Xie Lianqing couldn't help but laugh, explaining, "Your cousin said she was coming."
Zhou Chenyu instantly understood.
It was probably Le Jiaojiao who lied to Xu Qingqing, saying she would be there. Given Xu Qingqing's personality of never backing down from a challenge, she was likely afraid her rival would mock her for not showing up, so she immediately got ready and came tonight.
Recalling the years of rivalry and drama between his cousin and his childhood friend, Zhou Chenyu clicked his tongue a few times. "So she got tricked?"
Le Jiaojiao hadn't come at all tonight, staying home to study hard. Rumor had it she failed a course last semester and was determined to redeem herself this term.
Xie Lianqing's lips curved into a faint, ambiguous smile.
He glanced at his girlfriend beside him. She was muttering to herself, sometimes reciting theorems, sometimes gritting her teeth and saying, "Le Jiaojiao, that jerk!"
After cursing, Xu Qingqing would immediately cover her ears and go back to memorizing. But soon she'd start despising her untrustworthy rival again, cycling through emotions without really absorbing what she was studying.
By the end of the charity auction, Xu Qingqing had barely memorized a few vocabulary words. Her mind was completely occupied with plans to stuff fake caterpillars and spiders into Le Jiaojiao's bag during class tomorrow.
Of course, they'd be fake toy props! Real bugs? She wouldn't dare; she was terrified of them herself.
So, after leaving the charity gala, Xu Qingqing without a word dragged Xie Lianqing to drive back into the city, scouring the streets for a novelty prank shop.
Initially, she was there to find props for revenge against her rival, but she ended up having a blast by herself. She touched this plastic skull, then poked that screeching cat toy.
Besides selling realistic toy props, the shop even had live animals: transparent jellyfish floating in water, spiders resting quietly in terrariums.
While Xu Qingqing was amusing herself, she heard Zhou Chenyu call from behind her, "Xu Qingqing, look at this one!"
She turned around happily, saying, "I want fake bugs, spiders or something. Oh, this one works... Ah! No snakes! Why is it moving?! Aaaaaah! Take it away!"
"Xie Lianqing! Get Zhou Chenyu out of here!" Xu Qingqing urgently summoned her boyfriend to the rescue.
However, Xie Lianqing, of course, couldn't hear her. He was outside parking the car and couldn't possibly have foreseen Zhou Chenyu playing such a joke on Xu Qingqing.
By the time he returned from parking, chaos had ensued. Zhou Chenyu stood empty-handed, chasing after Xu Qingqing and shouting, "It's not poisonous! Stop running, Miss! I've already put it down!"
Xu Qingqing was hopping around frantically everywhere. "Stay away from me!"
After leaving the toy shop, Xu Qingqing, still in her little black dress, stood pouting by the roadside, her face pale but full of stubbornness, refusing to get in the car. She clutched an ultra-cute stuffed bear in her arms.
Xie Lianqing sat in the driver's seat, calling out helplessly, "Xu Qingqing, let's go home."
Xu Qingqing glared at him. "No! You haven't apologized to me yet!"
Xie Lianqing was almost amused by this young lady's antics. "That snake wasn't my idea, okay? Fine, I apologize."
Under his girlfriend's pitiful, accusing gaze, he reluctantly raised his hands in surrender.
The perpetrator, Zhou Chenyu, had already fled the scene, leaving the innocent Xie Lianqing to deal with the aftermath. A troublesome friend could be cut off, but a girlfriend had to be appeased.
Unable to do much about the unscrupulous Zhou siblings, Xu Qingqing took it out on her boyfriend. "Do you think buying me this will make me happy? I'm not happy."
Xie Lianqing leaned sideways, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at the girl on the sidewalk. He blinked at her. "I thought you liked it."
Xu Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I do quite like it." Now she had no reason to stay angry.
Seeing she was still fuming, Xie Lianqing suggested, "Didn't you say you wanted to adopt another puppy in the game? How about naming it 'Little Zhou'?"
Xu Qingqing loved small animals. But she was allergic; getting close to them caused severe reactions, so her family had never kept pets. Xu Qingqing could only raise virtual pets in video games, spending money daily to buy her beloved digital dog and a full set of high-end items.
Xu Qingqing was a bit reluctant. "But I already named it. It's called Tractor." She thought the name she chose was quite good and didn't really want to change it.
