26 Cheating
Having missed a lot of classes, Yang Xiao was forced to work tirelessly to catch up on her class schedule. Her usual leisurely sunset time was gone. After class, except for getting water and going to the restroom, she spent the rest of her time sitting in her seat, absorbed in her studies. Her trips to the hospital, which used to be every few days, were reduced to once a week.
It was still not enough. She felt more and more exhausted.
Everything Mr. Ji covered in the intensive class would appear on the exam, taught through repeated practice exercises. If she missed a class, the exercises would become incredibly difficult. She'd either go around in circles trying to solve them, or end up doing a lot of wasted work, especially in analytic geometry.
Ji Yao looked at her, feeling distressed and helpless, and could only call her to the office again.
"Yang Xiao, I want to ask you if you can keep up with the class progress in all subjects." Ji Yao dragged a chair over and gestured for her to sit down and chat. He then stood up, opened the cabinet, and pulled out the report cards for the past few weekly and monthly tests.
"Thank you, Teacher Ji, for your constant concern for me. It's actually a bit difficult. I've obviously tried very hard to continue studying, but I also feel that I will fall behind everyone else if I miss classes, so sometimes I have a feeling of giving up and think that I might as well just leave it at that." Yang Xiao looked like a deflated ball, with a listless expression.
"Teacher is wondering if you'd like to transfer to a key program. The math students recently went off to compete, and you've been tied up at home. You won't be very competitive if you continue with the Strong Foundation Program." Ji Yao sighed and continued, "Besides, forgive me for saying something unpleasant, but with your current family situation, can you really concentrate on studying for the Strong Foundation Program? If the college entrance exam results come out, your family affairs are settled, and your math scores remain as good as before, you can still participate in the Strong Foundation Program assessment."
"Don't worry about the tuition waiver. The top 15 students in both the Strong Foundation and Key Programs receive the same policy. Think about it carefully." Ji Yao's words lingered in Yang Xiao's ears. She remembered the red pen leaking ink, and the sound of her heartbeat as she washed her hands—a thumping sound so powerful it had carried her all the way here. But now she stood at a fork in the road, about to embark on a completely different path.
The next day, she replied to Ji Yao, saying she was willing to go to the key program. Ji Yao was both happy for her choice and a little reluctant. From her freshman year until now, Yang Xiao had left a deep impression on her. Her intelligence and diligence alone made her feel that Yang Xiao had a promising future.
On the day when she transferred out of the strong foundation class, Wang Ruopeng burst into tears and hugged her tightly, but before Yang Xiao could say goodbye, she let go and said, "By the way, Xiaoxiao, you won't be moving to the dormitory, right? See you tonight~" The tears on her face had not dried yet, and she started laughing again.
In her new class, Yang Xiao finally caught up. Without the evening classes for intensive classes, she could do her homework and review the material in advance, just like the rest of her classmates. Finally, she no longer had to stay up late to catch up on homework. Occasionally, after intensive classes, Wang Ruopeng would sneak into her class, give her a snack, and then leave.
Zhou Daye still hadn't woken up. On the day she went to see him, Yang Xiao hid behind the office door, listening to the doctor and Zhou Qi say that Uncle Zhou could be transferred out of the ICU, but if he didn't wake up soon, he would likely become a vegetative state, and the chances of recovery would decrease with time. She covered her mouth and cried silently behind the door.
In fact, she saw the small mark as soon as she opened her composition book that day. There were only two people at home. She knew without a second thought that it was Uncle Zhou who secretly read her composition at night.
Looking back now, I only have some regrets. I regret not writing more articles, and I regret not using more eloquent words to describe his goodness.
Zhou Qi also seemed to be very busy. Sometimes Yang Xiao would not see him when she came to visit Uncle Zhou in the hospital. The things left in the security room on Wednesday became more and more direct: money in envelopes.
So Yang Xiao wisely reduced the frequency of her calls with him and continued to study at school day after day.
Zhou Qi was also incredibly busy, with no time to rest. He was rotating between departments, working with Miao Yue to maintain Zhou Daye's treatment, while also gathering substantive evidence for the negotiation table.
He could clearly sense that his repeated rejections would diminish Miao Yue's interest in him; in other words, his usefulness would decrease. Once he became an ant, his struggles becoming no different from anyone else's in Miao Yue's eyes, he would be discarded, replaced by a new Zhou Qi. Naturally, Miao Yue would no longer have any need to help Zhou Daye.
He had to speed up.
Fang Qiu sat in the passenger seat, watching him turn into another intersection. He couldn't help but speak, "Zhou Qi, think this over carefully. Boss Zhu accepted the bribes and won't leave. It's probably because the bribes weren't enough. What can we get out of him if we go there now? Also, you better not show your face later. You're always hanging around the hospital. Don't you know how to avoid it? By then, once both sides have reached an agreement, it will only take minutes, seconds, to sell you out."
