Chapter 8

Cheng Xiaoyu's palms were already drenched in sweat. The sun in November set quickly, and in a blink, the last bit of lingering brilliance had retreated to the corner of the wall.

Cheng Xiaoyu scanned Su Yuxi from head to toe. She was tall, with legs that were long and straight, far surpassing the requirements for a model. Her red Scottish pleated skirt and white heart-patterned sweater complemented each other perfectly, clearly showing that Su Yuxi had inherited Aunt Zhou's perfect figure. When he met her cold, almond-shaped eyes, Cheng Xiaoyu felt a bit intimidated, a subconscious reaction of a shut-in.

In the game, Su Yuxi was like a boss with a fear aura, and just being near her made it clear that the difficulty level was nightmare-level, a hidden challenge. She was dangerous yet incredibly alluring. In reality, if a girl was beautiful to the extreme, ordinary people wouldn't have the courage to look at her, even afraid of being caught if they glanced, but they couldn't help but want to peek.

At just 16 years old, Su Yuxi already had the potential of an ice queen. Cheng Xiaoyu thought his sister looked a bit like YoonA from the Korean girl group Girls' Generation in another timeline. She was even more exquisite, with more defined facial features and a more mixed-race look. Her figure was also more curvaceous, not as slim and slender as YoonA, and her chest was definitely in a different league.

"Beautiful melody, but this performance isn't really challenging. Did you get into the drama school with this?" Su Yuxi asked after a long silence. She hadn't heard Cheng Xiaoyu play the Liszt Transcendental Etudes earlier, and even if she had, she would have been only slightly surprised, as Cheng Xiaoyu could barely play them, let alone perform them properly.

Now, although Cheng Xiaoyu's piano level had passed the highest tenth grade, passing the tenth grade only meant he had just learned to play the piano. Higher levels of piano proficiency didn't exist yet. To put it in League of Legends terms, he was basically at Diamond 5, which was considered quite good among ordinary players, but still far from the top ranks like Diamond 1, Master, or Grandmaster. Su Yuxi's piano level was already at a higher level, at least Diamond 2, three ranks higher than Cheng Xiaoyu. After all, Su Yuxi had been trained by the famous pianist Li Mudidi since childhood. Cheng Xiaoyu had learned from his mother, Cheng Qiuci, who, although a graduate of a piano program, was worlds apart from a master. The starting points for their piano training were incomparable. Cheng Xiaoyu was a bit annoyed by her condescending attitude, but he didn't realize that this level of concern was already a sign of kindness from Su Yuxi. Cheng Xiaoyu didn't bother to argue and casually replied, "I had nothing to do in the afternoon, just playing for fun."

Su Yuxi was the type of girl who was not only smart and well-read but had also established her own complete worldview and code of conduct at a young age. She was extremely devout and serious about music and the piano, inheriting some of her piano teacher Li Mudidi's meticulous and rigid traits. Her personality was similar to her father, Su Changhe, who was cold and direct in his interactions, rejecting those he disliked and maintaining a distance with those he liked, believing in the principle of a light and distant friendship. Cheng Xiaoyu's casual answer and his flippant attitude towards the piano annoyed her. Moreover, Cheng Xiaoyu, a spoiled and uneducated rich kid, was the person she disliked the most, and the fact that he was her nominal brother made her even more frustrated. She said coldly, "If you're just playing for fun, don't ruin my piano. Even if my mother allows it, don't step into my practice room." Then she left without another word.

Cheng Xiaoyu was a bit taken aback and smiled bitterly. At 40 years old, he wouldn't argue with a 16-year-old girl. But he hadn't expected his sister to be so difficult to deal with and decided to keep his distance from this unlovable sister.

Dinner was a bit somber, as the Su family never talked during meals. After dinner, Aunt Zhou reminded Cheng Xiaoyu to go to bed early because he had to go to school the next day. His grades were already poor, and he had missed over a month of classes. The college entrance exam was in July of the following year. Once again, Cheng Xiaoyu would have to go through the hellish third year of high school, standing at the first crossroads of his life.

Cheng Xiaoyu returned to his bedroom, sat at his desk, and casually flipped through his textbooks. He was studying liberal arts, and the basic subjects were similar to those in the other timeline. Reflecting on his two lives, he was confident that his Level 4 English wasn't for nothing, and high school English should be a piece of cake. The other subjects like history, geography, and politics were all about memorization, and with his exceptional memory, they shouldn't be a problem. Chinese was even easier, and only math was a bit challenging. But memorizing some key formulas, he didn't aim for a perfect score, just a passing grade, which should be achievable.

