The students from both classes had their perceptions of Zhou Xiu completely transformed.
They had initially thought Zhou Xiu was just a top student, the kind who buried her head in books and excelled academically. But it turned out that she was equally fierce when it came to gaming.
From what Du Feiyang and Yu Qingyan had mentioned… Zhou Xiu had only been playing this game for less than half a month?
The underachievers in Class 24 suddenly felt a pang of despair.
They experienced first-hand what it was like to not only lose in academics but also be outplayed by a top student in a game. Some classmates who had previously been indifferent to Zhou Xiu now found themselves becoming fans of hers.
Du Feiyang asked Zhou Xiu, “How can I be as skilled as you?”
Zhou Xiu seriously thought about it for a moment, “Write more math problems.”
“Math sharpens your thinking, making it more precise and flexible…”
The underachievers felt a heavy blow. Those who hadn’t planned on looking at Zhou Xiu’s study materials were now silently reconsidering.
They needed to study the notes made by a master!
The memory of that unexpected five-kill moment was still fresh in their minds—the graceful and fluid play of Wang Zhaojun, her slick moves that left everyone in awe. Just like Zhou Xiu’s name, she was truly “Xiu”—which also means “elegant” in Chinese.
Lan Xin clasped her hands and sighed, “Xiu Xiu was so cool just now.”
Even Tan Ming took another look at Zhou Xiu. Her calm and composed gameplay was a stark contrast to the quiet impression she usually gave.
The girls in Winner Class were green with envy. Xu Qing and Du Feiyang had both given Zhou Xiu cards, Zhang Qi and Tan Ming had handed over their contact information, and even Yuan Shao had personally asked for her address.
Even though it was just for sending gifts, still—
Just imagining being in her shoes made them feel like they were bubbling over with happiness.
For the first time, these “god-tier” boys had actively asked for a girl’s contact information, without a single arrogant word.
Hua Xue draped her arm around Zhou Xiu’s shoulder. “Xiu Xiu, why are you smiling?”
Zhou Xiu contentedly placed the “money flower” that Hua Xue had given her alongside the Christmas gift she had received from class.
It was likely that this hundred-yuan bill, folded so beautifully, would never be spent.
If this had been the old Zhou Xiu, she wouldn’t have even imagined being so carefree, leaving money untouched just for the sake of it.
She pressed her lips together to suppress a smile and shook her head, “Nothing.”
Hua Xue said, “If it wasn’t for that crucial jump of mine, Yuan Shao would have taken you down long before you got those kills.”
“So, I deserve some credit too.”
Zhou Xiu quickly nodded, “Yes, yes.”
She reached into her drawer and pulled out another gift she had prepared beforehand, handing it to Hua Xue.
Meanwhile, Tan Ming, feeling bored, began scrolling through Zhou Xiu’s WeChat Moments.
Since Zhou Xiu didn’t have her ID on hand when Tan Ming asked for her bank account earlier, she had simply said, “You can transfer the money to me via WeChat.”
Tan Ming had been speechless, stunned for a while.
Was Zhou Xiu indirectly asking for his WeChat?
After hesitating for a moment, he decided that he would transfer the money and then delete her. So, he scanned her WeChat.
Now, as Tan Ming scrolled through Zhou Xiu’s Moments, he noticed that her posts were either about exam papers or food, with comments from Hua Xue, Du Feiyang, and Yu Qingyan. It dawned on him that…
These people had grown much closer without him even realizing it.
After the game, people began to open their gifts in groups of twos and threes. Of course, some were reluctant to open theirs and decided to save them for later.
The girls speculated about who would end up with Xi Shaoyuan’s gift and what might be inside.
The boys, on the other hand, were eager to get Hua Xue’s gift, and if not hers, then Yu Qingyan’s would be a fine consolation.
Soon, the mystery of Hua Xue’s gift was solved—Du Feiyang was the one who received it.
Before opening the gift, Du Feiyang was almost floating with happiness, grinning so broadly that it was almost obnoxious:
“I feel like I’m about to strike it rich with this gift.”
But once he opened it, his face fell like a wilting eggplant, shocked, “Hua Xue, I can’t believe you’re this stingy.”
“You didn’t purposely make it this stingy because you knew I’d get it, did you?”
Du Feiyang gloomily pulled out a few pieces of fruit candy from the box, unwrapped them, and stuffed them all into his mouth at once. They weren’t even as valuable as the roses everyone had received earlier!
His reaction sent the whole room into fits of laughter, their sides aching from how hard they laughed.
…
When Zhou Xiu returned to the Xi household, she happily placed her gifts on her desk.
After finishing her homework and washing up, she slowly opened the Christmas gift. She untied the ribbon and opened the box to reveal a delicate, slender necklace for women.
The necklace sparkled charmingly under the light, exquisite and elegant.
Zhou Xiu was taken aback. It was the first time she had ever received something so expensive.
This was the kind of gift she didn’t dare accept. Even though the classmate who gave it might come from a wealthy background and didn’t care about the cost, Zhou Xiu was used to living frugally. In her view, a simple token of thoughtfulness was more than enough for a Christmas gift; there was no need for such extravagance.
By comparison, the fountain pen Zhou Xiu had bought seemed downright cheap—it only cost two or three hundred yuan.
Unfortunately, the generous giver had not left a name, and the tag had been removed, so Zhou Xiu had no way of knowing its price or returning it. Left with no other choice, Zhou Xiu put the necklace in her drawer.
She then pulled out her journal and quickly calculated her finances. Given her ability with numbers and her frugality over the past few months, Zhou Xiu didn’t need much time to figure out exactly how much she had saved.
On WeChat, the 30,000 yuan that Tan Ming had transferred had already been credited to her account.
If she considered selling the latest Apple products that Xi Shaoyuan was sending and the VVIP hotel card from Xu Qing, her savings would be even higher.
After adding up her rewards from finishing three months’ worth of assignments, completing daily tasks, writing exam papers, monthly exam bonuses, ranking rewards, competition test rewards, and miscellaneous rewards from studying and reciting, Zhou Xiu had managed to save 5,635 yuan.
Though it wasn’t much—less than what Hua Xue and her friends might spend on a single meal—it was more than enough for Zhou Xiu to support herself and do even more.
She took out her phone and called Uncle Li in the village.
Uncle Li’s deep voice came through the phone, “Xiu’er, it’s been a while since I last heard from you.”
“Your mom and dad miss you, you know, they miss you a lot.”
Zhou Xiu asked him to tell her father, Zhou Cheng, to call her when he had the chance.
A few days later, Zhou Xiu finally received a call from her father, Zhou Cheng. He was breathing heavily on the phone as he spoke, “Xiu’er, what’s the matter? Missing your dad?”
Zhou Xiu softly replied, “Mhm.” It took her a while to say, “Why don’t you and Mom come to the city?”
On the other end of the line, Zhou Cheng shook his head repeatedly, “No way, there’s no work or food in the city until spring.”
When Zhou Cheng heard no response from her for a long time, he grew anxious, “Are you having a hard time there? Did something happen?”
Zhou Xiu remained silent. The cold wind howled outside the window, while the room inside was warm and cozy. Last year at this time, her hands and feet had been covered in frostbite. But this year…
She raised her hand and noticed that the calluses on her palms had almost smoothed out. With daily applications of hand cream, the frostbite was completely gone. This was, in fact, the easiest year of her life.
Zhou Cheng’s worried voice came through, “Xiu’er, just wait. Your mom and I will get tickets and come find you in the city!” Zhou Xiu’s lips curled into a smile, “Okay, I’ll be waiting for you.”
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