C6 I Have to Study Hard(2)

The walls had yellowed with age, some sections covered in newspaper. Near the wall stood a green wardrobe, seemingly as old as Zhou Wen himself.

On the dining table were two dishes: Zhou Wen's favorites, braised chicken and cumin sweet potato shreds.

A middle-aged man was dozing on the sofa, leaning back with his eyes closed.

At the sound of the door opening, the man's eyes flickered open.

"Wen, back from studying, huh? You must be starving. Your mom saved some dinner for you."

He rose quickly and headed to the dining table. Eyeing the dishes, he remarked, "Your mom must've been sidetracked again; the food's gone cold. I'll warm it up for you."

The clock on the wall showed it was already eleven.

This man was Zhou Wen's father, Zhou Guangrui, who had been waiting on the sofa for his return until this very moment.

Zhou Wen felt a twinge of emotion watching his father bustle about.

The bedroom door swung open, and Zhou Wen's mother, Xu Hui, emerged. She appeared somewhat aged and frail.

"Enough, you'll just make a mess. Let me handle it," Xu Hui chided, gently pushing Zhou Guangrui aside as she busied herself in the kitchen.

Soon, the dishes were steaming again.

Zhou Guangrui served up a bowl of rice from the cooker and placed it on the table.

Zhou Wen was indeed hungry, having skipped lunch to go to school.

He devoured his meal while Zhou Guangrui and Xu Hui looked on in silence.

"The college entrance exams are coming up, Wen. You've been working so hard. Just let us know what you'd like to eat, and we'll make it for you," Zhou Guangrui said gently.

"As if you're the one cooking," Xu Hui interjected with a hint of irritation.

"Oh, come on, I'm just looking out for our son."

The meal was quickly polished off. Zhou Wen, initially intending to retreat to his room, remembered Yang Ke's expression from earlier and instead began to clear the dishes, heading towards the kitchen.

"Look at our son, so thoughtful, taking his own dishes to the kitchen," Zhou Guangrui said, beaming with pride.

"Wen, leave it be; I'll do the washing," Xu Hui said as she followed him inside.

Zhou Wen left the kitchen without uttering a single word the entire time.

Back in his bedroom, Zhou Wen sat on his bed, gazing at the wall in front of him, adorned with over a dozen yellow certificates.

"Zhou Wen has demonstrated outstanding performance in the first semester of first grade and is hereby recognized as an exemplary student. This certificate is presented as encouragement."

"Zhou Wen has achieved excellent results in the end-of-year exams of second grade and is awarded the title of 'Model Student'. This certificate is presented as encouragement."

...

Memories flickered through Zhou Wen's mind.

"What? I'm not your real child?"

"Where did my parents go?"

"So even my own parents don't want me. I'm a child nobody wants!"

"Wen, it's not that your parents don't want you. Please, don't be upset," Zhou Guangrui and Xu Hui said, their faces etched with sorrow.

"You're not my parents! Leave me alone! I'm done with studying!" Zhou Wen hurled his backpack to the ground and stormed out.

This had happened at the start of his freshman year in high school.

By chance, he had discovered that Zhou Guangrui and Xu Hui were not his biological parents but his foster parents.

His real parents were missing, and from that moment on, Zhou Wen had spiraled downward.

He spent his days engrossed in online gaming and loafing around, never bothering to study.

Whenever Zhou Guangrui and Xu Hui tried to intervene, Zhou Wen would retort that they weren't his parents and had no authority over him.

As the outside world settled into silence, Zhou Wen's thoughts drifted away from those painful memories. He rose to use the bathroom.

Passing by his parents' bedroom, he overheard a heated discussion.

"You need to get treatment for your illness!" Xu Hui's voice was insistent.

"This old ailment of mine can wait a few more years. Treating it will cost a fortune, and our son is about to face his college entrance exams. That's going to be another large expense. Where are we going to find that kind of money?" Zhou Guangrui spoke with a heavy heart.

"You just keep dragging out this illness. Zhou Xue is already in her freshman year of high school. In a few years, she'll be taking the college entrance exams, and you still refuse to seek treatment," Xu Hui said with a hint of reproach in her voice.

Zhou Xue was Zhou Wen's sister, the biological daughter of Zhou Guangrui.

"We simply don't have the money. The factory hasn't been doing well these past few years. I've heard the government is cracking down on pollution, and I'm worried the factory might shut down soon. I need to earn whatever I can now, or else I won't even have the startup funds to open a stall later on."

From within, two long sighs could be heard, leaving Zhou Wen somewhat dazed.

He had never paid much attention to his family's circumstances and was taken aback to learn that Zhou Guangrui was sick. What illness could it be?

Through a slightly ajar bedroom door, Zhou Wen caught sight of a young girl with a ponytail, diligently studying at her desk. That was his sister, Zhou Xue.

Zhou Wen had always treated Zhou Xue well. She attended the Second Affiliated High School of Anewood and her academic performance far surpassed his own. And there she was, still studying late into the night.

A pang of sadness washed over Zhou Wen.

Back in his own bedroom, he sat at his desk, the dim light of the lamp casting a soft glow as he sank into contemplation.

This time, Zhou Wen thought long and hard.

The situation with Yang Ke had deeply affected him. He had urged Yang Ke not to give up on education, but what about himself?

Now, his foster father, Zhou Guangrui, was sick, and he had no plans to seek treatment so that Zhou Wen could attend university. The guilt weighed heavily on him.

Indeed, he was a child nobody had wanted, but without the Zhou family, he might have died of hunger or ended up on the streets. They had done nothing wrong, raising him all these years without expecting anything in return. Why then, had he taken his frustrations out on them?

Zhou Wen realized he had been quite the scoundrel over the years.

Thankfully, there was still time to make amends.

So, for the sake of this family! To not disappoint his foster parents!

Zhou Wen resolved that starting today, he would buckle down and study earnestly to ensure his admission into a top-tier university.

True to his word, Zhou Wen immediately opened his math workbook and began solving problems.

As a senior in high school, he had already mastered the required knowledge; what he needed now was extensive practice.

Today, Zhou Wen's thoughts were unusually sharp, and he found himself understanding even the more complex problems.

After finishing ten multiple-choice questions, he was astonished to find he had gotten seven correct.

Previously, he would have been lucky to get two right.

His math teacher had joked that if he threw his answer sheet on the floor and stepped on it, he'd probably hit more correct answers than he could on his own.

Zhou Wen couldn't believe it. He tackled another set of ten multiple-choice questions.

This time, he got eight right.

It seemed he had indeed become smarter.

Zhou Wen acknowledged this change.

Recalling how his strength had also increased during a fight earlier that day, he had an epiphany.

"The boost from my underwear is real!"

"+10 Strength, making me stronger; +10 Intelligence, making me smarter!"

Zhou Wen was overwhelmed with shock and newfound confidence.

With this underwear, studying suddenly seemed much easier.

With several months left until the college entrance exams, Zhou Wen felt that with diligent study, getting into a prestigious university was well within reach.

His heart swelled with excitement at the prospect.