After finishing her review, Zhou Xiu put down her pen and turned to look at Tan Ming, who sat behind her. She said calmly:
“Tan Ming, since you don’t need it, please return the study materials to me.”
As soon as Zhou Xiu spoke, the entire room fell into a stunned silence. “???”
The slackers in the class slowly processed what she had just said, their faces reflecting their disbelief.
Did Zhou Xiu just say that?
Zhou Xiu ignored the bewildered looks from those around her and calmly extended her hand toward Tan Ming, waiting for him to return the materials.
The study materials cost only about ten yuan to produce, but Zhou Xiu had shared them out of goodwill, hoping that her classmates could benefit from them and improve their scores. Giving them to Tan Ming, however, seemed like a waste.
Tan Ming hadn’t expected Zhou Xiu to directly ask him to return the materials. It was as if his ears had suddenly gone deaf, and he questioned whether he had heard correctly.
Did Zhou Xiu really just ask him to return the materials over something so trivial?
Tan Ming was usually quite popular in class, well-liked by his peers, and with his good looks, he was often surrounded by admiring girls. Being adored had made him develop some bad habits over time. But to think that his charm would fail so completely in front of Zhou Xiu!
He was at a loss for words, feeling thoroughly humiliated.
Zhou Xiu kept her hand extended, patiently waiting for Tan Ming to hand back the materials.
Hua Xu, who had been caught off guard, snapped her fingers and said, “Exactly. If you’re not going to use them, don’t waste Zhou Xiu’s efforts.”
It didn’t make sense for Zhou Xiu to painstakingly compile the materials only to have them be dismissed and disrespected.
Yuan Ruoyi, who sat next to Tan Ming, pursed her lips and softly added, “Tan Ming, you’re being too much. Even if Zhou Xiu’s physics and chemistry grades aren’t great, that doesn’t mean you should belittle her work. If you don’t need them, just return them to her.”
Yuan Ruoyi, who was about as academically challenged as Hua Xu, had at least reviewed the materials Zhou Xiu had prepared. They were detailed and thorough, especially the chemistry notes, which spanned over sixty pages. It was clear Zhou Xiu had put in a lot of effort. Even if you weren’t interested, you shouldn’t dismiss someone’s hard work like that.
The other slackers in the class, though they felt Zhou Xiu had embarrassed Tan Ming, didn’t think she was wrong.
Respect was mutual.
While most of them were used to brushing off idle comments as background noise, Zhou Xiu clearly wasn’t one to tolerate disrespect, and there was nothing wrong with that.
“If you’re not going to use them, just give them back to Zhou Xiu,” Hua Xu urged.
For once, Tan Ming, who had always been pampered and admired, found his charm failing him.
Feeling his pride wounded, Tan Ming expressionlessly retrieved the still-pristine study materials from his drawer and handed them back to Zhou Xiu.
“Thanks,” he said stiffly.
“Mm,” Zhou Xiu responded, her expression unchanged as she calmly placed the materials back into her own drawer.
The whole class watched in stunned silence.
What just happened? Did the class heartthrob just get dissed by a girl?
Turns out, being handsome doesn’t guarantee you’ll be adored everywhere you go. There are always a few people who won’t let you coast on your looks and will make you remember that.
Du Feiyang, who had been quietly laughing with his head down, finally sat up and patted Tan Ming on the shoulder.
“No worries, Ming. If you ever want to look at them again, I might be able to lend them to you—if I can bear to part with them for a little while.”
Tan Ming barely managed to grunt in response.
Feeling utterly humiliated, he turned his head away, pretending not to care. Right now, the last thing he wanted to hear about was “study materials”—and he wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear Zhou Xiu’s name either.
Damn, it was the first time in his life he’d felt so small in front of a girl.
Tan Ming felt a strange, unsettling emotion.
Du Feiyang gave Zhou Xiu a thumbs-up.
Zhou Xiu, the queen of subtle but deadly remarks.
Zhou Xiu lay down on her desk for a short nap, quickly moving on from the small disturbance. She didn’t think much of it.
…
At the Xi household.
Zhou Xiu’s mother, Liu Mei, made a special trip to the Xi house. She had come specifically to teach Auntie Niu how to prepare a medicinal soup for Mrs. Xi.
Last time, when Zhou Cheng had tried to explain the method, Zhou Xiu had interrupted him. Feeling that he hadn’t done enough, Zhou Cheng insisted that his wife visit the Xi family to finish what he had started.
After brewing the medicinal soup, Liu Mei thanked Auntie Niu earnestly, “I heard from Xiu’er that you’ve been taking great care of her.”
At first, Auntie Niu thought that Zhou Xiu’s mother might be trying to curry favour with Mrs. Xi, but after teaching her the method, she left without mentioning anything about it. If Auntie Niu didn’t bring it up herself, it wouldn’t serve any purpose as a favour.
