Chapter 24

Xiao Qi, when she first obtained the system, used to intentionally walk fast, wanting to see the money faster.

The result was that she became exhausted from walking and it took even longer.

By the time she reached the last kilometer or two, she didn't even feel like lifting her legs.

So, for the past couple of days, she deliberately controlled her pace and breathing. She didn't walk too fast or purposely slow down; she found the most suitable state, just walking normally. Surprisingly, this made her walk longer without feeling tired.

She walked as much as possible instead of relying on other means of transportation.

Because covering a distance of 20,000 steps in a day is still quite far.

And today, the money displayed on the interface broke through ten thousand yuan, with an extra digit. It always felt somewhat unreal.

She arrived at 7:20, ten minutes earlier than the time mentioned by the monitor.

Xiao Qi doesn't often come to this kind of place. The pressure of studying in No.1 Middle School is still relatively high. However, most of the students in No.1 Middle School are local, and their conditions are generally better. Sometimes, classmates would treat each other here.

But among classmates, reciprocity is valued. It doesn't feel good to only accept treats and not be able to return the favor. If you can't reciprocate, it's better not to come at all. "Private Room No. 9," she walked over and said to the greeter at the entrance.

The greeter was taken aback. This little girl looked very young and dressed like a school student, but her demeanor was impressive.

Without reacting, the greeter obediently walked ahead, leading the way.

Even before reaching Private Room No. 9, they could already hear the lively noise.

No. 9 was a super-large private room. There were 48 students in their class, plus 8 students who were attending on a temporary basis, making a total of 56 students.

Usually, the class is also divided into two categories: those who were admitted through the regular entrance exam and those who were temporary students.

Temporary students generally have better conditions because the tuition fees for temporary students in No.1 Middle School are said to be very high, amounting to several tens of thousands.

Further division includes day students and boarding students. Most boarding students are not local and come from families with relatively poor conditions, forming another small group.

When Xiao Qi pushed open the door, she saw that more than twenty students had already arrived. It was quite lively inside, and it looked quite formal. There was even someone setting up a video camera in the corner.

"Wow, Xiao Qi is here!"

The person holding the microphone shouted.

Xiao Qi followed the voice and saw Li Changhai sitting in front of her desk. Li Changhai was a day student. Most of the city's students choose to be day students and would attend evening self-study together during their third year of high school, but they wouldn't stay at the school. Li Changhai was among that group. After becoming more familiar, they gave her a nickname, "Xiao Qi," after the doll in the movie "CJ7."

Li Changhai was chubby, but very lively and good at livening up the atmosphere.

He was singing while holding the microphone. After greeting her, he continued singing and twisting his body, making the other students burst into laughter.

Upon entering, she instinctively found a corner to sit down.

Her roommate Xia Zhen would come soon, and they could sit together. That way, it wouldn't be too awkward.

Xiao Qi had a good relationship with Xia Zhen. Xia Zhen gave her the watch, and Xiao Qi returned the favor by saving up her pocket money to buy Xia Zhen the dress she liked. In terms of price, Xiao Qi spent more, as the watch cost only 30 yuan, while the dress was over 70 yuan.

Both Xia Zhen and Xiao Qi live in accommodations, but their living situations are quite different. Xiao Qi resides in Gumula Village, which is particularly remote. On the other hand, although Xia Zhen doesn't live in Lvshan City, she is not far from the city center and resides in the outskirts. Despite living in accommodations, Xia Zhen finds it convenient to go home due to the proximity and also has decent family conditions. As a result, she maintains good relationships not only with her fellow boarding students but also with the day students in her class.

Xiao Qi admires Xia Zhen's social skills and finds her to be outgoing and friendly with everyone.

Once Xiao Qi obtained a mobile phone, she immediately shared her number with Xia Zhen.

However, upon observing her surroundings, Xiao Qi noticed that there weren't many boarding students. She settled down in a corner when suddenly the door opened, and the class monitor entered, followed by a group of people.

The class monitor had gone to order food and took the opportunity to bring the group of people along.

The class monitor was quite tall, around 1.83 meters, and had a slender figure. To Xiao Qi's surprise, he had permed his hair in the past few days, which seemed somewhat unusual.

Among the group of people behind the class monitor, Liu Shaowei was in the middle, and Xia Zhen was there too.

Xiao Qi wanted to invite Xia Zhen to sit with her, but she noticed that Xia Zhen was chatting and laughing with another girl next to her, indicating a close relationship.

That girl was not from their class.

Walking next to the girl was Liu Shaowei, and the two were quite close to each other.

Both Liu Shaowei and Xia Zhen noticed Xiao Qi sitting in the corner, and they were both taken aback.

They probably didn't expect Xiao Qi to be here.

