Zhou Xiu rubbed her eyes, lost in deeper thought.
Xi Shaoyuan, feeling the intense gaze, turned his head away in silence.
Zhou Xiu cleaned up the dishes and stood up straight, saying to Xi Shaoyuan, “Rest assured, I have no such thoughts for the time being.”
Xi Shaoyuan lazily replied, “I hope so.”
……
In the morning, Zhou Xiu steamed two meat buns and packed her lunch along with the Snow Mei Niang she made the night before to take to school.
**Nomad: Here’s a quick picture of Snow Mei Niang for those who don’t know it.
Hua Xu, seeing the fresh new dessert her desk mate brought daily, exclaimed in delight:
“So soft and cute, chubby and adorable. It looks amazing.”
The soft, fluffy skin was as delicate as cotton candy, breaking with a gentle bite. The light cream mixed with the fresh fruit flavour was pleasantly mild, sweet but not cloying. It was a delightful treat for the taste buds.
What a magical desk mate.
Able to tutor and provide snacks, quiet but fierce, Hua Xu was deeply immersed in a sense of happiness.
Hua Xu had asked Zhou Xiu to bring her breakfast, offering to pay. Zhou Xiu, however, declined. Since the ingredients were from the Xi family, she felt it wasn’t right to accept money. Instead, Hua Xu gave Zhou Xiu some snacks as an exchange, including various expensive imported treats like truffle chocolates.
Zhou Xiu would eat some during breaks to replenish her energy.
Speaking of breakfast, Yu Qingyan turned around and gossiped with Hua Xu, “Today, Lu Lingshan brought breakfast for Yuan Shao again.”
“Two days in a row now! I wonder how many days she can keep this up.”
Zhou Xiu wasn’t surprised by this news and pulled out her physics exercise book to start working.
Such news would likely become more frequent in the coming days since the butler and the housekeeper had gone back home for a funeral.
But Zhou Xiu was a bit curious and put down her pen, “Why do you always mention Lu Lingshan in front of Hua Xu?”
Hua Xu showed a look of disgust at this.
Yu Qingyan explained, “Because Lu Lingshan often criticizes Xu-jie.”
“She uses her grades to put down Xu-jie. There was a post once that insinuated bad things about Xu-jie’s reputation, and I suspect it was her doing. Xu-jie doesn’t care about being the school flower.”
Zhou Xiu glanced at Hua Xu’s 36D and then quietly looked away.
In her dream, Zhou Xiu had vaguely seen Lu Lingshan—slim and delicate, with a pure look like a first love from the early Republic of China. Teenage boys were indeed more infatuated with this type.
Hua Xu patted Zhou Xiu on the head.
“Stop staring.”
“Focus on yourself. Xiuxiu, you’ll have 36D in the future too. A bottle of Telunsu (milk), and you’ll experience what it’s like to be soft and big.”
Hua Xu inserted a straw into the milk and handed it to Zhou Xiu.
Zhou Xiu’s cheeks reddened, and Hua Xu successfully redirected Zhou Xiu’s attention back to her physics worksheet.
During math class.
There was a test, and Mr. Huang slapped the test papers onto the podium. He glanced at Zhou Xiu, and she took the test paper, preparing to leave the classroom.
Until the final exams, Zhou Xiu wouldn’t attend Mr. Huang’s classes.
As soon as Mr. Huang saw this troublesome student, he felt annoyed. He sarcastically said, “Wait a minute, since you’re the ‘best student I’ve ever seen,’ an excellent student like you doesn’t need to waste time on test papers.”
Zhou Xiu put down the test paper. With two consecutive math periods dedicated to testing, she decided to go to the library to find another math test to work on.
The homeroom teacher, who was the English teacher, saw Zhou Xiu heading downstairs and invited her to the office.
Miss Li had heard about the conflict between Zhou Xiu and the math teacher.
She looked at Zhou Xiu’s profile and noticed her registered address was from a village, standing out among the upscale residential areas of her classmates.
Frowning, she said, “Why are you butting heads with Mr. Huang? You’re a student; you need to understand your academic responsibilities. Go apologize to him right now so he can let you back to take the test.”
Miss Li continued, “Mr. Huang is a highly respected and experienced teacher. What he said was for your own good. Even the punishment was for your own good.”
“You—”
Zhou Xiu suddenly looked up, staring at her brightly painted lips.
“I have my own judgment.”
Miss Li was angered. “Look at your English grades. What right do you have to be stubborn with Mr. Huang?”
