Chapter 53: Singing Competition Finals: Fang Zhixiao Takes First, Fang Zhi Takes Third

On the day of the award ceremony, Chen Nian showed up again with her whole family of four. Fang Zhi beamed happily onstage, but her joy overflowed even more when she stepped down and they all gathered in a circle for hugs.

Fang Zhixiao stood off at a distance. She’d come alone this time, clutching her bouquet and trophy as she posed for photo after photo with the other contestants and organizers.

As they were leaving the venue, Chen Nian passed by Fang Zhixiao. She flashed a smile and said, “Congratulations.” Fang Zhixiao just nodded, saying nothing.

Once they were outside, Dad chatted with Chen Nian. “I remember you saying that girl goes to your school too. Your school’s really something else.”

Chen Nian, arm linked with Fang Zhi’s, puffed up with pride. “You bet! No. 1 Middle School is full of talent—a real gathering of heroes!”

Chen Junjie frowned. “But why does that girl always look so down? She won first place, for crying out loud.”

Chen Nian bowed her head and let out a sigh. Fang Zhi jumped in. “Maybe she’s taken first so many times, it’s lost its thrill.”

Chen Junjie nodded. “That’s more like it—like our Zhizhi! Plenty of room to grow!”

Liu Chunhua chimed in. “Right on the money!”

Fang Zhi grew serious. “I really didn’t sing my best. My pitch was off in the B section. Won’t happen next time.”

Her tone was earnest, her expression solemn. Chen Junjie, Liu Chunhua, and Chen Nian all froze for a beat—then broke into sheepish laughs in unison.

It hit them hard: the kids were grinding away like this, and here they were, always yukking it up and telling her not to sweat the rankings. Talk about counterproductive.

Chen Nian’s linked arm shifted to a friendly shoulder hug. “Whatever you do, I’m behind you one hundred percent—as long as it makes you happy.”

Fang Zhi smiled. “It does.”

Chen Nian grinned. “Heh heh heh, perfect.”

Fang Zhi added softly, “You too.”

Chen Nian blinked. “Huh?”

“You too,” Fang Zhi repeated. “Whatever you do, I’m behind you.”

Chen Nian burst out laughing, a swell of pride washing over her—like watching her little girl come into her own.

Third place didn’t come with prizes as flashy as first or second, but the cash bonus was still a nice chunk of change for a student.

Mom and Dad wouldn’t dream of touching Fang Zhi’s winnings, of course. But she insisted on treating the whole family to dinner. Afterward, she dragged Chen Nian into a cell phone shop and snapped up two handsets.

One went to Chen Nian; the other to Chen Junjie. Ms. Liu Chunhua passed, since she already had one.

She’d been the first in the family to get a phone—to keep tabs on the store’s business and look after the kids.

“I want to buy Auntie that machine,” Fang Zhi said. “The sewing machine she likes. I checked the price—my prize money falls short.”

Chen Nian gaped at her. “How long have you been plotting this?”

Fang Zhi shrugged. “Ages. I should’ve nabbed first place. Then it’d be enough.”

“No, no,” Chen Nian said, shaking her head wildly. She thrust the phone bag into Fang Zhi’s arms. “Hold tight. I’ll cover the rest.”

Chen Nian tracked down Zhu Dong to settle an account. His business was booming, and the man was sharp as a tack.

He knew he owed his success to Chen Nian’s bright ideas. He’d locked down a prime storefront and taken out a loan for renovations. Breaking even down the line? That’d hinge on her big time.

So he paid up without batting an eye—and tossed in a little extra to boot.

Pooled with Fang Zhi’s share, they were nearly there.

Of course, Fang Zhi wanted to know where the extra cash came from. Chen Nian figured there was no hiding it forever, so she laid it all out.

The one thing she dodged? Where she’d gotten all those photography ideas. Books, she said.

Fang Zhi was floored. She went radio silent on Chen Nian for three straight days.

Part of it was processing; part was fuming over the long con.

