Chapter Twenty-Five: The Green Plum Arrives

  Xia Meng didn't expect that her father would react so violently upon hearing that she had someone she liked. Xia Meng stared blankly at her father, at a loss for what to do.

  "Still the same words, don't fall in love too early! Your current task is to study hard, I absolutely cannot let you repeat the mistakes of your father's past!" Xia Xiuke's arrow-like gaze pierced through Xia Menglin's soul. In the scorching summer heat, Xia Menglin couldn't help but shiver with a chill.

  "Dad, I...I...I didn't...haven't had an early love affair. You believe me." Xia Meng said incoherently.

  "Ah, Dad is not around, everything relies on you to manage yourself now. You've already learned to appreciate excellent boys, proving you're a normal girl, Dad understands. However, you must learn to protect yourself, don't let others hurt you, got it? An excellent girl must also have strong self-control."

  Xia Meng lowered her head and remained silent. In fact, she didn't think that adolescent emotions were a fierce beast. It's just that she couldn't let her father down.

  "Dad has been carrying a heavy burden for so many years, his only hope is your health and happiness, you can't let Dad down!"

  "Dad, don't worry! I will cherish my youth!"

  Xia Meng always felt that her father was a bit worried, or was she just overthinking? Xia Meng didn't think about it anymore. The next day, after saying goodbye to her parents, Xia Meng returned to A Middle School ahead of time and started making up for lost classes.

  Class 3 of High School Year 2, only Xia Meng and Zhang Li were among the top 100 in their grade. On the first day of class, as usual, it was a class meeting, at which seats were assigned and class representatives were elected.

  Class teacher Liu expressed that she felt tremendous pressure during the class meeting. At the same time, she also expressed her absolute confidence in the collective students of Class 3. She passionately rallied her classmates on stage, calling on all students to learn from Xia Meng and Zhang Li.

  Xia Meng's new deskmate was a very classically beautiful girl named Huang Yiqi, with a delicate and slender figure, and a head of black hair that fell to her calves. She carried Jin Yong's martial arts novels with her, wrapped in the cover of an exercise book, while the teacher spoke eloquently on stage, she buried her head in the book, motionless.

  Li Han and Zhang Li were still at the same table, but they were no longer sitting in the same group as Xia Meng. Across several tables away, Xia Meng noticed that Zhang Li and Li Han would occasionally lower their heads to discuss something, sometimes even spreading out draft paper to work out calculations.

  "Alright, it seems everyone has made up their minds to study hard, so I won't say more. Now let's elect the class committee members, each of you please write down your chosen member on a piece of paper and hand it in."

  Xia Meng only wrote her own name and Zhang Li's on the paper strip, and since she wasn't very familiar with the other classmates, it was left blank.

  The list of class cadres was announced, and Li Han and Xia Meng were elected as class monitors with high votes. Zhang Li became the study committee member. When it came to the art committee member, Huang Yiqi was announced, and only then did she lift her head from the middle. Xia Meng finally got a clear look at his deskmate's appearance, and saw that her hands were like soft jade, her skin like frozen cream, her eyebrows like a crescent moon, and her eyes like a pool of clear water. When she moved, there was an air of elegance and refinement about her that made people feel inferior and not dare to profane her. But the cold and proud look in her eyes also had a captivating and enchanting quality that made people unable to help but be drawn to her.

  Xia Meng had always thought that Zhao Yi Nuo's beauty in A was unmatched, but unexpectedly the school still hid another, Huang Yi Qi, whose temperament surpassed Zhao Yi Nuo.

  After class, Huang Yiqi walked straight to Zhang Li's desk and said, "Zhang Li gege, long time no see!"

  "Qiqi, you're back? Haha!" Zhang Li showed his signature warm smile, "Are you still obsessed with martial arts?"

  "Yes, I'm quite loyal, you know!" Huang Yiqi said with a deep meaning, "Brother Zhang Li, knowing you're in Class 3, I begged Grandpa to assign me to Class 3 too. Grandpa said, from now on, you have to take good care of me!"

  Huang Yiqi, the granddaughter of Principal A, whose father is a leader in a certain military region. Her mother and she followed the army to K City, but transferred back to A Middle School in her second year of high school. Before Huang Yiqi's transfer, all the students in her grade had heard that the principal had a granddaughter who was as beautiful as an angel and could sing and dance well. But when they saw the real person, she turned out to be even more beautiful than rumored!

  Xia Meng saw that Huang Yi Qi didn't get along with anyone in the class, but was exceptionally close to Zhang Li, and her heart felt like it had been overturned, aching with sourness.

  In the second evening self-study session, Xia Meng found that Li Han had not returned to the classroom. After entering high school, Xia Meng found that Li Han was even busier, rushing around and didn't have time to say a word to him.

  Huang Yiqi and Xia Mengfen lived in the same dormitory, Huang Yiqi slept on the lower bunk of Xia Mengfen's bed. The other members of the dormitory were Wang Jiayi and Deng Ying.

  Xia Meng and Wang Jia said hello to Deng Ying, then walked towards Huang Yi Qi: "Hello Yi Qi, we're not only desk mates, but also roommates, it's really fate!"

  Huang Yi Qi looked at Xia Meng with a cold expression and said faintly: "You're Xia Meng, I've often heard people mention you!"

  "Really? I didn't know the principal had such a beautiful granddaughter! I heard you play the piano and violin extremely well, let's exchange tips sometime!"

  "Anyway, are you okay? If nothing's wrong, I'll read a book!" Huang Yiqi turned on the desk lamp and spread out the martial arts novel on her desk.

  Xia Meng stood awkwardly, said a word of apology, and returned to her own desk. Wang Jia Yi and Deng Ying walked up to Xia Meng, exchanged phone numbers, and both nodded at Huang Yi Qi, patting Xia Meng's shoulder comfortingly.

  Xia Meng had an English book spread out in front of her, but no matter how hard she tried, the words just wouldn't stick in her head. All she could see was the blurry image of Huang Yi Qi and Zhang Li having a intimate conversation.

  Chen Yu Meng sent a text message to Xia Meng: "Meng Meng, the new transfer student in your class, Huang Yi Qi, I heard that she has liked Zhang Li since childhood. This time she requested to transfer from K City back to A City A Middle School, it's all because of Zhang Li, you'd better be careful!"

  Xia Meng glanced at Huang Yi Qi, who was intently watching the martial arts performance. There were still thirty minutes before the dormitory lights went out, and she didn't seem to have any intention of leaving her desk.

  After Xia Meng finished washing up, she climbed onto her bed and sent a text message to Chen Yu Meng: "My opponent is indeed very beautiful."

  "You're also excellent, don't be discouraged! Tomorrow at noon, Wang Qi and I will go to Class 3 to find you, we'll have lunch together."

  Xia Meng let out a sigh, turned off her phone. Huang Yiqi was so beautiful and had an extraordinary temperament, if she were a boy, she would definitely like her too, not to mention that she was also the principal's precious granddaughter, Zhang Li had no reason not to like her.

  The next day, Xia Meng got up early and came to the classroom, only to find that Zhang Li had arrived before her. Xia Meng quietly sat down at her desk and opened her book.

  The morning bell rang, Zhang Li got up and chased after Xia Meng: "Xia Meng, this afternoon after school, let's go to the riverbank for a run together. Only by exercising well can we study well, right?" Zhang Li had a warm smile on his face, with a friendly and sincere tone.

  "Ah, okay!" Xia Meng replied cheerfully, shaking off her previous gloom.