On the day before winter vacation, students gathered at the school. Most of them began to be concerned about their grades, as the score ranking tables were already posted in front of each class.
Hu Ying dared not look at her grades, so she pushed Mu Qi and said, “Qi Ge, help me check where I am in the rankings, please. I’m afraid I’m at the bottom again, and I have no confidence in the pre-exam remedial classes.”
Mu Qi glanced at the ranking table and then, when Hu Ying wasn’t paying attention, he pushed her directly in front of the ranking table, saying with a smile, “Check for yourself.”
While saying she couldn’t look, Hu Ying secretly opened her eyes. As she slowly searched for her name from bottom to top, her eyes gradually widened. When she saw herself somewhere in the middle of the class, she excitedly exclaimed, “Ah ah ah ah, Qi Ge, Qi Ge, I’m not the last one! Haha, hahaha…”
People around quickly looked at her name, confirming that she was not at the bottom, with a total score of over four hundred points.
Over four hundred points might not be impressive on the overall school ranking board, but it placed her in the middle of the class, which was good enough for Hu Ying.
At this moment, Su Yanxi hurriedly squeezed in, the first thing on her mind not being to check her own grades but to find Mu Qi’s. When she saw that he was in tenth place, her face turned red with excitement. She looked at Mu Qi in disbelief, her eyes shining brightly, and exclaimed, “Mu Qi, you’re in tenth place!”
“What?! Qi Ge is in tenth place?” Hu Ying, still excited, hurried over to look. Indeed, Mu Qi was in tenth place in the class with over five hundred points.
As for Su Yanxi’s grades, there was no doubt. She scored seven hundred and forty points, with deductions in Chinese composition and a mistake in a math problem.
However, even so, her grades were at the top of the class, securing the first position in the entire grade. She was twenty points ahead of the second place in the entire grade, truly enviable.
“Haha, I didn’t expect that when I, Hu Ying, get serious, I’m quite impressive!” Hu Ying immediately became a bit proud.
However, with joy comes sorrow. Among those who attended the pre-exam remedial classes, some improved by one or two positions, while others regrettably moved backward.
Upon seeing his grades, one student immediately felt devastated. “The remedial classes were of no use to me. Am I just naturally useless?” The person began to question life.
At this moment, the class teacher, Li Wei, came over with a beaming smile. Seeing his students at the door, he called out, “The class teacher is here!” Everyone quickly returned to their seats.
Seeing some faces filled with smiles and others deeply discouraged, Li Wei clapped his hands and said, “This final exam, you all did well. Especially before the exam, I saw everyone working hard. I’m pleased with the results.”
Someone immediately shouted from below, “Teacher, can we have fewer assignments during the winter break?”
As others joined in agreement, Li Wei, with a smiling face, said, “No.” Seeing the disappointed expressions, he continued, “Doing well in exams is one thing, but assignments still need to be completed.” A chorus of groans followed.
Li Wei clapped his hands to quiet everyone down and continued, “Starting tomorrow, we officially enter the winter break. Regarding safety issues during the break, I’ve mentioned them many times before, so I won’t say much today. I hope everyone prioritizes safety while having fun.”
“We know,” came the unanimous response, sounding like their ears had developed calluses.
Li Wei said, “Alright, I won’t say much more. I wish you all an early happy New Year.”
“Teacher, happy New Year to you too!” Perhaps because the winter break was approaching, students who usually feared their class teacher were now boldly shouting and cheering. Li Wei not only didn’t seem upset but also walked away with a smile.
Next, subject teachers came over, assigned homework, and also wished everyone a happy New Year.
Soon, it was time for lunch.
From this moment on, everyone officially entered the winter break, elated and chatting with each other while carrying their backpacks.
“Mu Qi!” Following behind, Fan Siyu, upon seeing Mu Qi and the others, immediately shouted and ran over.
Mu Qi furrowed her brows, and when the other girl approached, she couldn’t help but say, “Didn’t I already tell you that day not to find me anymore?”
Fan Siyu’s smile froze at the corners of her mouth, and she seemed momentarily unable to react because Mu Qi’s words caught her off guard.
“Qi Ge, what’s wrong? Why are you so harsh to others?” Hu Ying couldn’t help but tug at Mu Qi’s sleeve.
However, Su Yanxi pursed her lips, watching Fan Siyu. She disliked the idea of her approaching Mu Qi.
Fan Siyu pitifully said, “Mu Qi, I just want to be friends with you. Is such a small request not acceptable?” Today, she heard that Mu Qi was in the top ten of the class, and such achievements gave her hope.
Although Mu Qi had already said not to find her again that day, Fan Siyu didn’t believe that statement was true. Besides, from childhood to now, she had never been rejected by anyone when trying to make friends.
