.

"Anyway—let's reflect on this more," Li Changlin concluded. "Don't think you're so great just because you're a parent."

"—I've never thought of it that way."

"Stubborn to save face."

"Who's being stubborn about saving face? Why don't we let the son come out and settle this?"

"No way—" Li Changlin shook his head repeatedly, "I feel pressured just talking to him now."

"Look at the kind of father you are, I'm not afraid at all."

"I wonder who's so afraid they don't dare to say a word."

"Where's my son?" Only then did Zhou Xiaoyun look into the small room and find the door ajar and no one at the desk.

Just then, Li Zhao came out of the restroom. "Ah, you guys continue, I didn't hear anything."

Li Changlin and Zhou Xiaoyun were not going to sleep well that night.

When Li Zhao arrived at class on Thursday, he didn't feel anything special.

But his classmates thought he was special.

For example, Chen Nian's opening line is, "I feel you look more relaxed than ever before."

"Really? Why?"

"You walk with a confident stride."

"When have I ever lacked confidence?"

"—So you're feeling quite relaxed?"

"It's always been about the same."

Chen Nian collapsed onto the table, groaning, "Heavens above! There's a god sitting next to me who doesn't have to attend class. How am I supposed to concentrate on studying?!"

"The top fifty," Li Zhao said softly.

Chen Nian's fighting spirit was quickly ignited.

As for He Shuyao, she seems to have the fighting spirit of the Olympic flame, which even a downpour cannot extinguish.

Li Zhao felt that her eyes were blazing with fire.

During the entire break between classes, He Shuyao was so engrossed in her own world of concentration that she didn't come over to ask Li Zhao any questions.

Instead, Jiang Qi came to find Li Zhao with her notebook after school.

Li Zhao didn't really like Jiang Qi coming over to ask questions, because she was the most utterly uninteresting of all the outstanding students who actively sought her out.

Not to mention He Shuyao's in-depth thinking methodology, she can't even compare to Chen Nianwen's.

It gives the impression that she actually knows what's going on, but is pretending to be clueless just to join in the fun and ask Li Zhao questions.

However, the questions she asked today were quite good.

The method of note-taking is a question that Li Zhao himself has not systematically studied.

So the two talked for quite a while. He Shuyao had already packed her things, but when she looked back, she opened her textbook again.

"So I think the core point of note-taking is always to record valuable information and to make yourself able to see points that you might overlook at a glance, so as to serve as a way to organize and remind yourself."

Jiang Qi nodded repeatedly.

The class monitor has a tomboyish personality and seems to get along well with everyone. When you get close and whisper to her, her voice becomes soft and sweet, making it easy for people to realize that she is actually a cute girl.

"Don't record things you think you know well; that's a waste of time and you're just fooling yourself."

For some reason, Ma Yingying, who hadn't left the classroom yet, suddenly got goosebumps.

I feel like I've been called out.

She couldn't help but observe the class monitor's reaction, only to see a serious face.

Jiang Qi accepted Li Zhao's proposal without any hesitation.

well----

Squad Leader Ma felt extremely distressed. By now, there was no doubt about Li Zhao's abilities.

But if I were to ask the question myself, wouldn't that be admitting defeat? My pride wouldn't allow it, nor would my position.

Then the only thing to do is study hard and try to get good grades.

There seems to be a strange tacit understanding among the top students in the class.

"Alright, it's almost time to go home." Li Zhao glanced at the clock and realized that five minutes had passed since school ended, so he started packing his bag. "You can digest this first, and ask me any other questions you may have."

"Okay—" Before Jiang Qi could finish speaking, Cai Chao's voice suddenly came from the corner: "Class monitor, Li Zhao is from a different world than us, so stop bothering him."

Oh? The first concrete manifestation of jealousy?

Cai Chao, I thought he had completely given in before, why is he causing trouble again now?

And he said something that didn't seem like something he would say.

"What's it to you?" Jiang Qi retorted directly.

There weren't many people in the class at the moment. Cai Chao's three bad boys were gathered together, Ma Yingying had packed her schoolbag and was ready to leave, along with Li Zhao's three groups, a class monitor named Jiang Qi, and two unknown people who hadn't been seen yet. They left while Li Zhao was observing them.

No wonder he's relatively unknown.

"Of course it's none of my business. Li Zhao is already a student at New Taipei First Senior High School. He's not from our world. If you keep asking, he'll get annoyed later." Cai Chao's tone was very sarcastic.

That's the same sentence again; it seems it's not Cai Chao's own thought.

It must have been someone who humiliated him with those words—most likely his parents.

"Get lost." Jiang Qi glared at him.

"Oh dear, oh dear, you're upset because I mentioned your brother." Cai Chao laughed heartily.

Even Squad Leader Ma stood up to stop them, but Li Zhao spoke first: "Jiang Qi is a good student, and we might cross paths again in the future. But you and I are really from different worlds."

Almost everyone present was stunned.

Unexpectedly, Li Zhao directly echoed Cai Chao's point of view and offered his own interpretation on the spot.

"You think you're so great?" Cai Chao became extremely excited, his expression contorted, and walked straight toward Li Zhao, the other two unable to stop him.

Seeing Cai Chao swaggering over, Chen Nian slammed his hand on the table and stood in front of him, while Ma Yingying turned around and shouted, "What is Cai Chao doing?"

"What's it to you? Li Zhao, you think you're so great?"

Li Zhao turned around, still sitting, and said, "Of course it's amazing."

"What makes you so great?!"

"Being number one in the country is amazing, being specially admitted by New Taipei First Senior High School is amazing, isn't it?"

"So what if you're good at studying?"

Li Zhao laughed, "Being good at studying really is amazing. We are students, and a student's duty is to study. Of course, being good at studying is amazing. I'm amazing, Shuyao is amazing, the class monitor is amazing, the academic representative is amazing, and even Chen Nian is amazing."

Chen Nian proudly raised his head, then felt something was off.

What does "even" mean?

Wow!

"Why should I?" Cai Chao gritted his teeth, sniffed, and his eyes were already red.

"Because we're studying hard. Otherwise, what? Are we supposed to be like you, sleeping in class, not doing our homework, messing around all day, and thinking we're so great?"

Tears welled up in Cai Chao's eyes, and he slammed his fist on the table, yelling, "You're not allowed to say that to me!"

Everyone was a little confused, and Chen Nian frowned as he looked at it.

Is this still the same bad boy leader I remember who could still make faces even when criticized by the teacher?

Li Zhao stood up. "Your parents scolded you, didn't they? They said you're not from my world. Did that upset you?"

Cai Chao was stunned on the spot, gritted his teeth and turned his head away, tears streaming down his face.

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