chapter 21-34
Chapter 21: Xiang Huai’s Father-in-law!
Xue Sheng’s tea was placed in a carrier. The secretary did not even need to see what was inside to know that it must be something of high value. Hence, after a glance, he said, “That cannot do.”
Elder Gao had specifically ordered: Refuse gifts!
As he saw that even the gift was being rejected, Xue Sheng’s face turned even bitter. Is it really because Xixi offended the Gao family?
While he was thinking this, a convertible with its roof open drove in. The large metal gates parted open and the secretary moved to the side, then respectfully addressed, “Young Master Chen.”
Gao Yanchen waved at him in greeting, then slowly drove into the compound.
Xue Sheng frowned.
The young man’s complexion seemed fine. This meant that what the supposed “unwell” Elder Gao had said was merely an excuse.
Idling here for any longer would only offend the other party. Just as Xue Sheng was about to leave and think of another solution, the car that had driven in slowly reversed its way out. Gao Yanchen looked at him and asked with hesitation, “Xue Xi’s father?”
He had seen Xue Sheng in other events before.
Xue Sheng nodded and admitted openly, “Yes.”
In the next instant, Gao Yanchen hurriedly alighted from the car and greeted him politely, “Uncle Xue, are you here for a visit? Hurry and come in!”
“…”
Xue Sheng was usually a calm person, but now, even he was totally dumbstruck. What is happening?
The secretary was even more at a loss. “Young Master Chen, Elder Gao said—”
Gao Yanchen cut him off in annoyance. “Let’s talk inside if there is a need to. Is halting our guests outside our door part of our Gao family’s hospitality?”
Secretary: “?”
Young Master Chen, you used to ignore everyone. Have you ever shown any hospitality?
Secretary: “?”
Young Master Chen, you used to ignore everyone. Have you ever shown any hospitality?
Alas, he did not say this out loud.
After they entered the living room, Gao Yanchen said, “Uncle Xue, have a seat first. I’ll go call the old man.”
He then noticed the gift in his hands and said, “Is this a gift? I’ll help you pass it in.”
Xue Sheng nodded, feeling awkward. He then sat down on the sofa beside them.
With the gift in hand, Gao Yanchen walked in. Elder Gao was sitting at the balcony and basking in the sun. When he saw his grandson walk in, he sighed. “Did you skip class again?”
Gao Yanchen walked over. “You have a guest.”
Elder Gao waved at him. “I’m not seeing anyone. I won’t be seeing anyone for the time being.”
Gao Yanchen squatted down and tugged his beard. “Old man, you must definitely meet this guest!”
The old man yelped in pain and sat up, swatting his grandson’s hand. “Show some respect to your elders!”
He then peered at the gift box in his grandson’s hands and asked curiously, “Who is this guest that you place so much importance on? It’s fine if I have to meet him, but we must agree to not accept any gifts.”
The latter simply stuffed the gift in his hands, though. “You must accept it!”
Elder Gao sighed. “You don’t understand. Some higher-up came recently and I will get in trouble if I accept any gifts during this dangerous period.”
Although Gao Yanchen was a rascal, he knew to not harm his own grandfather. Still, if they did not accept the gift, wouldn’t they embarrass Uncle Xue?
He eyed the gift in his hands and decided to open up the carrier. “I’ll see if the gift is a valuable item. Just accept it if it’s not, or Uncle Xue might feel humiliated.”
Elder Gao was about to speak when he spotted an extremely familiar tea leaves box being retrieved from the carrier…
Gao Yanchen quizzically studied the box. “Old man, why does this gift look awfully familiar?”
The old man stood up in agitation.
How could it not be awfully familiar?
It was his tea!
Through simple luck and coincidence, he’d managed to purchase this 150 grams of Da Hong Pao. He could not bear to drink it and, hence, had always stored it preciously. It was then taken away from him with just one order by General Xiang. Was it being returned now?
That’s not right…
General Xiang said that this tea is a betrothal present.
Betrothal present… We don’t have a daughter in our house!
No, I’m going in the wrong direction. Could it be that General Xiang’s fiancée is from the Xue family?
Elder Gao gulped nervously, then snatched the tea over, asking, “Is there a young girl of marriageable age in the Xue family?”
Gao Yanchen nudged his lips. “None of marriageable age, but there are two in their high school senior year. I forgot what one is called—anyway, she is engaged to the Fan family. And another…”
He paused at this point, then continued in an unnatural tone, “…is called Xue Xi. She is the daughter of the Xue family who went missing 18 years ago. She was recovered just a few days ago.”
Recovered just a few days ago…
General Xiang also came to Bin City a few days ago.
The dots immediately connected together and Elder Gao arrived at a conclusion and at the candidate: Xue Xi!
He panicked. “The person that came from the Xue family is…”
“Xue Xi’s father!”
Elder Gao felt his legs turn weak. His head spun a little.
Then that is General Xiang’s father-in-law!
He did not dare to put on any airs and immediately ran out with the tea leaves in hand!
Xue Sheng was currently feeling uneasy.
From the attitude Gao Yanchen displayed just now, it did not seem like he and Xixi are enemies. But Elder Gao is not meeting anyone… Just as he was thinking this, he heard footsteps and Elder Gao ordering his employees, “Hurry, prepare a cup of high-grade red tea for my great-nephew!”
With that voice, Elder Gao’s silhouette appeared.
Xue Sheng hurriedly stood up and was just about to greet him respectfully when the latter quickly walked over and said in an ingratiating tone, “Nephew Xue, apologies for the neglect!”
Startled by his attitude, Xue Sheng hurriedly bent at the waist. “It was I who arrived too abruptly.”
Elder Gao grabbed his arm tightly, not allowing him to lower his head, then gestured for him to sit on the sofa. “No, no. Your presence here is an honor to our humble home!”
Xue Sheng’s mind went blank. “Elder Gao, I’m afraid that I am undeserving of such words.”
Elder Gao chuckled. “There is no such thing, my great-nephew. Just speak your mind if you need anything. As for this tea…”
…
…
After class, Xue Xi returned home and holed up in her room to spam question banks.
She exited her room only when she was called down for dinner.
At the dining table, she spotted the old patriarch and matriarch. Xue Yao was seated opposite her and only Xue Sheng was missing…
Perplexed, she took a mouthful of greens, then looked at her mother. “Mom… Where is… Dad?”
At that last word, “Dad,” she had hesitated for some time before finally forcing the word out.
Having been called “Mom” for the past few days, Ye Li did not display as much agitation as the first time. Still, hearing her daughter say “Dad,” she was exhilarated.
She first grabbed a piece of pork ribs for her, then replied with a hint of worry, “Your dad went to the Gao family and isn’t back yet.”
Old Lady Xue coldly harrumphed. “A kind mother makes a wastrel. Ye Li, you and Xue Sheng dote on Xue Xi too much, and that resulted in today! Look at how stingy and petty she is. She is the total opposite of our Yaoyao, who is a fine lady… Yaoyao, eat up. Look how skinny you have become recently. Don’t fall sick. I am still waiting for you to win a trophy back for Physics!”
Alas, Xue Yao froze when she heard this.
Her head shot up in Xue Xi’s direction.
Before she could say anything, a ruckus could be heard from the door.
Xue Sheng walked in with a frown and a perplexed expression.
His wife, Ye Li, hurriedly stood up. “You’re back?”
She then spotted the tea leaves in his hands. “Elder Gao didn’t accept it?”
Pak! Old Lady Xue slammed the chopsticks on the table. “Hear me! How could Elder Gao be appeased without us beating Xue Xi to a pulp? Look, he doesn’t even want to accept the tea leaves. Now, the project is already a goner!”
The old patriarch turned to him nervously but saw his son shake his head. The latter still had a confused expression. “No, Elder Gao said that this project will be given to the Xue family, and that he will gift this tea to me…”
Chapter 22: I Already Have a Boyfriend
“…”
The entire room fell silent.
Xue Sheng spent the whole drive home pondering, but he still did not understand what this meant. He had brought the tea leaves as a gift, but why was it gifted back to him?
Amid everyone’s deep pondering, Old Lady Xue smirked. “That must be mockery, right? Our old man is not even qualified to drink this tea. Do you think you have the fortune to digest it? So much for giving you the project. As long as the contract is not signed, everything is an empty promise! He might just be giving you empty hope and a flash in the pan!”
Xue Sheng disagreed with her, though.
What status did the Gao family have? If they wanted to crush someone, all they needed to do was to directly display their attitude. Would they need to trick him like this?
Old Master Xue deliberated a little further than the rest. “Did he mention Xue Xi’s matter?”
Xue Sheng shook his head. “Elder Gao didn’t mention anything. He doesn’t seem to know about the children’s matters.”
Old Master Xue then turned to look at Xue Xi, who had been sitting there and silently having her meal. “Xue Xi, did Gao Yanchen go looking for you today?”
Xue Xi was devouring her meal as she wanted to hurry back to her room to study more questions.
Upon hearing the question, she first swallowed the food in her mouth then answered in a laid-back manner, “Hm, he did.”
Her mother panicked. “Did he do anything to you? Or say anything?”
The old patriarch panicked too and cut in, “Xue Xi, what exactly is the matter between you and Gao Yanchen? Tell us everything from start to end.”
She paused, then put her chopsticks down. She politely turned to the old patriarch and said, “I didn’t offend Gao Yanchen. I am now his boss and he listens to me.”
“What?”
Both the old patriarch and matriarch were stunned, seeming to not have expected this answer.
Similarly, Ye Li’s eyes widened.
In contrast, Xue Yao was not surprised at all, having seen the whole group of people standing before the girl and obediently calling her “Sister Xi.” She merely tightened her grip around her chopsticks.
Rather, it was Xue Sheng who seemed to have an epiphany. “No wonder Gao Yanchen was so polite to me today when he usually ignored everyone and was extremely prideful. Did Elder Gao give the project to us because of Gao Yanchen?”
“How can that be?!” Old Lady Xue was the first to retort. “Those are simply the children’s matters. How can it affect our project?! Gao Yanchen is not such a resourceful person.”
Xue Sheng’s eyes darkened. “Mom, I remember you saying yesterday that Elder Gao accedes to any of his grandson’s requests. Have you already forgotten this? Or… are you unwilling to believe that the Gao family only gave this project to us on Xixi’s account?”
This one sentence struck the bullseye of the old lady’s thoughts.
Her face turned beet-red as she pointed at him in anger. After a few breaths, she finally spoke. “So what if I don’t believe it? She is just a wretch who came back from the orphanage. What kind of abilities does she have to make Gao Yanchen listen to her? What does she rely on? Her face?”
At the words “her face,” everyone turned to look at Xue Xi in unison.
The girl sat there quietly and aloofly, ignoring the humiliation the old lady threw her way. Her huge and beautiful black eyes seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist, giving off a mysterious feeling.
Beautiful, exquisite, and even more pleasing than idols.
Her facial features could indeed be relied upon.
This thought floated into the minds of the few.
Even Xue Sheng tensed up his jaw. Don’t tell me Gao Yanchen has fallen in love with my daughter?
The old patriarch seemed a little delighted as he inquired uncertainly, “Is Gao Yanchen…”
Alas, he was cut off by Xue Sheng mid-speech. “Out of the question! That lad learns no knowledge or skill and knows only how to fight and get into trouble every day. Xixi definitely cannot be with him!”
Old Lady Xue instinctively looked down on the mentioned girl. “Yo, you don’t even fancy Gao Yanchen. Then who else can you fancy? Fan Han is an impressive one, but do you think he will fancy her?”
Right as this was said, the taut string that had been in Xue Yao’s mind ever since she found out that Xue Xi was going to participate in the Physics Olympiad snapped.
She bolted from her seat. “Xue Xi, tell me, are you still longing after Fan Han?!”
She gritted her teeth. “You clearly do badly in exams, but you still stayed on in the Mathematical class like a leech. You are doing this just to be able to get close to him, right? Today, you even schemed to get into the Physics class just to prove that you are good in your studies—all just to give Fan Han a better impression of you, right?”
Her eyes turned red at this point.
Old Lady Xue instantly became flustered. She got up and walked over to her favored granddaughter, patting her shoulders. “Yaoyao, don’t cry. Grandma will get justice for you! Xue Xi, go withdraw from that Mathematical and Physics Olympiad! You are not allowed to get near Fan Han again!”
