Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Xiang Huai’s usual calm expression seemed like it was about to crack. However, he regained his composure in just under two seconds. He first smiled, then received the 200 yuan, saying, “The tea leaves are in the storage room. Come get it after school.”


  “Alright.”


  The straightforward Xue Xi turned around and left. When she spotted Canine Teeth’s complicated expression, she silently sighed inside.

  She did not mind helping Xiang Huai within her means. Moreover, if he was happy, she might even have a chance of quickly ridding herself of the ‘be in love or die’ curse.

  After her departure, Lu Chao’s mouth twitched as he asked, “Boss, since when did we have Da Hong Pao in our storage?”


  The storage held only the whole stash of small boxes that were previously displayed on the shelf on the first day!

  Xiang Huai gave him a side-eye. “Give Little Gao a call. You’ll go get it.”


  Lu Chao: “.……Yes.”


  Right after replying, he could not help but remark, “Boss, Old Gao is already in his sixties. Can’t you call him Old Gao? With Little Gao……”


  Upon receiving his boss’s gaze, he instantly changed his tune, “.……you’re making yourself sound old!”


  Xiang Huai ignored him and went to the back of the cashier, picked up a book, and continued reading……

  When Xue Xi entered the school compound, an Audi was coincidentally parked at the entrance.

  Fan Han was about to alight when he spotted the passing silhouette. Stunned, he stopped.

  Mrs. Fan, who had personally sent her son to school, failed to notice his anomaly. She spewed out the words she had held back for an entire night. “Why did you get only the second place this time?”


  Fan Han kept up his stoic expression and did not answer.

  Mrs. Fan could not resist complaining, “You didn’t relax at all during the summer, so it’s impossible for you to not have done well. Did that dimwit from the Xue family harass you on the day of the exams and so you got this result? Fortunately, we have already changed your partner for the arranged marriage. As the saying goes, one is marked by the company one keeps. If you get married to that dimwit, you will only get worse from here!”


  Fan Han repressed his raging emotions and pushed open the car door in frustration. “I’m going off to school.”


  “Oh,” Mrs. Fan replied, then continued asking, “Who got the first place this time? Is it Xue Yao? You guys are engaged, so it’s fine if she is first for this once.”


  Fan Han had already alighted. When he heard this, he halted and slowly turned around. Looking at his mother, he did not know why, but he said the following: “It’s Xue Xi.”


  “Indeed, it’s Xue…… what?”


  Mrs. Fan was stunned.

  Fan Han looked away, He did not understand why he was suddenly rebellious, just that he was suddenly very annoyed with his mother’s nagging. Moreover, why did she not consult him first before she went to the Xue family to renege on the marriage?……

  The first lesson was Old Liu’s. As the civic tutor, he pointed out a few issues regarding discipline, as was his habit.

  At the end, he pointed out, “Qin Shuang, didn’t I tell you to dye your hair back yesterday?”


  The person seated in front of Xue Xi was sprawled on her desk, seeming to be unafraid of anything since she was already in the worst situation. “Sir, I need money to dye my hair. My parents confiscated my bank card. Do you perhaps want to help me to ask for it back?”


  Old Liu was so furious that he pointed at her for a long time. Finally, he sighed. “During the break later, you and Xue Xi shall come to my office.”


  Upon hearing her name, Xue Xi looked up in confusion.

  Two periods flew by in the blink of an eye. Xue Xi finally understood how much of a headache the person seated in front of her caused the teachers. She slept during the whole lesson, and once she was done with that, she whipped out her phone to play games. When Old Liu asked her to answer a question, she would immediately respond, saying that she did not know and to find someone else……

  The English teacher in the second period had already given up on her. The teacher did not even glance at her.

  After the first two periods, all other students went to the field for some morning exercises and stretches. Meanwhile, Xue Xi was making her way to Old Liu’s office.

  She looked at Qin Shuang, whose head was still lowered and was playing games. She knocked on her table. “Aren’t you going to the teacher’s office?”


  Qin Shuang answered with a smile. “No. Old Liu won’t do anything.”


  Xue Xi paused, then asked, “Then where is Mr. Liu’s office?”


  Qin Shuang stilled upon hearing this. Seeing her lost expression, she locked her phone and stood up. “Forget it, I’ll bring you there.”


  Along the way, Qin Shuang fully displayed her gossipy temperament. “Old Liu is very scared of his wife. He has to hand in his salary every month and still rides a very old and wonky bicycle to work every day……”


  “.……Oh.”


  The two entered the office and stopped before Mr. Liu.

  Old Liu first smiled at Xue Xi. “Xue Xi, wait just a moment.”


  He then pulled open his drawer and retrieved something wrapped in a newspaper. He slowly unwrapped the newspaper. There were some small coins inside—5 yuan, 10 yuan……

  Old Liu stuffed the money into Qin Shuang’s hands. “I don’t know how much you’ll need to dye your hair, but 500 should be enough, right?”


  Qin Shuang was stunned. She mumbled, “Old Liu, these must be from your secret nest egg, right? Aren’t you afraid that I’d squander it at an internet café if you give it to me?”


  Old Liu laughed. “I’ve already given you the money, so it’s your choice what you want to do with it.”


  A conflicted look appeared in the girl’s rebellious eyes. In the end, she still accepted the money and left. “Fine, then I shall go to the internet café now!”


  After Qin Shuang had left, another teacher spoke. “Mr. Liu, why are you bothering with her? Even her parents have already given up on her, but you still……”


  Old Liu sighed. “If I don’t care about her, no one else will. Sigh!”


  After that, he turned to look at Xue Xi. “Xue Xi, I called you here because I wanted to ask you: Are you interested in joining the Mathematical Olympiad?”


  Xue Xi stared blankly and silently.

  Old Liu continued, “The examinations portion for the Olympiad is definitely harder. Our school has structured training classes. If you take part, you will have to go for classes to learn deeper knowledge……”


  Xue Xi’s eyes lit up as she nodded. “Okay.”


  Old Liu passed her a registration form. “Alright, then, go fill up this registration form. In another week, there will be a non-official mathematical invitational game. You can gain some experience there. After that, every weekday afternoon during the last two self-revision periods, go to classroom 301, which is near the staircase, for the Olympiad training class.”


  “Alright.”


  Xue Xi exited the office and spotted Qin Shuang leaning against the wall and playing her game. Seeing that she had come, the latter then smiled and said, “Let’s go.”


  It was only when they had returned to the classroom that Xue Xi realized…… that Qin Shuang had been waiting for her just now……

  At this moment, someone in the classroom spotted the Olympiad registration form in Xue Xi’s hands and exclaimed, “Xue Xi, are you going to take part in the Mathematical Olympiad?”


  “In our class, I think only Fan Han is participating in the Mathematical Olympiad…… Then, won’t you have to go to the extra classes with Fan Han during the last two periods every day?”


  The entire class fell into a pin-drop silence the moment this was said.

  After who knows how long, someone chimed in, “Don’t tell me you still haven’t given up on Fan Han?”