But this time, she gave fair warning beforehand—and even negotiated the timeout length.

“I need space to think it over. Don’t bug me while I do.”

Chen Nian nodded eagerly. “You got it.”

With that settled, a weight lifted from her chest.

Ever since their spat over Fang Zhixiao, Fang Zhi had switched up how she handled things with Chen Nian. She’d make a point of giving her space, nudge her toward hanging out with others, show real interest in her hobbies.

And before any blowup, she’d sound the alarm: spell it out plain, then stew. Time served? Back to normal.

Chen Nian thought it strange at first, but she caught on soon enough.

Fang Zhi was so sharp, so attuned to every little thing. Every word from their fights sank deep; she dissected every glance for ages.

Then she’d hustle for fixes, test-drive new approaches—even if it cost her a piece of herself.

The reason was simple: she cared about Chen Nian.

Her goal was equally straightforward. She wanted the person she cared about to grow up even happier and healthier.

After the three-day sulking period ended, Fang Zhi had Chen Nian take her to meet Zhu Dong. The three of them held a friendly meeting.

Once they confirmed the money’s source was aboveboard, Fang Zhi and Chen Nian bought the sewing machine Lady Chunhua liked. They packaged it together with two cell phones into a beautiful family gift.

That evening, Lady Chunhua and Mr. Chen Junjie were utterly shocked.

Fang Zhi pinched Chen Nian’s arm, making her recount the whole money-making saga once more. Chen Nian slyly spilled every detail, and Fang Zhi sat up straight to add her piece: “Uncle, Auntie, I think it’s great that Chen Nian has her own hobbies and fields she wants to explore. But it was wrong of her to hide it from us before. She’s already given me her solemn promise that she won’t keep any more secrets. From now on, if there’s any issue, she’ll discuss it with Mom and Dad. I believe she can keep her word, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure she does.”

“This is the first gift we’ve ever bought for Mom and Dad with money we earned ourselves. Of course, it can’t compare to what you give us. It’s just a little token of our hearts. We’ll work even harder, study well, nurture our hobbies properly, and make sure you never have to toil so hard again.”

Chen Junjie: “Ah, good, good, good.”

Liu Chunhua: “Not hard at all, not hard at all.”

With Fang Zhi wrapping things up so perfectly, the parents couldn’t stay mad.

Liu Chunhua had pretty much come to terms with the fact that neither of her children was ordinary. As long as they stayed healthy and happy—and didn’t break the law or stir up trouble—everything else was open for discussion.

The three of them happily unwrapped the gifts, then squeezed onto one bed and chatted late into the night.

The next day, when Chen Nian and Fang Zhi got home from school, they discovered a computer had been set up in the house.

Chen Junjie thumped his chest proudly. “Dad said he’d buy you girls a computer, didn’t he? Said it and done it!!!”

Fang Zhi: “Uncle, you’re the best!!!”

Chen Nian winked at him. “Weren’t we waiting until you got promoted?”

Chen Junjie winked right back. “Promotion’s coming any day now.”

He’d said “promotion’s coming any day now” more times than she could count.

Chen Nian hadn’t taken her dad’s words seriously before. She knew his personality all too well and understood why he never pushed hard up the career ladder.

She had no desire to force anyone in the family to change the life they enjoyed. Things were perfect just as they were.

But this time, it was clearly for real.

Chen Nian stood there in a daze, murmuring, “Really?”

Chen Junjie sighed. “Really. The transfer order’s coming down any day.”

Chen Nian: “Does that mean changing units too?”

Chen Junjie burst out laughing. “No openings up top, so to climb, I’ve gotta blaze a new trail.”

Chen Nian gazed at her father, and suddenly her nose stung fiercely.

She rubbed her eyes. Chen Junjie bent down to peer at her. “Aww, what’s this? Crying from joy?”

Chen Nian sniffled twice and asked, “Why?”

The answer was no surprise at all. Chen Junjie patted her head. “Because my wife and daughter are both so outstanding. I’ve gotta step up my game too!”

