chapter 1-10

Forced to date a big shot.....

Chapter 1:She Is Really Intelligent.

It was August. The sun was scorching hot while the air was humid and stuffy.

At the orphanage’s entrance was a well-maintained middle-aged lady whose eyes were red from crying. She could hardly stand on her own as her husband, Xue Sheng, supported her delicate body. “So this is our pitiful daughter?”

The man’s eyes reddened too and he nodded. “Yes.”

Xue Sheng and his wife, Ye Li, were playmates when they were young and had since become a loving couple. However, after getting married, they lost their daughter accidentally. He had lost hope after searching for her for 18 years, but a surprise came unexpectedly and they found her in the orphanage.

He looked at the two people walking toward him, and his eyes fell on the girl who followed obediently behind the director of the orphanage.

She wore a white cap and donned a clean set of blue sports attire. Her black hair was neatly pulled into a ponytail, and she had exquisite facial features on her pale and porcelain-like face. She looked at them silently with her beautiful upturned eyes. Her eyes looked lost and misty.

In contrast to the other two who were agitated, she appeared a little… too calm.

Xue Sheng was slightly taken aback.

The two approached the couple, and the director pushed the girl in front of them. “Mr. Xue, Mrs. Xue, this is Xue Xi.”

She then spoke to the girl. “Xixi, they are your parents and are here to bring you home.”

Upon hearing the words, she finally focused her eyes on Ye Li.

The woman was agitated and tried to hold back as she looked longingly at the girl. Her lips trembled because she wanted to reunite with the girl, but she was careful, fearing that the latter would resist.

After some time, Xue Xi finally said, “Hello.”

She sounded distant and apathetic.

Ye Li, nonetheless, did not sense that something was off. Unable to control herself, she hugged her daughter tightly and cried out loud, “My daughter, I’ve finally found you! You’ve suffered all these years!”

As the gentle and warm body leaned closed to her, Xue Xi froze as she was not used to such intimacy.

Yet she could not bear to push the woman away.

While stuck in a dilemma, from the corner of her eye, she saw the man signaling the director and they both walked away. Xue Sheng asked really softly, thinking that the girl would not be able to hear him, “Director, is Xixi not well here…?”

He pointed at his head.

The director hurriedly explained, “No, Xue Xi is really smart, super intelligent. She is a well-known genius in our orphanage, and since she is very engrossed in studying, she is slightly slower in social interactions.”

Genius?

Xue Sheng did not take it seriously and wished only that the girl was not dumb.

He took a deep breath, and when Ye Li had collected herself, they got inside the car and headed home.

Xue Xi looked out of the window in silence. Those messy streets and the orphanage’s old gates slowly passed by her as the car moved. When the car took a turn, all those were no longer seen and the faint sadness of parting started to sink in.

They did not notice that after they had left, a black, low-profile land rover slowly came to a stop at the orphanage’s entrance.

There were two people in the car.

The chauffeur turned around and said, “General Xiang, we’re one step behind.”

The man on the backseat was sitting upright. His lower jaw appeared firm. The faint light in the car caused his near-perfect features to be covered with a layer of thin mist.

His shrewd eyes made others terrified from the depths of their hearts, and they dared not to look at him in the eye.

Xiang Huai’s well-defined, long fingers gently knocked against the handle twice. He coldly reminded the chauffeur, “Address me differently while we’re outside.”

The chauffeur quickly changed his way of addressing. “Yes, Boss.”

He could not fathom the man’s thoughts and asked, “Do we just go to the Xue family and snatch the person?”

Although the Xue family had a high status in Bin City and was influential there, its status could not hold a candle to this man.

Unexpectedly, the man paused for a moment and replied, “No need to rush.”

The chauffeur was in a daze. They finally found the girl after searching for a long time, so why is the Boss not anxious?

While he was deep in his thoughts, he heard the man’s orders. “I’ll personally follow-up on her matters.”

Chapter 2:Does Being Good in Studies Mean Being Eligible to Stay in a Better Place?

A few hours passed, and the car finally arrived at Bin City as it headed to the Xue family’s home.

Xue Xi looked curiously at the exquisitely-renovated mansion. As Ye Li held her hand and walked through the entrance, the strange surrounding caused her to be at a loss.

Just as they entered, a pungent alcoholic spray blew against their faces.

The helper, Auntie Sun, was holding a can and spraying Xue Xi any which way while a gray-haired old lady instructed from the side, “Her hair, shoes, don’t miss out any spot…”

Xue Xi instinctively covered her eyes, and Ye Li quickly covered her from the front as she exclaimed, “Mom, what are you doing?”

Old Lady Xue’s eyelids were drooping as she said harshly, “God knows what kind of wild children the orphanage takes in. What if viruses and bacteria are brought in?”

Feeling both heartache and anger, Ye Li shouted, “Mom!”

Old Lady Xue then sized up Xue Xi.

The girl looked obedient, and as she lowered her eyes, her long lashes cast a shadow on her cheeks. Although she was beautiful, she seemed stupefied as though she did not hear her sarcasm.

The old lady’s eyes harboured intense disdain. “Look at her pudding-headed look. Could she be dumb? Did you guys check clearly? You couldn’t find her for 18 years, and now you’re simply confirming it with a strange email?”

Xue Sheng replied sternly, “Mom, I checked the DNA and she is indeed my daughter. Don’t say such things ever again! Also, she isn’t dumb.”

After saying so, he pointed at the old lady and introduced her to Xue Xi. “Xixi, this is your grandma.”

He then pointed to a delicate and charming girl beside the old lady, who was around the same age as Xue Xi, and said, “This is your Second Uncle’s daughter, your younger cousin, Xue Yao.”

Completely different from the hostile attitude she had toward Xue Xi, Old Lady Xue dotingly patted Xue Yao’s hand and said, “yaoyao, stay away from her. There is something wrong with her brain. Don’t let her spread it to you.”

Xue Yao smiled in an appropriate manner and said, “Grandma, you really know how to joke around.”

However, she took a step back and pinched her nose. “Big Auntie, quickly bring cousin for a shower.”

Her look of disdain was clearly evident.

Ye Li quickly turned to face Xue Xi. She thought the girl would be sad, yet the latter appeared calm as if she did not hear their conversations.

Her heart ached as she brought the girl upstairs. “Xixi, your father has to complete the procedures for your school transfer. I’ll bring you upstairs to rest first. I personally decorated your room for you, but it was really rushed and I don’t know what you like. Have a look first. If you don’t like it, we’ll change it afterward.”

The woman’s actions were like a warm current injected into Xue Xi’s dry, well-like, and cold heart. Opening the room’s door and seeing what was going on inside, Ye Li was taken aback. “What’s happening?”

The helper was busy tidying up the beautiful, spacious room. There was a pile of clothes on the bed, but Xue Xi clearly had only just arrived.

At this moment, Xue Yao entered. “Big Auntie, Grandma said you should let me have this room. You guys can choose other rooms.”

She then shot Xue Xi a provoking look.

Her original room was not bad, but when she saw the princess-like room that Ye Li had prepared for Xue Xi, she was jealous!

They were both daughters of the Xue family, so why should this country bumpkin live in a good room like this?

Ye Li frowned and said, “This can’t work…”

Before she could finish speaking, Old Lady Xue’s haughty voice was heard. “Why not? Isn’t it just a room? What’s wrong with giving it to the younger sister?”

Ye Li was shocked.

She knew that the old lady looked down on her as a daughter-in-law. Therefore, she would compromise out of consideration for the general interest and because she wanted to lead her life peacefully. However, this matter concerned Xixi…

She mustered all her courage and countered, “Mom, I prepared this room especially for Xixi. You can’t be so biased…”

Old Lady Xue once again interrupted her. “I’m biased? Yaoyao is good at her studies and she is smart. When school reopens this year, she’ll be in her last year of high school and it’s the most important period for her national exams. This room has ample sunlight and great noise cancellation. It’s called ‘putting it to good use’ by letting her stay here. As for this dumb girl who came from the countryside, isn’t it the same if you let her stay anywhere? Just find her a random room.”

Ye Li wanted to insist, but the old lady’s face darkened and she raised her voice. “Who is in charge of this house?!”

Ye Li could not argue further.

