After finishing lunch, the two of them kept Tongtong company for a little longer before getting ready to head to class.
Naturally, the little girl was very reluctant to see them go, and Wen Ning spent a long time coaxing her, promising that she would come back tomorrow to keep her company.
Xu Miaotong hugged her mother's long leg and refused to let go. "When Dad and Mom used to go out, they would always kiss Tongtong goodbye!"
What is it like to have a very clingy daughter?
With no other choice, Wen Ning leaned over and kissed her smooth, soft cheek.
Xu Miaotong's eyes curved into crescents. "And Dad!"
Left with no alternative, Xu Yan imitated Wen Ning and touched his lips to her other cheek.
"Dad and Mom must come home early, okay? Tongtong will miss you!"
"Mmm."
Both of their moods felt somewhat subtle and strange, as if they truly were a couple about to head out, saying goodbye to their daughter.
"Tongtong is very sensible," Xu Yan said, pulling out his keys to lock the door. "But leaving her alone at home is too cruel."
Although Tongtong never showed any sign of distress and always insisted that cartoons were fun to watch, he had seen the deeply reluctant look in the little girl's eyes as they were leaving. He could easily imagine her staying home alone, counting the time on her fingers while waiting for her father and mother to return—looking so pitiful.
Wen Ning thought for a moment. "It's fine, tomorrow is the weekend anyway. I'm planning to take Tongtong to visit my aunt tomorrow."
Faced with his puzzled look, Wen Ning explained, "My uncle works at the police station, so I'll ask her about Tongtong's situation."
It was just going to be a little troublesome. To go to school, one needed an identity, and identity was tied to household registration.
"If only Tongtong were a bit older," Xu Yan sighed. "I could just say Tongtong is my sister, Lao Xu's illegitimate daughter."
But right now, their ages didn't match up. How was he supposed to explain Tongtong's relationship to him to his aunt?
Xu Yan knew very well that the moment his aunt laid eyes on Tongtong, she would immediately recognize her as a member of the Xu family. When the people of the Xu family smiled, they all inherited the exact same pair of adorable dimples beside the corners of their mouths—the kind that gave people an irresistible urge to reach out and poke them. Because of this facial feature, Xu Yan had been teased by Chen Hao for ten years about how a grown man could have such a girly trait.
Wen Ning hesitated for a moment. "I'll go with you."
"Alright." Xu Yan didn't overthink it and agreed immediately. Since this concerned Tongtong, it was only right that she went along.
The two took the bus back, planning to part ways at a bus stop a little distance from the school. Wen Ning pulled her school uniform zipper up a bit higher, standing prettily in place as she opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. Meeting Xu Yan's questioning gaze, she finally asked, "Can I... take a look at your mock exam paper from last time?"
There were still four months left; a lot of improvement could still be made. As long as the foundation wasn't too poor and there were no weak subjects pulling her down, raising one's score by thirty or forty points was entirely achievable.
"..."
Marrying someone who couldn't even break 600 points must be pretty embarrassing, huh?
Of course, Xu Yan knew that wasn't what she meant. With Tongtong in consideration, the higher Xu Yan scored, the more room both of them would have when choosing a school later on. Otherwise, Wen Ning would simply have to lower her standards to match his.
"Alright, take a look at it tomorrow when you come over," Xu Yan said. "Though no matter how hard I study, I'll never reach your score. Just keep that in mind."
Wen Ning nodded. "Then... I'm heading back."
After parting ways with her, Xu Yan walked toward his classroom. By now, the classroom was already packed with people. Li Youyou was at her desk plowing through test papers, while Chen Hao was taking a nap with his head buried on his desk.
Xu Yan sat down and studied his incorrect answers for a while. English and Chinese were his weakest subjects. His study attitude was fairly decent, though hardly what you would call diligent. With his parents away and living off-campus, there was nobody to supervise him the moment he stepped through his front door. He was the classic example of the student teachers saw as a bit clever but lazy, yet obedient in every other respect—simply put, an extra in the background of life.
"Tch..."
The English vocabulary gave Xu Yan a headache. "Even if I studied as hard as Youyou, I still wouldn't be able to hit 688 points, right?"
Unless darling Tongtong really could awaken the Hoping Father Becomes a Dragon System.
Sensitive to being talked about behind her back, Li Youyou raised her head. "Are you and Goddess Wen actually involved in something?"
Across the entire No. 1 High School, there was only one person with a total score of 688.
"Nothing much." Xu Yan doodled on a piece of paper. "I'm not interested in women."
Li Youyou pushed up her glasses, sensing that something wasn't quite right. "Then what are you interested in?"