Xie Lianqing...
But with this distraction, Xu Qingqing finally wasn't angry anymore.
Xie Lianqing's lips curled up again. He said leisurely, "If Miss Xu is no longer upset, may I have the honor of escorting you home?"
It was already very late after the auction. Xu Qingqing had been busy studying lately and needed to get home before ten to rest early; otherwise, it was hard to wake up on time to memorize things the next morning.
Ignoring her boyfriend's well-intentioned reminder, Xu Qingqing dawdled and said, "What's the rush? Don't you want to spend more time with me? Do you not like me anymore, trying to get rid of me early?" The drama queen act had begun again.
Because of the engagement matter, Xu Qingqing had belatedly realized that Xie Lianqing seemed to have been angry that day.
Normally, carefree Xu Qingqing wouldn't pay attention to her boyfriend being angry—if he wanted to be mad, she couldn't stop him.
But recently, Xie Lianqing had been contributing to her academic pursuits, proactively contacting several tutors for Xu Qingqing. The most comprehensive and up-to-date practice test papers flowed like water onto her desk.
Xu Qingqing even found pre-release versions among them, reportedly privately commissioned by Xie Lianqing from famous teachers, specially customized for his dear girlfriend.
Xu Qingqing wasn't exactly thrilled about this kind of treatment.
Since she had declared she would take exams to further her studies, she couldn't just throw these things away. Xu Qingqing had considered secretly not doing these papers, but Old Master Xu, who firmly believed she would inherit the family business, would specifically check her homework.
So, Xu Qingqing really wanted CEO Xie to go easy on her and stop sending more.
Xie Lianqing, unaware that his girlfriend's mind was completely occupied by homework and test papers, pretended to ponder before smiling and saying, "My feelings for Xu Qingqing are, of course, clear as day. I think of you day and night, wanting to be with you."
Seeing Xu Qingqing still unsatisfied, he proactively suggested, "How about I leave the car here and walk you home tonight?"
Unexpectedly, Xu Qingqing frowned and said seriously, "Why would you park illegally? That's so inconsiderate."
Xie Lianqing had meant it as a joke and didn't expect Xu Qingqing to respond this way.
His lips parted. He wanted to explain but hesitated. For some reason, he remembered Zhou Chenyu complaining to him once about taking Xu Qingqing to watch street racing at night, only for this little ancestor to go home and report everyone involved afterward. That year, they all spent the holiday in the police station.
After a long moment, Xie Lianqing lowered his head and suddenly laughed. "Xu Qingqing, you really are..."
You really are adorable.
Xu Qingqing didn't catch his implied meaning, only knowing he was laughing inexplicably. She narrowed her eyes. "Are you laughing at me?"
She didn't understand why Xie Lianqing was laughing at her. She was talking about a very serious matter. When Xu Qingqing drove, she hated people who parked illegally because it always made finding a spot take forever.
She absolutely would not admit this had anything to do with her poor reversing skills.
Xie Lianqing smiled helplessly, got out of the car, and personally opened the door for Xu Qingqing. He lowered his head, kissed her forehead, and said in a voice as gentle as a spring breeze and drizzle, "How would I dare to laugh at you? I like you so much it's beyond words."
Xu Qingqing didn't move, closing her eyes to quietly feel Xie Lianqing's kiss.
After a moment, her lips parted slightly, and she asked softly, "Do you really like me?"
Stars twinkled in the night sky, and everything around was silent.
Xie Lianqing's fingers brushed through her hair as he whispered, "Of course."
Xu Qingqing then said quietly, "Then can you stop sending me practice test papers?"
Xie Lianqing couldn't kiss her anymore. He leaned on her shoulder, laughing so hard his shoulders shook. His voice was full of amusement, "Hmm?"
Xu Qingqing looked up at him and made her request in a small voice, "Can you stop sending me those IELTS practice tests? I think the exam is still quite far off for me, and I don't necessarily need to study so much right now, right?"
As an academic slacker, she was under immense pressure.
Seeing his girlfriend genuinely distressed, Xie Lianqing patted her head, unable to bear revealing the truth. "Did you really think I was the one getting all those practice papers?"
Xu Qingqing asked blankly, "Wasn't it you?"
