231 Stress and Appetite

Before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Li Wei and her two siblings started school, or rather, all the senior high school students started school.

Li Wei and Li Lianhui decided to move to a house near the school to avoid commuting. Through Aunt Gao's recommendation, they found a part-time housekeeper, a woman in her forties named Aunt Li.

There are only four months left until the college entrance examination. After so many years of studying, success or failure depends on this one exam, so the whole family cannot afford to take it lightly.

Li Lin was even arranged by her family to be picked up and dropped off by a private car every morning and evening.

Li Wei will no longer go to her company or martial arts school. Health is the foundation of everything and cannot be neglected. She plans to go to the school playground for a jog a few times a week to improve blood circulation.

Due to the pressure and heavy workload of her studies, Li Wei has found that her appetite has increased, and she loves to eat meat, which is a step backward in history.

I thought that after years of pampered life, I should have developed to the point where I only eat vegetables and grass, and scorn all meat and fish. But who would have thought that, despite being a predator of the common people, she is still just an ordinary citizen and can never truly be an aristocrat.

Looking at Aunt Li's shiny and fragrant braised pork, stewed silver carp, and spicy chicken... Damn, being able to eat is a blessing. Eat up, eat up, eat until you're fat and walk around. If you really get fat, we'll walk around again when we get to university.

After school officially started in March, Luo Da came back. He looked a bit thinner and had a big meal with Li Wei. He was just an ordinary person, and he ate as heartily as Li Wei. The two were evenly matched, and Luo Da easily outshone Li Lianhui.

Luo Da's classes had already started. He only came back to check on things as soon as he finished his business; he had to leave soon because someone was waiting for him.

They only had a meal together, and didn't have much time to talk. He then instructed Li Wei, "Stay here. Don't drive, and don't wander around aimlessly. There are a lot of bad people out there. I'll call you; this is my phone number. I usually get back to my dorm after nine o'clock at night, and I'll call you then..."

A whole bunch of mixed offspring. Looking at the food, his lips were still glistening with oil. He was still rummaging through his bowl with vegetables. Li Wei asked, "Did you remember everything I said?"

Li Wei looked up: "Huh? I remember...?" You've said too much. Am I a three-year-old?

Luo Da could tell from his expression that he hadn't been paying attention. He ruffled his hair in frustration: "Fine. Just remember two things. Don't drive anymore. And don't wander around..."

Li Wei, biting into a chicken leg, said, "Um... that's more than two, isn't it..." Damn it, why is she being so petty? Can't she say something sweet and romantic?

Luo Da shut up helplessly. He glanced at Li Wei. It had been over a month since he'd last seen her. She seemed to be doing well. She looked even more radiant. She didn't seem to miss him much.

No. He had to ask. He had to find out: "Um...did you miss me? You look a little chubby."

Li Lianhui, who had been pretending to watch TV in the living room, suddenly tumbled off the sofa. Luo Da glared at him rudely. Li Lianhui clutched his stomach and chuckled, "...Haha...I'm going to school, I'm going to school, hehe..." He was laughing so hard. Seeing how happily his sister was eating, he figured it must be delicious.

Li Wei nodded vigorously. She said somewhat indistinctly, "Think and think, why did I gain weight? It's because I miss you. I have to prepare for the college entrance exam and I also miss you. The pressure and longing torment me, and my heart feels empty, so I have to eat more to fill the emptiness in my heart. As a result, I've gained some weight, but it's okay. I'll be fine after the exam."

After saying that, hurry up and eat, because you still have to go to your morning and afternoon self-study classes after you finish eating.

Luo Da felt empty inside. He rushed back without even going home, and ended up having lunch here without getting anything done. Look at Li Wei's mouth, she even uses it herself.

Unfortunately, time didn't allow it, so I comforted myself by thinking that it would be better when Li Wei also got into university. Then I could ask her to get into a university in the provincial capital, and it would be easier for us to meet. Besides, I'll see if I have time this weekend. If not, I can come back to see her this weekend.

Luo Da dropped Li Wei off at the entrance of the high school before turning back to his car, which was parked downstairs at Li Wei's house. However, it wasn't his car; two people were already waiting for him inside. Luo Da got in, and the three of them didn't say a word. The driver started the engine and drove off, as if they had a tacit understanding.

Although her studies are demanding every day, Li Wei feels it's pretty good. Compared to her classmates who live on campus, at least she has someone to take care of her food, accommodation, and daily life, so she doesn't have to worry about anything.

By the time students reach their senior year of high school, many of them go to small eateries and restaurants outside the school for meals because they can't eat enough in the school cafeteria and get hungry too easily.

Ding Anni is doing better, since she eats at home every morning and evening. Zhou Xiaoyan is not so lucky. Sometimes Li Wei often invites her to her house for lunch and dinner. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoyan has lost weight is really heartbreaking.

Zhou Xiaoyan didn't care: "I even think my legs are too thick. Look how good you are. Although you're fatter than me in every other part of your body, your legs are thinner. If I'm going to lose weight, I'll start with my legs. I want slender, jade-like legs!"

Li Wei glanced at her while munching on an apple: "Big sister, your legs are already slender enough. Any more and they'll be gone. Don't be so ungrateful."

Zhou Xiaoyan took a vicious bite of the apple, crunching as she spoke, "I meant calves. Calves should be slender, at the very least, without any calf muscles."

