Chapter 92

Li Tangqiu had his own selfish reasons for saying this. He was worried that Xiao Fei, having put aside his textbooks for so long, might have become rusty. If he were to take the weekly test right after returning to school, and if he performed poorly, it would be embarrassing for him as well. Moreover, if Xiao Fei were to be discouraged by this and become disheartened, it would be a significant loss. Therefore, he was trying his best to have Xiao Fei sit out this week, take a break, and adjust himself. He believed that Xiao Fei would perform much better next week.

Xiao Fei shook his head and said, "Teacher Li, thank you for your kindness, but I think it's better for me to take this week's test. It will help me gauge my current level."

Xiao Fei didn't seem to appreciate his good intentions. Or perhaps he didn't care to understand? Li Tangqiu shook his head again, "Did you keep up with your studies at home? Did you review regularly? If so, that's good."

Li Tangqiu recalled what Zhai Tao had told him about Xiao Fei's surprising performance in the last English class. Perhaps Xiao Fei had been self-studying at home? Students with good academic performance and strong self-discipline often have strong self-study abilities. Xiao Fei's late return to school might be because he was determined to make a big impact. The more Li Tangqiu thought about it, the more he believed his reasoning was sound. He said, "Alright then, prepare for the test. I won't say more."

After Xiao Fei left, Li Tangqiu checked the time. The break was almost over. He thought for a moment, then casually pulled aside a student from his class and asked him to call Xu Fengjuan to the office.

Xu Fengjuan was surprised when she heard that the head teacher wanted to see her. She had been at the school for about a month, and the head teacher had never called her for a private talk before. Her current ranking in the class was around 20th, which was not particularly impressive. According to the usual performance of the liberal arts retake class at Heyang No. 1 High School, this score was far from the threshold for a college entrance exam. Li Tangqiu didn't think much of it.

Xu Fengjuan's heart was pounding as she tried to guess the head teacher's intentions and made her way to Li Tangqiu's office.

"Teacher Li, you called me?" Xu Fengjuan asked timidly.

"Ah, Xu Fengjuan, you're here. Come, sit down. It's nothing serious, I just want to talk to you for a moment," Li Tangqiu said, gesturing for her to sit.

He looked at the girl. She was shy, delicate, and had a clear and refined appearance, quite pleasant to look at. It seemed that Xiao Fei liked this type of girl, the kind who would make a good wife and mother. From the type of girl a person likes, one can roughly guess their character. Xiao Fei's preference for such a girl indicated that he was quite steady and not easily infatuated with just any girl during his adolescence.

Feeling Li Tangqiu's gaze, Xu Fengjuan lowered her head even more, feeling increasingly anxious and unsure of his intentions.

"Um," Li Tangqiu scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward, "Xu Fengjuan, does Xiao Fei have some feelings for you?"

Telling a girl to stay away from a boy who has feelings for her, to avoid affecting him, seemed a bit unfair.

Xu Fengjuan suddenly looked up, surprised. Could it be that Li Tangqiu called her for this reason?

"I, I don't know..." Xu Fengjuan said timidly, her voice barely audible, and she looked very flustered.

"I don't mean anything by it. Xu Fengjuan, I just want you to be careful not to affect Xiao Fei's studies. It would be best if you were a bit cold towards him, don't accept his advances, and let him give up on you for now. This might be the best for both of you, don't you think?" Li Tangqiu said with a smile.

He was actually worried that she would affect Xiao Fei's studies...

Please look carefully, it's Xiao Fei who is bothering me and affecting me!

Xu Fengjuan felt a bit aggrieved. But she said, "Teacher, I know what to do."

"That's good, that's good. Class is about to start, go back to your class," Li Tangqiu waved her off.

Regardless of Li Tangqiu's secret actions, after school in the morning, Xiao Fei had lunch with Yan Zhang and You Gui, then returned to the dormitory to rest. He could completely let go of his studies for now. The most pressing issue was how to find more space and time to continue writing. However, this was a difficult problem to solve at school.

Perhaps he could write during class. But he was afraid the teacher would be displeased, like Mr. Wang Xinping, who had once lashed out at him. It was a dilemma.

Back in the dormitory, Xiao Fei found Wang Fei, Li Peizhen, and Zhu Xiling all there, sitting at the table chatting. They only glanced at him when he entered and continued their conversation. Was this a sign that they were going to ignore him?

Xiao Fei didn't pay much attention, took off his shoes, and lay down on his bed, closing his eyes to rest. He realized that there was no quiet place for him to write in the dormitory. He had the idea of moving out and renting a place to live on his own. However, this was against school rules.

Since Zhu Wangnian became the principal of Heyang No. 1 High School, the school rules had become much stricter, and students were not allowed to live outside. Even students from the county town had to live on campus for unified management. This was why Li Peizhen and Zhu Xiling also lived on campus.

Li Peizhen's father was the party secretary of Dongping Township, where Xiao Fei's hometown was located, but their home was in the county town. Zhu Xiling's father was the director of the Heyang County Public Security Bureau, a powerful figure in the county. By common standards, both were considered the children of officials in the county. However, they both behaved quite normally and didn't have many bad habits. Moreover, their academic performance was quite good.

For the sake of the future, Xiao Fei knew he had to get along well with Li Peizhen and Zhu Xiling. Only by building a strong relationship with them could he have the support he needed when the Jichang Expressway project started, to prevent Liu Zhenhai from ruining his plans. Of course, if he could gain more recognition and become a rising star in the literary world, attracting the attention of county officials, it would greatly benefit his future plans.

Xiao Fei was considering how to build a relationship with Li Peizhen and Zhu Xiling when he heard Li Peizhen call him, "Xiao Fei, are you sleeping? Get up, come on, let's chat."

Xiao Fei sat up on the bed and smiled, "I saw you all chatting, and I couldn't join in. But I've been listening to you all."

Li Peizhen and Wang Fei exchanged a glance. Xiao Fei's attitude was quite good; he didn't put on any airs. They had always thought that Xiao Fei was somewhat arrogant and hard to approach.

"Do you know Wang Fei?" Li Peizhen asked, pointing at Wang Fei with a smile.

"Of course, I've heard a lot about you," Xiao Fei said, extending his hand to Wang Fei.

Wang Fei hesitated for a moment before shaking Xiao Fei's hand.

"We're all in the same dormitory and will be living together for a year. We need to communicate and interact more," Zhu Xiling, who had been quiet, said.

He was a very reserved person and didn't talk much. He knew that Wang Fei and Li Peizhen wanted to make things difficult for Xiao Fei, but he thought it wasn't a good idea. However, since they had decided to do it, he didn't say much.

"Right, right! We should get along well and be lifelong friends," Xiao Fei nodded in agreement.

Li Peizhen rolled his eyes and said, "Here's the deal, Xiao Fei. Before you came, we discussed it. In our dormitory, the best performer in each weekly test gets to do nothing, while the worst performer has to take care of all the dormitory chores, including washing everyone's clothes, including underwear and smelly socks. You'll join this week's competition, okay?"

"Xiao Fei, I hope you won't refuse. We're all in the same dormitory, it's just for fun and entertainment," Wang Fei emphasized.

Zhu Xiling shook his head but said nothing.