chapter 35-50
Chapter 35: The Birth of a Study God.
Qin Shuang’s voice attracted the crowd’s attention.
Does that mean the results are good or not?
Just as they were deep in their pondering, they saw Xue Xi frown.
She was a little surprised. She felt that she had gotten all of it correct while she was doing them, so why were 12 marks deducted?
Alas, her expression was easily misunderstood.
Xue Yao instantly heaved a sigh of relief.
She thought that Qin Shuang must have been that surprised because the girl had scored below 100 marks. After all, her Mathematics were full marks during the pre-test.
Gloating, she peered at Fan Han and said in a hypocritical voice, “Cousin, don’t be sad if you didn’t get good results. After all, this is an Olympiad-level examination and the questions are exceptionally hard. There are many people who score less than 100.”
Old Liu had high expectations of Xue Xi, but he was still stunned when he heard this. He repressed the disappointment he felt inside and reassured her, “Xue Xi, don’t feel dejected!”
Fan Han raised his chin and turned to look at the girl, feeling smug inside.
Indeed, it is impossible without going through proper Olympiad training! I must have made a mistake in the pre-test last time and so she scored higher. Now, it is time that I displayed my prowess.
Mhm. With this now, Xue Xi should acknowledge me already, right?
The rest of the people who disliked Xue Xi also wanted to chime in, but when they recalled her grand entourage this morning, they promptly swallowed their words.
Soon, a few of them lowered their heads and anonymously posted on the school’s forum.
Live stream! The results are out! A certain someone flopped!
?? Waiting for the actual scores!
Study God image crumbling?
Scores! Report the scores!
The forum was in an uproar. Meanwhile, Qin Shuang was still in a state of shock, and the little girl who was usually gossipy and talkative gulped.
It’s already good enough for an average person to score 88 marks for Olympiad questions!
Xue Yao smiled and said, “The average person usually just gets below 100. So, Cousin, how many marks did you get?”
Xue Xi did not reply, but Qin Shuang had already shouted, “288!”
“What? Did I hear wrongly or did you say wrongly?”
“You reported an extra 100 marks, right? 188 sounds more reasonable.”
“288 marks? You must be joking! Qin Shuang, you’re just talking big!”
“Shouldn’t it be 88 marks?”
Fan Han and Xue Yao widened their eyes in disbelief, thinking that Qin Shuang must have misspoke…
Old Liu had already rushed over to Xue Xi’s side with a look of surprise. “Xue Xi, how many marks did you get?”
The girl passed her phone over to him. After snatching the phone over, Old Liu felt that his eyes must have cheated him. Hence, he rubbed his eyes roughly and stared at the phone again. Although the phone display was not as huge as a computer’s, the numbers were still very clearly displayed: 288 marks!
Xue Xi, who automatically ignored the crowd’s discussion, slowly asked, “Mr. Liu, did I get poor results?”
Old Liu: “??”
He tugged at his lips and explained to her, “This is not an average examination. Since the inception of the Math Star Competition, the highest score ever achieved was 271, and that person was a genius. That person subsequently represented the country to take part in the IMO competition and almost obtained a gold, becoming the pride of the country.”
He was reluctant to return the phone to Xue Xi and repeatedly stared at the score. His hands were trembling with excitement.
At this moment, a phone ringtone sounded.
Old Liu whipped out his random-and-local branded phone to answer the call. The other party was the Mathematics head, Mr. Zhang. His voice roared through the receiver, as though it was on speaker, “Mr. Liu, how many marks did your class’s Fan Han get?”
Old Liu replied, dazedly, “212 marks.”
Mr. Zhang grinned. “Not bad, not bad. That is a confirmed First Prize! He he, but it looks like the first place in our school is Sun Jie this time. Ha ha, he scored 224 marks!”
Old Liu subconsciously replied, “Congratulations.”
“What is there to congratulate about? Isn’t it a given that our school is the first? It’s already an amazing feat for your international school to get a First Prize. Still, Old Liu, I have to say this: with your mathematics standard, you can actually come to First High to teach the Olympiad class, but instead, you chose the International School’s high salary. It is a pity when you think about it. As teachers, what makes us proudest should not be our salary but the outstanding students we nurtured, right?”
If it were the usual, Old Liu would have hung up the call a long time ago.
Mr. Zhang called clearly to gloat. Alas, Old Liu was justified this time and had the right to be. He stood up and chuckled. “Old Zhang, it has been so many years and I truly think that you are right! But if it’s regarding first place, I’m afraid your expectations have fallen short.”
Mr. Zhang was taken aback. “What do you mean?”
Old Liu raised his chin cockily. “Oh, I forgot to say it just now. Our school’s Xue Xi scored 288 marks.”
“What?”
…
At the school field.
All members of the Roaring Flame Society were gathered in a row on the staircase, holding their phones.
Gao Yanchen stood up and rested one leg on the stairs, declaring, “I have printed 200 sentences for scolding people. We have eight people here, so we will need to bring out the aura of an 800-people troop. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
Following his call of “start,” everyone quickly entered the forum.
Probably less than 100 marks? Hurry and post the result!
Gao Yanchen: F*ck. Go take the exam. If you can score 8 marks, I will call you dad. Oh, my apologies, you don’t even have the right to take part in the examination.
…
The results are out. Prepare for it, I will be announcing the results! You guys will definitely be shocked!
“The marks are out!”
Flame Number One nervously shouted, “Everyone, prepare to refresh the page! We must definitely crush them! I have already thought of the words to spam. Just say: Still your father even without results! Type this out, then copy and paste it, so we can save on the time needed to type. Hurry, refresh!”
The few Flames rushed and spammed a few hundred messages, instantly overtaking the thread.
As they spammed, someone finally noticed the anomaly. “Why don’t I see any crude comments?”
Another asked, “How many marks did you guys see just now?”
Flame Number One: “You guys continue. I’ll go take a look.”
By the time he finally painstakingly scrolled through the thread and found the post with the scores, he was totally dumbstruck.
Gao Yanchen kicked him. “Speak.”
“That… Sister Xi couldn’t possibly have scored 8 marks, right?”
Flame Number One gulped. “288.”
Flame Number Six, who was a stranger to the Mathematical Olympiad, asked, “What is the total score?”
Flame Number One: “…300.”
“…”
The field was instantly silenced. The scorching sun blazed its rays on them, making them feel as though their Sister Xi emitted light on her own. Her image suddenly became much nobler and awe-inspiring.
…
In the living room of the Xue family.
Ye Li nervously keyed in the examination ID number. Her hands were trembling.
Xue Sheng waited beside her, smiling. “I already told you to not be nervous. Xixi went there only as practice.”
Despite saying this, his gaze was still firmly stuck on the iPad screen.
Old Lady Xue sneered. “It’s impossible for her to get a good ranking anyway. I don’t know what you’re nervous about. That’s true, though. Scoring too low would be a disgrace…”
Chapter 36: What Does Kissing Feel Like?
Before Old Lady Xue could finish speaking, Ye Li had already stood up agitatedly. Xue Sheng was looking over her shoulder to see the screen, and the two accidentally bumped into each other.
“Sss…” Xue Sheng’s chin hurt.
Ye Li turned to him in a hurry. “Are you alright?”
Old Lady Xue harrumphed. “Look at yourself. You have no proper etiquette. Why? Did she score too poorly?”
In the next instant, Ye Li shouted, “288! My Xixi is truly too smart!”
Xue Sheng was also stunned. “What?”
Old Lady Xue was surprised. “How can it be that high? You must have seen wrongly!”
Xue Sheng took the iPad to look for himself and was also astonished. “It really is 288 marks!”
The old lady frowned. She took a step forward, still distrusting them. When she saw the marks displayed, her jaw tensed up. “How can it be… This should be impossible…”
…
At school, the forum opinions had taken a one-eighty.
Daddy, please receive my knees!
Curve wrecker image established! I have knelt!
During the past few days, I have witnessed Xue ‘Study God’ Xi putting people in their places.
Study God, do you still need a thigh accessory?
…
Amid the praises, a differing voice appeared.
Unreachable: “Who knows if this result is real? Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
Alas, Xue Xi had repeatedly used her results to win over the crowd. Hence, the moment this comment was out, it was instantly responded to with ire. After five minutes, the comment was silently removed by the original poster.
“This ‘Unreachable’ always makes a sour post every day. This person just loves to suck up to Xue Yao and Fan Han. I wonder who this account belongs to? Totally disgusting!”
During the short break between classes, “Little Talkative” Qin Shuang displayed her gossiping prowess. “Sister Xi, let me tell you a gossip. Did you know? Someone from Second Class and another from Third Class were caught at the school’s field yesterday! Apparently, the two of them were hiding in a corner and kissing, so their parents were called today. What do you think happened in the end?”
Xue Xi, who had been very calm ever since finding out about her results, was currently packing her books to go to the Physics Olympiad class. When she heard this, she cooperatively asked, “…What?”
“The parents of both sides met and realized that they are actually business partners. Hence, they immediately decided to let the two children get engaged! Ha ha ha! Sister Xi, what do you think?”
Xue Xi paused for a moment. “…Getting into a relationship early is not good.”
Qin Shuang: “…”
Xue Xi stood up and passed through the crooked corridor. Just as she was about to walk out, she suddenly stopped in front of Qin Shuang and asked solemnly with her expressionless face and misty eyes, “What does kissing feel like?”
Qin Shuang was instantly stunned. “Ah? This… I have never kissed, so I don’t know!”
“Oh,” Xue Xi replied, then walked toward the classroom near the staircase.
She entered the Physics Olympiad class and had just found a seat when someone nearby scooted over. “Xue Xi, did you really score 288 marks?”
Xue Xi nodded.
That person extended a hand. “Study God, may I shake hands with you? Please let me get some luck for today’s Physics mini-test!”
Xue Xi slowly turned to look at the other party and raised her hand, and the person quickly shook her hand and released it.
Xue Yao walked in and coincidentally witnessed the scene. She balled up her fists in ire. She sat directly in front of her and smiled, saying, “Cousin, did you know? Bin City University just gave Fan Han a call, saying that if he wants to be admitted to their school, he can enjoy a lower cut-off of twenty marks. Did they offer that to you?”
Xue Xi peered at her. “…No.”
The other instantly raised her chin. “It’s likely because you didn’t take part in the Mathematical Olympiad in Junior Year and so the admissions office doesn’t have much impression of you. They don’t actually place much importance on someone who scores well only once.”
Xue Xi: “…”
“Cousin, why are you still doing Mathematical Olympiad questions? There is a Physics Olympiad mini-test today. Are you sure you can do it?”
It was already good enough for Xue Xi to reply to her once. Now, she could not even be bothered about her and lowered her head, continuing to do her Mathematical Olympiad questions. Old Liu had called up her paper from the system today and realized that the 12 marks deducted were all working marks. The things she learned by herself were unstructured and, hence, she had left out two equations that could have scored her points. Old Liu had said that she had to do more questions to solve this tough problem!
Xue Yao found it boring when she got ignored. At this moment, the Physics teacher, Ms. Sun, walked in with a few sets of paper in hand. “Xue Xi has made our school proud in the Math Star Competition, so the Physics department will have to work hard too. Teacher is still expecting someone among you guys to get a prize!”
In the International School, other than the two experimental classes, the majority of the population had plans to study overseas. Hence, little importance was placed on academic competitions.
In Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry competitions, they were always ranked below First High and Third High. However, with the dark horse-win this year, Old Liu was given huge praise by the headmaster. Even his steps had become light.
Ms. Sun looked at Xue Xi with a little dejection. No matter how amazing a student is, they have limited attention and energy. Xue Xi has been learning mathematics continuously for the past half a month.
She distributed the papers as she thought this.
The test lasted one and a half hours. Ms. Sun then collected the papers. As there were only seven sets, she marked it on the spot and left the remaining time for the students to study on their own and come up to ask if they have any questions.
Ten minutes passed by in silence and Ms. Sun was done marking the papers.
“Teacher, how many marks did I score?”
Xue Yao could not wait.
Ms. Sun answered, “158. That’s quite amazing already!”
The total score for the Physics Olympiad was 200. Hence, this score was actually pretty good already.
Xue Yao had always been the top five in the level’s ranking. She was very confident in herself. Hence, she peered at Xue Xi and asked, “What about Xue Xi?”
She was certain that she was stronger in Physics than Xue Xi. That was because the latter was always doing Mathematical Olympiad questions and only did Physics questions when in class. This attitude cemented her demise.
Meanwhile, as long as she scored better than she did, the latter’s good mathematics grades would not matter.
Each person had their own strengths, and she would defeat her in the areas she was strong in!
These thoughts flashed by her mind. She then saw Ms. Sun’s complicated expression. The teacher then slowly said, a little in disbelief, “Full marks.”
Xue Yao widened her eyes.
H-How is this possible?!
…
When Xue Xi and Xue Yao returned home, the sky was already dark.
It was almost the end of summer. Hence, there was a teeny bit of coolness amid the humidity.
The moment they entered the house, Xue Yao made a beeline for the stairs and shut herself in her room.
Xue Xi totally ignored her and returned to her own room to study.
Downstairs, Old Master Xue had just returned home from work. After he heard about the Math Star Competition, his eyes lit up as he turned to ask Xue Sheng, “Have you investigated Xue Xi’s boyfriend outside?”
Xue Sheng shook his head.
