* * * Continued from Part 1 * * *
Xiao Mi has decided –
She has fallen in love with this school!
As she was sprinting into the forest, completely out of breath, her luggage and bag actually remained in their original spot, untouched!
“Are these things yours?”
A plump girl sat on the stone bench, adorning a pink skirt with flowery lace. She really is adorable, like a fortune doll from a Chinese New Year painting. The chubby girl held milk in one hand, and an apple in the other. She cocked her head to one side, chewing as she spoke to Xiao Mi. “Why were you gone for so long? I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”
Xiao Mi stared at her, bemused. Gratitude trickled out of her like a spring.
“Have you been watching my stuff for me all along?”
“Yeah.” The chubby girl glanced at the time display on her handphone. “It’s almost time for class. If you didn’t come by then, I would have handed these to the security.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you……” Xiao Mi was so touched, she could find no other words to express herself. The suitcase and her bag were all of her possessions. If they got lost, she would be dying to find a wall to crash her head onto. Ah, that isn’t right…… Xiao Mi scratched her head…… What was she talking about earlier? ...... Class……?
She took a glimpse at the time –
It’s already 7.40am!
“Ah! I’m going to be late!” Xiao Mi hopped up and down in her anxiety. Her luggage hadn’t even been sent to the dormitory, and she has no clue where the classroom is! What should she do?!
What to do!
A light breeze swept through the forest.
The light from the morning sun scattered.
It seemed as if there was an angel of luck flapping her white wings, gently flying to the Xiao Mi’s side as she smiled at her.
When she sat on a seat in class, it had been 7.50am.
Xiao Mi’s hands clutched her chest, her heart still shaken from shock earlier on. She nodded her head, smiling candescently, as she thanked the chubby girl eating her chips with vigour on the front seat profusely.
Something this coincidental actually occurred.
This girl is called Wei Guo Guo, and happened to be her classmate. Wei Guo Guo is indeed a really nice person. She helped to lug Xiao Mi’s clumsy suitcase without a moment’s thought while rushing into the teaching block. As the two ran, Wei Guo Guo even conversed with her enthusiastically.
“One kilo of apples!”
“Okay.”
“It must be those of Crystal Fuji.”
“Cough…… okay.”
“One kilo of kiwi fruit.”
“……Okay.”
“Two packets of dried bean curd skin.”
“…… Okay……”
“Two large chunks of Dove chocolate.”
“……”
Xiao Mi scratched her head. Golden stars started to spin before her eyes. Couldn’t she empathise with her for just a little bit, she’s poor after all.
Wei Guo Guo stared at her, and halted her steps. “Why, you don’t wish to buy food for me? I have waited a whole half hour for you! Not to mention acting as your porter!”
“Heehee, of course not.” Xiao Mi plastered a smile on her face. “I just think it’s weird, why do you need two servings for everything?”
“Because I’m fat.” Wei Guo Guo took a breath in. “Fat people would of course need to eat double portions.”
Xiao Mi widened her eyes in shock, as she surveyed her. “You’re fat? In what way are you fat?! You have no idea how cute you are! I was just thinking earlier, about how lucky I am, to have met a beautiful woman having just got here.”
Wei Guo Guo felt like she had been dealt a sudden blow. “You’re…… you’re mocking me, aren’t you?” All her classmates had laughed at her obesity, making her fall into utter despair. She had then simply eaten everything she wanted without a care, an expression of her protest against the world.
“If I were mocking you, then I shall be punished to never become an angel.” Xiao Mi strode forward, lugging her luggage, and turned back with a vivacious smile. “I’m really saying it for real; I do think that you’re kind and adorable.”
Wei Guo Guo gripped at the handle of the suitcase, speechless.
“Hey……”
“What?”
“You’re the first person to say that I’m adorable.” Wei Guo Guo mumbled. Her footsteps quickened, and Xiao Mi had to break into a jog to not to fall behind. “So, I’ve decided—From now on, I’ll be your friend!”
The sunlight that comes after rain sparkled on Xiao Mi’s body.
How lucky.
Xiao Mi revealed a huge ecstatic smile.