The person in charge of the Xue family was the Old Master, who was also in charge of the company. Although Xue Sheng had been taking over some of the Old Master’s work, Old Lady Xue still had the absolute say over family matters.

Defeated, Ye Li balled up her fists with a grievance. “Xixi, I’ll bring you to the other room.”

Xue Xi nodded.

Staying anywhere was the same to her.

Except…

She looked nonchalantly at Old Lady Xue and said, “Does being good in studies mean being eligible to stay in a better place?”

Her voice was exactly like her person—apathetic to the core.

Old Lady Xue was taken aback. “What?”

Xue Xi retracted her gaze and was apathetic once more. Two seconds later, she replied, “Nothing much.”

By the time she and Ye Li had gone to the other rooms, Old Lady Xue still had not returned to her senses. What did she mean by that earlier?

Chapter 3: She Turns Out to Be a Top Student.

The second day.

A group of students was gathering and looking on at Bin City International School’s Senior Year, Experimental Class One.

“Is she the transfer student?”

“I heard it’s the Xue family’s long-lost daughter who’d been missing for 18 years and was eventually found in an orphanage in the countryside.”

“Country bumpkin? Would she be able to understand our classes taught by foreign teachers?”

“Would she be able to cope with our dance classes? Also, we have piano classes, but has she ever touched a piano before?”

Amid the taunting was an exclamation that did not fit in: “But she’s pretty beautiful.”

“…”

Everyone turned to look at the last row of the classroom where the girl was reading a book.

She sat there obediently as she held on to a set of assessment books. Her beautiful dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, exposing her fair and full forehead. Wearing the black and white school uniform, she exuded a scholarly aura, and though she was expressionless, her eyes were silently focused on the assessment books as mist lingered in her eyes.

A few boys could not take their eyes off of her.

Those who were studying in the international school were scions of wealthy families. Even though they were used to seeing beautiful ladies and celebrities, it was rare to find someone as beautiful as Xue Xi.

Seeing the boys’ good-for-nothing reactions, a girl suddenly said in a sharp voice, “Xue Yao, why is your cousin ignoring others? Is she always so arrogant?”

Upon hearing that, Xue Yao shot a glance at a good-looking boy as her eyes fluttered. “Don’t say that, my cousin only reacts slower. Since she’s new here, I hope that everyone can help her in her studies.”

“Reacts slower? I think she’s just dumb.”

“No wonder she looks slow-witted.”

The class monitor was unhappy as well. “If she’s dumb, she shouldn’t come to our experimental class. There’s a pre-test today. What if she pulls down the class’ average score?”

Class One was the entire school’s elite class. Everyone who could get into the class was very arrogant.

“If she’s like this, why did she come to our class?”

Suddenly someone speculated, “Could it be for Fan Han?”

The moment this was said, everyone turned to look at the school hunk, Fan Han.

Everyone in the social circle knew that there was infant matrimony between the Xue family and the Fan family. It was a classic marriage alliance between the rich and powerful. Since the Xue family’s eldest young mistress was lost, the marriage arrangement fell onto Xue Yao.

Now that Xue Xi was back, could she be snatching Fan Han back?

Someone jabbed Fan Han’s shoulder and asked, “Are you really going to marry a dumb girl?”

Fan Han became more irritable as he clenched his jaw. Although he did not point it out, he sarcastically remarked, “How is it possible for me to like a slow-witted vase?”

That person became excited instantly. “Are you going to break off the engagement?”

“Bang!”

All of a sudden, the teacher, Old Liu, entered the classroom and slammed the papers on the desk, interrupting them. The man, who was in his forties, was frowning as he lectured them, “Look how a vacation made you guys so naughty! Are you done speaking? Let’s put this across clearly first, the last ten ranking students for this pre-test will have to clean the classroom for a week! Right now, tidy your desks. Class monitor, give out the papers!”

The shuffling sound of the papers instantly filled the classroom.

The class monitor divided the papers into different stacks and passed down from the first row.

The student who was sitting in front of Xue Xi passed the paper to her. “Hey!”

She only lifted her head two seconds later. She calmly took the paper and answered the questions as though she did not hear everyone’s discussion earlier.

Holding on to the question paper, Fan Han could not read a single word.

He frowned vexedly and turned around.

This was a mathematics paper, and everybody was frivolously writing on the answer paper except for Xue Xi, who stared at the questions. She wrote down an answer every ten seconds and was very disciplined. Within ten minutes, she was already on the third page…

Thirty minutes later, she actually stood up to hand in the paper.

A look of disdain surfaced in Fan Han’s eyes.

Did she write her answers any which way?

Heh.

The Xue family had sent her to the senior year merely to buy a graduate certificate with a high price and send her overseas later on. After making a round, it would appear as though she was really great.

This tactic was usually saved for those good-for-nothing scions.

And he really hated worthless people like this.

At the rostrum, Mr. Liu was invigilating, but his head hurt.

According to hearsay, the Xue family’s eldest young mistress learnt the high school syllabus on her own and there was something wrong with her head as well. Why did the school assign a bottom-of-the-barrel student to my class? However, I could neither hit nor scold her, which is really vexing!

Now that she had handed in the paper in thirty minutes, did it mean she gave up completely?

He sighed, and since it was boring to invigilate, he might as well mark the paper. Lowering his head, he found the answer sheet to be very clean, and the answers for the fill-in-the-blank questions had been written on it straight away. He wondered how many correct answers she could get…

She chose “C” for the first question and it was correct.

The answer for the second question was “B” and she was correct again. Could she be so lucky?

The third question… the fourth question…

As Mr. Liu looked on, he went into a daze.

…

…

Xue Xi went downstairs slowly.

She’d had an extraordinarily retentive memory since she was young and was deeply engrossed in learning different kinds of knowledge and skills. Everyone has his shortcomings and merits. Hence, she was slightly slower in social interactions.

However, she was not dumb.

She could sense the hostility coming from her classmates, so she left the classroom after finishing the paper, which was easy in her opinion.

After leaving the school building, she felt the scorching heat outside. She paused in her footsteps and slightly regretted handing in the paper so early.

There was quite a distance between the school and home. The Xue family would send a chauffeur daily to fetch her and Xue Yao to and from school. Since it was a waste of time to go home and come back again in the afternoon, she decided to have lunch in the school canteen.

However, it was only 10:30 AM and the canteen was not open yet…

Looking outside, she decided to walk around the school’s vicinity in order to familiarise herself with the place.

Opposite the school and separated by the road was a row of old houses.

She crossed the road and strolled along the quiet alley.

On both sides of the alley were merchants selling all kinds of stationery and clothes. There were also some eateries, but since it was early, most were closed except for those selling breakfast.

After walking for a while, she felt a little thirsty. Scanning her surroundings, she spotted an open store ahead and walked toward it.

No matter what store it is, it should sell water, right?

Inside the store, a tall man scanned the shelves coldly. His face was terrifyingly dark as he exuded an aura as though he was going to fly into a rage soon.

Lu Chao, who was standing on one side, tried to play up to the man and said, “Boss, you’re the one who told me to set up a store here in order for you to observe closer. I know it’s inconvenient for you to be a store owner, but you can’t get mad at me…”

Xiang Huai shot him a glance.

Lu Chao continued to speak as he tried to seek merit. “I’d even surveyed the area especially. There are many stores selling clothes and food in the vicinity, so after the customers are full and satisfied, they would need to fall in love. That is when we’ll come in!”

The man tried to suppress the urge to kick him out. “So you opened a s*x toy shop?”

Lu Chao nodded. “If our business becomes prosperous, I might even earn some pocket money!”

Xiang Huai replied coldly, “Do you think a high schooler will buy such a thing?”

As he said that, the wind chime at the entrance rang, and Xue Xi, who was in uniform, entered.

“…”

Chapter 4: If You Don’t Fall in Love, You’ll Die.

The store that Xue Xi had entered appeared normal from the outside but was over 100 square meters on the inside. It was like a supermarket with several rows of shelves that were filled with goods.

However, there was no customer in the store except for two men standing at the cashier, near the entrance.

One of the men had two small canine teeth and seemed like the store assistant. He was trying to play up to the other man as though he had angered the latter.

