Chapter 13

Ji Wenchen lowered his head, a slight curve appearing at the corners of his lips.

“The eighth national…”^[1]It refers to the Eighth National Broadcast Gymnastics Routine. The Eighth National Broadcast Gymnastics Routine (第八套全国广播体操) is part of a series of standardized fitness exercises … Continue reading

His long, beautiful fingers pinched the envelope tucked inside the desk cubby, and the red heart on the seam caught his eye.

Ji Wenchen unhurriedly tore open the seal and pulled out the letter folded into the shape of a heart.

He had never opened something like this before, yet at this moment, he surprisingly displayed a rare trace of patience as he carefully unfolded it.

Then, the signature at the end, “3rd Year Senior (Class 12), Wang Xin,” made his delicate phoenix eyes narrow slightly.

A soft sound followed—the letter, along with its envelope, was crumpled into a ball and dropped into the trash bin.

Heh.

…

Qin Xiaoxiao jogged all the way and managed to reach the class lineup just before the first section of the broadcast exercises began.

“Why are you so slow?” Yang Min turned her head and asked.

Qin Xiaoxiao was still catching her breath and shook her head, unwilling to speak.

Under normal circumstances, how would a guy react if his girlfriend helped deliver a love letter from another girl?

No, Ji Wenchen and her shouldn’t even be considered a normal couple…

Forget it, what’s done is done; overthinking is pointless.

Who knows, Ji Wenchen might get upset and break up with her over this?

He probably… wouldn’t go so far as to hit her over this, right…?

Qin Xiaoxiao followed along with the broadcast exercises for two sections and then put the matter aside.

When the break-time exercises ended, Qin Xiaoxiao declined Yang Min’s invitation to go to the school store and walked back to the classroom with Wu Li.

Qin Xiaoxiao’s current seat was in the middle of the last row, counting from the door.

On the way to her seat from the back door, she would pass by the exclusive seat in the very last row of the last group—Ji Wenchen’s seat.

As usual, Ji Wenchen was lying on the desk, sleeping. However, unlike usual, his face wasn’t turned toward the wall but toward the aisle.

As Qin Xiaoxiao stepped into the classroom, she paused for a moment before immediately turning around. She decided to take a few extra steps and enter through the front door instead.

Back at her seat, Qin Xiaoxiao took out the study guide for the next class.

She had this particular talent: no matter what she had been thinking about a moment ago, as soon as she touched her study materials, she could immediately shift into study mode.

Yang Min returned, nibbling on a Chocoberry ice cream, and noticed that her deskmate had already finished the study guide. She shamelessly said, “Let me copy it, okay?”

Qin Xiaoxiao placed the study guide on her desk.

“Thank you, my dear Xiaoxiao!” Yang Min put on an exaggeratedly touched expression.

“Studying is something you should really do on your own in the future,” Qin Xiaoxiao kindly reminded her.

“Ah, you sound just like a teacher,” Yang Min said, finishing her Chocoberry ice cream in a few quick bites and licking the leftover traces off her lips.

Qin Xiaoxiao chuckled. Her “occupational habit” as a teacher had kicked in again.

“Seriously, Xiaoxiao, there’s something I really admire about you,” Yang Min said, propping her chin on her hand. “You seem like you can focus on studying anytime, no matter how noisy it is around you.”

“How do you do it?”

Qin Xiaoxiao replied earnestly, “Because I have the motivation to study.”

“Huh? What’s ‘learning motivation’ supposed to be?”

“Simply put, it’s the tendency that initiates and sustains one’s drive to engage in learning activities.”

“I kind of get it,” Yang Min muttered. “So my learning motivation is to get good grades? That motivation doesn’t seem very strong though; it doesn’t really push me to study hard…”

***

Qin Xiaoxiao walked out of the teaching building, holding a piece of sachima^[2]Sachima (沙琪玛) is a traditional Chinese snack, often associated with Manchu and northern Chinese cuisines. It is a sweet, chewy, and slightly sticky pastry made primarily of fried strands of … Continue reading that Yang Min had handed her before leaving.

When she reached the flowerbed and unwrapped the packaging, just as she was about to take a bite, a hand reached over from a diagonal angle behind her and broke off a small piece of the sachima.

Qin Xiaoxiao sighed helplessly and called out the name of the person behind her, “Feng Maoxing.”

“Delicious,” came the mumbled reply.

Qin Xiaoxiao simply handed him the entire piece of sachima.

Feng Maoxing didn’t take it. “No, you eat it.”

“Your hands might be dirty. I’m not eating it anymore.”

Feng Maoxing widened his eyes. “My hands aren’t dirty! I even washed them before coming down.”

“Oh.” Qin Xiaoxiao felt reassured.

This week was the mid-month break, and after Saturday morning’s classes, they could go home.

A few days earlier, Feng Maoxing had already arranged with Qin Xiaoxiao to go home together this weekend.

Qin Xiaoxiao had no objections; having a ride in Feng Maoxing’s dad’s private car was much more convenient than squeezing onto a crowded bus.

