"That’s not it, Grandma."

Shanshan looked up.

"The stuff they’re teaching now is too easy. I already know all of it."

She completely ignored her fourth brother’s frantic state, simply stating her thoughts.

"Oh, my! I knew my Shanshan wouldn’t fall behind!"

As soon as Grandma heard this, she was overjoyed.

"Come, come! Grandma will immediately hire the best tutors in the city for you! For math, we’ll get a master teacher from a top provincial school. For English, we need a Ph.D. who studied abroad. For physics and chemistry, you’ll have one-on-one sessions with renowned instructors! If my Shanshan is going to learn, she’s going to learn from the very best!"

Ling Zhiwei’s face stiffened, and the tips of his ears began to burn.

He silently turned, lowered his head, and quietly slipped away.

But his heart was pounding with dread.

’I haven’t even graduated from college yet. Don’t tell me she’s already studying at my grade level?’

’What’s even more terrifying is, what if before I even finish my degree, she not only ends up in the same year as me but also gets fast-tracked into a graduate program because of her incredible grades?’

’Wouldn’t that mean while I’m pulling all-nighters to finish my thesis, she’ll already be publishing SCI papers from a lab?’

Who would believe it if this got out?

But when it came to Shanshan...

...it really wasn’t impossible.

One weekend, after returning home, Ling Zhiwei unintentionally found himself wandering toward Shanshan’s little study.

He was just passing by, but his steps slowed, and as if possessed, he pushed the door open.

He looked inside and saw the room was filled with books on traditional Chinese medicine.

And not the introductory kind, like *"Common Sense for Healthy Living"* or *"A Daily Cup of Wellness Tea,"* but actual professional textbooks!

*"Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine,"* *"Commentary on the Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders..."*

Every single one was thick enough to be used as a brick.

"Cao Xueshan!"

"How old are you? You probably can’t even recognize all the characters yet, can you? Can you even understand these books?!"

Ling Anxun, who happened to be passing by, heard the commotion and couldn’t help but lean against the doorframe, letting out a low chuckle.

Ling Zhiwei whipped his head around and saw Ling Anxun’s face.

"Uncle! These books... you bought them?!"

"The old monster brought a little monster to torment me! Why is my life so hard! One was scary enough, and now there’s an upgraded version!"

Before Ling Anxun could even speak, Ling Zhiwei grabbed his head and bolted.

"You’re mean! Daddy’s not old! How can you call him an old monster? He even exercises every day, he’s full of energy, and he barely has any gray hairs!"

Shanshan blocked the doorway, her little face set in a stern expression.

Wearing a small pink dress, she hopped twice to block Ling Zhiwei’s path.

"I was wrong! I was really wrong! Just let me go! I’m begging you, I’ll never do it again!"

Ling Zhiwei raised both hands in surrender.

"It was just a slip of the tongue! Whose dad isn’t an old geezer... Hey, don’t tattle on me!"

What could he do with such a cute and smart little sister?

Spoil her, indulge her, and just accept it.

Besides, the girl really was endearing.

Shanshan studied so intensely that the textbooks in her schoolbag were always stacked high, and the books at home were piled up like mountains.

One day, clutching three months’ worth of saved-up allowance, she skipped to the bookstore all by herself.

As luck would have it, she ran into Liu Yingzi again. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Liu Yingzi was carrying two gift bags, forcing herself to pick out a gift to appease her sister-in-law.

Speaking of Liu Yingzi, her life had been getting more miserable by the day.

Back in her family home, she had been the great Miss whose word was law, and all her relatives and friends would flatter her.

But ever since Cao Daqiang was discharged from the army and inexplicably climbed into a leadership position, everything had changed.

In the past, Cao Daqiang would have to address her as "Ms. Yingzi," but now he couldn’t even be bothered to look at her.

To return to her former life of being adulated, Liu Yingzi was single-mindedly focused on suppressing Cao Daqiang’s promotion.