The infuriated man was wearing black pants with a black shirt, and he lowered his head while his fringe covered his sharp eyes partially. He had one hand in his pocket and the other sleeve rolled up, exposing his skinny arms. His well-defined fingers rested on the counter, and it was obvious that he was not to be trifled with.

At this moment, both of them were staring straight at her. The “canine teeth” man’s smile froze as though he had seen a monster.

Xue Xi was stunned for a moment and thought that it was very strange.

After a full ten seconds, the odd atmosphere in the store was interrupted by the boss’ weird tone. “Are you buying something?”

His voice turned out nice-sounding.

She paused for two seconds before nodding her head. “Do you have mineral water?”

“Yes.” The man ordered the “canine teeth” man, “Go get it.”

The “canine teeth” man finally returned to his senses. He snapped his fingers and scurried to the refrigerator in the corner.

Very soon, a bottle of mineral water was placed on the counter.

Lowering her head, Xue Xi opened her wallet and asked, “How much is it?”

All of a sudden, it became dark. It turned out that the man had passed the bottle to her. His deep, charismatic voice rang. “Little kid, it’s free.”

She lifted her head in surprise.

The man was taller than she was by one head. Now that he was bending over, his arrogantly beautiful and exquisite face was only a few centimetres away from her. His deep, brown eyes were bottomless, and they made her feel apprehensive from the bottom of her heart.

This person was highly dangerous. She needed to stay far away from him.

She took a step back and, right at this moment, her mind suddenly became dazed as a warm current flowed through her heart. It was as though something had been awakened.

Her chest became painful suddenly, as if something was stabbing it and twisting!

Xue Xi bent down in pain, and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She could hear a faint mumbling sound by her ears, as if it was far away but near at the same time. “If you don’t fall in love, you’ll die… If you don’t fall in love, you’ll die…”

The pain was quickly intensifying, and very soon, she was in so much pain that she could not breathe.

Just as her heart felt like it was going to be crushed, she came to and realised that this was not a joke.

However, how could she fall in love in such a short period of time?

At this point, a huge hand lifted her arm. She lifted her head and saw the cold man observing her. “Are you alright?”

The world before her eyes grew dark, and right before she fainted from the pain, she grabbed the man’s hand and said,

“I have money and I can fight well.”

“Be my boyfriend and I’ll take care of you.”

…

…

The heart-wrenching pain eased slightly after she said those words.

It was indeed useful.

Xue Xi finally heaved a sigh of relief.

“Sss!” The “canine teeth” man drew a deep breath and widened his eyes in shock, the water in his hand. When he saw her looking at him, he hurriedly signaled and said, “Don’t worry about me, you guys can continue.”

There is actually someone in the world who is not fearful of death and actually confessed to our boss?

Instantly, the flames of gossip were lit in his eyes. He wanted to exclaim excitedly and fished out his phone to live-stream this scene for others to see! Who knew that something like this would happen to Boss?

Even if she is rich, is she as rich as the Boss?

Even if she fights well, is she better at fighting than the Boss?

Did this girl realise that they are monitoring her so she came to purposely embarrass them? How will Boss deal with her? Or will he just kidnap her, or… kill her?

The store had pin-drop silence momentarily.

Xue Xi could still fill the throbbing pain in her chest, but it no longer affected her thoughts.

This man right before her eyes looked just like an average, good citizen. Could his fiendish aura come from being in the underworld? Also, this store looks so pathetic and should not be making much money. Therefore, my being rich and able to fight well should be enough to attract him, right?

Xue Xi had thought it through clearly.

Although she still had no idea what the voice was, falling in love would not cause her to lose a piece of her meat. It was more important for her to save her life first.

However, this man did not respond even after some time. His eyes narrowed, and there seemed to be surprise in his peaceful eyes.

Right, who would confess when it is their first time meeting someone?

Just as she was wondering if there was enough time for her to look for another man should he not agree to it, the man finally spoke. “Xiang Huai.”

Xue Xi widened her eyes slowly.

The man continued to say, “That’s your boyfriend’s name.”

Xue Xi was left speechless…

The pain disappeared all of a sudden, and her relaxed body put her in a trance as though all that had happened earlier was her delusions.

She stood dazedly on the spot until Xiang Huai placed the bottle of mineral water in her hand. His deep voice seemed to have magic as he said, “Little kid, you should be going to school.”

After she left, the searing sun shone on her once more as she slowly turned to look at the store.

Was everything earlier just a dream? What did that man do to me? What is going on?

The school’s dismissal bell rang and interrupted her train of thoughts. It was only then that she walked back to school while feeling lost.

Inside the store, Lu Chao walked to Xiang Huai’s side and said, “Boss, although you’re a man of striking appearance and is way too good-looking, she was clearly acting weird and harbouring ill intentions. How could you agree to it? Could it be that you’re attracted by her appearance?”

The man shot him an icy stare, and Lu Chao immediately stood up straight and shut his mouth.

…

…

After having lunch in the school canteen, there was another round of examinations in the afternoon.

After the last paper, Xue Xi handed in her answers early and was staring blankly downstairs for more than an hour. They took the car back home only after Xue Yao was done with the papers.

The chauffeur, Uncle Li, had been working with Xue Sheng for many years; as such, he was fond of Xue Xi as well. When he saw her keeping quiet once she got in the car, he asked in a concerned tone , “Eldest Young Mistress, how was school today?”

Xue Xi slowly turned her head to face outside and replied, “It’s fine.”

“Pfft!” Xue Yao, who was beside her, could not help but dip her head and laugh. She then indirectly hinted, “Cousin, the grades and rankings will be out tomorrow!”

After saying that, she sized up Xue Xi from the corner of her eye.

The girl looked out of the window, and her eyes had a layer of mist over them. She was especially quiet as though she did not hear the other girl’s words. This irritated Xue Yao.

When the car passed by that same street, she suddenly realised that the store that she had visited in the afternoon had a sign that said “Ye Lai Xiang.”

A question arose in her mind. What does that store sell?

The car drove and passed by the store quickly. Pondering over the question, Xue Xi did not see that Xiang Huai, who was sitting lazily at the counter, seemed to have sensed her as he looked out. His sharp eyes were glowing.

Chapter 5:Leave It Like This.

On the way home, Xue Xi kept thinking about the strange happening today.

Her pale fingers gently pressed against her chest. She was usually expressionless, but now, she had a look of confusion. Her body had been feeling fine since the afternoon when she was at school.

However, the thought of the pain that she felt in the morning was still terrifying.

‘If you don’t fall in love, you’ll die’… Why did this happen?

Even when she arrived at home, she still could not make sense out of it. Just as she was absent-mindedly heading upstairs, she heard Xue Yao’s surprised voice coming from behind. “Uncle Fan, Auntie Fan!”

She paused in her footsteps and realised that there were guests at home.

The old lady smiled as she sat on the sofa in the living room while Ye Li sat beside her. The latter appeared to be battered out of her senses and her eyes were red. It was obvious that she had just cried.

Opposite the three people were a middle-aged man and woman. The woman smiled at Xue Yao before turning to look at Xue Xi. After sizing her up from head to toe, she pouted and made a flippant remark. “This is Xixi? She looks quite beautiful…”

Xue Xi was stunned, and before she could reply, the old lady shouted. “That’s right, she grew up in the orphanage since she was young and has had no upbringing. She doesn’t even know how to greet people and is slow-witted. She is unlike our family’s Yaoyao who has been sensible and hardworking since she was a child.”

“…”

Instantly, Xue Xi shut her mouth.

Xue Yao, on the other hand, smiled sweetly before running to sit beside her grandmother. She acted cutesy and hugged her grandmother’s hand before fawning on and asking, “Uncle and Auntie, what brings you guys here?”

The two immediately turned awkward and remained silent.

Instead, the old lady said casually, “They’re here to discuss the marriage arrangement between the two families! You’re turning 18 years old soon, and once your birthday is over, I’ll let you and the Fan family’s boy…”

“Mom!” Ye Li suddenly cut her off. “This marriage arrangement is for Xixi, you can’t do this!”

Old Lady Xue drooped her eyelids and said sternly, “The Fan family and ours are best friends. We’d set this marriage arrangement back then to ensure that both families can work together and get closer. If you insist on Xue Xi, aren’t you harming the Fan family? We won’t become united but will breed enmity then!”

