Never Be As Smart

Chen'an's parents' only wish was to make an honest living and spend their days in peace.

Of course, they had hopes for their son too–such as that he would marry the girl next door. But overall, as long as their son was filial and well-behaved, they were happy.

It just wasn't like him to take the initiative to prepare dinner.

Only Chen'an knew that he was trying to make up for not spending enough time with his parents in his previous life.

***

After dinner, the three of them went about their business. Chen'an's father, Chen Xing, indulged in a drink before logging on to the antique computer in his bedroom to play cards with a few old friends.

Chen'an's mother, Ye Juan, took the account book and calculated their household monthly expenses, wondering if she would be able to keep some of her savings for herself after her husband received his salary.

As for Chen'an, he returned to his room. His parents wouldn't disturb him; they had already made most of the conversation they needed to over the dinner table, asking how his studies and classmates were.

In his previous life, Chen'an had been an immature teenager, easily frustrated with his parents. Now, he answered all their questions patiently, knowing it was one of the few chances they had to communicate with him amidst their busy schedules.

His mother sighed in her heart that her son had finally grown up.

With practiced ease, Chen'an turned on the computer in his room, which was much newer than the one his father was using. In fact, the latter had originally belonged to Chen'an before falling into disuse.

Chen'an did a search for notable events prior to his senior year of high school in his previous life. Just as he had suspected, several of them didn't exist.

It confirmed his theory that this was a parallel world. And that he was not, unfortunately, destined to make a fortune from gambling.

Thankfully, with the system on his side, Chen'an was confident that he could make a name for himself nonetheless.

There was a knock on the door.

"Can I come in, Chen'an?" his mother asked. She always knocked on his door to request permission to enter, after one incident when she had barged into her son's room during his freshman year–during which he had been staring at his laptop as if in a trance–and left him disgruntled.

"Come in," Chen'an said, not looking back.

The door opened and his mother came in with a plate of tangerines.

Seeing that Chen'an was busy staring at his laptop, she said, "I've brought you some tangerines. Call me if you want more."

"It's okay, Mum," he replied, still scrolling through events from the past. "If I want them, I'll get them myself."

He was absorbed in his task when he looked up and found his mother seated beside him on a stool. "Is something wrong?" he asked warily.

His mother smiled, leaning over to whisper conspiratorially, "I spoke to Lingling's mother last night. She said that Lingling is coming home next Wednesday."

Lingling was the only daughter of their neighbor who lived across the street. Chen'an's parents were good friends with the Zhongs; it was even said that Chen'an's grandfather and Lingling's had been war comrades. The two families had only grown closer after becoming neighbors following the resettlement. The deaths of Chen'an and Lingling's respective grandfathers had done little to change this; they had been as close as brothers, and it wasn't uncommon for their families to help each other with their problems, or gather regularly for meals.

Zhang Ling's parents were often busy, so she had all but grown up in Chen'an's house since elementary school. They had even slept in the same bed till his fourth grade, since Zhong Ling had been afraid of the dark and needed to hug Chen'an to soothe her fears.

It was a little amusing, considering he was three years younger than her.

Chen'an's parents had watched Zhong Ling grow up, and had their sights set on her as a prospective match for their son–a match which Zhong Ling's parents shared their support for. If formal betrothals hadn't been a thing of the past, Chen'an had no doubt they would have considered one long ago. That hadn't stopped their fathers from referring to each other as in-laws since Chen'an was in elementary school, though.

His mother's words dredged up memories of Zhong Ling. She hadn't left much of an impression on Chen'an, other than that she was three years older. And bighearted and carefree, if a little temperamental. Rambunctious. Unpredictable. Difficult to read–and restrain. In his previous life, when Chen'an had graduated, she had already been working in a prominent company in a big city for three years.

It didn't mean he was about to accept his parents' wishes. He had grown up with Zhong Ling and been picked on by her–as far as he was concerned, her desirable traits were few and far between. Just like how a younger brother frequently questioned the taste of whichever man was interested in his elder sister.

In Chen'an's eyes, Zhong Ling's flaws far exceeded her strengths–if one didn't count his literal eyes, which had wandered up and down her body and found several treasures worth gazing at before.

But that was all there was to it. Zhong Ling was the equivalent of having your girlfriend appear next to you dressed in lingerie while you were busy playing League of Legends: no matter how attractive she was, you would pay her no more than a glance. That is, if you didn't tell her to get out and stop distracting you.

Zhong Ling had, admittedly, crossed his mind once or twice, but that didn't mean he wanted anything to do with her in real life. His parents had doted on her so much, she could turn his bedroom into a war zone and it would be his fault. Needless to say, he had put up with too much oppressive bullying from her!

Now that he heard that Zhong Ling was coming back next Wednesday, Chen'an began to feel uneasy.

"I'll stay in school next Saturday. I have a mock-test coming up that I need to study for."

His mother calmly picked up a tangerine and split it in half. "Lingling is a top student at a prestigious university. Wouldn't it be better to get some tips from her?"

"No. I want to do my revision papers in school."

"Papers? At this rate, you'll never be smart enough to catch up to Lingling. You might as well see if you can learn any shortcuts from her."

Chen'an resisted the urge to roll his eyes.