"Studying."
"..."
It was hard to imagine hearing those words come out of A-Yan's mouth. It was somewhat rare, to say the least.
"So..." Li Youyou mused. "Are you trying to pursue the great campus belle Wen through some weird method... like beating her in studies?"
That would be *surpassing* her in studies, please don't omit crucial words.
However, Xu Yan decided against explaining his bizarre relationship with Wen Ning to her. Mainly because even he couldn't quite figure it out. They hadn't known each other long, but because of Tongtong's presence, many of the interactions between him and Wen Ning had already surpassed those of ordinary male and female classmates—yet they weren't lovers.
"Youyou, let me ask you something."
Skipping past the topic, Xu Yan asked instead, "As high school students... is there any way to make money?"
If worse came to worst, he would just have to look for a part-time job. But on the other hand, he still needed to look after Tongtong, which made things complicated.
Li Youyou blinked, startled. "Are you that short on money?"
Xu Yan explained, "We've got some stuff going on at home and need cash."
Before he could even finish his sentence, he watched as Li Youyou briskly whipped out her phone. "How much do you need? I'll transfer it to you right now."
"No, I didn't mean to borrow money from you." Spend other people's money while raising a daughter? What kind of person did she take him for! Besides, even though she was a little rich girl whose family owned over a dozen restaurants, how much pocket money could a high school student possibly have?
"Between my New Year's money and allowance over the years, I've saved up over two hundred thousand." Li Youyou pulled up her buddy's Alipay account on her phone. "Is that enough?"
Good grief, girl. Where did such a tycoon come from? Maybe I should just be your houseboy.
"The college entrance exams are right around the corner, and instead of studying, what kind of money are you trying to make?" Li Youyou frowned. "I asked you a question, how much do you need?" She assumed something terrible had happened at Xu Yan's home, backing him into a corner.
"Never mind." Xu Yan ultimately shook his head and refused. "If I'm ever truly in a bind, I'll ask you."
Though his relationship with Li Youyou was genuinely close—hardly any different from Chen Hao—he wanted to try handling it himself first. Since the future version of himself could provide Tongtong with such a lavish lifestyle... there was no reason the present version of himself couldn't achieve anything, let alone have to borrow money from others for Tongtong's sake.
"Are you really sure you're fine?" Li Youyou understood his personality. Xu Yan wasn't reckless, but he was independent and always had his own ideas. Since he said it like that, it meant he really wasn't looking to borrow money from her.
"Alright then, we're going out for barbecue tonight," Li Youyou put her phone away. "My treat."
Basically, the three of them would get together for a meal every Friday night. It served as a relaxation, a rare moment of leisure under the crushing pressure of senior year.
Xu Yan had already planned to take Tongtong out to eat anyway, and after pondering her words for a moment, he added, "Can I bring someone along? My eight-year-old cousin has been staying at my place lately."
It was a good opportunity to let Tongtong experience his daily life. Since she had traveled back to the present, she had to live in this era somehow. They might as well start with Li Youyou and Chen Hao.
"No big deal, it's just the three of us anyway." Li Youyou didn't mind and turned back to writing her test paper.
After school, Xu Yan went home to pick up Tongtong.
The little white Western-style dress she had worn when she time-traveled had already been washed. Fortunately, she knew how to change her own clothes—an eight-year-old child didn't need her parents to help with something like that. However, since Xu Yan didn't know how to braid hair, he could only manage to tie it up into a simple little ponytail.
Xu Miaotong stood there looking pretty, hooking her fingers to play with her ponytail while sweetly calling out "Dad."
Now, she looked even more like Wen Ning—just like a miniature version of the pure campus belle standing right in front of him.
Xu Yan couldn't resist snapping a photo and sending it to Wen Ning.
*She really looks like a little princess.*
*My daughter is so pretty.*
Spending a lot of time with Tongtong really made it easy to develop the mindset of an old father.
When he brought Tongtong downstairs, Li Youyou and Chen Hao had already been waiting for quite a while.
"What took you so long? Dawdling around like a chick—"
Chen Hao grew somewhat impatient. "I'm starving to death, you believe me when I say I could swallow a whole pig raw right now..."
However, he quickly spotted the little girl holding Xu Yan's hand, and his voice abruptly cut off.
Such a pretty little girl... He'd never heard of A-Yan having a cousin this big...
"Uncle Chen Hao! Aunt Youyou!"
Xu Miaotong bounced over, looking delighted as she said, "Long time no see! Oh... Uncle, how come you suddenly grew hair?"
Li Youyou: "......"
Chen Hao: "…?"