I Became the Eye Candy: Four Bigshots Claimed to be My Dad?-Chapter 65: Ye Qianning Prepares for School
"You should have seen it. The moment he walked through the door, he knelt before our General and started bawling his eyes out. For a man to be so useless and still have the nerve to come back... If I were the General, I would’ve kicked him out long ago." Sansan’s lips twitched in disgust.
"With the Old Madam around, who would dare kick him out?" Huaihua said.
Sansan tsked. "True. With the Old Madam spoiling him like that, it’s bound to cause trouble sooner or later. Just you wait and see."
"As long as he doesn’t drag our General down, he can do whatever he wants. But if he does, I don’t care if the Old Madam is protecting him—even if the heavens themselves were, I’d still tear him to shreds," Huaihua said venomously.
"Tsk, you never know. Lou Mountain Academy is starting its term, isn’t it? The Second Master is raising a fuss, insisting that Young Master Si Yan and Miss Zhenzhu attend."
"Putting Zhenzhu aside, that idiot Si Yan thinks he can get into Lou Mountain Academy? He might as well try to fly to the moon!" Huaihua paused, a melon seed halfway to her mouth, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Is Lou Mountain Academy that hard to get into?" Ye Qianning suddenly asked.
"Tough. To get into Lou Mountain Academy, you have to pass three interviews and nine exams. If you don’t pass, you can’t get in, even if you’re a prince or a princess," Sansan explained.
"I want to try."
"..."
"What? Pangtuan, you want to go to Lou Mountain Academy too?" Huaihua asked in surprise.
"Mhm." Ye Qianning nodded.
’Since she’d guessed that Sang Zhi was the reason her personal space was full, she had to go keep an eye on him. As long as she cleared away all the obstacles in that little guy’s path, how could she fail to accumulate more blessing points?’
"If you want to go, then we’ll go and try tomorrow. Oh, right, your Auntie Peony is distantly related to one of the academy’s teachers. We’ll have her go and give him a little gift later." Sansan thought the little one was indeed old enough for school.
"I thought you said you couldn’t pull strings?" Ye Qianning asked.
"This isn’t pulling strings. It’s just having Peony pay a visit to a relative. Pangtuan, you’re so smart, your Auntie is sure you’ll pass the exams," Huaihua said, pinching the girl’s little cheek.
"...Mhm. In that case, I’ll go ask Father." Ye Qianning stood up.
No sooner had Ye Qianning left than the "aunties" gathered together. Although none of them were from the Capital City, they all had a few relatives or acquaintances here and there.
They began scheming about how to pull some strings for the little girl, maybe offer a bribe, lest the child fail the exam and have her pride wounded.
A child’s pride, once crushed, is a difficult thing to mend.
「In the front hall.」
Xiang Mingli, Mrs. Wang, and their son and daughter were still kneeling. The Old Madam Xiang also wore a troubled expression. Her grandson was adamant about attending Lou Mountain Academy, and her younger son was crying incessantly. She wanted to help, but she didn’t dare speak too harshly in front of her elder son.
"Mother, many of Si Yan’s classmates from his old academy have transferred to Lou Mountain Academy this year. If Si Yan can’t get in, he’ll be a laughingstock!" Xiang Mingli blubbered, tears and snot running down his face.
Mrs. Wang sat on the floor, holding Xiang Zhenzhu and sobbing as if her heart would break.
Xiang Siyan knelt alongside them, a look of indignation on his face.
Xiang Minghou sat at the head of the hall, his face livid, not saying a word.
"Big Brother, Si Yan is the only male heir of his generation in our family. If we don’t cultivate his talents properly, how will he be able to support this great family in the future?" Spotting the Old Madam giving him a meaningful glance, Xiang Mingli immediately directed his pleas to Xiang Minghou.
"Big Brother," Mrs. Wang chimed in.
"If his character is corrupt, attending Lou Mountain Academy won’t make a difference." Xiang Minghou had always despised soft, effeminate boys.
"Big Brother, how can you say that about Si Yan? He’s your own nephew!" Xiang Mingli said, displeased.
"Nephew or not, let’s talk facts. With Si Yan’s academic record, forget Lou Mountain Academy—we should thank our lucky stars if *any* academy agrees to take him," Xiang Minghou scoffed.