Ye Li stood up all of a sudden and shouted with grievances, “Why will we be breeding enmity if Xixi marries him?”

She was upset that the daughter whom she’d recovered painstakingly was detested by others.

The old lady, however, did not think she went overboard. “Since you’re asking, let me put it across clearly. We all know how outstanding Fan Han is. He has always been the best at everything and has a promising future. But what about Xue Xi? How can a dimwit like her be worthy of Fan Han? Do they have a common language?

“Will she be able to answer when Fan Han discusses academic matters with her? When Fan Han attends banquets, can she dance? Does she know how to play the piano? She knows nothing at all! If they get together, they will be the butt of jokes!

“But our Yaoyao has always been excellent. Yaoyao and Fan Han being together will be a perfect match.”

Ye Li could no longer argue. She tried to open her mouth, but before she could say anything, the old lady left her with no chance. She turned to look at Xue Xi. “Xue Xi, what do you think?”

When the question was asked, everyone in the living room turned to look at her.

Looking at them sizing her up, feeling conceited or being worried, Xue Xi furrowed her brows.

Although she’d been back for only one day, she understood the situation of this family well.

A biased grandmother, a powerless yet sincere mother, that evil younger cousin, and the Fan parents who obviously looked down on her… How vexing are they?

As for that Fan Han, she noticed him during class today. However, he was nothing as outstanding as they said. Just his looks alone were way inferior compared to that of the man in the store.

A look of impatience flashed across her beautiful eyes and she said slowly, “Leave it like this.”

After saying that, she looked away aloofly and headed upstairs, leaving them staring at each other speechlessly in the living room.

Why does her attitude make it seem as though she couldn’t care less about Fan Han?

Madam Fan frowned and was slightly upset deep down.

After a while, the old lady laughed and said, “Since Xue Xi knows her own place, this matter is set! Let’s discuss the children’s engagement.”

The atmosphere lightened up instantly.

It was unsuitable for Xue Yao to stay on, so she stood up. “Please continue to chat. Cousin probably didn’t do too well in her papers today as she handed them in only after half an hour. I’ll go see if she needs help.”

Before heading upstairs shyly, she did not forget to tell tales about Xue Xi.

Ye Li gritted her teeth and shot a glance at Madam Fan. Indeed, there was a look of disdain in the latter’s eyes. She quickly explained, “The orphanage has only nine years of mandatory education and Xixi hasn’t attended high school. It’s normal if she doesn’t know things. I’m thinking of getting her a home tutor…”

Old Lady Xue sneered and cut her off. “Is there any use in hiring a home tutor? I think that’s just a waste of money and you should just spend it on getting Yaoyao more clothes… Our Xue family’s children are all very intelligent. This child is so slow-witted, and coupled with your family’s genes, she might even become mentally unsound in the future!”

Ye Li’s face turned crimson red from the embarrassment.

She balled up her fists as anger flashed across her eyes.

My family… My father was originally a university professor, but he suddenly had a mental disorder a few years back. Ever since then, the old lady, who is not fond of me to begin with, keeps being sarcastic to me.

Now that she is cursing my daughter…

She jumped out of her seat. “Mom, it doesn’t matter what you say about me, but you can’t speak of Xixi like this!”

Pak!

Although the old lady was old, she was not slow at all. She gave Ye Li a tight slap and interrupted her. “You’re revolting now! How dare you talk back to me in front of outsiders! We’re going to discuss Yaoyao’s marriage now and it’s none of your business. Scram and head upstairs, stop being an embarrassment here!”

Ye Li’s face burned as she looked at the old lady in disbelief.

Momentarily, she covered her face and ran upstairs.

…

Although the room that Xue Xi was staying in was not as beautifully renovated as the room that Ye Li had prepared, it was still spacious and bright.

She threw her school bag on the desk in a slipshod manner and lay on the bed. With her hands behind her head, she stared blankly at the purple curtains moving with the wind.

Perhaps because she grew up in an orphanage, she’d had no wild ambitions ever since she was young.

Her only hobby was studying.

She had a terrifying hunger for knowledge as though it had become a disease. However, all that she came across usually were too simple, and only advanced schools had more profound knowledge.

Therefore, her goal was to get into the best university.

Yet she still had to wait for another year.

Just as she was deep in her thoughts, she heard the commotion downstairs.

Realising that Ye Li was still downstairs, she stood up and opened the door. It so happened that she saw Ye Li heading up.

Ye Li paused in her footsteps and instinctively turned her head away. She did not want her daughter to see her like this. However, when she walked past Xue Xi, the latter grabbed her hand. Her eyes looked sharp and her voice was icy. “What’s wrong with your face?”

Chapter 6: Must Fall in Love Every Day.

Ye Li’s heart squeezed and she nearly cried.

Nonetheless, she quickly dipped her head and covered her swollen cheek. Trying to suppress her tears, she said, “Nothing much, Xixi. I put on too much blush today. Y-You go back to your room.”

Xue Xi looked at her in silence and, after a while, calmly replied, “Oh.”

Just as Ye Li was about to feel relieved, the girl walked past her and headed downstairs.

Her pupils constricted and she hurriedly ran up to the girl. “Xixi, Xixi…”

Upon hearing the commotion, the people in the living room turned to look at them.

Xue Xi walked right up to Old Lady Xue and remained expressionless. Her huge eyes appeared slightly slow-witted, but her voice was really icy. “Why did you hit her?”

Old Lady Xue was taken aback. For a split second, she found this girl’s aura to be startling, but she quickly returned to her senses.

She was merely a girl who was of the same age as Yaoyao. That must have been her illusion.

She sat comfortably on the sofa and lifted her head slightly before smirking. “She gave birth to a dimwit for our family and has embarrassed the Xue family thoroughly. I merely gave her a slap and that’s lenient enough!”

By then, Ye Li had caught up to Xue Xi and blocked her from the front. “Mom, Xixi isn’t a dimwit!”

“Not a dimwit?” Old Lady Xue sneered. “If she’s not a dimwit, why is she like this? Ye Li, don’t feel aggrieved. I don’t expect Xue Xi to be as outstanding as Yaoyao. As long as her grades are about the same as Yaoyao’s, I’ll definitely be courteous to you and treat you like my ancestors!”

Ye Li’s lips trembled and she could not say a single word.

At this moment…

“No need.”

Xue Xi had spoken all of a sudden. She looked determinedly at Old Lady Xue as she shot a quick glance at the Fan couple before saying icily, “If my results are better than Xue Yao’s, you just have to apologize to my mother.”

After saying that, she brought Ye Li upstairs.

It was only when they had disappeared at the staircase that Old Lady Xue returned to her senses. When her eyes met Madam Fan’s observing eyes, she sneered. “How can her grades be better than Yaoyao’s? Wait until her next life!”

…

Xue Xi brought Ye Li back to her own room.

Closing the door, she turned around and saw Ye Li’s watery eyes. Feeling touched, the latter held her hand and said, “Xixi, are you finally calling me ‘Mom’?”

Xue Xi froze and replied without much expression, “Mhm.” Her voice had a hint of distance and awkwardness.

She knew that her parents did not abandon her on purpose and she had no complaints about Ye Li, but they did not meet for 18 years, after all. She felt uneasy when her mother appeared all of a sudden.

Seeing her like this, Ye Li did not push her further. She merely dipped her head and began repeating over and over again, “Xixi, I’m the one who let you down. I didn’t take good care of you when I gave birth to you, causing you to be stolen.”

She choked. “Your father and I looked for you for so many years. When you’re finally back home, you have to suffer through these grievances with me because I’m useless.”

Xue Xi was uncomfortable seeing her cry. She anxiously took out her tissue paper and passed it to Ye Li before standing there in a daze.

After some time, Ye Li had finally had enough of crying and felt a little abashed when she calmed down.

Placing the tissue paper down, she tried to force a smile with those red eyes.

Her daughter’s defense warmed her heart, but thinking of what had happened, she was fearful that the pressure on her would be too much. She then comforted Xue Xi. “Xixi, don’t feel pressured and don’t listen to your grandma’s words. A person’s grades don’t represent if he or she is outstanding, do you understand?”

