"No worries, this house is soundproof. We just need to keep our voices down," Yin Yang said calmly. After all, he’d arranged for those people to be in the few farthest rooms, so there was no need to worry about them being disturbed, nor could they disturb other guests.

Xu Mumu was amazed by Yin Yang’s thick skin. If it weren’t for the precautions they’d taken, she felt she might have been pregnant already given their frequency.

In the end, Yin Yang got his way.

The next day wasn’t exam day yet, so the kids stayed in the courtyard reading, with a few teachers watching them, while Xu Mumu leisurely went to her class.

Now, after being messed with by Yin Yang, she felt her body was getting stronger. From being constantly tired to now feeling full of energy, she even felt her strength had increased. What a pity she didn’t have a chance to test it right then.

When she had the time, she’d try to test if she’d really gotten stronger.

The school’s auditorium had long been cleared out, and no one was allowed in until the speech contest was over.

When Xu Mumu finished her class, she heard many people discussing the speech contest, and quite a few planned to check it out the next day.

Xu Mumu also planned to have a look the next day. She only had classes for the first two periods in the morning, so she’d be free afterwards.

The next day was the competition. When Xu Mumu got up, the kids were already up, and she noticed Xu Jiaojiao seemed nervous, clutching a book as if reading it could calm her down.

Unfortunately, it didn’t. Xu Mumu noticed she was reading some parts wrong.

"Jiaojiao, are you nervous?" Xu Mumu asked, looking at Xu Jiaojiao.

"A little bit," Xu Jiaojiao replied softly.

"There’s nothing to be scared of. You passed the preliminary and semi-final rounds. You’re not bad at all, so there’s nothing to worry about. When you get on stage, just think of the audience as me. Perform as you do when you read in front of me, relax a bit, and remember the judges don’t bite," Xu Mumu gently reassured Xu Jiaojiao.

"Does that really work?" Xu Jiaojiao hesitated.

"Of course it does. I’d never lie to you guys," Xu Mumu said confidently. As long as she didn’t freeze up, Xu Jiaojiao would do fine. Though she might lag behind those who had been learning English since young, Xu Mumu still believed in her. After all, she’d taught her siblings herself.

After Xu Mumu’s comforting words, Xu Jiaojiao was in much better spirits.

"Second brother, aren’t you worried at all?" Xu Jiaojiao asked, puzzled by how relaxed Xu Minglei seemed.

"What’s there to worry about? Even if we don’t win a prize, we haven’t lost anything," Xu Minglei paused while eating his fried egg, trying to act like the big brother. Internally, he was a bit worried but felt too embarrassed to admit it.

But he thought his sister was right. Once he was on stage, he’d imagine the judges as his sister, and that way, he wouldn’t be nervous.

Xu Jiaojiao, looking up to Xu Minglei, thought her second brother was amazing. She wanted to learn from him and not fall behind.

Watching the two kids, Xu Mumu felt a bit amused as she led them into Hua University’s gates. The teachers had scouted the place yesterday.

There were many participants. Seeing the young faces, Xu Mumu felt emotional—these were the country’s future.

After registering them at the auditorium, Xu Mumu went to attend her class. She noticed their turns were towards the end, so she could attend her two classes and still make it back in time.

Xu Mumu was a bit late to her classroom, but luckily class hadn’t started yet. The room was buzzing with discussions about the English speech contest.

"Mumu, you went to drop off your siblings?" Jiang Zhenghao came over, smiling at Xu Mumu.

"Yeah," Xu Mumu replied with a smile.

"I’m over at the student council. I’ll be helping to maintain order later. Want me to save you a spot backstage where you can watch directly?" Jiang Zhenghao asked warmly.

"Really?" Xu Mumu looked at Jiang Zhenghao in surprise.

"Of course." Jiang Zhenghao nodded. It was just a matter of saving a spot.

"I want to watch too. Can you save me a spot?" Su Yue’e chimed in out of curiosity about Xu Mumu’s siblings.

"No problem. Come find me after class," Jiang Zhenghao agreed readily.

"Thank you so much." Xu Mumu looked at Jiang Zhenghao gratefully.

"No worries, aren’t we friends? Plus, you let us use your lab," Jiang Zhenghao shrugged it off.

"Right, we’re friends," Xu Mumu said seriously.

She’d invested time in becoming friends with them because their grades were excellent, they were diligent, and adaptable—people who surely wouldn’t be inferior in the future.

Now, she felt she needed to reevaluate her understanding of Jiang Zhenghao and the others. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"That’s more like it," Jiang Zhenghao said happily.

As they chatted happily, Shen Ya watched with jealousy, feeling miserable. Jiang Zhenghao always sought out Xu Mumu to talk, and though Xu Mumu was married, she still clung to Jiang Zhenghao—how annoying!

No, she also had to go later. Class was about to start, and after class, she’d seek out Jiang Zhenghao.

Class flew by quickly, leaving only a ten-minute break, not enough to run to the auditorium. Xu Mumu decided not to go just yet; she could go later.

As soon as class ended, Shen Ya went to find Jiang Zhenghao and happily greeted him.

"Jiang Zhenghao, I need to discuss something with you," Shen Ya said softly.

"What is it?" Jiang Zhenghao asked while jotting down names, glancing up at Shen Ya.

"Well, I’d like to come watch the contest later. Could you save me a spot?" The back area wasn’t crowded, but the students and teachers participating upfront were numerous, along with many spectators.

"Sorry, there are no spots left here," Jiang Zhenghao shook his head, not wanting too many people backstage to disrupt student council work.

"How could there be none? Didn’t you just invite Xu Mumu and Su Yue’e to watch before class?" Shen Ya’s voice grew sharp. How could Jiang Zhenghao refuse her? Was it because of Xu Mumu? She hated Xu Mumu to the core.

Unbeknownst to Xu Mumu, Shen Ya had developed another grudge against her.

"There’ll be no spots left once they come. Two student council members took leave, and they’re coming to help," Jiang Zhenghao frowned slightly. This female classmate frequently trying to get close to him was causing him some annoyance.

"I can help too," Shen Ya quickly offered, regretting not joining the student council when Jiang Zhenghao did; she could have stayed close to the one she liked every day.