Flora Huang kept chattering on, until Evan Lin finally cut her off, saying they should head back early. Only then did she stop, still insisting Evan should come hang out with Ivy Deng sometime.
Watching Evan Lin and Joy Zheng walk out of the complex together, Flora turned and went upstairs.
She pushed open the door. Inside the living room, Ivy Deng was sprawled on the couch in shorts, munching an apple and clutching her iPad, totally absorbed in a game.
"Hey, why didn’t you say a few more words just now? He’s your Aunt Zheng’s kid, after all." Flora glanced at Ivy, walked over, and gave her a look as Ivy stayed glued to her game.
Her words sounded like a scolding for Ivy’s lack of manners, but her tone was actually pretty gentle.
"Ugh, what’s there to say? I barely know him," Ivy replied offhandedly.
"You kid." Flora shot her a look, sat down on the sofa next to Ivy, and asked, "How’d you do on your finals this time?"
"Same as always, probably top fifty in the whole school. Math was kinda weak, but my English score should be pretty high."
Ivy answered without much interest.
"You kid." Flora smiled when she heard that. "Honestly, your Aunt Zheng’s had a tough life. Raising a kid all alone is hard enough, but that Evan Lin, he’s just hopeless."
"With grades like his, he was only qualified for Whitewood No. 2 High. His mom busted her back to get him into Brightsea No. 2, hoping he’d study hard. But every time I asked your Aunt Zheng about Evan’s grades, she’d dodge the question. I bet his grades are just awful."
"Don’t hang out with kids like that, okay? I’m worried he’ll drag you down, and then your grades will suffer too."
Flora looked at Ivy with a serious, almost alarmed expression.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I already said—I barely know him. Why would I ever hang out with him? You worry too much." Ivy rolled her eyes.
"Well, that’s true. Oh, by the way, I heard County Magistrate Ma’s son, Max Ma, has been getting pretty close to you lately?" Flora watched Ivy closely as she asked.
Ivy’s fingers paused on her game, then she tried to act cool: "No way. He’s got great grades and he’s the star forward on the school basketball team. Tons of girls at No. 1 High have their eyes on him—why would he notice me?"
"Don’t say that! Our Ivy’s amazing. As long as Max Ma isn’t blind, he’ll definitely notice you." Flora grinned.
She’d only heard some rumors—stuff Ivy’s dad, Victor Deng, picked up when he had dinner with county officials last time.
Just as mother and daughter were chatting, the study door opened. Victor Deng stepped out, wearing a jacket and holding a cup of hot tea, looking serious. He nodded, "I’ve heard some things from Magistrate Ma too. Ivy, your mom and I don’t mind you dating, but don’t let it mess with your studies."
"Max Ma’s a pretty good kid. He got into Whitewood No. 1 High on his own merit, and he’s always been a top student."
Victor Deng wasn’t tall—maybe 1.7 meters—but he’d been the bureau chief for years and was pretty well-known in Whitewood County.
"Dad!"
Hearing her parents talk, Ivy’s cheeks turned a little red. She grabbed her iPad and scrambled up from the sofa. "I’m done talking to you guys, I’m going to my room!"
With that, Ivy stomped off to her room.
"This kid," Victor said, cracking a rare smile. Then he turned to Flora, his expression growing serious. "A few students from No. 1 and No. 2 High went to River City for the provincial Math Olympiad. The results aren’t out yet, and someone even got hurt—there was an accident. It’s really not a good look."
"You’re still worrying about that? Didn’t they say there’s a student—Martin Ma—from No. 1 High, who might actually win something?" Flora frowned.
A provincial Math Olympiad like this meant a lot to Whitewood County.
Whitewood wasn’t a rich county, and education funding was always tight. If they could win even third prize at the provincial Math Olympiad, it’d be a real honor for No. 1 High and the Education Bureau, and they could apply for more funding.
Every year, Whitewood County sent students to compete, but they always came back empty-handed. It drove Victor nuts, but there was nothing he could do.
"You know how it is. They call it a provincial Math Olympiad, but really it’s just the top students from River City, Brightsea, and Leyang duking it out. Whitewood County barely stands a chance."
"But if we really do win something this time, the bureau’s planning to treat all the teachers from No. 1 and No. 2 High to a big dinner to celebrate."
Victor looked thoughtful.
......
"Xiao Yi, how’s school going? I heard from Aunt Lu you didn’t even take your finals? That’s not okay."
Walking along, the lights in the apartment buildings beside Whitewood Gardens shone brightly.
These buildings were a bit old, but compared to Evan’s tiny house, they were still mansions.
Joy Zheng pushed her bike, tilted her head, and reached out to ruffle Evan’s hair, looking helpless. "When will you ever let Mom stop worrying? When you called and said you were going out, I thought you’d just be gone a few days. If I’d known you were skipping finals, I never would’ve let you go!"
"Aw, Mom, it’s just a final exam, no big deal," Evan said, trying to play it cool.
Right after he said that, Evan felt a twinge of regret.
He could clearly see the disappointment in Joy’s eyes, even though she tried hard to hide it—Evan caught it instantly.
In that moment, Evan knew he’d let his mom down again.
Truth was, Evan had planned to ace his finals just to make Joy happy, but then he got pulled off to Leyang unexpectedly.
"Sigh, kids grow up and moms can’t even scold them anymore. When you were little, if you misbehaved I’d just take away your candy. Now you don’t even like sweets."