CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 83: FOR ANITAQING AND HE’S JADE + UPDATE 4

Shi Yang stayed at home for a week before hurrying back to school as a client called him for another side job.

Before leaving, Shi Yang stuffed five hundred yuan into Zhao Meimei’s hand, originally intending to give a thousand, but worried that Liu Xiue and Zhao Dazhuang would find out and cause unnecessary trouble.

Shi Yang instructed, "Hide it well and keep it for daily expenses."

Zhao Meimei took the money and tucked it into her dictionary, placing a bill every few pages so it was impossible to notice from the outside once closed.

In reality, Zhao Meimei didn’t have much need for money; her mom usually gave her a few yuan for emergencies, and their house had ample supplies. Whenever she wanted to eat or drink, she could just grab it, put it in her backpack, and conveniently take it to school.

Two days after Shi Yang left, Xu Xu came over to play with Zhao Meimei. They both lay on the living room coffee table doing homework.

Zhao Meimei, worn out from writing, leaned back on the sofa, animatedly sharing her experiences of visiting the provincial capital with Xu Xu.

Xu Xu listened, his heart pounding, "You went by yourself?"

"Yeah!" Zhao Meimei bragged, lifting her chin high, "I got off the bus and went straight to Brother Yangyang’s school. At the gate, I made sure to find out where his department was. I searched the teaching building, then remembered it was holiday break, so I checked out the dorms. I had just reached the building when the old man in charge of the dorm stopped me, refusing to let me go upstairs."

When mentioning this, Zhao Meimei couldn’t contain her excitement, "You have no idea how dumbfounded I was. Eventually, the old man fetched a student to help call someone upstairs. Before long, Brother Yangyang appeared."

Xu Xu watched Zhao Meimei smile glowingly as she recounted her provincial capital adventures, noticing Brother Yangyang came up in nearly every three sentences.

Xu Xu started silently contemplating his destined tumultuous love life.

Xu Xu knew that his feelings for Zhao Meimei had already changed long ago, evolving from friendship to a crush and adoration so strong it made his heart race whenever he thought about her.

But clearly, someone already occupied Zhao Meimei’s heart. Whether she realized it or not, this person had firmly rooted themselves in her heart, sacred and immovable.

Zhao Meimei knew her own feelings were just a matter of time.

Xu Xu understood Zhao Meimei very well; she valued emotions deeply, especially since the person was her Brother Yangyang, handsome, wealthy, and capable.

Xu Xu had considered often that he was in a better position being close by than Zhao Meimei’s Brother Yangyang. He could slowly permeate Zhao Meimei’s emotions. Initially, Zhao Meimei might find it surprising, but due to their long-standing friendship, she couldn’t possibly ignore him completely. So with time, might she gradually come to accept him?

It would be a long tug-of-war, and Xu Xu lacked confidence in his success.

Looking at the smiling Zhao Meimei, Xu Xu wondered if she couldn’t accept him, once she knew his feelings, would she still smile at him openly and stick together as close friends?

What if Zhao Meimei felt awkward?

She might start avoiding him, not wanting to be together.

"Xu Xu!" Zhao Meimei waved her fingers before his eyes, "What are you thinking? Your eyes are lost!"

Hearing Zhao Meimei speak, Xu Xu instinctively shook his head, dismissing the thought.

He couldn’t accept Zhao Meimei treating him like a stranger; the mere thought felt like a giant hand gripping his heart, ready to crush it.

He absolutely couldn’t let such a thing happen. He needed a stable, effective, and peaceful approach to gradually achieve his goal.

Xu Xu didn’t know how much time it would take. He believed the need for a subtle and respectful environment, gradually letting Zhao Meimei perceive his thoughts. This process had to be slow, the end results all at once.

Furthermore, he needed an ally—someone close to Zhao Meimei who could speak on his behalf, first accepting and liking him, ultimately standing entirely on his side.

The first person Xu Xu targeted was Zhao Meimei’s father, as he often visited on weekends when Zhao Dazhuang was usually home.

How could he discreetly win Zhao Dazhuang’s favor?

The city library allowed anyone with an adult ID to pay a slightly higher deposit than the book price to get a library card.

During the New Year, Xu Xu received one hundred yuan as a gift from his mom, which he used to inquire at the library about a hundred-yuan deposit, allowing the borrowing of two regular books at a time, although the fancy editions were excluded.

Satisfied, Xu Xu used his mom’s ID to get a library card, spent a whole day at the library, and eventually picked two books—an English dictionary and a collection of three thousand beautiful Chinese prose passages.

When visiting Zhao Meimei again, Xu Xu deliberately placed these books next to his winter break homework, after completing his daily tasks, diligently memorizing words and phrases.

Zhao Dazhuang noticed while passing by, quite surprised, and flipped through them. Not only did Xu Xu browse them, but he earnestly jotted down half a notebook of notes. This kid was genuinely serious about studying.

Zhao Dazhuang raised his opinion about Xu Xu significantly.

Soon after, Zhao Dazhuang noticed Xu Xu began encouraging Zhao Meimei to study alongside him.

Xu Xu made many small cards, pulling Zhao Meimei along, alternating between quizzing and memorizing.

Though more often than not, it was Zhao Meimei testing Xu Xu, one day when Zhao Dazhuang casually switched TV channels and heard an English phrase on the program, Zhao Meimei casually remarked, "What is cheese? Does it really taste good? I’d like to try it."

Zhao Dazhuang skeptically asked, "What did you say?"

Zhao Meimei pointed at the TV, "The show just mentioned, you can add cheese when baking bread."

Stunned, Zhao Dazhuang asked, "You understand what it said?"

Scratching her head, Zhao Meimei truthfully replied, "I only understood this sentence, the words ’bread’ and ’cheese,’ which Xu Xu memorized previously and included me when testing, so I remembered too."

All parents wish for their children to associate with good kids, especially those who can motivate theirs to study and improve.

Zhao Dazhuang soon mentioned this to Liu Xiue.

Deeply moved, Zhao Dazhuang commented, "Xu Xu has always been diligent; our Meimei is smart but too playful. With Xu Xu around, she can learn from his diligence. Xu Xu is so steady and well-behaved; having him guide Meimei makes it easier for us too."

From then on, Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue treated Xu Xu increasingly well, particularly encouraging Zhao Meimei to hang out and play with him, frequently inviting Xu Xu to visit more often.