Xue Xi had just picked up her chopsticks and was about to resume her meal. When she heard this, she slowly looked up.
Before she could say anything, Ye Li snapped frantically, “Mom, you cannot be this biased! Xixi is good in her studies, so why must she give up the Olympiads? Also, don’t forget that Fan Han was originally Xixi’s fiancé!”
Xue Yao retorted hysterically the next instant, “Fan Han is my boyfriend! Mine!”
“Is that so?”
The calm Xue Sheng looked at her. “Have you guys gotten engaged?”
Xue Yao had always been a little fearful of this Big Uncle since she was young. Hence, she did not dare shout at him but only stared at him blankly.
Her big uncle was right. They had not gotten engaged yet and Fan Han was therefore not her fiancé!
Her body swayed a little, then she suddenly clutched onto Old Lady Xue and wept. “Grandma, they are all bullying me!”
The old lady felt her heart ache. She turned to glare at Xue Sheng. “I have already agreed with the Fan family on this. What do you mean by that?”
The latter’s jaw was still tensed up.
Based on what Xue Yao had said just now, he suddenly had a thought.
He used to think that Xixi and Fan Han did not have a common language and, hence, he did not bother clamoring for this matrimony. However, if her daughter liked Fan Han, then he would help her to snatch her fiancé back!
As he thought of this, he turned to look at his daughter. “Xixi, what do you think? Do you want the marriage arrangement back?”
Everyone turned to look at Xue Xi.
She had wanted to interrupt many times. Seeing that everyone had finally shut up, she then slowly enunciated, “No need for that trouble.”
She continued slowly, “I already have a boyfriend.”
Everyone else: “??”
Xue Sheng had an ominous feeling inside. Don’t tell me it’s really Gao Yanchen?
Ye Li frantically asked, “Who is it?”
“…The boss of a provision shop.”
Not Gao Yanchen.
This thought popped into Xue Sheng’s mind first, then he was stunned.
Provision shop… The first impression he had of this term was darkness, clutter, and low income from the sales, which could only barely sustain a normal life.
He looked at her blankly in surprise. “How did you start dating this boyfriend?”
Xue Xi sighed. Can’t we speak after finishing our meal?
Still, as a polite person, she proceeded to answer, “Because I said I will give him money. So he agreed to be my boyfriend.”
“…”
There was pin-drop silence immediately.
After a while, Ye Li stuttered out, “Xixi, y-you… What stage have you and he progressed to?”
Xue Xi thought for a while, then answered in a serious and emotionless manner, “I will feel a pain in my heart if I don’t see him.”
Chapter 23: Ji Silin
Ye Li clutched her chest, having evidently been dealt a huge blow.
Xue Sheng wanted to speak more on the matter, but Ye Li stopped him by shaking her head lightly.
Old Master Xue also frowned. “What is this nonsense?”
Old Lady Xue also grasped at the chance to mock her. “Take a look. This is what a wretched savage is—no sense of shame. How old is she only? And she is already paying for a toyboy outside! Someone who opens a provision shop—he must be one of the hooligans on the streets, right?”
Xue Yao did not expect such a turn of events either. All her anger from just now instantly dissipated. “Cousin, don’t tell me you were that bewildered by the reneging on your marriage arrangement with Fan Han? You’ve been back for only a few days and you’ve already found a random boyfriend? No matter how unhappy you are, you shouldn’t cheapen yourself like this—”
“Shut up!”
Just as she wanted to continue, Ye Li suddenly roared, stunning her.
Ye Li had always been a mild-mannered person. Hence, she had little to no presence in the house usually. It was Xue Yao’s first time seeing her flare up.
As this concerned Xue Xi’s reputation, her attitude was very stern. “It is normal for your sister to have a boyfriend. How can a young girl like you spout such abominable words? Do you believe that the Fan family will not dare to renege on their marriage arrangement if I insist on it and make this into a huge issue, simply because they care about their reputation?! That way, this marriage arrangement will still be your elder sister’s! It will have nothing to do with you at all!”
Xue Yao widened her eyes in shock, then inched toward the old lady. “Grandma, look at her!”
The old lady instinctively wanted to speak up, but at this point, Ye Li turned her sharp gaze onto her. “Also, Mom, you claim that Xixi is a savage, but what are you implying about Xue Sheng? Do not speak those words you just did ever again. If word gets out, they might even think that there is a problem with our Xue family’s home education. It’s fine if you don’t like Xixi, but aren’t you afraid of sabotaging Xue Yao’s reputation?”
The old lady was made speechless by this.
Ye Li then took a deep breath.
Ye Li’s always giving in and taking the back seat had only caused Old Lady Xue to go from bad to worse.
She had to be much more assertive now, even if just for Xixi.
She then turned to look at the old patriarch. “Dad, from the moment you brought our Xue family to prosperity, the people outside have always pointed at us, saying that we are uncultured. Hence, we should be more mindful of our choice of words and actions. The volume of our voices does not correlate to the extent by which our actions are justified. We should refrain from making a joke out of ourselves only for others to scold us for being a nouveau riche behind our backs.”
The old patriarch placed the Xue family’s dignity and reputation as the top priority. These words woke him up, as though someone had drizzled ice water on him.
The second son’s wife was the only person in this household who’d originated from high society. Alas, the couple lived outside most of the time and, hence, Old Lady Xue became the manager of the house.
Recalling her recent performance…
The old patriarch immediately made a decision. “Ye Li, your mom has aged, so let her retire now. Xue Sheng is also about to take over on my side, so you should also start taking up the role of the Xue family’s matriarch.”
This was him passing the authority of managing the house to Ye Li.
Old Lady Xue was infuriated. “Old man—”
“That shall be it!” the old patriarch concluded.
For the rest of the meal, both Xue Yao and Old Lady Xue had no appetite and did not ingest much. Xue Xi did not seem to be affected, though. She went upstairs to continue plowing through questions after she was done with her meal.
When Xue Sheng and Ye Li returned to their room, the former’s look of worrying intensified. “Why didn’t you let me ask and make the situation clear? Xixi is so naive, we can’t let her be lied to!”
The latter sighed. “Both of us have not been by her side for the past 18 years, after all. Although the child is not in the right to get into a relationship early, it is also not right for us to be this agitated. Moreover, she is just dating and not going to be engaged. Many underground relationships in high school do not last either, so let’s just monitor it for now.”
The man repressed the anxiety in his heart and gave serious thought to this first before saying, “I don’t have very high expectations for the child. What we earn is sufficient to let her live the rest of her life peacefully. I hope only that Xixi can smile happily. Since she likes that person so much that she will feel sad over not meeting him, let’s not forcefully interfere with her.”
“Mhm.”
Ye Li then moved to walk out of the room.
Xue Sheng: “What are you going to do?”
She raised her chin slightly. “As this is my first day as the matriarch, Xixi will have bird’s nest to eat tonight!”
Xue Sheng: …I’m being sidelined now that you have a daughter!
…
…
The next day, Xue Xi went to visit her maternal grandparents with her parents.
After a three-hour-long car ride, they finally reached a county.
There was a city hospital next to the area her maternal grandparents were staying in. When she followed them into the neighborhood and into the living quarters, her mother explained to her, “Both of them have applied for retirement after your grandfather got sick, so they have come back to their hometown to recuperate in peace.”
Xue Xi nodded.
Her grandparents stayed in a three-room flat with simple mahogany furniture. At the side, there was a huge bookcase, and before it lay a table sprawled with unfinished calligraphy words. One could see that this was a scholarly family with one glance.
When they entered, her maternal grandmother, Song Wenman, hushed them, then pointed at the master bedroom. “The psychiatrist is treating your grandpa. Let’s wait a while.”
Xue Xi nodded, then followed her mother to sit down in the living room.
After a while, a rustle could be heard near the door and a young man dressed in a white shirt and pants walked out.
The moment he stepped out, Xue Xi felt as though all the light in the room was being directed at him.
The man was refined and handsome. He had soft features and wore a pair of gold-framed spectacles, giving off a reliable and composed aura. It was the total opposite of the dangerous feeling Xiang Huai gave off.
Song Wenman introduced, “This is Dr. Ji. He is only 26 this year but is already a very famous psychiatrist. Your grandpa’s situation has not worsened in the past year all thanks to Dr. Ji’s weekly psychological counseling.”
Ye Li clearly knew the man as she smiled and said, “Thank you, Dr. Ji.”
The doctor pushed his glasses up. His long and slender fingers, accompanied by his gold-framed spectacles, made him look exceptionally pleasing to the eyes. He eyed Xue Xi, then quickly put on a warm smile. “You’re welcome. I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Watching as he picked up his medical box and moved to leave, Xue Xi suddenly said, “Mom, Granny, I’ll send Dr. Ji off.”
She strode out behind him after saying this.
The door closed behind her. While the two of them waited for the elevator, Dr. Ji smiled and said in a warm and deep voice, “The last time I visited the orphanage, the director said that your birth parents have come to fetch you. I didn’t expect us to meet again in such a coincidental way.”
Xue Xi stared at him with her black eyes. “What a coincidence, Brother Silin.”
Ji Silin—for the past two years, he had regularly visited the orphanage to help the unsociable children.
Xue Xi did not know how to socialize and had little to no feelings. The orphanage director had even requested Ji Silin to give her a psychiatric assessment, and the result was that everything was normal about her. After that, the two would always chat for a while every time he visited the orphanage.
He could be considered as Xue Xi’s only friend outside.
Seeing how obedient and sensible she was, Ji Silin rubbed her head. “Why do you look like you have a lot on your mind?”
He looked at her patiently after saying this.
After two seconds, the girl answered, “Brother Silin, does hypnosis really exist in this world?”
She found that “be in love or die” curse to be too mystical.
After thinking about it for a long time, she started to suspect that she had been hypnotized. Specifically, that she was under hypnotic suggestion.
Ji Silin was a reliable psychiatrist to her. For some reason, she felt that he’d provide her a clue.
Chapter 24: Give Me Your Hand
Ding! The elevator arrived.
Both of them entered together. On the way down, Ji Silin pushed his glasses up. There were no cracks in his kind expression. “Hypnosis does exist, but this has nothing to do with your condition because I do not see any hint that you’re under hypnosis.”
Xue Xi’s large eyes paused at a spot. She did not suspect his words, but if this was not hypnosis, what else could it be?
Amid her confusion, the elevator reached the first level.
Ji Silin smiled. “Do you have a phone now?”
She replied, “…Yes.”
The two of them stared at each other momentarily. Ji Silin then sighed helplessly. “When people ask you if you have a phone, it means that they are asking for your number. Give me your phone number. You can call me anytime if you need to in the future.”
Xue Xi came to this realization, then slowly took out her phone. After exchanging contacts with him, she then looked up. “Goodbye, Brother Silin.”
She turned around to go back up only after the doctor had disappeared from her sight.
When she entered, Song Wenman was speaking to Ye Li. “…This is how it should be! She will always reach for more after she is given a treat whenever you give in to her. Sigh, I should never have agreed to let you marry Xue Sheng back then…”
“Cough.”
The man, who had been sitting beside them awkwardly, made a small sound to signal his presence.
Song Wenman peered at him in dissatisfaction but did not speak any heavy-handed words. Instead, she waved Xue Xi over. “Come, I’ll bring you to see your grandpa.”
Xue Xi nodded.
She followed her maternal grandmother into the bedroom and spotted an old man, who had a head of white hair, sitting on the bamboo lounge chair with his eyes closed. He was basking in the sunlight.
When the two entered, the old man opened his eyes. He was first a little surprised at seeing Xue Xi, but he soon smiled. “Lili, aren’t you in university? Why are you back?”
Xue Xi was a little taken aback.
Her maternal grandmother sighed. “He has lost part of his memories and so all he remembers are things from 20 years ago.”
She then turned to the old man. “This is Xixi—Lili’s daughter.”
Old Man Ji was not mentally unsound, though. He even smiled and replied, “What use is there lying to me? How can Lili possibly have a daughter this big?”
He seemed to be a little sleepy as, right after saying this, he rested against the chair and fell asleep.
…
At noon, Ye Li and Song Wenman were cooking in the kitchen. Xue Xi wanted to help out but was chased out.