Liu Shaowei's entrance prompted other classmates to tease him.

When the class monitor gave notice that they could bring family members, everyone laughed because they had just graduated from their final year of high school, so having family members attend was unlikely.

However, Liu Shaowei actually brought a girl with him.

Moreover, it seemed she was the beauty of Class 5, with long black straight hair and wearing a white floral dress that outshone most of the girls in their class.

Xiao Qi, on the other hand, dressed more like a boy, with short hair and only a touch of baby cream on her face. There was no need to compare.

This girl seemed to have put on makeup, and her appearance was exquisite.

But for seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys, they couldn't tell whether someone was wearing makeup or not, they just thought she looked pretty.

Xia Zhen hadn't expected Xiao Qi to be here.

She had casually given the class monitor Xiao Qi's phone number, but the notice was given late. Xia Zhen thought that the boarding students probably wouldn't come since they lived in the village, and there were no vehicles coming out except in the early morning. Initially, Xia Zhen and Xiao Qi had an ordinary relationship, but later Xia Zhen discovered that Xiao Qi didn't eat with them. Instead, she went to the neighboring hospital. Xia Zhen heard that Xiao Qi's aunt worked at the hospital, so she assumed that Xiao Qi's aunt was a doctor there. Xia Zhen tried to get on her good side, and their relationship became quite good.

Later on, many day students from their class also started coming to evening self-study, including Liu Shaowei.

Liu Shaowei had a well-proportioned figure, standing at around 1.79 meters, and he wore new shirts and jeans every day. He carried a different backpack, giving the impression that he came from a well-off background. Xia Zhen quite liked Liu Shaowei.

Coming as a surprise, Liu Shaowei and Xiao Qi seemed to have developed a close relationship, exchanging glances and gestures.

She was particularly unhappy. After discreetly inquiring about Su Xiaoqi's family background, she learned that Su Xiaoqi's aunt was just a nurse at the hospital, doing dirty and tiring work, while her parents were farmers. Su Xiaoqi showed off her father's excellent handwriting and appeared cultured. So, on one occasion, she deliberately arranged for Su Xiaoqi to meet her aunt, who happened to be emptying the hospital's garbage. Su Xiaoqi even helped push the garbage cart. She wanted Liu Shaowei to see this scene.

Sure enough, Liu Shaowei began to distance himself from Su Xiaoqi.

However, Su Xiaoqi seemed rather obtuse and didn't notice at all. She was focused on preparing for the college entrance examination and didn't pay attention to anything else.

Initially, Xia Zhen felt a little guilty, but later she heard that Su Xiaoqi didn't perform well on the exam, and she felt that her choice was correct. Being friends with outstanding people would make her more outstanding, and there was nothing special about someone like Su Xiaoqi.

But now, when she saw Su Xiaoqi, Xia Zhen felt a bit awkward.

After all, they usually acted very close to each other.

In the dormitory, Xia Zhen had the best relationship with Su Xiaoqi.

"Xie Ruan, I didn't expect you to become our class monitor. You didn't even tell anyone. That's not fair," Li Changhai, who was vying for the microphone, spoke again. It was clear that he was quite familiar with that girl.

Others joined in the teasing.

Liu Shaowei held his girlfriend's hand and explained, "I pursued her. We both got accepted into Capital Normal University. Don't mock Xie Xie."

When Liu Shaowei said this, everyone laughed and understood without saying a word.

Upon graduating from the third year of high school, some were not yet eighteen, while others were already eighteen. They all felt mature and knew what to say and what not to say.

Liu Shaowei pulled his girlfriend to sit on one side.

They deliberately chose a spot far away from Su Xiaoqi.

Xia Zhen also felt embarrassed and didn't go over. She sat with other classmates. Su Xiaoqi had saved a seat for Xia Zhen, leaving one empty beside her. Now it looked very awkward.

Su Xiaoqi didn't expect that Liu Shaowei would actually have a girlfriend, nor did she expect that Xia Zhen would know about it.

It was already 7:40, and almost everyone who was willing to come had arrived, totaling more than thirty people.

Su Xiaoqi realized that almost none of the boarders had come. She had only received a phone call from the class monitor this morning, and since she was in the city, she came right away. If she had still been in her hometown, there wouldn't have been any transportation available.

It seemed like she would have to sit on the cold bench from start to finish.

"Qi Er, why don't you sing a song too?" Li Changhai finished singing and felt that Su Xiaoqi sitting in the corner was quite awkward, considering they often had evening self-study together.

Xia Zhen and Xie Ruan were in conversation, and upon hearing Li Changhai's voice with the microphone, they thought Su Xiaoqi's personality would definitely refuse.

Liu Shaowei didn't even look up.

At this moment, a clear female voice responded, "Sure."