On the first day of school, few children were full of energy.
By the time the little child had sluggishly shuffled into the classroom, some of the other kids who had arrived early were still rushing to finish their homework. One of them even greeted him enthusiastically, "Ningning, come join us! Let’s do homework together!"
The little child sat down at his seat, put down his backpack, and shook his head. "Ningning doesn’t need to catch up."
He had already finished his homework.
When he pulled out his workbook, the other kids around him were stunned.
Roy even flipped through the little child’s homework. "Ningning, you did such a neat job!"
The little child, who hadn’t originally planned to put in much effort, basked in Roy’s—and the other kids’—praises. For the first time, he tasted the sweetness of doing his homework properly.
When Teacher Lily came in to check their assignments, the little child was praised again: "Special recognition for Ningning! Not only did he finish his homework, but he also corrected all his mistakes. Fixing errors is a great way to improve in your studies."
Sitting on his little stool, the little child swayed his feet happily, glowing under all the compliments.
Since it was the start of the semester, the teachers—perhaps worried the kids had spent winter break playing and forgotten their studies—had warned them beforehand that there would be tests.
Sure enough, exams began as soon as they arrived.
The little child, who had ranked last in the final exams, gripped his pencil tightly, vowing to do his best and avoid being at the bottom again!
Test papers were handed out one by one.
With a serious expression on his chubby face, the little child began writing.
His father’s days of supervising his studies had paid off—this time, without having to kowtow to Confucius or his teachers, the little child was surprised to find he actually knew the answers!
The tests were mixed with outdoor activities.
After two exams in the classroom, the little child headed out for his outdoor class. The teachers had arranged it this way, worried that the little ones might get dizzy and overwhelmed after a long winter break if they had to sit through too many tests at once.
"Ningning, why are you so quiet today?"
During the outdoor class, instead of running around with the other kids, the little child sat on a toy rocking horse, hugging it while holding a dictionary.
Hearing the question, he lifted the dictionary with an air of dignity. "Ningning is reading."
The other kids: "..."
They exchanged glances, utterly baffled.
After calling several times but failing to get the little child to come play soccer, the other children reluctantly gave up and stopped calling him.
The little child watched the kids playing soccer, feeling a little envious.
Roy, a loyal friend, came back after playing for a while to keep the little child company. "Ningning, where did you go during winter break?" he asked.
"Lots of places!"
Seeing Roy talk to him, the little child immediately cheered up. He proudly listed, "The Federation, the Sixth Planet, B1 Planet, and… and another kid’s hometown!"
His winter break had been packed with adventures.
Roy had been about to boast about his own holiday travels, but after hearing the little child’s itinerary, he was left speechless.
The two chatted for a while before Roy finally couldn’t hold back anymore. "Ningning, are you feeling okay?" he asked. "You seem… kinda off."
The little child stayed silent, his little face scrunched up. After a long pause, he mumbled, "Roy… did you bring your Star Device today? A smartwatch would work too."
"Huh? You—you need it?"
Phones weren’t allowed at school, but judging by Roy’s guilty expression, he’d definitely sneaked one in.
Sure enough, after some prodding, Roy handed over the phone from his pocket. "I only brought it because I haven’t beaten my game yet," he confessed.
The little child stretched out his chubby hand. "Lend me your phone for a call, and I’ll beat the level for you."
He was really good at games.
Roy thought it over and agreed. "Here, but don’t call here—the teacher will see. Phones aren’t allowed."
The little child, who had been sitting on the little rocking horse for a while now, gave a soft "Mhm."
As he climbed down, a sudden *rrriip sound rang out. The little child froze.
Roy frowned. "Ningning… did your pants just tear?"
The little child stubbornly denied it. "No! My pants were bought by my brother—they’re super strong!"
The outer pants were indeed sturdy, but the underwear beneath could no longer contain his little bottom.
Ears burning red, the little child clutched the dictionary and phone, slowly shuffling toward the restroom by the playground under Roy’s bewildered gaze.
There were still other kids in the bathroom.
After the little child went in, he waited patiently for a long time until all the other children had left.
He closed the door and frantically dialed his brother’s number—he had memorized several adults’ star device numbers. Daddy had told him that memorizing extra numbers could be really useful in emergencies.
Right now, Daddy and Uncle Ling Qi were definitely at the scrapyard.
He had to call his brother.
The Imperial Elementary School started two days later than his kindergarten, so his brother hadn’t gone back to school yet today.
The call connected quickly.
The little child sniffled and called out, "Brother."
Huo Lin, who was in the palace at the moment, heard the grievance in his milky voice and asked, "What’s wrong? Did someone bully you? Aren’t you supposed to be in kindergarten right now?"
"Ningning borrowed another kid’s star device to call you."
Clutching the star device with one hand, the little child used his other hand to pat his bottom. After checking, his voice grew even more pitiful: "Brother… can you bring Ningning a new pair of underwear? Ningning’s underwear is torn."
Stupid Daddy was so useless.
He couldn’t even make proper underwear for Ningning.
The little child was heartbroken, but right now, he was more afraid of embarrassment: "Brother, Ningning has a fitness test during the last class today… and we have to run."
His underwear was already torn. If he had to run, what if it fell out?
The little child didn’t want to lose face.
Listening to the little child’s plea, Huo Lin was puzzled. "When your dad dressed you this morning, didn’t he check your underwear properly?"
Uncle Zhan was usually very careful with the little child—there was no way he’d let him wear torn underwear.
The little child froze at his brother’s words, suddenly remembering that Daddy had actually told him to change his underwear this morning… but he hadn’t listened.
"Ningning, listen to me—check your backpack first."
After a moment of thought, Huo Lin instructed, "See if your dad packed an extra pair of underwear in there."
The little child answered with a soft "Mm."
The bathroom still had a faint unpleasant smell, and the little child didn’t like it. He didn’t stay on the phone with his brother for long—after mentioning he’d check his backpack, he hung up.
Once outside,
the little child was about to return the star device to Roy when, before he could, he bumped into another kid. This kid wasn’t from his class but from another.
The kid recognized him: "Hey, next period, our classes are having a soccer match. Make sure you’re there."
The little child was baffled: "What soccer match?"
The other kid snorted. "Your class messed with ours, so now it’s a showdown! If you lose, your whole class has to call us ‘Big Bro’ from now on."
The little child: "..."
The little child scowled. "No way!"
There was no way he’d call anyone "Big Bro"!
The two were on the verge of a full-blown standoff when, at the last second, the little child’s bottom saved him from losing his cool. "Just wait—next period, we’ll crush you!"
