Chapter 55

Among the people Zong Jincheng hated the most, Xu Wan would rank first, and the second would undoubtedly be that Qin guy.

Little Demon King didn't expect that even a morning stroll could lead him to encounter this surname, instantly shattering his calm and healing mood.

"Hmph!"

Zong Jincheng turned and walked in another direction, but the location of the Qin residence was awkwardly placed. He either had to go back the way he came or inevitably pass by the Qin family's courtyard wall.

The Little Demon King grew angrier as he walked, finally stopping and asking, "This isn't Qin Ye's house, is it?"

Buyan replied, "It seems to be his home."

Qin Ye's father was a fifth-rank official, and their residence was located in this area.

Zong Jincheng snorted again and strode forward quickly.

Buyan hurried to keep up.

Unexpectedly, the young master suddenly stopped short, and if not for Buyan's exceptional martial arts, he might have knocked Zong Jincheng flying.

Zong Jincheng turned to him and said, "Qin Ye is really lazy. He's still not up reading at this hour."

The Qin residence was pitch black, with not a single candlelight visible.

Buyan thought for a moment and said, "Master, today is a rest day."

"So what?" The Little Demon King replied arrogantly, "Even Zong Wenxiu is up reading. Only Qin Ye is still lazing in bed. Hmph, and he dares to compete with me for the first place? He'll be flattened, flattened, flattened in no time."

As Zong Jincheng spoke, he ground his foot on the ground, almost stepping on a few innocent ants.

Buyan: "……"

He couldn't understand this childish operation.

Finally, Buyan, lacking the ability to read the room, reminded, "Master, I see a light in one direction of the Qin residence."

"Where?" Zong Jincheng looked up but couldn't see anything.

Buyan thought, given your height, it's normal not to see it.

Without ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‍a word, he picked up the Little Demon King and placed him on his shoulder.

Zong Jincheng's vision immediately widened. He glanced inside and sure enough, there was a room lit up. "Move a bit forward."

The Little Demon King clung to the wall, peering inside. His vision was still a bit blurry, so he stepped on Buyan's shoulder and leaped onto the wall, hanging like a little gecko.

Perhaps the noise was too loud, and the room below suddenly opened a window, revealing a pair of extremely cold eyes.

It was Qin Ye.

Zong Jincheng stared at him for a few seconds before finally reacting and shouting, "It really is him!"

Qin Ye might not have recognized Zong Jincheng, but upon seeing someone disturbing his reading, he slammed the window shut with a loud bang, the sound clearly audible outside the wall.

Zong Jincheng vaguely remembered that the person had a book in his hand before closing the window, flipping through it as if he was genuinely reading, not just pretending.

He froze for a moment, his brows furrowed.

Somehow, he felt uncomfortable all over. Thinking of this morning on a rest day, Zong Wenxiu was reading to catch up, and Qin Ye was also reading.

Qin Ye was already first; why was he still rushing to catch up?

The Little Demon King tilted his head and thought for a long time before finally concluding, "He must think I'm going to snatch the first place, so he's frantically trying to keep up with me!"

Buyan: "……"

He suddenly remembered Shunzi's famous saying: Never take the young master's words seriously, and never overanalyze them.

Otherwise, even someone like him with no expression would easily lose control.

Despite this, on the way back, Zong Jincheng kept rambling, "But how did he know I would surpass him? Did he see my potential to surpass him last time? Or did he secretly investigate me at Marquis Manor to see how hard I've been studying this month?"

Buyan listened and didn't know how to respond.

He thought none of these possibilities were likely, but he also didn't know how to answer the young master, only praying to return to the manor quickly so Shunzi could take over the task of answering.

Zong Jincheng continued to mutter to himself, "Anyway, he must be paying attention to me. Of course, anyone who encounters such an excellent rival as me would feel the pressure!"

Buyan: "……"

Why hasn't he reached home yet!

The road back to Marquis Manor feels endless!

Zong Jincheng couldn't hear Buyan's inner screams and continued to walk, his steps getting faster and faster.

He was walking and jumping, in a great mood.

Buyan's silence was deafening.

When Xu Wan woke up, she heard Cui Liu reporting the Little Demon King's progress. As she wiped her face, she asked, "What was he up to last night? Not sleeping again?"

"The young master just strolled around the street and then passed by the Qin residence. It's said he even peeked over their wall for a while."

"Huh?" Xu Wan paused with the towel in her hand, "The Qin residence? Qin Ye's house? What was he doing peeking over their wall?"

Cui Zhi suppressed her laughter and said, "According to Shunzi, the young master thought Qin Ye was secretly studying to catch up with Master Zong."

Xu Wan's mouth twitched, another day of being speechless over the Little Demon King's delusional confidence.

She continued to apply the towel to her face lazily, "Qin Ye is a child with both talent and hard work. How could he possibly work hard just to surpass that lazy Zong Jincheng? To be honest, he probably doesn't even know who Zong Jincheng is. What an arrogant little brat."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Cui Zhi chuckled, "Madam, should we send an invitation to the Qin residence, inviting Master Qin Ye to come to our manor to study with the young master for a day?"

Xu Wan raised an eyebrow, amused, "You want Qin Ye to reject the invitation and let Zong Jincheng know that the other party doesn't even recognize him?"

Cui Zhi replied, "We need to deflate the young master's arrogance a bit, or he'll never study."

Xu Wan pondered for a moment before shaking her head, "Forget it. Qin Ye studies diligently, and we shouldn't disturb him. Anyway, the results will be out soon."

Cui Zhi was surprised. It wouldn't take long to invite Qin Ye, yet the madam seemed overly cautious, almost afraid to disturb him.

She tentatively asked, "Madam, it seems you quite like this young master from the Qin family?"

Xu Wan was also very straightforward, "Yes, who wouldn't like a hardworking child?"

She had come out of a small mountain village step by step, so she knew the hardships of exams and how much hardworking students cherished their time.

Having been through the rain herself, she didn't want to cause others to get wet because of her.

Cui Zhi replied, "That's true. The madam also likes Master Zong Wenxiu very much."

Xu Wan laughed, "Actually, I like Zong Jincheng too."

"Ah?" Cui Zhi was stunned.

This was really unexpected, especially from Master Zong himself.

Xu Wan laughed loudly, "Haha, but I have to suppress my liking for him. Otherwise, if this kid feels it, he'll become even more arrogant!"

"That's true," Cui Zhi praised, "Madam is wise."

When Xu Wan went to the front hall for breakfast, she only saw Zong Wenxiu and not Zong Jincheng.

She chuckled and asked, "Has the kid finally gotten tired?"

Steward Liu replied, "The young master was very energetic today and couldn't fall asleep. The court physician was afraid he would harm his body, so he gave him a couple of acupuncture needles."

"?" Xu Wan was amazed, "A couple of needles can make him fall asleep quickly?"