After watching Qiu Xi enter the bathroom, Nan Hua put down his tablet and stretched.
About half an hour later, Qiu Xi came out, holding a towel and drying her hair.
"Ah Hua, it's your turn."
Nan Hua's gaze deepened as he looked at the girl who had just come out. "No rush, come here first."
Qiu Xi was confused and looked up, "Huh?"
Seeing this, Nan Hua simply pulled her over, and she sat in front of him.
He reached out, took the towel from Qiu Xi's hand, and held her down.
"Let me dry your hair for you first."
Qiu Xi smiled dazedly, "Okay~"
After drying for quite a while, Qiu Xi reached up and felt her hair.
"It's done, it's almost dry. You go wash up quickly."
Nan Hua casually put down the towel and nodded, "Mm."
When Nan Hua came out after washing, Qiu Xi was already dozing on the sofa.
Seeing the obviously tired girl, Nan Hua tiptoed over.
Staring at her sleeping features, Nan Hua sighed inwardly, then gently picked her up.
She was perhaps really too tired, as Qiu Xi didn't open her eyes once from the living room to the bedroom.
Upon reaching the bedroom, Nan Hua slowly laid her down, then sat on the edge of the bed, watching her quietly.
After a long while, he unconsciously reached out and touched her calm brow. Remembering something, his thin lips pursed slightly, and then he smiled faintly.
He glanced at the alarm clock beside the bed. It was really late.
He got up quietly. Just as he lifted his foot to leave, he leaned down again and gently pressed his lips to the girl's forehead.
"Xi Xi~ Goodnight!"
With that, he turned off the bedside lamp and quietly closed the door as he left.
In the quiet night, it was another good dream.
......
The next day, the morning sun rose.
Rubbing her eyes, Qiu Xi groggily sat up in bed.
Her hands propping up the soft bed, Qiu Xi, still disoriented from just waking up, sat there dazed for several minutes.
After fully opening her eyes, she finally realized that she had fallen asleep on the sofa last night without realizing it.
She turned her head to look at the alarm clock. It wasn't very early, almost 8 o'clock.
She wondered if Ah Hua had woken up yet.
Thinking this, she shifted her feet, her slippers slapping the floor as she moved off the bed.
"Mmm~"
"So fragrant~"
Qiu Xi, who had been planning to go call him, smelled a sweet milky fragrance mixed with a hint of meatiness as soon as she stepped out of the room.
It seemed she didn't need to call him; Ah Hua had woken up much earlier and breakfast was already ready.
Busy with breakfast, Nan Hua looked up when he heard the "dada" sound and saw the person who had just woken up.
"Xi Xi, hurry and wash up. We're about to have breakfast."
"Okay~ Coming right away!"
Saying this, she turned and headed to the bathroom.
"Come on, eat it while it's hot."
The timing was perfect. As soon as Qiu Xi came out, Nan Hua carried the breakfast to the dining table.
It was a simple Western-style meal: sandwiches with hot milk.
It wasn't that he didn't want to make it more elaborate, it was just that his skills were limited.
This much was already what he could best manage.
Even this was something he had been guided through by Dad Qiu, so the taste was still acceptable.
"Mwah~"
Qiu Xi, leaning in, stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on Nan Hua's cheek.
"Good morning~ Thank you for your hard work, Ah Hua~"
The slight touch in the early morning made his body stiffen for a moment. "Xi Xi~ Good morning~"
As he spoke, he thoughtfully pulled out a chair for the girl, and they began to eat breakfast like that.
After finishing breakfast, the two of them lingered for quite a while.
It wasn't until ten in the morning that they finally arrived at the school entrance.
"Ah Hua, you go ahead with your work. I'll go find Teacher Ding first."
Teacher Ding had messaged her a couple of days ago saying that the training for the Century Cup had been scheduled.
And she happened to be free this morning, so she was told to come directly to her place.
Releasing her small hand, Nan Hua paused, "Okay, go ahead. We'll eat lunch together later."
If she didn't have to go to class, he would have liked to go along and watch.
His intentions weren't just about the event; he wanted to be close to her when he had the time.
Qiu Xi looked at him, smiled sweetly, and waved goodbye, "Okay~ You go ahead with your work too."
Watching the person's receding back disappear, Nan Hua also collected his thoughts and went to the laboratory.
......
Teacher's Apartment.
"Old man, what are you pacing back and forth for?"
Ge Jiaojie watched him, who had been walking around for half the day, her head about to spin.
Yet, he seemed completely oblivious and continued to pace, muttering to himself.
Ge Jiaojie: "......"
Forget it!
Out of sight, out of mind. She'd go visit her little vegetable patch outside.
See if there was anything edible, so she could keep little Xi for lunch later.
The old man had been talking about this matter for the past two days, and his current demeanor probably meant that little Xi was coming over...
Thinking this, Ge Jiaojie started to chuckle and talk to herself.
"The old man is really something. He's not young anymore, but he's still like a child..."
When Qiu Xi arrived, the door hadn't even been knocked on.
The door... it just opened by itself...
With her hand raised, before she could react, she saw the face within the doorway.
"Teacher Ding... Good morning."
Was the teacher guarding the door? That was quick.
Seeing the somewhat dazed person early in the morning, Ding Yujing's gaze fell upon her. "Why are you standing there like a fool! Come in quickly."
"Have you eaten breakfast? Do you want to have something first?"
When she heard the sound of the door locking behind her, Qiu Xi finally came back to her senses and walked in.
"Teacher Ding, I had breakfast before I came, so you don't need to trouble yourself."
Ding Yujing listened, nodded without saying anything, and then directly led her into the study.
"Since there's nothing else, sit down. Let's talk first."
She obediently sat down after hearing him speak, "Okay."
"I've communicated with a few old fellows, and the time is quite tight, so we've decided to speed up your training."
Qiu Xi nodded as she listened, indicating her understanding.
Then Ding Yujing continued, "The training will start this Saturday."
"Originally, we were going to start today, but we thought we needed to let you all meet each other, so we postponed it by two days."
"Saturday is perfect. Everyone will have time and can gather together."
Qiu Xi continued to nod, "Mm, okay. I'll listen to you, Teacher."
She had already given her class schedule to Teacher Ding. If there was nothing else, this arrangement would follow the teacher's plan.
Ding Yujing listened and nodded with satisfaction, then took out two or three folded sheets of 8-開 paper.
"Here, take these first. After this Saturday, your schedule will need to follow this."
Qiu Xi took them and unfolded them to look.
No wonder they were 8-開; this plan even extended to before the Lunar New Year.
It was very detailed!
Even the two days before and after their planned travel dates had been arranged by the teacher.
"Put it away after you've read it."
"Since we still have some time, we can't waste it. Today, we'll start by consolidating some of the previously mentioned content, just to prepare you for meeting everyone this Saturday."
Based on his understanding of those old fellows, even though they had agreed to help, putting her through some challenges was inevitable.
He couldn't help much with the specifics, so he could only give advice now. Learning whatever might be useful, it might actually come in handy later.
Qiu Xi, without needing to think, could understand a little, so she didn't say much, and instead, she pulled out her paper and pen and began to listen attentively.