My Mother-in-Law and I Became the Internet's Hottest Power Couple-Chapter 119

Lu Yicheng had originally thought about just confessing his feelings outright.

His reasoning was similar to Zheng Yankai's—Lu Yicheng was confident that being in a relationship wouldn’t interfere with his studies. He could maintain his position as the top student in his grade while also helping Jiang Lan with her studies. But Jiang Lan didn’t see it that way.

Lu Yicheng was certain that Jiang Lan didn’t like him right now. Her mind was occupied solely by math problems.

She was being foolish. If she made him her boyfriend, there wouldn’t be a single math problem she couldn’t solve. Not just math—physics, chemistry, English, biology—he could handle them all.

If he confessed, Lu Yicheng figured he’d just become the second Zheng Yankai.

Poor Zheng Yankai—he hadn’t even gotten the chance to confess.

Lu Yicheng didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty about it. These things weren’t something you could just concede. If Zheng Yankai became Jiang Lan’s boyfriend, what would happen to him? Honestly, Lu Yicheng was quite pleased with how things turned out, even if Zheng Yankai did end up in a rough spot.

He saw Zheng Yankai again a few days later. Zheng Yankai had been in low spirits for a while. When he spotted Lu Yicheng from a distance, he simply nodded in greeting before walking away. Zheng Yankai didn’t know how to face Lu Yicheng—he wasn’t the type to blame others for his own misfortunes.

This wasn’t Lu Yicheng’s fault. If anything, he could only blame himself for not being good enough—for Jiang Lan not liking him.

Zheng Yankai had been a little arrogant before. In their school, plenty of guys liked Jiang Lan. Boys being boys, their dorm conversations inevitably circled around girls.

Jiang Lan was pretty, and many in their class had a crush on her—they just didn’t dare say anything.

For one, Jiang Lan’s mother was the head of the senior year department. Secondly, most felt they weren’t good enough for her. Zheng Yankai had been confident, but he never got the chance to speak up.

Jiang Lan was a kind girl—she had spared his pride by not outright rejecting him.

But Zheng Yankai wished she had at least let him finish, given him the chance to confess.

Even if she wasn’t interested now, he could have waited until after high school, after they got into university.

Now, Zheng Yankai didn’t even feel comfortable talking to Jiang Lan. He had no chance left.

His friends in class tried to encourage him. "Just wait until after the college entrance exams. If you two end up at the same university, you’ll have plenty of opportunities."

Zheng Yankai wanted that, but the school he was aiming for required a score of 700, and it didn’t even have an arts program.

Jiang Lan’s current scores hovered just above 500—not bad, but far from enough for a prestigious university. And he couldn’t even tutor her.

At this rate, Jiang Lan would probably start avoiding him.

Zheng Yankai gave a bitter smile. "Guess it just wasn’t meant to be. I should stop thinking about it."

By the end of the second semester of their sophomore year, Jiang Lan’s total score reached 520—one step closer to her goal.

The summer break between sophomore and junior year lasted only three days. Once it ended, the sophomores moved to a new building.

Jiang Lan carried a heavy stack of books to the new classroom, along with a storage box filled entirely with test papers.

Her hair had grown out a little—she hadn’t cut it during the break, leaving it slightly longer than her usual mushroom cut. Zheng Miaomiao loved ruffling her hair, saying it felt nice.

"Ugh, if you keep touching it, I’ll have to wash it more often!" Jiang Lan was already sleep-deprived as it was. She was glad she had cut her hair short—otherwise, she’d have to deal with washing long hair too.

Zheng Miaomiao grinned. "It’s just too soft. Here, let me carry some of your books and papers. If there’s any problem you don’t get, I’ll explain it to you."

Jiang Lan shook her head. "I’ve already figured out most of my mistakes. Lu Yicheng said as long as I solidify my foundation and focus on the first few parts of the big problems, I can score high. He also said I shouldn’t bother with the really difficult questions—they’re beyond me anyway."

She sighed. Lu Yicheng was brutally honest, even if he wasn’t wrong.

How could someone like him ever like her?

Zheng Miaomiao coughed. "Well… he’s not wrong. Just focus on your goal! We’re not avoiding the hard problems because we can’t do them—we’re just choosing not to!"

Jiang Lan pumped herself up. "Right! I’m definitely getting into Qinghua University!"

Zheng Miaomiao, however, wanted to go to university in the south. "Why don’t you apply to a school down south too? You’ve spent your whole life in B City—elementary, middle, high school. Isn’t it time for a change? Universities in the south are great—Shanghai, Suzhou… Come with me, Lanlan!"

Jiang Lan was easily swayed. When Lu Yicheng had suggested Qinghua, his reasoning made sense, so she decided to aim for it. After all, high school was for studying.

