At six in the evening, the four of them appeared punctually at the entrance of the buffet restaurant.
"Let's go in."
The four of them, not lacking money, ultimately decided to book a private room. The reason was simple: it made conversation easier.
"Luo An, how did it go this afternoon after you followed Teacher Qi?"
The other three were quite concerned about Luo An's situation.
"What do you think!"
"Let me tell you all!"
"With my masterful performance, it was seamless..."
The other three had darkened expressions, "..." Could it get any more outrageous? Looking at his exaggerated demeanor, they didn't want to watch!
"Ahem~"
"Luo An, just get to the point!"
Luo An didn't seem to care. He slapped his hand and nodded his head, "The point is!"
"I was successfully eliminated!"
"Hahahahahaha~"
"Come, drink!"
He raised his juice glass and drank heartily. The other three exchanged glances, "..." What fools!
"That's truly good news~" It was just a bit less lively... The three of them had privately discussed it; it would have been nice to hear the violin.
"Let me tell you, I saw an interesting scene today too!"
Without needing any prompting, Luo An continued. He was truly considerate.
"Today I saw Teacher Shang bring his student, the one who painted and gifted paintings to Teacher Qi and the other teacher during our last mixer."
"She also seemed to be performing today..."
"But she was more unlucky than me... Hahahahahaha~"
"She was actually kept behind!"
"So miserable..."
Qiu Xi, who found it increasingly absurd, "..." If she didn't know some of the inside story, she would have believed Luo An's words...
Mo Yaya, "..." It was quite a coincidence; she was also someone who knew the inside story.
Wei Ziqin, "..." Although he didn't have a "little spy" opposite him, his brain wasn't just for show... Looking at the expressions of the two junior female disciples beside and opposite him, and thinking about what their teacher had been mentioning these past few days, he could figure some of it out...
"Luo An..."
"Eat more~"
As he said this, Wei Ziqin's hands didn't stop moving, placing whatever he had in front of Luo An. If there were brain matter available at that moment, it would all be in Luo An's bowl. His junior disciple was too naive, and it wasn't good... What if he was tricked by others?
"Yes!"
"Luo An, eat more!"
"..." Luo An eyed them suspiciously.
"Are you guys planning to trick me somewhere again?" While eating, he kept watching the three of them.
"..."
Fine.
"Eat it or don't!"
With that, the three of them started eating.
"Hehehehe~"
"That's more like it!"
"Hey~ Wasn't this supposed to be for me?"
...
The lavish meal could certainly be described as everyone enjoying themselves. At least, that's what they each thought.
...
A few days later-
"Teacher Rong, are you going to teach me etiquette?" When Qiu Xi arrived and saw the setup, she felt a sense of familiarity. Especially when Shi Qianqian introduced herself, Qiu Xi was already certain.
"Yes."
"We'll just learn a little, the basics, so you don't get nervous and make mistakes that day," Rong Huacheng explained seriously.
"..."
"Teacher, that... have you not seriously reviewed my resume..." Qiu Xi was also quite helpless.
"I've seen it, what's wrong?" Rong Huacheng asked, confused. The student was indeed good, with excellent grades and participation in many competitions, possessing a very impressive resume.
"Teacher, I think we can conclude today's lesson."
"What Teacher Shi just showed me, I've already covered it..." Given her level, not to mention what she had learned before, but from the event with Teacher Jin Qiong that had recently concluded, she was already familiar with it. These things before her were truly unnecessary...
"Hmm?" Rong Huacheng glanced at her friend Shi Qianqian. What was going on? Shi Qianqian waved her hands, also helpless. She had followed her good friend's instructions, but unfortunately, before she could even put her skills to use, she was told the lesson could end.
"Qiu Xi, are you serious?" Seeing this, Rong Huacheng had no choice but to ask Qiu Xi directly.
Qiu Xi nodded, "Teacher, feel free to test me."
"Alright then..." With that, Rong Huacheng gave Shi Qianqian a look. "You try."
"..." Fine. And then, what happened on stage next stunned both of them. After a long while, only Rong Huacheng and Shi Qianqian remained in the classroom.
"Chengcheng, why did you even call me here?" Shi Qianqian sat down, feeling a bit disappointed. She wasn't needed at all!
Rong Huacheng opened her eyes, also feeling a bit tired, "How was I supposed to know this would happen..."
"Forget it!" Shi Qianqian clapped her hands, stood up, and tidied her clothes, preparing to leave. "Since it's over, I won't stay any longer."
"Alright then..."
"You go back first, I'll stay here a bit longer." Another sudden event had disrupted her schedule. She had to spend more time rearranging her upcoming plans. At this student's pace, she felt the work could be finished this week... Truly! She was a little excited.
...
Qiu Xi, who had already left, didn't expect her journey of learning to be a host to have such a "hiccup." At the current pace, she felt she could finish in the next two days. It was faster than she had anticipated, likely much faster than Teacher Rong herself had estimated.
"Xixi, you just left not long ago, why are you back so soon today?" Nan Hua looked at the suddenly opened door, a little confused.
"Well, something came up... so I don't need to practice anymore."
Nan Hua, after hearing this, "..." It was quite unexpected.
"What a shame!" Qiu Xi murmured, "If we had known earlier, the two of us could have gone out together~" Nan Hua was unusually not in the laboratory today; she usually returned at nine or ten. One might think she was a workaholic who worked overtime every day...
Nan Hua smiled faintly, "It's not too late now, how about we tidy up and I'll take you out for a stroll?" It was only just past seven o'clock, still early.
Qiu Xi looked up, "Can we?"
"Of course~" Nan Hua smiled dotingly. "For you, whether I have time or not, the answer is always yes~"
"Okay~"