Art students didn't have such high requirements for their academic performance. In his previous life, he hadn't been a top student, but this time he was determined to fulfill his dream of getting into a prestigious university. He hadn't realized that his failure in the college entrance exam was a hidden obsession in his heart. When this obsession had a chance to ferment, it would generate tremendous energy. He knew that even if he didn't study hard, his family background would still allow him to attend a top university, or even study abroad if necessary.

But which high school student hasn't dreamed of being listed on the honor roll and attending Peking or Tsinghua University? Which student who has taken the college entrance exam hasn't dreamed of becoming a top scorer and achieving fame? Although most of us can only lament our lack of effort during exams and easily become the background for others, this wasn't the sentiment of Cheng Xiaoyu, who had experienced much in life. This time, he wanted to live differently, at least to be the master of his own life and not live in fear of others. At first glance, this requirement didn't seem high, but once you enter society, you'll realize how difficult it is.

At 7 a.m., the Filipino maid came upstairs to wake Cheng Xiaoyu. By then, he had already washed up and changed into his school uniform, a black modified Zhongshan suit similar to those worn by students in the other timeline's Japan. Cheng Xiaoyu took his backpack and went downstairs, where Su Yuxi was sitting at the table eating a small steamed bun.

The kitchen helper, Aunt Wang, asked in a soft and gentle Mandarin, "Young master, what would you like to eat?"

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at the small steamed buns and said, "I'll have noodles." A few moments later, a bowl of appetizing oil-scallion noodles was placed on the table. Cheng Xiaoyu finished the noodles in a few bites, then ate two crab roe buns. Su Yuxi, on the other hand, ate half a steamer of buns at a leisurely pace. As Cheng Xiaoyu drank his soy milk, he watched Su Yuxi eat. Her elegant demeanor made even eating look graceful, a visual pleasure to watch. Unfortunately, this sister's personality wasn't very endearing to him.

Cheng Xiaoyu attended one of the best high schools in Shanghai, Fudan High School, which, along with Shanghai High School, Gezhi Private School, and Fengxian Girls' High School, was one of the traditional four strong schools in SH. The admission rate for these schools was the highest in SH, with Fudan High School and Shanghai High School being public high schools, making them particularly difficult to get into.

Gezhi Private School and Fengxian Girls' High School were elite schools, with Fengxian Girls' High School being one of the most famous girls' schools in the country. Most of the country's famous socialites, female celebrities, and businesswomen were graduates of this school. The alumni association of Fengxian Girls' High School was a well-known women's rights organization in the country. The current president's wife was the chair of the alumni association of this school. Gezhi Private School was an international high school, mostly attended by children of the elite and foreign diplomats, with exorbitant tuition fees. However, the school's facilities and faculty were the best in Shanghai.

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't attend Gezhi Private School because Aunt Zhou thought his personality was a bit soft and feared he would be bullied. So, she specifically sent him to Fudan High School. Su Yuxi was also a sophomore at Fudan High School, admitted with a full scholarship for her third-place finish in the city's high school entrance exam. Although she was only a sophomore, it was said that she could be guaranteed admission to Fudan University if she wanted to.

Su Yuxi not only excelled academically but had also won multiple gold medals in national piano competitions and achieved good rankings in international competitions. She was the undisputed goddess in the hearts of all Fudan High School students. Even many Fudan University students knew about this potential future schoolmate. Su Yuxi was not only outstanding at school but was also a dedicated model for the largest Asian fashion magazine, Ruixin, with a significant fan base, mostly female. Fortunately, her modeling work for Ruixin was unknown in this school of top students, or her already turbulent high school life would have been even more difficult to continue.

Cheng Xiaoyu's proud sister was sitting in the backseat of the Maybach, listening to a CD and reading the latest issue of *The Artist*. Cheng Xiaoyu, on the other hand, was bored, looking out the window at the somewhat unfamiliar SH.

No matter which version of himself, he wasn't familiar with this city. This SH was not quite the same as the SH in the other timeline. In this timeline, SH was the economic center of the eastern hemisphere, the world's largest free trade port, the world's largest financial center, the city with the highest consumption, and the most beautiful and largest city in the world, known as the "Oriental Pearl" and the "Crown's Most Lustrous Gem."

Cheng Xiaoyu gazed out the car window, where the towering skyscrapers covered most of the sky. The crisscrossing transportation infrastructure formed a web over the steel jungle. The flashing traffic lights and colorful billboards entangled this bizarre and dazzling world. The honking of cars and the noise of the crowd were like chaotic electronic music swirling under the heavy sky. Occasionally, a crow would fly across the sky, like a loyal hunter waiting for someone to lose their soul. This strange and beautiful city was like a huge vortex, sucking in all the people like ants, and only by struggling could they survive by treading on others.

Cheng Xiaoyu, who had once been a sufferer in the secular world, now seemed to have once again seized the throat of fate.