Xia Qingyu stumbled to the ground after being bumped into. Her first reaction upon getting up was to immediately pick up the keys that had fallen not far away.
These were Xia Qingtian's house keys, and she couldn't afford to lose them.
"Xia Qingyu? How could it be you!?"
Hearing this, Xia Qingyu finally looked up at the other person.
The two people standing in front of her were her classmates from high school.
The taller one, holding a basketball, was Shi Xingwu, a sports specialist in their class.
The shorter one, with a backpack slung over his shoulder, was Li Xiaozhong, the perpetual second-place finisher in their class.
They didn't have much interaction usually. Xia Qingyu often represented the school in various competitions, so she frequently encountered Li Xiaozhong. At most, they were acquaintances who nodded to each other.
"Hey, I didn't expect to run into the school belle here," Shi Xingwu chuckled, picking up the books Xia Qingyu had just bought and glancing at them quickly. "These are your books. I'm really sorry."
"It's okay," Xia Qingyu replied, taking her books and putting them back into her bag.
"As expected of the top student in the school, coming to buy books even during the break," Shi Xingwu said with a smile. "Actually, I love reading too."
"Is that so? What have you been reading?" Xia Qingyu casually asked.
"Uh..." Shi Xingwu was stumped. He was the type of person who would fall asleep as soon as he started reading, and his knowledge of a book was limited to its table of contents.
"Ahem." Perhaps unable to bear seeing Shi Xingwu embarrassed, Li Xiaozhong coughed lightly, signaling Shi Xingwu to look at Xia Qingyu's newly purchased books.
It would be good if he could at least mention a book title, and perhaps they could continue chatting later.
"Ah!" Shi Xingwu immediately got Li Xiaozhong's hint. He glanced at the bag Xia Qingyu was carrying, a semi-transparent plastic bag that vaguely revealed a book title: "I recently read 'The Moon and the Manure Soil'!"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough!" Li Xiaozhong never imagined that Shi Xingwu would misread the book title even when reading it aloud!
"..." Xia Qingyu's lips twitched. For a moment, she didn't even know how to respond.
"Hey? What a coincidence! You're reading this book too!" Shi Xingwu pointed at the bag in Xia Qingyu's hand.
"It's definitely not the same book," Xia Qingyu said, strategically taking half a step back. Then, she added, "I'll be going now. Bye."
After saying that, she hurried away.
"Oh, alright then! I, I have a lot of geology and civil engineering books at home. I'll lend them to you next time!" Shi Xingwu shouted after Xia Qingyu's retreating figure, waving his hand.
"Can you just shut up!" Li Xiaozhong couldn't help but say. "Aren't you embarrassed enough?"
"Huh?" Shi Xingwu turned his head and asked blankly, "What?"
"How did you read 'The Moon and Sixpence' as 'The Moon and Manure Soil'? You can't even copy homework correctly!" Li Xiaozhong asked speechlessly.
"Huh?" Shi Xingwu's face suddenly turned bright red. "Aren't, aren't they geology and civil engineering books?"
"They're worlds apart," Li Xiaozhong shook his head and walked straight ahead, not wanting to be embarrassed with this guy anymore.
"Ahhhhh!" Shi Xingwu cried out in distress, clutching his head where he stood. Only after realizing Li Xiaozhong had walked far away did he immediately chase after him, asking, "Li Xiaozhong, where are you going?"
"Home, to cook for my sister," Li Xiaozhong replied.
"Good heavens, you're not secretly an obsessed older sister admirer, are you! Your sister is already a university student, studying finance at Z University. Do you really need to serve her like a mother every day?" Shi Xingwu asked, clicking his tongue. "Say, if your sister ever finds a boyfriend..."
Before he could finish, Shi Xingwu shivered.
There was killing intent!
Li Xiaozhong glared at Shi Xingwu and said no more, walking further away.
Shi Xingwu, left alone, scratched the back of his head, looking utterly speechless. "This guy, if he put even a tenth of the effort he uses to take care of his sister into his studies, he wouldn't be the perpetual second-place finisher!"
Clicking his tongue and shaking his head, Shi Xingwu plunged into the bookstore Xia Qingyu had visited earlier.
To win a smile from the goddess, he still had to force himself to go and read something.
At least memorize a few book titles, so he wouldn't make such a fool of himself again.
Meanwhile, not long after Xia Qingyu left Xia Qingtian's house, Li Mengxiao arrived with a lot of snacks and fruits.
Xia Qingtian then gave Li Mengxiao a big hug. After their separation this time, she appreciated the wonderfulness of her little angel Xiaoxiao even more.
Seeing that Xia Qingtian hadn't lost weight and had even gained fame, Li Mengxiao was already very satisfied.
"Hey? The kitchen is already tidied up." Li Mengxiao exclaimed in surprise. "The refrigerator power is also connected."
"My sister tidied it up," Xia Qingtian said with a dry laugh.
"Ah, Xia Qingyu." Li Mengxiao remembered Xia Qingyu and said with a smile, "Although you sisters don't look much alike, you each have your own beauty, and both have very high颜值."
"We're not even born from the same parents, so how could we look alike," Xia Qingtian said. "We're a blended family."
"Oh, I see," Li Mengxiao nodded. "The child looked very polite, gentle, and generous, and she seemed to like me quite a lot."
Xia Qingtian remembered Xia Qingyu's evaluation of Li Mengxiao and chuckled, "As long as you're happy."
Li Mengxiao didn't think much of it and proceeded to organize the snacks and fruits she had bought.
After this variety show, Xia Qingtian's popularity soared. Gu's Entertainment also intended to promote her, and with Wen Ning, a top agent, by her side, Xia Qingtian's resources were naturally abundant.
Advertisement collaborations, magazine photoshoots, and various interviews were almost overwhelming.
However, Wen Ning blocked them all.
She only accepted a magazine photoshoot with a certain status in the fashion industry.
Moreover, the other party clearly saw Xia Qingtian's potential, giving her a cover feature for her first photoshoot.
The photographer was also a well-known figure in the industry, having previously collaborated with various celebrities and having an excellent reputation.
It was heard earlier that this photographer was very good at digging into the soul of the subject in front of the lens, providing the most accurate positioning.
Even though Xia Qingtian was wearing a simple and refreshing outfit of a white shirt and dark jeans that day, the photographer still set the main theme of the shoot as "A Luxurious Bloom in the Mortal World."
Soon, a set of photos exuding rich and noble elegance, in the style of a wealthy young lady, were printed on the cover of this leading fashion magazine in the country, appearing on newsstands and bookstores nationwide.
And this magazine, with these photos, broke its sales record for the first time in an era when print media was severely impacted.
In short, it was a very pleasant collaboration.
At the entrance of the Z City Prison, a man with a buzz cut with his shoulders slumped emerged from within and got into a seven-seater business van.
"I believe you'll be very interested in seeing this," said the person sitting inside, handing the man a magazine with Xia Qingtian's photo on it.
"Xia! Qing! Tian!" the man gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. He raised his head, revealing a face that should have been refined.
"Mr. Song, I believe we will have a very pleasant cooperation," the other party said, looking at the undisguised hatred in Song Junhan's eyes, a smile creeping onto their lips, a very satisfied smile.