Sheng Yuxiao carried Xiao Ya all the way through the door.
Xiao Ya asked, "Are you still going to class tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Sister Ru Ying said universities abroad are very busy."
"Yes, they are," Sheng Yuxiao replied, then turned to make himself a cup of coffee.
It was precisely because he was so busy that he had zero interest in joining those people's fraternity, which was essentially just a fancy title for ganging up to bully others.
Xiao Ya's guess wasn't wrong.
There was a hierarchy in the fraternity, and the rankings were extremely strict and clear, with discrimination flowing from top to bottom.
People like Green and his group were just low-level thugs. They thought throwing parties and group gatherings, bullying others while ignoring moral boundaries, and even stepping on teachers was all the fun they could imagine from a fraternity.
In reality, if one wanted to climb to higher ranks... it wasn't about such superficial things.
When they invited him to join, it wasn't for him to indulge in debauchery.
Instead, they wanted to use him to get to his father.
And through his father, establish channels to control Hua Country's economy, binding themselves together in mutual interests.
Any top-tier rich kid from back home would be approached like this when studying abroad.
He was worried Ning Heng might be naive and fall for it, so he had specifically called to warn him.
The organization's structure was far more complex than what Xiao Ya imagined.
That's why from the beginning, he never intended to turn these low-level players into his underlings. Playing that game here was meaningless.
It was okay that Xiao Ya didn't understand these things yet.
The bigger things could wait for when she grew up.
"You still have class... then I'll wait for you at the apartment," Xiao Ya's voice rang out.
"Wait for me? Why wait? Come to class with me." Sheng Yuxiao's tone was still non-negotiable.
"I can go?"
"Why not?"
Sheng Yuxiao opened the bathroom door: "Go wash up, your head is all sweaty."
Xiao Ya nodded and walked to the bathroom, while Sheng Yuxiao went outside and said to the bodyguards who had followed: "I've booked you rooms at a nearby hotel apartment, stay there for now."
The bodyguards nodded dumbly.
They had been abroad long-term and didn't know Sheng Yuxiao. They just felt this young master was both generous and thoughtful.
"Leave your number too." Sheng Yuxiao bit off the pen cap, casually tore off a piece of paper against the doorframe, wrote down his own number first and handed it over.
The bodyguards quickly gave him their numbers as well.
This was for safety reasons, to facilitate protecting the young miss at any time.
His thoroughness saved them trouble too.
"You can go now," Sheng Yuxiao tilted his chin up.
The bodyguards asked one final question: "Is there a nanny taking care of the young miss?"
Sheng Yuxiao nodded: "Yes."
The bodyguards were finally completely at ease and left, even calling Wei Wenjun to report and confirm everything was indeed in order before heading to their assigned hotel apartment.
Sheng Yuxiao pushed Xiao Ya's luggage inside while calling for someone to deliver milk, then waited outside with a towel and hair dryer.
—Well, he was the nanny.
*
Sheng Yuxiao had no afternoon classes, so he accompanied Xiao Ya to the mall.
"What do you want to buy?" Sheng Yuxiao asked, then added: "Don't you need a new schoolbag?"
"No need to change it. I'm buying your birthday present." Xiao Ya stopped at the mall entrance, looking left and right.
She asked: "What do you like?"
Sheng Yuxiao's lips curved up slightly, but his brows furrowed.
He slowly uttered three words: "The revolving lantern."
And added: "Especially handmade surprises."
Xiao Ya quickly explained: "That was actually my handicraft homework!"
"Yes, award-winning handicraft homework." Sheng Yuxiao emphasized the words "award-winning."
Sheng Yuxiao crouched down in front of her, trying his best not to sound too sour, and asked: "What handmade homework did you give Qin Sui for his birthday this year?"
Xiao Ya's voice grew quieter: "Origami homework, it didn't win any awards."
"So when can I receive such a surprise?" Sheng Yuxiao stared into her eyes and asked.
"That was very cheap... the materials only cost thirteen yuan."
"But it was handmade."
"It's okay if it's that cheap?"
"It's okay no matter how cheap it is."
"Then what do you like? I'll make it for you."
Sheng Yuxiao pressed his lips together: "Can't you give me an unexpected surprise?"
"My aesthetic sense isn't very good..."
Sheng Yuxiao quickly interrupted: "Did my young uncle say that?"
Xiao Ya nodded.
"So that's why you decided to come to the mall and let me choose?"
Xiao Ya nodded again.
