Qin Sheng finished teasing and getting back at Shen Xiyan, then quickly came out of the bathroom.
She was just joking around—anyone could tell with their toes that it was impossible.
She still had to maintain her “refined young lady” image in Aunt’s eyes.
Beside the coffee table, Aunt was still “comforting” Wenwen.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a minor surgery. Aunt will be back in a few days~~”
Wenwen bit her lip, looking anxious:
“I’m not worried about the surgery… but not being able to see you for so long… I feel uneasy, AJ……”
Aunt laughed heartily, messing up Wenwen’s hair:
“What’s there to be uneasy about? Aunt is a grown woman, do I need a little girl like you to worry about me? Are you underestimating Aunt?”
Then she shook her shoulders, her little fists punching forward and back:
“Forget surgery, even if it was scraping bone to cure poison, I wouldn’t bat an eye, heh-ha heh-ha…………”
“And it’s not like you can’t visit. Just wait until the weekend, right?” Qin Sheng straightened Wenwen’s hair that Aunt had messed up:
“For this kind of surgery, you’ll have to stay in bed for at least ten days to half a month. There’s plenty of time for you all to visit.”
“That’s true… But it’s lucky we went for a checkup today… otherwise, who knows how long it would’ve dragged on.”
Qin Sheng nodded in agreement:
“That’s what parents are like. If you or Xiyan got sick, Aunt would definitely take you to the Hospital.
A lot of Chinese parents are like this.
If their child feels even a little unwell, they rush them to the Hospital, afraid it’s something serious.
But when it’s themselves, they always think it’s just a minor illness, buy some random medicine, and tough it out.”
If someone checked the statistics, they’d find that the death rates from stomach and colorectal cancer in China are very high, because hardly anyone is willing to spend the time or money to do a Gastroscopy or Colonoscopy.
By the time it’s discovered, it’s usually too late.
“Alright……………… time to rest!”
Qin Sheng wanted to sit back in her original spot, but found that Shen Xiyan had taken advantage of her trip to the bathroom to scoot closer to Lin Ci, taking up her seat.
You always pick the softest persimmon to squeeze.
So Qin Sheng patted Lin Ci’s shoulder and smiled:
“Lin Ci, could you move over a bit? I want to sit with Xiyan.”
“Don’t move!”
Shen Xiyan pressed down on Lin Ci’s shoulder and looked at Qin Sheng:
“You don’t even have homework, why are you squeezing in? Can’t you just go watch TV or play on your phone?”
“Who says I don’t have homework?” Qin Sheng huffed and rummaged through her little purse.
Out tumbled a makeup mirror, lipstick, nail clippers, phone, keychain, and even a small pack of women’s sanitary pads.
Shen Xiyan snorted: “Where’s your homework? So this is all you bring to class?”
“I’m an Art Student~~” Qin Sheng explained awkwardly, “I can look at yours!”
“Are you done yet?”
“Nope! I want to ‘study hard, always want to go up’!”
Only Shen Xiyan understood—Qin Sheng said “want to go up” instead of “want to improve.”
With Qin Sheng’s grades, it was hard to say if she could get into college at all. Of course, with her family’s wealth, there was no way she wouldn’t go to college.
But getting in on her own merits and relying on connections were two very different things.
Whether for the sake of appearances, or thinking long-term about her whole life.
“And besides, I have to take care of Aunt for the next few days, I’ll miss a lot of classes!”
Aunt quietly glanced over.
Shen Xiyan looked up, then silently shifted over to Wenwen’s side, now sitting directly across from Qin Sheng.
Qin Sheng didn’t notice Shen Xiyan’s “dislike” at all, and excitedly said:
“It’s my first time studying with so many people, it’s so lively! Wait! I’m going to get some snacks…………………”
Qin Sheng hadn’t even warmed her seat before she hurried off to the fridge and brought back five servings of yogurt.
To be honest………………
At first, Shen Xiyan thought Qin Sheng would only bring four servings, deliberately leaving out Lin Ci.