She had reincarnated into this world—her elementary and middle school years had passed smoothly, and now, with Lu Yicheng’s help, she could actually get into Qinghua. How amazing would that be?

But Zheng Miaomiao’s argument for going south also made sense.

Since arriving in this world, she had never left B City. Elementary, middle, high school—was she really going to spend university here too? Xie Yunzhen was already so strict—if she stayed under her mother’s watchful eye even in college, wouldn’t that be suffocating? Going south sounded like a good idea.

Jiang Lan nodded. "You’re right. That does make sense. But which school should I apply to?"

She knew about the music conservatories in Shanghai and Suzhou.

Zheng Miaomiao suggested, "Why not ask Lu Yicheng? He was the one who told you to aim for Qinghua, right? He probably knows more about admission scores. It’s just setting a goal for now—you’ll decide after you get your results."

"Okay, I’ll ask Lu Yicheng!"

During the evening self-study session, as the third period was about to end, Jiang Lan leisurely packed her things. "Hey, Lu Yicheng, do you know any good music universities in the south? Ones with admission scores similar to Qinghua’s high-level arts program?"

Lu Yicheng set his book down and stared at her silently.

For some reason, Jiang Lan felt a little guilty under his gaze.

She cleared her throat. "Well, it’s just… I’ve spent my whole life in B City. I’ve barely been anywhere else. If I go to university here too, then my entire first twenty years would have been spent in one place. My mom wants me to stay close to home, but… college only happens once. I want to go somewhere farther away."

Lu Yicheng smiled—a cold, almost sinister smile that reminded Jiang Lan of a villain from a TV drama.

"Is that the only reason?" he asked. "Or is it because someone else wants to go south, so you’re following along?"

Lu Yicheng knew Zheng Yankai wanted to study in Shanghai, at a finance school there.

Was Jiang Lan really that smitten with him? Willingly giving up Qinghua for the south? Not that the south was bad, but doing it for someone else? That was unacceptable.

Was she really this oblivious? And now she was asking him to help her pick a school?

Jiang Lan blinked. "Miaomiao wants to go south too. I thought it’d be nice to have company."

Zheng Miaomiao? Oh.

That was different.

Still, Lu Yicheng pressed, "Just because of her?"

Jiang Lan frowned. "Obviously! Who else would it be?"

Class was about to end, so Lu Yicheng spoke quickly. "I think you should reconsider. Going south isn’t as simple as you think. Have you studied geography? The climate there is completely different—humid, rainy, stiflingly hot. Ever heard of the ‘returning south’ weather phenomenon? Look it up during your next break. Also, if you go to university down there, you’ll only come home twice a year. The trip takes hours—time you could’ve spent coming home on weekends for a meal."

"As for you saying your mom is strict... I think that's good. I actually wish my mom were stricter—she hardly pays any attention to me." Lu Yicheng gave a mocking smile. "If you want to have fun, you can do it on weekends in college. You can go anywhere. If you pick a university far from home, you won’t even be able to come back easily."

Though Xie Yunzhen was strict, Jiang Lan was deeply attached to her family.

Jiang Baoguo had always doted on her, and while Xie Yunzhen was firm, it came from a place of care and love. If Jiang Lan really only came home twice a year—just for winter and summer breaks—she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Why did Lu Yicheng say he wished his family were stricter? Did his parents not care about him?

No wonder he’d never tried any snacks. Were his parents divorced?

Jiang Lan immediately pictured a little boy—parents split up, unwanted by either side, neglected, always alone, quiet and withdrawn. Pitiful.

"Lu Yicheng, I’ll give you more snacks from now on. What else do you like? You don’t like spicy food, do you? Last time, that pork jerky was spicy, and you didn’t eat it."

Lu Yicheng had no idea where Jiang Lan’s imagination had taken her, but it didn’t matter—his goal had been achieved.

"Anything is fine. By the way, about those southern schools you mentioned..."

Jiang Lan waved her hand. "Never mind, I’ll just stay in City B. It’s closer to my parents. I’m their only daughter—if I went to college down south, they’d be heartbroken. Lu Yicheng, where are you planning to go?"

Lu Yicheng would probably qualify for early admission. Had he already chosen a school?

Qinghua University.

That was what he thought to himself, but remembering his close friend Zheng Yankai, he kept it to himself.

"I haven’t decided yet."

Jiang Lan let out an "Oh." "Take your time. With grades like yours, you can pick any university in the country. What do you want to do in the future? Be a scientist? Or—wait, don’t tell me you want to be a celebrity!"

Lu Yicheng replied, "No. I just want to graduate, work, and earn money."

He wouldn’t be like his parents. Lu Shuangchen was a workaholic, and so was Yu Wanqiu. All he wanted was his own home, a job to go to and come back from—that was enough. Nothing more.

