After the morning board meeting concluded, Xia Qingtian went to Z University in the afternoon.
Although she was two days late compared to others, thanks to the buzz on the internet, the advisor felt it was safer for Xia Qingtian to stay home given the circumstances.
Furthermore, since it was already Saturday and Sunday, she wasn't marked absent. The advisor simply reminded Xia Qingtian to keep track of her class credits and be careful not to fail.
After thanking her advisor, Xia Qingtian went to meet up with Li Xiaoxiao.
Li Xiaoxiao, who had been worried about Xia Qingtian for two full days, finally gave her a big hug upon confirming Xia Qingtian's safety: "You scared me to death! I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Sorry~ I made you worry," Xia Qingtian replied, hugging Li Xiaoxiao back tightly. "It's all good now, completely fine."
"That's good then." Li Xiaoxiao put her arm around Xia Qingtian's shoulder and said, "Qingtian, do you want to come over for dinner tonight? I'm telling you, my mom's cooking is amazing!"
"Will it bother Uncle and Auntie?" Xia Qingtian asked curiously.
"Not at all~ It's just that my brother's results from the city competition just came out, and my mom said she'll make something delicious to celebrate. She'll probably make a lot of dishes, so come along." Li Xiaoxiao added, "Oh, and bring your sister too."
"Hmm... I'll call Qingyu later to let her know." Xia Qingtian thought it wouldn't hurt to have some fun.
Besides, she was quite curious about Li Xiaoxiao's parents.
If she had the chance to meet them, it might be nice.
With a bit of luck, it might even help resolve some of her own doubts.
After they made plans, Xia Qingtian contacted Xia Qingyu, and Li Xiaoxiao sent a message to her mother informing her that she would be bringing two friends home for dinner.
After the classes ended that afternoon, Xia Qingtian and Li Xiaoxiao planned to pick up Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong from school first, and then head to Li Xiaoxiao's place together.
As they just exited the school gate, they heard a female voice calling out, "Xia, Xia Qingtian!"
Stopping in her tracks, Xia Qingtian found the voice somewhat familiar. Looking back, she saw a girl wearing a baseball cap and a mask, looking at her somewhat nervously.
"Are you..." Xia Qingtian met the girl's gaze and then remembered, "Yinyin?"
This girl should be the one who was disfigured and was trapped in the secret room of that shady hospital with her before.
"It's me, you, you still remember me..." Yinyin said, a little embarrassed, and raised her hand to touch her mask.
Through the fabric of the mask, she could feel her uneven skin.
"Of course, I remember. My number one fan," Xia Qingtian said with a chuckle. "What's up?"
"I saw online that you're a student at Z University, so I came to try my luck, hoping to see you..." Yinyin quickly waved her hand as she said this, "I'm not a sasaeng fan, I don't want to stalk you, I just wanted to thank you in person! I'm not a weirdo!"
"Oh, I see. Don't be nervous, I don't think you're a weirdo at all," Xia Qingtian immediately reassured her.
Hearing Xia Qingtian say that, Yinyin breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "I, I've always wanted to properly thank you. If it weren't for you, I might have died there... Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome. You make me feel a bit shy," Xia Qingtian said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "You should be careful from now on, don't get tricked again."
"I won't, I won't," Yinyin waved her hand and continued, "I've already contacted a very reputable hospital, and I'll be receiving treatment there from now on."
"Then I wish you all the best," Xia Qingtian said with a smile.
"Mm!" Yinyin nodded emphatically, then hesitated, "Um... I'll be going now then..."
"Okay, okay, be careful." Xia Qingtian waved her hand, then seemed to remember something and said, "Wait for me."
Xia Qingtian rummaged through her backpack and found a sticky note with a strawberry background. She signed her name on it. "This is the autograph I promised you before. I didn't have a pen or paper then."
Receiving Xia Qingtian's autograph, Yinyin's eyes welled up.
She hadn't expected Xia Qingtian to remember such a small detail.
Carefully tucking away the sticky note with Xia Qingtian's signature, Yinyin bowed respectfully to Xia Qingtian before turning to leave.
Watching Yinyin walk away, Li Xiaoxiao exclaimed, "It's so good to be a celebrity, having fans waiting for you at the school gate."
"That's a rather cute fan. If it were a sasaeng fan waiting under your bed, would you still think it's good?" Xia Qingtian asked Li Xiaoxiao.
"Ew... just thinking about it is scary," Li Xiaoxiao said, rubbing her arm, which had suddenly broken out in goosebumps. "I think I'd rather just be an ordinary person~"
"You're something else," Xia Qingtian just chuckled and got into the car with Li Xiaoxiao.
After picking up Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong, the four of them headed to Li Xiaoxiao's house.
Upon getting out of the car at the entrance of the residential area, Xia Qingyu specifically bought some good-looking seasonal fruits from a nearby fruit store.
"Your sister is quite something. Polite and proper. How about marrying into my family as a daughter-in-law?" Li Xiaoxiao said, looking at Xia Qingyu with increasing satisfaction. "We could be related by marriage, couldn't we?"
"Arranged marriages aren't fashionable anymore. That's feudal dross," Xia Qingtian said, flicking Li Xiaoxiao on the forehead. She then scoffed, "Only the most outstanding boys are worthy of my sister~"
"Tsk." Li Xiaoxiao looked at Xia Qingtian's smug expression and then glanced back at her own brother, who was forever second best, feeling that the hope was indeed rather slim.
Upon arriving at Li Xiaoxiao's home, Xia Qingtian formally met Li Xiaoxiao's parents.
Both of them appeared to be intellectuals, wearing glasses, refined and amiable. "You're Qingtian, right? Xiaoxiao often talks about you. Please, come in."
"Hello, Uncle and Auntie," Xia Qingtian greeted them and introduced the person beside her. "This is my sister, Xia Qingyu."
"Uncle and Auntie, this is a small token of our appreciation." Xia Qingyu presented the fruit, her smile sweet.
"Both sisters are beauties! You didn't have to bring fruit, really." Mother Li smiled, accepting the fruit while making polite remarks, and then asked Li Xiaoxiao to take Xia Qingtian and her sister to wash their hands and prepare for dinner.
After everyone washed their hands and gathered around the table, Mother Li and Father Li busied themselves with serving the dishes. Xia Qingtian and her sister offered to help several times, but they were gently guided back to their seats.
Once all the dishes were served, Father Li raised his glass and began, "My first toast is to welcome Qingtian and Qingyu to our home, and to congratulate Xiaozhong on winning second place in the senior group of the city's math competition."
Everyone clinked glasses in a lively atmosphere. Xia Qingtian looked at Li Xiaozhong with a smile and said, "Second place in the city! You're very impressive."
Although she knew that Li Xiaozhong's capabilities went far beyond this.
"Am I?" Li Xiaozhong glanced at Xia Qingyu and said, "She got first place."
In an instant, everyone fell silent.