Chapter 4 — The Scholar's Return: Saving My Sister, Crushing Foes, and Carrying the School

Trinh Thu hesitated, looking up at me timidly while still holding her pen. I glared at her, my eyes widening. "Look at how fragile other girls are. How can you compare to this bunch of cockroaches that even a mallet couldn't crush? If you talk back to me again, I'll make you do three extra sets of exam papers!" Trinh Thu was remarkably bright. She would hit snags from time to time, but the moment I explained the concept, she understood instantly. Under my rigorous guidance, she finally broke past the 650-point threshold. She was so overjoyed that her arms and limbs flailed about in a celebratory dance, and she accidentally threw her arms around me in a tight embrace. "Big sister, thank you!"

Just as I was about to push her away, she murmured, "Ever since you came back home... I had already prepared myself to be driven out." She paused, her voice trembling slightly. "If that arranged marriage can actually help you out, I... I suppose I can agree to go. After all, the one who gets to live in luxury is me..."

I cut her off abruptly. "That is fate! If it wasn't you, it would have been someone else." I tapped her shoulder lightly. "Besides, that gold necklace you gave me? I've already accepted it. Rest assured, I'll tutor you until you get into Tsinghua University." This was one bet I was completely confident of winning.

Right at that moment, the comment section in the void began to flash and riot wildly:
[Oh no, you two are celebrating far too early! Trinh Thu's parents are heading to the school right now; they're here to force the female lead to drop out!]
[This is so heartbreaking! How can anyone possibly stand against people with such immense wealth and power...]

My expression immediately darkened. I hadn't expected them to make their move so swiftly. If I allowed them to actually pull her school records, Trinh Thu's arranged marriage would become a done deal, practically impossible to salvage. An arm could never hope to overpower a thigh... but when two powerful thighs collided, there was no telling whose bite would be worse!

I grabbed Trinh Thu by the wrist and marched straight to the academic affairs office. Without wasting a breath, I spoke up, "Teacher, I heard there's a provincial-level competition coming up where students will represent the school. Trinh Thu's mathematics is exceptional, and she has been improving at a rapid pace; she can definitely score 140 points or higher. Please give her a slot to try out!"

Able to sit in such a senior administrative position at an elite aristocratic academy, this teacher's background was undoubtedly formidable. Without missing a beat, she slid a test paper across the desk toward Trinh Thu. "Empty words convince no one. If she can score 140 points within one hour, the spot is hers."

Trinh Thu cast a nervous glance at me before pulling out her chair and immediately diving into the test. I felt entirely at ease. Over the past half month, I had drilled mathematics into her relentlessly; if she failed to clear the bar after all that... I would gladly use my own head as a soccer ball!

Sure enough, by the time I returned after attending a class of my own, Trinh Thu's test paper had already been graded in red ink: 143 points. The head of academic affairs stared at the sheet in stunned silence before breaking into applause and showering her with praise. She immediately handed the final competition slot over to Trinh Thu. "This competition carries the honor and reputation of the entire school on its shoulders. There must be absolute zero mistakes, do you understand?"

Only after watching Trinh Thu sign the registration form did I finally let out a long breath of relief. But the moment I stepped back into the classroom—my parents were already standing right outside the door.

Our homeroom teacher was looking at Trinh Thu with eyes full of profound regret. "Trinh Thu, your parents are here... to process your withdrawal from school."

Trinh Thu's face drained of all color, her hands instinctively reaching out to grab hold of my sleeves. The entire classroom fell silent, every eye shifting toward us. Her throat tightened, her voice shaking uncontrollably as she choked out, "Mom... Dad... I really don't want to drop out."

My parents had always loved maintaining a facade of absolute dignity and virtue in front of outsiders; even when cornering someone into dropping out, they had already prepared a flawless, righteous excuse.

"Oh, this poor child... has she lost her mind from being sick?" my mother sighed theatrically. "How could we, as parents, bear to make you leave school? But surely you've forgotten, haven't you? Your health has been so frail lately. The doctor explicitly suggested you take a temporary leave to recuperate at home." My father nodded solemnly. "Come along now, don't waste the teachers' precious time here."

Anyone watching from the outside would have taken them for the epitome of loving, deeply concerned parents. But only those trapped on the inside knew the horrifying truth—they were nothing more than venomous vipers draped in human skin.

"Big sister..." Trinh Thu sniffled, whimpering softly.

I gave her hand a reassuring, gentle pat. "Don't be afraid."

Then, I turned around to face my parents, letting out a faint, chilly smile. "Father, Mother, what a pity... but Trinh Thu cannot possibly withdraw from school right now."

"Zhengyi, why are you joining in on her foolishness?" my father snapped, his brows furrowing in irritation.

The corners of my lips curved upward. "Trinh Thu just registered for the provincial competition. She'll be representing the entire school."

The moment those words left my mouth, our homeroom teacher's stern, authoritative voice rang out from right behind us: "If you just finished telling me that no mistakes could be tolerated, yet now you're demanding she drop out, exactly how much regard does your family have for this school's honor and reputation?"

Catching the split-second flash of panic and shifting expressions on my parents' faces, I knew instantly—my gamble had paid off.

[Aaaa! I never expected the homeroom teacher to be her! No wonder she looked so familiar! This isn't just some ordinary rich family background—she's a genuine high-ranking official's daughter, specialized in keeping arrogant snobs like the Trinh family in check!]
[A deeply entrenched political background spanning generations, even the top financial magnates have to show her family respect!]