Xie Lianqing found her expression both pitiful and adorable, feeling a mix of heartache and amusement. "Why don't you ask Chairman Xu?"
In fact, apart from initially recommending a few tutors for Xu Qingqing, all the subsequent practice papers had been quietly slipped to her by Old Master Xu under Xie Lianqing's name.
The old master was single-mindedly determined for his granddaughter to inherit the family business. Now that she was finally willing to study seriously, he certainly wasn't going to let this opportunity slip. However, Chairman Xu didn't want to be the bad guy in front of his granddaughter, so he always pinned the blame on Xie Lianqing.
Xie Lianqing was well aware of this, but since it was the idea of Chairman Xu and his wife, he couldn't disrupt their plans and had no choice but to silently take the blame.
He had originally thought Xu Qingqing would start complaining after a few days, but he hadn't expected her to remain clueless for so long before finally bringing it up. Xie Lianqing almost felt sorry for her.
After learning the truth, Xu Qingqing was also stunned.
So that's how it was. No wonder, even when Xie Lianqing hadn't visited her home, her grandfather would always produce new test papers for her. She had thought it was Xie Lianqing being ruthless, having his assistant deliver them.
Xu Qingqing was heartbroken. She felt cheated.
Xie Lianqing stepped forward, wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, patted her back, and comforted her, "At least you don't have to do them anymore."
Who knows how long Xu Qingqing had been holding this in before finally asking today.
Xu Qingqing was still angry, but there was nothing she could do about her grandparents, so she could only take it out on her boyfriend.
After thinking for a moment, she said to Xie Lianqing, "You have to compensate me."
"What kind of compensation do you want?" Xie Lianqing raised an eyebrow, looking at Xu Qingqing with composure, waiting for her to say what she wanted him to do.
After a while, Xu Qingqing said, "Help me clock points on the 'Learning from a Strong Nation' app."
Xie Lianqing frowned.
What was that?
Xu Qingqing had already taken out her phone, explaining this essential little app for university students to Xie Lianqing and urging him to download it.
She didn't see Xie Lianqing's bewildered and incredulous expression, still chattering away with complaints, "Today, the class group notified everyone that we have to clock in daily on 'Learning from a Strong Nation'. I don't want to watch it."
Modern university students not only have to do homework but also complete various strange tasks assigned by the school, like online courses and club activities, and even have to watch 'Learning from a Strong Nation' during their breaks to receive ideological education.
Xu Qingqing had been reviewing materials and memorizing until her head was spinning lately; where would she find the time to clock in and watch videos and articles?
Counting on her fingers, she calculated, "You have to earn at least twenty points a day."
Under her explanation, Xie Lianqing finally understood what was going on and laughed after a long pause.
Xu Qingqing asked blankly, "What's wrong?"
Xie Lianqing said, "Nothing, just feeling like I'm getting the short end of the stick."
Being in a relationship with Miss Xu was truly not easy. Not only did he have to help her with homework and take the blame for her elders, but now he also had to clock points by watching task videos.
Xu Qingqing said somewhat confusedly, "Then what should we do?"
What else could they do?
Xie Lianqing smiled, lifted Xu Qingqing's chin, and gently kissed her chattering lips.
His affectionate eyes gazed at Xu Qingqing as he said meaningfully, "Collecting a little interest."
When Zhou Chenyu found out about this, he fell silent for a moment, speechless. "Miss Xu, you having your boyfriend do your homework is one thing, but now you're making him clock points on 'Learning from a Strong Nation' for you too?"
Xu Qingqing was very confused and retorted, "Is that not allowed?"
Zhou Chenyu slapped his thigh, laughing hysterically. "Allowed, allowed, of course it's allowed!" He was dying to know what Xie Lianqing's inner thoughts and breakdown must have been at that moment.
Being in a relationship with Xu Qingqing was indeed not something an ordinary person could handle. Xie Lianqing was a tough guy.
Back in the day, Xie Lianqing was often called the "unattainable flower" among his peers. People lined up to pursue him, everyone guessing who would win him over, fantasizing about what kind of elegant, beautiful, and perfect woman would be worthy of the position by Mr. Xie's side.
Who would have thought that years later, Xie Lianqing would have a day like this?
Zhou Chenyu leisurely posted a message on his social media feed, asking, "Have you done your 'Learning from a Strong Nation' today?"
