Chapter 11: That Delicate Flower (11)

Qin Xiao stared at Song Qi, then sat back down. “Then I’ll stay put.”

“Unbelievable.” Song Qi ignored him, gathered her homework, and handed it to the group leader.

A lot of people in class copied their homework. The moment Song Qi handed hers over, a crowd formed around it.

She frowned but didn’t intervene. When she returned to her seat, she saw Qin Xiao pull out a stack of blank worksheets.

He straightened them carelessly, then looked up at Song Qi.

Song Qi curled her lip and gave a derisive snort.

“Xu Yangnuan.”

“Hm?” Song Qi glanced at Qin Xiao. “What is it?”

“Don’t make it so obvious.”

Song Qi smiled. “You’re a loser. What, nobody’s allowed to laugh at you?”

She opened her book, then paused and looked over at Qin Xiao again.

“If you want to prove me wrong, work hard and beat me on an exam. I believe in you. Go for it.”

She thought she’d been very tactful. Back in the military, she could make a grown man cry without even trying.

Qin Xiao stared at Song Qi’s profile for a full minute before turning away, his fists clenched.

When class ended, Song Qi saw Gu Si come in holding a cup. She looked a little uneasy.

“Yangnuan, I made milk tea. Do you want to try some?” Gu Si set the cup on the desk, looked at Song Qi, and tugged at her school uniform.

Song Qi glanced at the cup, then reached into her desk and pulled out a packet of spicy strips. They’d been left there by the original female lead; apparently, they were some kind of internet-famous extra-spicy snack.

“Want one?”

“Sure.” Gu Si nodded at once.

Song Qi opened the packet and handed it to her.

Gu Si shoved the whole strip into her mouth. Three seconds later, her mouth fell open and her face twisted in agony. “Why is it so spicy?”

“I heard it’s insanely hot. Want some water?” Song Qi picked up the cup Gu Si had brought over and held it out to her.

Gu Si didn’t look at it. Her tongue no longer felt like her own, and her head was spinning.

She gulped down a huge mouthful of milk tea, then froze.

She looked at the cup in her hand, trembled, and glanced at Song Qi.

Song Qi regarded her with mild puzzlement. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I brought that for you…” Gu Si’s voice faltered. “I drank it all. What are you going to have?”

“Go ahead and drink it. Isn’t it spicy? That should help.” Song Qi reached out and ruffled Gu Si’s hair. “Good girl.”

Gu Si held the cup and looked at Song Qi, shivering a little. “Um, class is about to start. I should get back.”

“Okay.”

The moment Song Qi nodded, Gu Si turned and hurried off.

Host, how did you know there was something wrong with the drink?

Song Qi propped her chin on her hand. She’s a terrible actress. I’m not an idiot.

At lunch, Song Qi saw Gu Si looking pale.

“Are you okay?”

Gu Si shook her head. “My stomach just hurts a little.”

“Want to take the afternoon off and rest?”

“We have math this afternoon. If I miss it, I’ll never catch up.” Gu Si sighed.

Song Qi put an arm around her shoulders and leaned close to her ear. “Is it because of the milk tea?”

Gu Si’s whole body went rigid. She smiled at Song Qi, but the smile was painfully stiff.

“Don’t make things like that for yourself again. You’ll upset your stomach.” Song Qi patted her shoulder. “What do you want to eat? I’ll get it. You go save us a seat.”

Gu Si looked up into Song Qi’s eyes and nodded obediently.

“Good girl.” Song Qi rubbed her head.

As an onlooker, the system felt a chill run down its spine.

Most people doing quests just slapped down the villainess and got her out of the way as quickly as possible.

This woman was torturing the girl by degrees. Look how terrified she’d made her.

Song Qi got their food and carried the tray over. Gu Si was sitting obediently, waiting for her. Song Qi smiled faintly and set the tray in front of her.

“You can go back and lie down during lunch break. You don’t have to sleep with your head on the desk.”

Gu Si nodded.

They ate quietly, with Gu Si occasionally glancing up at Song Qi.

After lunch, they went their separate ways: one back to rest, the other to class.

On the way back, Song Qi passed the sports field. Qin Xiao was shooting hoops by himself. School rules forbade students from playing at this hour, and Qin Xiao was apparently the only one who dared to ignore them.

Song Qi rubbed her fingers together as she watched him. He’d missed several shots in a row. He clearly wasn’t in the best shape.

“What kind of ending are you hoping for?”

“The male and female leads get a happy ending and make it into A University.”

“Him?” Song Qi laughed. “Isn’t that protagonist halo a little too much?”

A University was ranked first in the country in this world.

The system fell silent.

Song Qi walked over with her hands in her pockets and stood watching with her arms crossed.

When Qin Xiao spotted her, he stumbled and flung the ball toward the hoop in a panic.

Air ball.

“Tsk.” Song Qi clicked her tongue in disgust. “Want to play one-on-one?”

“A good student like you should be back doing homework. Why are you hanging around with me?”

Song Qi tipped her chin up, looking insufferably smug. “What, scared? You can’t beat me at school, you can’t beat me in a fight—and now you’re worried you can’t even beat me at basketball, even with your height advantage?”

Qin Xiao bounced the ball and stared at her.

“If you’re scared, maybe you just don’t want to admit you’re useless. So why not put some effort into studying?” Song Qi felt like a nosy old lady from next door.

Qin Xiao stared at her for a few seconds, then looked enlightened. “Why are you always pushing me to study?”

“Because I can’t have a loser for a deskmate. It’d lower my standards.” Song Qi tossed out the excuse without a second thought. From Qin Xiao’s expression, though, he seemed to believe her.

Was this guy really that stupid?

“Come on. Let’s play.”

Song Qi glanced at the time. “If I win, you have to study properly. Deal?”

“And if I win?”

“I won’t lose.” Song Qi smiled and checked her watch. “Class is about to start. First to three baskets wins. Sound good?”

“Fine.”

Their game drew a crowd in no time.

Song Qi was about a foot shorter than Qin Xiao, but her jumping ability made up for some of the difference. She was also quick and agile.

And with the whole business of a boy and a girl needing to keep their distance, Qin Xiao was a little awkward about getting too close.

Song Qi, on the other hand, didn’t care in the slightest.

The final score was three to two. Song Qi won—and went easy on Qin Xiao to spare his pride.

“I win.” She spun the ball in her hands and looked at him. “Ready to go back and work through those worksheets with me?”

Qin Xiao took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

Song Qi tossed the ball back to him. I feel like I’ve suddenly acquired a son.

She glanced at her dirty hands, checked the time, and left.

Qin Xiao looked at the people watching. “What are you all staring at? Don’t you have class?”

It didn’t take long for the news to spread through the whole grade: Song Qi had played basketball against Qin Xiao and beaten him.

Nobody thought she’d won fair and square. They all assumed Qin Xiao had let her win.

After that, Song Qi was called to the homeroom teacher’s office during break.

“Xu Yangnuan, you said last time that you wanted to change seats. I was thinking of putting you with Yang Mo. You two could help each other out.” The homeroom teacher looked at her.

Yang Mo was the class’s academic monitor.

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to move anymore,” Song Qi said.