The Grand Operation

Yesterday, when Qin Yu spoke of continuing, she meant that today they would persist in their battle with English, striving for Mu Qingxi to achieve a passing grade.

That was the goal Qin Yu had set for her. She insisted not to aim too high, lest it backfire.

At six in the morning, the campus was still shrouded in darkness, but already people were moving about. She and Qin Yu walked through the corridor and saw the lights on in the classroom, signaling that someone was inside, but this did not deter them from their grand plan.

Mu Qingxi’s motto was apt: “If you want good skin, trust Dabao; if you want good English, you must have thick skin.”

They entered the classroom and found two people at the last row. One was Xi Haifei, and the other was someone she didn’t know, though she had seen him before. He glared at her with a look as if she owed him five hundred yuan. Did Xi Haifei and this boy know each other?

The two in the classroom turned to look at them as they opened the door. The boy glared at her again with the same intensity.

At that moment, Mu Qingxi had only one thought: this rather handsome boy must like Xi Haifei. No wonder he always glared at her—he must consider her a rival in love. It explained why he looked as if he might bite her every time they met. Suddenly, she didn’t dislike him anymore.

Yet she felt wounded—being seen as a rival by a boy was hardly a pleasant thing!

She grabbed two English books with Qin Yu and hurried out, grateful they hadn’t taken her and Xi Haifei’s seats—what luck!

Qin Yu thought she was eager to study and said, “Mu Mu, I didn’t expect you to be more proactive than me. Let’s fight hard today. There are streetlights by the wutong trees—let’s go.”

She didn’t mention her discovery to Qin Yu, not wanting to dampen her friend’s enthusiasm. Qin Yu was excited by her actions, so she felt embarrassed to spoil the mood. They sat beneath the wutong trees and got right to work.

“Mu Mu, you got the grammar right—subject, predicate, and object. Now write a sentence for me,” Qin Yu said seriously, patiently explaining.

Forty minutes later, Mu Qingxi began to feel discomfort in her stomach. She tried to endure it—forty minutes already, keep going! She kept reminding herself: just don’t think about it, but she couldn’t control it. She stopped.

Qin Yu gently patted her back. “Mu Mu, take a break, then we’ll continue. We’ve already spent quite a bit of time today.”

She exhaled a deep breath, feeling much better. “Much better now,” she replied.

Qin Yu, seeing her color return, asked, “Mu Mu, how did you manage those English tutoring sessions before? Each lasted two hours.”

She laughed. “Oh, I let it go in one ear and out the other—never processed it in my brain,” she said proudly.

“Mu Mu, you’re wasting all that knowledge! If you let my lessons go in one ear and out the other, I’ll blacklist you!” Qin Yu squinted her already small eyes and threatened, a gesture that made her irresistibly cute.

Mu Qingxi felt Qin Yu’s sincerity. Qin Yu truly wanted to help her. Ever since she’d explained her aversion to English, Qin Yu had been determined to help her overcome that twisted mental block.

“Weiyu, I’m fine. Let’s continue.” She picked up her English book and resumed reading aloud from where they’d left off.

Qin Yu watched her quietly. She caught a glimpse of worry in Qin Yu’s brows, a trace of concern. Was Qin Yu worrying about her? Her heart was suddenly moved. Qin Yu was like Lu, yet not like Lu.

Whether alike or not, both were always there for her, offering unconditional support and care.

“Hey, Weiyu, snap out of it! No slacking, let’s keep fighting.” She brought Qin Yu’s drifting thoughts back.

Qin Yu smiled. “Now you’re the enthusiastic one. That’s good—it means victory is just ahead!”

Their words, spirited and full of resolve, carried with them a promise, a sense of certainty, and even a touch of affection.