Xue Xi nodded while feeling lost.

Ye Li continued to console her. “In Mom’s eyes, you’re the best no matter what you do. I just hope that you can be safe and spend the rest of your life happily. Xixi, for your sake, I’ll slowly grow stronger, so don’t worry!”

Xue Xi replied, “…Oh.”

Old Lady Xue’s slap was not too hard and the swelling on Ye Li’s cheek had subsided. Xue Sheng neither noticed it nor did she mention it.

After having dinner and lying down to rest, Xue Sheng sighed. “It’s all my fault for not knowing how to make Mom happy like the second child that you guys have to suffer through the grievances. Wait for a while more and we’ll move out with Xixi.”

Ye Li suddenly said, “I’m going to start painting again.”

She used to be a painter, but after losing the child, she became wasted and did not touch the brushes for years. Now that Xixi was back, she had become a strong mother and needed to get back up again.

The only reason that the old lady bullied them was simply that her parents were professors and she had no income.

…

The next morning…

Xue Xi, who did not get a wink of sleep, felt her chest feeling tight. However, she did not take it to heart. After washing up and having breakfast, she got in the car and headed to school.

The nearer she got to school, the more evident the discomfort became. It was as though her heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand that was slowly tightening…

When the car passed by Ye Lai Xiang store slowly, the pain in her chest intensified.

She instinctively shouted, “Uncle Li, stop!”

Chh! The car came to a halt suddenly. Xue Yao wobbled, and, after sitting down securely again, she could not help but say, “Sister, today is the day of results release, don’t tell me you’re trying to skip school to avoid it?”

Xue Xi could not be bothered with her at all as she quickly headed down.

Stumbling, she walked toward Ye Lai Xiang.

Thinking while she still could, she suddenly had a thought. Could it be that she had to fall in love with that man for it to work? She could not switch to another man?

With this thought in mind, she stopped in her tracks and randomly grabbed a male student in uniform who was walking past her. His hair was dyed red, and without even looking at how the boy looked, she asked straight away, “Hey, do you wanna fall in love?”

The boy: “?”

Upon her saying that, the pain did not lessen but intensified further.

It was useless.

She quickened her steps and opened the door to Ye Lai Xiang store. There she saw that tall man sitting behind the counter, and the pain quickly lessened once again.

This meant that she had to fall in love with Xiang Huai.

Supporting the door-frame, she looked steadily ahead.

So, this issue indeed had something to do with Xiang Huai? Could she have been drugged by him? Could he have casted a spell on her? Why was there such a bizarre thing in the world?

Just as she was in a daze, Xiang Huai gradually looked up.

The store’s air conditioner was strong, and the man was, once again, donning an all-black ensemble. He held a book in his hand as he sat there relaxing. There was no expression on his face, and his eyes slowly landed on Xue Xi as he asked, “Little kid, why are you here?”

Xue Xi kept silent for a moment. “…To fall in love with you.”

Xiang Huai: “…”

Their eyes met and there was complete silence.

The store was oddly silent for half a minute.

“Pua!” Xiang Huai laughed in a deep voice. That laughter was so low that it seemed to be lingering in Xue Xi’s ears magically. This made her cheeks flushed.

Having nothing to say, she tried to start a conversation. “What does your store sell?”

After saying that, she looked at the shelves.

The man lowered his eyes and replied, “This is a provision store.”

Last night, he got Lu Chao to change everything in the store last minute.

But—

Xue Xi was curious. “When I came here yesterday, the shelves were full of small boxes. What were they?”

“…”

Xiang Huai slowly put down his book and leaned forward before saying in a serious tone, “Balloons.”

Chapter 7: Come Again Tomorrow?

In Xue Xi’s mind, a question mark was slowly drawn out: “?”

Why would a provision shop have that many balloons?

She did not question further, though. She simply had a nagging feeling that this provision shop was different from the rest she had seen before. Even its name was unique: Ye Lai Xiang… Provision Shop?

She did not speak further on this.

She did not even know Xiang Huai and this was only their second meeting. More importantly, she did not even know how relationships worked.

However, if she did not speak, the dull pain in her heart would increase in intensity. Seeing that Xiang Huai was reading his book and did not have any intention of speaking, she fought with herself internally before asking again, “Where is Canine Teeth?”

Canine Teeth?

Xiang Huai cocked an eyebrow. Is she referring to Lu Chao?

This little kid has a unique way of giving nicknames.

Xiang Huai knocked his knuckles against the counter. “He went to buy breakfast.”

At this moment, Lu Chao walked in with breakfast. “Boss, time to eat!”

He first paused for a moment when he saw Xue Xi, greeted her with a “Hey,” then proceeded to lay out the breakfast he’d just bought onto the table beside.

Xiang Huai stood up and, instantly, his 180-centimeter-tall stature towered over everything else making the entire room feel slightly constrained and cramped.

He walked to the dining table and casually asked, “Join us?”

Xue Xi blinked.

She felt a little ill when she woke up this morning and hence did not have much for breakfast. Moreover, the Xue family ate Western food with bread and milk in the morning. She grew up eating buns and congee at the orphanage, so she was not used to it and did not have much.

She thought for a little then nodded. “Alright.”

Lu Chao watched in a daze as the young lady took a seat opposite his boss, reached for a bun, and started eating in a relaxed manner.

Since when had anyone been this carefree and at ease in front of his boss? This little girl is not your average joe!

Xue Xi ate while surreptitiously sizing up the person opposite her.

The man ate fast, but was not uncouth. Instead, he was elegant even. In the time it took for her to finish one bun, he had already gobbled up three…

Xue Xi ate faster, and when she was done, the pain she felt in her heart had totally vanished. She picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, then asked, “May I leave now?”

Xiang Huai unhurriedly looked up. His dark brown eyes were glinting with a suppressed sharpness. “You can leave anytime.”

Xue Xi paused.

This man emanated a dangerous and mysterious air, making one unable to see through him nor guess his intentions. Still, for now at least, he did not seem to be ill-intentioned.

Many thoughts had sprouted in her mind the past two days.

She considered making a police report.

But what would she tell them? This man did something to me and forced me to date him? Never mind the police, she herself would not! She might even be treated as a looney!

After playing with many ideas, she finally decided on taking no action to see what this man was up to.

Everything had been fine from yesterday afternoon, until her chest started hurting this morning. Could this mean that she had to meet him every day to “be in love and date” him?

“I’ll come again tomorrow, okay?” she said questioningly.

Xiang Huai raised an eyebrow and his lips turned up slightly. “Up to you.”

…

Xue Xi walked out of the shop and toward the school.

The classroom was in a mess. Despite being tortured by the examinations yesterday, the students who just came back from summer vacation were all still very boisterous.

“The paper yesterday was so hard! I actually couldn’t do quite a few math questions!”

“Isn’t the question not in the syllabus? Fan Han, did you find it hard?”

Fan Han, who was already sitting in the first row, straightened his spine and replied in an arrogant manner, “It’s still manageable.”

“Looks like you did pretty well. As expected, a curve wrecker is different!”

Xue Xi walked into the classroom amid the lamenting.

The sun’s backlight illuminated the girl’s tall stature. Her hair was cleanly tied behind her head, and on her fair-skinned face, her large and beautiful eyes were slightly misted.

Girls who were pretty naturally attracted the eyes and attention of all others. Even Fan Han could not resist sneaking a few peeks.

This furtive act was caught by Xue Yao, who suppressed the disdain she felt and blabbered loudly, “Xue Xi, how were the exams for you yesterday?”

Xue Xi paused in her tracks and looked toward her cousin.

Although she did not express any emotion, her apathetic attitude made the latter feel as though her thoughts were seen through. Xue Yao could not help but shift her eyes away in guilt.

Xue Xi retracted her gaze and moved for her seat, leaving only two words behind: “It’s manageable.”

Manageable?

Fan Han sneered. He raised his chin when everyone looked over and said, “The Chinese language is truly deep and profound.”

When he claimed it was manageable, it was with humbleness and certainty.

