Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1068 - 528:

Only when dawn broke did he drive the pink sports car back to Old Factory Street to pick someone up.

"By the way, Wen Xin."

Fang Cheng gently pressed the accelerator to keep up with the car in front, and glanced at the little girl in the backseat through the rearview mirror:

"Lately, there’s been too much going on, and I haven’t been able to keep an eye on your studies."

"I intended for you to stay home and study today, but you insisted on coming along. So now, let me test you—have you fallen behind in your studies recently?"

Wen Xin, upon hearing this, immediately straightened her posture, her face full of confidence:

"Brother, go ahead and test me! I’ve been studying really hard lately, even that fierce math teacher praised me for improving!"

"Alright."

Fang Cheng’s lips curled into a mischievous smile, and he casually made up a question:

"Let’s start with a simple arithmetic problem then."

"Listen carefully: Suppose there’s a monkey riding on a tree, and another monkey on the ground. How many monkeys are there in total?"

"That’s easy!"

Wen Xin blurted out without thinking:

"Eight monkeys, 7 plus 1 equals 8. Brother, you’re underrating me—this is a first-grade problem."

"Wrong."

Fang Cheng shook his head, decisively denying:

"It’s two monkeys."

Upon hearing this, Wen Xin’s small mouth opened slightly, her face full of confusion:

"Why?"

Fang Cheng explained earnestly:

"Because there’s one monkey riding on a tree and another squatting on the ground, so that’s two monkeys in total. When did I ever say the number was seven?"

"Huh?"

Wen Xin paused for a moment, then realized, her little face instantly scrunched up like a bun:

"Brother, you’re cheating! This is obviously a brain teaser, not a math problem. You set me up on purpose!"

Fang Cheng shrugged:

"All’s fair in love and war, silly girl. I’m teaching you to always think a step ahead and not be fooled by appearances."

"Hmph, I’m not silly... Bad brother, I’m not talking to you anymore."

Wen Xin huffed and turned her head, her cheeks puffed up like a little pufferfish.

However, her eyes didn’t show real anger, but rather the playful indignation felt when teased by someone close.

Zhou Xiumei, watching from the side, couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle gently.

Wen Xin was still sulking when she suddenly noticed the necklace around Zhou Xiumei’s neck.

In the sunlight, the sapphire shimmered with a deep, enchanting glow, and the clover shape was delicate and elegant.

"Wow, Sister Zhou, that necklace you’re wearing today is so pretty. What shape is it?"

Wen Xin’s eyes instantly sparkled like stars as she leaned closer for a better look.

When Wen Xin brought it up, Zhou Xiumei’s originally fair cheeks suddenly flushed red.

She reached up to touch the pendant at her collarbone, her eyes flicking to Fang Cheng with some shyness, her voice barely above a whisper:

"Um... this is... a gift from your Brother Fang Cheng."

"He said a four-leaf clover represents luck and hoped it would bring me good fortune in today’s competition."

"It’s so beautiful..."

Wen Xin drawled, staring enviously at the necklace, unable to tear her eyes away.

Clearly, shiny accessories have an irresistible allure to women, regardless of age.

Fang Cheng, watching the two through the rearview mirror, couldn’t help but smile and then chimed in:

"Wen Xin, after this semester’s finals, if you can rank in the top three of your class, I’ll give you a nice big gift too."

"Really? What kind of gift?"

Wen Xin, hearing this, immediately leaned excitedly against the seat back.

All the earlier annoyance was instantly forgotten, her eyes full of anticipation as she looked at Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng cleared his throat and said leisurely:

"I’ll give you a deluxe edition set of ’Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulations,’ along with the Huanggang Test Papers. How’s that for a big gift?"

"Ah?!"

Wen Xin’s face instantly fell, collapsing dejectedly onto the backseat with a groan:

"Brother, are you a devil...?"

"Pfft."

Zhou Xiumei finally couldn’t hold back her laughter, her eyes crinkling with mirth.

In that moment, even the sunlight outside the window seemed to shine a little brighter.

The car was filled with a joyful atmosphere, warm like any typical family outing on a weekend.

Listening to the lively banter, Fang Cheng felt the dark clouds in his heart clear somewhat.

Truth be told, his greatest concern was never for his own safety.

Rather, it was the fear that his own connections might endanger the family and friends around him.

After Lin Chuqiao made a prophecy yesterday, Fang Cheng had already taken all precautionary measures.

To prevent anything from happening like the prophecy suggested, he moved all his loved ones away before anything started.

There was no need to worry about his mother; she had already gone to Wanghu Town to take care of her grandfather.

Wen Huixi was helping out in Master Lin’s store, so he sent Wen Xin there to do her homework and keep her mother company.

As for Zhou Xiumei and her family, Fang Cheng discreetly gave some money to Aunt He out of his own pocket.

He said it was a bit of his heartfelt gift, advising her to keep it quiet and take the family out for a meal, as a pre-celebration for the competition.

When all his friends and family were safe and sound, he stayed home alone, ready to face whatever came.

As it turned out, last night’s battle didn’t just succeed in eliminating Ghost Scythe; it also managed to scare off Night Owl.

Fang Cheng calculated inwardly.

The current situation, though seemingly calm, was rife with hidden dangers.

If the enemies were truly desperate and found themselves unable to deal with him directly, they might turn to those close to him for leverage, and that would be the worst outcome.

Fortunately, based on the intelligence he had, Ideal Land didn’t appear to be planning an immediate counterattack.

Perhaps due to a lack of powerful assets in East Capital, they were adopting a cautious, wait-and-see approach for now.