"Why is it broccoli again..." Li Xiaoxiao poked the food in her lunchbox with her chopsticks, grumbling, "I told them I didn't want broccoli..."
"No picking at your food," Xia Qingtian shot Li Xiaoxiao a look. "Don't make your brother have a hard time, alright? You're so old now!"
"Tch..." Li Xiaoxiao secretly pouted, resignedly popping the broccoli into her mouth and chewing. "It tastes like broccoli..."
Xia Qingtian shook her head, continued eating her own meal, and chose to ignore Li Xiaoxiao's picky eating habits.
"Right, how was City First High today? Was it fun?" Li Xiaoxiao said as if just remembering. "I still haven't thanked you for attending Xiaozhong's parent-teacher conference for me."
"It doesn't matter, since Qingyu is in the same class as your brother. I represented both the top-ranked and second-ranked outstanding students for the entire grade at once. It was so impressive~" Xia Qingtian scoffed and shrugged. "Parent-teacher conferences are just like that, filled with trivial matters."
"That's true," Li Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement.
After dinner, they chatted and laughed for a while longer. Xia Qingyu received a call from Aunt Liu inquiring about them, and the sisters finally left Li Xiaoxiao's hospital room, ready to head home.
"Xiaozhong, go see Xia Qingtian off for me." Li Xiaoxiao nudged Li Xiaozhong, asking him to escort Xia Qingtian.
Li Xiaozhong responded with a sound and left the hospital room with Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu.
After taking the elevator to the first floor of the hospital, Xia Qingyu said she needed to use the restroom, so Xia Qingtian stayed in the lobby to wait for her.
"I haven't had a chance to thank you for telling me about Qingyu's situation at school yet," Xia Qingtian said to Li Xiaozhong, offering a slight smile.
If Li Xiaozhong hadn't told her in advance, she might not have attended Xia Qingyu's parent-teacher conference today, nor would she have organized that violent behavior from those little hooligans.
"It's nothing," Li Xiaozhong lowered his head, clenching his fist at his side. After a moment, as if making a firm decision, he raised his head, his eyes looking at Xia Qingtian with sincere determination. "You saved my sister, and I owe you my life. If there's anything you need me for, just say the word, and I'll do my best to help you!"
It seemed like these words had been brewing in Li Xiaozhong's heart for a long time, and only now were they finally spoken. The tips of his ears were slightly warm, and an unnatural flush appeared on his cheeks.
For Li Xiaozhong, who usually didn't communicate much with outsiders, being able to say such a thing to Xia Qingtian was not easy.
[BEEP—
Reward issued. You have received [Prodigy Li Xiaozhong]. We hope the host utilizes him well. Go! Become the true chosen one!]
The system's electronic voice sounded extremely excited.
Xia Qingtian, however, couldn't get excited at all. Had she been "scammed" by the system again...
But then...
Never mind.
Li Xiaoxiao was one of the few close friends she had in her life. Even without any reward from a so-called system, she would have done her utmost to save Li Xiaoxiao.
[You useless system, I'll remember you!] Although Xia Qingtian thought this in her heart, she still smiled faintly and nodded at Li Xiaozhong, saying, "Mm, if that day ever comes, I'll count on you~"
Hearing Xia Qingtian's reply, Li Xiaozhong lowered his head again and responded with a muffled "Mm..."
Just then, Xia Qingyu returned, and the sisters left the hospital.
As they sat in the car on the way back, Xia Qingyu asked curiously, "What were you talking about with Li Xiaozhong just now? He seemed a bit strange."
"Nothing much. Maybe he knows how much trouble Li Xiaoxiao can be, and he's grateful that I'm willing to be friends with Li Xiaoxiao," Xia Qingtian said with a smile. "She's so old, and she still doesn't eat broccoli."
"But you don't eat carrots either..." Xia Qingyu looked at Xia Qingtian with a slight twitch of her lips. She had wanted to say this back in the hospital room; Xia Qingtian was just being a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
"Oh?" Xia Qingtian raised an eyebrow slightly, tilting her head to look at Xia Qingyu. "You even know I don't eat carrots? You pay that much attention to me?"
"W-what are you talking about!" Xia Qingyu's face flushed when she met Xia Qingtian's gaze, and she turned her head away, her tone a little haughty. "But, but I just think it's so... so embarrassing that you're so old and still don't eat carrots, humph! You better not reveal that outside! It's embarrassing!"
"Heh heh." Xia Qingtian didn't reply, only pursed her lips and chuckled.
"Mmm..." Xia Qingyu bit her lip, the blush on her face instantly spreading to her neck. She huffed indignantly and ignored Xia Qingtian.
The car stopped in front of the Xia family villa. After the sisters entered the villa, they realized the atmosphere at home seemed a bit strange.
Xia Honglang and Aunt Liu were seated on opposite sides of the sofa, with Xia Shang sitting between them. All three looked as if they were deep in thought.
On a nearby single sofa sat an unfamiliar girl, likely around Xia Qingyu's age. Her immature, doll-like face featured large, especially captivating eyes that blinked with extreme liveliness. She wore a plaid shirt paired with washed-out denim overalls, and on her feet were canvas shoes with noticeably worn edges.
The girl glanced at Xia Qingtian and her sister as they entered, observing them. Her large eyes blinked as if surprised by the sisters' beauty, then she looked down at her own clothes, her brows furrowing slightly. Finally, with a hint of hesitation on her clear, delicate face, she gave up and shifted her gaze away.
[What an easy-to-understand girl!]
This thought simultaneously flashed through Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu's minds.
The girl's expressions were very rich, displaying all her inner thoughts in such a short time, which was somewhat endearing.
"We're back," Xia Qingtian was the first to greet them, then she looked at the girl curiously and asked, "And who is this...?"
"She's a friend from Xia Shang's hometown," Aunt Liu introduced. "Her name is Er Ya."
"We're childhood sweethearts!" Er Ya puffed out her chest and corrected. "Childhood sweethearts!"
"Given the age gap between you and Uncle, by the time you were chasing him around the bed as a childhood sweetheart, he was long past the age of 'riding a bamboo horse'," Xia Qingyu observed Er Ya and then Xia Shang. It was difficult to categorize Er Ya, who looked to be the same age as her, and her uncle as "childhood sweethearts."
"Or rather, did Uncle really ride a bamboo horse?" Xia Qingtian looked at the poker-faced Xia Shang, unable to imagine what he would look like riding a bamboo horse.
"Uncle was only found when he was 10 years old. By then, he was definitely past the age for riding bamboo horses..." Xia Qingyu analyzed.
"In any case!" Seeing Xia Qingtian and her sister earnestly analyzing the situation, Er Ya's cheeks flushed. She stood up, her face visibly red, clearly a bit flustered but still incredibly serious. "Even if it's you two! I won't lose! I won't give Xia Shang to anyone!"
"So easy to understand..." Xia Qingtian couldn't help but say, looking at Er Ya.
"Yes, so easy to understand," Xia Qingyu agreed.
"Ugh... they're underestimating me!" Er Ya turned her head away and grumbled resentfully.
"Anyway, she's Xia Shang's friend..." Aunt Liu, catching Er Ya's gaze, let out a dry laugh and said, "Childhood sweetheart, she's here."
"Welcome..." Xia Qingtian and her sister gave a polite round of applause.
"There are also two matters," Xia Honglang then said to Xia Qingtian. "The first is that the Yue family has sent an invitation. Qingtian, your maternal grandfather's birthday is approaching. Do you want to go?"