Auntie Niu debated whether to mention this to Mrs. Xi.
Out of caution, she decided not to. However, she did feel a bit of gratitude toward Liu Mei for being so concerned about Mrs. Xi’s health.
Later that evening, when Xi Shaoyuan returned from school, Auntie Niu uncharacteristically stopped him.
“I was tidying up Xiu’er’s room the other day, and I think I found something she left behind.”
“Do you want to go check it out, young master?”
Xi Shaoyuan frowned, replying dismissively, “If she didn’t want it, just throw it away.”
But… it was money. Auntie Niu hesitated.
In her entire life, she had never thrown away money. She persisted, “You should at least take a look.”
After some urging, Xi Shaoyuan finally agreed and went to Zhou Xiu’s room. Since she had left, the guest room had remained untouched, left just as it was when she lived there.
The Xi family had plenty of empty rooms, so leaving one unused wasn’t a big deal.
As he entered, he noticed a simple, unadorned box on the desk, clearly placed there by Auntie Niu.
The box was plain and ugly, with a large “Xi” character written on it in neat handwriting—Zhou Xiu’s handwriting.
Xi Shaoyuan glanced at it briefly, then walked over and opened the box.
The moment the box opened, as if it were responding to him, the pink banknotes inside slid out from the gap in the box, scattering across the floor.
Some even landed on his clean shoes.
Xi Shaoyuan’s eyes widened in surprise. He bent down to pick up the money and counted it.
Thanks to his excellent memory, he realized these sequentially numbered bills were the same ones he had withdrawn each month from the account to give to Zhou Xiu.
He counted the amount, which matched the food allowance she had received the previous month.
Did this mean Zhou Xiu hadn’t spent any money for the entire month? Xi Shaoyuan furrowed his brow.
Auntie Niu peeked in from the hallway and said softly, “Xiu’er’s family isn’t well-off. Her parents are migrant workers.”
“They probably really need this money. Could you please take it to her?”
After saying this, she quickly disappeared, and as she made her way down the stairs, Auntie Niu patted her chest, realizing how bold she had been:
Was she really ordering the young master to do something?
The butler reassured her kindly, “It’s alright. Xiu’er is the young master’s classmate, and it’s only right for classmates to help each other.”
Xi Shaoyuan pursed his lips into a thin line, then carefully placed the money back into the box. He scanned the room again and noticed a few new clothes still hanging in the wardrobe.
He tossed the box back onto the desk and pocketed the money.
The next day.
On the weekend, after finishing his tutoring session at Mr. Wang’s house, Xi Shaoyuan instructed his driver to take him to Zhou Xiu’s home.
The driver, who had previously taken Zhou Xiu and her family to their new home, still remembered the address. He quickly adjusted the route and headed toward the old neighbourhood.
…
At noon, Zhou Xiu returned from the library after finishing her studies.
On the way, she stopped by the market to buy ingredients for lunch, planning to cook a meal and bring it to the construction site for her parents.
Zhou Xiu made chicken soup and stir-fried eggplant with minced pork.
As she was finishing up, her phone rang. She answered it, and on the other end, she heard her mother, Liu Mei, speaking with a voice tinged with tears.
“Xiu’er, your father… he fell, he fell…”
Zhou Xiu’s heart skipped a beat as she quickly turned off the stove.
“Mom, calm down and tell me what happened slowly, don’t panic.”
“Your father’s foot was crushed by a steel beam, and he hurt his leg. Xiu’er, come quickly—” Liu Mei’s voice was filled with panic, as she helplessly sought out her daughter.
Zhou Xiu asked anxiously, “Is it serious?”
“He can still move, but he doesn’t want to go to the hospital.”
Zhou Xiu hurriedly packed the meal and rushed downstairs. She bit her lip as she flagged down a taxi, just as the Xi family’s car pulled up at the curb.
Xi Shaoyuan stepped out of the car, holding the money, and was about to speak to Zhou Xiu:
“Your money, are you not planning to—”
Zhou Xiu turned around, and Xi Shaoyuan saw the pale, ashen look on her face, her usually calm eyes filled with confusion. It was rare to see Zhou Xiu so disoriented, someone who was usually so composed.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”
Zhou Xiu’s phone was still connected, and through the speaker, Liu Mei’s panicked voice could be heard: “Xiu’er—come quickly, his foot is swelling, turning black, and bleeding a lot.”
She was shouting at her husband, “If your leg is broken, how are you going to work? Listen to Xiu’er and go to the hospital!”
Liu Mei broke down in tears.
The sound of her mother’s crying made Zhou Xiu’s heart race with anxiety. The situation seemed serious.
She quickly dialled for an ambulance, while Xi Shaoyuan, hands in his coat pockets, said coldly:
“Get in the car.”
