Chapter 287

Xiao Shengzhou and Xiao Qi didn't end up indulging in feasting and revelry. Instead, they explored the small restaurants around their neighborhood.

Since they were still in a developing area, some parts of the community were already in use while others were still under construction. As a result, the restaurants were not particularly high-end and mainly catered to workers and office-goers.

So Xiao Qi and the Chairman had a quick meal at a fast-food joint.

Thanks to Xiao Qi's keen sense of smell, they found a small restaurant with clean ingredients and fresh food. Although they were having fast food, Xiao Shengzhou surprisingly found it quite tasty.

He rarely ate at these kinds of small, unassuming eateries, but he didn't expect the food to be good.

Xiao Shengzhou watched as the young girl ordered a serving of roast duck rice and another serving of beef offal noodles as their main dishes. He couldn't help but feel speechless.

It was a little hot at noon, and one serving of beef offal noodles was enough for him, especially since he had eaten a filling breakfast.

Xiao Qi was concerned that the Chairman might not be satisfied, so she ordered an extra serving of roast meat for him.

Xiao Shengzhou looked at the large bowl of beef offal noodles and thought that Xiao Qi was overthinking it.

"You don't have to save money when it comes to my meals. I still have the means to eat, and besides, you're my boss. I'll be at the horse ranch every day from now on, and I'll be earning a decent salary from you every month." Xiao Qi pushed the roast meat towards the Chairman.

Xiao Shengzhou: ...

It seemed to make sense. However, in the end, he couldn't finish the roast meat. It all ended up in the young girl's stomach. He wondered why she could eat so much despite her petite size.

After buying the house, Xiao Qi felt like she had accomplished something significant and immediately relaxed. She fell asleep in the car on the way back to school.

Perhaps it was the lingering excitement.

Xiao Qi's hair was tousled by the wind blowing in through the car window. The sunlight illuminated her face, and her long eyelashes looked gentle and serene while she slept, not as forceful as usual.

Xiao Shengzhou closed the car window and turned on the air conditioning, adjusting it to a comfortable temperature before continuing to drive.

He lowered the volume of the music playing in the car, switching to a more soothing style.

Xiao Qi slept all the way until they arrived at school. She didn't even wake up during the bumpy turns.

Xiao Shengzhou drove straight to the horse ranch because the young girl mentioned that she would be practicing horse riding in the afternoon.

Steven praised her endlessly, boasting that she was the most talented and diligent student he had ever seen.

As soon as Xiao Qi woke up, she realized they had already arrived at the horse ranch. Sitting in the car and seeing the horses running outside, she felt a bit dazed, as if she had traveled through time and space.

It took her a while to fully wake up.

Xiao Shengzhou rarely saw her in such a dazed state, and he found it quite amusing.

"We're here."

Xiao Qi got out of the car and discovered that her legs were a bit numb. She jumped around outside the car a few times to regain her energy.

After thanking the Chairman, she went to practice horse riding.

As usual, after finishing her horse riding practice, she would paint. Last time, when she painted Taylor, she felt a deep connection. Not only did her painting improve, but it also enhanced her understanding of horse riding, as if she had gained a more detailed knowledge of a horse's physiological structure.

So she decided to follow the example of the masters who painted eggs and started painting a horse after each horse riding practice.

Initially, it was just a personal habit for Xiao Qi, but she didn't expect that later on, every horse at the ranch would become famous because of her paintings...

After returning from the racecourse to the dormitory, Xiao Qi resumed her previous daily routine.

Her roommates knew that she had gone to buy a house and spent all her money. Wei Cheng was envious, thinking that if she had money, she would definitely hesitate to spend it. Saving money like Xiao Qi did and buying a house felt like a significant milestone in life.

However, Mi Er didn't quite understand why a girl would buy a house.

On the other hand, Yun Shu fully supported Xiao Qi's approach. When she had a lot of pocket money, she never worried about such things and never considered investing. Her family had several houses in Fu Cheng.