That is why, from then till now, Xiao Mi had been immersed in happiness. Sheng Shu Institute will be her lucky ground. She hadn’t been here for long, yet so many interesting events have happened.
Heehee, she laughed to herself, a goofy smile hanging on the sides of her lips.
In the classroom, her classmates inspected her curiously.
“What’s your name?”
“Hey, have you really transferred from Qing Yuan?”
“Why did you come here?”
……
It wasn’t that they were immensely inquisitive, it’s because Qing Yuan was simply too famous. Basically, only outstanding, top students could enrol in that school, with bright futures awaiting them. Sheng Shu may have been good as well, and is a first rate institute. However, as compared to Qing Yuan, it still falls behind considerably.
Hearing those questions, Xiao Mi raised her head, her smile adorable.
“My name is Mi Ai.”
“Mi Ai?”
A few girls giggled in secret, Mi Ai Mi Ai, doesn’t that mean having no love?
“Hehe, the name sounds funny, doesn’t it?” Xiao Mi scratched her head, and pulled a long face. “I also find it vexing. Well then, everyone can just call me Xiao Mi.”
“Xiao Mi.” The girls all tried to suppress the laughter bursting from their throats. “The kind of rice we eat?”
“Yeah.” Xiao Mi smiled, looking as if she didn’t mind it. “Even though it’s cheap, it’s very nutritious.”
Just then, a chilling voice drifted over from a corner of the classroom—
“Aye, how strange. Qing Yuan is such a good school, what would make you want to transfer here, Xiao Mi?” A beautiful girl with long curls was applying lipstick in front of a mirror, her gaze flitting to Xiao Mi who was sandwiched amidst the horde of classmates. “Could it be that you’ve done something wrong, and could no longer remain in Qing Yuan? Hence, you had no choice but to come here.”
The classroom fell into an abrupt, ominous silence.
Everyone looked at Yang Ke Wei, and then at Xiao Mi. Eh, they too were dying to know the answer to this question.
At the side, Wei Guo Guo hugged her bag of chips, and nudged the girl beside her with an elbow. She whispered.
“Help me out, Xiao Mi is my new found friend.”
The girl’s hair was short, and had single eyelids, emanating a disposition that was elegant and reserved. She was flipping through an English dictionary intently, deep in concentration. Upon hearing Wei Guo Guo’s words, she raised her head to look at Xiao Mi.
Wei Guo Guo frantically added, “I’ll take charge of sweeping the dormitory this month!”
“……Okay.”
The girl with single eyelids accepted this condition of exchange. She stood up, walked to the front of Xiao Mi, and held out her hand—
“Nice to meet you, my name is Cheng Yuan, welcome to our class.”
As she said this, Cheng Yuan’s gaze swept across the class. Without a moment’s pause, everyone clapped their hands vigorously in unison, and shouted to Xiao Mi.
“Welcome! Welcome! We warmly welcome you!”
The classroom was instantly thrown into a lively atmosphere, as if by magic. This warm atmosphere could be likened to welcoming an idol guest.
Waa, this girl called Cheng Yuan definitely carries some weight. Xiao Mi rose quickly, and gazed at her with utmost gratitude as she grabbed her hands.
“Thank you!”
Cheng Yuan smiled at her, as she coldly glanced towards the girl with long curls. She spoke.
“Yang Ke Wei, is this the kind of attitude you show towards a new classmate? Aren’t you ashamed? She has just arrived here, yet not only did you not offer help, you even uttered crap with that strange attitude of yours!”
“Piack!” Yang Ke Wei closed the lid of her mirror, and responded coldly.
“Is it? Then what would be the reason for her to transfer here?”
Xiao Mi stared at Yang Ke Wei in shock. “Sheng Shu is great!” Her smile was adorable. “It’s said that Sheng Shu is the most beautiful school in the world, and indeed it is. I have never imagined that a school could be this resplendent, to the extent of awe-inspiring. Moreover, the department of business studies in Sheng Shu is brilliant and very influential in the country. I feel really elated to be able to come here and learn with everyone.”
