026 Jade Untouched by the Carver Remains but Stone

Xu Xinqi hurriedly explained to her.

"Sis, I’ve reconciled with Zhang Ren and the others. We’re buddies now; no one dares to bully us anymore."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he felt a kick from Qu Zhanyi on his backside, sending him face-planting into the snow like a dog.

Xu Xinqi was furious and aggrieved. Just as he was about to roar in protest, he heard his sister’s cold questioning.

"Do you still remember what I sent you there to do?"

Qu Zhanyi’s voice was low, laced with uncontrollable anger.

Xu Xinqi suddenly felt guilty. "To keep an eye on them, find out who they’re associating with, and what they’re up to."

Qu Zhanyi let out a long, sharp breath.

At first, when Xu Xinqi took the initiative to get close to them and infiltrate the enemy’s ranks, she had thought the boy had potential—that he understood how to use his enemies.

She hadn't expected him to actually get sucked in!

She grabbed him by the back of his collar and hissed, "I have three things to warn you about."

"First, never call someone who bullied you a brother. An enemy is an enemy; even if things have calmed down, you keep your guard up.

Second, you can act like trash if you want, but don’t go crawling into the dumpster yourself.

Third, you do exactly what I say. Don’t try to bargain with me."

Xu Xinqi timidly held up two fingers and whispered, "Didn't you say there were only two things?"

Qu Zhanyi didn't waste time with him. She issued a single command: "Run!"

Xu Xinqi quickly scrambled to his feet and began to run with great difficulty, pushing through snow that reached above his knees. Qu Zhanyi followed close behind, kicking him in the rear whenever she caught up.

One in front, one behind.

One chasing, one fleeing.

The two of them carved a five- or six-kilometer path through the snow on the mountain trail.

...

After running a full loop around Qianshou Mountain, they returned home with their lower bodies soaked through.

Xu Xinqi changed his clothes and stepped out, only to find his sister glaring at him with a face as dark as ink. He caught a glimpse of her phone screen, which was lit up and resting on the dialer interface.

Xu Xinqi’s heart skipped a beat, and his brain went into overdrive.

*Did she find out about my puppy love? Or has the fight finally come to light? No matter what, apologize first!*

Xu Xinqi stood at attention, heels together and back straight, his posture one of absolute contrition. "I'm sorry! I know I was wrong!"

Qu Zhanyi’s face was so grim it seemed to drip with ink. She said icily, "You haven't taken a word I said to heart, have you?"

Her fury was not dampened by his apology. She pointed to a small square table in the corner.

"Bring it over."

Xu Xinqi couldn't guess what his sister was thinking, and feeling too guilty to ask, he obediently dragged the table to the side of the heated brick bed.

"Backpack."

Hearing her ask for his bag, Xu Xinqi finally remembered her earlier demand that he place in the top twenty.

Was she just on the phone with his teacher?

The grades were out!

"How did I do?" Xu Xinqi asked cautiously, not daring to look her in the eye.

Qu Zhanyi let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Fifty-sixth place. Impressive, isn't it?"

"Out of eighty students in the class, you plummeted from the middle straight into the dirt. Did you not understand the material, or did you not study at all?"

As she spoke, Qu Zhanyi pulled out his textbook. Flipping through a few pages, her blood pressure spiked, and she grabbed him by the ear to lecture him.

"The textbook is cleaner than your face! Did you write your class notes on your skin instead?"

Xu Xinqi took his sister's scolding with uncharacteristic docility.

He didn't feel ashamed, nor did he feel angry or impatient. He actually found it amusing.

His sister used to supervise his studies, but she would only ever offer a few gentle words of advice; she had never been this aggressive, let alone physical. Especially her newfound ability to scold him without using a single profanity—he was curious when she had learned that skill.

Seeing his cheeky, unrepentant expression, Qu Zhanyi’s temper flared, and she raised her fist to hit him. Xu Xinqi quickly ducked behind the table.

Qu Zhanyi stared at him with dark, brooding eyes and said, word for word, "From today on, you have one week to memorize the classical poems and essays. I will test you then. As for the final exam papers, you will redo them before the new semester starts. If you don't reach the top ten, I'll beat you to death."

Hearing about the remedial study, Xu Xinqi immediately balked and darted out from behind the table.

"Sis, I’m just not cut out for school. Besides, once I finish middle school, I’m going to the provincial capital to work. Don’t you worry about it."

Qu Zhanyi caught him and gave him a sound thrashing.

"If you can't learn, I’ll pry your skull open and pour the ink right in."

Xu Xinqi rubbed his head, which didn't actually hurt all that much, and laughed heartlessly. "I have no interest in studying. It’d be better to enter society and start making money sooner."

Qu Zhanyi was burning with rage; she was truly furious now.

She pointed at his nose and shouted, "Listen to me, Xu Xinqi! A person can be bullied, and a person can fail, but you must never debase yourself or wallow in self-destruction."

Xu Xinqi was startled.

Qu Zhanyi was also taken aback. As the realization hit her, the agitation in her heart became harder to suppress.

She suddenly found Xu Xinqi incredibly grating, fearing that if she looked at him any longer, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from snapping his neck.

She, a demoness who had once ravaged the world, had never treated anyone with such 'gentleness'—and yet, this person was unmotivated and ungrateful.

If he were truly stupid, she wouldn't bother; she would just earn enough money to ensure he lived a secure, mediocre life.

But Xu Xinqi wasn't actually stupid. His past desire to drop out and work due to their family's poverty was understandable.

Qu Zhanyi was different; the upbringing and life experiences she had from a young age had long since forged a character that was decisive, unyielding, and efficient.

Seeing that his sister was serious, Xu Xinqi didn't dare fight back openly. He asked weakly, "So, do I still have to cook?"

Qu Zhanyi retorted viciously, "If you don't, I have to?"

*But we agreed to take turns!* Xu Xinqi muttered to himself.

However, seeing the 'I'm not happy' look written all over her face, he rubbed his hands together and asked fawningly, "Should I cook now? Or in a little while?"

Seeing that it was almost eleven o'clock, Qu Zhanyi had to pause her scolding. She waved him away impatiently. "Go, just go."

Xu Xinqi slipped away, happily heading to wash the rice.

Compared to being forced to study, he preferred doing physical labor. Just thinking about memorizing those dry classical texts under his sister's supervision, not to mention the formulas and definitions that would follow... he felt as if life had lost all hope; his heart turned colder than if it had been tossed into the snow.

Xu Xinqi racked his brains, trying to think of a way to escape his studies.

After lunch, he quickly dug out his spiked boots.

"I'm going up the mountain to take a look. Just leave the bowls in the basin; I'll wash them when I get back tonight."

"Stop right there. You're not going."

Qu Zhanyi saw through his attempt to 'run away.' Not wanting to push him too hard, she took a step back. "Pick ten items from around the house. If you can name them in English, you can go."

Xu Xinqi looked at his sister guiltily, but he didn't stop putting on his shoes.

He deliberately sat near the door, thinking that as soon as he stepped out, he would have a day of freedom.

But how could his little schemes ever deceive Qu Zhanyi?