Xi Shaoyuan asked for the address, and Zhou Xiu, after a moment’s composure, gave him the address of the construction site.
Xi Shaoyuan made a call to dispatch an ambulance, calmly directing the driver, “Head to the People’s Hospital.”
The warm air from the car’s heater blew against Zhou Xiu’s cold, pale face, helping her regain her composure as she reassured her mother over the phone, remembering to turn off the speaker function.
“Mom, don’t worry, don’t cry anymore, the ambulance is on its way.”
Liu Mei continued to cry, but after about ten minutes, her tears turned to relief as she exclaimed:
“Xiu’er, the doctors are here! The doctors are here!”
Her voice was filled with the joy of a child, and Zhou Xiu responded with a soft “Mm.”
The heater warmed the interior of the car. Xi Shaoyuan had already removed his coat, revealing a thin V-neck sweater underneath.
After not seeing him for a while, Zhou Xiu noticed that Xi Shaoyuan had gotten a fresh haircut, with clean, neat bangs framing his forehead. His cold, indifferent gaze made its presence felt even from several meters away.
His eyes remained fixed ahead, aloof.
Half an hour later, the car arrived at the People’s Hospital.
Zhou Xiu rushed to the orthopaedics department, where she found her parents. Zhou Cheng had already undergone a minor surgery, and his right foot was wrapped up tightly. He was smiling as he ate the boxed meal Liu Mei had bought for him.
Seeing Zhou Xiu, he sighed and said, “Xiu’er, I told you I’m fine. Calling an ambulance costs so much money.”
The thought of wasting a whole month’s hard-earned wages pained Zhou Cheng.
Zhou Xiu pressed her lips together, finally feeling a sense of relief.
She handed the meal to Liu Mei.
Liu Mei, not feeling hungry, noticed Xi Shaoyuan and quickly realized that it must have been the young master who had called the ambulance.
She pushed the meal toward him, smiling nervously, “Xi Shaoyuan, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
“Thank you so much. Xiu’er just made this, and it’s still hot. It’s cold outside, so please have some to warm up. We really appreciate your help.”
Zhou Xiu glanced at Xi Shaoyuan, then turned and left to settle the hospital bill.
But when she got to the payment counter, she was told the bill had already been paid. Zhou Xiu took out Zhou Cheng’s medical record and registration slip, asking the clerk to print another copy of the bill.
The bill total was listed as 10,386.8 yuan.
Zhou Xiu folded the receipt and put it in her pocket, letting out a sigh.
The system offered her comfort: [I still have your seventy thousand, nine hundred yuan saved.]
[Don’t worry, you still have money.]
Even though the seventy thousand was partly from selling Apple products and partly from the reward paid by Tan Ming.
Returning to the corridor, Zhou Xiu saw Xi Shaoyuan reluctantly open the meal and take a few bites. After a few mouthfuls, he seemed to realize that the taste was lacking, and a strange expression appeared on his face.
Zhou Xiu stood before him and pulled out a pen from her backpack, writing down an IOU on the back of the medical bill.
“I’ll withdraw the money and repay you on Monday.”
He glanced at the medical bill she handed him, then casually pulled out the money Zhou Xiu had saved and shook it in his hand, saying:
“Just use this to cover it, Zhou Xiu—”
He cleared his throat and added coolly, “It’s yours to keep. Why are you so unwilling to spend the Xi family’s money?”
It seemed Xi Shaoyuan had never experienced being “dumped” with money before. First, he had ten thousand yuan thrown at him, and now another ten thousand—this was starting to feel like a cliché from a bad drama.
Zhou Xiu thanked him, her expression unchanged as she continued writing the IOU, “No need. I don’t like being misunderstood.”
“My parents probably wouldn’t appreciate it either.”
Zhou Xiu did like money, but she preferred money she earned herself.
Just because she had a premonition dream that hinted she might end up being someone who desperately pursued Xi Shaoyuan didn’t mean she would accept being seen as someone lowly or submissive in front of him. That was impossible.
She didn’t believe she was the kind of person who would become like that.
Zhou Xiu had never done those things, so she couldn’t relate to the guilt someone might feel after doing them.
Xi Shaoyuan viewed Zhou Xiu through the lens of another reality, seeing her through the eyes of someone from a parallel world.
Whenever he gave her those cold, mocking looks, Zhou Xiu couldn’t be bothered to care. How could she feel guilty about something she never did?
The money, still hovering in the air, was left unclaimed by Zhou Xiu, and after a moment of hesitation, Xi Shaoyuan put it back in his pocket. He casually took the IOU from Zhou Xiu, stuffing it into his pocket.
He placed the meal on the bench and stood up, looking down at Zhou Xiu from his height. He said dismissively: “Fine, whatever.”
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