* * *
Xiao Mi sat in the last row at the back of the classroom, the seat beside her empty. Actually, she had really wanted to move to that seat, as it was close to the window. If she were to sit there, she would be able to breathe in the fresh air, and gaze at birds flying through the forests. However, despite the seat being empty, there were two books in the drawer underneath the table. A layer of dust had settled itself atop the books.
She scratched her head, and pondered for a moment.
Forget it, it should be the seat of a person who frequently plays truant. Hmm, if he(she) still doesn’t turn up in future, she would just move over to that seat by then.
She took her mind away from the matter, and focused all attention in class. Her first lesson was Human Resources; their lecturer’s surname was Bo, over 40 years of age and slightly balding. Even though the content of Professor Bo’s lecture wasn’t particularly interesting and riveting, but on closer inspection, it held strong logic and insight. Xiao Mi could not help but be gradually drawn to listening.
The class was silent.
Professor Bo waved his words about with much exultance.
Hence, when the classroom door was kicked open with a “bang”, everyone leapt out of their seats in shock!
That noise was deafening!
It could be likened to a clap of thunder; the classroom door trembled and swayed like a leaf in the wind. A man, his face darkened with fury, stood by the door. He was tall and handsome, sporting flaxen hair, a black tee and pale blue jeans, with a tiny diamond studded on the wing of his nose.
At the very moment Xiao Mi raised her head towards his direction.
The diamond radiated blinding rays of light, shooting off colours of all spectrums.
Xiao Mi rubbed her eyes, and clasped her mouth in shock.
Then, she burst into laughter.
Heehee, the man he had sent to the hospital was actually her classmate?
The world is indeed peculiar!
The flaxen haired man was completely drenched in rain, his eyes brimming with rage. Water droplets slid down his hair, giving it a pathetic appearance. Meanwhile, the white Jordan sports shoes he wore was also caked with mud, dirtied to the point of being undistinguishable.
Thunderclaps roared outside the window.
Ah, a thunderstorm is about to brew.
Professor Bo wore a face of displeasure, as he stared at the boy. “Yi Tang Yao, you’re late again. Not only that, you even kicked the door open. Don’t you know that you’re disrupting everyone from attending class?”
The students broke into fervent whispers.
Yi Tang Yao seemed to not have heard him. He raised his hand to wipe the rain off his face, and flipped his hair vigorously. The water droplets on his hair shot out, and were slapped on Professor Bo’s face; his spectacles splattered with a mirage of tiny water bullets.
Professor Bo’s face turned livid with rage.
The students were dumbfounded.
Yi Tang Yao walked past the lecturer’s table towards the back of the class, and tossed a frustrated remark from his back—
“What the hell are you nagging for?! It’s raining, you can’t see that?!”
Professor Bo’s anger rocketed to the point that he was trembling. “What about the others? It’s raining, yet why weren’t they late?! Skipping class all the time, coming in late, getting involved in fights, it’s a miracle you haven’t been expelled!”
Yi Tang Yao put on his earphones, and completely ignored him, walking lazily to the back of the class under the side glances of his classmates. He walked towards Xiao Mi’s side, and halted. He scrutinized her, his gaze cold.
A bolt of lightning exploded across the sky outside the window.
Ever since Professor Bo had voiced out “Yi Tang Yao” these three words, Xiao Mi had stopped breathing!
Yi Tang Yao.
Is he really Yi Tang Yao?
She arched her head, gazing at him blankly. Every ounce of energy seemed to have been sucked out of her body. This is the reason she had met him upon her first visit here. All along, it had been because he was Yi Tang Yao.
Xiao Mi bit down on her lip.
Blood surged through the veins in her brain like a mad deluge, making her dizzy. Her eyes seemed to have been clouded by a white mist, impeding her from getting a clear view of him.
“Get up! You’re blocking my way!”
Yi Tang Yao glared at her.
It was obvious that he would recognise this girl before him, who was staring at him stupidly, as the busybody who had sent him to hospital this morning.
Xiao Mi got up hurriedly, to let him in. Ah, that seat was his. In the instant their bodies brushed past, she caught whiff of his scent; the refreshing smell of rain.
The rain outside the window pelted and fell on luxuriant, lush green leaves.
The air was refreshing and cool.
Yi Tang Yao was bent over the table in sleep.
