One of the side, Li Xiaoxiao watched Xia Qingtian and couldn't help but sigh, "Qingtian, sometimes I feel lucky that we're friends."
"Hm?" Xia Qingtian turned to look at Li Xiaoxiao, "What?"
"At times... I feel you're actually a bit scary... scary smart," Li Xiaoxiao said sincerely.
"Really..." Xia Qingtian smiled and said, "You go back to the classroom first. I need to go see Professor Tang. If I don't come back before class, can you take attendance for me or tell the teacher?"
"Okay, go ahead," Li Xiaoxiao waved.
After waving goodbye to Li Xiaoxiao, Xia Qingtian went directly to find Professor Tang. Professor Tang happened to be on his lunch break.
Upon seeing Xia Qingtian, Professor Tang immediately handed her a list and laid out the best terms he could secure for her upfront.
Xia Qingtian could sense Professor Tang's sincerity and directness, so she didn't make things difficult for the old professor, only making a small adjustment to the schedule.
After all, she had used the holiday date arrangements as bait to get Er Ya interested.
If the current work arrangement was similar to being a security guard, Er Ya might even feel that being a security guard suited her better.
"How can this be? The project progress is already very tight, everyone is eager to dive in, and she this..." Professor Tang frowned deeply, "Besides, she's not a student and doesn't have many classes, why does she need so much rest time? Is she busier than me?"
"Professor Tang, Er Ya has a childlike nature. Once she gets interested in something, she'll dive in headfirst, just as you said," Xia Qingtian replied with a polite smile, "You also said that this experiment is on a tight schedule. Compared to giving her normal holiday rest, being able to effectively complete her work on weekdays should be more important to you, right?"
Professor Tang did not deny Xia Qingtian's words, only muttering a few things that Xia Qingtian couldn't quite hear, guessing that he was probably complaining about the capricious behavior and personalities of young people nowadays.
"Bring her here tomorrow morning to sign the contract, and then it's official," Professor Tang said, then started ushering her out, as he needed to get back to work.
Xia Qingtian hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. As she left Professor Tang's laboratory, she bumped into a tall, thin old man at the doorway, who seemed to be an old professor at the school as well.
Seeing that Xia Qingtian was coming out of Professor Tang's lab, he gave Xia Qingtian a rather haughty glance before pushing the door open and entering the laboratory opposite.
Xia Qingtian didn't have time to greet him and felt as if she had been snubbed. She just shrugged awkwardly.
The next morning, Xia Qingtian brought Er Ya to sign the contract as arranged.
Er Ya knew nothing about contracts, and Xia Qingtian helped her review the entire document, her diligent demeanor earning her a nod of approval from Professor Tang.
After signing the contract, Professor Tang urged Xia Qingtian to leave quickly. Er Ya insisted on escorting Xia Qingtian out, and Professor Tang only grunted, not refusing, but followed them all the way to the door.
It was as if he was afraid that Er Ya, whom he had just signed on, would be snatched away by someone else.
At the laboratory entrance, Xia Qingtian met the tall, thin old man she had encountered the day before.
He still wore a stern and indifferent expression, "I haven't seen any progress in the experiments, but the girls they've recruited are all prettier than the last."
"What's it to you!" Professor Tang frowned and said impatiently, "Mind your own business! Loser!"
"Drinking soy milk, you have to compete over who drinks faster, why don't you get scalded to death!" The other man glared at Professor Tang, then looked at Er Ya and Xia Qingtian and snorted, "Instead of wasting time on those useless experiments, why not come to my lab? The benefits aren't worse than his."
"Are you trying to die! Trying to poach someone right under my nose! Miao, are you looking for a fight?" Professor Tang was so angry he was puffing out his beard and glaring, seeming to have had grievances with the other man for more than a day or two.
"What? Afraid they'll find out how unreliable you old poison are?" Professor Miao shifted his gaze from Professor Tang's face to Xia Qingtian and Er Ya, "You're young, don't end up being poisoned to death by that old poison before you even develop the serum."
"I don't believe you! No one surnamed Miao is any good!" Er Ya put her hands on her hips and snorted.
Professor Miao heard Er Ya's words, frowned, and immediately let out a cold snort. Just like yesterday, he cast a rather haughty glance at Xia Qingtian and Er Ya before pushing the door open and entering the laboratory opposite.
"That's right! No one surnamed Miao is any good!" Professor Tang deliberately said loudly, as if afraid Professor Miao hadn't heard.
Afterward, Er Ya and Professor Tang simultaneously reached out and clasped hands, looking like they had found each other late in life, "Perhaps, we are quite compatible!"
"It's possible!" Professor Tang did not deny it.
"..." Xia Qingtian, who had witnessed the entire process, wondered if she should say something.
Oh dear... my head hurts...
However, seeing how well Er Ya and Professor Tang got along, Xia Qingtian couldn't be bothered to say anything. She just told Er Ya that they would have lunch together at noon and left the experimental building directly.
Before going to class, Xia Qingtian went to the counselor's office first, as a form of reporting after completing her task.
The counselor was very pleased and officially informed Xia Qingtian about the activity next week where she would be an assistant at City No. 1 High School.
Xia Qingtian had intended to refuse, but then she thought of Xia Qingyu at City No. 1 High School.
After the parent-teacher conference, she hadn't yet learned about Xia Qingyu's situation at school. It would be good to go and see for herself.
If anyone dared to bully her sister, she would teach that person how to be a human again!
At the same time, in front of the results announcement board at City No. 1 High School, a discussion was brewing among the crowd.
Li Xiaozhong, who had always been second, had actually ranked third!
And the person who had squeezed in front of Li Xiaozhong was Nie Qingkong, who had transferred to the school only this week!
Xia Qingyu, who was standing next to Li Xiaozhong in front of the announcement board, was equally shocked.
The difference in their total scores was 1 point, and Nie Qingkong was 0.5 points ahead of both of them.
Furthermore, their subject scores jumped and swayed between hers and Li Xiaozhong's scores like a wave.
It was as if he was deliberately playing games.
"Look! Nie Qingkong!" someone suddenly shouted.
Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong both looked towards Nie Qingkong, who was approaching from behind.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Nie Qingkong's refined face showed a hint of a smile, "Could it be that manipulating scores is your patent at City No. 1 High School, and I'm not allowed to manipulate scores?"
Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong both narrowed their eyes slightly.
To achieve this, Nie Qingkong was definitely not just manipulating scores; he had thoroughly studied the patterns of score manipulation by Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong.
Was it a provocation, or simply playing around?
Xia Qingyu looked at Nie Qingkong's refined and elegant face, finding it difficult to guess what he intended to do.