Her father had brought her maternal grandfather out for a stroll. Hence, having nothing to do, she was regretting not bringing any papers with her. She could even finish one set of questions during this time.
Bored, she paced around the bookshelf in the living room. By chance, she spotted a paper that had turned yellow. She picked it up out of curiosity and, after reading a few lines, she realized that they were actually all mathematical knowledge. She proceeded to read it intently.
A sudden voice interrupted her. “Are you interested in this? It’s yours, then.”
She looked up and spotted her father helping her maternal grandfather into the house.
She had unknowingly read this for one and a half hours.
Her eyes lit up. “…Okay.”
Old Man Ji seemed to be ravenous as he went toward the dining table. “So hungry, so hungry!”
They ate lunch together, and at 3 PM, they drove back home.
Along the way, Xue Xi suddenly felt a dull pain in her chest. She hurriedly sat up and recalled how she met Xiang Huai.
At this moment, Ye Li suddenly asked, “Xixi, what’s on your mind?”
She silently turned her head and answered honestly, “Boyfriend.”
Ye Li: “?”
What do I do when I feel as if I have suddenly been force-fed dog food?
Still, since the topic was brought up, she wanted to inquire a little more to understand the situation. “Xixi, what do you like about him?”
Xue Xi pondered this seriously for some time, then looked back at her mother.
The latter knew that she was slower in terms of response and hence asked hesitantly, “Is he handsome?”
Xiang Huai recalled Xiang Huai’s features, which, although frequently shrouded in darkness, were still beautiful. She nodded. “Mhm.”
Ye Li: “…”
Does my daughter like him for his face?
The driver, Xue Sheng, also coughed at this. “That… Xixi, do you still have enough money?”
Since the other party seemed to be aiming for his daughter’s money, he must have swindled quite a bit, right?
Just as he thought this, Xue Xi nodded. “Mhm. I still have 100,000 yuan.”
Xue Sheng: “…I gave you only 100,000 yuan, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then how much did you give your boyfriend?”
“Hm. Three hundred.”
“…”
The entire car went silent.
After a short pause, Ye Li questioned while still dumbstruck, “You give only three hundred a week?”
Is the upkeep of a toyboy this cheap?
By the time they returned home, Ye Li was still in a dumbfounded state. She wanted to ask for more details, but Xue Xi had already returned to her room and flipped open her Mathematical Olympiad questions…
She spent the whole of Sunday completing question after question, and it was finally Monday.
When the car stopped in front of Ye Lai Xiang provision shop, Xue Yao peered outside then proceeded to mock, “I was wondering why you always alight here every morning. So it’s to meet that toyboy!”
Ever since finding out that Xue Xi’s boyfriend was a mere “provision shop boss,” she seemed to have regained her sense of superiority. She raised his chin slightly. “Do you know? When Fan Han was in Junior Year, he had already obtained an undergraduate position in some top schools. But he rejected all of them because his aim is Huaxia University! Everyone who graduates from there will be elites in their field.”
After Ye Li’s previous disciplining, Xue Yao had become much more cautious and learned to make comparisons in a roundabout manner.
Alas, Xue Xi did not take her bait at all. She simply alighted and entered the provision shop.
As usual, Xiang Huai was seated behind the counter with a book in hand. He was lazily reading it, and when she entered, his dark brown eyes would flit over to her. He then put his book down and walked over to the dining table with practiced eased.
Everything was so natural and normal.
She could not put a finger to this feeling and, hence, did not harp much on it. As per usual, she ate breakfast with Canine Teeth and Xiang Huai.
After that, she sat there dazedly while clutching her chest.
Xiang Huai stood up and leaned over, his low voice rumbling by her side. “Why? You can’t bear to leave me?”
She stared at him silently, then shook her head, seemingly perplexed. “…My chest seems to be hurting a little.”
The man was slightly stunned at this. His lips then slowly parted into a helpless smile. His laughter was extremely attractive, as though there was something in it that hooked at her heartstrings.
He then said, “Little kid, give me your hand.”
In a trance, she extended her hand out and it was quickly held by the man.
She stiffened as her mind went blank.
The man’s hands were huge. They could totally encompass her hands. His palms felt like a ball of fire. The scorching temperature flowed in from his hand to her body, making her feel her cheeks heat up.
Just as she realized that she should be resisting him, the man asked, “Does it not hurt anymore?”
She was stunned.
She paused to feel it and replied, dumbstruck, “Yes. Why?”
Xiang Huai smiled. “Maybe simply meeting every day is not sufficient to be considered as being in love, so we need to hold hands.”
In Xue Xi’s mind, a question mark was slowly drawn out: “?”
She instinctively asked, “Then what if holding hands is also insufficient next time?”
Chapter 25: A Big Shot Came to Bin City.
The provision shop fell silent at this.
Half a beat later: “Pfft.”
Xiang Huai burst out laughing again. He bent down, lowering his head to her level. Staring at the girl’s pristine, fair skin, he purposely moved closer before saying, “Little kid, what do you think?”
Right after performing this amorous flirting, he waited for the girl to blush in embarrassment and shyness, but unexpectedly—
Xue Xi blinked her large eyes with a lost expression. She ignored the man’s breath by her ears and pondered this somberly.
As though she was a studious student seeking help from her teacher, she answered, “The stages of a relationship should be confession, then holding hands, followed by kissing, hugging, and finally…”
At this point, she turned to look at him in astonishment.
Xiang Huai: “?”
Her dark irises seemed to constrict as her misty eyes colored with incomprehension. While her face remained stoic, she was actually thinking inside that if Xiang Huai dared to request her to sleep with him, she would immediately serve him a dish of army boxing!
The two were in such close proximity to each other that their breaths mingled.
Under her glare, Xiang Huai retracted his gaze and stuffed his hands into his pocket. He then slowly stood back up and said in an exasperated tone, “Don’t worry. Go to school.”
Don’t worry about what?
Xue Xi silently rebuked inside. Still, she picked up her bag and decided to proceed with caution. At least, she did not feel repulsed by the notion of holding hands for now.
She did not notice a certain person’s ears being dyed in a deep red…
Lu Chao had already hidden in the corner, trying to reduce his presence as lowly as possible.
As the person who had witnessed his boss trying but failing at flirting, he wondered, Am I going to be silenced?
…
The moment Xue Xi stepped into the classroom, she already saw her classmates pointing fingers at her. The words “keeping a toyboy” entered her ears.
When she turned her head over, the few people gossiping promptly shut their mouths.
Someone even said softly, “Hurry and stop talking. What will we do if we offend her and the Roaring Flame Society comes for us?”
“…”
This was the first time Xue Xi found those few Flames to be useful. At least, they allowed her ears to remain much cleaner.
After six periods were over, she had started packing up to move to the Olympiad extra classes when the Flames from the Roaring Flame Society came over again. Gao Yanchen crossed his arms and stood at the side while Flame Number One sat on Qin Shuang’s seat to speak.
“Sister Xi, are you going to class again?”
When she did not answer, he continued, “Are you going to request us to stay here, revise, and do our homework?”
Xue Xi: “Yes.”
Flame Number One instantly revealed a slack expression. “Huh? Brother Chen, what should we do?!”
Gao Yanchen was also dumbstruck. Do homework? He did not like the idea at all, but when he saw the girl’s calm expression, he quickly responded, “She is the boss now, so listen to her!”
This resulted in a series of groans from the Flames as they all dejectedly walked out.
“And here I wanted to go watch a movie!”
“Me too. I wanted to go play basketball!”
Gao Yanchen kicked the few complaining. “I’ll check your homework tomorrow. We must fulfill the Boss’s orders.”
“…Brother Chen, does copying homework work?”
“What do you think?”
The few people left just as quickly as they arrived. Xue Xi watched them disappear at the entrance and could only swallow the words “no need” that she had yet to utter.
She was stupefied.
She would not interfere in however others lived their lives, just as she did not request for this group of people to dye their hair back. She had also never considered asking the Flames to become a bookworm like her.
In fact, that “Yes” had been an answer to Flame Number One’s first question!
However, she realized that other than Gao Yanchen, she did not even know the names of the rest. Hence, she had no way of informing them one by one either.
In the end, she only sighed, carried her books, and left.
Her actions were slow and she was always unhurried. When she was out the door, Xue Yao spoke to Fan Han while following behind her. “…She personally said that her boyfriend is a hooligan. He agreed to be her boyfriend because she was going to give him money. Fan Han, this type of girl doesn’t have respect for herself. We should stay farther away from her.”
Fan Han stared at Xue Xi for a long while, then retracted his gaze with a profound look.
Xue Yao then entered the Physics class while he followed behind Xue Xi and sat down behind her.
After a long while, he could not resist speaking. “Did you find a random person just because you were too shocked by my reneging on the marriage arrangement?”
He frowned when the girl kept her head lowered and did not reply. “Don’t do that. Girls should respect and love themselves more. The toyboy you are keeping just has his eyes on your money…”
She continued ignoring him. At this, he could not help but poke her shoulders with his pen.
He then saw Xue Xi slowly turning around with a blank gaze. When she met his eyes, she frowned. “What?”
Fan Han: “??”
She continued in a frustrated tone, “Don’t disturb me.”
She calmly turned back and engrossed herself in her questions.
Fan Han: …So after I’ve spoken so much, she actually didn’t hear a single word of it?
When he felt the curious gazes of the surrounding students, he felt so embarrassed that he quickly lowered his head.
He was too prideful.
With a grudge in his heart, he looked up and noticed that she had placed the finished paper to the side. They were all foundational questions and were the comparatively easy ones that tested only the key knowledge points.
He could not help but mockingly think to himself, Her results for the Mathematical Olympiad are indeed very terrible. That must be why Old Liu gave her such foundational questions, right?
The Math Star Competition is this week, so I must definitely score better than she does and show her what true abilities really are!
The two periods for the Mathematics Olympiad flew by in the blink of an eye.
Xue Xi did not leave immediately. When she finished the last question and looked up, she found that everyone else had already left.
She packed up her books and returned to her classroom to retrieve her bag.
Along the way, she kept thinking about the last question and whether she had utilized anything out of the scope of the syllabus. Like this, she dazedly walked into the classroom.
Just as she entered, she was almost knocked backward by a girl who was rushing out.
She looked up and fleetingly saw the girl’s eyes. The girl glared hatefully at her, then quickly left.
Was that Qin Shuang?
She was confused but had a feeling that it was not her…
…
After Xue Xi and Xue Yao had returned home and were having dinner, Old Master Xue picked up a call. When he returned, his expression had turned solemn as he spoke to Xue Sheng. “I know why Elder Gao is not accepting any gifts now.”
Xue Sheng hurriedly inquired, “Why?”
The old patriarch sat down and pondered for a while before saying, “I received some internal news that a big shot has arrived at Bin City!”
Old Lady Xue was very curious. “What kind of big shot?”
The old patriarch shook his head. “I don’t know his exact identity, but Elder Gao is very polite to him, so he is definitely not an ordinary person. On our side, we shouldn’t stand out too much for the time being.”
“Yes,” Xue Sheng acknowledged, then continued asking, “Dad, do you know this person’s name? If we happen to meet him, we should take care to not accidentally offend him.”
The old man nodded. “I was just about to speak on this. Next time, if anyone hears this person’s name, remember to not offend him.”
Right after he said this, Xue Xi put her chopsticks down and looked at him with a serious look.
Chapter 26: Claim Sovereignty.
Seeing that everyone looked over, the old patriarch then slowly enunciated a name: “Lu Chao.”
Lu Chao?
The name was very normal.
Seeing that the old patriarch had nothing more to say, Xue Xi picked up her chopsticks and continued eating.
Xue Sheng frowned. “I haven’t heard of anyone exceptionally important from the Lu family. Who exactly is this person?”
Old Master Xue shook his head. “Anyway, just take note if you guys meet someone with this name. Apparently, he hides in some unknown corner and no one knows why he is here in Bin City. Just don’t offend him!”
Xue Sheng thought a little deeper. “Is Elder Gao preparing anything?”
The old patriarch replied, “It will be Elder Gao’s 69th birthday soon and he will invite the man. Mhm, everyone can start preparing their outfits.”
The latter was meant for Ye Li.
She quickly nodded her head.
After dinner, Xue Xi returned to her room to practice her questions. At exactly 10 PM, someone knocked on her door. Ye Li then walked in with a bowl of bird’s nest with milk upon receiving her acquiescence.