Sure enough, my father's hypocritical, righteous mask instantly dissolved into a fawning, obsequious smile. "Oh, so it turns out to be Teacher Chu... My deepest apologies, this provincial competition registration happened so abruptly, my wife and I were completely unaware of it." He laughed dryly. "Well, since she's already registered, naturally she can't drop out now." He hesitated, casting a suspicious glance at Trinh Thu. "It's just... I wonder why Trinh Thu suddenly wanted to compete? Are her grades really up to par..."

Teacher Chu glanced coolly in my direction, responding with effortless indifference, "It was my eldest daughter here who recommended her. I personally tested this student's proficiency myself. Do you have a problem with that?"

At an angle where no one else could see, my father whipped his head around and shot me a venomous, murderous glare.

After my parents finally retreated from the school grounds, Trinh Thu was completely drained of strength, her body slumping heavily against the hallway wall as her legs gave out. "Big sister... I suppose I don't have to drop out, at least for now. But what if they take their anger out on you when we get back home..."

I merely offered a cold, indifferent smile, keeping silent. Because I still held one final trump card... and I hadn't even brought it out to play yet.

The moment school ended and I stepped back into the villa, the atmosphere inside was so suffocatingly heavy it made it difficult to breathe. My father was sitting rigidly on the living room sofa, his face dark as a thundercloud. The second I walked through the door, he bellowed, "Kneel!"

I arched an eyebrow. As expected of the ultra-wealthy, their first instinct whenever they were displeased was to demand people kneel. Seeing that I remained rooted to the spot without moving a single muscle, the veins on his forehead began to bulge and twitch violently.

"Trinh Shengyi! Did you deliberately defy me?! Do you have any idea that everything I do is for your own good?!"

"Trinh Thu going through with that arranged marriage brings a hundred benefits to our family without a single drawback! I'm even letting her marry under the prestigious identity of a Trinh family daughter! What on earth is she still whining about?!"

"You've barely been back in this house for a few days, and already you've picked up the habit of using outsiders to pressure your own father?! Growing wings now, are we?! If I don't discipline you properly today, what kind of household rule will even be left!"

"Get on your knees and apologize right now! Don't force me to bring out the family disciplinary rod!"

I chuckled softly, maintaining my composure as I slowly reached into my bag. "Father, is there really any need to fly into such a rage? I know I was wrong, which is why I brought a very special gift back for you to look at."

He was so furious his face had flushed a deep, ugly crimson, and he slammed his fist down hard on the coffee table. "No matter what kind of garbage you brought back——"

Without a word, I pulled a single sheet of paper from my folder—an official direct-admission recommendation letter from Tsinghua University.

My father's angry roaring abruptly choked off in his throat, his entire body freezing stiff on the spot. My mother, who had been standing silently off to the side the entire time, rushed forward in sheer disbelief.

"A direct admission recommendation?! You've been exempted from the entrance exams?!"

"Old Trinh, in our social circle, something like this is practically unheard of! Our daughter has brought unimaginable glory to the Trinh family!"

My father snapped out of his trance, hurrying over to peer closely at the official verification seal, his eyes unable to conceal a surging wave of triumph and greed.

"Father, do I still need to kneel now?" I asked, deliberately dragging out the tone of my voice.

He glared fiercely at me, his face still twisted in a grimace, though his voice carried an unmistakable note of awkward stiffness. "Even if you got a direct admission... you are still not allowed to talk back to your father in the future!"

[Ha!! Old man with too much fake pride!]
[Such a typical patriarchal tyrant. Why on earth shouldn't she talk back?!]

I gave an obedient nod, then continued with a deadpan, serious expression, "Father, you're the wealthiest man in the country, surely you don't actually need your own daughter to be married off as a sacrifice just to solidify your social standing, do you?"

"Trinh Thu has studied tirelessly for years, and now she's just a hair's breadth away from the finish line. If both of your daughters end up attending Tsinghua, wouldn't that make the Trinh family name shine even brighter?"

A flicker of doubt crossed my mother's eyes. "Her? Get into Tsinghua?"

I immediately slapped down a wager: "If she takes the national college entrance examination and fails to get into either Tsinghua or Peking University, then you can go ahead and marry her off to whoever you want."

Pausing for a second, a mischievous thought crossed my mind and I added, "And if I win this bet... the two of you must hand over two hundred thousand to me as prize money!"

My parents exchanged a brief glance before nodding in agreement.

I burst into a triumphant laugh. Excellent! The tuition fees and living expenses for that bunch of dyed-blonde delinquents once they entered university... were finally taken care of!

In the days that followed, I threw myself entirely into tutoring everyone around me. Aside from regular study hours, I also forced Trinh Thu to practice Baduanjin breathing exercises alongside the blond-haired gang to build up her physical stamina. After all, she was still a fragile little "sickly chick."

Yet, the moment my attention slipped even slightly—the person who was supposed to be doing breathing exercises was currently... sitting casually on top of the courtyard wall.

My temple throbbed violently. "I told you guys to teach her traditional calisthenics, not how to scale walls!!"

The blond delinquents offered awkward, sheepish grins, frantically scrambling to invent all sorts of ridiculous excuses: "Big Sis, scaling walls is an essential survival skill too! With college coming up soon, who knows when it might come in handy..."

I was so hopping mad I whipped off one of my shoes and hurled it straight at their heads! "Utter nonsense! If you corrupt Trinh Thu even a little bit more, I swear I'll tie your tongues into decorative bows, you hear me?!"