“Xiaoxiao!” Feng Maoxing’s dad, who was also Qin Xiaoxiao’s uncle, was pleasantly surprised to see the two kids walking together.

Qin Xiaoxiao politely greeted him, “Uncle.”

“Coming to your uncle’s house for dinner?” Feng Zhenting, thrilled to see his niece and noticing how polite she was, spoke warmly. “Xiaoxiao, it’s been so long since you last came to uncle’s house.”

“Yeah,” Feng Maoxing chimed in.

Qin Xiaoxiao shook her head. “I’ll come another time when I have the chance. I already have plans this weekend.”

“Alright.”

Before starting the car, Feng Zhenting seemed to think of something and instructed his son, “Go buy a bottle of Coke for your dad.”

“Coke? I have bottled water here. Do you want it?”

“No, I want Coke.”

“Dad, didn’t you used to dislike these carbonated drinks? When did you start drinking Coke?”

Feng Zhenting put on a stern face. “Just go buy it. Why so many questions?”

“You’re my dad, so you’re the boss,” Feng Maoxing muttered, accepting his fate as he got out of the car to buy the Coke.

Qin Xiaoxiao had a feeling her uncle was deliberately sending Feng Maoxing away.

There was a rustling sound. “Xiaoxiao,” Feng Zhenting said as he handed a rather thick red envelope to Qin Xiaoxiao.

“This is?” Qin Xiaoxiao quickly realized and responded, “I don’t want it.”

“Take it. Use it to buy study materials, clothes, snacks, or whatever you need.”

“It’s not necessary…”

“Just take it. This is a little token of your uncle’s care.”

Unable to refuse, Qin Xiaoxiao accepted it. “Thank you, Uncle.”

It had to be said—this uncle had always been very good to their family.

Back when the Qin family purchased the materials for their current house, resolved Qin Xiaoxiao’s school registration issues, and sought medical treatment for Feng Xiuling, Feng Zhenting had contributed significantly. Feng Zhenting had made a name for himself but never forgot to lend a hand to his younger sister.

Just in terms of slipping pocket money to his niece, there had been no fewer than ten instances since the original owner could remember.

However, the original owner had too much pride, feeling that her uncle was patronizing her and believing that accepting help from relatives made her family inferior. As a result, she avoided appearing in front of him for a time.

“No need to be so polite,” Feng Zhenting said with a kind smile. “How’s your studying going lately—”

“Dad, here.” Returning to the car, Feng Maoxing tossed the Coke, landing it on the passenger seat.

“You brat, can’t you just hand it to me properly?” Feng Zhenting raised his hand, ready to give his son a flick on the forehead.

Feng Maoxing dodged quickly. “I already ran an errand for you, and now you want to hit me too!”

Feng Zhenting snorted and started the car.

“By the way, I brought you a box of coconut juice.” Feng Maoxing pushed the chilled carton of coconut juice toward Qin Xiaoxiao.

“Thanks, cousin.”

Feng Maoxing scratched his head and let out a sheepish laugh. Hearing Qin Xiaoxiao call him “cousin” so directly still felt a little strange to him.

Seeing this scene in the rearview mirror, Feng Zhenting chuckled as well.

“Qin… Cousin, starting next week, I’ll officially be a member of the school basketball team,” Feng Maoxing shared the news with Qin Xiaoxiao. “I’ll get to play basketball every day!”

Before Qin Xiaoxiao could respond, Feng Zhenting roared, “Play basketball? If you don’t study properly, I think you’ll just end up getting smacked by me every day!”

“Dad! You need to respect my interests and hobbies!” Feng Maoxing protested. “Playing basketball is great! It helps you stay fit, grow taller, and has endless benefits!”

“None of that matters to me. All I know is that playing basketball will make your already terrible grades even worse.”

“Impossible!”

“Fine, if you don’t rank in the top 40 of your class in the next exam, don’t even think about getting any pocket money anymore.”

“I…” With his finances controlled by his dad, Feng Maoxing could only bare his teeth in silent protest.

“When will you ever stop making me worry? Can’t you learn from your cousin Xiaoxiao?” Feng Zhenting said. “Xiaoxiao has been working so hard lately. She’s made great progress in the past few exams. Unlike you, no improvement at all.”

“Well, at least I haven’t gotten worse.”

Feng Zhenting sneered, “You’re already at the bottom of the rankings—there’s nowhere left for you to fall! You’ve reached rock bottom, Comrade Feng Maoxing.”

Feng Maoxing: “…”

“If you had even half of Xiaoxiao’s diligence and hard work, I’d be smiling in my sleep.”

Qin Xiaoxiao’s cheeks turned a little red. This uncle was exaggerating too much, taking her five out of ten effort and turning it into a perfect ten.

“Make sure to learn more from your cousin, understand?”

“Got it.” Feng Maoxing looked at Qin Xiaoxiao with his sparkling eyes. “From now on, I’ll learn from you.”