The old patriarch fell in deep thought momentarily. “There has been news from Elder Gao’s side that guests can bring their children to his birthday celebration. Everyone is speculating that he is intending to help that Lu Chao choose a wife. I had originally not expected much for our family, but since Xue Xi is this outstanding, it is a waste to not take advantage of that. Go tell her to break it off with that pretty boy outside and try on this side.”
Coincidentally, in the provision store, Lu Chao suddenly sneezed and felt a chill on his spine.
Chapter 37: Do You Want to Kiss?
Listening to the Old Master’s words, Xue Sheng kept silent.
He disapproved of using his daughter for marriage unity, but the Old Master was right. His Xixi deserves better.
The man for her should not be the boss of a provision store.
He did not agree but said, “I’ll have a look.”
It seemed like it was time to investigate that gigolo.
…
Inside the exquisitely-renovated room, the pink curtain swayed.
Xue Yao lay flat on the bed and held her phone as she cried. “…It’s fine if only her math is good, but why is her physics good too? What should I do? All the limelight is stolen by her. Mom, I’m going to be angered to death! Wu wu wu…”
A capable female voice was heard from the phone. “Yaoyao, you’re thinking of it wrongly.”
Xue Yao paused and stood up as she cleaned her tears and mucus with the tissue paper on the desk. She turned on the phone’s speaker mode as her mother rationally analyzed, “Yaoyao, do you know what the difference is between international schools and normal schools?”
Xue Yao threw the mucus-soaked tissue paper into the bin and replied with a nasal voice, “Don’t know.”
“You guys have won on the starting line. Most of the students in international schools are going overseas. Other than studying, you guys are going to school to open your horizons, expand your connections, and nurture your capabilities. She is a country bumpkin and has received an examination-oriented education since she was young. She wants to use knowledge to change her life. Aren’t you inviting humiliation by trying to compete with her in studies?
“A person’s inner qualities and sophistication don’t simply depend on studies. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
Xue Yao was suddenly enlightened. “Mom, I got it! No matter how good she is in her studies, she’s merely a nerd while I’m the daughter of an eminent family. Why should I compete with her in studies? My piano, dance, and art are the best!”
The other party reminded her, “The most important thing is self-cultivation. If you keep getting angry so easily, it’d be embarrassing.”
Xue Yao reignited her fighting spirit. “I got it. Mom, now that Big Auntie is in charge of the house, I’m no longer as well-to-do as before.”
The Xue family had a rule. Children who were in high school could only get a hundred thousand yuan as pocket money every month. Back then, however, when Old Lady Xue was the one in charge, Xue Yao only needed to act cutesy and she would get more. Now that Ye Li was prioritizing fairness, she was receiving the same treatment as that country bumpkin. That won’t do!
Upon hearing her words, her mother said gently, “I’ll give your grandma a call.”
Xue Yao’s eyes brightened up. Her mother was going to take action!
She happily hung up the call.
On the other end.
Old Lady Xue was getting into a half in her room. A mere country bumpkin and everyone is treating her like a treasure!
Just as she was feeling vexed, her phone rang. Looking at the Caller ID, she hurriedly picked up. “Yiqiu, when are you and the second child coming back?”
Liu Yiqiu smiled. “Mom, we’ll be back next week. Are you busy trying to reconcile the accounts? I’m trying to get you a present so I’m bothering you for a while.”
The old lady said, displeased, “What reconciling the accounts? The family’s housekeeping right is stolen by your sister-in-law!”
Liu Yiqiu was instantly taken aback. “What happened?”
The old lady exaggerated as she narrated what had happened. Eventually, she said, “Yiqiu, help me to think of a way. I don’t dare to run counter to Old Master openly, but how should I snatch it back?”
Liu Yiqiu smiled. “Mom, you’ve been in charge of the house for so long. Isn’t it easy to get Sister-in-law to pass you back the right?”
The old lady paused. “You’re trying to say…”
…
The next day, Xue Xi woke up and went downstairs. The sound of the piano had just stopped and Old Lady Xue was clapping. “Yaoyao, your piano skill is getting better!”
Xue Yao stood up gracefully and smiled. “Grandma, this is nothing.”
She then shot Xue Xi a glance and headed to the dining room.
Xue Xi realized that after a night, Xue Yao’s dispirited mood had dissipated. She was once again arrogant and had no eyes for others.
She felt this to be quite odd, but it had nothing to do with her. Her gaze landed on the piano. This piano seemed like the one in the orphanage.
Just as she was staring at it, Old Lady Xue sneered. “What are you looking at? Nerd, do you know what a piano is? Do you know how to play it?”
Xue Xi replied slowly, “A little.”
“Which grade are you at?”
Xue Xi paused. “I didn’t take the exam.”
She did not know what other orphanages were like, but the one she stayed in was not short of money. They had all kinds of musical instruments. When she was feeling bored and could not learn new things, she would go play with them.
Old Lady Xue pouted and showed off. “Our Yaoyao has already obtained a Grade 10 certificate when she was in her fifth year of junior school. Tsk!”
After saying that, she shot her a profound look.
Xue Xi was not bothered by it at all.
Xue Yao made use of the mealtime to play the piano, and by the time she had finished eating, they had to leave ten minutes later than usual.
Xue Sheng and Old Master Xue came down to have breakfast and went to work only after Xue Xi had left.
As the two sat at the dining table, the servants quickly served them breakfast.
Old Master Xue took a bite of the bun and spit it on the floor instantly. He frowned, and before he could speak, Old Lady Xue berated, “Ye Li, what are you doing? Don’t you know that the Old Master dislikes coriander? How are you taking care of the family?”
Ye Li was baffled and quickly apologized. “Dad, sorry. I’ll get them to serve a new one for you!”
Old Master Xue hated the taste of coriander and was boiling with rage after eating it first thing in the morning. He stared at Ye Li and suppressed his anger as he stood up. “I’m not eating anymore!”
With that, he walked outside.
Xue Sheng swiftly shot Ye Li a comforting glance and followed behind. “Dad, let me bring you to Hundred Fragrance Pavilion for breakfast, alright? Don’t you love the soup dumplings there?”
By the time they had left, Ye Li stared at Xiao Fang, who served breakfast.
Xiao Fang quickly shook her hands. “Madam, it wasn’t me. When I wrapped the bun, I clearly didn’t put coriander. What happened…”
Ye Li took a deep breath. This was clearly Old Lady Xue’s scheme. However, there were four of them in the kitchen, and it most probably was not Xiao Fang; so who could it be?
…
The car arrived at the provision store.
After having their breakfast, Xue Xi held Xiang Huai’s hand. Once again, she stared at the Gothic clock in the store. She had only five minutes left and she would be late if she did not leave.
Biting her teeth and not caring about the faint pain coming from her chest, she stood up and wanted to leave.
Just as she retracted her hand, it was suddenly held by the man’s huge ones.
A strong force caused her to turn and she tried to resist. However, they were not standing steadily and fell on the shelves by the side.
Xiang Huai hugged her waist and swiftly stood between her and the shelf.
Xue Xi fell right into his embrace and the man’s chilly smell filled her nose.
She lifted her head in confusion and saw the man dipping his head. His exquisite face was only five centimeters away from hers. He chuckled and flirted. “Little kid, do you want to kiss?”
She wanted to reject the offer, but at the thought of it, the pain in her chest intensified!
Her pupils constricted. This meant—
She could not reject Xiang Huai?
Chapter 38: A Learning Machine with No Feelings.
Xue Xi tensed up.
A few thoughts flashed in her mind in that split second.
She stared blankly at the man who was just a hair’s breadth away. What does he want to do?
If she could not reject his request, then he could have totally exposed his motive right after he had planted that “be in love or die” curse.
His motive was either money or her body.
However, he had not made any requests in the past month. The most he had done was forcefully sell her some tea leaves at an exorbitant price of 100 yuan and cheated a total of 300 yuan from her.
Yet if he did not have any motive, did it mean that he purely wanted to date her?
While she was in a deep trance, the man slowly lowered his head. He enticed with his low voice, “Little kid, close your eyes.”
I refuse.
Right as she thought this, her heart felt like it was being stabbed.
As she took a deep breath, her usually-calm eyes became dyed with anger. Still, she eventually closed her eyes.
When one could not see, all their other senses would be heightened. She could feel the man’s breath closing in on her. Closer and closer… until he finally stopped before her.
Her body was entirely stiff. Then, she felt a cool peck on her eyelids.
The man’s lips seemed very thin, but it was very soft and cooling.
She balled up her fists.
Just as she felt that she was on the brink of her self-control, the man’s lips parted from her eyelids. He released her and chuckled in a low voice. “Done.”
A*shole!
The moment she opened her eyes, she took a step back with her right foot and held her fists up—a perfect display of the army boxing attack stance Canine Teeth had taught her. The next instant, she kicked!
The man stood there stably and did not even blink.
However, Xue Xi’s leg stopped when it was five centimeters away from him.
My heart hurts!
Jerk!
Indignant, she retracted her leg, and when the pain in her heart dissipated, she changed positions to “punch.” Her movements were fast and sharp, and this time, before she could hit the man, he suddenly reached out.
Bang!
Her punch landed in his palms.
She had used her full strength this time and had felt that the man would definitely be punched flying from this. Unexpectedly, his expression did not even falter, and, instead, he held her fist in his and gently tugged, causing her to fall into his arms.
Xiang Huai placed his large hands on the back of her head and gently patted. He then said in a helpless tone, “Your heart will hurt if you hit me.”
“…”
Xue Xi, who was just about to wrestle her way out, slowly calmed down. Just as she was about to speak again, the man reminded her, “You are really going to be late.”
The girl, who loved to study, hurriedly turned to look at the clock. She had two minutes left.
She slung her bag over her shoulders, turned around, and ran to school.
She sprinted as though she was in a 100-meter-dash race and stepped into the classroom the moment the bell rang. She had arrived at the same time as the first period’s Literature teacher.
She greeted the teacher and was just about to step in when the teacher said, “Xue Xi, your results in your other subject are so good, but only in Literature is it 102. It’s because you got too many marks deducted in your essay. Can you write with more emotion in your essay?”
Xue Xi turned her large and confused eyes on the teacher. She did not understand it. She had already written in a very lyrical way!
The Literature teacher gave her an example. “For example, during our pre-test, the essay topic was ‘An Old Book.’ Your concept was good and your language was superb, but it had no emotions. Imagine that you have grown up and revisited an old book, only to gain new knowledge and new life lessons. Can you imagine the kind of complicated feelings comprising surprise and lamentation that you would have?”
Xue Xi slowly shook her head.
The teacher felt exasperated and continued, “Then did you feel any excitement or joy when you obtained first for the Math Star Competition?”
The Literature teacher was waiting for her to express some intense emotion. Alas, our great Xue Xi only gazed back at her innocently, as though she was saying, Isn’t it normal for me to get first? What is there to be happy about?
“…”
The teacher sighed. No one would dislike a girl who is pretty, obedient, and had good grades. Once again, she hinted, “Do you have any moment when you felt very happy?”
“…”
“Then what about sadness or sorrow?”
“…”
The teacher was helpless. “You must have at least moments when you were angry, right?”
“…”
Seeing that Xue Xi was still looking at her blankly, she said, almost having given up, “I will list out a few books for you. You can go take a look at them when you’re free. It’ll help with your essay grades.”
Xue Xi nodded.
When she returned to her seat and recalled the few emotions the teacher had mentioned, she suddenly realized with a startle that she was actually angry when Xiang Huai kissed her.
That was the strongest emotion she had ever felt in her life.
…
Once September came, both Olympiad classes had increased in intensity. They were no longer only using the last two periods but were starting to encroach on the usual class time.
After all, students had a chance to obtain a direct pass to many top colleges in the National Mathematical Olympiad and Physics Olympiad. These students who decided to take the academic competition route worked hard all for this moment.
Xue Xi placed her attention on the Mathematical Olympiad. In the end, she was basically studying the whole day.
As for the provision store, ever since that light kiss, holding hands became useful once again. Both she and Xiang Huai seemed to have forgotten that day’s events and resumed their usual lifestyles.
A week quickly passed by.
As usual, Xue Xi went home after school. She lagged behind Xue Yao after alighting from the car, and before she entered the house, she could already hear the latter’s excited yip. “Mom! I missed you to death!”
Xue Xi paused.
When she entered the living room, she saw a madam standing before Xue Yao. That person seemed to be very capable. With a smile, she hugged Xue Yao for a while, then turned to smile at Old Lady Xue. “Mom, look at Yaoyao. She is still the same as when she was a child.”
Old Lady Xue nodded. “Yes, she is our family’s little princess!”
Liu Yiqiu spotted Xue Xi from the corner of her eye, but she pretended to have not seen her and first gesticulated to Xue Yao’s height, saying pointedly, “Sigh, I still remember how Yaoyao was only this long when she was born. Now that she has grown up, she is already taller than I am! I have really personally witnessed her growth.”
Xue Xi ignored their loving act and moved to leave for upstairs to continue her practice questions.
At this moment, Old Lady Xue harrumphed. “Indeed, unlike some people who did not grow up beside us. Just not close.”
Liu Yiqiu seemed to have only spotted Xue Xi then and hurriedly said, “This must be Xixi, right?”
She picked up a gift box from the sofa and, smiling, walked over to the girl. “I am your Second Aunt! Your Second Uncle and I were both overseas when you returned, so this is our first meeting. You, child, are very pretty! Xixi, come. This is the present Second Aunt got for you!”
The LV logo was printed on the box. Based on its size, it should be a bag.
Xue Xi paused.
No pain, no gain. This sentence flashed through her mind, and the next instant, Liu Yiqiu smiled. “Xixi, we are all part of the same family. Shouldn’t family members help each other? Can Second Aunt ask you for a favor?”
