Jiang Nan Fang had thought Zhan Jing Chen would be the last child of her life.
Unexpectedly, after raising him for two years, on her thirtieth birthday, she accidentally fell into Zhan Bei Jue's trap again.
The day she found out she was pregnant again, Jiang Nan Fang was almost driven to a breakdown.
Sitting alone in the bathroom, she cried uncontrollably. It was young Jing Chen who called Zhan Bei Jue, asking him to come back and comfort her.
Zhan Bei Jue returned and, after much persuasion, finally agreed to Jiang Nan Fang's request to undergo sterilization surgery at the hospital, which appeased her anger.
After having two more children, and with the quadruplets about to start elementary school, Jiang Nan Fang's life had to shift back to her family.
Although most of her focus was on raising her children, she encountered their rebellious phase earlier than expected.
Here's how it happened.
Because the quadruplets' appearances were too outstanding and their surname too well-known, their identities were bound to be exposed once they appeared together in the first grade.
Not only were people trying their best to befriend them, but Jiang Nan Fang also found herself under the "watchful eyes" of other parents in the parent group.
What was even more annoying was that people constantly compared the four of them, much to their frustration.
In the second semester of first grade, the four children reached a consensus and requested to transfer schools.
No matter which school they went to, as long as they weren't together.
Jing Yu and Jing Tian had stayed abroad with Jiang Nan Fang for several years and had taken her surname, Jiang. After transferring schools, besides being good students with outstanding appearances, their identities wouldn't cause them trouble.
However, Rui Rui had never been without trouble.
It was fine before third grade, but starting from fourth grade, his height entered a rapid growth spurt.
He became the tallest in the class, the most outstanding in appearance, the best in academic performance, and his surname was the most prominent.
It was inevitable that his relationship with Zhan Bei Jue would be discovered again.
Every day, countless fangirls would intercept him on his way to the restroom, at the school entrance, and at the classroom door, sending him love letters, gifts, taking his photos, and secretly posting them on social media.
It was incredibly tiresome.
One day in fifth grade, Rui Rui was called to the office by his teacher to retrieve something. As he passed the stairwell, he overheard two unfamiliar girls arguing, and his name was mentioned in their conversation.
The reason for their argument was him.
One felt entitled to have a secret crush on him, while the other didn't. They even ended up fighting.
Zhan Jing Rui was utterly speechless. After school, he went home and told Jiang Nan Fang that he wanted to transfer schools again.
He couldn't stand staying in Nan Cheng anymore. These female classmates made him feel that school was a boring, noisy, and irritating place. If they didn't let him leave Nan Cheng, he would drop out.
Rui Rui's current symptoms were similar to when Zhan Bei Jue was studying, and Zhan Bei Jue understood him well.
However, dropping out was out of the question.
No matter how much of a genius he was, he was still young. Entering society too early after leaving school would only be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow.
Therefore, Zhan Bei Jue agreed to his request for a school transfer and offered him two options.
One was Hang Cheng, where Lu Ming Zhe was located, and the other was Su Cheng, where Hu Jia Sheng was located.
Both were considered first-tier big cities with comparable educational resources. Moreover, as their uncles, they would certainly be responsible for him. It was up to him to decide which place he preferred.
Ultimately, Rui Rui chose Su Cheng.
The city's name itself evoked a gentle and serene aura, and he was truly tired of these noisy cities. He desperately needed to go to a quiet little place for a few days of peace.
Thus, starting from the sixth grade of elementary school, Rui Rui went to Su Cheng.
A year after Hu Jia Sheng and Tang Nan Nan got married, they bought a historic old villa in Su Cheng.
Tang Nan Nan's parents came to live with them, as they were of retirement age and had nothing much to do. They stayed in the old villa and helped them take care of the children.
The couple had a son, whom they raised in Su Cheng while they worked in Nan Cheng.
On weekends and holidays, they would return to Su Cheng to reunite with their child and their elders.
Although Tang Nan Nan's parents were getting on in years, they had worked in high-end professions their entire lives, and their mindset was far beyond ordinary people. Living with them, Rui Rui was subtly influenced by them, which put Zhan Bei Jue at ease.
They let him grow up naturally, and before they knew it, he was in his third year of high school.
Zhan Jing Rui had celebrated his 18th birthday and had grown into a sunny young man, standing at one meter ninety-three, a few centimeters taller than his father.
His academic performance had never been a cause for concern since childhood.
As expected, having been raised by Zhan Bei Jue himself from a young age, this child was the most similar to Zhan Bei Jue in personality among the four children.
Although young, he was very composed. He was mostly silent, but when he spoke, he was always confident.
Besides a few male friends he had known since middle school, he rarely interacted with female classmates.
His greatest hobbies were playing basketball.
Besides that, he participated in various physics, chemistry, and mathematics competitions.
Whenever Jiang Nan Fang called him, she would hear about what competition he had participated in and what awards he had won, which led Ge'er and Tian Tian to send him messages behind his back, despising him.
"You overachiever, besides studying, is there truly nothing else in your life? Are you really not going to leave any room for us to live?"
"Can't you learn from Jing Yu, combining education with enjoyment, learning while playing, and maybe even dating occasionally?"
"There are your awards everywhere in the house. I'm too lazy to participate in those competitions, but compared to you, I have to, which is so annoying."
"Exactly. Every time we finish a call with you, the three of us get lectured by Mommy. If this continues, this family won't welcome you anymore."
Zhan Jing Rui didn't care.
He didn't know how he was born, but he had an extraordinary craving and liking for quietness. Nan Cheng held no sense of belonging for him.
Although he loved his family very much, if he had the choice, he would prefer to live in Su Cheng forever.
"Every family has to have one useless person. Jiang Jing Yu plays that role in our family, so there's no need for me, which is good."
"Dating is impossible. I'm going to be a scientist in the future and study outer space. You foolish humans will never understand my thoughts and aspirations."
"No way, Zhan Jing Rui? As a blooming eighteen-year-old, you have no interest in dating? Could it be that you don't like girls?"
Ge'er teased him.
"I don't mean to look down on you. If you don't like girls, you can tell me frankly, and I'll help you inform Daddy and Mommy. Don't be insecure. No matter what you are, our family will never abandon you~"
Zhan Jing Rui replied to her: "Zhan Jing Ge, do you know why I don't like women? It's because the women around me are too much like you. The moment they open their mouths, I feel disgusted."
"Don't message me again in the future. If you do, I'll block you. Thank you."