He really should have his mouth sewn shut.
At this moment, Sheng Yuxiao and Qin Sui were thinking the same thing.
The two of them sat on opposite sides of the classroom, exchanging a silent glance.
No one was happy about this.
The guy who opened his mouth knew exactly how to offend both of them with a single sentence.
Ning Heng, standing to the side, was also dumbfounded, muttering over and over: "The girl who was looking for Qin Sui yesterday was Li Xiaoya? How could it be Li Xiaoya? Why would it be Li Xiaoya?"
His brows furrowed so tightly they could have crushed a fly: "Sheng, I can't figure it out. People online say Qin Sui knows sorcery. Does he really know sorcery?"
Sheng Yuxiao couldn't bear to listen anymore. He stood up abruptly and strode over to Li Xiaoya, lifting her up by her collar. Then, through gritted teeth, he spat out a few words: "Li Xiaoya, you've really done it this time!"
Given Zhou Xiaoshu's family background, she had never had the chance to meet Sheng Yuxiao before.
She struggled to look up at this tall, imposing figure. He was so fierce, so terrifying...
Would he hit Li Xiaoya?
Sheng Yuxiao's arm muscles flexed as he effortlessly scooped up Li Xiaoya and turned to leave.
They quickly retreated from the curious and gossiping gazes in the classroom.
Zhou Xiaoshu turned to look at the immovable Qin Sui, then back at the fierce-looking Sheng Yuxiao. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to follow Sheng Yuxiao and Li Xiaoya.
When she caught up with them downstairs, she saw—
That scary person had taken off his school uniform jacket, laid it on the snow-dampened bench, then picked up Li Xiaoya and set her down on it.
Zhou Xiaoshu: "...Huh?"
This scene was completely different from what she had imagined.
As Zhou Xiaoshu moved closer, she heard the man coldly snort and say, "Have you figured out how to explain yourself?"
He still sounded fierce.
Li Xiaoya then took off her backpack and unzipped it: "For you."
Sheng Yuxiao looked down: "A gift? For me?" His furrowed brows relaxed a bit, but he still said, "Is this supposed to be your explanation?"
Li Xiaoya said softly, "Qin Sui gave me a bag, and I sold it."
Sheng Yuxiao's expression immediately changed.
Li Xiaoya continued, "With the money from selling the bag, um, I bought you a gift."
Sheng Yuxiao's expression completely softened at this. He asked, "You came all the way here just to give me a gift?"
"Mm-hmm."
Sheng Yuxiao's lips were now struggling not to curl up into a smile. He bent down to unwrap the package: "Let me see what you got me."
The young master's hands were strong, his movements rough. In no time, he had torn open the wrapping, revealing a silver watch inside.
Sheng Yuxiao himself had quite a collection of watches, mostly gifts from his parents and relatives.
From Audemars Piguet Royal Oak to the common Patek Philippe Nautilus, and even rare limited editions like the perpetual calendar engraved models and world time minute repeaters with enamel dials... The cheaper ones cost hundreds of thousands, while the more expensive ones were in the millions.
The most expensive was a gift from Xu Ji, worth twenty million.
Having handled so many luxury watches, this silver watch seemed rather... unrefined in comparison.
Sheng Yuxiao couldn't help but ask, "What made you think of giving me a watch?"
Li Xiaoya sat there obediently, her tone calm as she said, "The most precious thing in the world is time, so I wanted to give you the most precious thing."
Hearing this, how could Sheng Yuxiao hesitate any longer?
Without even blinking, he quickly unfastened the Richard Mille on his wrist, a black tourbillon worth over ten million.
He then casually stuffed it into his trouser pocket.
And put on the silver watch instead.
Sheng Yuxiao's hand had smooth, beautiful lines. Even wearing an inexpensive watch couldn't diminish his aura. Instead, it seemed to add a shimmering layer to the silver casing.
He said, "Not bad, looks good. I like it."
Li Xiaoya reached out and lightly tapped the watch face, saying very generously, "If it breaks, I'll buy you a new one."
"Alright," Sheng Yuxiao nodded readily.
It didn't matter if his luxury watches gathered dust. They were just sitting there in his collection anyway. If any of them appreciated in value someday, he could always sell them off.
"How much did this watch cost?" Sheng Yuxiao asked.
"299 yuan."
Sheng Yuxiao's expression cracked slightly for a moment, but quickly smoothed over.
He patted Li Xiaoya's shoulder and said, "Being frugal is a good thing!"
Li Xiaoya looked at him and asked softly, "Is it very economical?"
Sheng Yuxiao suddenly realized, oh right, for Li Xiaoya, 299 yuan was a fortune! And saying she'd buy a new one if it broke was incredibly generous!
No matter how wealthy she might become in the future, she would always remember the days when she had to move mountains for three yuan worth of mushrooms.
In her heart, even one yuan was precious.
And then she used the precious 299 yuan to buy him precious "time."
Sheng Yuxiao quickly tried to recover, ruffling Li Xiaoya's hair vigorously, attempting to gloss over the matter: "Mm, want some milk tea? I'll buy you some."
Zhou Xiaoshu, who had witnessed the entire process, was nearly stupefied.
