Chapter 217 Did this kid take medicine?
"Not… not that close…"
Ning Xi's cheeks turned a light red. "Ye Fan and I were just… studying. Yes, studying!"
Zhuang Li's eyes flashed with amusement, but he said nothing more and focused on driving.
He was merely a spectator.
If there's drama, he watches it. If there isn't, he waits for it!
That's all there is to it.
When Ning Xi returned home and stepped into the living room, she immediately spotted her parents sitting on the sofa.
"Xiao Xi, the results of the second joint exams are out, right?"
"Yes, they're out."
Ning Xi placed her bag on the sofa, leaned against her mother's shoulder, her face full of joy, and said mysteriously, "Mom, do you want to guess your daughter's results this time?"
"Ahem—"
At that moment, Ning Xiangtian coughed lightly and said discontentedly, "Xiao Xi, can't you consider your dad's feelings? At least ask me, too!"
"What, you can't hear her?"
Lan Xi teased.
Ning Xiangtian gave an embarrassed smile.
Outside, he was the highly esteemed richest man in Xia Country.
At home, he held the lowest status!
His entire life, he was completely at the mercy of this mother-daughter duo!
Ning Xi giggled, then moved to sit in the middle, grabbing an arm from each of her parents. She playfully swayed their arms. "Dad, do you want to guess?"
"Alright."
Ning Xiangtian threw a triumphant glance at Lan Xi and guessed, "Did you rank in the top 100?"
"Can't you have a little more confidence in your daughter?"
"The top 50?"
"Wrong, wrong. Keep guessing. Think bigger."
"The top 10?!"
"Close! Keep going."
"…"
At this point, Ning Xiangtian had a general idea of the result and couldn't help but glance at his wife.
Lan Xi's face was also full of surprise. Clearly, she was just as astonished by their daughter's second joint exam results.
Although their daughter had achieved an impressive nationwide rank of third in the first joint exams, the first and second exams were two entirely different beasts. With the level of competition so intense, no one could guarantee anything.
To be honest, they would've been satisfied if their daughter ranked in the top 100 this time. But from her hints, it seemed she had broken into the top 10 again.
This realization left the two of them shocked yet thrilled.
Lan Xi tapped her daughter's forehead. "You little rascal! You're getting better at teasing us. Quickly, tell us, what's your score?"
Ning Xi chuckled non-stop, first glancing at her mother, then her father. Her beautiful face radiated happiness.
"My total score for the second joint exams is 746, and I ranked second nationwide."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Neither Ning Xiangtian nor Lan Xi spoke as they silently processed this news.
Second nationwide?
Those simple four words carried an immense weight.
When their daughter ranked third nationwide in the first joint exams, they were already a little incredulous, chalking it up to Ye Fan's tutoring and their daughter's exceptional performance under pressure.
For the second joint exams, they hadn't set their expectations too high.
After all, the bar had already been set so high!
Who would've thought that not only did their daughter maintain her performance, but she improved!
Gasp—
Shock, surprise, disbelief!!!
Ning Xiangtian lightly drummed his fingers on his leg. Compared to Lan Xi, he recovered quickly. The astonishment on his face faded, and his thoughts began to wander.
"Xiao Xi, how did Ye Fan do this time?"
"Meh, just average. You could say he performed normally."
Ning Xi's eyes twinkled with mischief, and her smile carried a sly edge.
"Average?"
Lan Xi was visibly surprised.
Ning Xiangtian asked slowly, "What's his exact rank?"
"First."
"…"
"…"
Got it.
The two of them understood. Their daughter had been toying with them all along.
To achieve first place in an exam taken by millions nationwide…
And she calls that average?
Noticing the shift in her parents' expressions, Ning Xi quickly raised her hand. "I'm not lying to you! Ye Fan's performance really was pretty average this time. He only scored 749 and missed one point."
"Normally, he scores full marks in his exams and rarely loses points. That's why I said he performed average this time."
"…"
"…"
It would've been better if she hadn't explained. The more she explained, the more speechless they felt.
Out of 750 points, Ye Fan scored 749…
And that's considered average?!
"Xiao Xi, do you have some sort of misunderstanding about the word 'average'?"
"Do I?"
Ning Xi tilted her head, her eyes filled with innocent confusion.
Ning Xiangtian's eyelid twitched slightly as he muttered to himself, "What's this kid taking? How is he this strong…"
First nationwide.
And not just once, but twice in a row.
Once could be attributed to luck, but twice undeniably proved his strength!
Amidst the laughter of his wife and daughter, Ning Xiangtian's thoughts wandered endlessly. Finally, he sighed helplessly and said, "Honey, make sure to bring out my treasured bottle of Sea Blue Elixir for lunch tomorrow. I want to have a drink."
"Sure."
Lan Xi naturally noticed her husband's change in mood, her eyes brimming with amusement.
When night fell, everything grew quiet.
It wasn't until the sun rose the next morning that the world slowly came alive again.
Soft golden sunlight filtered through the windows, illuminating the bedroom, the bed, and the person on it.
Ye Fan opened his eyes but didn't get up immediately. He quietly enjoyed the calm and beauty of the morning.
After lying there for a few minutes, he suddenly remembered staying up until past 2 a.m. last night reading and forgetting to check the refreshed items in the Merit Store. He quickly opened his status panel.
[Host]: Ye Fan
[Knowledge]: Level 4 (562/10,000)
[Intelligence]: Level 4 (43/10,000)
[Physical Strength]: Level 4 (74/10,000)
[Medical Skills]: Level 3 (0/2,000)
[Merit Points]: 80
[Experience Points]: 5,687
[Skill]: Inspired Thinking
After glancing at his experience points, Ye Fan nodded in satisfaction and entered the Merit Store.
Three items appeared before him:
[Luck Card]
[Misfortune Card]
[Mental Focus]
Two were items, and one was a skill.
Since he couldn't afford any of them, Ye Fan was merely browsing. His attention fell on the Misfortune Card, which he was seeing for the first time.
Luck Cards increase a person's luck, so Misfortune Cards should make someone unlucky.
But this thing… isn't it kind of useless?
Ye Fan's gaze moved to the item description below.
[Misfortune Card]: Allows the user to select anyone within a 20-meter range as the target. After using the Misfortune Card, the target's luck will drop to the lowest point, and they will experience continuous misfortune for two hours.
After reading the description, Ye Fan finally understood and nodded in realization.
So the Misfortune Card could be used on others. In that case, it wasn't a problem anymore.
However, seeing that it was priced the same as the Luck Card, Ye Fan shook his head helplessly.
He was broke!
After getting up, taking a shower, washing his face, and brushing his teeth, Ye Fan finished tidying himself up. He glanced at the time—it was just past 7 a.m.—and left his apartment for the bookstore near his neighborhood, grabbing some breakfast on the way.
After exhausting the Inspired Thinking skill for the day, it was already close to 8:40 a.m.
He hailed a cab by the roadside and headed to the Neptune Residential Complex.
His future father-in-law had specially invited him over. Was it just for a casual meal?
No way!
It couldn't be that simple…