Chapter 41: The Return of Xiao Xi

“Ah—”

Rubbing her eyes, Xiao Meng pushed open the door, clearly still carrying a trace of sleepiness. She first went to the bathroom to wash her face and freshen up, then emerged to find her Brother Xi calmly preparing breakfast.

“Hmm, Brother, you’re up quite early today. Uh… why do you look a bit off today? Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Silently preparing breakfast, he heard his sister’s question. He looked up, let out a small, slightly aggrieved sigh, and was about to speak when another voice chimed in.

“Oho, Xiao Meng, good morning!”

Sister Yuan had also pushed open her door and stepped out, her tone sounding quite cheerful. Xiao Meng glanced at her sister, noticing that compared to Brother Xi, Sister Yuan seemed exceptionally well-rested.

Ah, this… this shouldn’t be how things are, should it? If she recalled correctly, Brother Xi was supposed to be executing Senior Sister’s plan yesterday, staying at school and not coming home. Then, Sister Yuan had told her to go to bed, saying she would wait alone for Brother Xi to return.

Well… how should she put it? Did he come back or not? Brother Xi looked utterly exhausted, yet Sister Yuan appeared as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

This…

So, what exactly happened last night? Brother Xi couldn’t have returned at 3:30 AM, could he? Was he really that persistent? Did he actually manage to outlast Sister Yuan until she fell asleep?

“Brother, didn’t you rest well? You have to go to school today, you… will you be okay?”

Shi Meng looked at Xiao Xi with a hint of worry. Xiao Xi rubbed his chin, a troubled expression on his face, then turned and said, “It should… be fine, right? I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“I told you not to overthink it! You didn’t sleep well, sigh, never mind. Just sleep at school then. My dear wife, you must rest well in the future, otherwise, how will you make delicious breakfast?”

Sister Yuan teased him from behind. Xiao Xi, looking rather annoyed, set the breakfast before her. The fresh, tender meal looked exceptionally tempting. Xiao Xi turned his head, muttering, “I can make delicious food even without a good night’s sleep, hmph. Come on, Xiao Meng, let’s go to school. Let this successful person eat alone.”

“Eh… what about my food? Wait, Brother… wait for me—”

Xiao Meng chased Xiao Xi out of the house, leaving Sister Yuan behind to helplessly wave her hand. Oh, this Xiao Xi, he was quite stubborn.

****

After Xiao Meng caught up, the two walked side by side until they reached school, first heading to the Volunteer Club to greet Senior Sister.

Pushing open the door, they found Senior Sister already in the activity room, seemingly in the middle of cleaning. Xiao Xi and Xiao Meng felt a little awkward about walking in, so they stood at the doorway. After all, Senior Sister had just mopped the floor.

“Ah…” Senior Sister smiled when she saw them. “You’re here! Oh my, it’s rare for me to arrive earlier than you two. Have you eaten? Would you like to come in for some breakfast?”

“No, Senior Sister, um…” Xiao Meng awkwardly glanced at the floor. Senior Sister, holding the mop, looked down and instantly realized their dilemma.

“Oh, so that’s what this is about! Ah—I’ll have to prepare some slippers for you two later. But it’s fine, just come in. I’ll just mop it again!” Senior Sister chatted to herself, put down the mop, and gestured for Xiao Xi and Xiao Meng to enter.

However, both were considerate and didn’t want to trouble Senior Sister by making her mop again. They both shook their heads. Xiao Xi reassured Senior Sister, “No need! Um… we still have to go back to class. Our sick leave is over today, and we need to return to lessons, so we won’t stay. Oh, right… Senior Sister, when will the next battle plan be ready?”

Xiao Xi blinked, looking at Senior Sister curiously. Upon hearing his question, Senior Sister’s expression shifted. She turned her head, groaning in pain a couple of times. ‘No, are you a pig? Why are you making such sounds of agony?’

Senior Sister tragically clutched her head with both hands, mumbling, “Wuwuwu, don’t rush me, Xiao Xi! Xiao Xi, are you a devil? You’re even more terrifying than those clients! I’ve considered so many plans since the last one failed. Just give me a little more time, please, just a little more time…”

Her appearance was exactly like an author being rushed by their editor, or a contractor being pressed by their client for a proposal, or even a junior student suffering under Senior Sister Zhang Meiyu’s demands to arrange thermoses. It perfectly showcased Senior Sister’s inner desire to slack off at that moment.

So…

She’d rather clean than think about the plan? He always thought Senior Sister was quite free usually…

‘Hmm… she’s crying even harder now.’ Xiao Meng quickly tugged at Xiao Xi’s sleeve, signaling him to comfort her.

“Um… alright, Senior Sister, don’t cry! Okay, okay, take your time thinking. No rush, no rush. Um… I’m going to class now?”

Xiao Xi still wanted to escape the scene quickly. Senior Sister lifted her head, full of resentment. “Hmph, as expected! You leave Senior Sister alone here to help you brainstorm ideas, while you go off to enjoy yourself? Truly, you are Xiao Xi.”

“No…”

“Well, well~ Never mind. Have a good trip! Hehe, you haven’t seen your classmates in so long. I’m quite looking forward to their reactions when they see you. Hmm… study hard!”

“I… actually, I’m a little… excited. Um, or rather, scared?” Xiao Xi looked somewhat nervous.

****

“Ahem, alright everyone, I’d like to announce that Shi Xi and Shi Meng have returned to school. Everyone, please help them catch up with their studies as quickly as possible.”

The teacher on stage pushed up their glasses, sternly instructing the students. The students looked up, and upon seeing Xiao Meng, a collective ‘Uh… who’s that?’ spread through the room. Then they looked at Xiao Xi…

OHHHHHHH!!!

“Xiao Xi! Our Xiao Xi is back at school, wuwu! Xiao Xi, how can I live without you, Xiao Xi~”

Huh, huh, that boy crying so dramatically, isn’t that a bit much? We’re not even close, are we?

“Xiao Xi, hehehe, my Xiao Xi, you’ve styled your hair! You look even more handsome~ I feel like playing with it right now.”

This girl, do you know you have a perverted look on your face? But I still have to praise you, you’re so observant! You noticed such a tiny change. Even so, please don’t mess with my hair!

“Xiao Xi is back! The photo album can be updated, yay! Finally, I can escape from those old, boring photos. Tonight, I’m going to burst through the ceiling! Click, click—”

Xiao Xi, terrified, hid behind Xiao Meng, trembling as he faced the onslaught of cameras, like cannons.

Wuwuwu, I’m going to call the police, I really will call the police!

Xiao Xi wailed in indignant despair. The homeroom teacher nearby watched the scene speechless. It was time to step forward, defend the students, and put a stop to this unruly behavior!

So, the homeroom teacher spoke up:

“Ahem, no matter what, Xiao Xi is still a boy… you all need to respect his gender!”

‘Teacher, that’s so touching… wuwu.’ Xiao Xi looked at his homeroom teacher with gratitude. ‘Even though I’ve forgotten your surname, I’m so touched that you would stand up for me…’

Wait…

What did they mean, ‘no matter what, he’s still a boy’? He *is* a boy, what do you mean by ‘still’?

“Tch—”

The students in the class let out a collective boo, then chanted in unison:

“Xiao Xi’s gender *is* Xiao Xi!”

‘No, it’s not!!!’