Before an exam, who dares to guarantee how many points they’ll score? Especially someone like her, who is a poor student?
The exams are tomorrow, and Shen Jianhua asking this now must be his way of reminding her, if she doesn’t do well, there’s no need to continue studying, right?
A cold smirk appeared at the corner of her mouth as she casually replied, "No confidence."
Hearing ’no confidence’, Zhou Lanfang’s eyes instantly flashed with delight. It’s good that she has no confidence, this damn girl. At least she knows her own limits and didn’t dare to boast.
Shen Jianhua sighed in disappointment and said, "Mianmian, do those words you said before still count? If you don’t do well..."
"Dad," Shen Mianmian interrupted him, "rest assured, my word stands. If I don’t do well, I won’t blame you both, I’ll give up schooling voluntarily."
Feeling his intentions exposed by Shen Mianmian, Shen Jianhua felt somewhat guilty and shifted to lecturing her, "If you truly want to study, you must study hard, pay attention in class, and not be so playful. Siyu may be younger than you, but in some respects, you really should learn from her."
He consoled himself internally: Not letting Shen Mianmian study wouldn’t really be his fault.
If Shen Mianmian were obedient and performed well, he would of course be happy and wouldn’t feel troubled. But with Shen Mianmian performing , he feared the money would all be wasted.
Nevertheless, even if Shen Mianmian did poorly and stopped schooling, he had no plans to give up on her.
After a couple of years, once Shen Mianmian was grown up, he would find her a suitor to marry into the family, and Zhou Siyu could continue with college. Wouldn’t this be perfect for both?
"Should I learn to tattle, or learn how to ingratiate myself with you?" ’The squeaky wheel gets the grease,’ as the saying goes, is absolutely correct.
Sweet-mouthed, coquettish, and ready to tattle – such children really do get favored by their parents.
"Sis, did I do something wrong to make you angry?" Zhou Siyu looked at Shen Mianmian with a wronged expression, the epitome of innocence. If Shen Mianmian were a parent or a bystander, she might have been fooled by Zhou Siyu’s act as well.
It’s no wonder Gu Jianbin will spoil Zhou Siyu for a lifetime.
"What has Siyu done to upset you?" Zhou Lanfang exploded instantly, "Let me tell you, don’t even think about bullying Siyu, or I won’t let you off."
"Why say that?" Shen Jianhua glared at Zhou Lanfang, feeling that she had gone too far. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵
But seeing Zhou Siyu’s aggrieved look, he too felt pity, "Mianmian, Siyu didn’t tattle. Don’t overthink it. I just want you to study hard – I was just speaking casually."
He hadn’t directly blamed Shen Mianmian before because he was afraid that if she knew Zhou Siyu had tattled, she might hold a grudge against Zhou Siyu. The two sisters shared a room, and if they got angry and started fighting, he wouldn’t know whom to scold.
Shen Mianmian laughed slightly, "She doesn’t need to tattle. I just utter a single word, and she acts as if she has suffered a great injustice, and you and mom start to defend her."
This was where Zhou Siyu excelled. She didn’t need to seek judgement from others or cry and make a fuss to have the adults all on her side.
Shen Jianhua was left speechless, and on reflection, things seemed exactly as Shen Mianmian had described. He didn’t understand why he suddenly felt such pity for Zhou Siyu and instinctively wanted to protect her.
Was he really too biased?
He realized it wasn’t just Zhou Lanfang’s fault that Shen Mianmian had turned out ; he needed to reflect as well.
He felt the need to talk to Shen Mianmian about why he didn’t want her to continue her education.
After some thought, he said earnestly, "It’s not that I don’t want you to study. It’s just that even if you keep studying, you won’t be able to get into college. Spending those extra two or three years studying is pointless."