Thinking about the doctor's tactful inquiry regarding the medical expenses yesterday, He Xiang sat with his head lowered at his desk.
"He Xiang, the teacher is looking for you."
Someone knocked on his desk and called out to him.
He Xiang slowly raised his head, just in time to see the Class Teacher standing at the doorway, looking in his direction and waving him over.
"He Xiang, how is your grandmother doing?"
Looking at the thin and small student in front of him, the Class Teacher felt a pang of sadness.
He Xiang nodded: "She's doing okay."
Though, in reality, things weren’t great at all.
The Class Teacher was one of the few who knew about He Xiang's family situation. When his grandmother had fainted, He Xiang had rushed her to the hospital, but with only 2.5 yuan to his name, he was at a loss.
He borrowed a phone and called the only number he knew—the Class Teacher’s. The teacher, who had been having dinner at home, immediately rushed over and even paid the hospital fees.
The Class Teacher also helped with the hospitalization procedures and covered the expenses.
He Xiang was deeply grateful and wanted to repay the money as soon as possible.
But he was still too young.
"He Xiang, I called you here to tell you some good news."
At the mention of "good news," He Xiang looked puzzled.
"Here's the thing—the school has learned about your grandmother's condition and has decided to provide financial support, covering all her medical expenses from now on."
"If you can rank in the top ten of your grade in the midterm exams, you'll receive a monthly stipend of 2,000 yuan."
Two thousand yuan a month was an astronomical figure for He Xiang.
The school already provided him with meal vouchers, so his lunch was free. And when he was older and could live on campus, he wouldn’t have to spend anything on meals.
This dreamlike news hit He Xiang like a tidal wave, leaving him trembling with emotion.
"...Teacher, may I ask who the sponsor is?"
The Class Teacher shook his head: "The sponsor wishes to remain anonymous. You just focus on studying."
To be honest, even the Class Teacher felt that the sponsor was truly doing charity work. The money spent on He Xiang's grandmother's illness might not make much of a difference.
"Then... can I write her a letter? I want to thank her."
After thinking for a while, this was the only method he could come up with.
He Xiang didn’t have a phone, nor did he know how to use one, so he could only resort to the old-fashioned way of writing a letter.
The Class Teacher thought for a moment and said he would ask on He Xiang's behalf.
"Teacher... I don’t need 2,000 yuan. 1,000 would be enough."
He had initially wanted to say 500, but thinking of his grandmother, who needed better care, he swallowed his pride and spoke up.
Who would complain about having too much money?
Looking at the child, who had been calm and composed since they met, even in an unfamiliar environment, now showing a look of nervous gratitude, the Class Teacher chuckled: "Well, you’ll have to make it into the top ten first."
The boy seemed dazed by the good news, as if he hadn’t heard the condition.
He Xiang shook his head, his expression as calm and natural as drinking water: "I will make it into the top ten, Teacher."
The Class Teacher wondered if this was the confidence of a genius.
Even though it was only the first grade, the students at this school were all overachievers.
"Alright, I believe in you."
"Even though the condition hasn’t been met yet, here’s 500 yuan."
He took out the money and handed it to He Xiang.
He Xiang didn’t take it all, only accepting two hundred-yuan bills, and then asked the teacher to accompany him to deposit it in the bank.
He had understood the concept of "wealth attracts trouble" from a very young age.
The Class Teacher nodded in agreement.
As He Xiang walked out of the office with the two red bills in his pocket, he stood on the corridor and, for the first time since arriving here, looked up into the blinding morning sunlight.
Even as the light brought tears to his eyes, he didn’t look away.
He thought to himself:
If there really is a god in this world, may the kind sponsor be blessed with a lifetime of health and peace.
...
Ji Nian rubbed her nose.
"What’s wrong? Do you have a cold?"
On the other side of the screen, Shen Qingtang leaned closer to the camera.
Ji Nian shook her head: "No, just a sneeze."
It happened often.
She was sitting on a bench outside the activity room, making a voice call with Shen Qingtang using her smartwatch.
"How’s it going over there?"
It was much hotter where Shen Qingtang was compared to S City. She was wearing a straw hat, her hair tied into two braids.
"Grandpa’s teaching me how to catch fish. The water’s shallow, so you can see the stones and fish in the river. I’m really good at it—I caught a fish on my first try! Grandpa said I have a natural talent!"
Her face was radiant with joy and confidence.
"Grandma also taught me how to weave grasshoppers. I even made a little chicken. I’ll bring it back for you."
Then, a faint voice of an elderly woman came through: "Sweetie, come on! The grilled fish is ready!"
Shen Qingtang responded.
Ji Nian took the cue: "Go ahead and eat. I have class soon anyway."
They said their goodbyes and hung up.
The system, noticing that Ji Nian was propping her head up and spacing out, spoke up: **[Feeling lonely?]**
Knowing what it was referring to, Ji Nian lazily replied: **[A little.]**
**[But her happiness is what matters most.]**
The importance of family in a child’s growth didn’t need further explanation.
She had checked before—the educational resources there were good, so Shen Qingtang wouldn’t fall behind even after moving.
And though the distance was a bit far, they had a private plane, so she could visit whenever she missed her.
"Ugh..."
But this meant that Shen Qingtang and Gu Xiuyuan wouldn’t have the chance to grow up together as childhood friends.
The system: **[...]**
Even if they did, there probably wouldn’t be any romantic feelings.
Shen Qingtang’s interests had already shifted, as evident from her room full of mysterious scientist figurines who could concoct all sorts of magical potions.
And Gu Xiuyuan had never beaten her in basketball... it had left him with a bit of a psychological scar.
**[You should worry more about the proposal Princess asked you to write.]**
Mentioning this made Ji Nian’s head hurt.
Since it was something Chen Mo would see, Ji Nian didn’t want to half-heart it. She felt like she had to present her best work.
"Sigh..."
As she was brainstorming the structure...
A pair of leather shoes suddenly appeared in front of her.
**[From last year’s summer fashion show.]**
Ji Nian instantly recognized the shoes.
Don’t ask how—it was because Ji Tingzhou had spent an entire day last summer complaining about how the pattern on these shoes looked like corn-studded poop.
She slowly looked up.
Her eyes met those of a smiling man.
"Student, why aren’t you going inside?"
The man was wearing a white shirt and black trousers, with a pair of glasses. He had a clean and approachable appearance.
But for some reason, Ji Nian didn’t like him from the moment she saw him.
"You can’t go in there."
The man chuckled: "Why not?"
Before Ji Nian could say more, he walked to the door and pulled it open.
In the next second, a brownish liquid mixed with yellow unidentified objects gushed out, flooding over the man’s shoes.
Ji Nian, sitting on the bench with her feet dangling, sighed.
"I told you, you can’t go in."
Why else would she be sitting here?
She was waiting for the repairman, warning everyone who tried to open the door: the activity room’s toilet pipes had burst.
