Chu Hao was momentarily stunned.
He never expected that the younger sister he had raised with his own hands would turn out to be so sharp-tongued; he hardly recognized her anymore.
Li Jiu couldn't be bothered to trade idle words with them.
"Since communication with you is so difficult, I'll do it myself." With that, Li Jiu walked familiarly upstairs, heading straight to what used to be her own room.
It had now been converted into Chu Yunyun's room, however.
Filled with all sorts of flashy and gaudy decorations.
Li Jiu took one look at it and wore an expression of utter disgust: "Tacky."
She opened the locked drawer. The passcode was one she had set herself, and seeing the signs of tampering and hammer dents on it, it was obvious... someone had tried to break into it.
But... they hadn't opened it.
Li Jiu gave a soft scoff. The combination lock was something she had personally developed; even top-tier locksmiths today would be entirely helpless against it. Did they really think a hammer could open it?
What a joke.
The contents inside were completely intact. Li Jiu took them and left.
When she got downstairs, everyone was staring straight at her.
"I didn't touch anything in the room." Li Jiu spread her hands, casually clearing her name.
She was wearing a dress today, didn't bring a schoolbag, and therefore had nowhere to hide anything.
"If anyone finds something missing, don't blame it on me." Li Jiu shot Chu Yunyun a meaningful look.
The same trick shouldn't be played a second time; it was terribly boring.
Guilt flickered in Chu Yunyun's eyes, and she instinctively looked away.
"Enjoy your meal." Dropping this airy remark, Li Jiu left directly without giving anyone a chance to react.
Chu Qingtian came to his senses, a calculated glint flashing in the depths of his eyes.
"Chu Hao, go and look into what's actually going on. Find out the exact situation with this year's top national scorer, and also... print out a copy of the exam papers."
Chu Qingtian wanted to see what was really happening.
Could it be... that their Chu Family had actually let a precious pearl slip through their fingers?
One had to know that the title of top national scorer carried immense weight. If she truly possessed that level of capability, it meant her future was limitless!
"Big brother, Sister seems to be getting pretty close with boys lately. Could it be that..." Chu Yunyun lowered her voice and spoke carefully.
Chu Xi heard it clearly and immediately reacted: "Could it be that Li Jiu hooked up with some young master from a wealthy family and used some shady tricks behind the scenes?"
Chu Qingtian nodded.
Things probably wouldn't be that simple, however.
The Royal Academy was extremely strict and never accepted bribes.
This matter would have to be considered from the long-term perspective.
"Let's eat first, everyone." Chu Qingtian waved his hand grandly, and everyone sat back down.
Meanwhile, over at the Li Family.
Li Jiu had just returned, and before the car had even come to a complete stop...
Li Yuan came running out right behind her: "Xiao Jiu, I heard you had your exam today. How did it go? Was it..."
Li Xin glared at her eldest sister: "Didn't Mom say? Asking about grades isn't allowed! Anyway... Xiao Jiu, did you pass?"
Li Yuan: ......
Li Wan was the gentlest of them all, and her voice was the sweetest. She took Li Jiu's hand and coaxed softly: "It doesn't matter. Capital City doesn't only have one school. If you didn't pass, it's fine; we'll just go to a different one."
Li Yuan nodded as well: "I'll use every connection I've built over the past twenty-odd years to find you a good school."
"Though..." Li Yuan still looked a little troubled, "thirty points is really too low, though."
Seeing her three sisters looking so troubled, Li Jiu couldn't help but burst out with a chuckle.
"What thirty points?"
Li Xin twitched the corners of her mouth: "Don't be embarrassed, we've already heard. There were only two people taking the makeup exam this time. One was the top national scorer, and the other scored thirty points."
Li Wan muttered to herself: "The Li Family genes are all pretty good, everyone's got a smart head on their shoulders—how did things go dull when it came to our little sister?"
Then, a thought crossing her mind, Li Wan suddenly understood: "I know!"