Zhou Qi stepped on the accelerator again. "I've been waiting for him for several days, but I haven't seen his wife or children." Fang Qiu's mouth dropped open, his heart skipping a beat. "No way! Kidnapping in this day and age?"
Zhou Qi was speechless and turned his head to glance at him. "Watch less Hong Kong movies, brother. He probably hasn't received the final payment yet."
"Oh, you scared me to death. I thought the Miao family wouldn't be so brazen." Fang Qiu rolled down the car window, letting in some fresh air. "So how are you going to get information? Since I, your senior brother, am no longer doing clinical work, I'm being kind and asking you."
Zhou Qi laughed and teased him deliberately, "But since his wife and children are not here, we can't rule out the possibility of kidnapping."
Fang Qiu closed the window again and turned to look at him. "No, Zhou Qi, are you kidding me? If that's the case, I won't go. I haven't even recovered the money I invested in opening the shop yet."
Zhou Qi stopped teasing him. "Okay, it was the boss who was calling his wife on the phone too loudly. My car window was open, and he walked past my car, yelling 'wife' loudly."
Fang Qiu was sitting in the passenger seat, laughing uncontrollably. "You should be a private investigator, kid. Being a doctor is a waste of your talent."
"Tell me, what are you going to do when you get there?" Fang Qiu sat up, his tone becoming a little serious.
"Stand next to him and pretend to be on the phone. Say something like, 'I'll tell you over the phone.' Just do it in the same voice as when he calls his wife." Zhou Qi started turning on his turn signal and pulled over with the car in front. Fang Qiu made an OK gesture and immediately unbuckled his seatbelt. Zhou Qi looked at him and couldn't help but remind him again, "Be careful, Brother."
Fang Qiu followed Boss Zhu into a cafe with simple decor. He smacked his lips, thinking he'd spruce up his own shop next year when he made some money. Suddenly, he spotted Boss Zhu sitting by the window. He walked over and sat behind him.
A moment later, another man in a suit and tie, with a slicked-back hair, appeared, a briefcase tucked under his arm. As he approached Boss Zhu, he started chatting. Fang Qiu subconsciously clicked on the recording on his phone.
"Boss Zhu, your shipment is fantastic! Mr. Wang couldn't be happier," the slicked-back man said, his smile creased the corners of his eyes. "As long as Mr. Wang likes it, well..." Boss Zhu got straight to the point, understanding the other party's satisfaction with his work, and without beating around the bush, he asked for the money.
"Oh, you're such a straightforward, reliable guy! We definitely need to keep in touch, right?" The slicked-back man ignored him and started a new one. Boss Zhu looked a little annoyed. Was he telling him not to worry about the final payment? He'd already made a promise beforehand: once the deal was done, he'd take his family to Canada and never come back.
Now, his wife and children were already there, but the promised house was nowhere to be found. The children were growing up, and when they got married, would the whole family have to live under the bridge? Boss Zhu's face grew increasingly grim.
The man with the slicked-back hair noticed his displeasure and was worried that this man would turn against him, so he revealed his trump card, "Don't be angry, have some coffee. We will not give you less than what we owe you. Let's put it this way, I will pay you as soon as the goods are delivered." After hearing this, Boss Zhu's expression softened a little. What he meant was that he had to wait for the Ji family to take over at the earliest.
"Okay." Boss Zhu picked up the coffee and took a sip. "I'm a reliable person. I won't leave before the goods arrive. You can rest assured." The man with the slicked-back hair smiled wryly. This old fox even threatened.
"We'll definitely feel at ease with you doing the job." After saying that, the man with the slicked-back hair waved his hand to settle the bill, then got up and left.
Seeing this, Fang Qiu dialed Zhou Qi's number, cleared his throat and spoke.
"Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Yang, you finally answered the phone. I wanted to ask you about that matter before, hey, it's about the bidding for the Third Municipal Hospital. Can you give me some advice? I just took over the family business and I also want to try to cooperate with a large organization." Fang Qiu's voice was a little loud, just enough for Boss Zhu behind him to hear.
"Ah? An internal appointment? No way? What era is this? How can such a thing even happen? If they find out, it's all over. Such a huge project, how can they just take it all in one go?" Fang Qiu's voice continued to rise, his acting becoming increasingly exaggerated. Zhou Qi, listening to his fluctuating tone, felt a bit amused and helpless.
"Oh, okay, okay, thank you. I was such a fool, thinking about participating in a bid for fun. Oh, I have to go talk to someone right away. What's going on?" Fang Qiu secretly glanced at Boss Zhu out of the corner of his eye and pretended to hang up the phone.
Fortunately, Zhou Qi followed him for several days and went to ask former employees, otherwise he would not have found the right person to cheat. This Boss Zhu was the original owner of the plastic box manufacturer. He had no moral principles and only cared about making money.
In the early years, I had just established a relationship with the distant relatives on the Miao side. This kind of small-scale business had nothing to do with any core interests, but by using the trick of mixing 3 fakes out of 20, I was able to make some money.
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