With no money and no background, Zhou Xiu was as plain as a regular high school student, unlike the privileged students of Yu High. Miss Li had the patience to coax the other students but not Zhou Xiu.
Zhou Xiu really lacked tact.
“Keep this up, and you won’t be able to continue your studies. Do you even look like a student?”
Zhou Xiu replied seriously, “I might not look like a student, but he doesn’t look like a teacher either. We’re equally matched.”
“In the adult world, there’s a saying, ‘A promise is worth its weight in gold.’ Although I’m not an adult, I keep my word.”
“Excuse me, teacher, I’m going to write my test paper now.”
Miss Li was furious.
She seemed to understand Mr. Huang’s feelings now.
In the afternoon, during English class.
Miss Li came in with the test papers and started announcing the English scores one by one.
After announcing a few zeros, the class burst into laughter.
Du Feiyang said, “How did you manage to score zero? Amazing. If you lose all your pocket money next month, don’t expect me to treat you to dinner!”
The students who scored zero glared back at him.
“I missed the test!”
When Miss Li got to Zhou Xiu, she paused and emphasized, “Zhou Xiu, 60 points.”
The noisy classroom suddenly fell silent.
Zhou Xiu quietly looked at Miss Li.
The school had a rule against publicly announcing students’ scores, but the slackers in this class didn’t care about their grades being read out loud.
Miss Li deliberately announced the scores.
Zhou Xiu’s English score was poor. To be precise, English was a major weakness for a rural student like her. She had only started learning the 26 letters in middle school.
Class 24, although a class for underachievers, had many students who were good at English. For them, going abroad was common, and they had grown up in English-speaking environments.
“Du Feiyang, 100 points.”
“Hua Xu, 123 points.”
“Xu Qing, 138 points.”
After explaining the questions, Miss Li concluded, “In my many years of teaching, I’ve found that students who waste too much energy on other things never do well in their studies. Only solid, diligent study brings rewards. Let’s all strive together.”
The slackers felt the sting of her words, their knees metaphorically hurting.
Zhou Xiu understood that Miss Li’s remark was directed at her.
……
After class.
Du Feiyang laughed and asked, “Xiuxiu, did I hear wrong? I scored 100 points.”
Hua Xu asked, “Really, 60 points?”
Scoring 60 out of 150 was typical for Class 24.
Zhou Xiu nodded.
The surrounding people were stunned. The motivation from yesterday seemed to cool and freeze.
It turned out Zhou Xiu wasn’t a top student but a slacker like them.
Hua Xu suddenly recalled when she first met Zhou Xiu, who said she wasn’t a top student and had average grades. She also remembered how often she saw Zhou Xiu studying English, even during meals. So, her weak subject was English.
Hua Xu suddenly understood.
Du Feiyang crumpled his 100-point test paper to avoid hurting Zhou Xiu’s pride.
He hesitated and said, “Hey, Xiuxiu…”
The barrier between Du Feiyang and the top students disappeared instantly.
He now considered Zhou Xiu a fellow slacker and started to worry about how someone like her could win the bet with Mr. Huang.
Zhou Xiu calmly accepted the mixed looks of disdain and concern from those around her.
After distributing the test’s answer sheets, Xu Qing gently asked, “Would you like my notes?”
Although Xu Qing was in Class 24, he stood out. He was a top student among the slackers, often scoring in the top 20 but still remaining in Class 24.
Zhou Xiu shook her head and politely declined, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
Xu Qing smiled, “Good to hear.”
Zhou Xiu corrected her test paper using the answers provided.
From that moment, improving her English was added to her plan for the final exams. As she silently made this decision, the system chimed in: [A warrior fears no difficulties. The road to flowers and applause must be paved with thorns. Achieve 130+ in the final English exam to earn 1000 RMB. Keep going, kid!]
Xu Qing looked over Zhou Xiu’s English test paper from the weekly test and quickly deduced that she missed many points due to not understanding basic concepts.
This test was taken on her first day at the school.
Her math test on the first day scored 80 points.
Yet she could solve Mr. Huang’s challenging math problems and had a high accuracy rate in her recent assignments.
She was actually very smart.
Xu Qing adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.
……
Xi Shaoyuan’s birthday fell on the weekend.
Zhou Xiu had originally bought a scarf, equivalent to her monthly living expenses, as a birthday gift for him. However, considering his previous rude remarks, Zhou Xiu decided not to give it to him.