As for someone else’s “manageable,” heh…

Everyone could understand the underlying meaning of his words and instantly burst out laughing. “That’s true. Fan Han would claim it manageable if he can’t get full marks, but in Xue Xi’s case, manageable would be just getting a 60. Isn’t her standard for herself a little too low? Ha ha ha…”

Administrative building— Senior Year Mathematics Office.

Following the ring of the bell, Class One’s civic tutor, Old Liu, picked up the mathematics papers and moved to leave. At this moment, the rest of his colleagues teaching other classes asked, “Old Liu, I heard that there is someone from your class who scored full marks?”

Old Liu paused in his footsteps and smiled so widely that his wrinkles appeared. “Yes.”

Someone lamented, “This exam tested something out of the syllabus just to give these rascals a blow in order to make them settle down and properly start studying. That mathematics paper is very challenging. Your class’s Fan Han is truly impressive! Looks like your class is going to be the first in the level on average again, isn’t it?”

Just as Old Liu moved to speak, Class Two’s civic tutor, Ms. Li, spoke. “Class One is indeed very smart, but it can’t be helped that there are laggards dragging the rest behind!”

Ms. Li was a woman in her thirties. She smiled. “Mr. Liu, how did the transfer student in your class fare?”

Old Liu stopped when he heard this. “Ms. Li, I heard that the headmaster originally intended to put Xue Xi in your class?”

Ms. Li gloated when this was mentioned.

There were two experimental classes in the senior year: Class One and Class Two. The top hundred students in the level were randomly allocated to each class and, hence, the competition was stiff.

When Xue Xi first transferred over, the Xue family only requested for her to be in an experimental class. The headmaster had originally planned to put the girl in her class. After all, the girl had issues and it was easier for a female teacher to communicate with her.

However, Ms. Li had firmly rejected it and pushed the responsibility to Old Liu.

How could she possibly accept the yearly number one student being given to Old Liu but only the problematic young girl given to her?

Moreover, with Xue Xi, she could pull down Class One’s average score and that will allow Class Two to be the first, right?

Ms. Li thought about this and replied, “Yes. Our class was full.”

Old Liu’s worry when he first received Xue Xi had been instantly swept away, and he grinned. “Then I shall thank you!”

With that, he walked past Ms. Li while humming a tune under his breath.

Ms. Li was stunned.

Beside her, someone else had already run to Old Liu’s desk to look at the summarized result slip. A gush ensued. “The person who scored full marks this time is actually not Fan Han?”

An ominous feeling rose in Ms. Li’s heart when she heard this. “Who is it?”

Chapter 8: First in the Level

When Old Liu stepped into the classroom, the bell for the first class had yet to ring.

He placed the thick stack of papers on the rostrum and said, “Subject rep, come distribute the papers!”

The entire classroom instantly fell silent. Xue Xi sat in the last row and watched as her classmates all stretched out their necks. As the subject representative distributed the examination scripts, intermittent sounds of gasp and sighs could be heard from every corner of the room.

The subject representative, Zhou Zhen, was studious and frail-looking. He wore a pair of thick glasses. He moved toward Xue Yao’s table and passed her script over.

Someone asked curiously, “How many marks?”

Checking her score, Xue Yao answered in a light-hearted and proud tone, “127 marks.”

“The questions were so hard, yet you actually scored so highly?”

She feigned humbleness. “Nah. I’m still lacking when compared to Fan Han.”

“How can you compare yourself to Fan Han? He has been receiving uncountable awards from mathematics competitions since he was young! Still, you and he are truly a match made in heaven. Both of you have such good grades…”

Xue Yao seemed accustomed to the surrounding gasps and praises. She lifted her chin and subconsciously peered at the last row.

She asked hypocritically, “Zhou Zhen, hurry and see how my cousin scored, alright?”

Zhou Zhen flipped through the papers and did not spot Xue Xi’s. Instead, he saw Fan Han’s first and hurriedly picked it out. He was about to pass it to Fan Han when…

On the rostrum, Old Liu said, “For this mathematics paper, the only full-marks student in the entire level is in our class!”

“Wow!”

“Isn’t Fan Han too incredible?”

While everyone was gushing, Fan Han silently heaved a sigh of relief.

During the examination yesterday, there were quite a few that he was unsure about. Looks like I did it all correctly…

“Congratulations, Fan Han! You are amazing!”

Xue Yao’s voice rang beside him.

He looked up at her with a smile.

When he returned home yesterday and was informed that his arranged marriage partner had been changed to Xue Yao, he had let out a breath of relief. For a person like him, only the best and most outstanding girl could be matched!

127 marks… Mhm, it hits the passing mark!

At this moment, Zhou Zhen landed his paper on his table right in front of him.

He instinctively looked at the scores and his smile froze. 138? What’s wrong? Did I receive the wrong paper?

While everyone was still confused, Old Liu sucked in a deep breath and said the following, “Let us congratulate student Xue Xi! Her foundations in mathematics are very solid. Even though the questions this time around were exceptionally hard, her results are also totally unexpected! It is a whole 12 marks higher than the second place, Fan Han!”

In the next instant, it felt as if a pause button had been pressed on the entire classroom. A perfect silence prevailed!

After a full two seconds, everyone then turned to look at the girl in the last row in unison.

Fan Han widened his eyes in shock and disbelief. When he turned back to look at the girl, he saw her slowly look up. Her eyes started to focus on him. A meaningful smile slowly crept up her lips as she silently mouthed the words, “Still manageable.”

Fan Han’s cheeks instantly blazed, as though someone had given him a tight slap!

Similarly, Xue Yao also froze and all she could think of was: How can this be?! How can it be?!

…

“End of class!”

Old Liu finished reviewing the examination paper right at the ring of the bell that signified the end of class, and he promptly exited the classroom.

In the next moment, the classroom instantly exploded with noise.

Screech!

It was the sound of a chair being dragged against the floor. The person seated in front of Xue Xi turned around and leaned against her table as though she had no bones. “Hey, Xue Xi, right? I’m Qin Shuang!”

The girl had a head of pink hair and her makeup was exaggerated, as though she came from a 2D world. She was chewing gum and even blew out a bubble right after saying this.

Xue Xi looked at her curiously, then replied, “Hello.”

Qin Shuang whipped out her phone when she received a reply and babbled loudly, “Everyone in our school’s forum is now debating whether Fan Han can keep his Number One position! Ha ha, I have always disliked Fan Han and Xue Yao, those two. They always act so arrogantly. What is there to be proud of when all they have are slightly better grades?”

Xue Xi: “…Oh.”

An overly familiar and talkative person—this was her first impression of Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang did not mind her uninterested reply and continued on her own, “I heard that the Fan family reneged on your arranged marriage because they felt that your results were terrible? Then, can you clinch Number One in overall results? That way, you can give him a tight slap on his face!”

“…” And a gossipy one.

The next class was Literature. As she was the subject representative, Xue Yao’s first instinct when she received the papers was to look at Xue Xi’s marks. When she saw the marks written on top, she immediately let out a breath of relief.

She intentionally walked over to pass the paper to Xue Xi and coincidentally heard Qin Shuang say this.

Hence, she said, “Fan Han excels not only in mathematics. He excels in every subject.”

With that, she passed Xue Xi’s paper over to her. “102 marks. Cousin, looks like your grades are severely imbalanced. You already have a 30-mark difference from Fan Han in one subject and you still have a pipedream of being first? Stop dreaming!’

Pak!

Qin Shuang’s chewing gum bubble burst. She cocked her head at Xue Yao. “I don’t know if Xue Xi will score better than Fan Han, but it will definitely be higher than yours. Where does your pride come from?”

Rendered speechless, Xue Yao only retorted back after a short pause, “As the first from the bottom, you would, of course, not feel any pride.”

“No.” Qin Shuang grinned. “I’m proud to be the first from the bottom.”

Xue Yao: “…”

She turned around and left proudly.

The teachers had burned the midnight oil last night marking the papers and individually collated them today. The ranking and scores were finally out when afternoon classes ended.

After the grade reports were pasted on the wall in front, everyone squeezed to take a look the moment classes ended.

Xue Xi did not partake in this, though. To her, things such as grades were not important. Hence, she picked up her bag and walked out the door.

