"I know that," Xiaoxiao no longer rejected her. She extended her hand and said, "It was my fault for not being sincere earlier. Now we shake hands and make peace. From now on, we'll be true friends."
Han Qianqian was unwilling to trust her easily. She didn't shake her hand and said, "You're not welcome to stay here long-term. You should contact your father as soon as possible, or find a place to stay outside of school."
"I'll stay for a week at most," Xiaoxiao said. "I genuinely want to make peace with you. If nothing unexpected happens, I should become your junior. Even if I don't live with you, I'll be in the girls' dormitory."
Han Qianqian didn't want to be in the same school as her at all. She said, "You must move out after a week. I'll tell Qin Yuxing tomorrow."
After speaking, she returned to her room and closed the door forcefully. The thought that Qin Yuxing only had eyes for Xiaoxiao and not for her filled her with an indescribable sense of defeat and sadness.
Xiaoxiao already knew that Brother Xingxing had no romantic interest in Han Qianqian, so she no longer harbored any ill will towards Han Qianqian. No matter what Han Qianqian said, it wouldn't affect her mood.
...
For the past few days, Alva hadn't bothered An Jing or his family, which gave An Jing some peace of mind. He had also hired people to search for Xiaoxiao's whereabouts.
However, there had been no clues or news, and he remained worried about Xiaoxiao's safety.
While he was busy in his office, he received a call from Xiao Xingxing.
"Uncle Xiao, hello."
"Xiao Xingxing, how have you been studying abroad lately?"
"My studies here are going well. I'm calling you because I need your help with something," Xiao Xingxing said hesitantly.
An Jing immediately thought of something and said, "Is Xiaoxiao's disappearance related to you? Do you know where Xiaoxiao is?"
"Yes, she's at my school." Xiao Xingxing knew he had to tell Uncle Xiao the truth so that he could help them.
An Jing suddenly understood and couldn't express his feelings at the moment. He chided, "You two children really don't make things easy for us! Why didn't you tell me and your father about such a big matter earlier?"
"Uncle Xiao, please don't tell my parents. If they find out, they'll likely object to me taking in Xiaoxiao..."
"You're taking in Xiaoxiao? How can you take her in when you're still studying?" An Jing was very clear-headed this time and said, "I will no longer keep secrets from your parents for you. This matter must be reported to them; they are your guardians."
Hearing Uncle An Jing's firm tone, Xiao Xingxing knew he couldn't hide this from his parents.
"Uncle Xiao, I'll leave this to you. Xiaoxiao plans to contact her father and wants to study at my school. I hope you can come over so we can persuade her father together."
"She wants to study at the same school as you?" An Jing felt it was rather sudden and couldn't make up his mind.
Xiao Xingxing said, "As you saw last time, her father kept her locked up at home to study, without any classmates or friends. It's not good for her physical and mental growth. It's better for her to study at school. The school environment is certainly better than that castle."
"I understand. I need to discuss this with your father before deciding." An Jing was finally relieved from worrying about Xiaoxiao. He instructed him, "You two be careful at school. You need to keep an eye on Xiaoxiao and don't let her disappear again."
"Okay, our school is usually very secure and closed off, so you don't need to worry. We'll wait for your reply. As long as you agree, Xiaoxiao will proactively contact her father."
An Jing hummed and put down his phone after Xiao Xingxing hung up.
He didn't go to find Tianyi immediately. He was thinking about how to tell Tianyi.
Xiao Xingxing was right about one thing: it was better for Xiaoxiao to receive a formal education at school than to be confined to her home by Alva to study.
In fact, he wanted to facilitate this, but Tianyi had always disliked Xiaoxiao and Xiao Xingxing being too close. Would he agree?
However, no matter what, he would no longer help Xiao Xingxing keep secrets from Tianyi and his wife. If these two children caused any more trouble, Tianyi and his wife would surely blame him.
After making up his mind, An Jing got up and went to Tianyi's office.
When he reached the door of Tianyi's office, he paused for a few seconds before raising his hand to knock.
He heard a voice from inside say, "Come in."
An Jing pushed the door open and saw Tianyi engrossed in reviewing documents. He cleared his throat and asked, "Are you busy?"
Upon hearing his voice, Tianyi looked up at him in surprise and said, "You're knocking today? I thought it was someone reporting for work."
"I'm not here to talk about work," An Jing said directly.
"Is something wrong?"
An Jing nodded and said, "I have something to tell you. I promise you won't get anxious or angry after I tell you."
"What is it? Does it require a warning beforehand?" Tianyi asked with a smile.
An Jing, however, couldn't smile. He said very seriously, "I just received a call from Xiao Xingxing. He... he said Xiaoxiao is at his school, and they want me to go to that school."
As he spoke, he observed Tianyi's expression. He saw that Tianyi showed no surprise and wasn't angry.
"I know Xiaoxiao ran off to Xiao Xingxing's school, and I was just about to tell you. But why does Xiao Xingxing want you to go? Does he want you to bring Xiaoxiao back to Lancheng?" Tianyi asked, confused.
His men had already apprehended Wood, who had helped Xiaoxiao disguise her identity. Today, Wood had just been handed over to Alva, so he had intended to discuss this matter with An Jing. He hadn't expected An Jing to come to him proactively.
Or rather, he hadn't expected Xiao Xingxing to call An Jing at this particular time.
The reason behind this was what An Jing found most difficult to articulate. He knew that if Tianyi learned that Xiao Xingxing wanted to study at the same school as Xiaoxiao, he would likely object.
Tianyi saw that his speech had become hesitant, which was not his usual way of speaking. He pressed, "Why exactly do they want you to go?"
"Xiao Xingxing said he wants me to persuade Alva to let Xiaoxiao... let Xiaoxiao also study at that school."
"What?" Tianyi understood, but he hadn't expected these two children to want to study together.
If Xiao Xingxing was going to study with Xiaoxiao, would he still be able to focus on his studies?
Given Xiaoxiao's mischievous and willful personality, wouldn't she corrupt Xiao Xingxing?
An Jing saw Tianyi's expression growing increasingly grim and knew he wouldn't agree.
"I think this is feasible," An Jing tried to persuade him. "Xiao Xingxing is studying at a renowned prestigious school, and it's not bad for Xiaoxiao to study there as well. They can look out for each other, which is better than Xiaoxiao being confined at home by Alva to study alone. I can go and talk to Alva personally."
Tianyi didn't respond immediately. Instead, he leaned back, closed his eyes to rest, and began to seriously consider the matter.
He had seen how much Xiao Xingxing cared about Xiaoxiao when he took him out of Alva's place last time.
This time, as soon as Xiaoxiao ran out of the castle, she went directly to Xiao Xingxing, which showed that their feelings for each other had already surpassed those of siblings.
The more parents disapprove of early romance, the more enthusiastic children become. If this continues, Xiao Xingxing might end up becoming an enemy of his parents.