She placed the bird’s nest soup on the side. When she spotted the thick stack of papers, she could not help but say, “Xixi, don’t force yourself too much. You must rest too.”
“…Okay,” Xue Xi replied without even raising her head.
Ye Li: “…”
After stuffing the bird’s nest into her hands, she said, “You must rest for a while.”
Xue Xi sighed. She was a little helpless against Ye Li and quickly devoured the bird’s nest soup. After that, she could not help but peer at the mathematics questions again, then Ye Li said, “Xixi, do something else first. Take a ten-minute rest.”
The girl was confused. “Do what?”
Ye Li was also lost. “Right, what should you do?”
She eyed Xue Xi’s phone. “Don’t you chat with your boyfriend?”
Xue Xi: “…No need.”
The former could not help asking further, “You didn’t go out during the weekend either. Why didn’t you guys go watch a movie?”
Ye Li felt fatigued inside. In other families, they were worried that dating would cause their child to neglect their studies, but as a mother, why was she always encouraging her child to go out to date?
Still, before she could say this, Xue Xi quickly answered, “Watching a movie is a huge waste of time. It affects my studies.”
Ye Li: “?”
Xue Xi blinked, then asked slowly, “Mom, may I continue with my questions?”
Ye Li: “…”
She picked up the bowl and moved for the door. “Fine. Remember to sleep early.”
…
As Xue Xi studied until late at night every day, Ye Li would habitually let her sleep a few more minutes and pack her breakfast for her so that she could eat on the road.
Watching her walk out with her breakfast in hand, Old Lady Xue could not help but mock, “Do you really think you’re a study god after getting first place just once? Other than participating in the Mathematical Olympiad, you even registered for the Physics one. Heh, are you sure you have enough time? Humans should not be too greedy, lest you end up failing on both ends.”
Xue Xi did not listen to her at all and promptly boarded the car.
When they reached the provision shop, Xue Yao peered at the place meaningfully and clucked her tongue. Still, knowing that Xue Xi would not respond to her at all, she could not be bothered to say anything.
Xue Xi silently alighted from the car.
Ding, ding! While they were eating, the phone rang, signaling a received message.
Since Xue Xi did not use her phone much, it was always in her bag. Hence, she continued eating and did not go check her messages immediately.
In contrast, the lackadaisical Xiang Huai looked up. After swallowing his food, he then said, “Little kid, you have a message.”
Xue Xi continued eating and blandly answered, “…Oh.”
But she did not move.
Xiang Huai raised an eyebrow and leaned back to look at her bag. His sharp jaw was taut. “Not gonna take a look?”
The girl finished her bun first before picking up her bag to retrieve her phone. Only then did she notice that the message was from Ji Silin.
She had saved his contact as “Brother Silin.”
This was the only person in her contact list.
Xiang Huai, who had been staring at her, noticed the slight curl of her lips that disappeared in the blink of an eye. His gaze slowly shifted to her phone screen.
Even with the distance between them, he, who had good eyesight, still managed to catch sight of the message:
Brother Silin: “Go download WeChat and add me as a friend. It’s easier to contact each other this way.”
He then saw his little girlfriend, who usually had a slow response, quickly switch to the application store, download WeChat, and proceed to register with her phone number.
Immediately after she registered, a red-colored “1” appeared on her friends list. His little girlfriend clicked it without any hesitation and accepted the friend request.
After she had completed doing all these, the other party sent a message over: “Xixi, you should be starting class soon, right? I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
She was just about to type a reply.
However, as she was still eating, it was not exactly convenient.
At this moment, Xiang Huai spoke. “You can reply using voice message. Click here.”
He pressed on the voice message button on the chat interface with his long fingers and said in a low voice, “Girlfriend, you can speak now.”
Two seconds later, Xue Xi then spoke. “What’s the matter, Brother Silin?”
When she was done, Xiang Huai released the button and the voice message was sent.
Beside them, Lu Chao was totally flabbergasted. His mouth was wide open with the soup dumplings he had eaten inside it. He had forgotten to swallow it.
Isn’t Boss’s way of claiming sovereignty too shameless?
The corner of his lips twitched. He then watched as the girl placed the phone aside and slowly finished her breakfast. After she was done, she directly grabbed Xiang Huai’s hands.
Meanwhile, his usually-domineering boss was as obedient as a husky. He did not resist at all and even had a hint of doting, seemingly allowing her to do as she pleased.
Lu Chao suddenly felt secondhand embarrassment from watching his boss!
Xiang Huai lowered his head to look at the girl’s pristine and fair fingers. Her hands were so soft, as though they had no bones in them. As he thought of how nice it must be to squeeze her hands, his fingers moved and rubbed against her palms.
He was just about to try teasing this little kid when the grip on his hand tightened. Next came the girl’s cool yet threatening voice. “Don’t move.”
Xiang Huai: “?”
After ten seconds, when her heart no longer hurt, Xue Xi released his hand, picked up her bag, and walked out the door as though she had just completed an assignment.
The man lowered his head, suddenly feeling as though something was missing in his hands.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao waited for a while until his boss’s smile had slowly disappeared and he had regained his usual ice-coldness before reporting, “Boss, there have been some flies coming over to check us out, so Old Gao released a smoke bomb, claiming that I had come over.”
Xiang Huai: “Oh.”
Lu Chao thought for a while and said, “He even said that he has invited me for his 69th birthday celebration, and that he will also introduce a girlfriend to me. He he he.”
…
Xue Xi stepped into the classroom just as the bell rang.
Her phone rang right at this moment. Thinking that it must be Ji Silin, she was just about to take a look when she heard the class president’s shriek, “Where’s the class fund? The class fund was stolen!”
The entire class was instantly silenced.
Xue Xi subconsciously turned to look at Qin Shuang, only to find that this talkative person was sprawled on the table. She seemed very fatigued and a little abnormal.
Chapter 27: Let Her Go.
Following that, the classroom exploded in an uproar:
“Who cares about that 3,000 yuan? How can it be stolen? Class president, did you misplace it?”
“Yes. Class president, you should look again.”
The poorer students had financial assistance from the school and, hence, they need not be worried about their finances.
The rest of them were all from wealthy families. The international school’s yearly tuition fee of 500,000 yuan was not something the average family could afford, so it was even more implausible for them to have stolen this money.
However, as the class president and mathematics subject representative, Zhou Zhen had a frown and said solemnly, “I am sure that I left it in the desk drawer yesterday. I can’t be wrong about that.”
Xue Yao suddenly said in a tone filled with implied meaning, “Actually, there are people who are short on money. Wasn’t someone’s bank card confiscated by her family?”
Everyone promptly turned to look at Qin Shuang.
Xue Xi paused, put down her handphone, and poked the girl.
Qin Shuang turned her head around lethargically. Her head was still hanging low. “Xixi.”
She had a complicated look on her face. “I dyed my hair back and didn’t go out to play the whole weekend. Yesterday, I even listened to you and did my homework. My parents actually praised me this morning.”
She nudged her lips. “Actually, they always felt that I was too rebellious and didn’t like me. They have already given up on me and like only Qin Lu. I was already used to it and treated it as though I don’t have parents, but today…”
Her voice became softer and softer, and her expression slowly became filled with disorientation.
Xue Xi was unable to understand her complicated feelings, nor did she know how to reassure her. Just as she was concocting a speech to speak to her, Zhou Zhen walked over. “Qin Shuang, did you take the class fund?”
Qin Shuang instantly jumped in anger upon hearing this. “You’re saying that I stole the money? What a joke! Zhou Zhen, this is called slandering!”
The class president had a weak personality and scratched his head in fright. “I-I was only asking…”
He turned around and moved to leave right after that.
Annoyed, Qin Shuang reached into her desk drawer and pulled out the topmost book to place on the table. Right at this instant, a thick envelope fell onto the ground with a loud “Plop!”
When Zhou Zhen instinctively looked down, he realized with a startle that it was a familiar-looking envelope.
He bent down to pick it up. When he opened up the envelope, a huge and thick stack of fifty and hundred bills were revealed!
He angrily huffed, “Qin Shuang, so you did steal it!”
Qin Shuang was dumbstruck too. “Why is the class fund with me?”
Xue Yao coldly harrumphed. “Shouldn’t we be the ones asking you? Why is the class fund with you? Qin Shuang, no matter how short on money you are, you shouldn’t be resorting to stealing, right?”
“Qin Shuang, what does this mean? You must give us an explanation today!”
Qin Shuang was flustered. “I didn’t steal it! Someone must have framed me. Doesn’t the classroom have surveillance cameras? Go get it! Check it!”
Given such an incident, no one was in any mood to study. Moreover, as the first period was Old Liu’s mathematics class, he promptly decided to halt the lesson and check the surveillance cameras.
The recording showed that around 6 PM last night, Qin Shuang entered after everyone had left. She then stole the money from the class president’s, then placed it in her desk drawer. Just as she was leaving, she even almost knocked into Xue Xi.
Qin Shuang was totally dumbstruck to see this!
Suddenly, Xue Yao said in a vindicative manner, “Xue Xi, you clearly saw her acting so suspiciously, but why didn’t you stand out to testify just now when we were speaking about it? Are you going to shield her just because you guys are good friends? You are just harming her like this!”
Xue Xi was stunned when she saw the recording too. However, when she was accused thus, she turned to look at Xue Yao coldly and replied slowly, “Sometimes, the eye does not see the truth.”
Although she had only a brief glimpse of that person yesterday, the said-person had given her a queer feeling.
Xue Yao coldly harrumphed, though. “The surveillance cameras clearly recorded her. Xue Xi, are you still going to protect her now? Could you guys be in cahoots?”
Xue Xi was just about to respond when Qin Shuang suddenly balled up her fists and softly mumbled with her body trembling, “I know… I know who it is now…”
She bolted out of the classroom immediately after saying this.
Xue Xi followed closely behind her, afraid that she would do anything silly. However, the girl dashed into the Classroom Two next door and kicked the door open, with no care that Ms. Li was currently teaching. “Qin Lu, scram out!”
Xue Xi followed her line of sight and saw a girl who had the exact same face as Qin Shuang’s. The only difference was that while Qin Shuang had long hair, this girl had short hair.
Still, the moment she saw her, Xue Xi was already certain. “She is the thief!”
…
Office.
Qin Lu stood beside her civic tutor, Ms. Li. She lowered her head and wiped her tears while softly weeping.
Ms. Li looked at Qin Shuang in disdain, then scoffed. “Old Liu, I don’t have any intention of chiding you, but the surveillance cameras clearly showed that it was Qin Shuang. Her results are usually so terrible and she never listens to others. With her bad record, stealing the class fund is normal. What does this have to do with our class’s Qin Lu?”
Old Liu frowned, turning to look at Qin Shuang and Xue Xi.
Qin Shuang stretched her neck out straight and stood with a lackadaisical posture. One of her legs was curved to the side while her eyes were filled with ferocity and rebelliousness. Meanwhile, Xue Xi quietly and obediently stood there as though she was an outsider.
Old Liu asked, “Xue Xi, is the person you saw yesterday Qin Lu?”
Xue Xi nodded. “Yes.”
The tutor frowned. “Although Qin Shuang is disobedient, she has no need to do such a thing. There is indeed a need to investigate this.”
Ms. Li sneered. “Qin Lu’s grades are excellent. She is in the top ten in the level. How can someone like her steal anything? This is clearly a situation of Qin Shuang and your class’s Xue Xi shifting the blame to Qin Lu!”
Qin Shuang clenched her jaw but remained silent.
Right at this moment—
A series of hurried footsteps sounded outside, and soon, Qin Shuang’s parents rushed in. Ms. Li had already explained the situation to them during the call.
After the couple entered, Mrs. Qin glared angrily at Qin Shuang then walked over. Pak! She gave the latter a tight slap on her face. “So much for me thinking that you have changed for the better. I didn’t expect you to go from bad to worse! You actually joined forces with your classmate to incriminate your elder sister!”
Qin Shuang’s head was tilted from the slap. She balled up her fists. Although there was disbelief in her eyes, the stronger feeling they gave off was one of normalcy, as though she was used to it. “I knew it. Anything I say is useless. You guys will believe only her. She is good in her studies and is a good child, so she will never commit any mistakes! Since we were young, I have always been the only one who will ever make any mistakes! Even if I have a classmate to testify for me!”
