C48
Pang Qiu gave Qi Zheng a disapproving look and said, "He's still underage; he can't drink."
Qi Zheng, catching his wife's eye roll, felt a sense of resignation and poured himself a glass of wine.
"By the way," Qi Zheng inquired nonchalantly after pouring his drink, "how did you fare on your last exam?"
The room fell silent at his question.
Pang Qiu shot Qi Zheng a reproachful glance before placing a generous serving of pork ribs into Qi Ning's bowl. "The score doesn't matter. What's important is that you're happy!"
Qi Zheng immediately regretted his question, knowing well that his son didn't excel academically and that his inquiry was unintentional.
Qi Ning couldn't help but smirk at his parents' reactions.
"Not too shabby," Qi Ning commented, taking a bite of his ribs.
"Well, if it's not too shabby, what rank did you achieve?" Qi Zheng prodded further, instantly feeling a deeper sense of regret.
He hadn't thought through his question at all.
Sensing something amiss, he looked up quickly.
The moment he did, he was met with his wife's glare, which could only be described as fierce.
Qi Ning, observing his mother's expression, felt a comforting warmth in his heart.
"Hold on," Qi Ning said, standing up to retrieve the comprehensive score report from his backpack. He handed it to Qi Zheng. "See for yourself!"
Qi Zheng, out of habit, started looking from the bottom of the list.
He reached the bottom 100 and still hadn't found his son's name, which left him utterly baffled.
With a mix of curiosity and apprehension, he began to read from the top.
After a short while, Qi Zheng couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
Pang Qiu, though she outwardly seemed indifferent to her son's academic performance, was inwardly eager to know.
Hearing her husband's gasp, she quickly asked, "What's the matter? How did our son do this time?"
Qi Zheng, still in a state of shock, passed the score sheet to Pang Qiu.
Pang Qiu instinctively started to look from the bottom up.
"Look from the top down!" Qi Zheng urged her.
With a puzzled nod, Pang Qiu began reading from the top.
"Is this for real?" Pang Qiu also gasped in amazement.
Qi Ning saw the incredulous joy etched on his parents' faces.
"Over 670 points! Son, you might actually get into college!" Qi Zheng said, taking a sip of wine, his demeanor content.
"Yes!" Pang Qiu nodded with elation. "We're truly proud this time."
Qi Ning's academic performance had always been lackluster, leaving Pang Qiu and Qi Zheng feeling humiliated amongst their peers and relatives.
Now, with their son's impressive scores, their spirits were lifted.
"Son, have you suddenly become a genius?" Qi Zheng asked, his curiosity piqued.
Qi Ning grinned and replied, "Something like that."
His parents' joy was contagious, and Qi Ning found himself smiling along with them.
After the meal, Pang Qiu started cleaning up, while Qi Ning retreated to his room to tackle his homework.
The night slipped away.
Come morning, Qi Ning hurried to his classroom.
But the moment he entered, he sensed something was amiss. The room was filled with sympathetic glances directed at him.
"What's going on?" Qi Ning inquired of a classmate nearby.
The classmate glanced around cautiously before whispering, "Luan Teng was here earlier. He said you should meet him on the rooftop."