But now, her brother was the one who called the shots in their family.

Although her brother was her own flesh and blood and always doted on her, her sister-in-law always felt she was just causing trouble whenever she came home.

Every time she visited, her sister-in-law would sigh.

"Here again? This house is about to be turned upside down."

To curry favor with her sister-in-law, Liu Yingzi found an excuse to bring a gift every week.

She came to the bookstore today because her nephew was moving up to the next school level.

Her sister-in-law had nagged her about it more than once.

"Kids are under so much academic pressure these days. If you don’t stay on top of it, how will he get into a top school? Just relying on what they teach in school is nowhere near enough."

Liu Yingzi immediately understood.

Her sister-in-law valued her child’s grades above all else. Gifting books was like gifting a future—more effective than even a gold necklace.

But as soon as she walked toward the bookshelves, she froze.

This section was filled with densely packed review materials for middle and high school. Why was Shanshan here?

"Oh, Shanshan’s back? Did you finish those last few books already? None of the other elementary schoolers around here can match your enthusiasm for studying!"

The cashier at the bookstore’s front counter said with a smile upon seeing Shanshan.

"Hello, ma’am! I haven’t finished them yet, but I’m close. My teacher said a new batch of materials just arrived, so I came to pick out a couple, especially that *’Elementary Math Olympiad Explained’* set. I hear it’s very useful."

Shanshan replied with a smile.

The moment she spoke, the woman quickly pulled the newest edition of the workbook from under the counter and handed it to her.

"This is the latest printing, not a single typo in it!"

"You’re such a smart kid. If I had half your drive, I’d wake up laughing in my dreams. My boy just plays games all day. I get so mad I almost throw his phone out the window!"

"Ma’am, my brother has his good points, you just haven’t noticed them yet. Just give him a little more time. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll score in the top ten of his grade!"

Liu Yingzi, standing behind another row of shelves, overheard every single word of their conversation.

Later, others came over to join the conversation, all chattering at once.

Only then did she realize that Shanshan wasn’t just a good student—she was truly gifted.

Knowing it in her heart was one thing; actually admitting it was another.

After Shanshan left, Liu Yingzi also grabbed the same set of books and paid for them.

Her daughter, Cao Jiajia, had never even opened a single page of this textbook series.

And yet that girl, Shanshan, could already recite the example problems from within it fluently.

Liu Yingzi bit her lip and took out her phone to scan the code and pay.

’I refuse to believe Jiajia can’t learn it.’

’So what if she learns fast?’

’My daughter, Jiajia, can catch up as long as she’s willing to put in the effort!’

She had always believed that the gap between children was just a matter of effort.

As long as you watched them closely and were strict enough, even the slowest child could excel.

But she forgot that the real gap had often already formed in places unseen.

She clenched her jaw, determined to force her daughter to study relentlessly.

But when she got home, the living room was a complete mess, the sofa piled high with recently opened delivery boxes.

And Cao Jiajia was sitting cross-legged on the rug, staring down at her phone.

It wasn’t that her daughter "couldn’t catch up"—she hadn’t even started!

Liu Yingzi’s heart sank.

"Mom, I can’t even understand the questions in these books!"

Cao Jiajia finally looked up, her brow furrowed.

She casually tossed the textbooks Liu Yingzi had bought onto the sofa and turned to her wardrobe to pick out a dress.

"Mom, Dad bought me new dresses again today. Help me see which one makes my waist look better."

She turned around, holding a silver sequin dress in one hand and a high-waisted A-line dress in the other.

"This one makes my legs look long, and that one makes my waist look thin. I want to wear both."

Liu Yingzi’s hands trembled with anger.

"Jiajia! How old are you? You should be studying right now! There will be plenty of dresses later. Once you get into a good university, Mom will buy you a whole wardrobe full!"

As she spoke, she reached out, shoved the dresses back into the wardrobe, and locked it with a sharp CLICK.