Xiao Mi no longer has any heart to listen in class. She turned her head to survey him, her breath caught in her throat. At this moment, it seemed as if the entire world had vanished before her. Her eyes only saw the man seated beside her.
Yi Tang Yao’s features were handsome, the bridge of his nose straight and narrow with a slight curve. He resembled an arrogant English royal that could only be found in ancient photographs. His eyebrows were thick; even in his dreams, his brows creased in bad temperament. He is indeed a good-looking man. The diamond on his nose gave him an obstinate, unruly aura, yet it was also enumerated with a sense of ambiguity.
He seemed exhausted, laying across the table in deep sleep. His lashes occasionally trembled lightly. Was he always this tired? Did he sleep like this often? Xiao Mi had been thinking, was this reason his books had been cloaked in a layer of dust.
Due to Yi Tang Yao’s sudden appearance, the atmosphere in the classroom became odd. Professor Bo would lecture for a while, yet his reasoning would be tangled and unclear due to the anger suppressed in his heart. He put his teaching materials aside, and held up a stack of theses, as he spoke. “Earlier on, I have asked everyone to write a small thesis, and I’ve perused them. Everyone has basically performed well; I can tell that you’ve put in considerable effort. However, there’s one essay that is really strange.”
Everyone stopped writing to look at him.
Professor Bo coughed. “Yi Tang Yao.”
Yi Tang Yao slept soundly, and was even snoring lightly.
A few giggles erupted in the classroom.
“Yi Tang Yao!”
Professor Bo raised his voice. Veins pulsated against his forehead, close to rupturing,
Xiao Mi lightly pushed Yi Tang Yao’s arm, and whispered. “Hey, wake up……”
“What is it?!” Yi Tang Yao roared, having awakened in shock. His eyes, a raging inferno, glared straight at Xiao Mi. Doesn’t she know that disrupting people’s sleep is a really wicked thing to do!
“Yi! Tang! Yao!” Professor Bo anger had already burst from its seams; the bald patch on his head also reddened with fury. “Stand up!”
Yi Tang Yao frowned, standing up slowly with much reluctance.
“What?”
“Skills and knowledge are important driving factors towards labour and production. They should be considered equivalent to tools and machines, as crucial forces in bringing forward a country’s prosperity. As expenditure on education will bring greater prosperity towards the country in future, the resource spent on education is complementary to other public affairs.” Professor Bo fixed his eye on him. “Tell me, who stated this point of view?”
Yi Tang Yao deliberated it. “Adam Smith?”
“Incorrect.”
“David Ricardo?”
“Incorrect.”
“Ohlin?”
Professor Bo’s face twitched. “You’re going to say Marshall, Cairns next, aren’t you?!” The whole class burst into fits of laughter. Yi Tang Yao was simply reciting and guessing along the lines of the History of World Theory and Development.
Yi Tang Yao was nonchalant.
“All wrong? It can’t be that I suggested this perspective myself.”
Professor could no longer care about bearing in his rage, and flung the papers towards him with one hand . “John Stuart Mill! This is the content of your thesis! I felt strange then, your thesis could actually be 6000 words long! Yi Tang Yao, even if you rip the whole thesis directly from the web, you could at least spend some effort on it, can’t you?! You didn’t even remove the indents, change the words, or shift the typesetting. Were you that lazy, to not even bother deleting the author’s name at the bottom of the thesis?!”
The entire class roared with laughter.
The papers did not hit Yi Tang Yao, and fell onto Xiao Mi’s table. She casually flipped through the pages. No wonder the teacher was mad. Just by glancing at the essay, she could tell that it had totally not been rearranged, and was taken off the web just to fill up the word limit.
The bell rang.
“I’ll give you two days. If you can’t finish this thesis,” Professor glared at Yi Tang Yao sternly, “Then there’s no need for you to attend the exams at the end of this semester.” Upon finishing his sentence, he rose and pushed open the door to leave the classroom. Only the second class of Human Resources was left in their suppressed giggles and whispered conversations.
Yi Tang Yao seemed to not have heard anything, and resumed his sleep sprawled across the table.
A little bird flew by, and stood on the windowsill, chirping in its merry song.
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