Li Wei simply couldn't imagine what it meant to have no calves. How could a person not have calves? "No calves? That's like a dog's legs!"

Zhou Xiaoyan pointed a finger at Li Wei's lower body, where she was only wearing fleece pants at home: "Wrong, you don't have calves."

Li Wei put down the apple and pounced on him: "You dare call me a lackey? I fed all my good food to the dogs, I'll strangle you to death..."

Not to be outdone, Zhou Xiaoyan and the two of them rolled around laughing on the sofa.

Senior year of high school was really uneventful. All courses unrelated to studying, such as physical education and music, were sacrificed for academic subjects. Every day, apart from doing exercises, memorizing, taking small tests, big tests, and mock exams, there was nothing else to do. The students' spirits were obviously somewhat low.

At the end of March, the school held a large-scale diagnostic test, and the results came out quickly. Li Wei, who consistently ranked at the top of her class in the humanities stream, was confident she could get into a prestigious university.

Luo Da hadn't come back, but he would call every few days, usually when Li Wei finished her evening self-study session.

The saying goes, "Whip the fast ox." Now Luo Da is that fast ox. It's estimated that the school discovered his potential or something. Li Wei heard Luo Da speak vaguely, so there must be some hidden reason.

Luo Da is currently working overtime every day for classes and training. He's preparing for the major inter-college competition within the public security system in May. Although he's a freshman and a reserve member, his studies and training are the same as the main members, leaving him no room for relaxation.

The so-called competition wasn't just about martial arts; it included all subjects, both professional and non-professional, and some were even supposedly military training exercises—basically a hodgepodge, so there was no secret about it. Luo Da had also mentioned it.

Anyway, Li Wei summarized that she was busy and wouldn't be back for a while. She was busy too, which was good, as it meant she didn't have to think about him all the time. She'd wait until after the college entrance exams when things were more relaxed. If things got really bad, she'd go check on him, just to see if he was locked up at school.

She says she doesn't want to. But when she's not busy, she does think about it, and she misses Luo Da too. Otherwise, she wouldn't always try to call him, and she wouldn't have to schedule it at specific times. It's not easy for her, as she's afraid of disturbing his studies and rest.

The only thing that made Li Wei uncomfortable was that she had really gained weight. Looking at the pits on her hands, they were getting deeper and deeper. Her face was okay, but she had gained a lot of weight. What was most unbearable was that she had developed a potbelly!

In winter, we wear a lot of clothes, and taking a shower is like a battle. If we don't like something, we just let it go. Anyway, studying comes first, and we don't have time to worry about our weight or anything like that.

But now, looking at the stark figure of 58 kilograms on the scale, that's a full 20 kilograms more than during the Lunar New Year! It's terrifying. If this continues...

Li Wei dared not think about it anymore.

Especially in April, when the weather starts to warm up, people wear less and less clothing, and Li Wei sadly discovers that she can no longer fit into her old pants!

After the New Year, because her home was close by, she mostly wore wool pants and wool skirts, which were either concealing or very stretchy, so she didn't feel anything was wrong. But now that spring is here, her fat is about to be completely exposed.

Li Wei was on the verge of tears, but now was definitely not a good time to lose weight. She hadn't bought many clothes and shoes for herself in recent years, and with her current figure, she couldn't go; she couldn't bear the embarrassment.

Actually, given Li Wei's current height of nearly 163 centimeters, this weight isn't much, but the sudden blow was too much for her to bear.

One evening, her aunt came to visit her. She hadn't seen her for a month or two and was worried that Li Wei might overwork herself and ruin her life. She said, "We're not short of money now, there's no need to torture yourself to death just to get into university."

But when Cheng Fei saw Li Wei's plump and radiant appearance, she felt that all her efforts had been in vain.

This brat is living a very comfortable life; she doesn't look like she was exhausted on the phone at all.

When Li Wei saw her aunt arrive, she rushed over and almost burst into tears: "Auntie, you haven't forgotten about me, have you? I'm exhausted, and you didn't even come to see me. My mom and the others are only focused on making money all day long. How come you're just like them? Waaah!"

After saying that, she actually managed to squeeze out a few tears.

Cheng Fei patted Li Wei's back while rolling her eyes. She believed that everyone else was exhausted, as she had been through that herself, but Li Wei's appearance was just too unconvincing.

You should at least have a pointed chin, a slender figure, and be as delicate as Lin Daiyu, so you can gain people's sympathy. But look at you, Li Xiaoming, you're just rolled into a doll. People who don't know you would think you just got out of kindergarten. What are you pretending to be so sad and graceful for?

After Li Wei finished sobbing, she climbed off her aunt and got down to business: "Auntie, you have to help me find some weight loss experts or something while you're still here. I need to lose weight right after the college entrance exam. I can't go to college with all this extra weight. Also, can you get me some decent clothes? They don't need to be fancy. I'll throw them away as soon as I lose weight..."

Cheng Fei sized up Li Wei, who was wearing loose two-piece pajamas: "She's gotten a little chubby, and even has a potbelly. Looks like she might still get into university..."

Cheng Fei suddenly stopped and grabbed Li Wei, saying, "You brat, come inside and talk to me."

He dragged Li Wei into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Li Lianhui, who was sitting at the dining table with a table full of rolls, was startled.

He frowned. None of the women in his family were gentle; they were all incredibly fierce!