Li Wan's voice was so loud that Li Yuan jumped in fright: "Li Wan! What are you shouting about now? You scared the life out of me!"
"Our little sister must have stayed at the Chu Family for too long and been corrupted by their awful cultural influence, which is why her brain isn't working properly right now. So this isn't little sister's fault; we can only blame the Chu Family for being complete trash." Li Wan clicked her tongue, speaking with righteous indignation.
As soon as Li Wan finished, Li Yuan subconsciously glared at her third sister: "Stop talking nonsense."
Li Yuan was also worried about upsetting Li Jiu; after all... that was the place where she had lived for over twenty years.
Who would have expected Li Jiu to break into a gentle smile and chime right along: "No wonder I always felt like my IQ was sealed away back when I was living at the Chu Family! Coming back here, my mind has instantly opened up! Turns out I was just being polluted by a bunch of trash."
The three sisters blinked rapidly: "Little sister, you..."
Li Jiu hooked the corners of her lips: "My three sisters, that top national scorer was me!"
"Holy crap!"
The three sisters leaped straight up from the floor.
"Really, really, really?!"
"I told you the Li Family is full of prodigies! And little sister is a prodigy among prodigies, simply amazing."
Li Jiu nodded heavily: "Yeah, the principal even said he's going to reward me!"
Saying this, Li Jiu pulled out a card: "There's five hundred thousand in here. Take it to help Dad pay off his debts."
Actually... the money was scammed out of someone.
It didn't matter, though; as long as it was spent on the right things, it was fine.
That Duan Qili had made a big show of wanting to split the money, but in the end, he hadn't taken any of it.
Just as Li Jiu finished speaking, Li Cheng walked back inside looking dejected.
Right in time to catch those words.
"What?" Li Cheng asked in surprise.
Seeing a stranger, Li Jiu subconsciously looked him over. Although he was a middle-aged man, he still looked quite vigorous. He was dressed very ordinarily, but he was good-looking and possessed a charm uniquely his own.
Li Jiu guessed that this must be her gambling-addict dad.
Li Jiu had always imagined him as being extremely slovenly, a bearded drunkard.
To her surprise, however, he turned out to be a handsome man...
Now Li Jiu understood completely.
Everyone in this family was obsessed with looks, and their own appearances were off the charts.
Fair was fair; Li Jiu was also obsessed with looks—super obsessed, in fact. With a dad this handsome, she couldn't bring herself to complain.
Besides... Li Jiu felt that gambling was no big deal anyway; things like that naturally had wins and losses.
"You're... my youngest daughter?" Although Li Cheng hadn't been home, he still knew about all the news that mattered.
Li Jiu nodded: "Hello."
Calling him Dad directly still felt a little awkward.
"Good, good, good. You look just as pretty as Qingqing, truly a daughter of the Li Family." Li Cheng's eyes were full of appreciation.
"Did you just say you were going to use five hundred thousand to help me pay off my debts?" Li Cheng asked in disbelief.
Li Jiu nodded obediently: "I'm a member of the Li Family. The school gave me a scholarship, so I should bring it home to help support the household."
Li Cheng was even more gratified: "Come on inside quickly, I bought lots of delicious food for you."
Li Yuan pulled Li Jiu back: "Do you want to know why Dad is always losing money out there, but we still don't hate him?"
Looking at Li Cheng's tall back, Li Jiu shook her head in puzzlement.
"He's very family-oriented and has always doted on Mom. Dad only keeps gambling because he wants to win the money back so he can give us a good life. He's not like other gamblers; he never loses his temper. And the most important thing is that Mom is a hopeless romantic who is deeply in love with Dad, so there's nothing we can do."
Li Yuan spread her hands, looking utterly helpless.
Yet, from all this, Li Jiu felt something quite different...
A kind of warmth she had never experienced at the Chu Family.
The bond of mutual sympathy and family affection.
When they went inside, Gu Qinghuan was pretending to be angry while Li Cheng coaxed her gently beside her.
It gave off a sense of quiet years and peaceful days.