The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 244

Xu Wan snorted and laughed, "That's more like it."

After saying this, she ruffled the little rascal's hair again. The child was becoming more and more well-behaved, which always made her maternal instincts flare up uncontrollably.

The little devil happily enjoyed it, though he muttered in protest, "You're being too rough. You're messing up my hair."

Xu Wan laughed heartily and patted his shoulder, saying, "Hurry back to your studies. The teachers will be waiting impatiently soon."

"Got it," the little devil replied, about to leave. But after a few steps, he turned back and asked, "Why do you always call me 'little kid'? Aren't I your son?"

Xu Wan was puzzled, "Yes, but those aren't conflicting, are they?"

Zong Jincheng: "..."

Well, she had a point. But wasn't there a more special nickname?

She used to call him "Little Jincheng" before. Why had she stopped? Was it because he had grown up?

Feeling disheartened, the little devil turned to leave. He needed to think of a new nickname, one that no one else had used, something only she could call him.

From behind, Xu Wan called out playfully, "Chengcheng?"

The little boy froze mid-step, his previously drooping eyebrows suddenly lighting up. He turned around abruptly, a big smile on his face, and asked, "What did you call me?"

"Chengcheng," Xu Wan repeated with a smile. "Does it sound nice?"

The little devil nodded vigorously, "It sounds great!"

He loved it!

He wanted to hear it often!

Xu Wan ruffled his hair again and said, "Alright, I'll call you that from now on. Go on, come find me for dinner after your classes."

"Mm-hmm!" Zong Jincheng agreed happily.

In the following days, the two troublemakers who had planned to skip classes somehow ended up studying geography, while the other three diligent kids also learned to summarize and apply the knowledge they gathered.

By May, Zong Wenxiu and Zong Jincheng had taken the monthly exams at Qingbo Academy. A few days after the exams, they went to check their results.

Since the two brothers had already passed the Childhood Scholar exams and officially joined the ranks of those preparing for the imperial examinations, their new classmates ranged in age, making the three of them stand out like sore thumbs.

However, one good thing was that Qin Ye's reputation was so immense that wherever he went, people would stop him to chat or even block his path. This meant he bore the brunt of the overwhelming attention, shielding the Zong brothers from it.

"Qin Ye, Qin Ye, are you still confident about taking first place this time? Your competitors this time are classmates from all age groups. Some have studied for years longer than you, and others have even participated in the provincial exams."

"..."

Qin Ye's face was cold, his patience already worn thin.

After a few seconds of his death glare, the person who had asked the question felt awkward and tried to smooth things over, "Oh, I almost forgot. You're the one who defeated the entire Hanlin North Academy. A mere exam at Qingbo Academy is surely no challenge for you."

Qin Ye coldly walked past him.

But then another person blocked his path, "Qin Ye, hello. I'm the son of the Minister of Ceremonies. My sister really likes you. Could you spare a moment to talk with her?"

Qin Ye: "......"

In the end, it was his bodyguard who stepped in, solemnly and seriously explaining that the young master was only nine years old and not yet ready for such matters, thus dissuading the eager nobleman from matchmaking.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Zong Jincheng was the first to burst into wild laughter, his voice booming.

Zong Wenxiu also wanted to laugh, but his younger brother's laughter was too loud. He quickly pulled Zong Jincheng aside to avoid Qin Ye hearing and getting angry. After all, Qin Ye had helped them during the Childhood Scholar exams.

But turning away didn't help. The little devil's voice was too loud, and his laughter attracted a crowd. Zong Wenxiu once again felt like he wanted to dig a hole and disappear.

Zong Jincheng was laughing so hard that tears were forming, "Brother, why aren't you laughing? Hahaha, this is too funny! At nine years old, he's already being chased around for introductions. I think Qin Ye should quit studying and just become someone's child groom, hahahaha!"

Zong Wenxiu gritted his teeth and whispered, "Little brother, stop laughing. Otherwise, Qin Ye will come over and beat you up."

"Huh? Let him try," the little devil rolled up his sleeves. "When it comes to fighting, I've never lost to anyone my age."

Zong Wenxiu: "..."

Well, that approach didn't work. Time for a new tactic.

"Jincheng, this exam had a lot of candidates, and the competition was fierce. The ranking list only has 120 spots. We probably didn't make it."

The little devil shrugged nonchalantly, "So what if we didn't? No one expects to climb the rankings right from the start. Even if the God of Literature descended, it wouldn't be possible. Besides, hehe, if we didn't make it, neither did Qin Ye. Let's see him brag about being first all the time now. His myth is shattered!"

Zong Wenxiu couldn't help but laugh, "That's one way to look at it."

The two brothers went to check the results together, deliberately choosing a time when there were fewer people around. But as soon as they arrived, they saw Qin Ye walking back with a dark expression.

The little devil immediately started laughing again, "Hahaha, he must have failed! He's upset! Just as I predicted, Qin Ye's legend is over. Let's see who keeps hyping him up as the future top scholar now!"

Now even more eager to see the rankings, one started searching from the top of the list while the other started from the bottom.

When they met in the middle, Zong Jincheng didn't see any familiar names, while Zong Wenxiu, who had started from the bottom, said with a complicated expression, "We didn't make the list. But Qin Ye did. He's ranked 100th."

Qingbo Academy had thousands of students preparing for the imperial exams, so for Qin Ye to make the list just over a month after passing the Childhood Scholar exams was a testament to his far superior abilities.

The little devil tried to save face, "Hmph, now he's just barely hanging on at the bottom. It's fine, brother. We're right behind him. Next month, we'll definitely make the list."

"Right! ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‍We'll make it!"

But...

Things didn't go as planned.

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In June, Qin Ye was 85th. They didn't make the list.

"......"

In July, Qin Ye was 68th. They didn't make the list.

"......"

In August, Qin Ye was 49th. They didn't make the list.

"......"

The troublemakers in the advanced class burst into laughter.

Especially Shen Yibai, who was slapping the table and jumping around, "Hahahaha, I can't take it! Jincheng, you guys shouldn't even bother going to Qingbo Academy for the monthly exams. Every time, you fail to make the list, and all you do is watch Qin Ye climb higher and higher."

Wei Xinglu was also laughing so hard he could barely breathe, "Yeah, hahaha, why don't you just send Shunzi to check the results for you after the exams? Going yourself every time just means you keep embarrassing yourself over and over."

"Oh my god, my stomach hurts from laughing. He Zheng was right. Jincheng might be the king here, but in front of Qin Ye, he can't even make the rankings."

He Zheng's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly defended himself, "Big brother, let me explain! I never said that! I only said Qin Ye was first in the Childhood Scholar exams. Everything else was Shen Yibai's own imagination!"