Chapter 693 - 219: Detective Magic Girl
When Keke got home, the first thing she saw was her big brother working out.
Same as always, he was in the yard with dumbbells that she had no idea how much weight he’d added to by now, stretching while doing shuttle jumps.
The concrete in the yard had already been stomped into a bumpy mess by her brother.
So she just squatted down on the little steps by the door, quietly watching him work out.
The cool summer breeze brushed past; in the lingering, gorgeous dusk, Keke narrowed her eyes, rested her head on her knees, and for a moment it felt like she’d gone back to childhood.
It was as if Mom would come out of the house any second, knock her on the head, drag her back inside, then call her brother in for dinner.
Inside, there would be the smell of freshly cooked food and the noisy sound of the TV.
Once Mom came in, she’d start scolding Dad for sneaking a cigarette, and chase him out the door to smoke outside.
Then Dad would grin cheekily and act all buddy-buddy with Jiang Si, asking him if he wanted a puff.
Making Mom so mad she’d come out with a ladle and chase Dad around while yelling at him.
Oh, and around this time the opening music of the evening news would usually play right on schedule.
Little Keke would be all stressed about unfinished homework, feeling sad and gloomy about having to get up early for school the next day.
Back then she always envied the grown-ups, even envied her brother, for having the freedom to do whatever they wanted.
Now she’s become the person she used to envy, but she also understands that freedom isn’t always happiness.
Luckily, some things from back then have stayed with her.
As long as her brother is still here, she can always remember the past, and there’s always a quiet warmth and sense of security in her heart.
Wherever her brother is—that’s home for Keke.
"Still not going to school?"
Along with her brother’s classic opening line.
Basically, he just can’t stand seeing her idle; if she’s not doing anything, he’ll definitely ask.
Have you finished your homework, why aren’t you going to school, have you previewed next semester’s material.
"I’m going later."
She replied in a deliberately impatient tone, "And it’s not school, vacation started ages ago. It’s the Disaster Strategy Bureau Headquarter."
"Isn’t it all the same? Your studies and your strength are equally important."
It kind of had that "art student" vibe.
Art and academics both have to be grabbed in both hands; everything needs worrying about, both sides matter.
Thinking about it, a Magical Girl kind of counts as a student with special skills, right?
Even though you don’t get extra points on the college entrance exam, Keke remembered that being a Magical Girl still came with benefits—even if your score was a bit low, universities would give you special admission.
With a full score of 750, a Magical Girl with 400 points could still get into some prestigious universities; the Disaster Strategy Bureau had mentioned that.
But of course, Keke had no intention of going in as a special admit. She wanted, just like her parents, to rely on her own ability and properly get into the same university they went to.
"The college entrance exam results are out, you know."
Keke suddenly said from the side, "When I went to the Disaster Strategy Bureau, I asked about it, and the staff told me they were out."
"They even handle that?"
"I specifically asked them to, okay? I told them my brother took the exam early, told them to let me know as soon as the scores were released." Keke snorted, "When I was on my way back, they told me."
"How much."
"Six hundred and ninety-seven."
She watched her brother furrow his brows. "That low?"
Wow, he’s barely even been to school, took the exam early in his second year of high school, and he still thinks that’s low...
"That score is second place in Beihai..."
"Someone actually dared to score higher than me? Who?"
"Obviously it was Sister Bingtang." Keke said, her face full of envy. "She’s not only Beihai’s number one, she’s East China’s number one. Top scorer, over seven hundred points."
Once he heard it was Bingtang, her brother just muttered a couple of lines, saying stuff like grades don’t mean much.
But Keke still pulled out her phone, grinning happily. "On the way back, I also asked in the relatives’ group chat. Turns out there are several who took the exam this year, plus some who took it last year; everyone’s posting scores."
"You still haven’t left that group?"
"No way I’m leaving." Keke wrinkled her nose. "They used to say you were stupid, said Mom and Dad gave birth to an idiot. I still remember, okay? I’m not leaving until I get my revenge properly."
"Who taught you to be this petty."
"You did."
Jiang Si gave a disdainful little laugh—he’s always been the broad-minded type, how could he possibly hold grudges like that.
This little brat was talking nonsense again.
"Look, look, big brother." As she spoke, Keke handed him the phone. "This is Third Uncle’s son, this is Fourth Aunt’s daughter, this is Big Uncle’s..."
One transcript after another was listed out.
"The highest is just over five hundred, the rest are in the four hundreds, and they’re all in there comparing with each other."
The last messages in the chat were from Keke.
On one hand she said she envied them, and on the other she sadly mentioned that her brother’s scores had come out too.
Then Third Uncle, the one whose son scored five hundred, jumped out right away with a comforting reply.
The guy even changed his profile picture to his son’s score.
The others were pretending to comfort her but actually being passive-aggressive, saying, it’s fine, my son only got four hundred-something too, Jiang Si didn’t really study, it’s normal for his score to be low.
Basically it was all dripping with superiority.
Then Keke immediately posted the score in the group. The 697 points instantly silenced the whole relatives’ chat.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a notification that Keke had been removed from the group.
Keke sent two more messages, some sarcastic lines like "I feel sorry for Mom and Dad’s efforts, I didn’t even make seven hundred." — when in fact, her parents’ own college entrance exam scores weren’t as high as Jiang Si’s.
Because back then, the two of them used to always brag about their scores to their son and daughter, telling them to work hard, to catch up to their scores.