On Sunday, Zhou Xiu attempted to return the scarf to the luxury store, but they refused to accept returns. Reluctantly, she kept the scarf, planning to sell it at a lower price later.
Zhou Xiu spent the entire day at the library.
[Ding—10 hours of reading earns you a reward of 50 RMB.]
As night fell, Zhou Xiu closed her book and realized it was already dark. She rubbed her tired eyes and applied some eye drops.
She had heard that Xi Shaoyuan had rented a villa for his birthday party, so he wouldn’t be home at this time.
Zhou Xiu packed her bag and took the bus back to the Xi family home.
As she reached the upstairs, she heard a voice.
“Yuan Shao!”
The girl’s voice was full of grievance, soft and delicate like the spring rain in March, touching one’s heart like a gentle drizzle.
The door to Xi Shaoyuan’s room was slightly ajar.
Zhou Xiu’s room was at the end of the hallway, usually used as a guest room. Xi Shaoyuan’s room was on the right side of the hallway entrance. Zhou Xiu would inevitably alert the two people inside if she went to her room.
As Zhou Xiu contemplated whether to go downstairs to avoid the situation, she saw the girl in the pink gauze dress tiptoeing to kiss Xi Shaoyuan on the cheek.
Her lips brushed his face, and Xi Shaoyuan’s expression froze.
It seemed like they were about to kiss.
It was a visually pleasing scene of a handsome boy and a beautiful girl, full of youthful energy.
Zhou Xiu quickly looked away and abandoned the idea of going downstairs. She quietly tiptoed to the study on the left side of the stairs, closed the door softly, and turned on the light.
The soft click of the study door closing made Xi Shaoyuan push Lu Lingshan away and roughly wipe his face.
His voice was icy, full of surprise and disgust, “Who allowed you to do that?”
In the study, Zhou Xiu pulled out her math test paper and started working on it, losing track of time.
When she finished and opened the door, she heard the sound of water.
Xi Shaoyuan stood with a dark expression, bent over the sink, scrubbing his face. The sound of running water echoed loudly in Zhou Xiu’s ears.
Seeing Zhou Xiu’s reflection in the mirror, Xi Shaoyuan’s cold voice demanded:
“Zhou Xiu, when did you come back?”
Zhou Xiu glanced at the clock honestly, “Eight-twenty.”
“Damn it.”
Zhou Xiu didn’t react to his curse and headed to her room.
Xi Shaoyuan’s face darkened further. He walked up to Zhou Xiu, towering over her.
Facing him, she felt an immense pressure. Xi Shaoyuan was very tall.
Zhou Xiu rarely had such a close encounter with Xi Shaoyuan.
Under the soft, warm light of the hallway, the tall boy’s face was clouded. His slightly moist peach-blossom eyes glistened faintly, the strands of hair at his forehead covered with a thin layer of moisture, and his lips were a tempting shade, almost as if painted with a captivating colour.
He asked coldly, “What did you see just now?”
Seeing her silent, Xi Shaoyuan grabbed her backpack and, as expected, pulled out a men’s scarf from it.
Holding the scarf and a simple birthday card that said, “Happy Birthday,” he sneered. With a voice devoid of emotion, almost cruelly dissecting her soul, he said, “Zhou Xiu, I’m not accepting this birthday gift.”
“I told you, I don’t like girls like you. Stop wasting your efforts.”
Zhou Xiu snatched back the scarf and her backpack, feeling an intense urge to throw her shoe at his face upon hearing his words.
Who the hell wanted to give him a gift anyway?
She calmly picked up her backpack and turned back to her room.
After correcting her test paper, Zhou Xiu sat at her desk, thinking with her tired mind:
From Xi Shaoyuan’s narcissistic and presumptuous act of rummaging through her bag for a birthday gift, his actions seemed highly suspicious.
How did he know she would give him a gift? It was very likely… that he was just as paranoid as she was? Regardless, his prejudiced view of her as a potential “predator” was laughable to Zhou Xiu.
Zhou Xiu never intended to seduce Xi Shaoyuan to marry into a wealthy family and get rich quickly. Being judged guilty before even committing a crime was an unpleasant feeling.
Twirling the pen in her hand, Zhou Xiu thought, [Can you give me more rewards? I want to move out of the Xi family home next spring.]
System: […..]
It should recognize that someone capable of finishing a week’s worth of homework overnight doesn’t need its pity. Slowly, the system typed out: [All the ways to get rich you want are available here.]
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