Xia Qingyu looked surprised when her teacher suddenly mentioned Nie Qingkong.
"Alright, go back and rest well. Don't get sick during this time. While the competition is important, your grades in other subjects are also crucial. Avoid arrogance and impatience," the teacher advised before letting Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong leave the office.
After leaving the office, Li Xiaozhong turned to Xia Qingyu and said, "Nie Qingkong got the same score as you. He must have calculated his score again, right?"
"Who knows," Xia Qingyu replied, not wanting to discuss Nie Qingkong and brushing it off vaguely.
At this moment, Shi Xingwu, with his schoolbag on, was leaning against the corridor wall waiting for them. Seeing them, he couldn't help but get excited, "You two are amazing! You actually get to participate in the World Competition. I knew you could do it!"
"It's alright," Li Xiaozhong said casually.
"Look at you being so boastful! You'll be training extra with me later!" Shi Xingwu said, patting Li Xiaozhong's shoulder.
Li Xiaozhong's mouth twitched twice.
Could he refuse?
"That's great..." Shi Xingwu said with envy. "If only I could go to Finland too! I've only heard about it, never been there! I wanted to go with you guys!"
"Didn't you go to Northern Europe before?" Li Xiaozhong asked. "Last year or the year before?"
"That was when my dad and one of his friends organized a friendly match in Norway. It was in the dead of winter, and I was nearly frozen stiff," Shi Xingwu recalled, still feeling his lips tremble. "I didn't get to do anything, my enthusiasm was completely frozen. I went in a daze and came back in a daze."
"That sounds miserable," Xia Qingyu couldn't help but sympathize.
"Definitely!" Shi Xingwu exclaimed, while simultaneously punching Li Xiaozhong twice with envy. "You're training extra with me tonight! Sigh... I'm so jealous!"
Li Xiaozhong looked at Shi Xingwu with a completely innocent expression. "You're jealous, why don't you study hard instead? Why are you picking on me?"
"I don't care! I can't bully my goddess, so you're the easiest target! It's our deep friendship! What's wrong with letting me bully you a bit!" Shi Xingwu acted shamelessly.
"I can't be bothered with you!" Li Xiaozhong quickened his pace.
"You can't ignore me!" Shi Xingwu quickly chased after him. "Li Xiaozhong, you heartless scoundrel!"
"Please! Don't use words you don't understand!" Li Xiaozhong started running, wondering if he had made a mistake being best friends with this guy.
Was it too late to break off their friendship?
Xia Qingyu couldn't help but laugh, watching the two of them. Her earlier inexplicable gloominess completely vanished.
When the three of them arrived at the martial arts hall, Shi Xingwu excitedly boasted to his father and everyone at the hall about his two friends' achievements. "Representing the whole country in the World Competition! This isn't some friendly match! It's a World Competition! The kind you can brag about for a lifetime!"
"Awesome, truly impressive!" everyone applauded and praised them enthusiastically.
"Dad! Look at them going to Northern Europe. They just picked a better time than me. I wasn't frozen to death last time! Look at their timing now, it's the perfect time to have fun!" Shi Xingwu complained. "With my tragic experience back then, I'm too embarrassed to say I've traveled abroad!"
"What does that matter?" Shi Fu said casually with his arms crossed. "At worst, I can contact Old Wen and organize another friendly match next month."
"Really? Where will it be held?" Shi Xingwu's eyes lit up. "The goddess and Li Xiaozhong are going to Finland!"
"Then let's hold it in Finland too!" Shi Fu stroked his chin and looked at Xia Qingyu. "You train hard during this period, arrange some extra training. There's a friendly match next month, you'll participate too."
"Me?" Xia Qingyu's mouth twitched, and she pointed at herself.
"You're the only girl in the entire martial arts hall, and there are no other female disciples who can compete. You can do it," Shi Fu patted Xia Qingyu's shoulder and went to contact Old Wen.
"Oh dear... My dad has already spoken. Goddess... I can't do anything about it," Shi Xingwu said, beaming when he realized he could go to Finland with Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong.
"Hoo... Finally, it's not me," Li Xiaozhong said with relief, even though it wasn't exactly loyal.
Every time Shi Xingwu would make him train extra, and Master Shi would say that as a boy, he needed muscles, letting Shi Xingwu torment him repeatedly.
"What are you dreaming about? We have such great brotherly affection, do you think I'll let you escape?" Shi Xingwu said with his hands on his hips. "First, stand still. After standing still, twenty laps around the field for warm-up, then we'll start punching!"
Li Xiaozhong felt exhausted. He wished for destruction and wanted to break off their friendship.
Finally, dragging his weary body home, Li Xiaozhong didn't even want to eat, only wanting to sleep and rest.
But reality didn't give him that chance.
"Little brother, I'm hungry," Li Xiaoxiao said, slumping onto the sofa. "There's so much work at the company today... The creative department is swamped."
"Aren't you just an intern who's studying part-time?" Li Xiaozhong asked, looking at Li Xiaoxiao.
"Yes," Li Xiaoxiao propped her head up. "That's why I can get off work alive. Everyone else is still working overtime in a half-dead state."
Seeing Li Xiaoxiao like this, Li Xiaozhong couldn't bear to let her fend for herself.
After preparing four dishes and one soup, Li Xiaozhong went to call Da Ya for dinner. He found that Da Ya had intermittently regained her memory and had become the incredibly aloof Tang Family Young Mistress, very picky about his cooking. After a barrage of complaints, she gave a review: "Tsk... It'll do."
Even a clay figurine has some spirit. Li Xiaozhong slammed the table, ready to lose his temper. The Tang Family Young Mistress on the other side was startled and immediately turned back into Da Ya.
With teary eyes, she cried about a headache and asked Li Xiaoxiao for a hug to be comforted.
Li Xiaoxiao, while comforting Da Ya, complained to Li Xiaozhong, "Why are you so fierce? She's a patient, can't you be a bit more considerate? Really... You were quite well-behaved as a child, but your temper has gotten worse as you've grown up!"
"I..." Li Xiaozhong's breath was caught in his throat, almost suffocating him.
"Alright, alright, let's not eat. Let's go back and lie down," Li Xiaoxiao helped Da Ya up and led her towards the room.
Li Xiaozhong was about to smash a bowl to vent his frustration, but remembering that the bowl cost 11.9 yuan, he put down the raised bowl. Instead, he grabbed a cushion and buried his face in it, sulking alone.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Li Xiaozhong got up to open it. As soon as the door opened, he saw Er Ya standing at the doorway, looking travel-worn. She greeted him with a smile, "Yohoo~ Long time no see~ Is your sister home? I'm staying here for a couple of days~"
Li Xiaozhong, standing at the doorway, looked numb, his eyes dark.
He was tired. Let it all be destroyed.