A few minutes later, Zhou Chenyu found himself blocked by Xie Lianqing.
Zhou Chenyu clicked his tongue twice. Indeed, proximity to ink turns one black. After being with Xu Qingqing for so long, Xie Lianqing had even learned to block people now.
Xu Qingqing, unaware of what had happened between her boyfriend and Zhou Chenyu, was currently buried in a whirlwind of review.
Even Xie Lianqing, who had already graduated, had no choice but to help his girlfriend highlight key points and find review materials, occasionally even having to step in personally to write some useless end-of-term assignments for her.
When Xu Qingqing reached the point of utter despair while memorizing vocabulary, she couldn't help but turn to her Auntie for help, asking if she could temporarily reconcile with Shen Shushui for half a month so she could ask Teacher Shen to highlight the key points for her.
When Xie Lianqing found out about this, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "And then?"
Xu Qingqing hung her head dejectedly. "My Auntie said she'd notify the invigilator to have them sit in the front row to supervise me during the exam."
She should have known. Her Auntie had a decisive and strict personality. Although she usually spoiled her, she wouldn't indulge her in these matters. So, Xu Qingqing could only rely on herself honestly.
As the days passed, Xu Qingqing studied until she was dizzy. She didn't know where she heard it, but she learned that praying to the god of academics before an exam was beneficial for passing.
So, in her desperation, Xu Qingqing followed the crowd, setting up a table of fruits and vegetables, taking a bath and burning incense, and solemnly bowing repeatedly to a series of great figures like Marx, philosophy, and art theory.
After finishing, she thought for a moment and also placed a photo of Xie Lianqing on the altar.
Xie Lianqing, who happened to arrive at Xu Qingqing's home and witnessed this scene:
Should he be thankful that the photo she used of him wasn't in black and white?
Xie Lianqing frowned as he walked to his girlfriend's side, suddenly feeling this scene was somewhat familiar. "Xu Qingqing, what are you doing?"
When he saw the series of philosophy and art theory greats next to his own photo, Xie Lianqing finally remembered why this scene looked familiar.
Back when he was a student, this scene would always appear in various dormitories near the end of each semester. Those who came to borrow his notes would solemnly pay homage to the academic giants of their major, praying not to fail their exams.
Sometimes, even students from the Computer Science school would mimic this practice when writing code, earnestly kneeling before the pioneers of computing and the internet, praying for bug-free runs.
Xie Lianqing, a heaven's favorite, a study god admired by all, consistently outscored the second-place student by dozens of points through sheer ability, so he naturally never participated in such activities.
Occasionally, when he witnessed similar scenes, he would privately lament how feudal superstitions harmed people and that the mission of popularizing science was long and arduous.
Back then, Xie Lianqing never imagined that years later, his own girlfriend would become one of those participants, and his photo would actually be placed among the others.
So, is this karma?
Xie Lianqing rested his chin on his hand, watching this scene, and slowly took a breath. He asked Xu Qingqing beside him, "What is this about?"
Xu Qingqing gave him a rundown on the efforts made by academically challenged students to pray for passing grades, then explained, "I feel like those big names in the textbooks are too distant from me."
Since worshipping a study god could help, wasn't there a ready-made one right beside her? Xie Lianqing's feat of skipping a grade and becoming the top scorer in the college entrance exam was legendary throughout City A. Xu Qingqing believed in making good use of available resources.
Was the way to utilize the resource of having a study god boyfriend to place his photo alongside numerous academic giants and solemnly pay homage every final exam season?
Xie Lianqing nodded, having nothing to say to that. He was both annoyed and amused, and could even, in a bizarre way, understand Xu Qingqing's train of thought.
A while ago, when Xu Qingqing eagerly asked him for his old college entrance exam admission ticket photo, he thought she was curious about his past. So, he seriously found it for her and even boasted a little to Secretary Zhang about his girlfriend missing him.
He never expected Xu Qingqing would use the photo for this purpose.
While Xie Lianqing was still frowning, pondering where things went wrong, he saw Xu Qingqing beside him light two sticks of incense.
He sucked in a breath and couldn't help but speak up to stop her, "The incense really isn't necessary, is it?"
He was still alive, after all.
