Becoming a life winner from infancy

At the start of the new semester, Fang You's life as a third-grader began to differ from the rest.

After all, having shone so brightly on the Paru All Stars, he could no longer interact with everyone as just a regular elementary school student.

But this was what Fang You needed.

Now, as soon as Fang You came to school for the new term, he was stared at with extreme admiration by the male students.

"Look! That's Fang You, right?"

"Damn, it's Emperor Youyou!"

"Was he always this awesome... I remember him being just a nerd, and now he's even acing Paru."

"We've got to get his autograph, then brag about it. Our school has a kid who's on par with joker."

"Crap, that's a good idea! I hadn't thought of that... Let's find an opportunity!"

[My lord Wang Sifan pledges to go through fire and water for the Great Emperor. Wang Sifan wants to be under your command, recognizing you as his big brother, Emotional Energy +100]

[Asking who's the peak in Paru, upon seeing Fang You, they all become void. Yue Long wants to become your dragon, Emotional Energy +100]

[At the summit of Paru, supreme in this world, only with you, the Great Emperor, is there heaven. Lu Chuan really wants to become your good buddy, Emotional Energy +100]

The boys all wanted to be friends with Emperor Youyou, but very few actually rushed forward, because at this time, the one who had become the barrier was the girl by Emperor Youyou's side.

Since Xia Nuo was always with Fang You, the boys were also wary of chatting with her.

"Youyou, Youyou! Have you noticed? Recently a lot of boys in class have been talking about you, you're going to make lots of friends now..."

"..."

Fang You didn't respond to Xia Nuo but instead watched the blackboard intently, and at this moment, Teacher Lin, who was giving the lesson, also spoke:

"Xia Nuo, we're in class now, and you're not allowed to whisper. If you keep disturbing Fang You's learning, you'll go stand at the back!"

"Got it, Mom..."

"You should call me teacher during class." Teacher Lin, also known as Lin Yi, pushed up her glasses and tapped the lectern with her finger.

"Okay, Teacher... Lin," Xia Nuo corrected herself.

Teacher Lin, as Xia Nuo's mother, was usually kind and gentle at home, but as an elementary school headteacher, she was still firm and would sternly reprimand anyone in her class.

Of course, teachers in this era, no matter how strict, couldn't really be too harsh, as corporal punishment of students was strictly forbidden.

However, in Fang You's eyes, this dignified yet charming demeanor was still very cute.

Speaking of which, it was also funny. After all, Fang You used to purposely get close to Xia Nuo in kindergarten so that other boys would generate negative Emotional Energy toward him.

Of course, he indeed also harbored the thought of not wanting Nuo Nuo to be too close to other boys at the time.

Everyone's grown up, and his feelings back then were pretty much the same as Xia Anyang's initial reluctance to let Nuo Nuo get too close to him, which I'm sure everyone can understand.

By now, instead, it was Xia Nuo's clinginess that kept the boys in class from approaching Fang You.

Naturally, Fang You didn't want to hang out with those immature boys either.

All you guys need to do is silently admire me and provide me with Emotional Energy. The thought of taking on followers reminds me of how troublesome Fan Yuan is.

Not to mention that without having taken him on as a follower, he's already out there boasting and showing off. If I really took on followers and let them throw their weight around outside, wouldn't that damage my reputation as Emperor Youyou?

Emperor Youyou is a man who cares greatly for his reputation.

The same goes for the girls – no exception!

At school, Emperor Youyou, apart from Xia Nuo and Ayu, had no significant dealings with other girls, quietly accepting everyone's secret affections.

Influenced by "Moe King" and "Peach Assistant," the young Fang You in grades one and two, even when disguised, was often accosted by taller, older elementary schoolgirls, forced to share his smartwatch contact information, deliberately blocked from his path, and even harassed by bad schoolgirls who wanted him to take off his pants!

Poor Emperor Youyou, how small and helpless he must have felt back then – you can't even imagine.

But those days are gone, and now, with his "Deeply Hidden" talent, he could at least avoid detection in school.

Besides, even if he was spotted, the third-grade Fang You was now tall enough not to be dwarfed by the fifth and sixth-grade girls, and his martial arts skills were easily enough to beat any elementary student.

So, even with his fame, third-grade Fang You was still at peace in school.

During this time, Fang You began to earnestly study and learn more about Zhendan Academy.

The academy, with a history approaching sixty years, was founded by several distinguished and prestigious families in Huaguo, akin to the concept of the Yingdu Chinese clans in his previous life.

Their educational mission is to cultivate young prodigies who would shake the heavens and earth overnight.

Being an elite institution, the entrance process is rather elaborate.

First comes the submission of student records and achievements, requiring candidates to be over 12 years old and distinguished elementary school graduates.

Next is the comprehensive academic ability test, which consists of written exams covering nine subjects: language arts, mathematics, English, physics, chemistry, biology, politics, history, and geography – equivalent to the ninth-grade level in his previous life.

Although the written exam is challenging, there's also an interview afterward. Subsequently, the academy selects students for admission based on a weighted combination of written and interview scores.

As Fang You delved into this, at first he didn't find anything unusual. Although the system had specifically pointed out that Fang You should advance to Zhendan Academy, the selection process was not much different from that of a private elite school.