Xue Xi: “??”
Liu Yiqiu continued, smiling, “You can just compete in the Mathematical Olympiad. As for the Physics side, can you withdraw? And give your younger sister a chance?”
Chapter 39: Not Boss’s Doing.
Xue Xi was taken aback when she heard this.
In her seemingly sensible, but truthfully unreasonable, way, Liu Yiqiu continued, “You obtained First Place in the Math Star Competition, so you will definitely score well in the National Competition too. This means that you will get a direct admission to college, and so the Physics Olympiad is just a complement to the crowning touch. But your younger sister can also get a direct admission if she obtains the top sixty position. News of both sisters in the Xue family getting direct admissions would look good on us.”
Old Lady Xue was inclined toward the idea. “Yes, then our family can be rid of the nouveau riche reputation. Xue Xi, go withdraw from the Physics Olympiad class tomorrow.”
Xue Xi apathetically looked at the three people. She paused for a while, then said, “The top sixty will all get direct admission.”
What she meant was: Other than mine, there’d be 59 other positions.
Although Xue Yao was good in Physics, she was not among the crème de la crème of the cohort. Hence, whether she gave her the chance or not was a non-issue.
Liu Yiqiu smiled. “Having one less competitor means having a higher chance, doesn’t it? Xixi, do you agree? Second Aunt will give you another Hermes!”
“Give what? With that money, I’d rather you buy another dress for our Yaoyao!” Old Lady Xue chided. “We are family and we should help each other. This matter is settled! Xue Xi, do you hear me?”
Xue Xi slowly replied, “Yes.”
A rare smile blossomed on the old lady’s face. “That’s more like it…”
“… But I don’t agree.”
The old lady’s smile froze. “What?”
Without giving her another look, Xue Xi returned the gift box to Liu Yiqiu and made a beeline for the stairs.
Old Lady Xue shouted, “Truly an ingrate who cannot be nurtured! I knew that she will only bring misfortune to our house! And also her mother! She can’t even get her accounts right and is still fumbling with that mess. Yiqiu, now that you are back, go take over the family reins!”
A light flashed in Liu Yiqiu’s eyes. “Mom, we’ll talk about this later.”
Halfway up the stairs, Xue Xi stopped when she heard this. She then turned to the servant cleaning up on the second floor. “Where is my mom?”
“She is in the backyard garden.”
With a pondering look, she nodded, went upstairs to put down her bag, then went down the stairs for the rear end of the house.
…
Ye Li had a splitting headache.
The four people in the kitchen had pushed the blame around for the breakfast incident. In the end, the truth could not be found. Hence, she decided to cut half a months’ worth of wages for each of them and promoted Xiao Fang as the kitchen supervisor. If anything happened again in the future, she would directly look for her.
This method was one that Xue Sheng used for the company. It would be a similarly useful method here.
However, after a whole day, the house seemed to be in a mess.
She had been so busy that she’d had no time to rest. Now, she was even still collating August’s bill and September’s expenditure with the person in charge of finances.
The person-in-charge of the household finances was the old lady’s nephew from her maternal family, Liu Hao. He was a man in his forties who did not attach any importance to Ye Li. He was currently reporting with a smile:
“… Madam, look at this page. It shows the daily expenditure. Eggs cost 2.80 yuan each. Fifty eggs are used for the family members’ meals daily and another fifty for the employees. We used 89 eggs at the beginning of the month for the banquet. Moreover, eggs are fragile and there were some losses during transport. The losses are 2%. This is the expenditure for eggs, and there are also those for greens, pork, beef, chicken… Madam, have you remembered all of them?”
“…”
Ye Li rubbed her temples. “Report the total amount.”
Liu Hao gave an exaggerated number.
Ye Li frowned. She felt that they would not have to use this much money. However, Liu Hao either reported each item’s cost, down to the minute details, or immediately reported the total amount to ask for money. He was totally uncooperative!
He even threatened, “Madam, the old madam managed it like this back then too. Nothing has ever happened. Look, the sky is already turning dark. Therefore, hurry and let me claim the money for the next month so that I can move things on and arrange them. Otherwise, if we delay the next month’s events, the old master will get angry again.”
Tomorrow was the first of September. If she did not give in now, he would dare to stop all the produce for tomorrow and push the blame onto her!
Ye Li was so furious that her chest hurt.
Liu Hao gave a smug smile. He had been managing the household expenses for many years and had siphoned off quite a bit since a long time ago.
Trying to make him reduce the daily expenditures with just a recently-instated Ye Li? That’s impossible!
Seeing that Ye Li refused to give in, he said contemptuously, “Madam, hurry. Everything out there requires money. If you are unable to make a decision, then you should just return the housekeeping rights to the old madam.”
Ye Li’s face turned red and green from the mockery.
Just as Liu Hao was feeling smug, a cold voice sounded. “The eggs cost 8,825.71429 yuan in total.”
Liu Hao: “?”
He turned around and saw Xue Xi walking over slowly.
The girl was still dressed in her uniform and had a ponytail. As she slowly strode over, she gave off an inexplicably oppressing aura.
Her eyes were lowered as she stood beside Ye Li, as though protecting the latter. She then looked at Liu Hao. “You can report on the greens now.”
Not believing that she could repeat the feat, he immediately reported, “The calculations for greens are even more complicated. The household eats organic vegetables and so the prices are more expensive. In addition, the prices are also different every day. On the first, spinach was 500 grams, bamboo shoots were one kilogram…”
He blabbered on for five minutes and reported the greens used for the entire month. Disregarding Ye Li, even he himself was a little dizzy from the report, so the slow-witted Xue Xi should be even more confused, right?
Alas, right as he finished speaking, Xue Xi returned to him an accurate number!
He was totally dumbstruck and appalled!
Xue Xi continued expressionlessly, “Continue.”
Liu Hao was sweating cold buckets by now.
This girl’s mental calculation is faster than a computer’s!
He wiped his sweat and, under Xue Xi’s forceful prompts, he reported another few items.
Half an hour later, both his legs already felt like jelly. That was because the accounts were full of holes and errors.
He had originally planned out the time properly such that Ye Li would not have the time to get someone else to check the accounts. Hence, he did not prepare thoroughly, but now…
Xue Xi used one and a half hours’ time and recalculated the entire accounts. In the end, she found out that Liu Hao had reported 800,000 yuan higher than the actual amount!
Ye Li directly took the accounts book away, leaving Liu Hao to sit on the ground alone.
…
Xue Xi did not care what happened next.
After she had dinner and was studying, she could vaguely hear Old Master Xue’s furious roar and Old Lady Xue begging for forgiveness.
The next day, Ye Li informed her that Liu Hao had been sacked.
With Old Lady Xue’s maternal family totally removed, no one in the Xue family dared to create trouble again.
Xue Xi nodded and left for school.
As usual, she alighted at the provision store, and after having breakfast, she held hands with Xiang Huai for two minutes. In those two minutes, she deigned to even look at him.
When her heart no longer hurt, she moved to stand up with a cold expression. At this moment, Lu Chao suddenly said, “Student Xue, the weird thing that happened to you is actually not Boss’s doing!”
Xue Xi slowly turned her head when she heard this. “… What?”
Lu Chao decided to not care anymore.
Ever since she started ignoring him, his boss would always have a gloomy look. He could not survive in the provision store like this any longer!
No matter what, he had to explain everything clearly. He could not let Xue Xi continue misunderstanding the situation!
Chapter 40: There Is Indeed a Problem
Lu Chao was just about to speak more, but a cough interrupted him. He subconsciously trembled, then stiffly turned to look at Xiang Huai, who usually stayed in the darker corners.
The courage he had just built up instantly deflated like a balloon pricked with a needle.
Xue Xi stared at him, though, and ordered, “Speak.”
The girl’s aura was so strong that it made him gulp.
He suddenly felt that speaking up was the wrong choice. He was now stuck between two big shots, trembling in fear. After a long silence, he finally spoke only the things that could be revealed. “Anyway, Boss has no ill intentions toward you.”
After saying this, he lowered his head and ran toward the rear of the provision store, afraid that Xiang Huai would chide him. “I-I’ll go boil some water to drink!”
Xue Xi was rooted in the same spot expressionlessly.
Lu Chao’s words made her feel very lost suddenly.
The supposed ‘curse’ has nothing to do with Xiang Huai? But if it has nothing to do with him, how does he know that I must be dating…?
She soon recalled that the man had never forced her into anything.
She was the one who agreed to hold hands.
Last time’s kiss was because she was running late for school and wanted to leave without caring about the pain in her chest. It was because of this that he posed the request. Moreover, that kiss was likely a restrained one that was within the boundaries that she could accept.
She turned to give the man a deep look. However, the man was still seated behind the counter. His sharp eyes were hidden in the shadows, and his brown eyes were so deep that they were unreadable. He emanated mysteriousness.
This person definitely has secrets.
After a short pause, she finally spoke. “I’m off to school.”
This was a truce to the recent cold war.
Xiang Huai did not expect her to speak first. Raising his eyebrows, he smiled and said, “Okay.”
The girl then turned around and left.
About ten minutes after her departure, Lu Chao furtively returned from the rear end of the shop. He stuck out his head to peek at the counter.
Alas, the counter was empty.
He paused.
Where is Boss?
At this moment, an ice-cold voice suddenly sounded behind him. “Looks like you have been too idle recently. Let’s get some practice done, then.”
Lu Chao: “???”
He slowly turned his head around and saw Xiang Huai standing behind him in black clothes. Right after saying this, the man rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscled arms.
“…”
…
After she completed numerous questions in this short period of time, Xue Xi’s grades for the Mathematical Olympiad had improved considerably. She would no longer use knowledge outside of the syllabus to solve the questions again.
While Old Liu marked her work, he was getting even more satisfied with her progress and slowly shifted his greatest expectations onto her.
Weekend.
She had finished a set of Mathematical Olympiad questions and had stood up for some light stretching. When she picked up her phone, she found a WeChat notification.
Ji Silin: “Xixi, I’m at Bin City now.”
Xue Xi’s eyes lit up at the message. “Where are you?”
Ji Silin: “I have a clinic in Bin City. There’s a patient here, so I will be coming regularly for five days a month. You can come find me at the clinic.”
He then sent her an address.
Ye Li would always hint at her to go out for a walk every weekend to make some friends. She thought for a moment, then replied: “I’ll come over now.”
Ji Silin: “That’s fine too. I’ll introduce a friend to you.”
Xue Xi was not wearing her school uniform. She changed into a set of blue sports attire, white espadrilles, and a white baseball cap. Her black hair was loosely let down on her back. She randomly chose a small backpack and informed Ye Li before leaving.
Downstairs, Xue Yao was currently playing the piano.
Old Lady Xue sat on the sofa with her eyes closed. She clearly seemed sleepy, but she opened her eyes the moment Xue Yao stopped playing and praised, “Not bad, not bad! Yaoyao is so good with the piano!”
Liu Yiqiu nudged her lips upon hearing this.
How could a country bumpkin know how to appreciate this?
Despite feeling disdain inwardly, she still put on an eager expression. “Mom has good taste!”
She first praised the old lady, then walked to Xue Yao’s side, praising, “Not bad. You haven’t fallen back by much despite not practicing recently. In the next few days, practice more diligently to get back to your optimal condition. When Mom heard that Zhou Zhou came to Bin City, I immediately put down everything I had on hand and went through many connections before he agreed to give you a chance. In the entire Bin City, you are definitely the top in terms of piano skills in your generation, so you must definitely do your best and take this chance to make him accept you as his disciple.”
Ye Li stood at the kitchen entrance, looking at them with envy.
That was the world-renowned pianist, Zhou Zhou!
If Xixi had not been stolen and grew up alongside them, she could have taught her to draw and to play the piano. Would she have had the chance to be Zhou Zhou’s disciple too, then?
Alas, there were no “ifs.”
She quickly pushed the thought away. That had just been a passing thought and all she hoped for now was for Xixi to be happy.
Liu Yiqiu spotted her and straightened her back in pride. She then smiled and said, “Elder Sister-in-law, if only Xixi can play the piano, that would have been great. I could have also brought her to meet Zhou Zhou. No matter who among the two sisters are chosen, it will still be a blessing to our family.”
Ye Li gave an embarrassed and awkward smile. “There is no need to.”
Liu Yiqiu sighed. “That’s true. The orphanage’s environment isn’t really good. Xixi has likely never even touched a piano before. What a pity.”
This lamentation was like a prick to Ye Li’s heart.
Which mother in this world would not want to provide their daughter with the best?
…
Xue Xi first took a bus, then transferred to the train before finally arriving at Ji Silin’s clinic.
This was an apartment complex. Other than regulars, it was likely that few would think of opening a psychological clinic here.
She came to the door of apartment 501 and knocked.
The door was quickly opened, accompanied by piano music. The refined-looking Ji Silin stood inside. As usual, he was dressed in white and had a pair of gold-framed spectacles. Before she could speak, he put his index finger to his lips and gestured for her to hush.
She halted and silently entered the room.
In the living room, a man was currently playing the piano.
He seemed to be in his thirties and was wearing a suit. His body was on the slightly plump side, but his hands were exceptionally nimble. His ten fingers danced on the piano keys quickly.
He seemed to be fully engrossed in the music, which was describing a passionate and beautiful, yet sorrowful, story. Just as the music and its accompanying emotions climaxed, the music abruptly halted.
He slowly closed his eyes, seeming to be recalling the music piece from just now.