Fang Zhi spoke up. “Uncle, are you happy about stepping up?”

“As can be!” Chen Junjie shot back without a second’s hesitation. “Just thinking about the higher rank, fatter paycheck, and being able to buy you all nice things gets me thrilled!”

“But money isn’t everything,” Chen Junjie added, stroking his chin. “You’re still kids. You wouldn’t get it.”

Chen Nian sniffled again. “I do get it. You want to protect us.”

Chen Junjie: “Ah…”

Chen Nian: “You big goof, always thinking we don’t understand a thing…”

His own daughter calling him out like that? Game over.

Chen Junjie scooped Chen Nian up and tossed her high into the air. Her tears vanished in the fright, replaced by shrieks of surprise.

With a computer at home now, Chen Nian felt like a tiger with wings added.

She could finally edit those photos she’d taken before properly. Her marketing plans for Zhu Dong could get more detailed, tailored tightly to market data.

Mom and Dad both offered to buy her a camera, but Chen Nian turned them down.

The day Zhu Dong’s shop finally opened for business, Chen Nian took her mom along to sign the contract. They entered as technical shareholders under Lady Chunhua’s name.

That made her half-owner in a way, and Zhu Dong wasn’t the stingy type. All the shop’s gear was at Chen Nian’s disposal.

The pace at which a commercial shop updated its cameras blew away anything Chen Nian could manage as a mere hobbyist.

If Zhu Dong’s shop kept thriving, she would have an endless stream of income and all the cameras she could ever want.

That beat opening her own store by a mile.

Thanks to Chen Nian’s innovative money-making schemes, Ms. Liu Chunhua began laying the groundwork for her chain of stores as the year drew to a close.

Chen Nian had casually submitted some of her more artistic photos to a few magazines. They kept getting rejected at first, but while the other kids were buried in final exams, she was collecting complimentary copies.

Print media moved at a glacial pace—from approval to publication took months—so her initial excitement had long since worn off. Fang Zhi, on the other hand, was beside herself.

The moment the gate guard mentioned a package for their place, she bolted faster than Chen Nian. She wouldn’t even let Chen Nian touch it once she had it in hand; instead, she dragged her all the way upstairs and into the room before opening it with exquisite care.

Terrified that the knife might nick even the tiniest edge.

The brand-new magazine gleamed with its colorful cover, the glossy pages carrying the fresh scent of ink and reflecting subtle glints of light.

Fang Zhi clutched it like a treasure. But once she finally cracked it open, she took her time, leafing slowly from the table of contents in search of Chen Nian’s photo.

Chen Nian sat beside her. She preferred watching Fang Zhi—who was practically glowing with joy—over peering at her own work.

Fang Zhi pored over every page twice, scrutinizing each photo, before furrowing her brow. “Where’s yours?”

“Hm?” Chen Nian blinked and leaned in closer. “It should be here—the package was addressed to me…”

Then she froze. She remembered: after the first couple of acceptances, she’d stopped using her real name and adopted a pen name instead.

“I…” Chen Nian tensed up, shooting Fang Zhi a glance as her throat bobbed.

Fang Zhi knew that look all too well. She snapped the magazine shut and straightened up. “Spill it, or I’ll tack on two extra days to your punishment.”

Chen Nian dropped her gaze, her fingers fumbling aimlessly through the pages. “It’s nothing… just a pen name.”

Fang Zhi: “Mm.”

Chen Nian flipped to the page with her photo and slid it over. “This one.”

Fang Zhi glanced down. Chen Nian’s shot claimed a full page: the old city streets, snapped from the top of a towering building during one of their holiday outings.

Rendered in stark black and white, the play of light and shadow was masterful. The ancient lanes and modern skyline, bathed in sunset glow, split the scene into two realms of gray—vibrant with an immediate, visceral beauty.

Tucked in the bottom right corner after “Photography:” were two simple characters that seemed, on second thought, to hold some deeper significance.

Jianwei.

Chen Nian’s pen name was Jianwei.