In the classroom, Fan Han and Xue Yao had not left. They were packing their bags as they eyed the front of the class. While both of them held themselves in high regard and deigned to squeeze with the crowd, they were still extremely curious about the ranking this time around.

When most of the crowd had dispersed, Fan Han finally walked over. His gaze landed on the utmost left column of the first row. Alas, he, who had hogged the first spot usually, was currently in a different spot.

He was stunned.

Beside him, Xue Yao was going bonkers…

…

…

At 6:30 PM, the car slowly drove through the Xue family’s gates.

Xue Xi moved to open the door the moment the car stopped, but a piercing voice sounded. “Are you very happy?”

She paused, only to see that Xue Yao’s eyes were red and brimming with tears. The latter shouted, “You pretended to be a dimwit to see me and Fan Han make a fool out of ourselves. Are you satisfied now?”

Xue Xi was taken aback.

Is this person’s brain fine?

Before Xue Xi could reply, Xue Yao had already alighted from the car and ran into the mansion.

When Xue Xi alighted and followed her path into the living room, she immediately heard Old Lady Xue’s anxious voice. “Yaoyao, what’s the matter?”

Not speaking a word, Xue Yao ran upstairs and locked herself in her room.

Old Lady Xue was anxiously and worriedly circling outside her door. “What happened? Why are you suddenly crying…”

“Oh, right. The results are out today. Did Xue Xi bully you out of jealousy because you scored better than she did?”

Xue Xi, who had just walked in: “…”

Chapter 9: Time for Your Apology

Xue Xi changed her slippers and was about to go back to her room when Ye Li walked out from the kitchen, dressed in a purple dress. Looking every bit like a cultured and sophisticated person, she smiled gently at Xue Xi and waved her over.

When the latter reached the dining area, she then passed a small and exquisite-looking bowl over to her and said in a soft voice, “Xixi, are you hungry? This bird’s nest soup is fresh out of the pot. I have added honey and milk inside. Have some.”

Her attitude made Xue Xi feel warm as she received the food and took a mouthful. It was a little fishy, but the milky scent and honey resulted in a sweet aftertaste.

She was planning to finish it when a bellow erupted from the staircase. “Eat, eat, eat! All you know is to eat! Didn’t you see how much Yaoyao is crying?”

Ye Li was startled as she tensed up. She then pacified the old lady, “Mom, she’s a child. It’s normal for there to be things that upset her. I’ll accompany you to appease Yaoyao…”

She circled past Xue Xi after saying this and was just about to go upstairs. However, Old Lady Xue suddenly stopped and swept her gaze past Xue Xi with hostility. When she spotted the bowl in the latter’s hands, her eyes widened as she roared, “Who gave her bird’s nest soup? That is specially made for Yaoyao!”

Ye Li hurriedly explained, “Mom, I know. Yaoyao’s is still being kept warm in the pot. I made two portions today and will give the other portion to Yaoyao soon…”

Xue Yao had a portion of bird’s nest every day. This was her habit.

Since both were daughters of the Xue family, Ye Li felt that it was Xue Xi’s right to have one portion every day too. Yet what she did not expect was Old Lady Xue’s following rampage. “Yaoyao has bird’s nest every day because she studies so diligently every day and needs proper nourishment. With Xue Xi’s pea brain, giving her some is simply wasteful! You will not make it for her again!”

Ye Li was totally dumbstruck.

To the Xue family, bird’s nest was a very average expense. They would even let the servants at home have some when they had leftovers.

Still, she never expected in her entire life that the old lady would be this stingy toward Xue Xi!

Xue Xi eyed the bird’s nest soup in her hands. She never craved any of such things in her life. After all, at the orphanage, all she asked for was to have a full tummy.

She put the bowl down on the dining table and moved to go upstairs.

At this moment, the old lady blocked her path again. “Also, tell me, did you bully Yaoyao and make her cry?”

Ye Li flailed her arms. “How can that be? Xixi is—”

Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a hum. She turned to look at Xue Xi together with Old Lady Xue.

Xue Xi decidedly abandoned her plan to go upstairs. Her eyes, which always seemed shrouded in mist, turned to the old lady. “Looks like I really did.”

With a vicious look, Old Lady Xue berated, “I knew it was you! You lunatic! Tell me, what the hell did you do to Yaoyao?! Why is she crying?!”

The girl paused for two seconds. “Perhaps it’s because… I got better grades than she did?”

“…What?”

Old Lady Xue was stunned. She even suspected her hearing of being faulty… Her grades are better than Yaoyao’s? That’s not possible!

Xue Xi flung the bag she was carrying to the front, retrieved the final grade report, and passed it to Old Lady Xue.

The old lady instinctively reached for it. On it were the results of every subject.

Mathematics: 150 marks.

Science Aggregate: 288 marks.

English: 140 marks.

Literature: 102 marks.

Old Lady Xue, who frequently flaunted Xue Yao’s results to everyone else, naturally knew what these grades meant. She stared at the “dimwit and dumb” granddaughter in disbelief.

Xue Xi gently and suavely hooked the dining chair over with her foot. The chair rocked a little and stopped before her. She then pressed down on Ye Li’s shoulders, asking her to sit down before she turned to the old lady. “Now, it’s time for your apology.”

Apology…

Old Lady Xue instantly recalled the girl’s words from yesterday:

“No need…

“If my results are better than Xue Yao’s, you just have to apologize to my mother.”

Old Lady Xue’s face turned red with anger as her entire body trembled.

Apologize to this useless daughter-in-law? Especially in front of the servants? Impossible!

The old lady frowned and suddenly clutched her chest. “Aiyo, aiyo…”

Beside her, Auntie Sun instantly got her hint and moved forward. “Old Madam, is your angina acting up again? I’ll help you back to your room to rest.”

“Yes…”

With Auntie Sun supporting her, Old Lady Xue escaped the dining area in dismay.

Xue Xi: “…”

It was only when dinnertime arrived that the old lady and Xue Yao came down again.

Today, the old patriarch, Xue Shengqiang, had finally finished dealing with an acquisition project and returned home for dinner. Hence, the dining table was filled for today.

Xue Xi sat beside Ye Li. It was her first meeting with her supposed paternal grandfather.

Xue Shengqiang was a conservative elder. Despite being 70 years old, he was still a stern person. He first sized up Xue Xi, then nodded with an ambiguous attitude. “It’s good as long as you’re back.”

After which, he swept his gaze across the rest of the house. He spotted Xue Yao’s reddened eyes but did not point it out. Instead, he turned toward Old Lady Xue and asked blandly, “Did anything happen at home in the past few days?”

The old lady answered, “No.”

“Are you sure?”

The old lady was taken aback, unsure what he was referring to.

Xue Shengqiang continued staring at her. “Did you forget to apologize to Ye Li?”

This one sentence made the old lady tense up, as though she would flip the table in the next instant.

How did Xue Shengqiang know about this?

She balled up her fists, feeling a severe sense of shame looming over her. She did not dare to go against the old patriarch and could only look at Ye Li in a disgruntled manner, saying, “I should not have hit you for that day’s events.”

Ye Li was frightened when she spotted the anger and condemnation in the old lady’s eyes.

She knew that this time, she had thoroughly offended the old lady.

Still, she could not back down now. She had conceded in every way she could in the past only because she did not want to make things difficult for Xue Sheng. However, now, she had Xue Xi, and so she had to protect her.

…

…

The next morning, when Xue Xi woke up, Ye Li came over happily and knocked on the door. “Xixi, your maternal grandmother is here!”

The two of them descended down the stairs. Xue Xi quickly spotted an old lady with a head of white hair sitting on the sofa in the living room cautiously. She was donning a traditional-looking Chinese-style jacket and had a kind smile on her face.

Old Lady Xue was seated opposite her. Her eyes were droopy, and she clearly looked down upon the former.

Granny Ye, whose name was Song Wenman, stood up in agitation when she spotted Xue Xi. Her frail and wrinkled hands tightly held on to the latter’s hands as she said with reddened eyes, “My good child. We finally found you!”

Ye Li introduced her to Xue Xi. “Your maternal grandmother’s house is not in Bin City. We originally intended to bring you over to visit them during the weekend, but your granny already could not wait and came over first instead!”

“Oh,” Xue Xi replied. She then turned to look at Song Wenman and obediently called her, “Granny.”

