"Teacher Qi, I've sent the materials you requested to your email."
"Got it. Thanks for your hard work."
"Teacher Qi..."
After the final exams ended, Qiu Xi and the others spent most of their days in the office.
"Everyone has been doing quite well lately!"
One could tell from this statement that Qi Xizhi was in a very good mood.
"..."
And why wouldn't he be?
If they had slacked off a little more, their holiday would have been postponed.
"Alright! I won't keep you any longer. After tomorrow, you can pack up and prepare to go home for the holiday."
"Teacher Qi, really?"
"You won't trick us again, will you?"
"Yes! Is it true?"
Several people looked surprised, with a hint of joy.
It wasn't entirely their fault for asking.
Because Teacher Qi had told them the same thing two days prior, only to immediately retract it with a "impossible."
So, hearing something similar today, they were still a bit skeptical.
"Ahem!"
Qi Xizhi's expression turned serious. "This time it's for real. After tomorrow, you can all go on holiday."
"However, I must make one thing clear! You cannot keep delaying the tasks assigned to you. They must be completed."
As he spoke, Qi Xizhi's gaze fell on Wei Ziqin and Mo Yaya. "Especially you two, don't get complacent as soon as you get home!"
"Teacher, you can rest assured!"
"We will study hard when we get back and definitely complete our tasks diligently!"
The few of them promised one after another.
What was most important at this moment? Of course, it was going home!
"Good, good."
"Continue your work. If you have any questions, just ask my sister directly."
"Okay!"
Knowing that they were about to go on holiday, everyone's mood was exceptionally good for the entire day.
The most noticeable was Luo An, who had been muttering incessantly for the past two days. His lips had not turned down once while staring at dense literature, showing how genuinely happy he was.
"Qiu Xi, Luo An, do you two want to get together tomorrow night?"
As they were leaving the office in the evening, Qiu Xi and Luo An were called to a stop by Mo Yaya.
With the holiday approaching, it was perfectly fine for fellow disciples to gather.
"Senior Sister, is it just us?" Luo An asked.
Mo Yaya nodded. "Yes, just the four of us. Teacher said he won't disturb us and will get together with me after the semester starts."
"So, what do you two say? Will you come?"
"Sure, I have no problem!" Luo An nodded.
Qiu Xi also smiled slightly. "Yes, I can make it too. We'll just follow Senior Sister then."
"Great!" Mo Yaya smiled in satisfaction. "Tomorrow night, we'll leave the office together."
Both of them nodded in unison. "Okay."
"Then it's settled. See you tomorrow."
"Senior Sister, see you tomorrow."
After saying that, they left the office.
...
"Ah Hua, when are you guys getting holiday? Did the teacher say?"
As soon as Qiu Xi returned, she saw Nan Hua and started chatting with him.
"He hasn't said yet. What's up?" Nan Hua smiled and gave Qiu Xi a hug.
Qiu Xi shook her head slightly. "Nothing much. It's just that Teacher Qi told us this afternoon that we could leave school after tomorrow."
"Oh? So soon?" Nan Hua was slightly surprised.
Qiu Xi smiled. "We were quite surprised too, but the teacher confirmed it today."
It was indeed surprising.
They had already prepared themselves after the final exams ended, never expecting that the teacher would actually be in such a good mood to let them go on holiday so quickly.
"Hmm, we'll probably have to wait another week." Nan Hua thought about the experiments he had on hand. He didn't think he could finish them in less than a week.
Coupled with the teacher's requirements, this timeframe was likely to be extended rather than shortened.
"Got it," Qiu Xi nodded. "Keep up the good work with your experiments."
"Yes. When are you planning to go back to Jinhai City?" Nan Hua asked.
"I don't know yet. I'll wait and see."
Her family members had already gone out to play and returned home in early January.
It didn't matter whether she returned early or late. She had initially thought she would have to wait a long time, but with the unexpected early holiday, her plans were a bit disrupted.
"Since I have some time, I'll go visit Xiguang first."
She hadn't been to the company in quite some time, and Liang Yunfei was starting to miss her.
With the extra days from the early holiday, she might as well go and see.
"That's a good idea," Nan Hua nodded. "I should be done next week too. If you're still here then, we'll go back and stay for a couple of days first, and then I'll take you back."
"Okay, I'll follow your lead," Qiu Xi smiled and nodded.
"Mm."
...
The next day -
"Teacher Qi, we're leaving then?"
"Go, go, go. Enjoy your meal." Qi Xizhi waved with a smile.
"Okay, goodbye Teacher Qi."
"Happy holiday, Teacher Qi!"
"...Go, go, hurry up and leave, or I'll keep you here for overtime!"
"Huh?"
"Goodbye, Teacher Qi!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the figures of the few people vanished from the office.
"..."
"They sure are quick to leave!" Qi Xizhi chuckled.
The ones who had already slipped away were all smiles.
"Good thing we ran fast!"
"Yeah! Good thing we ran fast."
They understood Teacher Qi quite well; he was capable of keeping people behind for overtime at the last minute.
"Alright, alright! Let's hurry and go eat."
"Senior Sister is right!"
"I really need to eat something good to comfort myself right now!" Luo An was consoling himself.
It was a good thing they ran fast!
"Alright! Let's go."
"The private room is already booked. We can just order food when we get there."
"Okay! Let's go!"
With that, the few of them quickened their pace and took a taxi outside to the restaurant where the private room was booked.
...
"Senior Sister, are you serious?"
After ordering their food, the group started chatting and somehow the topic turned to studying for higher education.
"Yes, that's how it was for me last year."
"And Senior Brother, you can ask him too?"
Luo An looked at Wei Ziqin. "Senior Brother?"
Wei Ziqin nodded without hesitation. "Indeed, that's how I've always done it."
"..." Luo An's face fell.
He was just starting to prepare for the holiday, and now he already had to worry about the upcoming semester.
The decision to return to school early after the new year felt a bit tragic.
No wonder Teacher Qi was so happy.
"Alright, these are all normal things. It's not just us; everyone is like this."
"Being able to get holiday early now is something we've earned," Wei Ziqin said with a smile.
Actually, he was in a good mood, as this was the first time he had encountered early holiday.
If there was a reason, it was probably due to the previous "academic assessments" where everyone performed well.
Coupled with the efficiency of completing tasks in the later period, they had actually gained something.
"Senior Brother is right. You might not know this, but before you, our senior brothers and sisters never enjoyed the benefit of early holiday."
"The four of us are the first. Be content, okay~"
"Really?" Luo An's eyes were full of doubt.
"Of course!"
"Really, really!"
After hearing this, Luo An smiled. "That's okay then, it's a gain either way..."
Mo Yaya nodded. "That's for sure!"
"Alright!"
"Let's eat~"
"Okay!"
Thus, the gathering of the four became quite a happy occasion.
...