Mu Qi sneered, showing no politeness this time, and squinted at her. “Stop pretending in front of me. If you have a bit of self-respect, you’d better stay away from me!”
This was a brutally honest statement, and even Su Yanxi, standing nearby, looked at her with some surprise.
Hu Ying was in a state of shock.
Fan Siyu’s face turned red from Mu Qi’s words. She wanted to slap Mu Qi but was caught by her wrist. Mu Qi looked at her coldly.
After struggling a few times, Fan Siyu finally freed herself. The usually pampered Miss Fan now had tears on her face. She angrily said, “I hate you!” and covered her face before running away.
Su Yanxi and Hu Ying: “…”
“Qi Ge, you’re such a brute,” Hu Ying couldn’t help saying.
Su Yanxi looked at Mu Qi, moved her mouth a few times, and finally closed it.
Mu Qi, however, acted as if nothing had happened. She put her arms around the shoulders of the other two and walked toward the school gate, a hint of coldness in her eyes.
Last time, the other party called her to the back door, making mindless comments about how she would never improve if she continued to hang out with Hu Ying. She was told she should aim to become an upper-class person and not associate with ordinary people like Hu Ying and Su Yanxi.
At that time, Mu Qi almost couldn’t resist punching the person. If it weren’t for the fact that the person was a girl, she might have really struck.
Today, it seemed like the person had come over as if nothing happened. If it weren’t for Su Yanxi and Hu Ying being around, she might have actually hit the person.
Hu Ying, however, had no idea what Mu Qi was thinking. She had already forgotten about Fan Siyu’s incident, for her, playing was the most important thing, and nothing was more important than having fun.
“Qi Ge, can I come to your house this afternoon to continue playing that game? We’re almost about to pass a few levels,” Hu Ying said.
“Sure.” Since Mu Qi was alone at home and a bit bored, having Hu Ying come over to play was a good idea. She then looked at Su Yanxi beside her and asked, “Do you want to come and play too?”
Su Yanxi hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, “Okay.”
Her parents were going to her third aunt’s house today, leaving her alone at home. There wasn’t much to do alone at home, so going to Mu Qi’s house seemed like a good idea.
On the way back, Su Yanxi stopped by the vegetable market not far from the entrance of the community. When Mu Qi saw her, she was a bit surprised.
Usually, when she was alone, Su Yanxi would come here to buy groceries.
“Why did you come to buy groceries today?” It was already eleven o’clock, and if her mom was buying groceries, she would have been back home by now. It didn’t make sense for Su Yanxi to come and buy groceries at this time, making Mu Qi curious.
Su Yanxi smiled and said, “My parents went to my third aunt’s house today and asked me to buy some groceries to cook for myself.”
“Can you cook?” Mu Qi couldn’t help but tease her.
Su Yanxi nodded obediently and said, “Yes, my mom taught me.”
Looking at her adorable appearance, Mu Qi always felt the urge to pat her head and said with a smile, “Why not come to my place then? I’m alone, and eating alone is boring. Let’s have dinner together.”
Su Yanxi frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally said, “Then I’ll buy the groceries.”
“Each person pays half,” Mu Qi insisted.
Su Yanxi bit her lip, hesitated, and finally nodded in agreement.
Next, the two of them bought groceries together. Some people here already recognized Mu Qi, after all, she was so beautiful. Now, with a cute little girl by her side, the vegetable market boss couldn’t help but ask, “Little Qi, is this your classmate?”
“Yes.” Mu Qi smiled and nodded.
Su Yanxi sweetly said, “Hello, Auntie.”
“Oh, hello to you too.” Not only was the girl cute, but she also had a sweet mouth. The market boss couldn’t help but give them an extra bunch of vegetables. Mu Qi wanted to refuse, but the boss insisted, and she had no choice but to glance helplessly at the adorable girl by her side.
Su Yanxi didn’t expect the aunties to be so friendly, and she flashed a bright smile at Mu Qi.
After buying the groceries, the two of them went back home.
Because Su Yanxi had been to Mu Qi’s house before, she was already familiar with the place. They went upstairs together and entered the apartment.
Originally, when Mu Qi was alone at home, there was only one pair of slippers prepared. Later, thinking of occasionally inviting Hu Ying and Su Yanxi to her house, she bought two more pairs of slippers from the supermarket downstairs.
She bought a pink pair for Su Yanxi, adorned with a cute bunny playing. It looked very adorable.
Su Yanxi was a bit helpless about the pink and tender slippers Mu Qi bought for her.
Mu Qi laughed and said, “It’s because you bought me a pink thermos last time.”
At that time, Su Yanxi wanted to buy a blue one for her but felt that blue didn’t look good. So, she chose the one next to it, which happened to be pink. Of course, there was also a bit of mischievous intention behind her choice.