But when Fang You noticed the information about the interview, he was stunned into silence right there and then—

Because not only were the students being interviewed, but their parents as well.

Zhendan Academy believes that if a child is not taught, it's the parent's fault. Excellent children can't be separated from the silent support of their parents. Zhendan Academy only accepts outstanding students, and an outstanding student must have outstanding parents.

Parents and family environment also became very important assessment criteria.

According to everyone's interview experiences, many children are quite excellent themselves, but they ultimately fail because of their parents' interview performance.

The mother's side was not too problematic after all, she had a good temperament and image. Although she was also a clerk, she at least had experience operating self-media and as an agent, accompanying Youyou to various ceremonies and galas.

But the father was a whole different story—

After Fang You realized this, he was so anxious that he couldn't sleep well all night. For the first time, he felt his goal was so unreachably distant, and that was even with the "Mud Deep Sleep" talent.

He kept regretting why he hadn't urged his father to improve earlier. Now at first glance, you could tell his dad was a slacker who just laid back and muddled through—there was no way he would pass the interview!

Emperor Youyou, with his intelligence from his previous life, might now very likely stumble because of his own father—how could he not be anxious—

Luckily, there was some solace in realizing this now, as there were still three years left, three years enough to groom his father.

In the past, he hadn't paid much attention to his dad, but now he had no choice but to care.

As for his dad himself, he also had the determination to change—

Right, his resolution was made almost two months ago, but lately, it felt like he was slacking off again!

In any case, with some unease and anxiety, Emperor Youyou also began to help his father, Fang Guanghui, find a suitable career development plan.

If they could find one…

In the blink of an eye, the end of the year arrived.

At this year's end, in preparation for entering Zhendan Academy, Fang You started to seek rankings and results in some major competitions.

He accepted Meng Qing's invitation, signed up at Jingji Children's Martial Arts Hall, and participated in this year's martial arts level assessment competition.

Although there's only one level difference between Bronze Level and Black Iron Level, it marks the dividing line between professional and amateur. The most difficult part of the Bronze Level assessment is the requirement to fight three real battles and defeat martial arts examiners.

Of course, for a god-level powerhouse like Fang You, it was something Yue Yipei achieved in the past, and so he could naturally do it with ease as well.

Defeating the examiners wasn't difficult; it rather became something expected.

Soon, Fang You created a record for the fastest completion. Eight-and-a-half-year-old Fang You replaced ten-year-old Yue Yipei, becoming the youngest ever Bronze-Level martial arts prodigy.

The day he advanced to Bronze-Level Martial Artist and received the bronze belt, the entire Jingji Children's Martial Arts Hall was abuzz with excitement. Both Meng Xing and her sister Meng Qing were vying to hold Fang You in their arms.

There was just one girl who stood silently crying in the crowd.

She was Zhao Yueqing.

That day, she updated a post on her Penguin status expressing her feelings:

["I don't know when I stopped dwelling on the past, and I've made a lot of effort because those things are in the past, so I just feel it's a pity."]

Zhao Yueqing's comment was perceived as a reconciliation with her past self, no longer obsessing over surpassing a fellow martial arts junior.

However, upon seeing Fan Yuan's nonsensical comment of ["But, this is still Big Sister"] underneath her post, Zhao Yueqing quickly reignited her fighting spirit, directly heading to school to find her little fellow disciple, Fan Yuan, and gave him a thorough beating.

Thereafter, Fang You officially became a Bronze-Level Martial Artist, officially stepping into the ranks of the martial arts sport, just like Yue Yipei did on "The Strongest Cute Kid Show" in the past.

The autumn breeze grew chillier, and the cold crept in, signaling the approach of winter.

This also meant that Fang You and Xia Nuo's birthdays were coming soon.

Xia Nuo and Fang You usually celebrate their birthdays twice: a small party with friends on the Gregorian calendar birthday and a private celebration on the lunar birthday.

Since they were four, both children celebrated their lunar birthdays together,

Although Xia Anyang felt somewhat helpless about Nuo Nuo's actions, since it was his daughter's wish, and out of desire to be a great father, he also made compromises.

Gradually, exchanging birthday gifts on their birthdays became a customary habit between Fang You's and Xia Nuo's families.

Even though they had to prepare gifts every year, it was not something that put pressure on Fang You and Xia Nuo.

The way Fang You and Xia Nuo had exchanged gifts in the past was quite casual, generally giving something they thought the other would like, or could use.

For example, the first year Fang You gave a Sunshine Jar, and Xia Nuo gave Fang You a smartwatch called "Big Brain";

The second year Fang You gave Xia Nuo a piggy bank, and she gave him a 360-degree movable automatic excavator toy set;

The third year, Fang You gave Xia Nuo a pretty pink stationery box, and she gave him a set of "Extreme Warrior Honor Guard" chess pieces;

Last year, Fang You gave Xia Nuo a deluxe edition of "Dune," while she gave him a model of the glorious Queen-class battleship, Markula's Pride.

This year was their fifth.

Looking back, Fang You suddenly realized a serious problem:

Have the birthday gifts I've been giving Nuo Nuo been a bit too casual, too cheap?