Just as Xue Yao was waiting to see a joke, Gao Yanchen brought his subordinates reluctantly and they shouted in harmony, "Sister Xi!"
S-Sister Xi?
The whole classroom fell into pin-drop silence and nobody dared to breathe. Their gazes landed on Gao Yanchen and eventually fell on Xue Xi, who was sitting there quietly.
The girl sat there obediently and looked up at Gao Yanchen for two seconds before replying, "Oh."
Gao Yanchen lifted his chin slightly and stared at Flame Number One. The latter immediately asked, "Sister Xi, we've finished the sixth period. Are there any arrangements next? Where are we going to play?"
Xue Xi had already packed her books as she stood up. She headed outside before replying casually, "…Math Olympiad class."
Gao Yanchen: "??"
Flame Number One: "??"
Our Roaring Flame Society's girl boss is going to participate in the Math Olympiad competition?
The group of Flames moved aside, and when Xue Xi passed by them, they followed behind her orderly. Gao Yanchen asked casually, "Class is so boring. Can you understand Math Olympiad classes?"
"…Manageable."
Gao Yanchen thought he understood what she meant in a matter of seconds and continued to lift his chin. "Manageable means unmanageable. Then why are you attending the Math Olympiad class?"
"…To do assignments."
"…" Gao Yanchen felt that the Roaring Flame Society had welcomed someone of another kind. Feeling indignant, he continued to ask, "What about after completing your assignments?"
She looked at him in confusion. "By the time I finish the assignments, it's time to sleep. Could it be that you still have time?"
Every day, when she was doing her assignments, she felt that time was insufficient. She wished to break one second into two seconds and use them!
"…" Gao Yanchen was in a trance. He had never done any assignments!
Xue Xi continued walking, and all of a sudden, she seemed to have thought of something. She paused and turned around.
Gao Yanchen was in a daze and did not notice so he accidentally bumped into Xue Xi. By the time he could steady himself, he was inches away from her and could see the fine hairs on the girl's perfect face.
He blushed instantly.
Sensing the heat rising to his face, he quickly lifted his head, and when he was about to say something, she spoke slowly. "Is your surname 'Gao'?"
Gao Yanchen paused. "Ah… Correct!"
Xue Xi's eyes went blank momentarily and it dawned upon her. "It turns out to be you!"
"Huh?"
Xue Xi retracted her gaze and continued walking forward. "They all said that I offended you."
"Who the heck…?"
Swallowing his words, Gao Yanchen could not bear to speak profanities in front of her. He paused and explained, "You defeated me and I'll listen to you. There's no such thing as being offended."
As they spoke, they arrived at a lecture theater. Xue Xi nodded at him. "I'm going to class."
Carrying her books, she walked to the staircase.
As he looked at her thin silhouette entering the dilapidated academic building, his heart seemed to be suspended in the air and had no place to land for some unknown reasons.
He felt vexed somehow.
Seeing him standing in a daze, Flame Number One asked, "Brother Chen, are we going to play basketball?"
"Play your sister!" Gao Yanchen scolded irritably and kicked the ground. "I'm in no mood today, go home."
…
When Xue Xi went upstairs, she bumped into her physics teacher, who was also the training instructor for the physics competition class.
She obediently greeted, "Hi, Ms. Sun."
Ms. Sun smiled when she saw her and headed upstairs with her. When they got to the math classroom and Xue Xi was about to enter, Ms. Sun suddenly said, "Xue Xi."
She paused in her footsteps and turned to look at her.
Ms. Sun smiled. "I heard that you didn't do well in the Olympiad tests, so do you want to consider joining our Physics class?"
As she said that, Old Liu's roars were heard. "Old Sun, it's immoral to covet others behind people's back. Xue Xi chose our Math Olympiad first!"
Xue Xi turned around and saw Old Liu coming from downstairs with Fan Han and Xue Yao.
Fan Han frowned and Xue Yao became agitated too. If Xue Xi had dared to agree earlier, she would have exploded.
Ms. Sun refused to admit herself outdone. "Isn't she unsuitable for the Math Olympiad? She scored full marks for the physics exam too and it's right for her to come to our physics class! Furthermore, Xue Xi needs to make the decision on her own and it's her own will."
Old Liu became anxious and looked at her. "What do you think of it?"
Xue Xi paused and said, "I won't leave."
Her assurance made Old Liu and Fan Han relieved.
Xue Yao was relieved as well, but she became lost afterward. Why was she so afraid of Xue Xi coming to the physics class?
Ms. Sun was pretty disappointed and sighed. "Seems like we're not fated!"
As she said that, she was preparing to enter the physics classroom. When she took a step into the classroom, Xue Xi's voice rang. "I can join the physics competition as well."
Ms. Sun paused in her tracks and looked at her with glowing eyes. "Sure!"
Xue Yao's heart was in her mouth as she balled her hands up into fists.
She looked at Xue Xi with discontentment and indignation as she said outrightly, "What joke are you cracking? Time is tight and you want to join two competitions?"
Old Liu disapproved as well. "That's right, Xue Xi. You'll be short on time and there might not be enough time to clarify the points."
Xue Xi shot a glance at Xue Yao, who was all tense. As her eyes met the latter's angry stare, she retracted her gaze apathetically. "It's alright."
Seeing her insistence, Old Liu and Ms. Sun discussed and decided that she would attend the Math Olympiad on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and the Physics one on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
…
…
Xue Sheng left work early and returned home. He took the tea leaves and wanted to visit the Gao family and sound them out.
As he was leaving, Old Lady Xue sat relaxedly on the sofa and derided him, "If I must say, you should bring Xue Xi there and apologize. It's a matter between the children, so what's the point of your going? Who in Bin City doesn't know that Elder Gao spoils his grandson?"
Xue Sheng took a deep breath and suppressed his anger, keeping silent.
Old Lady Xue, however, took the gloves off. "Anyways, if we offended the Gao family because of Xue Xi, I'll not let you off."
Xue Sheng said dominantly, "Mom, if we really offended the Gao family because of Xixi, I'll leave with Ye Li and her. Don't worry, we'll not implicate the Xue family."
Without giving his mother a chance to speak, he left.
Thirty minutes later.
Xue Sheng stood outside of Gao family's gate, and the manor's tall walls kept him outside. The secretary was blocking him at the gate as well, but he spoke politely. "Mr. Xue, please head back. Elder Gao isn't feeling well and shouldn't be meeting guests."
Xue Sheng asked, "When will be a good time?"
The secretary stood up straight and laughed. "This will depend on Elder Gao."
He could not even enter the gate at all.
Furrowing his brows, he passed the tea to the secretary. "Then help me pass this to Elder Gao. This is just some tea…"
Looking at the gift in his hands, the secretary froze.