Seeing that Mu Qi didn’t like using such bright colors, she wanted to add some color by giving her a pink one. Little did she expect Mu Qi to hold a grudge until now. Thinking about this, she couldn’t help but laugh, covering her mouth.
Mu Qi also smiled, carrying the groceries to the kitchen, and said, “Sit on the sofa and watch TV.”
“I’ll help too.” How could Su Yanxi concentrate on watching TV now? Her mind was filled with the image of her and Mu Qi cooking together. The warm scene made her a bit impatient.
Seeing her insistence, Mu Qi let her go. She picked out the vegetables, and Su Yanxi washed them because the water was warm, and she wouldn’t freeze her hands.
After washing the vegetables, Mu Qi started cutting them, and finally, she stir-fried them in the wok.
Su Yanxi, having finished washing the vegetables, turned her head and saw Mu Qi’s serious side profile while cooking. Unconsciously, she stared a bit blankly. When Mu Qi asked for a plate, she snapped back to reality and quickly handed over the nearby plate.
“What are you thinking?” Mu Qi asked, glancing at Su Yanxi while serving the dishes. It was clear that she had just been lost in thought.
Su Yanxi smiled, shook her head, and didn’t dare to admit that she was spacing out while looking at Mu Qi.
Working together, they finished cooking in no time. Three dishes and a soup were prepared—sweet and sour pork ribs, braised fish, mapo tofu, and winter melon pork rib soup. It was a sumptuous feast.
The aroma was delightful, and Su Yanxi couldn’t wait to pick up a piece of sweet and sour pork rib. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Mu Qi and exclaimed, “It’s delicious!”
Mu Qi also smiled. Normally, she cooked just for herself, casually making one or two dishes. Today, with Su Yanxi around, she couldn’t help but make a few more dishes. Seeing how happy Su Yanxi was, Mu Qi couldn’t help but feel happy too, saying, “If it’s delicious, eat more.”
“Okay.”
Because it was a dish made by someone she liked, and it was indeed well-cooked, Su Yanxi couldn’t help but eat more and ended up frowning due to feeling full.
“Full?” Mu Qi chuckled at her.
Su Yanxi gestured to her neck, saying, “Up to here.”
Mu Qi laughed, stood up, and started to clean up the tableware, saying, “Get up and take a walk to aid digestion.”
“I’ll do it.” As soon as she saw Mu Qi cleaning up, Su Yanxi hurriedly approached, wanting to help.
Mu Qi, however, refused her, saying, “I’ll do it. Go take a walk, be good.”
The word ‘good’ was completely unintentional, but as soon as it was spoken, both of them were stunned. Mu Qi pretended to be calm and took the tableware to the kitchen, but her steps involuntarily quickened.
On the other hand, Su Yanxi’s face turned red, and the blush seemed to be spreading.
In the kitchen, Mu Qi sighed in relief and felt a bit embarrassed. The word she had just blurted out, ‘good,’ was unintentional, but now, reminiscing about it, she found it a bit awkward. Yet, at the same time, she felt that it was not bad.
Meanwhile, Su Yanxi, who was still obediently walking in the living room, blushing, couldn’t calm down. The word ‘good’ spoken by Mu Qi echoed in her mind, and the more she thought about it, the more uncontrollable her embarrassment became.
In the kitchen, Mu Qi relaxed a bit, yet couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. She had unintentionally said that word, and now, while thinking about it, she found it a bit awkward. However, on the other hand, she also felt that it wasn’t bad.
On the other side, Su Yanxi, still obediently pacing in the living room, was blushing uncontrollably. The word ‘good’ spoken by Mu Qi kept echoing in her mind, making her blush intensify.
Mu Qi arranged the bed and, seeing that Su Yanxi hadn’t entered yet, thought she might be shy. She stood up straight and said, “Should I go to the living room?”
“No,” Su Yanxi felt like she had spoken too quickly and was afraid the other would misunderstand. She hurriedly explained, “I’ve never slept in the same bed with someone before. It feels a bit strange.” After saying that, she blushed a bit and added, “I’ll get used to it.”
“Alright,” Mu Qi nodded and began undressing.
The bedroom had the air conditioning on, so it didn’t feel cold. In fact, it was a bit warm at the moment.
Seeing Mu Qi undress, Su Yanxi stole a glance and quickly looked down, starting to undress as well to avoid being noticed.
After Mu Qi finished undressing, she put on autumn sleepwear and got into bed.
Su Yanxi unintentionally saw it and blushed.
The autumn sleepwear fit snugly against Mu Qi’s body, perfectly outlining her figure, creating vivid images in Su Yanxi’s mind.
Mu Qi, however, was unaware of what the little cutie beside her was thinking. At that moment, she was texting Hu Ying.
By the time Su Yanxi climbed into bed and burrowed under the covers, Mu Qi had just sent the message.