Ji Silin clapped, waking him up from his engrossed state. Zhou Zhou opened his eyes to look at him and asked, panicking, “Do I have a psychological problem? Or have I become numb to beauty after being exposed too much to it? I am already unable to maintain my keen sense for music at its tip-top condition.”
Ji Silin was exasperated. “You have no psychological problems.”
“There definitely is!”
Zhou Zhou said affirmatively, “Otherwise, why do I keep feeling that this music piece that made me famous is not perfect?!”
Ji Silin sighed. “There really isn’t any problem.”
“There definitely is.”
“There isn’t.”
“There is.”
Just when the two were about to continue arguing, Xue Xi suddenly spoke slowly. “There is indeed a problem.”
Chapter 41: Moguls’ Group.
Zhou Zhou excitedly said, “See! Even the little lady says that I have a psychological problem! How are you a psychiatrist? You cannot just brush me off just because we are friends!”
Ji Silin: “…”
He knew how slow Xue Xi could be in expressing herself and hence did not continue arguing with her. As expected, after two seconds, the girl slowly spoke again. “It’s a problem with your playing.”
The room fell silent at her words.
As a world-renowned pianist, Zhou Zhou was very confident in himself. This was the first time that anyone had ever said that the problem was with his playing.
After a short pause, he asked, “Where is the problem?”
Xue Xi shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Zhou Zhou: “??”
Are you kidding me?
Meanwhile, Ji Silin gently asked, “Why do you say that?”
Xue Xi stood up straight, as though she was an obedient student answering a question. “There’s a verse that was wrong.”
She, who played the piano in the orphanage, had never learned it the proper way. She had figured everything out on her own.
She was unable to use words to express Zhou Zhou’s mistake.
She thought for a while, then said, “Let me play it for you.”
Zhou Zhou lifted his chin pridefully and was about to mock her for her ignorance, but Ji Silin pushed him aside to make space in front of the piano. “Okay.”
Xue Xi sat down and placed her hands on the piano. She did not play the piece just now from head to toe, but only focused on the verse Zhou Zhou had played wrongly.
Following her playing, Zhou Zhou’s expression slowly changed from one of distrust and slighting into solemn expression, then into astonishment!
He had played his trademark music piece for many years. He had played one wrong note in the middle, but it had already become a habit and was deeply embedded into him.
This particular verse was exceptionally fast and the musical notes merged together, so it was totally unnoticeable!
When Xue Xi was done playing, he was already rooted to the spot with a dazed expression, seeming to be a little crazed. “So that’s it… So that’s it!”
He suddenly took a step forward and agitatedly wanted to shake Xue Xi’s hands. “Who are you?”
How could someone who was able to notice such a minute detail be a nobody?
Xue Xi took a step backward, avoiding his tug.
Beside them, Ji Silin introduced, “She is Xue Xi. I was intending to introduce her to you as your disciple. What do you—”
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Zhou had already stood up and shouted, “No way!”
Ji Silin: “??”
The next moment, the man excitedly said, “How can I possibly teach her? I should be the one asking her for guidance instead. From now on, you are my Sister Xi!”
Xue Xi: “?”
How could she teach someone else when she only knew how to play the piano?
However, this person immediately took out his phone and said to her, “Sister Xi, what is your WeChat? Let’s add each other as friends!”
She had intended to reject him, but then she heard him say the following, “We can guide each other from now on. Do you want to learn music scores and things related to piano techniques? I can teach you.”
You can learn…
Xue Xi took out her phone and, after adding the other party, she saved him as “The Pianist.”
Immediately after, The Pianist sent her a group chat invitation link.
Group name: “Moguls’ Group.”
Xue Xi: “…”
She paused. The Pianist then spoke again. “Sister Xi, everyone in this group chat is a mogul. Ji Silin is also inside. I’ll drag you in to have some fun. You can learn many things from each other!”
Learning again…
She was enticed, but she still obediently looked up questioningly at Ji Silin.
Ji Silin could feel the girl’s interest. He took off her baseball cap and rubbed her head. After hesitating for a second, he smiled. “Join, then. You are too anti-social. It’s good for you to have a few more friends.”
Xue Xi’s eyes lit up and she requested to join the group.
Zhou Zhou shouted, “Ji Silin, you are the admin. Hurry and accept the request.”
Ji Silin clicked on “Accept” and Xue Xi joined this “Moguls’ Group.”
The Pianist excitedly opened the members’ list and introduced her to each of them. “Sister Xi, you know Ji Silin—the one to look for when ill and also the administrator. This is the mathematics person, this is the gamer, this is the actor, this is the clothes seller, this is the dancer, this is the chef, this is the artist, and also, this…”
He introduced each of the twenty people in the group.
Xue Xi was shocked. She did not expect such a small group to have people from every occupation. She asked, “Are they all very amazing?”
The Pianist promptly lifted his chin, saying, “Their fame is about the same as mine. Average.”
Xue Xi: “…Oh.”
Someone who can play a wrong note is indeed only very average.
Zhou Zhou did not know what she was thinking, though. He pointed at a profile picture that was totally black and said, “Sister Xi, you can offend anyone in this group because your Brother Silin can protect you, but you must definitely not offend the group manager!”
Xue Xi: “?”
Why does this profile picture look a little familiar?
She peered at the name—”Do Not Disturb.”
Even the name gave off a thick and icy aura that dissuaded anyone from coming near.
She did not think much of it and asked, “Why?”
The Pianist seemed to be afraid of even mentioning the person. “This is a true mogul. His temper is bad. Sigh, you don’t have to be afraid. He never talks in the group. You just have to not speak anything bad about him in the group.”
“…Oh.”
This made her even more curious.
So what he means is that the rest are indeed fake moguls? No, except Brother Silin. He is a psychiatrist famed even on the international stage.
While the three of them were speaking, someone appeared in the group chat.
Cen Bai: “A newcomer?”
Another message soon popped out as she was in thought.
The Pianist: “Let me introduce her to everyone. This is Ji Silin’s little sister and also my Sister Xi! @Learning.”
Xue Xi greeted them politely: “Hello, everyone. Please take good care of me.”
She thought for a moment, then added: “We can learn from each other in the future.”
Everyone else: “?”
The group comprised of moguls from each and every occupation, so what was there for them to learn from this little girl?
Xue Xi thereafter realized that the group had fallen into an eerie silence.
Meanwhile, Zhou Zhou’s phone was vibrating non-stop. They were all private messages from the group’s moguls, and the contents were all roughly the same:
“What’s the situation? What is this girl’s background?”
Zhou Zhou replied to each one proudly: “My Sister Xi. She is amazing at the piano!”
Following, the rest retorted:
“Can she act, then? Is she better than I am—the apex of the acting world?”
“A world-renowned mathematician like me exchanging pointers with her in mathematics?”
“A top chef like me exchanging pointers with her on cooking?”
…
…
After a whole round of inquires, everyone sent the same message: “So, why did you add her to the group?”
Zhou Zhou was also a little lost at this question.
The rest of the group clearly does not recognize my Sister Xi’s prowess. Should I… ask her to leave the group?
…
At the same time, in the provision store.
Xiang Huai picked up his phone. The little kid still has not accepted my WeChat request.
He sighed silently, then realized that there were people speaking in the “Moguls’ Group.” As the group manager, he casually clicked into it.
After which, his gaze fixed on—
Chapter 42: Xue ‘Real Mogul’ Xi.
A familiar profile picture and name appeared in the group chat.
He scrolled upwards and saw The Pianist’s sentence that this was “Ji Silin’s little sister.” He paused.
Half a beat later, he burst out laughing and continued scrolling down.
He then realized that the last message the little kid sent was a greeting message from five minutes ago. It laid there blandly with no reply.
His eyes darkened.
Everyone in the group was obstinate and overbearing. As moguls in each of their own fields, it was understandable that they were this haughty.
But how could he let his little kid suffer any grievances?
…
After a full five minutes, there was still no reply in the group.
Zhou Zhou was assembling his inner thoughts and wanted to ask Xue Xi to leave the group without hurting her pride. Alas, before he could speak, his private messages were in an uproar again:
“What’s the situation? What is her background exactly?!”
“Who exactly is she?”
“Is she some hidden mogul?”
“Don’t hide her identity from us any longer!”
Zhou Zhou: “?”
Totally perplexed, he scrolled through everyone’s replies and spotted a new message in the group chat. Someone had sent a message?
With this question in mind, he opened the group chat and saw—
Do Not Disturb: “Welcome to the group. Let’s learn from each other.”
Zhou Zhou was totally flabbergasted that this person had appeared. He almost dropped his phone when he saw that totally black profile picture.
One must know that this person had only ever spoken twice ever since he set up the group chat.
In addition, every time after he spoke, there would be one less member in the group the following day. In reality, they also never heard of the person’s news ever again.
Elites and talents like them, who stood at the apex, were all very influential people in reality. However, those two had totally disappeared with no known schedules. Everyone suspected that they might already be gone from Earth.
And now!
The mogul spoke his third line, only to welcome Sister Xi into the group?
Why did no one else have such treatment ever since the set up of this group chat?
Zhou Zhou blankly raised his head to look at Xue Xi.
However, the girl did not seem to feel any danger. She continued typing.
Learning: “Thank you.”
Following which, the big boss, who had only ever sent three messages to the group, sent his fourth message.
Do Not Disturb: “You’re welcome. Let me know if you ever need any help.”
Zhou Zhou: “!!!”
This tone could no longer be considered as politeness. Why did it feel like that person was being ingratiating toward the girl instead?
He gulped and realized that the rest had set up another group with only 18 people.
Everyone in the group was “@-ing” him, asking about the young lady’s background!
Zhou Zhou: “…”
The hell should I know!
He replied: “I only know that she is Ji Silin’s little sister. I don’t know anything else!”
Cen Bai: “Seems like someone formidable. No matter what, just get into her good graces first.”
Hence, everyone rushed to appear in the Moguls’ Group and replied earnestly:
“A very warm welcome to you! Let me know if you have any questions regarding mathematics.”
“A very warm welcome to you! You can look for me if you are interested in acting.”
“A very warm welcome to you! You can look for me if you would like to order custom-made clothes.”
“A very warm welcome to you! You can look for me if you want to learn how to cook. I provide free private menus.”
…
…
The group was instantly buzzing with activity.
Xue Xi was stifling a laugh. She slowly looked up. “Brother Silin, everyone is so welcoming. And the group manager doesn’t seem that scary. He is quite warm.”
Ji Silin: “…”
Zhou Zhou: “…”
Did she not realize anything in the five minutes of silence?
Her reaction time is so delayed!
Ji Silin rubbed her head again, helpless.
It was almost time for lunch and Ji Silin invited her along. She thought about it and informed Ye Li, deciding to stay.
After they were done, the trio chatted before she had to leave.
Zhou Zhou was confused. “It’s the weekend. Why are you in a rush to go home?”
Xue Xi: “…To study.”
Zhou Zhou was dumbstruck. “Huh?”
A person who is so talented at the piano is actually still a student?
After Ji Silin had sent Xue Xi downstairs, he asked on behalf of the other 17 people in the group chat, “Who exactly is this young lady?”
Ji Silin’s warm eyes sparkled. He smiled and said, “Guess.”
Zhou Zhou: …Guess, your head!
He was about to speak again when his phone rang.
He answered, and the other party said, “Hello, Mr. Zhou, I am Liu Yiqiu. We agreed to meet in the afternoon. Do you still remember?”
He paused.
It was then that he recalled that it was the parent that had gone through many connections to get to him.
He reined in his comical self, straightened his body, raised his chin, and said in a cold and prideful tone, “Mhm. I do.”
“That’s great. May I ask when you are free? And the venue of the assessment?”
Zhou Zhou thought for a moment. “You have a piano at home, right?”
Liu Yiqiu was promptly surprised. “Yes, yes!”
Zhou Zhou: “Mhm. Then I’ll go to your house next week.”
After hanging up the call, he then realized that the 18-people group had had a name change: “Who is the young lady?”
Zhou Zhou: “?”
Everyone in the group was actively participating.
Cen Bai: “Is it Ji Silin and that person’s relative? Or is it another formidable existence?”
Feng Xingshen: “She immediately said that she wanted to exchange pointers with me in Mathematics. I think I will need to meet her to see if she is a true mogul.”
Cen Bai: “Alright, Old Feng. Go test the waters first.”
…
When Xue Xi returned home, she found that the servants were currently doing a thorough cleanup.
Liu Yiqiu meticulously ordered, “Wipe the windows there cleaner!
“Are the desserts in the kitchen prepared? I’ll go take a look at each of them later and choose the best ones to use for the weekend.
“Also, Mr. Zhou likes to drink fruit teas. Make some and leave it aside for this weekend…”
Xue Xi walked up without any sideway glances, returning to her room to practice more questions.
At this moment, she received a WeChat notification.
She picked it up and realized that it was a message from the Moguls’ Group.
Feng Xingshen: “Young lady, are you good in mathematics? @Learning.”
Seeing how passionate the rest of the people in the group were, she thought that it would be rude to be too cold to them. Hence, she replied: “Decent. Do you need any help?”
Feng Xingshen: “Let’s add each other as friends. I’ll send you some references. Can you help me to prove this theory?”
Xue Xi paused. “Okay.”
Soon, Feng Xingshen sent her a friend request.
After she accepted it, she saved him as “Teaches Math.”
Feng Xingshen then sent her a few relevant documents.
She did not open them immediately but replied: “I’m currently doing homework. I’ll take a look at them after I finish these few questions.”