Mrs. Qin admonished, “Testify? You are clearly accusing and incriminating Qin Lu! This person standing with you is definitely also someone improper, and that is why she is taking part in your farce!”
Old Liu frowned. “Parent, please do not speak such uncouth words. This is a school!”
Mrs. Qin turned to the tutor. “Mr. Liu, you don’t have to speak on this further. I will bring her home first, then come back to complete the school withdrawal application later.”
She then grabbed Qin Shuang’s arm and yanked her toward the door.
No matter how Qin Shuang struggled, she was, after all, only a high school student, so how could she possibly be a match for her mother’s strength?
Just as Qin Shuang was almost being yanked out of the office—
A beautiful and fair-skinned hand pressed on the madam’s shoulders, making her stop in her tracks.
Xue Xi coldly stared at her and slowly enunciated, “Let her go.”
Chapter 28: Truth.
Although Xue Xi’s actions looked light and she seemingly only placed her hand on Mrs. Qin’s shoulders, only the latter knew how strong this girl was. She could not break free no matter how she tried.
Mrs. Qin could only stare at her while fuming. “This is our family’s matter. A little girl like you shouldn’t meddle in our affairs!”
Just as she said that, the force on her shoulders intensified and she felt as if her bones were going to be crushed. She could only let go of Qin Shuang.
When Qin Shuang obtained freedom again, she subconsciously hid behind Sister Xi, who was “adept at fighting.”
Mrs. Qin wanted to grab her but was urged by Old Liu, “Mrs. Qin, keep your cool. We looked for you to settle the problem so don’t start a fight. Moreover, this issue isn’t so serious that there’s a need for anyone to be suspended from school.”
Stealing money was a serious matter to an 18-year-old, and getting demerit points was considered the least severe punishment.
However, Old Liu felt pity toward Qin Shuang. If she were to be brought away like this, her whole life would be ruined.
He seamlessly stood in between Xue Xi and Mrs. Qin. He was afraid that Mrs. Qin would hit the class’ obedient, sensible, and seemingly feeble Xue Xi, so he shielded her from the front.
Mrs. Qin wanted to push Old Liu aside. “Mr. Liu, please move aside and don’t defend Qin Shuang. Hasn’t she been doing things like this? Let me tell you, it’s been a long time since I’ve been bothered about her and I just pretend that I don’t have a daughter like her. Now that she dared to slander Qin Lu, I won’t let her off easily! She has been like this since she was a child. Not only does she not study well, but she wants to bring her sister down too!”
Old Liu stopped her anxiously. “Mrs. Qin, calm down…”
Seeing them quarreling, Xue Xi spoke slowly, and her calm and clear voice was heard by everyone in the office. “So, you’re certain that Qin Shuang did it?”
Mrs. Qin was stunned before nodding. “Yes.”
Xue Xi replied, “…Oh. Then we can only call the police.”
“…”
That one sentence made the office quieten
down.
Mrs. Qin stopped acting crazy and looked at Xue Xi in disbelief. She then shot a glance at Qin Shuang. “Call the police? Don’t you know how Qin Shuang will end up if you call the police? She is an adult and needs to go to jail for stealing money!”
Qin Shuang shot her a glance and found her both ridiculous and pathetic.
Since she was already on Qin Lu’s side and was sure that she was the villain, why did she have to pretend to care for her?
Her cheek was burning from the pain, but her heart, which she thought was already numbed, hurt even more!
Nobody fought to speak and Xue Xi could finally open her mouth. She analyzed the situation rationally without any feelings. “The criminal investigators have great means. Since the envelope had been under Qin Shuang’s desk until it fell out and she did not touch it, the police will be able to match the fingerprints on the envelope. That way, we can find out who the thief is.”
When she said this, Qin Lu, who had been sobbing, froze.
She lifted her head in disbelief, and when her eyes met Xue Xi’s, she felt those eyes had seen her through. For some unknown reason, Qin Lu shivered.
Xue Xi did not look at her and said to Qin Shuang, “Do you dare to call the police?”
Qin Shuang straightened her back. “Yes!”
When Mrs. Qin heard their conversation, she was so angered that she laughed. “Do you think that I’ll believe you if you call the police? Qin Shuang, I didn’t want to call the police for your sake. If others wronged Qin Lu, I would have called the police long ago! Go call the police and let them come get the evidence. If you want to go to jail, I won’t stop you!”
Qin Shuang stared at her in disbelief.
She and her mother had not been on speaking terms for more than two years… She did not believe that even though her mother had just reminded her to have breakfast this morning, they would be at swords’ points right now.
It was because of Qin Lu again…
Looking at this situation, Xue Xi spoke no more and fished out her phone from her pocket. She pressed the digits 110, and just as she was about to make the call, Qin Lu exclaimed with panic, “Don’t!”
Xue Xi’s finger landed on the “call” button, and she slowly turned around to look.
Everyone in the office looked at Qin Lu as well.
She struggled to explain, “Mom, I don’t want to pursue this matter further, and you shouldn’t pursue it either. Qin Shuang is, after all, my sister, and I don’t want her to end up in jail.”
Mrs. Qin had a heart-aching expression on her face as she pointed at Qin Lu and said to Qin Shuang, “See that? She’s thinking about you even when you framed her! Qin Shuang, how can you be completely without conscience?”
Qin Shuang kept quiet.
Qin Lu hurriedly said, “Qin Shuang, as long as you don’t call the police, the matter will pass like this. Since the money isn’t lost, Mr. Liu, let’s leave it like this.”
Ms. Li was cynical. “Have a look, this is the kind of right-mindedness that students who do well in their studies have. Not only are some people immoral, but their studies are poor too.”
Shooting a glance at Qin Lu, Xue Xi saw the fear and fluster on her face just like Qin Shuang did and she tried to maintain a smile. Retracting her glance, Xue Xi said, “It’s better to call the police.”
She pressed the “call” button.
Witnessing that, Qin Lu dashed forward. “No!”
Yet Mrs. Qin grabbed her hand. “Qin Lu, don’t bother with her. Since she wants to reap the fruits of her actions, let her be!”
The call went through and Xue Xi spoke. “Hello, this is…”
Before she could finish speaking, Qin Lu shouted, “I’m the one who stole it!”
“…”
All of a sudden, the tables were turned and everyone stared at her in utter disbelief.
Listening to this, Xue Xi slowly put down her phone and her screen showed that she still had not made the call.
Moments later, Mrs. Qin rushed up to Qin Lu and grabbed her shoulders. “Lulu, what are you talking about?”
Qin Lu took in a deep breath and said while crying, “Mom, I’m the one who stole it, don’t call the police! I’ll pay the amount, alright?”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qin paused for ten seconds. As she recovered from the disbelief, she shouted, “Lulu didn’t do this on purpose! It must have been Qin Shuang who drove her to the edge and she merely wanted to give Qin Shuang a lesson! Mr. Liu, Ms. Li, please let this matter rest. Money isn’t a problem and we can pay whatever the amount, but please don’t give the child demerit points!”
Her eyes turned red. “That will affect the child’s whole life!”
Qin Shuang stood beside Xue Xi. Seeing this scene, she did not feel the relief that she expected when the truth had been revealed.
When something happened to her, Mrs. Qin gave her a slap first.
Yet when something happened to Qin Lu, Mrs. Qin’s first reaction was to defend her.
They were clearly a pair of twins. However, children who knew how to cry would get sweets, but she was never one who would cry.
Ms. Li did not expect things to turn this way. She frowned. “Qin Lu, how can you do something like this?”
Mrs. Qin said anxiously, “This is just a squabble between two kids, look…”
At this moment, footsteps were heard coming from the door. The voice of Flame Number One rang. “Aiyo, how lively!”
Everyone turned around and saw Gao Yanchen standing at the door with Flame Numbers One, Two, Three, and Four. The four redheads were especially eye piercing.
Chapter 29: It’s Me.
Ms. Li had wanted to protect Qin Lu because, after all, she was one of the top five students in her class. She was still hoping that Qin Lu would get good grades during the national examination to raise her KPI.
However, when she saw Gao Yanchen and the rest, Ms. Li became timid instantly and kept her mouth shut.
Old Liu frowned. “Gao Yanchen, why aren’t you guys attending class and coming here?”
Gao Yanchen crossed his arms and looked impatiently at Qin Shuang. “I heard that someone is framing a member of our Roaring Flame Society, so I came to see who is so daring.”
After saying this, he turned to look at Qin Lu and the latter shuddered.
She frowned in confusion.
Isn’t the leader of the Roaring Flame Society Xue Xi now? Gao Yanchen should be harboring resentment now, but why is he helping Qin Shuang out?
Gao Yanchen casually looked at Xue Xi before staring at Ms. Li. “Since Qin Lu admitted to it, how should she be punished?”
Before Ms. Li could even speak, Mrs. Qin took a step forward. “A small matter like this doesn’t need punishment. We can fork out ten times the amount of the class fund!”
Gao Yanchen raised his chin. “Stealing 3,000 yuan and framing her classmate; if both crimes were to be punished… Mhm, according to the school rules, a serious offense needs to be recorded. Ms. Li, don’t worry about this, I’ll talk to the Director of Teaching about it.”
Every high school had school rules and did not condone dying hair, but Gao Yanchen’s Roaring Flame Society was able to do as they pleased because Elder Gao was a member of the international school’s board of trustees!
After speaking, he moved aside and gave way. “Sister Xi, are you going?”
Xue Xi: “…Oh.”
As the only witness, she had been in the office and missed a period.
When she brought Qin Shuang to the door, Mrs. Qin shouted in agitation, “Qin Shuang, do you really want to ruin Qin Shuang? How can you be so selfish and heartless?!”
Qin Shuang closed her eyes in pain upon being blamed.
This time around, a confused voice rang. “…This matter, isn’t it her own mistake? Why must you say that Qin Shuang ruined her?”
Mrs. Qin froze.
Everyone in the office turned to look at Xue Xi.
She had always been unemotional, so she looked at Mrs. Qin with confused eyes as though she was waiting for an answer.
Mrs. Qin could not reply.
Two seconds later, Xue Xi retracted her gaze and left.
When they left the office building and headed back to the academic building, Xue Xi was walking at the front while Gao Yanchen lifted his chin and followed beside her.
After settling this matter, Xue Xi finally took out her phone and read Ji Silin’s reply.
Ji Silin: “Xixi, you have a boyfriend?”
Xue Xi paused momentarily and realized what had happened in hindsight. She pressed the voice message that had been sent previously. Xiang Huai’s “Girlfriend, you can speak now” was heard first, followed by her “What’s the matter, Brother Silin?”
Feeling shocked, she paused in her footsteps.
Gao Yanchen was taken aback by the voice message too.
Girlfriend?
The people behind did not sense that something was off. After hearing Qin Shuang narrate what had happened, he asked, “Sister Xi, why didn’t you call the police right away? If that’s the case, Qin Lu can go to jail!”
Xue Xi slowly said, “Oh,” and continued, “‘Little talkative’ touched that envelope.”
Flame Number One: “Huh?”
After thinking for a moment, he understood that “little talkative” referred to Qin Shuang.
Xue Xi: “…So, fingerprint matching won’t work.”
Qin Shuang and Qin Lu were twins who looked really similar. Moreover, Qin Shuang loved to put on thick makeup and it would be easier to pass off as her. They would not be able to differentiate between the two of them through the CCTV footage.
Flame Number One was enlightened. “Sister Xi, it turns out that you’re faking it earlier! Powerful!”
After saying that, he scratched his head and looked at Xue Xi. “Sister Xi, since you like to give others nicknames, what did you give me? Did you give Brother Chen one too?”
Xue Xi looked at his hair in silence and felt guilty. “…No.”
After saying this, she tried to cover up as she dipped her head to reply to Ji Silin. “Yes, the situation is slightly special. I’ll tell you in detail next time. Brother Silin, I’ll go to class first.”
The moment that message was sent, her phone rang again.
She left the chat room and found another friend request. Upon clicking on it, she found the person’s profile picture to be black and the profile name to be “X” while the comment read, “It’s me.”
Who are you?
Xue Xi was sure that she did not have a friend like this. Maybe the person added the wrong person?
