That Girl Who Skipped Class — You're In Big Trouble! - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It was already noon. Golden sunlight streamed onto the streets of City C, and the warmth of the winter sun seeped in from outside the car window. The A University school bus slowly made its way through the increasingly dense traffic. With Xiao Xuan absent, An Qingyang sat in the front row. She was on her phone, replying to messages from alumni she had just met at the competition. Liu Jinghuan had started catching up on sleep as soon as he got on the bus, perhaps due to the intense pressure of the competition. An Dong and Li Huai’an were whispering on the other side, discussing the excellent performances of several groups in the competition.

Chang Tao picked up his bottle of mineral water, took a large gulp, and turned from the front seat to speak to An Qingyang. The light reflected off his glasses, clearly showing large and small specks of dust on the lenses: “Student An, you did very well today. You didn’t embarrass A University.”

An Qingyang, focused on her phone, didn’t look at him, though her words were humble: “Thank you. I don’t know how much I would have embarrassed myself without Teacher Xiao.”

A hint of smugness flashed in Chang Tao’s eyes. “Yes, I guessed before the competition that you’d be fine with Xiao Xuan. It’s all her credit. Teacher Xiao can win an award with any student she advises. She truly lives up to her name as A University’s Gold Medal Teacher,” he said, waving at An Dong. “You also did very well today, kid. If you make it to the finals, seek more guidance from Teacher Xiao.”

“Will do, Teacher Chang,” An Dong quickly agreed. Then he changed the subject, his voice slightly hesitant, “I believe Student An also prepared very diligently herself. Her performance just now proved that, after all, she is the designer of this product.”

Hearing this, Chang Tao rested his hand on the back of the chair, casually saying: “Ah, Teacher Xiao has had very little rest lately. She used to chat with us about teaching work, but recently she hasn’t had any free time and has been cooped up in her office all day. When I went to find her yesterday, I even saw her working on something, with her meal sitting beside her, already cold. Student An, did Teacher Xiao set up that website for you?”

Hearing this, An Qingyang felt a renewed surge of emotion for Xiao Xuan. She casually confirmed it, opened their chat on her phone, typed a message, and then put her phone down to discuss the finals with them. A moment later, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. An Qingyang pressed the accept button. It was the competition organizer notifying her that she had been selected for the finals next Monday.

That’s right, she had advanced! This time, she not only received an internship offer in the Imperial Capital but would also participate in the national competition. Soon after, An Dong also received the final notification, and the two smiled at each other.

…

An Qingyang returned to her apartment and immediately began working on adjustments for the competition content. By the middle of the night, after finishing the revisions, she belatedly realized her stomach was growling fiercely. She walked to the living room, opened the fridge, and took out a box of neatly arranged cheese buns, remembering the way Xiao Xuan had been chewing the bun bite by bite just two days ago.

The person still hadn’t replied to her message. She must be busy.

…

Xiao Xuan opened her eyes, staring at the chandelier on the ceiling. It was already broad daylight outside, and the intermittent honking of cars outside the school infiltrated her ears.

How long had it been since she last simply stared blankly?

She tried to stretch, but found her whole body was aching without any strength, and her throat felt like it was burning with fire.

How was that little girl? Did she make it to the finals?

She just lay there, staring at the ceiling for a long time, and then drifted back into a heavy sleep.

In her dream, she heard someone knocking at the door. She woke up again, put on a bathrobe, and walked step by step to the entrance. Through the peephole, she saw An Qingyang’s big eyes.

The door opened. An Qingyang habitually walked in and put her backpack down on the sofa: “Teacher Xiao, did you know I made it to the finals? The competition is tomorrow. I revised the design content. Do you want to take a look first…”

As An Qingyang spoke, she looked up at Xiao Xuan standing in front of her.

She was ill. Her fair face was flushed with a sickly red, her lips were dry, and her eyes lacked their usual brightness. Her slender neck was exposed in the winter living room, and the hand supporting her chin in the air was trembling slightly, as if she might collapse onto the floor at any second.

“You… are sick…”

Xiao Xuan shook her head and muttered, “I’m fine.” An Qingyang quickly stood up to support her, surprised to find her arm frighteningly hot: “Go lie down. It’s very cold out here.” She helped Xiao Xuan into the bedroom, tucking the quilt tightly around her, leaving only her face exposed.

“You’re going to… smother me…” Xiao Xuan mumbled weakly.

An Qingyang didn’t answer but touched her face: “Did you take any medicine?”

Xiao Xuan shook her head.

“Then did you eat anything?”

Xiao Xuan shook her head again.

“Oh dear. I’ll take you to the hospital in a bit. You’re burning up.”

Xiao Xuan reached out and grabbed An Qingyang’s hand, looking pleading, like a little girl. An Qingyang sighed. Just as she made a move to leave, she found Xiao Xuan’s hand still stubbornly holding onto her.

“I’m not leaving. I’m going downstairs to buy you medicine.”

The hand finally let go. An Qingyang tucked her hand back under the covers, then went to the living room, poured some hot water, and fed it to Xiao Xuan before grabbing her keys to go down to the pharmacy to buy some fever reducer. She opened Xiao Xuan’s fridge and saw a colorful assortment of ingredients, but found that most of them were expired. An Qingyang carefully selected two tomatoes that looked relatively fresh and two eggs and started busying herself in the kitchen.

When An Qingyang graduated from high school and went to Australia, A Mu, worried she wouldn’t be used to the local food, hand-taught her over a dozen dishes, everything from sweet and sour pork ribs and braised mandarin fish down to fried eggs, hoping to impart all her knowledge. Unfortunately, Miss An was too lazy and only mastered tomato and egg drop soup and boiled noodles.

Xiao Xuan lay in bed, hearing the clanging sounds from the kitchen, and a warmth swelled in her heart. How long had it been since someone personally cooked a meal for her? After a while, she heard footsteps entering. She opened her eyes and saw the girl sitting on the edge of her bed holding a bowl.

“I made some porridge and tomato and egg drop soup. Have a little to eat.”

An Qingyang helped Xiao Xuan lean against the headboard. Xiao Xuan glanced at the food in the bowl and pouted slightly: “Yáng Yáng, you shouldn’t eat eggs when you have a cold. Don’t you know basic common sense?”

“Huh? Really?” An Qingyang looked shocked. “Then what should I do? I’ll go pour it out.”

She turned around, only to see Xiao Xuan quietly starting to eat.

“You really shouldn’t eat it. What if your condition gets worse?”

Xiao Xuan didn’t reply, self-absorbedly drinking the soup spoon by spoon. Soon after, she held the bowl out to An Qingyang, gesturing for more. An Qingyang touched Xiao Xuan’s forehead: “Teacher Xiao, your brain is very valuable. Don’t let it overheat.”

Xiao Xuan looked up at An Qingyang, and a young girl’s petulant charm radiated from her fever-flushed cheeks.

The sky gradually darkened. An Qingyang had less than an hour before her flight to the Imperial Capital. She packed her things and walked to the entrance, preparing to leave, when a low sobbing sound came from the bedroom. She hurried in, finding Xiao Xuan still sleeping soundly. She seemed to be dreaming something bad, as her brow was furrowed, and faint tear tracks stained her face.

An Qingyang had seen the warm Xiao Xuan, the strict Xiao Xuan, the angry Xiao Xuan, the rational Xiao Xuan, and the playful Xiao Xuan, but she had never seen her crying like this.

“I’m not going to the finals.” An Qingyang hung up the phone with An Dong, found a hot towel to wipe Xiao Xuan’s face, and sat guardedly by the bed.