Teaches Math: “Alright.”
She exited the chat interface after this, then saw that a “1” had appeared at her friends list.
When she clicked it open and saw a friend request, she was surprised.
“Do Not Disturb” sent you a friend request via “Moguls’ Group.”
Chapter 43: Fake Mogul; Real Relative
She tilted her head to think.
The Pianist said to not offend the group manager. For some reason, she felt that she should not add this person.
As she thought this, her phone vibrated again.
She withdrew from the friends list and saw that someone had sent a message in the Moguls’ Group.
Do Not Disturb: “Have you eaten?”
She was instantly suspicious of Zhou Zhou’s words.
How is such a good group manager a dangerous person?
She closed the chat interface and opened the friends list. After accepting the other party’s friend request, she started fretting over the name to save this person as.
What does the group manager do?
She recalled the chat contents after joining the group. Everyone else had said to learn from each other in their respective fields, but only the group manager had said that he could help in anything.
She suddenly had an idea in her head and filled in the contact name: Omnipotent Boss.
After editing the contact name, she realized that the rest of the 19 people in the group had all answered in an orderly manner to the mogul, as though they were elementary school children answering their teacher’s question.
Ji Silin: “Just ate.”
The Pianist: “Not yet.”
Cen Bai: “I ate. I only drank a cup of vegetable juice to maintain my figure.”
Feng Xingshen: “Yes, I did.”
…
…
Xue Xi: “?”
The mogul’s influence is immense. He feels like the leader of these people.
However, she soon renounced this thought. Brother Silin is a free psychiatrist, so he doesn’t have a leader…
Xue Xi replied after they did: “Not yet.”
Do Not Disturb: “Go eat, @Learning.”
Xue Xi: “?”
Why am I singled out?
…
At the same, the “Who is the young lady?” group was a pandemonium.
Cen Bai: “That person spoke four sentences in the group today. Are four people going to disappear from the group tomorrow? -Cries- I’m suddenly very scared!”
Zhou Zhou: “That person feels different. Was his WeChat hacked?”
Feng Xingshen: “In my opinion, that person and the newcomer little lady’s relationship is abnormal. I suddenly feel that I should not go test her… Do you think it is too late to delete my files?”
Cen Bai: “Who exactly is the young lady? Does anyone dare to go ask Ji Silin?”
“Not me”
“Not me +1”
…
At the dining table in the Xue family.
Today’s dinnertime was slightly later than usual because Old Master Xue had returned home late.
During the meal, the hungry Xue Xi hurriedly ate, wanting to do more practice questions upstairs and to look at the questions Teaches Math gave her.
At this moment, Liu Yiqiu suddenly said, “Mom, I remember that Ruoruo also likes to play the piano, right?”
Old Lady Xue smiled when she heard this. “Yes. What’s the matter?”
She replied, “Isn’t Mr. Zhou coming next weekend for the assessment? I was thinking of bringing Ruoruo over so that she can take part in it with Yaoyao.”
Old Lady Xue’s eyes lit up. “Yiqiu, are you for real? Aren’t you afraid that she will snatch Yaoyao’s spot?”
Liu Yiqiu smiled. “Sigh, Ruoruo is Yanmei’s daughter and Yanmei is your daughter and Yaoyao’s aunt. That makes Ruoruo and Yaoyao sisters. We are all family, so no matter who gets the spot, it will still be our Xue family’s blessing!”
“Generous!”
Old Lady Xue praised.
Xue Yanmei was her youngest daughter. The Xue family had not prospered yet when Xue Yanmei married out. Hence, her husband came from a common family, and this saddened the old lady greatly.
Liu Yiqiu’s gesture made her extremely happy. She then turned to Ye Li and said, “Ye Li, you should learn from your younger sister-in-law! Look, this is how the matriarch of a family should be! And not someone who keeps all the prizes to oneself and not give the other siblings a chance!”
She eyed Xue Xi as she said this. “Xue Xi, if you truly treat Yaoyao as your sister, then you should withdraw from the Physics Olympiad!”
Xue Xi was currently eating her pork ribs. She first separated the meat and the bone and was planning to speak after she had finished it.
However, Ye Li had spoken first. “Mom, then why is Xue Yao not withdrawing from the piano assessment and directly giving the chance to Ruoruo instead?”
Old Lady Xue: “??”
Liu Yiqiu: “??”
Ye Li sat up and stared back at the old lady in justification.
The old lady pointed at her in anger, her hands trembling. “Hmph. I never knew that you had such a glib tongue even after you’ve been married into our family for so many years!”
Ye Li took a deep breath and said, “Mom, I am only speaking sense to you.”
The old lady was so furious that she threw her chopsticks, stood up, and left.
Liu Yiqiu asked, “Mom, are you not eating anymore?”
The old lady harrumphed. “Eat what? My stomach is already full from anger!”
…
Xue Xi did not care about this interlude during the meal. She went upstairs after finishing her meal and finished the homework Old Liu had given her. Then, she switched on the computer and downloaded the reference materials Teaches Math had sent her.
She was totally stunned the moment she opened the files.
That was because these things were, coincidentally, the exact same things that were written on the yellowed pages she had gotten from her maternal grandfather!
This should be a theory in the mathematics field.
And what she had to do now was to prove that the theory was correct.
Other than doing the practice questions, she would look at her maternal grandfather’s manuscript during this period. The manuscript was about two-thirds done with the proving of this theory, and during the past month, she had been investigating and learning through various references and progressed a little more with it.
She still needed some time to fully prove the theory.
Hence, she replied to Teaches Math: “This question is a little hard.”
How could it not be hard?
Far away in the capital, Feng Xingshen silently sighed. This was one of the unsolved mysteries in the mathematics field!
He had thrown it over to the girl in order to test her mathematics level.
If she could identify it just from seeing the question, it meant that she must be quite talented in the mathematics field. After all, without a certain level, one would not even be able to make contact with the topic.
He hurriedly moved to reply: “Yes. This question has not been solved even until now.”
Alas, before he could finish typing, the other party sent a second message.
Learning: “So I will need about a week in order to give you the answer.”
Feng Xingshen: “??”
Confirmed.
The other party was a normal high school student. Otherwise, how could she possibly give this answer?
One had to know that many mathematicians had spent their life and blood on this theory. This young lady was too haughty.
Still, he did not dare say anything since she was under the protection of the group manager. Hence, he could only reply: “It’s fine if you can’t solve it.”
Right after sending this, he returned to the “Who is the young lady?” group and announced the following conclusion:
Feng Xingshen: “Confirmed. Fake mogul; real relative.”
…
Monday.
Xue Xi was still thinking about that theory and had woken up half an hour earlier than her usual time.
When she reached the provision store, she pulled open the curtains and directly walked in.
Immediately after she entered, the scene she saw made her freeze.
Xiang Huai had probably just finished his morning training. He was drenched in sweat and held the hems of his t-shirt with both hands, intending to take it off. His shirt was already halfway up, revealing his tight abs and waist.
She froze.
The first thought that flashed in her mind was: This person seems skinny in clothes. I didn’t expect that he is this well-muscled underneath. Also, his abdominal muscles are very symmetrical. His waist is slim, but it seems to be filled with a lot of power…
Xiang Huai was also stunned when she abruptly entered.
However, when he saw her, he raised an eyebrow slightly then suddenly smiled. Instead of putting his shirt back down, he raised his arm and took off his t-shirt…
Chapter 44: Omnipotent Provision Store.
The man was exceptionally handsome. His face was sculpted and his five features were very sharp. His body was well-muscled, with wide shoulders and a slim waist. His muscles were perfectly ripped. Any more would make him seem bulky and any less would make him seem weak.
She stared at him with interest and silently lamented, Who would have expected such a perfect figure to be hidden under an ascetic-looking black shirt…?
The pair stared at each other for ten seconds before Xiang Huai openly asked, “Does it look good?”
Xue Xi nodded. “…Yes.”
Just as the smile on Xiang Huai’s lips were about to widen, he heard the girl’s voice again, saying, “How did you train those abs?”
Xiang Huai: “??”
The girl continued looking at him quizzically. Her gaze made it look as if she was enjoying a piece of art.
Xiang Huai: “…”
He had wanted to walk over to the girl, but halted. He then promptly turned around and walked toward the rear. “I’ll go shower.”
“…Oh.”
After he had left, the provision store fell silent again. It was then that she belatedly realized, Is it not good for a girl to stare at a man like that?
Still, that chest, abs, and… waist… really do look good.
She fell into a daze for a while. Canine Teeth, who had been ordered by Xiang Huai, quickly bought breakfast and returned. In less than five minutes, Xiang Huai had showered and returned.
His hair was still a little wet and he had put on the black shirt that he never ever switched out for anything else. Despite that, unlike usual, his shirt was buttoned all the way to the topmost button, making him give off an exceptionally thick ascetic aura.
The trio did not speak much and started eating.
Bzz… Bzz…
Xue Xi and Xiang Huai’s phones vibrated at the same time.
Both of them lowered their heads and their phones displayed the Moguls’ Group.
Xiang Huai’s eyes twinkled.
He used to mute the group because he found them annoying, but ever since the little kid joined, he had unmuted it.
Xue Xi was currently looking at the message in the Moguls’ Group.
Cen Bai: “Ah, ah, ah. I want this bag! But I couldn’t get it! I would like to beg all moguls here to help me purchase it in your cities! It’s a limited edition. I can pay a premium for it!”
The Pianist: “I’m powerless!”
Teaches Math: “I am only an academic, so I have no connections in this area.”
The rest: “Sorry, I can’t get it.”
Cen Bai: “Whoever can snag one for me will be my daddy!”
Xue Xi had no idea what limited edition was, and she had totally no concept of luxury items and their prices. When she saw this message, she recalled that Teaches Math had given her a chance to learn and that the rest of the group members were all rather friendly.
The group manager was also a warm-hearted person…
She could not be apathetic. Hence, she looked up and asked Xiang Huai, “Do you sell bags here?”
Lu Chao, who was eating a bun, froze.
Bag?
Does such a thing suit our provision store?
Still, before he could speak, Xiang Huai nodded. “Mhm, we do.”
Xue Xi unlocked her phone and clicked on the photo Cen Bai had sent to the group, showing it to Xiang Huai and Lu Chao. “What about this?”
Lu Chao: “???”
Chanel’s limited edition bag. There were only twenty in the entire world. The moment it was released, it would have been swept up the racks by all madams and young mistresses of the top aristocratic and wealthy families, right?
Before shock could surface on Lu Chao’s face, Xiang Huai answered again, “Okay. Come collect it in two days.”
Lu Chao: “…”
Xue Xi calmly replied, “Okay.”
She then replied in the Moguls’ Group.
Learning: “I should be able to get it. Two days from now.”
Cen Bai: “Really?”
Learning: “Mhm.”
Cen Bai: “Ah ah ah ah! From now on, you are my Sister Xi!”
Right after this message was sent, she received a new friend request. It was Cen Bai.
She accepted it and named him: Actor.
Immediately after, Cen Bai privately messaged her.
Actor: “Sister Xi, which city are you in?”
Xue Xi did not know how online friends worked, and so she had no thoughts of hiding anything. She answered honestly: “Bin City.”
Actor: “Alright. Thank you, Sister Xi! Since you are able to help me buy this bag, you shall be my boss from now on!”
Xue Xi: “…”
She put down her phone and continued eating her breakfast seriously. It was only after she was done eating that she sighed in lamentation, “Why are the things you sell here so comprehensive?”
The tea leaves from last time seemed to be pretty difficult to obtain.
The bag this time should also not be easy.
Xiang Huai stood up and walked to the counter. His black shirt tightly covered his waist and was tucked into his black pants, making his torso seem even longer.
He lazily took a seat on the chair behind the counter and chuckled. In his low and attractive voice, he said, “We have everything you want.”
Lu Chao: “…”
Boss, your flirting skills are improving greatly!
If he were a woman, he would have acquiesced a long time ago! Even as a man, he was about to be turned gay!
Alas, Xue “Blockhead” Xi nodded solemnly and praised, “Omnipotent provision store.”
Lu Chao: “???”
Xiang Huai seemed to have expected this result and had a conceding expression. “Mhm. There is nothing here than you can’t buy.”
Right after he said this, a random man suddenly rushed in and shouted at Xiang Huai, “Boss, one box of Durex.”
“…”
His bragging was instantly exposed.
He looked at the girl who had yet to leave the provision store and did not answer the question. He glanced at Lu Chao.
Lu Chao gulped and hurriedly took a step forward, “We don’t have it.”
The person was stunned. “Out of stock? What about Personage?”
“…Not that too.”
“What about Elephant?”
“None.”
“F*ck!” the man grumbled. “Aren’t you a s*x toy shop? Why don’t you have even the most basic things?”
“…”
Lu Chao did not need to look at his boss to feel the cold air from him. He hurriedly said in a justified manner, “We are a proper provision store. You have seen wrongly, so hurry and leave now.”
He pushed the person to the door while the latter was still mumbling in confusion, “You guys named it ‘Ye Lai Xiang.’ Isn’t that bound to cause misunderstandings?”
Lu Chao: “…Who said that provision stores can’t be called Ye Lai Xiang?”
That person seemed to be bent on reasoning as he said, “Since you are a provision store, then why don’t you have Durex?”
Lu Chao: “???”
Who the hell said we don’t?
We have a huge stockpile in the storeroom behind! Of all flavors and sizes, whichever you want!
But would he dare sell it in front of Xue Xi? How could he?!