Earning money—that sounded good too.

Jiang Lan said, "You’ll definitely make a fortune!"

Lu Yicheng raised an eyebrow. "You’re that confident?"

"Of course! With grades like yours, you’ll definitely be successful."

Lu Yicheng already knew what Jiang Lan wanted to do—join an orchestra and play the violin for the rest of her life.

As for him, he’d make the money. Then Jiang Lan could eat whatever she wanted, buy whatever she liked.

Lu Yicheng nodded. "Class is over. Aren’t you leaving?"

Jiang Lan gasped. "The bell rang?!"

"It rang two minutes ago. Hurry up." Lu Yicheng started packing his things. Jiang Lan shoved everything into her bag. "Miaomiao’s waiting for me—I have to tell her I’m not going to college down south!"

Half a minute after Jiang Lan left, Lu Yicheng finally stepped out. She was already gone. They’d studied together for over half a year, but they’d never walked back together.

Lu Yicheng didn’t mind those few minutes—though it helped that Jiang Lan was with Zheng Miaomiao. If it had been Zheng Yankai...

Well, he wouldn’t have let her walk with Zheng Yankai either.

The summer between sophomore and junior year, Jiang Lan spent every day in the classroom. By the end of it, her score had improved by ten points—530. That might not seem like much, but for those ten points, she’d endured plenty of scolding from Lu Yicheng.

How can you be this bad at this? We’ve gone over this type of problem three times—how are you still getting it wrong?

Jiang Lan couldn’t help it. Some things just came down to natural talent, and she was trying her best.

Looking at her test paper, Lu Yicheng almost laughed. "You’ve improved. But... you still have to work harder. Jiang Lan, there’s less than a year left. You need to raise your score by another 20 points—plus account for exam-day performance, so at least 30."

Jiang Lan nodded. "I’ll keep trying. Lu Yicheng, you should start a top-tier tutoring business—just teach math and science. You’d make a fortune."

Lu Yicheng smiled but didn’t reply.

Jiang Lan kept rambling. "I have to thank my mom. If she weren’t an English teacher and hadn’t taught me since I was little, my English scores wouldn’t be this high. Without that, I’d have one more subject to worry about, and you’d have to work even harder."

Lu Yicheng teased, "So it’s for my sake?"

"Of course! Lu Yicheng, what other snacks do you want to try?"

Lu Yicheng said, "Anything is fine. Teacher Xie is great—she teaches well, and she cares about her students."

Between sophomore and junior year, Xie Yunzhen had switched to teaching freshmen. Jiang Lan remembered—Xie Yunzhen had never taught Lu Yicheng. How did he know she was good?

"Did you ever have my mom as a teacher?"

Lu Yicheng’s expression shifted slightly. "I heard about her from others. Some upperclassmen were her students."

Jiang Lan was happy to hear someone praising her mom. "Oh, I see. She might be strict, but it’s for the students’ own good."

Senior year began with review sessions, and soon the first mock exam arrived. Jiang Lan scored 540. The second mock exam: 555. Her usual monthly test scores hovered around 550.

Near winter break, she took the Qinghua University High-Level Art Troupe entrance exam. Her artistic scores were high enough—now it all came down to the college entrance exam.

If her scores were sufficient, she could attend Qinghua.

Xie Yunzhen never expected her daughter to score so well. As long as she performed steadily, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Winter break lasted ten days. Xie Yunzhen wanted to cook something special to nourish Jiang Lan, but Jiang Baoguo insisted, "Let me do it."

Jiang Lan agreed. "Mom, just let Dad handle it."

Xie ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‍Yunzhen relented. "Fine, I’ll go buy some roast chicken."

Jiang Lan grinned. "I’ll go study a bit more. Can’t waste the break."

Jiang Baoguo had never seen his daughter so dedicated to studying. Chuckling, he said, "Alright, I’ll make you some pickled fish."

Once in her room, Jiang Lan quietly locked the door. She set out her workbook first, then called Lu Yicheng. He picked up almost immediately. This was her first time calling him, and she cleared her throat. "You home yet?"

"Yeah. Got a question?"

Jiang Lan hesitated. "Uh... yeah. Have you eaten yet?"

Lu Yicheng: "Not yet."

They’d been dismissed that morning, and it was already past eleven. Jiang Lan remembered Lu Yicheng saying his parents didn’t pay him much attention. Was he alone at home today too?

"Then go eat first. Are your parents home? What are you having? I’m having roast chicken and pickled fish."

First day back—of course she’d eat her favorites.

Lu Yicheng’s house was quiet and cold. Yu Wanqiu was filming, and Lu Shuangchen was at the office. Neither was home.