Her mother was particularly fond of all kinds of luxury goods, and she had learned to recognize them through osmosis. Of course, she also recognized how expensive the watch Sheng Yuxiao had originally been wearing was.
The person who had been so fierce towards Li Xiaoya was now wearing the cheap watch she had given him.
Zhou Xiaoshu struggled to pull herself out of her shock and hurriedly interjected: "Li Xiaoya! I..." What about me if you're going to buy milk tea?
Before Zhou Xiaoshu could finish her sentence,
Li Xiaoya asked Sheng Yuxiao first: "Can I borrow your face?"
She had originally wanted Zhou Xiaoshu to go directly to Qin Sui.
But now, after that big-mouthed person had shouted everything in the classroom...
It was better not to go to Qin Sui.
"Hm? You want to borrow it?" Sheng Yuxiao said, and only then did he finally look at Zhou Xiaoshu, whom he had been ignoring. "Or does she want to borrow it?"
"Her mother," Li Xiaoya said.
Sheng Yuxiao's expression turned strange: "...Her mother?"
Li Xiaoya nodded: "Mm."
Zhou Xiaoshu instinctively felt that if Li Xiaoya wasn't going to Qin Sui but had approached this person instead, then this person must also be quite powerful.
Afraid that this opportunity might slip away, she quickly explained the situation.
"I heard my dad say that Mrs. Liu went back and told her husband that my mom was lying, and then her husband asked my dad why he didn't mention knowing Young Master Qin earlier, something about getting a game license approved..."
"So you wanted to go to Qin Sui?" Sheng Yuxiao stared at her.
Zhou Xiaoshu nodded reluctantly, but then shook her head and said, "I wanted to go to Qin Sui, but I'm listening to Li Xiaoya."
"Mrs. Liu? Never heard of her. What's your dad's name?" Sheng Yuxiao asked casually.
"Zhou Qiang."
"Still don't know him."
Zhou Xiaoshu awkwardly pressed on, "My dad has a gaming company called Dream Creation Games."
As Li Xiaoya listened, she frowned first: "That's strange."
"What's strange?" Zhou Xiaoshu looked at her.
Sheng Yuxiao let out a cold laugh: "It is strange. That Mrs. Liu's husband, Mr. Liu, not only mocked your mom but also publicly humiliated your dad. If they really knew Qin Sui, it wouldn't be a big deal, they could just openly use that connection to get the game license. But if they can't prove they know him, won't your parents become the laughingstock of your circle?"
Sheng Yuxiao used the phrase "your circle."
Mainly because Zhou Xiaoshu's parents were indeed not in the same circle as them.
"To lend you my face would be equivalent to letting you use my influence to get the game license. This falls into the realm of business dealings. Little girl, it's not that simple."
After saying this, Sheng Yuxiao lifted Li Xiaoya off the bench and put on his jacket again, not minding if it got dirty.
"Let's go, I'll take you for milk tea first," Sheng Yuxiao said.
Snowflakes fell on his brows and eyes, making them appear somewhat cold and cruel.
Zhou Xiaoshu panicked and quickly said, "I-I can repay you! I don't want my dad to be angry, I don't want my mom to feel wronged, I don't want my family to be so upset..."
Sheng Yuxiao kept walking without stopping.
Li Xiaoya didn't say anything either. She wanted Zhou Xiaoshu and her mother to be okay, but she couldn't persuade Sheng Yuxiao to help for their sake.
Seeing that they were really about to leave, Zhou Xiaoshu cried out in desperation: "I-I'll repay Li Xiaoya too!"
At this, Sheng Yuxiao seemed to show some interest. He turned his head and asked, "How will you repay her?"
Zhou Xiaoshu was suddenly caught off guard by this question, and stammered a bit: "To be good to her, well, to think of her in everything good, to be Li Xiaoya's friend for life! I-I can also help her serve tea and pour water, yes, and I can help her carry her shoes. And with the piano, I can accompany her while she practices..."
Zhou Xiaoshu rambled on chaotically, after all, she was still just a child, her thoughts not entirely clear.
Sheng Yuxiao turned back, his tone still somewhat cold: "Fine, have your father bring the game proposal to me. If the content is good, the rest will be easy. If the content isn't up to par, I'll have Li Xiaoya make friends with someone else."
Zhou Xiaoshu fumbled to pull out her phone: "I'll call my mom first to tell her."
Hearing this, Sheng Yuxiao immediately understood why Li Xiaoya had brought her along.
He couldn't help but look down at Li Xiaoya, raising his hand to gently rub between the child's eyebrows.
Young Master Sheng sighed, it's a pity he couldn't be her mother.
On the other end, Liu Meng quickly answered her daughter's call: "Did you get Qin Sui's number from Li Xiaoya?"
"No."
Liu Meng deflated back onto the couch, saying, "Alright, I understand. It's okay. Come home soon."
"If... if we were to suddenly change it so that mom knows Sheng Yuxiao instead, would that work?" Zhou Xiaoshu asked softly.
Sheng Yuxiao?
Which Sheng Yuxiao?
Wait, that Sheng Yuxiao!
Liu Meng sprang up from the sofa in an instant.