The final addition of chopped scallions and cilantro leaves was made before the pot was turned off, and Xia Qingyu called out, "Dinner's ready."
Sitting at the table, Xia Qingtian first glanced at the visually appealing and fragrant dishes, then looked at Xia Qingyu, who was scooping porridge opposite her. A wave of emotion washed over her.
"Your place doesn't even have a clay pot for congee, so you'll have to make do with this regular clear porridge. Try it and see," Xia Qingyu said while busy, "The soup is still a bit hot. Let it cool down after serving. Try to eat light meals for the next couple of days, with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Have at least two fruits a day; they're all in the fridge. There's also milk and yogurt, remember to drink them."
"Thank you," Xia Qingtian said sincerely, looking at Xia Qingyu.
"Tch, so much trouble," Xia Qingyu grumbled, her ears secretly blushing.
After eating, Xia Qingtian felt much better.
Sitting on the sofa, Xia Qingtian handed over the gifts she bought from Paris one by one to Xia Qingyu: "This one is for you. Please give this bag and these shoes to Aunt Liu, and this one to your stepfather."
"What do you mean my stepfather? He's your biological father," Xia Qingyu said speechlessly. "How long are you going to be angry with him? You should go home by now."
"It's not the right time yet," Xia Qingtian felt that her father would have a hard time accepting her career, but she didn't want to give up on her dreams.
She could only take it slow, one step at a time.
Seeing Xia Qingtian like this, Xia Qingyu didn't know what else to say and could only sigh softly, "Then take good care of yourself."
"Don't worry," Xia Qingtian said with a chuckle. "Will you stay here tonight?"
Xia Qingyu's eyes lit up, then she pursed her lips with an expression of regret. "Never mind, I have my final exams tomorrow."
"Is that so?" Xia Qingtian also felt it was a pity, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Aren't my final exams also coming up soon?"
"You're asking me?" Xia Qingyu's mouth twitched.
"Oh no!" Xia Qingtian immediately grabbed her phone and sent a plea for help to Li Xiaoxiao.
She soon received a reply from Li Xiaoxiao: "Final exams start next Monday."
"Next Monday? What day is it today?" Xia Qingtian turned her head blankly to look at Xia Qingyu.
"It's Friday today," Xia Qingyu replied.
"!" Xia Qingtian slapped her forehead, vaguely feeling that she was doomed.
Right! Double luck, double...
No, the time limit had already passed, and her luck points were used up. She couldn't count on that for the exams.
Thinking of this, Xia Qingtian resigned herself to taking out her books and tablet to study diligently.
"Get a good rest tonight," Xia Qingyu said as she put things away, ready to leave. Seeing Xia Qingtian cramming at the last minute, she could only shake her head helplessly and sigh.
"I won't see you out," Xia Qingtian waved her hand, and after watching Xia Qingyu leave, she returned to her revision.
As Xia Qingyu made her way back to the Xia family, she thought of Xia Qingtian halfway there and couldn't help but chuckle.
Upon arriving at the Xia residence, Xia Qingyu handed the gifts Xia Qingtian had asked her to deliver to Aunt Liu and Father Xia.
"This brand is not cheap," Aunt Liu said, looking at the bag and shoes. Just by looking at them, she knew Xia Qingtian had spent a lot of money, and the styles were very beautiful. "This child, always spending money recklessly."
"Hmph," Father Xia said, repeatedly looking at the brand-new wallet in his hand. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upwards, but he spoke with a touch of pride, "She'll know to come back when she runs out of money. Spending so much outside! Really!"
After saying that, he took out his old wallet and transferred his documents, various cards, and cash into the new one. "It looks alright, doesn't it?"
"It's quite nice," Aunt Liu, who understood Father Xia's little quirks, immediately gave Xia Qingyu a look. The mother and daughter praised him profusely, making Father Xia very pleased.
Xia Qingtian still had her father in her heart.
It was a shame that she was always chasing those unrealistic celebrity dreams and unwilling to return to inherit the family business.
How could that be allowed!
He saw endless possibilities in Xia Qingtian and couldn't just let her mess around.
"Find an excuse in a couple of days to transfer her 300,000 yuan. Don't let her starve outside," Father Xia said, putting on a stern face. "I'm going back to my study. I still have work to do."
With that, Father Xia went straight to his study upstairs, opened his computer, logged into his social media account, and posted his first message of the day.
[Xia Qingtian Anti-Fan Committee President v: Will Xia Qingtian leave the entertainment industry tomorrow? Xia Qingtian, hurry up and leave the entertainment industry!]
Under this comment, many people immediately chimed in.
[The President has spoken, hurry up, Xia Qingtian, get out of the entertainment industry!]
[All she does is chase trending topics, with no works at all! She faked controversy with Ling Fenghan before, then with official accounts, and now she's gone to Paris to pick a fight with Madame Camille. She's embarrassing herself abroad! Shameless!]
[Exactly, just looking at her is disgusting. Hurry up and get out of the entertainment industry!]
[Xia Qingtian, hurry up and leave the entertainment industry!]
[Xia Qingtian, hurry up and leave the entertainment industry!]
...
While the anti-fans were ranting online and the trolls were stirring the pot, Xia Qingtian didn't even have time to touch her phone.
She had enough attendance points. Although her attendance was not great, she had medical certificates and proof from Gu Shi Entertainment for her absences, so her attendance score was not deducted.
However, these cumulative exams were enough for her to handle.
On Saturday, Li Xiaoxiao came to her aid with her notes and books, which moved Xia Qingtian to tears.
That evening, Li Xiaoxiao stayed at Xia Qingtian's place. The two of them studied hard for two full days, and on Monday, they took the school's final exams together.
The most difficult part was still the various formulas, and deriving them on the spot during the exam was a major challenge.
The exams for the first three days were quite intense. The last two subjects were open-book, and with well-organized notes, coupled with Xia Qingtian's high scores on her assignments, her performance in this exam was considered normal.
Even before checking her scores, she knew she hadn't failed.
Xia Qingtian was already very satisfied with this result.
The first semester of her freshman year had been anything but stable, and not failing was already good enough.
"Be content. Luckily, we're not studying civil engineering. There was a senior in the next exam hall who made a mistake deriving a concrete formula and broke down on the spot," Li Xiaoxiao said, thinking about it making her feel even more terrified. "Regardless, we're liberated now that it's over."
"Yes, it was good that you studied with me," Xia Qingtian said with a smile. "I'll treat you to a meal."
"Okay, then I'll invite my brother. He also just finished his exams these past couple of days," Li Xiaoxiao said.
"Then I'll invite my sister too. She's also in her final exam week recently," Xia Qingtian thought of Xia Qingyu.
The two of them hit it off and immediately arranged the time and place for their meal.
When everyone had gathered, Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong realized that their older sisters were classmates.
Xia Qingtian and Li Xiaoxiao also discovered that Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong were also classmates.
What a coincidence.