She pressed “reject” and put the matter behind her mind as she placed her phone in her pocket.
In the provision store, someone stared at the word “rejected” for a moment and chuckled.
Lu Chao, who was squatting at one side and playing his game, was shocked by his chuckle. He silently distanced himself away from his boss…
…
Six periods of classes ended very soon and it was time for the Math Olympiad class again. No, today was the Physics competition class.
She carried her books, and as she walked to the lecture theater, she saw Qin Shuang and Mrs. Qin standing not far away. Her mother’s eyes were red, and she said something before putting a bank card in Qin Shuang’s hands.
Qin Shuang shook her head and took a step back. Passing the card back to her mother, she turned around and left.
After looking on for a while, Xue Xi went to attend class.
When she entered the physics classroom, she realized that there were fewer students here—only seven of them.
She found a random seat and sat down. Then, she heard Xue Yao’s voice. “Xue Xi, you have the Mathematics Star Competition this weekend, right? Can you really attend the physics class today?”
Xue Xi ignored her.
The boy beside Xue Yao asked, “She enrolled in two Olympiad classes?”
Xue Yao nodded and tidied her fringe as she said in pretense, “That’s right. An Olympiad class has a heavy workload and she studies until late at night every day. I don’t know if she can handle both classes well.”
That boy was baffled. “No, you have to give it your all for just one competition and she enrolled in both to play?”
Xue Yao: “…Who knows what she’s thinking?”
The rest looked at them but kept quiet.
Not more than five minutes later, an anonymous thread in the school forum became wildly popular. “Is someone being complacent, enrolling in two Olympiad classes just because she topped in one exam?”
Soon, the thread had tens of replies:
Who? Senior year’s Xue Xi?
She is from my Math Olympiad class. Let me shed some light. Xue Xi scored the lowest for the two mock exams in the Math Olympiad class. I really don’t know why Old Liu recruited someone like her in. Is it to be a mascot?
Perhaps she cheated to get first in the level. The Xue family’s eldest young mistress wants to create a curve wrecker image and plate herself with gold in order to mix with the higher echelons of society. Isn’t she going overboard?
The Math Star Competition is around the corner. Let’s wait and see. She can’t cheat during this kind of competition, and all the ghosts and monsters would return to their original form!
Xue Xi had no idea about the internet news, and this time around, her phone rang again.
Upon fishing it out, she found that it was another friend request and opened it. The profile picture was a confident selfie as the person smiled widely and showed off his two canine teeth. His profile name was “Big Lu” and the comment read, “It’s me!”
At the provision store.
Lu Chao fawned on Xiang Huai and smiled. “Boss, she definitely won’t accept a stranger’s friend request. Wait and see, she’ll definitely reject me too!”
As he said it, his phone vibrated. Both of them dipped their heads and saw WeChat’s notification “‘Learning’1 has accepted your friend request.”
Lu Chao: “…”
Chapter 30: Stop Chatting; It Will Affect Your Studies.
The place became quiet for a few seconds.
Lu Chao was all tense and felt a shudder down his spine. Swallowing hard, he dared not look at Xiang Huai’s sharp eyes and quickly put away the phone in his hand as he said seriously, “Boss, this is actually your phone.”
“…”
Five seconds later, Xiang Huai picked up his phone and said coldly, “Then what are you staring at my phone for?”
Lu Chao: “?”
Looking at the new Lemon brand phone that he’d bought two days ago, he silently bade goodbye to it with tears and took a few steps back in silence.
Seeing that he had left, Xiang Huai began typing.
…
Buzz.
Xue Xi had just finished doing a physics question when her phone rang.
She lifted her head to have a look and realized that it was a message sent by Canine Teeth.
Big Lu: “What are you doing?”
Xue Xi thought that this sentence was nonsense.
As a student, what else could she be doing now?
Canine Teeth seemed to be clever, but why did he ask such a stupid question?
Thankfully, she still replied to him nicely.
Learning: “Attending classes.”
Big Lu: “Then stop chatting with others, it’ll affect your studies.”
In Xue Xi’s mind, a question mark was slowly being drawn out: “?”
Who is ‘others’?
“Oh,” she replied to him and continued to be engrossed in doing her questions.
After finishing two periods, Xue Xi walked toward the classroom, but on the way, she saw everyone gesticulating at her. She had no idea why, and by the time she got back to Class One, she saw that the last row of the classroom was occupied by the Flames.
Several Flames got together and shouted as they typed.
“Are you even allowed to talk about our Roaring Flame Society’s leader? Young lad, I’ll remember your ID!”
“Our Sister Xi is simply formidable to have joined the Math Olympiad class. If you have the capability, then join it too. Old Liu is known for being impartial, why would he accept you?!”
“Sister Xi is formidable!”
“That’s right, the Math Star Competition is starting soon and we’ll let you see Sister Xi’s prowess then!”
“…”
Just as they were discussing, Qin Shuang saw Xue Xi and coughed.
The Flames immediately shut their mouths.
Gao Yanchen leaned on the wall at the back and did not mind Qin Shuang’s cough. He was refuting those rumors in the forum, and although he was quiet in reality, he was aggressive when it came to quarreling.
Roaring Flame Society has joined the fight. Everyone, let’s leave. By the time the Math Star Competition’s results are out, the truth will be unveiled!
Gao Yanchen replied personally, “Leave what? Let’s fight. If you’re a man, then be strong openly.”
I’m really scared to be targeted by the Roaring Flame Society. I won’t even know how I’ll die by then.
Gao Yanchen: “It’s a pity that you aren’t frying vegetables because you really know how to add oil and vinegar!”
…
…
After rebuking several people, he saw an anonymous comment.
Xue Xi has just joined the school and is already part of the Roaring Flame Society. Doesn’t everyone have any idea what kind of people are in that society? How can there be a curve wrecker among people of such quality?
Looking at this sentence, Gao Yanchen froze.
His hands stopped and he did not reply momentarily.
This comment seemed to have resonated with others, and it collected more than 400 likes when there were only a thousand people in all three levels.
Someone commented below again.
There was an incident of the class fund being stolen in Experimental Class One today. The person in the CCTV footage was clearly Qin Shuang and the money was also found under her desk, but eventually, it was said to be Qin Lu’s fault! I saw Gao Yanchen going to the teaching affairs department to look for the director, asking for Qin Lu’s punishment. Huh, speaking of punishment, the Roaring Flame Society did nothing short of dying their hair, being late, leaving school early, and bullying other students, but why aren’t they being punished?
Ha ha ha, sorry for being direct, but the three words, ‘Roaring Flame Society,’ sound silly and I feel pretty embarrassed for them. As for the theft incident, the truth can only be one of these two. First, Qin Shuang stole it and framed Qin Lu. Second, Qin Lu has been bullied too many times by Qin Shuang and can no longer stand her. Therefore, she bought a wig and pretended to be Qin Shuang to steal the money. I actually feel sorry for Qin Lu.
Feel sorry for Qin Lu +1
Feel sorry for Qin Lu +10086
After a series of messages about feeling sorry, the topic shifted to Xue Xi again.
A bunch of ignorant, incompetent, and worthless people. Without the Gao family’s protection, what are they? Since Xue Xi is with them, her first-place ranking must have been inflated. The Gao family might have given her the papers in advance!
…
…
Gao Yanchen balled up his fists.
Ever since he was young, he had been eccentric and was never bothered by others’ opinions.
No matter what he did, Elder Gao would always encourage him. He usually said, “Why learn that? The family has enough money for you to spend next time! We don’t need to suffer through that hardship!”
Therefore, he had never thought that this attitude toward life was problematic.
He only took a look at the forum because he heard that Xue Xi was getting bashed there. However, the Roaring Flame Society, which he set up in middle school and was proud of, was actually throwing mud at Xue Xi’s name.
This was the first time he felt ashamed.
At this moment, a silhouette stood in front of him and asked hesitatingly, “What are you doing?”
Gao Yanchen was shocked. Lifting his head, he saw the girl standing right in front of him, and her beautiful face was as exquisite as that of a doll.
A girl like her naturally exuded radiance.
But now, because of the Roaring Flame Society, she was stuck in a morass.
Thinking of which, Gao Yanchen quickly locked his phone. He stood up straight and said guiltily, “Nothing much.”
Why is Little Flame so nervous?
Just as Xue Xi was feeling baffled, Qin Shuang, also known as Little Talkative, gave free rein to her nature. She explained the whole situation and even narrated a few significant comments. “…This is too much! They even said they’d laugh at the joke after the results of the Math Star are out! Xixi, you need to score better than Fan Han and embarrass them!”
After she said that, the Flames turned to look at her.
Flame Number One tried to sound her out and asked carefully, “Sister Xi, how are your Math Olympiad classes going? Can you get an award?”
They had never played with a curve wrecker in the past!
People like Fan Han and Xue Yao would pretend not to see them if they bump into each other, as though speaking one line to them would make them turn into delinquents themselves.
If Xue Xi could score well, their Roaring Flame Society would be able to walk with their heads held high.
At the thought of it, he heard Xue Xi slowly saying, “…Manageable.”
Everyone else: “?”
What does ‘manageable’ mean? It means unmanageable!
Flame Number One was astonished, and moments later, he coughed. “Actually, being able to participate is an honor itself! It doesn’t matter if you get any rankings!”
Flame Numbers Two, Three, and Four seconded, “Right, right, right!”
Qin Shuang also hurriedly comforted her. “Xixi, it doesn’t matter if you don’t do well. Don’t feel pressured. The key thing is the process!”
Xue Xi: “?”
She did not explain further and picked up her bag to go home.
Soon, it was the weekend, and the Math Star competition was about to begin!
Chapter 31: Remember to Miss Me.
The Math Star was not an official competition and was held in the neighboring city. Hence, they had to gather in the school on Friday afternoon. The competition would take place on Saturday and they would return on Sunday.
Ye Li was feeling worried when Xue Xi was leaving home on Friday morning. After checking her luggage several times and making sure that she did not leave anything behind, she walked her daughter out. “Xixi, are you really alright? Maybe I should accompany you there.”
Xue Xi shook her head and replied slowly, “No need.”
Ye Li was still anxious. After all, Xue Xi had never left the orphanage since she was young. She then replied hesitatingly, “I’ll give Fan Han a call and get him to look out for you.”
Before Xue Xi could reject her, Old Lady Xue said, “Isn’t it just a minor exam? Yaoyao has participated in numerous exams since she was young and has never been afraid. Some people really know how to assume airs of importance.”
Xue Xi could not be bothered with her and left as if she did not hear it. When she got in the car, her phone vibrated. It turned out to be the daily greeting from Canine Teeth.
Big Lu: “What do you feel like having today?”
At the provision store.
After having breakfast, as usual, Xue Xi grabbed Xiang Huai’s hand without any expression on her face.
Right, it was “grab”—there was not any shyness nor the beauty of a dating couple in that action.
Xiang Huai leaned back. His sharp eyes were shining with gentle brightness and his firm jaw appeared slightly relaxed.
He looked lazily at Xue Xi, and just as she was going to let go, he held her hand tighter and smiled. “Little kid, hold on for a while more.”
Xue Xi paused. “Why?”
Xiang Huai said without any embarrassment, “We won’t be able to hold hands tomorrow, so we need to hold on for tomorrow and the day after.”
“…”
Xue Xi forcefully retrieved her hand, and just as she was about to leave, she heard his low voice ring. “Little kid.”
She slowly lifted her head and stared into Xiang Huai’s glowing dark brown eyes. He continued to smile. “Remember to think of me.”
Xue Xi nodded obediently. “Got it.”
After all, her heart would hurt if she did not think of him.
Just as she turned around, she saw Canine Teeth. Thinking of his daily greetings and the breakfast he prepared, she said politely, “Thank you.”
Lu Chao: “?”
When she left the provision store, Lu Chao could sense the iciness coming from someone even without turning his head. Instantly, he said nervously, “Boss, listen to my explanation! No, what have I done? I did nothing at all, right?”
…
In the afternoon, everyone boarded the bus that the school had prepared. After more than five hours of travel, they found a five-star hotel in the vicinity of the competition venue.
There were eleven students from the international school, and eight were boys while three were girls. Since the other two girls stayed together, Xue Xi was alone.
She was not bothered by these matters. After all, before leaving home, Xue Sheng transferred to her another hundred thousand yuan so staying alone was not a problem.
