Actually, for both of them considering their ages, it's a bit premature to discuss Shen Sinian's education issues. They themselves are still underage and only halfway grown up.
However, Xu Chuning feels that even though she and Shen Sinian are of similar ages, in terms of status, she is Shen Sinian's mother. Although she hasn't completely adapted to this role yet, she still needs to lay down the law where necessary.
Fortunately, she's relatively mature for her age, so stepping into the mother role isn't incredibly difficult for her.
Given Shen Sinian's behavior today, Xu Chuning strongly feels the need to set some boundaries for him—to establish rules, at the very least to ensure he doesn't casually get into fights.
She fears he might get hurt.
After hearing what Xu Chuning said, Shen Yubai fell silent for a moment, "Now?"
Xu Chuning: "How about on the weekend?"
Class is about to start, and she has to help out at the shop after school in the afternoon, not to mention homework to do in the evening.
Shen Yubai nods slightly, "That works."
No sooner had they agreed than the bell rang for class.
Xu Chuning glanced at Shen Yubai, "I'll head back to class first."
Shen Yubai made a sound of acknowledgment.
The two walked out of the pavilion one after the other, Xu Chuning leading and Shen Yubai following. Shen Yubai squinted his eyes slightly as he watched her petite figure hurry away, then turned and walked towards the building where the international classes were held.
The news that Shen Sinian got into a fight spread throughout the school that day.
Within a day, all the students in the second-year high school knew that a student transferred into Liberal Arts Class (6) who was almost as handsome as Shen Yubai and equally formidable in a fight—someone not to be trifled with.
At Xu Chuning's school, students who lived nearby were allowed to commute home before the twelfth grade, and evening self-study wasn't mandatory.
Those who commuted would almost always go home right after school in the afternoon.
The bell for the end of class rang, and Xu Chuning left the classroom with Shen Sinian. As they exited the building, Xu Chuning could clearly feel the surrounding students stealing glances at Shen Sinian beside her.
"Ningning," Shen Sinian, too, noticed something and moved closer to Xu Chuning, speaking to her in a lowered voice, "Why are they all looking at me?"
Xu Chuning's mouth twitched, suddenly unsure whether to praise Shen Sinian for his naivety or his obtuseness. She paused, then blurted out a random excuse, "You're handsome."
Shen Sinian: "…"
Hearing Xu Chuning's half-hearted response, he was slightly lost for words, "I'm not an idiot."
Xu Chuning: "Then why ask?"
Shen Sinian looked down at her with downcast eyes and said in a muffled voice, "I wanted to cheer you up."
Xu Chuning was momentarily taken aback.
Shen Sinian then asked, "Are you still mad at me?"
He meant about the fighting.
Xu Chuning looked up and met his clear, bright, peach-blossom eyes, feeling something very subtle. She realized that even though Shen Sinian's actions today were somewhat exasperating, she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him.
"No," Xu Chuning didn't beat around the bush, "but if you do it again, I might get angry."
"Really?" Shen Sinian completely ignored the latter half of her statement and only heard her say no, his eyes lighting up with delight, "You're sure you're not mad?"
Seeing his excitement, Xu Chuning felt a bit like laughing, "Don't you trust me?"
Shen Sinian quickly shook his head.
Xu Chuning gave him a sideways glance and huffed, "Let's go, we'll talk more once we're out of the school."
There were really too many onlookers in school.
*
Back at the small shop, Xu Chuning and Shen Sinian helped Aunt You Shuzhen.
Knowing it was Shen Sinian's first day at the new school, once they were finished, Aunt You specifically asked him how it was.
Before answering Aunt You's question, Shen Sinian sneakily glanced at Xu Chuning, and with not much confidence, said, "It was okay."
Aunt You: "Did you get along well with your new classmates?"
Shen Sinian: "...Not bad."
Hearing this, You Shuzhen was relieved. She nodded and said, "That's good. Are you and Ningning in the same class?"
Shen Sinian responded, "I sit behind her."
You Shuzhen hurriedly instructed Xu Chuning, "Make sure to look after Sinian at school."
Xu Chuning: "Mom, I know."
She glanced at Shen Sinian, who looked guilty, and couldn't help but say with a laugh and a cry, "It's more likely he'll be taking care of me."
You Shuzhen: "What do you mean?"
To prevent Xu Chuning from telling You Shuzhen about his fights, Shen Sinian coughed behind his hand and interrupted their conversation, "Aunt You, you don't need to worry. I can adapt very well on my own. Ningning, you don't have to worry about me either, I will definitely take good care of her at school."
While speaking, he picked up a piece of meat and put it in You Shuzhen's bowl, "Let's eat first, and then we can chat about other things after the meal."
You Shuzhen hastened with an "Okay," "Let's eat first, then."
She was always an open-minded parent. Realizing that Shen Sinian was avoiding her last question, she didn't press for an answer.
After dinner, Shen Sinian returned to his place first.
You Shuzhen had to close the shop later, so Xu Chuning stayed with her. There were no customers at the moment, so she took out her homework from her bag and started doing it.
After finishing her own, Xu Chuning took out a few brand-new workbooks and began to copy.
When You Shuzhen came over, she quickly hid the copied homework.
You Shuzhen didn't notice anything amiss. She was busy cleaning the shop and didn't disturb Xu Chuning.
At nine o'clock in the evening, the mother and daughter closed the shop and went home together.
Once home, Xu Chuning asked You Shuzhen for her phone, saying she wanted to log into QQ to contact her classmates.
Shen Sinian had lent her a phone which she had returned to him after school. She was afraid he might need to contact her for something.
Xu Chuning had always been sensible, so whenever she asked for something, You Shuzhen wouldn't question it much.
Handing the phone to Xu Chuning, You Shuzhen reminded her, "Go take a shower first, play for a while after that, and then go to sleep."
Xu Chuning agreed: "Mom, you shower first. I'm worried the classmate might go to sleep later."
You Shuzhen thought for a moment, "Alright."
The rental was small; there was just a narrow bathroom where it was even a little difficult to turn around, with a makeshift washstand and kitchen at the entrance.
When You Shuzhen entered the bathroom, Xu Chuning logged onto QQ on her phone and saw a message from senior You Lingshan, asking what time she could pick up the homework the next day.
Indeed, Xu Chuning had been secretly helping classmates with their homework and writing reading notes for money since a long time ago.
Although the earnings weren't much, they added up over time, and she had saved quite a bit of money.
In the afternoon's second class, she had visited the senior section and collected the workbooks and the homework given by the teachers from You Lingshan, in order to complete the homework for her and another classmate.
Xu Chuning was good at her studies and had a strong memory. Except for needing to spend a bit more time on mathematics, she could finish the homework from both the senior and junior years quickly.
Upon seeing You Lingshan's message, Xu Chuning replied: [Can you come to my family's breakfast shop to pick them up tomorrow morning? Would 7:30 work for you?]
You Lingshan: [No problem, I'll also grab some breakfast there.]
Xu Chuning: [Great.]
You Lingshan: [Hey, I heard some gossip today. Did a handsome guy transfer to your second-year class?]
Xu Chuning: [Why are you curious about this too?]
You Lingshan: [Who isn't curious about a handsome guy? Do you know which class he transferred to? I want to see if he's as handsome as they say.]
Xu Chuning, unable to help but smile, replied: [He's in our class.]
You Lingshan: [?]
You Lingshan: [So, is he handsome?]
You Lingshan: [Compared to Shen Yubai, who's more handsome?]
Xu Chuning didn't hesitate: [The transfer student is more handsome.]