After chasing away the first customer they had received for the past month and more, Lu Chao felt as though he had just escaped death by a hairbreadth!
Meanwhile, Xue Xi, who had silently left, suddenly had an epiphany.
No wonder the provision store barely has any business despite being so comprehensive. So it’s because of the store’s name.
Still, what is Durex?
With this question, she entered the classroom.
She heard the crowd’s yips and squeals the moment she entered. The students were all crowded in groups and were discussing something while looking at their phones.
She had just sat down when Qin Shuang excitedly turned around. “Ah ah ah ah, Sister Xi! My idol, Xiao Bai, is coming to Bin City. He’s coming to our school for filming!”
Chapter 45: Call Me “Brother”.
Seeing Xue Xi’s baffled look, Qin Shuang opened a web page without any hesitation and found her idol’s picture for the former to see.
It was a magazine cover featuring a man. A white ancient costume was draped over his shoulders as though it was going to fall. The man’s eyes were slightly lowered and he had a tear mole. He was exuding an enchanting aura, and his eyes were dark as they stared straight ahead while he smiled. That charming aura seemed to be overflowing from the phone screen.
“Handsome or not? Don’t you want to get him?!” Smitten, Qin Shuang stared at his picture.
Xue Xi: “…”
This man was indeed good-looking, but he was totally different from Xiang Huai’s dangerous and coquettish image… Er, why did she think about Xiang Huai?
Xue Xi shook her head as she tried to put this thought behind her mind.
Just as she was about to do her work, she heard someone say, “Qin Shuang, I heard that you moved out but you’re not staying at the school either. Where are you staying?”
Qin Shuang rolled her eyes. “I’m renting a room.”
That person exclaimed, “Do you have money? Didn’t the Qin family stop providing for you?”
Qin Shuang sneered. “Do you think I lived my life in vain for the past 18 years? That I didn’t save up?”
“Oh,” the person replied and kept quiet.
Xue Xi remembered that Mrs. Qin gave Qin Shuang a bank card after the class fund theft incident but she did not accept it.
Since Xue Xi did not wish to invade her privacy, she did not ask. Now it seemed like… Qin Shuang was having some problems financially?
Xue Xi slowly poked her shoulder.
Qin Shuang turned around.
Xue Xi asked, “Are you short of money? I can lend it to you.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Shuang looked to her left and right before inching closer. “Sister Xi, I’m earning my own money right now. Don’t worry.”
Earning money?
Xue Xi paused. “Huh?”
Her friend whispered, “I’ll tell you, but don’t tell anyone. I am doing live-stream to earn money.”
After saying that, she became nervous. “Sister Xi, will you look down on me because of this?”
She was the Qin family’s young mistress, but now she had to do livestreaming.
Xue Xi shook her head. “I won’t.”
Qin Shuang heaved a sigh of relief.
As the preparatory alarm bell rang, Xue Xi, Fan Han, and Xue Yao stood up and headed outside amid the student’s exclamations of envy.
The Math Olympiad and Physics Competitions were drawing near, and the three had stopped attending classes as they pulled out all the stops for the competitions.
Xue Xi usually attended the Physics class in the morning and the Math Olympiad class in the afternoon.
However, to prove that conjecture of hers, she went to the Math Olympiad class.
Xue Yao followed behind her and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw her acting like this. “Is she going to focus on the Math Olympiad for the whole day and give up on physics?”
The Math Olympiad Competition was going to be held on the 18th and 19th, and the physics competition two days later.
With the dates for both competitions so close to one another, most people would choose to focus on one.
Fan Han furrowed his brows slightly when he heard this. “Mhm, seems like she isn’t silly.”
The Math Star Competition had completely crushed Fan Han’s arrogance. However, he was a man after all and was not as petty. After the initial shock that he felt, he was unknowingly won over by her.
A self-taught genius; a person like her is born to learn mathematics!
After saying this, he walked into the classroom. When he passed by Xue Xi, he saw that she did not have a single Math Olympiad book on her table. There was only a blank piece of paper and she was calculating something on it.
Fan Han: “??”
He frowned and sat behind her.
For the whole morning, he saw Xue Xi writing and drawing. One moment, she would crush the paper and throw it, and the next moment, she would put down her pen and think about it.
She even ran to the school’s library in between classes to borrow a book titled, “Bartra’s Life.”
He knew who Bartra was. That man was a renowned mathematician from the 19th century.
But what does this have to do with the Math Olympiad?
He thought that it would last only in the morning since the time wasted was for learning physics. However, for the entire afternoon, Xue Xi was still writing that odd thing, which he had no idea about.
Old Liu came to the classroom and was slightly shocked. “Xue Xi, are you proving Bartra’s hypothesis?”
Xue Xi nodded.
Instantly, Old Liu was caught between laughter and tears. “Scientists have been trying to prove this for over a hundred years but still couldn’t. Most of them failed at the last step. There’s no use in trying to do this. Even if you’re interested, you can wait until you get into university when you’re learning more advanced math…”
He paused.
All of a sudden, he remembered that Xue Xi had completed the university syllabus on her own.
Hearing his words, she did not stick to them. Instead, she said, “Mr. Liu, I wish to give it a try.”
Old Liu still had some trust in this curve wrecker.
He could only sigh. “Then you have to promise that you’ll finish the Math Olympiad assignments.”
“No problem.”
Old Liu took a walk around the classroom and left.
When he had left, Fan Han could no longer hold it in. “Xue Xi.”
Xue Xi did not respond.
Fan Han took a deep breath. “You can’t make little of the National Math League when you got first just once. Others will think that you’re flippant and conceited.
“The Math Star Competition was outside of the syllabus, and I know that you’ve learned content that are outside of the syllabus on your own. Therefore, your first place wasn’t a true achievement. There are countless math geniuses nationwide. That Sun Jie alone from the First High School received the first prize in the National Math League last year. He was one ranking away from getting into the winter camp! This year, he is one of the favorites for the championship!
“Can’t you have more respect for the Math Olympiad?”
“…”
Xue Xi had a train of thought but the annoying person behind her broke it.
She had always been calm, but this time around, she could no longer hold it in. She turned around and shot him a glance coldly. “Shut up.”
Fan Han was shocked and instinctively shut his mouth.
By the time he’d regained his senses, his face was red with embarrassment.
He had gone out of his way to remind her, but she took his goodwill for ill intent?
If that was the case, he would let reality teach her a lesson!
…
All the way until 6 PM, Xue Xi was still stuck at the same point.
As long as she could prove this minor logic, the whole conjecture would be almost complete!
However, the knowledge relating to this point was something she had never come across.
In the whole of Bin City, similar reference books were not available as well, and the internet would not have such niche teaching materials either.
She went to ask Old Liu but he had no idea either. “Only professional members doing scientific research would have it. Where can common people like us find them? You’d better stop thinking about it and focus on the Math Olympiad!”
Even the wealthy and powerful could not get in touch with the people doing scientific research!
Xue Xi frowned.
Eventually, she looked at her phone’s WeChat and sent a message in the Moguls’ Group.
Learning: “Who has books on XXX?”
Soon, there was a reply in the group.
Omnipotent Boss: “I have.”
Xue Xi’s eyes lit up. “Can you lend it to me or sell it to me?”
Omnipotent Boss: “I’m not selling, but…”
Learning: “But what?”
Omnipotent Boss: “Call me ‘Brother’ and I’ll lend it to you.”
Chapter 46: Mentor-Apprentice Romance?
She was taken aback when she saw the message.
Did she see it wrongly?
Just as she was feeling confused, a teacher shouted, “Xue Xi, are you leaving? The lecture theater is closing soon.”
Xue Xi stood up. “…Yes.”
When she carried her books and left, she placed her phone in her pocket before heading to her classroom.
…
At the provision store.
Xiang Huai stared at his phone as his gaze landed on the last message that he sent: “Call me ‘brother’ and I’ll lend it to you.”
He remembered that Xue Xi was introduced by Zhou Zhou as Ji Silin’s sister when she was first added to the group.
Tsk! Even though he had lowered his pride by coaxing and lying to her, the little kid still did not add him on WeChat while Ji Silin became her brother without making a sound.
How can a girl carelessly address others as ‘brother’?
He tapped his fingers on the table and imagined that she was calling him “brother” sweetly…
But why hasn’t she replied yet?
Meanwhile, the “Who is the young lady?” group was a pandemonium.
Cen Bai: “D*mn! What’s happening in the group? Why do I feel that General Xiang is flirting?”
Zhou Zhou: “Sister Xi is truly formidable. She still hasn’t replied until now. Does it mean she is rejecting it? Why do I feel that we, who witnessed that person’s failure in flirting, will probably be doomed?!”
The rest shuddered.
Feng Xingshen: “That person has spoken way too much during this period of time. This is unusual. Do you want to remind the young lady to not offend him? I’m afraid that she’ll vanish from the group tomorrow!”
Zhou Zhou: “…I don’t dare.”
Cen Bai: “…Me too.”
The rest: “We’re all even more afraid.”
Just as the moguls were peering at the group chat and worrying about Xue Xi, there came a new message.
Ji Silin: “She is a junior and dares not address you as ‘brother.’ If you’re willing to guide her, why not let my sister address you as ‘mentor’?”
When the moguls saw this message, they dared not to even breathe. Everyone wished they could disappear from the group. They did not want to be implicated when the deities were fighting.
Xiang Huai, who had been waiting for Xue Xi’s reply, was overflowing with patience because his little kid tended to respond slower.
After he’d been waiting for five minutes, there was a new message in the group. Upon reading the content clearly, he cocked his brow and scorned the sender.
Ji Silin…
Is he raising his seniority straight away?
If he did not recall wrongly, Ji Silin was older than he was by a year. Moreover, who was he to make the decision on behalf of the little kid?
When he was about to reply, his fingers halted.
Mentor… He imagined the little kid addressing him respectfully. It seems like a mentor-apprentice romance is also not bad…
A moment of hesitation later, there was another message in the group.
Learning: “May I? I really love studying. Will you be my mentor?”
Xiang Huai’s ire was extinguished right away. His cold facial features slowly softened. He chuckled as his fingers moved: “Sure.”
Immediately, Xue Xi received Omnipotent Boss’s private message as he sent him the resources that she needed.
Xue Xi looked until the end, her eyes sparkling. “Thanks, Mentor!”
She was already back in the classroom. After sending the message, she carried her school bag and wanted to head home.
However, when she arrived at the entrance, she received Uncle Li’s message: “Eldest Young Mistress, Ms. Xue Yao insisted on me sending her back first. Wait a while and I’ll fetch you after sending her home.”
Xue Xi frowned upon seeing the message.
She woke up early this morning, and by the time she left the house, Xue Yao still had not woken up. Hence, she left early and took public transport to school.
Moreover, Xue Yao was usually very slow and would purposely delay for more than ten minutes. Xue Xi left school merely five minutes later than usual today and Xue Yao simply left?
Xue Xi felt vexed somehow.
If she were to head home now, she would have to queue for the public transport. It was also going to be a detour and would waste a lot of time.
If she were to wait for Uncle Li here, it would take an hour.
After giving it a thought, she headed outside. Screech! As she was about to flag a cab, a blue convertible stopped in front of her.
Gao Yanchen pointed at the seat beside the driver’s as his eyes sparkled. “Sister Xi, want a ride?”
Little Flame looked pretty dashing while driving.
Xue Xi thought to herself and accepted the offer. She was in a hurry to get back home and download the resources to solve that theory.
Therefore, she opened the car door and got in it.
“Sister Xi, fasten the seat belt.”
As he said that, Gao Yanchen stepped on the accelerator and the car raced down the road.
He was adept at driving and the convertible made its way nimbly on the road during the peak hour while passing by the provision store.
Sitting behind the counter, Xiang Huai looked at the entrance and coincidentally saw the convertible as well as the two people in it.
The boy with red hair exuded a rebellious aura belonging to his age. That smile of his was both wild and raffish, which would easily attract girls’ attention.
His little kid, for instance, was smiling despite her usual aloof personality, and her eyes were shining as though she was in an exuberant mood.
They looked like a pair of teenagers who had just experienced their first awakening of love.
Xiang Huai’s dark brown eyes darkened.
…
Uncle Li needed 30 minutes to drive from school to home.
However, Gao Yanchen took only 15 minutes.
He sped the whole way and did not slow down even though he was reaching the Xue family’s home.
Although he lost to Xue Xi in fighting, it did not mean that he was bad in other areas.
A girl would definitely be terrified and dizzy during their first convertible car ride. I want to make her cry!
At the thought of it, he stepped on the accelerator and raced to the entrance of the Xue family’s home before coming to a halt abruptly. He turned the steering wheel intensely and did a drift before changing the car’s direction and stopping at the gate as the car raised a cloud of dust.
After acting suave, he turned to look at Xue Xi. “Are you afraid…”
Before he could finish the sentence, his eyes met the girl’s bright and excited ones.
Xue Xi was exhilarated. “So fast!”
She sighed and touched the car. “If only I could get a driver’s license and have a convertible too.”
This way, she could save 30 minutes before and after school to do her questions!
With this thought in mind, she carried her school bag and walked through the gate relaxedly.
Gao Yanchen: “…”
…
Just as she entered the house, her phone rang. It was a message from Canine Teeth. “Did you ride your friend’s convertible back home?”
Xue Xi replied unhurriedly. “Yes.”
Canine Teeth: “Is that boy going after you?”
The corners of her lips twitched as she replied: “It’s none of your business.”
Xiang Huai: “??”