Old Liu, however, was very worried and said to her, “I’m afraid that you’ll be scared at night, so I got another girl, who is alone, from Bin City First High School. You guys can look out for one another if you guys stay together.”
Xue Xi nodded.
Bin City First High School was the school with the highest national examination graduation rates in Bin City. It was also really well-known in the country and the school had more than thirty students!
Old Liu greeted the teacher-in-charge of the team. “Mr. Zhang, sorry for the trouble!”
Mr. Zhang was in his forties and was also the leader of Bin City Education Department’s math team. He had a beer belly and scanned the students from International High School as he subconsciously commanded, “Old Liu, among the students from your school, except for Fan Han, nobody has ever won a prize. They’re not suitable for this route. Aren’t you wasting time by being a participant in the competition! Don’t get angry at my words, I simply meant well for you.”
The corners of Old Liu’s mouth twitched. Who is he looking down on?
If he were not worried about a vulnerable girl like Xue Xi staying alone, he would never have bowed down to Mr. Zhang!
He did not reply to him and merely said to a short-haired girl behind Mr. Zhang, “Liu Liyuan, sorry to trouble you to take care of Xue Xi.”
Liu Liyuan shot Xue Xi a glance and replied, “Mhm.”
Afterward, they went upstairs and checked into the hotel.
Xue Xi took the room card and arrived in room 508. Just as she scanned the room card and wanted to enter, she was pushed aside. Liu Liyuan carried the luggage and entered the room before her.
She occupied the bed near the window and lay on it with her arms and legs stretched out. “How comfortable!”
Xue Xi was a step slower and merely shot her a glance before entering the room. She did not unpack her luggage and merely took out the questions from the backpack and decided to do the questions on the desk.
When she got to the desk, Liu Liyuan suddenly stood up and occupied the only desk in the room. She sat on the chair with her legs crossed as she played with her phone. “Sorry, but I want to use it.”
Xue Xi: “…”
She silently leaned on the bed and placed a book on her legs for support as she did her questions.
Liu Liyuan’s phone kept ringing and her voice messages kept coming. She played them out loud and did not seem to care.
Thirty minutes later, she finally took out her Math Olympiad book and started reading.
Ding! At this moment, Xue Xi, who was deeply engrossed in her book, heard her phone ring.
She shot a glance at it and realized it was from Canine Teeth. “Have you arrived?”
Xue Xi wanted to type but she was still writing. Multi-tasking, she replied with a voice message. “Mhm, I arrived long ago.”
After saying this, she had finally gotten the answer and forgot to let go of the voice message button.
Liu Liyuan threw her book on the desk in annoyance and complained to her phone. “The girl in the same room is so annoying. She kept playing with her phone and I can’t even read my book in silence. Aren’t those from international schools the children of the wealthy? Why must she squeeze in the same room as me? Or are the wealthy like this too?”
Xue Xi had just finished her question and heard her words. She lifted her finger and the voice message was sent.
She did not think about these and gradually furrowed her brows.
She did not care about others’ opinions because their words would not cause any loss to her. However, this did not mean that she would take it lying down!
Staring at Liu Liyuan, she said casually, “The one who has been talking for thirty minutes seems to be you, right?”
Liu Liyuan flew into a rage instantly. “What do you mean? If it were not for you, I would have been staying alone. Why must you insist on squeezing with me?!”
Xue Xi’s eyes turned cold.
Putting down her book, she slowly stood up and said coldly with an intimidating aura, “If you don’t want to stay with me, you can leave.”
Liu Liyuan was stunned. She became flustered for two seconds before shouting, “Why should I leave? This is my room and you should be the one leaving! Oh, I know. Could it be that you aren’t from a rich family and can’t even afford a room?”
Just as she said that, a knocking on the door was heard.
Liu Liyuan was slightly fearful of the look in Xue Xi’s eyes. She quickly stood up and dashed to the door. There, she saw a customer service officer standing at the entrance. “Are you Ms. Xue Xi? Hello, your presidential suite has been prepared. Do you need us to carry your luggage for you?”
Liu Liyuan: “?”
Chapter 32: Add Xiang Huai on WeChat.
The room instantly fell silent.
After a while, Liu Liyuan gawked. “What?”
Presidential suite?
The kind of things she heard of only in novels? Xue Xi was going to stay there?
She turned to look at Xue Xi.
The girl continued standing there quietly. As she was donning a simple school uniform, one could not see whether she came from riches. Still, her looks were exceptionally distinct and beautiful, and the aura she emitted was definitely not of the average Joe’s. Was this what a true wealthy family’s missy was?
Liu Liyuan gulped, and her attitude did a one-eighty. She awkwardly laughed. “That… Xue Xi, that just now was only a misunderstanding!”
She hurriedly walked over and said ingratiatingly, “Mr. Liu and Mr. Zhang told us to stay together in the same room because they were afraid that something untoward might happen to a young lady like you. They are also worried that you will be afraid. He he… Do you… need me to accompany you?”
If she could stay in the presidential suite with Xue Xi for once, she could go brag about the experience at school for an entire year!
It all depended on whether she would agree…
At this point, the confused Xue Xi frowned.
She had not requested to upgrade to the presidential suite, so what was happening?
Just as she was thinking this, her phone chimed.
Big Lu: “Coincidentally, I have a voucher for the hotel you are staying in, so I gave you an upgrade to the presidential suite!”
So that’s what happened.
She was instantly enlightened. Staying anywhere was the same to her, but she would not mind if she could stay in a better environment. Moreover, she still had a huge sum of money in her bank card. Hence, she replied, “How much is it? I’ll return it to you when I get back.”
The other party replied quickly: “8.8.”
Eight yuan?
That cheap? Did he buy it from the Pin something app?
As she thought this, she put down her phone. When she saw Liu Liyuan’s ingratiating expression, she paused. “Pack up.”
The latter jumped in joy, not expecting her to actually agree. Hence, she quickly packed her almost-untouched luggage, carried her bag, and stood before Xue Xi. “I’m done packing!”
Xue Xi slowly dragged her luggage, and the moment she stepped out, the customer service officer received her luggage. “Ms. Xue, I will help you with your luggage.”
Xue Xi nodded.
Although she had not stayed in such a high-class hotel before, she did not feel out of place in any way. The group walked over to the lobby, and when the exclusive elevator serving the presidential suite levels parted open, Liu Liyuan excitedly rushed in.
However, right at this moment, a slender and fair-skinned hand grabbed the girl’s arm. She paused in surprise, then turned around to look at Xue Xi, who said, “Your elevator is at that side.”
She was stunned. “No? This elevator is the one that goes to the presidential suite.”
Xue Xi calmly looked at the elevator. “Oh, but the one that goes to the rooms where First High stays is the other one.”
Liu Liyuan: “?!”
Xue Xi then turned to the service staff and said, “Please send her to First High’s side and get her a new room.”
She then turned to step into the elevator.
Bin City’s First High was one of the top high schools. Most of their students had average backgrounds and they were not as generous as international schools.
Their rooms were at Building Two, which was relatively much cheaper.
In contrast, the international school reserved luxury suites!
Xue Xi’s room was reserved by Old Liu, and hence, it was paid for by the international school. If Liu Liyuan was not staying with Xue Xi, how could she possibly stay here?
Xue Xi was just putting her back into her original place!
Liu Liyuan was totally appalled. She stood there in disbelief and finally came back to her senses just as the elevator doors were about to close. She then rushed forward. “Xue Xi, you toyed with me!”
She was, however, intercepted by the service staff. “Miss, kindly do not disturb our esteemed guest. Should you refuse to cooperate, I can only proceed to contact your teacher.”
She was so furious that she gave a kick to the side. “So what if it’s a presidential suite?! Who are you looking down on? How much is it? I will upgrade too!”
Before leaving the house, she had asked her parents for 3,000 yuan. Even if it was just to vent her anger, she was still willing to pay for a night!
As she thought this, the staff replied, “There are quite a few different types for the presidential suites. Ms. Xue’s suite is the finest top-class suite, costing 88,888 yuan per day.”
Liu Liyuan: “?”
…
The presidential suite was located on the topmost floor of the hotel. It had the nicest view and was very well-lit. The room was 300 square meters huge.
Other than an area to receive guests, there was also a lounge, living room, bedroom, and an exclusive study room. The toiletries for female use were all branded items too, and every aspect was carefully curated.
Xue Xi took a few glances. Uninterested in the rest of the place, she made a beeline for the study room and retrieved her half-completed paper to continue.
The customer service customer politely asked, “Ms. Xue, we can deliver your dinner tonight up to your room. You may also help yourself to the refreshments here as you please. May I ask what time you would like to have your meal?”
Xue Xi was just thinking of how leaving her room was a waste of time. This was a timely rain.
The room returned to silence after the service staff left. It was then that she picked up her phone and sent a message to Canine Teeth. “The room is great. Thanks.”
At the provision store.
Lu Chao sat on the small stool and stared at his Lemon brand phone on the counter longingly.
This phone was released just a few days ago and he had gone through lengths to snag one. Yet he was forced to part with it now. This was agony to him.
Since Boss isn’t texting that little miss right now, it should be fine for me to take it back to play for a while, right?
He silently and furtively reached out, and just as he had touched his phone—Bzz! Bzz!
The phone vibrated. Xiang Huai’s pale hands reached over and took away his beloved phone.
Lu Chao: “…”
After which, he witnessed as his boss first took a glance at the phone, then icily swept his gaze onto him.
Lu Chao: “???”
Seeing that his boss’s entire face was ice-cold and sharp, he felt that he should not continue allowing himself to take the blame when he did not know the reason. Otherwise, he was likely to freeze into ice one day from his boss’s glares!
He eyed the contents displayed on his phone and said, “Boss, I have considered it thoroughly. The little miss probably didn’t add you because you didn’t say who you are!”
Xiang Huai rapped his knuckles on the tabletop. “And so?”
Lu Chao smiled. “Leave it to me!”
He took his phone back and sent a WeChat message.
Big Lu: “Actually, Boss is the one who reserved that room for you. He he! Why don’t you add Boss as your friend? His WeChat ID is called X.”
He then said to Xiang Huai, “Boss, send a friend request now.”
Xiang Huai nodded. After sending a friend request with his phone, he seemed to rest against the chair lazily. Meanwhile, Lu Chao held his breath and stared at his phone, awaiting the results.
Roughly a minute later, a vibration sound was heard.
Lu Chao wanted to check his phone, but even though his boss was clearly a step later than he was in moving, the latter had fished out his own phone first. Xiang Huai slowly turned to look at his phone—only to find that there were no notifications.
Both paused for three seconds, then realized that the vibration actually came from Lu Chao’s phone.
Dazed, he slowly lowered his hand and spotted Xue Xi’s reply.
Learning: “Oh, no need for that. I have his phone number.”
Lu Chao froze when he saw this message. With stiff movements, he slowly looked up…
Chapter 33: The Results Are Out!
The instant Xiang Huai looked over, he stiffly passed the phone over to him. “Boss, I suddenly recalled that we haven’t ordered stocks for our provision store. I’ll go take a look outside!”
He hastily escaped right after.
When Xiang Huai saw this message, he was taken aback for a second. His dark-brown eyes sparkled with shock, but he soon regained his composure. He subconsciously tapped his fingers against the tabletop and his sharp features softened. After a short while, he chuckled under his breath.
The little kid seems obedient and sensible, but it turns out… that’s actually not the case.
Not adding me on WeChat is likely her protest against “be in love or die.”
…
…
With regard to Xiang Huai’s friend request, Xue Xi did not accept or reject it. What would she do if her heart ached because she angered him?
She was not a puppet that would allow anyone to do as they pleased with her. She would definitely find a way out of this.
For tonight, she washed up and slept early.
The next day.
All of the contestants gathered on the first floor before they boarded the bus to the examination hall.
Old Liu waved to Xue Xi at the entrance. When she neared him, he said softly, “This examination is non-official and there is no limit on the key knowledge points. You will be marked correct as long as you get the correct answer.”
Xue Xi’s eyes sparkled when she heard this.
Her grades in the Olympiad class were unfavorable because she always could not avoid using knowledge from the university-level to solve the question. After all, who would use a stupider method when there was a shortcut?
Since the Math Star Competition did not mind this, then that’s amazing!
