Transmigration: On the Gossip Front-Chapter 935 - 936 Toxic Fatherly Love 68

"Check, please." Zhang Yu walked up to the counter.

The staff at the service desk knew Zhang Yu’s personality well and didn’t bother suggesting someone pay for her. They swiftly calculated the bill.

"Invoice it," Zhang Yu said after swiping her card for payment, asking the staff to issue her a receipt.

After Zhang Yu left, Wu Jian hurried to the service desk. "Miss, can I take a look at her signature?"

The cashier, who was preparing to clip the receipt, raised her head in confusion. "Look at what?"

"I want to see if the person is someone I know," Wu Jian replied.

The cashier didn’t hand the receipt directly to Wu Jian but placed it in front of him for a quick glance.

Seeing the signature on the receipt, Wu Jian fell silent. Even though he had a strong hunch earlier that it was likely Zhang Yu, he quietly prayed deep down it wouldn’t be her.

Although he didn’t keep track of every blog about food and meals, Wu Jian knew Zhang Yu had plenty of fans online and had even opened her own studio.

Simply put, out of everyone in the Wu Family—including Wu Hao—there wasn’t a single person whose career was more impressive than hers.

Wu Jian felt a surge of jealousy. Born to the same father, why was Zhang Yu so successful while he was such a failure?

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Unable to hold back, Wu Jian rushed out. "Zhang Yu!"

Zhang Yu heard someone call her name and turned back, noticing a service worker looking questioningly at a colleague. Had she left something behind?

The other worker shook their head in confusion; nothing seemed to be left behind.

Wu Jian caught up, panting heavily. "I’m Wu Jian. My dad is Wu Hao."

Ah, indeed, it really was Wu Hao. Earlier she had briefly thought this guy resembled Wu Jian somewhat. Though there was indeed a slight resemblance, they were worlds apart when it came to demeanor.

Now that it was confirmed, Zhang Yu wasn’t surprised. After all, back then Wu Jian’s education and environment had been noticeably better than now—at least he hadn’t gotten involved in early dating.

But now, Wu Hao himself was out of money. No matter how much he might want to raise a son, if Wu Hao wasn’t capable himself and his son was engaging in stuff like early dating...

Being the pragmatic man he was, Wu Hao surely wouldn’t be willing to invest money in a son he deemed unworthy of nurturing.

"What are you trying to say?" Zhang Yu fixed her gaze on Wu Jian, curious about his intentions.

"I... I’m about to enter my senior year in high school, but my grades aren’t very good."

"I know you started to excel academically during your senior year and eventually got admitted to F University." Wu Jian looked at Zhang Yu expectantly.

Oh, he wanted to ask her how she worked hard back then? Well, there wasn’t much to hide here. Zhang Yu spoke frankly, "I did it through hard work."

"You know my grades improved in senior year, but do you know what I was doing during the summer break before senior year?"

"I was working hard on practice problems, consistently improving my grades."

Zhang Yu glanced at Wu Jian’s attire, sizing him up. "I don’t know why you’re working a part-time job, but I just want to say—you yourself mentioned you’re about to enter senior year. Why are you still working?"

"If money is tight, you could ask Wu Hao for it," Zhang Yu suggested earnestly.

"He won’t give me money. He’s afraid I’ll spend it on my girlfriend," Wu Jian admitted. He had indeed approached Wu Hao for money before, but Wu Hao had outright refused.

"Besides, he’s just a broke fool," Wu Jian added bitterly.

The colleague nearby overheard Wu Jian’s words and frowned. Initially, hearing Wu Jian inquire about ways to improve his grades, the colleague thought he seemed like a decent kid concerned about his academics.

But upon hearing Wu Jian admit to having a girlfriend and call his father a broke fool for not financing his dating habits, their opinion of him plummeted.

But to her surprise, they had managed to stick together until now. If the situation were different—say, if they were in college—she’d recognize this as genuine love without question.

Under the current circumstances, though, Zhang Yu wasn’t sure what to say. "I’m lucky you’re not my son."

"I think your father is right—giving you money would just encourage your dating and distract you from your studies."

"You clearly understand the importance of studying, but you’re still working to fund dates. Why even bother caring about academics?"

"Wu Jian, you’ve already made your choice. Why ask me for some magic trick or shortcut at this point?"

"Academic improvement doesn’t come from shortcuts. It’s just reading more books and doing more exercises."

"The more types of problems you encounter and solve, the less likely it is for your grades not to improve."

"Back then, I probably went through practice books stacked at least two or three meters high. I don’t even remember how many exercises I did to prove I improved through hard work."

"What?" Wu Jian stumbled a few steps backward, staring at Zhang Yu in disbelief. "What... what did you say?"

"How could you possibly go through that many practice problems?" Even if someone was diligent, solving so many exercises seemed impossible.

Especially since he’d been told before that Zhang Yu wasn’t one to enjoy studying—how could she suddenly become so devoted?

"Was that for all of high school?" Wu Jian, unsure of the person standing behind Zhang Yu, still showed her some respect.

After all, if he exposed her truth, enraging her, he wouldn’t have an easy time ahead.

"Senior year," Zhang Yu replied.

"I know you don’t believe me," Zhang Yu continued, fully aware that the original Zhang Yu back then had been a love-struck fool, entirely focused on a man.

As for her situation, it definitely must have been discussed with Feng Min and the others. "I started working hard later."

"You’re a boy; with science subjects, you can make significant progress."

"When it comes to science, it’s all about doing more problems," Zhang Yu emphasized again.

"Sis, I know you’re behind the ’Food and Meals’ blog, and you also have a studio. Can I work there during summer break?" Wu Jian suddenly asked. Studying was just a means to earn money in the future.

Now that such a great opportunity was right in front of him, why shouldn’t he take advantage of it?

Is attending university important? Of course, it’s important—for landing a better job later.

A better job naturally means earning more money. He wasn’t uninterested in making big money; he just couldn’t find the right avenues.

With this opportunity right in front of him, there was absolutely no way he’d let it slip. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Zhang Yu hadn’t expected Wu Jian to want to work in her studio. She froze for a moment but quickly understood his intentions. "You want to be a shop reviewer?"

Ever since she started posting travel notes and shop reviews online, many imitators had emerged.

If Wu Jian had such an idea, Zhang Yu wouldn’t find it strange. A kid who started working early to fund dates clearly had quick thinking.

"You’re a high school student. Focus on your college entrance exams." No matter what, she couldn’t possibly let a student prepping for exams help out at her studio.

And then there was the matter of their fraught relationship. "Honestly, I don’t welcome you." Their relationship had never been good, and Wu Jian would undoubtedly use her as a stepping stone.

Moreover, "Your parents didn’t stop trying to sabotage my family."

"As their son, I don’t trust your character," Zhang Yu replied bluntly.