"What a good child," Grandma Yan Cheng said, placing a chicken wing on Wang Muman's plate.
"Thank you, Grandma!"
"Xiao Cheng, why are you always looking down?" Grandma Yan Cheng felt something was off. Yan Cheng wasn't even picking up any food, just shoveling rice.
This remark made Yan Cheng choke. His already flushed face turned even redder, and he couldn't stop coughing.
Grandma Yan Cheng quickly patted his back, and Wang Muman poured him a glass of water.
Once he finally recovered, Yan Cheng immediately lowered his head again when he saw Wang Muman staring at him. This made Wang Muman feel puzzled, wondering if she had done something wrong. After thinking carefully, nothing significant had happened today.
"Yan Cheng, did I do something wrong?"
Grandma Yan Cheng also found it strange. She had rarely seen her grandson act this way.
Yan Cheng immediately shook his head, "No, I, I'm fine." He shook his head, rested for a bit, and calmed himself down.
After this interlude, the three finished dinner. Wang Muman continued to watch television with Grandma Yan Cheng. The plot was very cliché, but it passed the time, and Grandma was engrossed.
On her phone, Wang Mujin sent her a message, asking how she was doing. This kind of life was exactly what Wang Muman wanted: having people around, people who cared. Even if there were no words exchanged, she could feel a deep sense of warmth.
"Brother, when are you coming back?" Wang Muman asked Wang Mujin on her phone.
"You'll definitely be back when you collect your report card," he replied, adding a little cheering emoji.
Wang Muman had already contacted a ballet teacher. She was a recent graduate from school. Although young, she had many years of dance experience, having started ballet at a very young age.
"Manman, I heard from Xiao Cheng that they'll be choosing subjects in the second year of high school?" Grandma Yan Cheng asked Wang Muman during a commercial break.
"Yes, Grandma."
"Oh, then you should choose science subjects like Xiao Cheng."
"Yes, since medicine requires science. Has Yan Cheng decided too?" Wang Muman suddenly remembered that she didn't know if Yan Cheng would choose arts or science.
Yan Cheng, having just cleared the table, walked into the living room and happened to overhear Wang Muman's question.
"If I choose arts, you'll lose a good helper for asking questions," Yan Cheng said, sitting on the sofa and looking into Wang Muman's eyes.
Hearing Yan Cheng's words and looking into his eyes, Wang Muman suddenly felt a pang of bittersweetness. The future flashed through her mind, and it seemed as if something would be missing. She couldn't quite explain the feeling; was it sadness?
Seeing Wang Muman remain silent, Yan Cheng's eyebrows drooped and his mouth turned down. He quickly said, "Of course, I'm choosing science. I want to choose subjects with correct answers. If I hadn't lost points every time in 'Reasoning,' I wouldn't have let that guy succeed." He organized his words somewhat hastily.
A moment of silence hung in the air. Yan Cheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Wang Muman's expression return to normal.
"So you still care about that? I always thought you didn't care about rankings. He Lele was always the one excitedly telling us about them." Wang Muman thought he didn't care because he never seemed to pay attention to the ranking sheets.
"I still care, of course. Who wouldn't want to be first?"
"Xiao Cheng, you weren't always first?" Grandma Yan Cheng interjected.
"Grandma, it's human nature. Everyone has their strengths. The level from primary and middle school can't be applied to high school," Yan Cheng said, touching his head.