Xiao Qi herself felt that she was the kind of person who couldn't save money. Seeing the remaining 80,000 yuan in her account after spending money, she actually felt relieved.

She continued her daily routine of running, practicing calligraphy, studying, and taking part-time jobs.

The only regret was the Japanese language class. Mr. Yamamoto was no longer there, and surprisingly, the school didn't bring in a new Japanese teacher. Instead, the elective course mysteriously turned into a Spanish class with a new Spanish teacher.

Xiao Qi added Mr. Yamamoto on WeChat. He had returned to Japan but still used the WeChat account. His updates were not frequent, but occasionally he would share something.

They seemed to be doing well.

Xiao Qi had already laid the foundation for learning Japanese through repeated study. Now she could self-study and ask Mr. Zhou and Mr. Yamamoto if she had any questions. She also harassed Jin Zaiyan in Korean, and Jin Zaiyan, being lively, was just like a buddy to Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi's Korean skills were also quite good.

In the new week, her biggest task was actively preparing for the English speech semi-finals at Qingmeng University.

She revised her speech several times and ultimately chose the one that she felt best suited her—a speech about her own growth experience. She believed that it could move her, and moving herself was the foundation for moving others.

Perhaps in the future, she would become even more impressive and write something truly passionate, broader, and more substantial. But for now, she couldn't do it yet.

Perhaps due to the empathy buff, when she practiced her speech in front of her roommates, even Mi Er, who was usually carefree, teared up. Yun Shu was deeply moved, and her expression became even more solemn. Wei Cheng directly hugged Xiao Qi and burst into tears because she felt that Xiao Qi was speaking about herself. It was too heartbreaking and not easy at all. Xiao Qi had to practice alone afterward.

At the beginning, she would cry after reading the speech once.

But after repeatedly reading it over and over, it seemed that she no longer cried, although her eyes still easily turned red.

She had probably read it dozens of times.

While she was reciting her speech alone on the playground, a boy in the classroom stood by the window and watched her.

Li Weijin noticed that Su Xiaoqi had been acting strange lately, always with teary eyes, which made him inexplicably upset.

However, he didn't know what to do.

Even talking to Su Xiaoqi made him nervous and tongue-tied. Despite his intentions to be kind, his attitude seemed harsher, even compared to how he treated other ordinary classmates.

As Li Weijin watched her from the window, Su Li also walked over and leaned against the window. He took out a lollipop and skillfully put it in his mouth.

Li Weijin felt a bit uncomfortable. Over at her café, she used to be the kind of person who would light up a cigarette. Although smoking is not good, she probably thought it looked cool. A girl taking out a thin cigarette, lighting it up between her fingers.

But now, it's replaced with a lollipop...

"What's the matter? Do you like her?" Su Li asked.

Li Weijin said with a straight face, "No, just casually looking."

"Hmph!" Su Li sneered.

"If you like her, why don't you just say it? You're so cowardly. If I were a guy, I would confess directly," Su Li retorted.

"Even if you were a guy, she might not necessarily like you. What's the point of confessing?" Li Weijin argued.

Su Li turned his head and looked Li Weijin up and down. She looked good, really good. From head to toe, she was exquisite, even more delicate than himself, a girl. She was also beautiful, but thinking back, Su Xiaoqi didn't pay much attention to Li Weijin. It was said that many girls secretly admired Li Weijin, including Chu Yu, the drama queen in her dorm.

She used to be one of them too, but now she realized how shallow she was.

She patted Li Weijin's arm and said, "Do your best. You're not even brave enough to confess. I look down on you."

Xiao Qi was practicing her speech when suddenly the mechanical voice rang in her ears, "The figure of the host diligently studying and radiating positive energy has brought a sense of first love +1 to the classmates who don't have the ability to love others and love themselves the most, rewarding the host with an agile +1."