Sheng Yuxiao lowered his head and chuckled softly, realizing it wasn't that she didn't care – she cared too much.
He raised his head again and said seriously: "Don't listen to him, he's talking nonsense."
"I understand, then let's go back."
Sheng Yuxiao swiftly picked up the child: "Let's go."
When Sheng Yuxiao said he'd take her to class, he really did.
The seats and desks in the lecture hall were very tall, and even though Xiao Ya had grown taller, her feet still couldn't quite reach the ground when sitting.
"Step on this," Sheng Yuxiao tossed his bag under her feet.
This immediately drew frequent glances from other students.
Sheng Yuxiao kept Xiao Ya by his side like this, coming and going all day.
Until the last class ended.
"Sheng is difficult to deal with, but I think that little girl by his side should be easy to handle. Go on, Green, maybe you can try buying her some things that little girls like, then invite her to join our party."
The foreign boy sitting in the last row of the lecture hall said, patting Green's shoulder with a smile.
Green wanted to say no, that little girl wasn't easy to handle at all!
Her punches really hurt!
But the people around him had already lost interest in listening.
Green could only hurriedly get up and follow.
Sheng Yuxiao walked very slowly with Xiao Ya.
The corridor walls were lined with portraits of the school's famous alumni. After walking a few steps, Xiao Ya suddenly stopped, looked up and said: "Mr. Jefferson."
Sheng Yuxiao glanced up and said: "He was once a member of the fraternity."
Green had just walked up and heard their conversation. Under the pressure of the stares behind him, he forced a smile and said: "Yes, he works for the Pentagon, quite an outstanding figure."
"So..." Won't you join us? Green couldn't finish the second half of his sentence.
Xiao Ya said softly: "So he was also in the fraternity."
Hearing her different tone, Sheng Yuxiao asked: "You know him?"
Xiao Ya nodded.
Green interjected: "Most of us know Mr. Jefferson, but I didn't expect a child from Hua Country would know him too?"
Xiao Ya then added: "I just had a phone call with him yesterday."
Green's voice came to an abrupt halt.
Huh?
Huh?
So that's what you meant by knowing him?
It wasn't until Xiao Ya and Sheng Yuxiao had walked far away that Green barely came back to his senses.
Behind him, the young foreign boy walked over and asked: "What did they say?"
Green said dazedly: "That child, she knows Mr. Jefferson, and they're quite close. She said they had a phone call just yesterday."
The boy shrugged, looking disappointed: "Oh, that's too bad. The politician Jefferson supports is our election opponent. Different ideologies make it hard to work together. Let's forget about this matter."
"Then what about Sheng..."
"Of course, don't offend him either, we need to maintain good relations."
"Aren't they from the opposing faction? Then why..."
"Only elementary school kids wear their hostility on their faces. Sometimes, the line between friend and foe doesn't need to be so clear. In fact, our ideologies might actually be the same, we just need to raise different flags to attract different voters, understand? Oh, you don't understand, your father is just a dentist. How could you understand these things?" The other person couldn't hide his contempt.
Green wasn't angry at all.
He listened carefully, and now truly felt that following Sheng Yuxiao could be both profitable and feasible!
*
Soon it was Sheng Yuxiao's birthday.
The entire Sheng family, along with the Xu family, all came...
Xu Ji came in and said with a tilted head and smile: "Good nephew, you should thank me, you must have received a very beautiful gift."
He asked: "Where's the gift from Xiao Ya?"
Sheng Yuxiao carefully held up a shapeless piece of clay.
Xu Ji was shocked: "What is this? This isn't what I taught!"
"I clearly suggested to Xiao Ya to let you choose your own gift," Xu Ji paused, looking suspiciously at his nephew.
"Could it be that your aesthetic sense has gone wrong too?"
Sheng Yuxiao's brows furrowed slightly, his sharp gaze unchanging, but the corners of his lips curved into a gentle smile: "I really like what Xiao Ya made by hand."
Xu Ji responded emotionlessly and numbly: "It's confirmed, your aesthetic taste has indeed gone astray."
"Uncle Xu," Xiao Ya called out from a distance.
Xu Ji glanced at her.
This one's beyond help.
Xiao Ya walked towards him voluntarily and asked: "Uncle Xu, do you really dislike it that much?"
Xu Ji's lips twitched slightly.
Xiao Ya continued: "Then I won't give you any birthday presents next time."
Xu Ji maintained his smile, but the light in his eyes instantly froze.