But as luck would have it, she was looking at him, and their eyes met—Qin Sheng shot him a fierce glare.
Bringing just four would have been satisfying, but it was too childish and made her look petty.
Qin Sheng would never be so immature; in front of Aunt, doing something so pointless and harmful would be foolish.
“Here…………… try it, I really love this brand of yogurt. Aunt, you can try it too. It’s not like you’re going in for surgery right away anyway, the doctor wants you to wait a few days………………”
Qin Sheng said, then naturally sat down next to Shen Xiyan.
If she’d followed Shen Xiyan when he changed seats, it would have seemed deliberate; now, it looked casual.
Shen Xiyan: “??!”
Aunt couldn’t resist her, so she had to hold the cup and slowly eat it with a spoon.
It really tasted great—cool, sweet, and slightly tangy, not greasy at all. She liked it a lot.
Of the rest, the one with the best table manners was actually Wenwen, who usually seemed the most carefree.
She ate very elegantly, legs together, feet tucked slightly back, taking small bites—especially in front of outsiders. It had become second nature, as she didn’t want anyone to say she was an uncultured girl.
After finishing her yogurt, Qin Sheng licked the corner of her lips clean.
“Alright! Xiyan, you can teach me the problems now……”
Shen Xiyan looked down and saw a small white hand on his arm, the skin so fair it was almost unnatural.
Qin Sheng never wore nail polish; her nails had a beautiful, rosy pink color.
“Can you let go of me first?”
“Oh……………… habit……………
Qin Sheng immediately sat up straight, like a kid paying attention in class.
Shen Xiyan didn’t bother with her and scooted even closer to Wenwen:
“Let’s start with functions. Wenwen, you still got a few wrong, and Lin Ci made some mistakes too.”
When Shen Xiyan started explaining the problems, everyone stayed quiet, but their expressions were all different.
Aunt looked shocked, not expecting Shen Xiyan to be able to tutor others.
Lin Ci and Wenwen had calm expressions, nodding from time to time to show they understood.
Only Qin Sheng looked serious, but her mind was blank.
She peeked at everyone else—she wanted to say she didn’t understand, but seeing she was the only one lost, she pretended to get it too, not wanting to look stupid.
Shen Wen took back her test paper:
“I’ll try again.”
“Let me check it after you’re done.”
After saying that, Shen Xiyan glanced at Qin Sheng and smiled:
“Art Student……………… do you understand?”
They’d known each other for ten years in their previous life, and he knew Qin Sheng’s grades were a mess.
Yet she always had her reasons, saying she’d only need addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in the future anyway.
With her family background, she wasn’t wrong. For 99% of people, after the college entrance exams, you could forget everything you’d learned. But using “studying hard” as an excuse was going too far.
Pfft.
“So what if I don’t understand? I’m an Art Student!”
Qin Sheng glared at him, biting her lip at first, then her eyes grew misty with rare frustration about her intelligence.
She didn’t feel pressured to study, nor did she want to, but she couldn’t let Shen Xiyan say it out loud.
Qin Sheng cared a lot about how Shen Xiyan saw her—she couldn’t allow even a tiny flaw, or she’d throw a tantrum.
On the other hand, no matter how exaggerated the praise, Qin Sheng would accept it with a happy smile. That’s why when they were dating, Shen Xiyan thought Qin Sheng was so wonderful.
“Art Students don’t have to take the college entrance exam?”
“My family is rich!”
“And I’m pretty—I can find a boyfriend who earns money anytime.”
“Oh wow! That’s amazing, I’m just a poor guy.”
“No worries, I’m precious, you’re precious—we’re a perfect match.”
Aunt, Shen Xiyan, Lin Ci, Wenwen:
“???”
No one understood.
Qin Sheng’s pretty oval face showed a sly, fox-like smile—she thought it was all very exciting.
Shen Xiyan could see the “ill intentions” in Qin Sheng’s eyes. His lower half suddenly felt a chill, as if he was being targeted.