“Aye!”

While the trio were chatting, Old Lady Xue suddenly cut in, “Ye Li, the servants don’t know what your mother likes. Go brew a cup of tea for her personally.”

Flattered, Ye Li nodded. “Yes.”

As she moved for the tea cabinet, Old Lady Xue shot a glance toward Auntie Sun, who then nodded back.

Slow on the uptake, by the time Xue Xi realized that something was amiss, Ye Li’s loud shriek was already heard!

Chapter 10: Little Kid, You’re Leaving Right After Eating?

Despite being slow when it came to interpersonal relationships, Xue Xi was very nimble and agile.

She swiftly arrived the moment she heard the shriek. When she saw Ye Li standing there unhurt, she let out a breath of relief first before spotting the half-spilled container of tea leaves.

At this moment, Old Lady Xue drew a deep breath and exclaimed, “Ye Li, you are in huge trouble!”

Ye Li was utterly petrified as she explained in a stutter, “Mom, I-I didn’t do it on purpose. It dropped down the moment I opened the tea cabinet.”

Auntie Sun shook her head and sighed. “Madam, you are too careless!”

Old Lady Xue seemed to panic as she berated, “What else can you do other than eat and drink every day? I only asked you to brew a cup of tea and you can make this huge mess! Do you know that your father-in-law especially bought this back for an important use?!”

Ye Li stared at the tea in shock.

Old Lady Xue continued chiding, “You useless piece of trash, what use is there in putting on a crying look?! Tell me, what have you ever brought into this house? You can’t even give birth to a son. You are simply a hen that cannot lay eggs!”

Her words became even more vile.

Xue Xi frowned and was just about to speak when a stern voice sounded, “Liu Guihua, you’d better shut your mouth!”

Song Wenman rushed over and immediately blocked Ye Li from her view. “As the matriarch of a high-society family, do you think you are speaking humanely?! Our Ye Li has been well-versed in classical Chinese poetry, songs, and essays since she was young. She did not marry into your nouveau-riche family to be bullied!”

Nouveau riche…

Xue Xi was a little taken aback. It seemed that her maternal grandmother was not lacking in the bickering department too.

Old Lady Xue choked on her own saliva. Her momentum was instantly cut in half. “Can’t I even scold her a little as her mother-in-law when she has made a mistake?”

Song Wenman retorted, “Isn’t it just a little bit of spilled tea leaves? Is there a need to be this alarmed? I’ll just go buy some back for you again!”

Ye Li hurriedly tugged her mother. “Mom…”

On the contrary, Old Lady Xue gloated as she nudged her lips. “Just a little bit of spilled tea leaves? Do you know what tea this is? This is Wuyi Mountain’s Da Hong Pao!”

Song Wenman replied resolutely, “As long as it is sold somewhere, there will be a way to purchase it.”

Old Lady Xue revealed a smirking expression, “Fine. I shall put it upfront that this tea is something our old man requested someone to bring over. We have use for it this weekend. If you guys are unable to buy it back, you’d better wait to explain matters to our patriarch!”

With that, she moved for the dining area with Auntie Sun supporting her. A gloating look shone in her eyes.

Didn’t the old man just back her up yesterday? I shall see how she gets punished now that she has ruined his big plans!

It was only when Old Lady Xue had left that Song Wenman realized that something was amiss. “Lili, I…”

Ye Li hurriedly halted her with a glance. She then turned to look at Xue Xi, who had been staring at them silently. She did not want to make her daughter needlessly be implicated with them.

Xue Yao had already finished breakfast and was currently standing at the side restlessly and in frustration. “Are you gonna move or not?”

Ye Li forced a smile out, then went to the kitchen to pack some breakfast for Xue Xi. “Xixi, go to school first. Your granny is not leaving today, so you can chat with her again at night.”

“Oh,” Xue Xi answered, eyeing her. She then followed Xue Yao out the door.

When both of them were gone, Song Wenman then inquired in a soft voice, “The tea just now…”

Ye Li let out a bitter smile. “Mom, the remaining six origin trees of this tea have already been protected since ten years ago. They are no longer allowed to be harvested, so the tea leaves are now a priceless treasure. My father-in-law spent 880,000 yuan to buy this paltry 100 grams in an auction just to gift it to Elder Gao this weekend. Our company will need Elder Gao’s help in the following project…”

Elder Gao was the wealthiest businessman in Bin City. It was public knowledge that he loved tea.

Song Wenman was stunned when she heard this. “880,000 yuan… only for 100 grams?”

Ye Li stared at the tea leaves on the floor once again.

Her father-in-law viewed these tea leaves as though it were as important as his own life. Now, even if one were willing to spend a million, they would still be unable to buy this.

She did not expect Old Lady Xue to use this to take revenge on her. How would she explain herself to her father-in-law tonight?

…

…

As usual, Xue Xi alighted at Ye Lai Xiang and entered the provision shop.

Sitting behind the counter, Xiang Huai lazily raised his head. He seemed to like black clothes a lot. He had changed into a different shirt today. The top button was unbuttoned, revealing his sexy collarbone. Despite that, his stern and straight-laced face gave off an ascetic aura.

He stood up and walked toward the dining table when he saw her enter. As he passed by her, he lowered his head slightly and said, “Little kid, you’re late.”

Late?

Xue Xi eyed the clock, realizing that she was three minutes later than yesterday.

However, the pain in her heart today was actually not as acute as it was yesterday. Was it because she had been thinking of coming here since she stepped out of the house today and was not going against the idea of seeing Xiang Huai? After all, people who were in love would likely desire to meet each other.

With this thought in mind, she took a seat opposite the man.

On the table, Canine Teeth had already placed the breakfast. When the three of them were done eating, he cleaned up the table. After Xue Xi had finished the soya bean drink, she placed it on her left-hand side. As Canine Teeth was on her right side, he was feeling too lazy to reach out for the bottle. Hence, he said to her, “Pass that soya bean drink bottle to me!”

Slow to respond, Xue Xi paused for two seconds before reaching for the bottle again. Alas, as Xiang Huai saw that she did not move, he had reached out too. Consequently, just as she touched the bottle, her hand was caught by Xiang Huai too.

Both of them stilled.

Xue Xi stared blankly at their hands, which were holding each other. The man’s palms were huge and his nails were clean and neat. Yet his palms were hot—scalding, even. The heat seemed to travel from her hands to her cheeks…

She hurriedly retracted her hands and glared at him hostilely.

What did this man do to me again? My heart seemed to have stopped for a second there… but it seems fine now again.

She put on an empty expression and picked up her bag. “I’ll be off to school.”

“Tsk.” With that cluck of his tongue, the man pushed himself up with both hands on the table. He then bent at the waist closer to her. “Little kid, you’re leaving right after eating?”

Xue Xi was lost.

What should I do if not leave? Does he mean…

Scouring the empty shop with her eyes, she had an epiphany: I should give him some business.

Recalling the tea leaves Ye Li had spilled today, she asked, “Do you have Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao here in your provision shop?”

Lu Chao, who had gone out to throw the trash, almost fell down headfirst when he heard this upon returning.

Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao? Is that something you can buy in a provision shop?

He was just about to speak when he saw his boss smile lightly. “I have 150 grams. Is that enough?”

Xue Xi nodded.

Ye Li had spilled 100 grams, so there should not be any problem if she bought 150 grams back.

“How much is it?” she asked.

The market price was already 800,000 yuan for 100 grams. If it was 150 grams…

Xiang Huai’s dark brown eyes twinkled as he gave her a discount. “One…”

“How expensive!” Xue Xi, who usually had a long response loop, exclaimed, causing Xiang Huai to swallow the word “million” he had yet to utter.

In Xue Xi’s eyes, the tea leaves that the principal of the orphanage drank was only 15 yuan for a pack. Yet this Da Hong Pao actually cost 100?

She eyed the pathetic and desolate provision shop again.

Forget it, I’ll take it even if it’s overpriced. His business is hard too.

Xue Xi picked out 200 yuan from her wallet and placed it before Xiang Huai. “You don’t need to give me change. You can keep the remaining 100 as breakfast money.”

Lu Chao: “…''

next: chapter 11-20

coming soon.........

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