The housekeeper had left food on the table, but Lu Yicheng didn’t feel like eating.

Lu Yicheng: "Haven’t decided yet."

Jiang Lan understood—his parents weren’t home. "You have to eat. Why don’t you have pickled fish and roast chicken too? Do you have fish at home?"

Lu Yicheng chuckled. "Yeah."

Jiang Lan’s ears tingled. "Then make pickled fish. Do you know how to cook?"

"I do."

Kids from poorer families grew up fast. Jiang Lan didn’t know how to cook. What a shame.

She sighed inwardly, "Then let's have the pickled fish with rice. It tastes especially good mixed together. Lu Yicheng, with your parents not home, you must feel more at ease alone. I used to be terrified my parents would suddenly come back when I secretly watched TV."

Lu Yicheng stood by the window, gazing at the garden below. Being alone was a bit lonely, but now it felt much better.

Why did Jiang Lan care about him? Was it because she liked him, or was she like this with everyone?

He already had feelings for Jiang Lan, and the way she treated him only made him fall deeper, unable to let go.

Lu Yicheng was happy now. "Yeah, I know."

Jiang Lan said, "Go eat your meal first. We can talk about the questions later."

After hanging up, Lu Yicheng looked at the call log—just over two minutes. Yet it felt like they had spoken for much longer.

The dishes on the table were still steaming. Lu Yicheng rummaged through the fridge to see if there was any fish. By the time he finished cooking the pickled fish, it was already past two in the afternoon. Feeling hungry, he ate most of it by himself.

When the housekeeper arrived in the afternoon, Lu Yicheng asked her to take the other dishes away. "Leave the pickled fish. Take the rest—I haven’t touched them."

There was braised fish, shrimp with cashews, and steamed fish—all prepared according to a high school senior’s recommended diet. Yet he hadn’t eaten a single one.

The housekeeper knew better than to comment, though she had worked there for over a decade. The Lu family might be wealthy, but their child had grown up largely on his own.

It was rather pitiful.

Lu Yicheng was used to it, and now he didn’t feel pitiful at all. He had grown accustomed to his family situation, and now he had found his light.

Jiang Lan’s concern made Lu Yicheng eat two extra bowls of rice. He believed she must like him at least a little.

He used to never care about such things, but now he found himself overthinking every little emotion.

Just that small bit of care—but his family seemed to misunderstand him. His parents simply didn’t pay him much attention. The family wasn’t poor, but he ate the snacks Jiang Lan gave him partly because he never really had snacks before. Yu Wanqiu and Lu Shuangchen never went out of their way to prepare such things for him, and neither did the housekeeper.

And partly because… he just liked whatever Jiang Lan gave him. He liked her, so he liked everything about her.

During the New Year, Yu Wanqiu was filming, and Lu Shuangchen only came home at night. The father and son barely spoke beyond discussing academics. Lu Shuangchen wanted Lu Yicheng to start studying university courses early.

Lu Shuangchen suggested sending him abroad. "The standards overseas are higher. After graduation, it would be good for you to intern at the company."

Lu Yicheng replied, "I’m not going abroad."

Not that he didn’t want to—he was outright refusing.

"The education standards here have been improving. Studying abroad isn’t necessarily better. There are plenty of top students in the country." Lu Yicheng had no intention of leaving. "I plan to take the college entrance exam. Even though I’ve already secured a spot through recommendation, I want to test my own abilities."

Lu Shuangchen had always taken a hands-off approach with his son and didn’t force his own wishes on him. "If you’ve made up your mind, then study here."

Yu Wanqiu cared even less—Lu Yicheng had always been self-sufficient.

Lu Yicheng nodded. Lu Shuangchen took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. The conversation between father and son ended there.

"Let’s eat," Lu Shuangchen said.

Qinghua University—the same school as Jiang Lan, though in different majors. Lu Yicheng was about 80% confident, but he didn’t want to be presumptuous. He would wait until after the exams to say anything.

June 7th and 8th—the college entrance exams ended, and Jiang Lan spent over half a month celebrating. When the results came out, she scored 570 and applied to Qinghua University.

Occasionally, she wondered about Lu Yicheng—which school had he chosen? Somewhere in the south or the north? In the city or out of province? Should she invite him to the graduation banquet…

She even wondered if Lu Yicheng liked her. But after the exams, they stopped talking. He didn’t seem interested.

In early July, they ran into each other on the street—at the milk tea shop Jiang Lan frequented.

Lu Yicheng had been coming to that street almost every day.

He confessed to her, and Jiang Lan said yes. Later, when she thought back to their high school days, she realized Lu Yicheng must have liked her for a long, long time—far earlier than the day he confessed.

If she hadn’t liked him at all, she wouldn’t have agreed.