Approximately two minutes later, his phone showed that the resources sent via WeChat had been accepted. This meant that she had gotten home.
She even took the initiative to send him a message.
Learning: “Mentor, do you think it’ll be easy to learn how to drive a convertible?”
Chapter 47: Let’s Live Apart.
Xue Xi was not sharp when it came to matters like romance. Hence, she did not notice that he was flirting with her when he said “brother” in the group chat.
Since she was addressing him as “mentor,” she would show him respect accordingly.
For some unknown reasons, she felt that the other party was very reliable.
After sending the message, she printed all the resources that she had downloaded and carried them back to her room from the study room.
On the way back, she bumped into Liu Yiqiu, who was preparing to head downstairs. The lady was surprised to see her. “Xixi, where’s Yaoyao? She didn’t come back with you?”
“Oh,” Xue Xi replied aloofly.
Liu Yiqiu frowned at once. “Why didn’t you wait for your sister? It’s the same thing when you’re going to school in the morning. Aren’t you too cold-blooded?”
Sitting in the living room downstairs, Old Lady Xue was watching the television. She held the remote controller and joined in. “Kids who don’t grow up with the family simply can’t make it. Thankfully, our Yaoyao won’t stoop to her level.”
Xue Xi could not be bothered with them. She headed back to her room and closed the door.
After placing the resources on her desk, she picked up her phone.
Omnipotent Boss: “It’s alright to learn how to drive a convertible, but you can’t do it in the downtown area. It goes against the law. When I get the chance, I’ll teach you.”
Xue Xi smiled and responded obediently. “Sure, I’m going to start learning.”
Omnipotent Boss: “Mhm. If you’re unsure of anything, feel free to ask me.”
In order to make use of new knowledge, she needed to understand it completely. Xue Xi was not anxious about proving the theory. Instead, she read the resources.
She felt that it had been only a while when Ye Li knocked on her door and called her for dinner.
She put aside the literature reluctantly and sighed in silence before heading out.
The family was more complete today. Other than her second uncle, everyone was present.
Old Master and Old Lady sat on both sides of the long dining table. Xue Sheng, Ye Li, and Xue Xi sat on one side while Liu Yiqiu and Xue Yao sat on the other side.
Just as they were eating, Liu Yiqiu’s phone rang.
She took a look and picked up the call anxiously while sounding solicitous. “Hello, Madam Xia… Not busy at all. Just speak out… Huh?”
Liu Yiqiu’s expression changed when the other party said something.
She first glared at Xue Yao before replying with a smile, “Sure, no problem!”
Upon hanging up, she slapped Xue Yao’s back. “You child!”
Her daughter was baffled and her temper flared up. “Mom, why did you hit me?”
Liu Yiqiu was boiling with rage. “Were you the one who told others that I have an appointment with Mr. Zhou? Didn’t I remind you not to tell outsiders? I tapped on many connections before securing this opportunity for you. Now that the news has gotten out, Madam Xia called and insisted on sending her daughter for the interview too! I dare not to offend the Xia family!”
When Xue Yao heard this, her eyes flickered and she was afraid of being found out.
She stared fiercely at Xue Xi.
Since Xue Xi had been in the limelight at school recently, she could not hold it in. Hence, she secretly told her best friend, but as it turned out…
No, she clearly reminded her friend not to spread it.
Therefore, this matter…
Xue Yao stood up abruptly and pointed at Xue Xi. “Were you the one who spread the news?”
Xue Xi, who was silently having dinner: “??”
Feeling baffled, she lifted her head and saw Xue Yao reprimanding her with reddened eyes. “I didn’t tell anyone so it must have been you! Aren’t you jealous that I know how to play the piano and I can be Mr. Zhou’s disciple? Therefore, you spread the news on purpose because you don’t want me to be chosen!”
The moment she said that, Liu Yiqiu looked daggers at Xue Xi.
Before Ye Li could refute, Old Lady Xue slammed the table. “Xue Xi! Is your jealousy that strong? It’s fine that you don’t love your sister, but aren’t you being too evil by playing a dirty trick?”
Xue Sheng put down his chopsticks. It was a huge gesture so it made a sound. “Mom, we haven’t figured out the matter yet. Isn’t it a little early to scold Xixi now?”
Old Lady Xue’s chest heaved. “Who else could it be? Only members of the family know about this. Yaoyao couldn’t have possibly got a few competitors for herself, right?”
Xue Sheng looked at Xue Xi and asked, “Xixi, does this matter have to do with you?”
Although he was asking her, he was actually giving her a chance to explain.
Everybody stopped talking and Xue Xi unhurriedly asked, “What matter?”
“…”
Xue Sheng thought adorably of his daughter’s confused look as he patted her head. “It’s about the family inviting Mr. Zhou this weekend.”
Xue Xi replied, “…Oh. I didn’t talk about it.”
She did not even mention Xue Yao’s name in school and was busy with proving Bartra’s theory. Why would she have time to gossip?
After explaining, she continued to eat.
Xue Yao pointed at her and rebuked, “It’s definitely you! Are you the one who told Qin Shuang? Given her gossipy personality, she’d definitely spread the news!”
She had to insist that it was Xue Xi. If not, her mother would reprimand her.
Moreover, it might have been Xue Xi’s tricks!
She flew into a rage. “You appear to hold yourself aloof from the world, but not only do you want to outdo me in academics, you also want to outshine me in other areas, don’t you? Xue Xi, you’re too despicable!”
“Shut up!”
Ye Li shouted in fury. “Do you have any evidence? Yaoyao, both of you are sisters and not foes! Ever since Xixi stepped through the door, you’ve harbored a great sense of animosity toward her when she has never done anything to you!”
“Has she really never done anything to me?” Xue Yao had Liu Yiqiu behind her back. “Fan Han is in the Math Olympiad class so she applied to the class. I’m in the Physics class so she applied to Physics. Why doesn’t she apply for the Chemistry Olympiad? She’s clearly hating on me for stealing her marriage arrangement!”
Xue Xi paused. “I can apply for Chemistry as well?”
“…”
Frowning, she pondered. There should be a plethora of knowledge to gain from the Chemistry Olympiad as well, right? There is no harm in trying.
Her reaction was unexpected.
In the end, Old Lady Xue bellowed, “Look at her attitude! Isn’t she being arrogant just because she does well in school? So what? There are countless numbers of people who are stronger and better than you! What good does it bring to us wealthy families if you do good in school? Look at your etiquette. Do you know how to play the piano? Dance? Do flower arrangements? A mere b*stard from a countryside orphanage, you’re revolting now!”
Ye Li was shivering with anger, and just as she was going to say something—
Bang!
The table was slammed.
Silence ensued as everybody turned to look at Xue Sheng, who was red with fury.
His face was terrifyingly dark. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Mom, ever since Ye Li and I got married, you never liked her. Now that you’re not fond of Xixi as well, it actually got me thinking. Do you actually detest them or me?”
Old Lady Xue was stunned. “I…”
Xue Sheng closed his eyes and made the decision. “Since our family’s existence annoys you, let’s live apart.”
Chapter 48: Jerk! Beast!
Night fell.
The crystal chandelier was giving out bright white light as it shone on every face with unfathomable expressions.
The existence of the helpers, who were serving them by the side, diminished.
Old Master Xue, who had remained silent throughout, sat up straight. “Nonsense!”
Xue Sheng continued standing. His broad shoulders seemed to be capable of propping up the sky for the mother and daughter pair. Looking at his father, he said, “Dad, look at this family. Does it still have a place for our family of three? People who don’t know might think that I’m not Mom’s biological son!”
“That’s bullshit!” Old Lady Xue shouted agitatedly. “I carried you in my womb for ten months and gave birth to you painstakingly. So that’s how you’re treating me?”
After saying that, she turned to look at Ye Li. “It must be you who have been instigating Xue Sheng behind our backs, causing my son to be at odds with me! I shouldn’t have allowed you to marry into our family back then. The fortune-teller mentioned that you’re a jinx. You’ll break up our family sooner or later. Now his words have really come true!”
Ye Li was stunned. She did not expect to hear this.
Xue Sheng was in disbelief. He supported Ye Li’s shoulders. A boiling fury swelled inside of him. “So you haven’t been fond of Ye Li simply because of this reason?”
Old Lady Xue had told the truth without thinking so she decided to admit to it straightforwardly. “Right! It’s because of this! She can’t even give birth to a son! Won’t you be left without a descendant?”
Xue Sheng yelled, “I have Xixi!”
Old Lady Xue said with disdain, “She is a girl! Moreover, her paternal grandpa is mentally unsound! Her family has this gene and she might act up in the future!”
Most mental disorders are hereditary and the chances of skipping generations are very high as well. Therefore, Xue Xi’s slow-to-respond personality was seen as a form of mental illness in the old lady’s eyes.
Most mental illness patients dared not to have children.
Her words were irrefutable.
Having her tender spot jabbed, Ye Li was shivering. The truth was as it was and she could not defend herself.
This time around, that hand on her shoulder patted her gently and calmed her down.
Xue Sheng did not have the intention to refute. His strong arms defended her from the front. “So, let’s live apart. Just think of me as an unfilial son and you can live with the second son!”
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Xue shrieked, “You’re my son so you have to provide for me!”
“Shut up!”
Old Master threw the chopsticks at Old Lady Xue and the dining room fell into pin-drop silence.
He looked at Xue Sheng.
The Xue family was a nouveau riche, but Xue Sheng was the one who found the connections and opportunities that developed the family. Although Old Master Xue was the chairman, most of the company’s matters were actually being handled by Xue Sheng.
It could be said that Xue Sheng had contributed 70 percent to the current development of the Xue family’s company!
That was also why Old Lady Xue was biased toward the second son. Xue Sheng did not have a son, but the conservative old patriarch still wanted to hand the company to him.
It was without a doubt that between his old wife and Xue Sheng, the old master chose the latter.
He shouted at his wife, “What were you talking about earlier? If you don’t want to live with the eldest son, fine, go back to the Liu family!”
Old Lady Xue widened her eyes. “Old man, are you chasing me out?”
“If you don’t want to be chased out by me, apologize to Xue Xi!”
The old patriarch was adamant. He shot a sweeping glance at Liu Yiqiu and Xue Xi before harrumphing. “Xue Xi is the Xue family’s eldest young mistress. If anyone in the family dares to disrespect her next time, it’s equivalent to disrespecting me.”
Following his firm and clear words, the room was still.
Old Lady Xue tensed her neck but was unable to sound out any form of apology.
Liu Yiqiu attempted to mediate. “Mom is, after all, her senior. I’ll apologize to Xixi on behalf of Mom, alright? Furthermore, she is old and more conservative in her ideas. That’s why she trusted that fortune-teller’s words. Xixi, Grandma will definitely not scold you again.”
She then pleaded with Xue Sheng and Ye Li, “Big Brother, Sister-in-law, please just forgive Mom this time around!”
Xue Sheng kept a straight face and remained silent.
Old Master Xue glared at his wife.
She was instantly terrified and shouted anxiously with a grievance, “I’m in the wrong, alright? Eldest son, do you insist on having Mom kneel down and kowtow to you?”
She felt especially embarrassed after saying that and went upstairs while crying.
The old master gave the final word. “Eldest son, leave it like this!”
The matter had simply passed.
During the night in the bedroom, Xue Sheng sighed. “To be honest, I’ve already bought a mansion outside.”
Ye Li paused. “What?”
He continued, “I’d bought the house ever since Xixi was found and Mom showed she wasn’t fond of her. However, the renovation will take some time, so let’s not move out for now.”
She understood what he meant. “So we’ll move out next time?”
Old Lady Xue could not change her personality easily. After this incident today, she would restrain herself for the time being. When she acted up again… Xue Sheng would bring up the topic of living apart and that would not be going overboard by then.
His gaze was filled with determination. “My wife and daughter don’t need to take cues from others!”
…
The issue of moving out did not affect Xue Xi much. She went upstairs and continued reading the resources until midnight.
Canine Teeth sent a message on WeChat. “Are you asleep?”
Xue Xi glanced at it but ignored it.
A while later, another message came.
Omnipotent Boss: “Don’t stay up late; it’s bad for your health.”
Only then did Xue Xi reply: “Ok, Mentor.”
She looked at the resources for another five minutes before putting them aside. She washed up and lay on the bed, but her mind kept flashing the new knowledge that she had just acquired. It kept her mind stimulated and she could not fall asleep.
Think of something else.
But what?
During this period of time, she had been forced to think of Xiang Huai in order to ensure that her heart would not hurt if they only held hands.
Therefore, she intuitively thought of Xiang Huai.
When they met today, he was changing, and the waist that he revealed…
Unknowingly, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.
In her dream, that waist kept sashaying in front of her until Xiang Huai inched closer and smiled. “Little kid, do you want to touch?”
She clearly did not wish to, but in her dream, she could not control her hand as she touched his abs…
When she woke up the next day, she was not looking right.
As Xue Xi headed downstairs, Xue Yao was quietly waiting for her, unlike usual times. She even said in front of Old Master Xue and Xue Sheng, “Grandpa, Big Uncle, I realized that what you guys said last night was right. Xue Xi is my sister. So I discussed with Mom that when Mr. Zhou comes on the weekend, we’ll get Cousin Xue Xi to join as well! If Mr. Zhou happens to choose her, it’s also our Xue family’s pride.”
Although she said that, a look of disdain flashed across her eyes.
Who doesn’t know how to do the surface work? Isn’t she merely another accompaniment?
“Sure! Sisters should help one another!” the old master said in praise of her.
