The fake heiress loves to act? The max-level boss isn't interested in playing along.

Zhang Wen let out a long sigh of relief and grabbed Fu Hua's arm.

She said with lingering fear, "Huahua, the exam is finally over!"

The last math problem was insanely difficult; I barely understood the question and just scribbled something down.

Thanks to you for giving me a crash course on similar question types the other day, I managed to guess at least a few formulas correctly!

Fu Hua smiled slightly as she looked at her relieved expression.

He encouraged her, saying, "You've done your best. This monthly exam is just a test; the important thing is to find your weaknesses so we can practice those areas later."

"Um!"

Zhang Wen nodded vigorously, then perked up again, "No matter how I did on the exam, I'm finally free! Come on, Huahua, let's go to the state-run restaurant to celebrate. I'll treat you to stir-fried pork! I have to reward my brain cells that have died these past few days!"

Seeing her full of energy, Fu Hua couldn't bear to spoil the mood, so she nodded in agreement.

She can just call home in a bit to let them know.

The two had not gone far from the school gate when they heard Fu Chaochao and Zhou Rong's voices coming from ahead.

They seemed to be discussing the math exam they had just taken.

"Chaochao, did you solve that last, big problem?"

Zhou Rong asked.

Fu Chaochao's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible smugness, yet she feigned modesty: "Um... I wrote down some steps, but I don't know if they're correct. It's quite difficult."

"Ugh, I have absolutely no ideas, my mind is completely blank!"

Zhou Rong said with frustration.

Just then, they saw Lin Bei passing by.

Zhou Rong's eyes lit up, and he immediately called out, "Lin Bei! Please wait a moment!"

Lin Bei stopped, his brows furrowed, and looked at them.

Zhou Rong quickly stepped forward, a smile plastered on his face: "Lin Bei, could you please help me with that last, really difficult math problem from the exam? What was your thought process...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Bei coldly interrupted her: "Sorry, I don't want to discuss the questions anymore after the exam."

His gaze didn't even linger on Fu Chaochao for long before he turned to leave after speaking.

However, his gaze shifted and he happened to see Fu Hua walking over with Zhang Wen.

He paused, and his previously cold expression seemed to soften slightly.

He actually walked towards them on his own initiative.

"Fu Hua, Zhang Wen."

Lin Bei greeted them, his voice softer than before.

Fu Hua was somewhat surprised that this person actually knew her name.

So this is Lin Bei, the academic genius. He looks like a cute puppy, no wonder Zhang Wen likes him.

She nodded politely but distantly: "Lin Bei, classmate."

Zhang Wen instantly felt both nervous and excited, her face flushing slightly.

His voice rose eight octaves: "Lin... Lin Bei! What a coincidence!"

Lin Bei's gaze was mainly fixed on Fu Hua.

He naturally joined their group, saying as they walked, "Just finished your exam? That last math question was interesting; it tested the combined application of algebra and geometry."

The key points are the construction of auxiliary lines and the introduction of the concept of functions... Fu Hua, what do you think?

He began to analyze the problem fluently, his eyes bright, filled with the excitement of encountering a difficult problem.

Fu Hua only occasionally hummed in response, without replying, her attitude remaining lukewarm.

Zhang Wen wanted to respond, but she didn't understand most of Lin Bei's line of reasoning.

All they could do was nod like chicks pecking at rice, their eyes filled with admiration.

As they approached the entrance of the state-run restaurant, Lin Bei continued talking.

They even naturally followed them into the store.

He added, "...So although this type of question is rare, it's quite simple once you grasp the core method; it's not that difficult."

Are you going to eat? I'm hungry too, let's go together, it's on me.

Fu Hua frowned almost imperceptibly.

She didn't want to have too much contact with Lin Bei, especially not to freeload off this meal.

But looking at Zhang Wen beside her, who was both surprised and delighted, frantically signaling to her with her eyes that she should agree, she was surprised to see her expression.

She swallowed back the refusal that was on the tip of her tongue. Not wanting to embarrass her friend, she had no choice but to acquiesce.

This scene was clearly witnessed by Fu Chaochao and Zhou Rong, who were lagging behind.

Zhou Rong pursed his lips, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the people in front to hear.

His tone was sarcastic and full of sarcasm: "Oh, look at them, they're really capable."

He usually seems quiet and unassuming, but he's quite capable when it matters; he even managed to get Lin Bei to have dinner with him.

I wonder what they were discussing that made them so "compatible"?

Fu Chaochao's face turned even uglier after hearing this.

She stared intently at Lin Bei and Fu Hua as they walked side by side into the restaurant, her fingers gripping the straps of her backpack tightly, her eyes so dark they seemed to drip water.

The "familiar" relationship she tried so hard to maintain with Lin Bei...

The reality of the other party taking the initiative to approach Fu Hua and have dinner together seems so pale and ridiculous.

Why? Why does everyone like her?

In the state-run restaurant, Fu Hua, Zhang Wen, and Lin Bei sat at a table.

Lin Bei seemed completely unaffected by the gossip outside.

He was still enthusiastically sharing his problem-solving insights.

However, his gaze would occasionally fall on Fu Hua, who was eating quietly and only occasionally responding with a word or two.

Zhang Wen was in a blissful, dizzying state, feeling that today was simply her lucky day.

Fu Hua, meanwhile, was silently hoping that the meal would end quickly.

And he was thinking about how to "repay" Lin Bei for this unexpected "treat".

She doesn't like owing favors to others, nor does she want others to owe her anything.

Fu Chaochao and Zhou Rong eventually followed them in.

He deliberately chose a table that was neither too close nor too far from Fu Hua and the others.

Zhou Rong, brimming with questions and gossip, leaned closer to Fu Chaochao and lowered his voice:

"Chao Chao, tell me the truth, what exactly is the relationship between Fu Hua and your family?"

"How come she also has the surname Fu? I heard she still lives in your compound?"

She glanced suspiciously between Fu Hua and Fu Chaochao, feeling that the two didn't look alike at all.

Fu Chaochao has no sisters, only two brothers, which she knows.

Lost in thought, Fu Chaochao casually replied, "Just relatives."

"what?"

Zhou Rong was skeptical: "I've never heard of such a relative in your family before."

Fu Chaochao's heart tightened, but she forced a calm expression and picked up the menu, glancing at it discreetly.

Her tone was deliberately relaxed yet carried a subtle hint of belittling: "Oh, her... she's a distant relative from my dad's hometown. The conditions in the countryside aren't good, so we sent her to the city to stay for a while and also to study."

She deliberately obscured the crucial identity of being her "biological daughter."

They positioned Fu Hua as a "poor relative" who needed to depend on their family.

Zhou Rong suddenly realized, then said with a hint of disdain, "Oh, I knew it..."

Just then, Fu Hua and her group finished eating and got up to leave.

As the three of them passed by Fu Chaochao and Zhou Rong's table,

Zhou Rong seemed to have finally found an outlet for his anger, and deliberately raised his voice.

Speaking in a voice that could be heard at several surrounding tables, in a sarcastic tone:

"Hey, isn't this so-and-so? A country bumpkin from the countryside, he's only been eating in the city for a few days and he thinks he can suddenly become a phoenix?"

"They don't even look at their own background before hanging around people they shouldn't be with. It's laughable!"