Her eyes sparkled as she nodded her head.
After Xue Xi and the rest of the candidates entered the examination hall, Mr. Zhang, who had sent the First High’s students over, approached Old Liu. He grinned. “Old Liu, I heard that your school’s Xue Xi stayed in the presidential suite last night!”
Old Liu was surprised. “Is that so?”
Mr. Zhang coughed and could not help saying, “Liu Liyuan said that she chases after the rich and despises the poor. Apparently, she had kept picking on her after they entered the room. In the end, she upgraded her own room and chased Liu Liyuan back. Look at this mess. Kids these days only know to indulge in pleasure and comfort whenever they have money. Moreover, she has never participated in any academic competitions before. How can such a person get good grades?”
Usually, those who aspired to rely on academic competitions to obtain a free pass to college or additional marks for the national exam would enroll in the competitive classes once they entered high school, and, hence, they would have taken part once in their Junior Year.
For instance, Fan Han had obtained the Provincial Second Prize in his Junior Year. Although he was halted before the national competition, the teachers already had an impression of him and had great expectations for him this year.
Old Liu was not clear on what exactly happened, but he still defended his own student without any hesitation. “Mr. Zhang, we cannot listen to a child’s one-sided story. As for your claim on indulging in pleasure, I beg to differ. Are you purporting that being wealthy is a crime? Why don’t you go stay in a motel if you guys do not want to indulge in pleasure and comfort?”
Mr. Zhang was made speechless by this and turned to point his finger at Old Liu, chiding, “Look at yourself. Money is every part of your speech. Are you setting an example as a teacher?! Old Liu, as teachers, we cannot place too much emphasis on money…”
Finding the situation baffling, Old Liu promptly turned around and left.
Xue Xi is not going to stay with anyone from their school anyway, so why is that person still being so bossy? He thinks he is great just because he is in charge of the Mathematics group!
…
The Math Star’s examination was the same as the Olympiad—they were both separated into two rounds.
The first round had a time limit of 80 minutes, and the questions were a mix of fill-in-the-blank questions and open-ended questions. There were more questions here.
The second round had a time limit of 150 minutes. There were only four highly-challenging open-ended questions.
After the first round, the students had time for free movement. They even had the energy to chit-chat, then they continued to the second round.
The second round was clearly much more quiet and solemn. Only the sound of pen against paper could be heard in the examination hall.
The four open-ended questions were very challenging and difficult. The tested knowledge was even slightly outside of the syllabus.
After the examination, the students were basically all defeated.
“Aren’t this year’s questions too hard?”
“Yes. I don’t even have an inkling for the last two questions, and I’m not sure if I’m even right for the first one.”
Xue Xi walked over to Old Liu amid such discussion.
The latter was currently asking Fan Han, whom others had the highest expectations of, “How did you feel about it?”
Fan Han pursed his lips and frowned lightly. “I got two correct, but I’m not too sure about the third and fourth questions.”
Old Liu nodded. “That’s already pretty good. This year’s exam is apparently exceptionally difficult! You should be able to obtain the First Prize if you managed to do two questions.”
He then turned to ask the rest in sequence. When Xue Xi walked over, he asked, “How was it?”
Xue Xi thought for a moment, then slowly answered, “I did everything.”
A wide smile spread on Old Liu’s lips. “Alright, let’s all get onto the bus. We shall have a good meal this afternoon.”
When everyone had boarded the bus, Liu Liyuan sneered. “Does she think this is a history or politics class where you’ll get marks just because you answered everything?”
She pointed at Xue Xi to the person beside her. “Do you see that? That’s her. The one who stays in the presidential suite for just an exam, as though she’s afraid that other people don’t know that her family is rich. This kind of person places their attention on other places and will definitely not get good grades…”
A few students from First High nodded and had a mocking expression.
Mr. Zhang even snorted. “Bin City’s competition still rests on our shoulders. Alright, get on the car and let’s go back!”
…
Old Liu had intended to allow the students some free time before they returned the next day.
However, Xue Xi had no intention of shopping. Hence, she informed Old Liu and went back to the hotel. The car Ye Li had sent to fetch her was already here, so she directly returned home.
Time quickly flew by and it was the end of August. September was near. The freshmen and juniors were also about to start their school year.
It had been roughly ten days since the Math Star Competition, and the results were about to be announced.
Meanwhile, the international school’s forum was in an uproar:
I’m waiting for a certain someone’s results!
You can’t cheat in the Math Star Competition. The real results can be seen only this time!
Have you heard? Hearsay, Xue Xi had flaunted her riches on the day of the exam and offended Liu Liyuan from First High! Liu Liyuan has already announced that she will be using her grades to exact her revenge because the money belongs to parents and only grades belong to yourself!
Excited!
Today was Tuesday, and the results were released online at 10 AM.
Ye Li had repeatedly reminded her before she went to school, “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter what your results are. Xixi, don’t be nervous!”
Xue Xi: “…Oh.”
However, after she had boarded the car, Ye Li then took out the examination ID number she had copied. When she saw Xue Sheng leaving, she was a little stunned. “Where are you going?”
Xue Sheng: “To work!”
Ye Li yanked him over. “Why would you go to work? Go after we’ve checked the results at 10 AM!”
Hearing this, Xue Sheng turned around and changed out of his shoe. “Fine, I’ll wait with you. But I shall say this first: one has to be nurtured from a young age for the Mathematical Olympiad. Xixi has never gone through any structured training and will definitely not get good results this time. Don’t have overly high expectations.”
Ye Li sighed. “I just find it to be a pity. If we had not lost her and she had grown up by our side, with her brains, she would have been so outstanding. Sigh!”
Chapter 34: First Place!
Xue Sheng fell into a short trance when he heard this.
He had been astonished when Xue Xi had obtained first in the level the previous time. However, after inquiring more at the orphanage, he found this to be a normal occurrence.
That was because Xue Xi had been learning on her own after she graduated from Middle School.
Still, other than talent, one still needed to be hardworking for competitions like the Mathematical Olympiad. No matter how smart Xixi was, she had been back for only half a month, so how could she possibly get good results there?
He patted Ye Li’s shoulders. While sighing, he also chided himself internally, If we had not lost the child back then, she would have been the brightest star among her generation.
While the two were speaking, the old patriarch suddenly walked over with his hands behind his back. The old patriarch said to Xue Sheng, “Come over.”
Xue Sheng quickly followed behind him. “What’s wrong, Dad?”
The old patriarch looked at him and asked, “Have you received any news about that Lu Chao?”
Xue Sheng shook his head.
The other frowned at this. “Put more effort into looking again.”
“Yes.”
…
As usual, Xue Xi alighted at the provision store and held hands with Xiang Huai after breakfast.
Recently, the length of time they needed to hold hands was getting longer by the day. It had already been two minutes today and she still felt a dull pain in her heart.
Just as she was feeling the internal changes in herself, Xiang Huai leaned against the table and supported his head with his other free arm. “Little kid, don’t you think this is a waste of time?”
His low voice was exceptionally sexy and alluring.
Xue Xi paused for a moment, then said, “So?”
Xiang Huai’s lips turned up slightly. In that instant, it felt as though all the light in the room was aggregating on his face. His sharp and defined features even seemed to be sparkling and filled with enticement. “I have a method that can resolve this quickly and easily. Do you want to hear it?”
Xue Xi instantly understood what he wanted to say next. She hurriedly avoided his gaze and coolly answered, “…No.”
Her reserved and cold attitude did not anger him. Instead, the man chuckled. His laughter seemed to turn tangible as it encompassed her heart and made her throat run dry.
He asked, “Why?”
Half a beat later, Xue Xi answered, “I know what you want to say.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So do you want to do it with your boyfriend?”
Xue Xi frowned and considered it, and, as though she had made a decision, she said, “…Fine.”
Xiang Huai was stunned.
Little kid is really agreeing to kiss and hug me?
Right after thinking this, he saw her reach out with her other hand. “Come. If we hold both hands together, it should be faster by two times.”
“…”
After a full five seconds, Xiang Huai burst out laughing.
Why is my little kid this cute?
Xue Xi did not wait for his reply and stood up. “Today is done. We shall try again tomorrow.”
She picked up her bag and exited out the door in her loosely-fit uniform.
After she had left, Xiang Huai’s smile slowly dissipated and he became cold and taciturn.
…
Just as Xue Xi walked through the school entrance, her sight was instantly colored in red. Flame Number One to Seven and Qin Shuang were all squatting at the entrance. Seven bright red-heads were a grand sight, while Gao Yanchen leaned against a tree at the side with his head lowered while he played games on his phone.
The students passing by were so frightened that they jumped aside when they saw them.
Old Liu passed by them in his old bicycle and stopped when he spotted them, shouting, “You can’t have dyed hair according to school rules. Gao Yanchen, go bring the rest of them and dye it back.”
Gao Yanchen ignored him, though.
Flame Number One said, “Old Liu, we are not in your class anyway, so don’t bother yourself about us.”
Old Liu persuaded, “As long as you guys are students, I have to speak…”
He was just about to go on a long tirade when Flame Number One spotted Xue Xi. His eyes lit up instantly. “Sister Xi!”
Instantly, the eight people plus Gao Yanchen stepped out and moved toward Xue Xi.
The girl was a little confused. “Why are you guys here?”
Qin Shuang slung her arm with hers. “Today is the day when the results of the Math Star Competition come out. We came to back you up!”
Brother Chen had already told them that they had to escort Xue Xi to school, just in case people would speak nonsense and make her comfortable after the results were released. With them there, even if others wanted to mock her, they would have to swallow their own words!
Beside them, Old Liu got off his bicycle when he heard this. He pushed his bike in Xue Xi’s direction. The man, in his forties, had dark skin due to prolonged sun exposure. He said, “Xue Xi, take it easy. Results do not represent anything, and the Math Star is just a normal competition that can only be used as practice. The truly important one is the National Mathematics Competition. Since it’s almost September, it is also about to start.”
Xue Xi: “…Oh.”
Why is everyone claiming that I’m nervous? I really am not.
She felt that her results should be decent.
Forget it. The results are coming out soon anyway, so I shall not speak much on it.
The group of people grandly entered the school compound. Everyone who saw them en route kept their distance, and the group of people who came to gloat did not dare come up to speak to her.
Just like this, Xue Xi was escorted into her classroom and peacefully finished two periods of classes.
During the break, at exactly 10 AM, the result of the Math Star Competition came out!
Xue Xi finished her exercises on the school field, and by the time she strolled back to the classroom, it was exactly 10 AM.
Old Liu was already there, and a group of people was crowding around Fan Han. They were all staring at the application on his phone, where he was checking his results. “Hurry, see how you scored! Did you key in the correct examination ID number?”
Fan Han nodded, then clicked on the search button. His score immediately popped out: 212.
“Wow!”
“That’s high! This gets First Prize for sure!”
“Yes. The First Prize for last year is a minimum of 180 marks and the first in the province is only 224. This year’s questions are apparently harder, so Fan Han is confirmed to be in the top ten! That’s amazing!”
“…”
Xue Yao stood beside Fan Han proudly with a wide smile. Her gaze swept over Xue Xi, and she pretended to ask in concern, “Cousin, how many marks did you get?”
The latter could not be bothered with her. She walked back to her seat with her head lowered. She was just about to pick up her phone, wanting to check her results, when a foreign number called in.
She paused for a moment, then answered it. “Hello.”
The other party hurriedly asked, “Is this Xue Xi? I am from the student admission office of Bin City University. I saw your results in the Math Star Competition. By the usual protocol, this is a non-official competition and will not be added to your results for college application. However, our Mathematics Department is willing to make an exception for you. Are you interested?”
Xue Xi paused for two seconds and said, “…Not interested.”
Bin City University was also one of the top schools, belonging to the 985 and 211 calibers. However, her aim was the capital’s Huaxia University, and this aim had never changed.
The other party persistently persuaded her again, but she was resolute.
It was only after she hung up the call that she opened the webpage to check her results on her phone.
Qin Shuang was already waiting impatiently. She stretched her body and head out to look at Xue Xi’s phone. When the latter keyed in her examination ID number and clicked on the search button…
Qin Shuang’s irises converged. “The heck!”
288 marks!
!!
Is this a result that humans can get?!
chapter 35-45 to be continued.....
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