"It's not?" Xu Qingqing pinched the two incense sticks, turning to look at him with wide, innocent, and clueless eyes.
Xie Lianqing exhaled, averted his gaze, softened his voice, and yielded, "Go ahead, go ahead."
For his girlfriend to pass her exams, CEO Xie truly sacrificed a lot.
While Xie Lianqing was caught between laughter and tears, Xu Qingqing's superstition only intensified.
For her final exam, she specifically requested Xie Lianqing to accompany her, reasoning that this way she might absorb some of the study god's aura.
Xie Lianqing checked his schedule and gently asked, "I have a meeting Wednesday morning. How about I drop you off at the exam venue, go to the company, and then come back to pick you up after your exam?"
Truthfully, even if Xie Lianqing didn't tell Xu Qingqing, she probably wouldn't notice. After all, she couldn't see whether he was actually waiting outside during the exam.
Xu Qingqing had dark circles under her eyes from recent late-night studying. She gave a small yawn and said softly, a bit lost, "You won't stay with me? What if I fail the exam then?"
Xie Lianqing decided immediately, "I'll stay. I'll definitely stay."
How could he dare not? From Xu Qingqing's tone, it seemed if she failed, she would blame it on him.
It's not like Xu Qingqing hadn't done such things before. To this day, she believes she failed her foreign language class last semester because Xie Lianqing cheated on her in her dream.
To prevent a similar incident, Xie Lianqing, the model boyfriend who should have been at a company meeting on a weekday, skipped work for the first time in his life, citing the reason of accompanying his girlfriend to an exam.
Chairman Xie was even alerted upon hearing this, almost suspecting his son was going to help his future daughter-in-law cheat.
And so, at A University, while Xu Qingqing took her exam inside the classroom, the illustrious CEO Xie waited outside the exam hall for his girlfriend to finish.
When Xu Qingqing finally finished her last exam of the semester and ran out of the venue excitedly, Xie Lianqing was waiting for her outside.
As the exam ended, Xu Qingqing bounced out. Before Xie Lianqing could speak, she threw herself into his arms. "I think I should pass this time!" she said, her voice sounding very happy.
Xie Lianqing raised an eyebrow, smiled, and proactively hugged her back, asking gently, "Hmm."
Xu Qingqing stepped back, but Xie Lianqing didn't let go. Looking down at her from his height, he leaned in, gazed into her eyes, and said with a smile in his eyes, "Is that enough? How about hugging a little longer?"
Xu Qingqing thought for a moment and shook her head. "No need."
She let go and stepped back, took Xie Lianqing's hand, lifted their joined hands, and said happily, "Let's go home! There's a new dessert shop outside the school that's really good. My treat!"
Listening to her chatter, Xie Lianqing curled his lips. "Okay."
Xu Qingqing couldn't even take an exam without causing a stir, putting him through the wringer too. Yet, whenever Xie Lianqing saw the simple, joyful Xu Qingqing before him, he felt everything he did had meaning, and he could endure it all.
Sometimes Xie Lianqing felt that perhaps he liked Xu Qingqing a bit more than he even realized.
Maybe it was the study god aura from Xie Lianqing that worked, but more likely it was the result of Xu Qingqing's arduous review—she passed all her final exams.
Thus, Xu Qingqing's holiday life began in this comedic fashion.
After learning her exam results, to celebrate, Xu Qingqing excitedly contacted her great meritorious servant boyfriend, planning to treat him to a meal.
Xie Lianqing was reviewing documents and had just smiled upon hearing this when Xu Qingqing asked excitedly, "Can you come with me when I take the IELTS too?"
Xie Lianqing: "..."
Xu Qingqing, nervous and expectant, whispered, "Please, please? The best Senior Xie in the whole world, you're the best."
Xie Lianqing helplessly massaged his temples, both annoyed and amused, and tried to reason with her. "Qingqing, you passed this time because you studied hard for a long time. You passed all your exams in the previous two years without me, didn't you?"
He attempted to use logic, but the other party said, "You're the best boyfriend in the whole world, you know."
Xie Lianqing couldn't say another word—how could he bear to refuse Xu Qingqing?
Satisfied, Xu Qingqing immediately prepared to go out on a date with Xie Lianqing. However, she suddenly received a phone call mid-way.
Her uncle invited her to the Lin family for a family dinner.