Throughout the conversation, Xue Xi merely pouted. Evidently, she was not in a good mood. This happened until she had dashed into the provision store and glared at Xiang Huai. “Are you able to control my dream?”
Baffled, he looked up at her as she scolded him, feeling aggrieved, “Jerk! Beast!”
Xiang Huai: “??”
Chapter 49: What Did You Dream of?
The store instantly fell silent.
Half a beat later: “Pfft.” Xiang Huai chuckled.
He put down the book and craftiness flashed across his dark brown eyes. “Little kid, what did you dream of?”
Upon hearing the question, Xue Xi found her face burning.
Not only did she touch him in her dream, she even…
For someone who had always been aloof, she was slightly abashed. This was the first time that she hated herself for having an extraordinary memory as she remembered the details of the dream clearly.
She could remember the touch of his abs and… they felt like they were real.
The mist in her eyes burst, and her dark, bright pupils were exposed. She looked at Xiang Huai in a huff and scolded, “Despicable!”
His Little Kid had always been very composed. It was Xiang Huai’s second time seeing her getting so worked up. He felt the urge to poke her puffy cheeks. It must feel very good.
However, Little Kid would probably get angrier.
Xiang Huai suppressed the urge to poke it as he leaned back lazily. He laughed and it was unlike the usual chuckle or smile. He really let out laughter, and even his brows were arched. That deep laughter was heart-tickling.
Thereafter, Xue Xi heard him. “It’s my fault.”
Xue Xi became angrier. Indeed, it was his doing?
Just as she was about to explode, the man explained slowly, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘What you think about in the day you will dream of it at night.'”
His smile grew wider. “I didn’t satisfy you, so you had that kind of dream. It’s my fault.”
Xue Xi pondered over it for a moment before a question mark was drawn in her mind: “?”
Chh!
The sound of the chair dragging on the floor was heard and Xiang Huai stood up. He was 180 centimeters tall and was taller than she was by a head’s length. Walking from behind the counter, he towered over her as he bent down and lowered his head. He whispered into her ear, “I have a great idea that will stop you from having that dream.”
Xue Xi became distracted. “What idea?”
The man chuckled once again as he exhaled his breath on her skin. She felt a tickle and heard the man’s flirty words. “Let’s reenact the scene in your dream in reality.”
“…”
Two seconds later, Xue Xi’s right leg moved backward while she tightened her right fist and punched his face swiftly, resolutely, and accurately!
Pak!
Although she was swift, she was stopped by the man. He raised his brow. “If I get disfigured, I won’t look good in your dreams anymore.”
“…”
During this period of time, Xue Xi figured out a method. She noticed that if she treated this man as a lover whom she loved deeply, her heart would not hurt.
For instance, she could not bear to hit him.
Even if she thought about hitting him, her heart would ache.
Therefore, in order to hit him, she needed to succeed through unusual means. She wanted to slap him directly without thinking, but having been stopped by him, it would no longer work.
Just as they were in a stalemate, Canine Teeth carried the breakfast and entered. “Yo, you’re early today! What are you guys doing? Knocking around?”
“…”
The tense atmosphere vanished instantly.
Xue Xi retracted her fist and walked to the dining table as though nothing happened. Picking up a bun, she pretended it to be that person as she bit it fiercely. Mhm, the bun is really soft. It’s somewhat similar to that man’s lips in my dream…
She immediately paused and her eyes were in a daze.
Why did I think of that dream again?!
Following that, Lu Chao realized that Xue Xi, who was usually expressionless, had become colder today as though someone owed her a huge sum of money.
In the past, when girls did this, his boss would exude a looming aura as well. However, his boss’s lips were clearly upturned. It has a hint of lust… Pui, it’s a dissolute smile.
They finished breakfast in a short while. The girl held on to the boss’s hand fiercely for some time before standing up and leaving.
When she walked to the entrance, she suddenly remembered that Canine Teeth had sent her a message last night to ask about her riding the convertible…
Xue Xi never enjoyed being supervised by others. She stood on the spot and shot him a cold glare. “Canine Teeth, do you know why Xiao Ming’s grandma got to live until she’s 103 years old?”
Canine Teeth replied, “Because she didn’t meddle in others’ affairs.”
She paused for two seconds before retracting her gaze. “Yes, glad that you know.”
She then left the provision store.
Lu Chao’s face was filled with confusion. Why do I feel that I got threatened just now? But when did I meddle in others’ affairs?
He looked at his boss with confusion and merely saw the latter’s shoulders shaking as if he was laughing.
Why is my little kid this cute?
…
Xue Xi managed to soothe her nerves only when she had arrived at the classroom.
She walked to her seat and shot a glance at the assignments before packing up and heading to the Math Olympiad class.
She fully immersed herself in the knowledge she had learned yesterday and could not extricate herself from it.
When she passed by Qin Shuang, the hem of her uniform got stuck. Dipping her head, she saw Qin Shuang smiling and gossiping to her. “Sister Xi, did you know that Brother Chen was sent to school today? Ha ha ha, his convertible has been confiscated!”
Xue Xi replied, “…Why?”
Qin Shuang burst into peals of laughter. “Brother Chen said that Elder Gao wants him to abide by traffic rules. But he hasn’t been doing so for so many years, so what exactly happened? Since when did the Gao family become law-abiding citizens? Brother Chen is extremely depressed!”
Xue Xi could imagine Little Flame sulking when she heard this.
Pursing her lips, she suddenly felt that her mood had greatly improved and carried her books to the Math Olympiad class.
She had been learning the new knowledge for the whole day. When she could not understand certain parts, she would pick up her phone and consult Omnipotent Boss.
After all, that Teaches Math did not even know about this theory, so his math must not be too good. He would probably not understand it.
Time always passed quickly while studying.
Unknowingly, a week had passed.
The Math and Physics Olympiad were going to be held next week, but during the weekend, the Xue family would be having a piano assessment that was on par with the Math Olympiad.
On Saturday.
There was only the last remaining step to Xue Xi’s proof of Bartra’s theory. She had totally immersed herself in it and heaved a sigh of relief only when she had completed the proof.
Only then did she notice the chaos and bustle downstairs.
Opening her room door in doubt, she saw Liu Yiqiu ordering the helpers to place the items while Xue Yao was practicing the piece that she was going to present in the afternoon.
Ye Li, donning a lavender cheongsam, had been paying attention to her. When she saw her daughter’s room door open, she approached her gently. “Xixi, have you finished studying?”
Xue Xi nodded.
Ye Li followed her gaze and saw the piano downstairs.
Her heart squeezed. “Xixi, if you like it, we’ll start learning from now on! Since you’re so clever, you’ll definitely be able to learn it! Just treat it as a practice later in the afternoon, and even if you can’t become Mr. Zhou’s apprentice, it’s alright. Mom will work hard and find you a better piano instructor in the future!”
Xue Xi: “…Oh.”
Chapter 50: Put Her in Her Place!
As they were talking upstairs, the sound of a car arriving was heard. Old Lady Xue’s excited voice could be heard through the door. “Yanmei, Ruoruo, you guys are finally here!”
Following which, a loud voice was heard. “Mom, why are you crying? Could it be that Sister-in-law bullied you?”
It was clear that the person with that fierce and unreasonable voice was not to be trifled with.
Ye Li frowned intuitively and explained to Xue Xi softly, “That’s your paternal auntie, Xue Yanmei. She…”
Ye Li, who had never spoken behind others’ back, hesitated before reminding Xue Xi, “She got married early. Mhm… So her manners are slightly coarse. Her daughter, Sun Ruoruo, isn’t to be trifled with either. Anyways, Xixi, stay away from them.”
Xue Xi was baffled for a moment before realizing why Ye Li hesitated to speak.
The middle-aged lady supporting Old Lady Xue was tanned and slightly fat. She was wearing a tight-fitting outfit, so her belly was exposed layer by layer, and it would even tremble while she walked.
Following behind was her daughter, Sun Ruoruo. Although her name sounded delicate, she had a stocky figure and was very tanned. The moment she entered, she sat on the sofa and fawned on Xue Yao. “Yaoyao, you’re so beautiful today. You’ll definitely get chosen.”
Xue Yao had just finished playing one round as she put on a pretense. “Nothing is certain. There are still Sister Xue Xi and the Xia family’s young mistress! Moreover, Sister Ruoruo, you know how to play the piano too!”
Sun Ruoruo brushed it off. “What am I? I’m just here to play. As for Xue Xi… I heard that she grew up in an orphanage where the handicapped children stay. I bet her image isn’t great either, so she is just here to join in on the fun…”
Before she could finish speaking, Xue Yanmei cut her off. “Second Sister-in-law, where is Big Sister-in-law? Their Xue Xi is finally back, but why isn’t she meeting me, her aunt? Could it be that she is too ugly so they’re hiding her? We’re all relatives and she should just meet us.”
When she heard these words from upstairs, Ye Li’s expression turned ugly, and she walked loudly on purpose.
Hearing the noise, everyone turned to look.
Xue Yanmei and Sun Ruoruo saw the girl behind Ye Li at once. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her facial features were exquisite and beautiful. She was even more eye-catching than celebrities, and her eyes seemed to be holding mist and were exuding a mystical aura.
Both of them were dazed.
Seeing them like this, Ye Li smiled. “Xixi, go greet your auntie.”
Xue Xi slowly greeted, “Hello.”
Xue Yanmei felt that she had been put in her place, but she quickly saved her face. “Big Sister-in-law is so beautiful, so her daughter mustn’t be too bad. However, looks aren’t the most important. Academics and talents are. Our Yaoyao is formidable in her studies and is one of the top five students in her school! Xixi, you gotta learn from your younger sister!”
The living room’s atmosphere turned strange when she said that.
Liu Yiqiu’s and Xue Yao’s faces darkened.
How could this person rub our noses in it?
Old Lady Xue tugged Xue Yanmei’s arm as well. “Stop speaking.”
When Xue Yanmei had just arrived, the old lady had complained about a lot of things softly. She’d said that Ye Li had overtaken her and become the in-charge of the Xue family. She thought that her mother was afraid of Ye Li, so she sneered instantly. “Mom, why can’t I talk about this? If the child has any shortcomings, we need to raise it up! My big sister-in-law will definitely not mind me saying it, right?”
At this instant, Ye Li felt that she could hold her chin up. She smiled in an especially warm and elegant manner. “I think that you’re very right.”
Xue Yanmei nodded. “Therefore, Xixi, no matter what you’ve done in the past, you’re a student so you should prioritize your studies. You must have taken your mock exam in your senior year, right? Don’t try to compete with Yaoyao right at the start because, after all, there is no way to do that. Don’t you feel stressed? You should set a small goal for yourself, if so. For instance, you can try to be in the top hundred of your cohort. Oh, right, what’s your ranking now?”
Xue Xi remained silent, but Ye Li smiled and replied, “Our Xixi lives up to expectations. She performed alright this time around, so she got first.”
Xue Yanmei intended to lecture them but was flabbergasted. “What?”
Her eyes fell on Xue Xi again. Shouldn’t a beautiful girl like her not focus on her studies?
Or did I hear wrongly?
Old Lady Xue coughed and changed the topic. “For a family like ours, studies aren’t the most important actually. A nerd who receives an examination-oriented education won’t make it big. Look at our Yaoyao, she played the piano so well earlier!”
Xue Yanmei quickly changed the topic as well. “Right, our Yaoyao’s piano skills have no problem at all. Out of the four who are being assessed, three are just accompaniments! Oh, right, has the Xia family’s young mistress arrived?”
Liu Yiqiu responded, “They’ll be here shortly.”
As she spoke, a car arrived outside. Liu Yiqiu and Ye Li went out to welcome them. Moments later, they saw a fashionable and well-maintained lady walking in. She must be Madam Xia, and following behind her was a skinny and timid girl in a white dress.
The girl let her hair down and had on a pearl clip. Her skin appeared sickly fair. When she entered, she kept hiding behind Madam Xia and peering at the rest.
She appeared adorable with a hint of delicateness.
Madam Xia smiled politely. “Our family’s Yiyi loves playing the piano, so when she heard that Mr. Zhou is in Bin City, I had to be thick-skinned and come here. Madam Xue, really sorry about it!”
Liu Yiqiu tried to maintain her smile. “It’s nothing. Long before this, I heard that Yiyi plays the piano well. Later, let Yaoyao have an eye-opener!”
After saying that, she smiled. “There’s so many of us here. Yiyi must be terrified, right? I’ll get Yaoyao to bring her upstairs to play!”
Xue Yao’s eyes flickered. “Sure. Yiyi, let’s go upstairs!”
Madam Xia coaxed Xia Yiyi, “Didn’t you have a problem regarding the piano earlier and wanted to consult Xue Yao? Go ahead and play.”
Yiyi shot a timid glance at Xue Yao and nodded.
Ye Li said as well, “Xixi, follow them.”
The four girls headed upstairs and played in the reception room upstairs.
The moment they entered, Sun Ruoruo spoke. “Yaoyao, why doesn’t this Ms. Xia speak?”
Xue Yao coughed and gently whispered in Sun Ruoruo’s ear. At the same time, the latter exclaimed, “It turns out that she’s mute! Can a deaf and mute person play the piano?”
Xue Yao pulled Sun Ruoruo to the sofa and sat down. They began to whisper among themselves, leaving the guest on her own.
Shooting a glance at Xia Yiyi, Xue Xi found her looking disconcerted, her fingers nervously intertwined.
There was still 30 minutes before Zhou Zhou’s arrival.
chapter 51 to be continued......
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