On the following day, Li Caiyi had fully recovered, so she was determined to go to the school.
It's been a long time since she wore her high-school uniform. Li Caiyi twirled in front of the mirror, and her lips curled up into a shy smile.
The reflection in the mirror showed a girl wearing a green plaid skirt and white shirt, combined with a tie which has the same color as the skirt and navy blue blazer. She tied her long, black hair into a ponytail, and black-rimmed glasses hung from her ears.
No matter how she looked at it, she looked like a bookish nerd type of girl. An impression that didn't last long if someone looked into her grades.
Although her body was that of a teenager, Li Caiyi's mind has long matured into that of an adult in her late twenties, so wearing a school uniform again with her current mentality felt embarrassing for some reason. It was like an adult cosplaying into a high school girl.
"Xiaoyi, are you done changing? Mom called you for breakfast," Li Chunhua said while sticking her head in from outside the door.
"Coming," Li Caiyi smoothened her bang for the last time before she took her bag and walked out of the room.
The whole Li family had seated except for her in the dining room. Li Caiyi pulled a chair beside Li Chunhua, then absentmindedly took a slice of bread and smeared it with peanut butter.
She took a bite of her bread without sound. Her eyes carefully watched over Li Junjie, who was sitting across from Li Chunhua, then at Li Jirong, who sat at the end of the table.
It was a familiar scene, yet Li Caiyi couldn't help but feel how different it was to see this scene again after such a long time. A quiet morning like usual, with Li Jirong reading the newspaper and Li Junjie who ate while reading a book. On her side, Su Suyin intermittently put the side dish into Li Chunhua's plate while coaxing her to eat more.
Once, she felt this kind of morning was lovely and peaceful, but now she felt nothing but suffocation.
Because people who were currently sitting with her were people who cornered her to her death.
Li Caiyi smeared a lot of peanut butter onto her bread, yet it still felt tasteless on her tongue.
Li Jirong put down his newspaper and took a sip of his coffee. "Ah Jie, how was the result of your mock exam last time?"
Li Junjie answered without moving his gaze away from his book. "It's fine."
"How's fine enough? You need to ace every exam if you want to be admitted to Meiho University. You are already on your third year, so don't let your guard down."
Li Junjie didn't bat an eye over his father's advice. It was almost like an automatic response. For overachieving students like Li Junjie, Li Jirong put so much hope and expectation on him. Thus, he felt the need to remind his son about that fact every day.
"I know, Father."
"Ah Jie, studying is good and all, but don't read on the dining table. At least take some rest when you're eating," Su Suyin said.
"What do you know about his studies?! Let him learn whenever he wants to. Don't dissuade him, or later he would be indulgent and get lazy." Li Jirong reprimanded his wife almost immediately, making the latter lower her head with lips pressed together.
Li Junjie treated the whole situation like nothing and paid no attention to the tension in the air. The only sound left on the dining table was the sound of him flipping the pages and the occasional clinking sound of tableware.
The same old morning routine. If this would go according to what Li Caiyi remembered, what happened after this was….
"By the way, the teachers recently praised me for winning the math competition. They said it was just a small competition this time. Still, they were confident I could achieve more than that if there's another opportunity," Li Chunhua seemed unfazed by the heaviness in the air and chirped happily. She looked at Li Jirong with glittering eyes, like a small animal asking to be spoiled.
Li Jirong's precious stiff face softened under her daughter's melting gaze. He cleared his throat before he told her, "As expected from my daughter. Dad knows you have it in you. It's a pity your body can't take too much pressure, or you'll be able to enter many other competitions as well."
"Yay!! Daddy just praised me!" Li Chunhua smiled widely, then cutely snuggled into Li Jirong's embrace. The man could only shake his head helplessly, but he didn't appear to dislike such a gesture.
Su Suyin chuckled. "Xiaohua worked very hard this time. She said she wanted to make her father happy."
"Is that so?" Li Jirong's foul mood instantly got brighter, and he gave Li Chunhua's head an affectionate pat. "Xiaohua is indeed the most obedient. Daddy is happy you're willing to work hard, despite your shortcomings. Unlike your sister."
The light atmosphere just now turned heavy once again with Li Jirong's last remark.
'Sure enough. Here it comes again.' Li Caiyi rolled her eyes inwardly.
Li Jirong swept his stern gaze over Li Caiyi, who was currently nibbling on her bread silently, then heaved a sigh of disappointment. "Xiaoyi, you have to learn from Xiaohua. You have a better health condition than her, but you can't do even half of what she can do. Don't you feel ashamed at all?"
Li Chunhua, who was flustered by the sudden turn of events, quickly said something to dispel the awkwardness. "Daddy, don't say that. Xiaoyi also tried her best in her own way."
Li Jirong scoffed. "If she is, then why don't we see any result until now? She is wasting her time while other kids slowly plan for the future. Xiaohua, don't argue with Dad about this. Dad knows you love your sister, but this isn't where you should spoil her. She is healthy and attends an excellent school. There's no excuse for her poor grades except for her lack of discipline."
Su Suyin bit her lips and glanced at Li Caiyi. She was worried that her daughter would feel disheartened after her father's scolding, but Li Caiyi was calm throughout all that. There was no dissatisfaction or grievance on her expression, only indifference.
Su Suyin felt bad for Li Caiyi, but she couldn't help but think that what Li Jirong said had some truth in it. Li Caiyi was indeed only putting the bare minimum for her studies, causing her to fall behind other kids her age. On top of that, Li Caiyi was the complacent type with little to no ambition, so it was understandable if she made no significant improvement. Of course, her husband would get irritated by that since compared to Li Junjie and Li Chunhua, Li Caiyi's light was far too dim.
Even if Su Suyin wanted to defend her, there was nothing she could defend in Li Caiyi. Li Jirong's scolding might even become a wake-up call for her instead.
Thinking like that, Su Suyin saved her words to herself, lest she would be the one getting scolded again.