Chapter 37
The room was quiet; the only sounds could be heard: the sound of Zhou Li chewing noodles and the sound of wind and snow hitting the door frame outside the window.
The whistling sound of the wind hit the window, but was dissipated by the window itself. A layer of ice froze on the glass. Zhou Li took a look and pulled the curtains.
She threw the used dishes into the sink, too lazy to move, then crossed her arms and looked at Beixia.
"Little devil." Zhou Li shouted, "I felt something was wrong with you from just now. Do you know me? Come with me?"
Is the heroine so unguarded? Even three-year-olds are repeatedly told not to go with strangers. They just met for the first time, so even if they were desperate, they should have been wary, right? How could she have been so easily abducted?
Sitting at the dining table, Bei Xia looked up at Zhou Li, then lowered his head, maintaining an attitude of not speaking unless necessary.
If Zhou Li had not heard her say the word "good" when he saw her, he might have suspected that this was a mute heroine.
Thinking of the heroine's life experience, Zhou Li touched his chin helplessly.
People's personalities will change when they are stimulated. We cannot expect that a child whose parents have both died overnight, who is displaced and has to live with someone else's family, can still be lively and cheerful.
Forget it, if you don’t like to talk, then don’t talk. As long as I can understand what she is saying, that’s enough.
Zhou Li didn't have high expectations for the heroine. After all, the training mission was just about raising a child. How could it be harder than other tasks? No way, absolutely impossible. Zhou Li was confident that he would get an A-level evaluation.
Zhou Li said to Bei Xia, "Although you may find it strange, I am indeed your relative. My name is Zhou Li, and I am your distant cousin, a very distant cousin. I wonder if you have ever heard your mother talk about me."
Bei Xia slowly raised her head. Her lips were pale and she had been in a daze since the beginning. Even when she heard Zhou Li say that he was her relative, she did not react at all.
Zhou Li scratched his chin helplessly and said, "It's like this. Your mother has done me a favor, and I also heard about you. It was my fault for not rushing over immediately, but I want to take care of you. Are you willing to live with me?"
This identity is a girl adopted by Beixia's mother's cousin. Her presence is very weak, so Zhou Li does not expect the heroine to remember her. He just wants to use this identity to get close to the heroine.
The heroine is Bei Xia, the heroine of a campus novel.
She should have been a child of destiny, crushing the world with her IQ, but after her parents died, relatives were arguing with each other. The most important thing was that she should have been adopted by foster parents before she came of age, but no one knew what went wrong and the foster parents did not show up, so Zhou Li had to temporarily take care of Beixia on behalf of the foster parents for this period of time.
Beixia looked at Zhou Li quietly with her black eyes. She spoke slowly in a low voice.
"What did you say your name was?"
"Zhou Li."
Beixia lowered her eyes, her eyelids red. She fought hard not to let the tears fall. In her memory, there was an experience: her mother received a package filled with delicious food. She opened one and gave it to Beixia. Beixia pestered her mother and asked who sent it. Her mother smiled and bent down to pinch Beixia's nose and said, "A sister. Her name is Zhou Li. She is very outstanding~"
I also heard my mother and father discussing it.
Father: "That child is quite filial. You helped her once, and she always thinks about us."
Mother: "That means the child is good. I just felt sorry for the little girl. You said they adopted her and then abandoned her. Who can bear to see that? She's just a little girl. How much food can she eat?"
Besha still couldn't help it. Every time she thought of her mother and father, her tear glands would burst.
Zhou Li watched as big tears fell from Bei Xia's eyes, like pearls, dropping roundly onto her cotton pajamas. She was at a loss.
"Hey! Don't cry!" Zhou Li frantically looked for a tissue, but couldn't find one, so he had to wipe Bei Xia's face with his sleeve.
There was a button on the sleeve of her pajamas, which rubbed against Besha's face and hurt her so much that she couldn't cry anymore.
The button hit her nose, making it even more sore than before. Another big tear fell. Bei Xia grabbed Zhou Li's wrist and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't wipe it."
Zhou Li breathed a sigh of relief.
She is a good person in every way except that she cannot bear to see others cry.
Bei Xia's life experience was already miserable, and when she cried again, the corners of her eyes turned red, and she pursed her lips tightly to prevent the tears from falling, which made Zhou Li feel distressed.
She was very careful, as if she was handling a fragile vessel, and lowered her posture: "Do you want to live with me? You may not be used to it, but I will take good care of you..."
Zhou Li was interrupted before she could finish her words. Bei Xia only asked her three questions: "Is there a bedroom for me here? Will you feed me? Do you have enough money to take care of me?"
Zhou Li was pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected Bei Xia to be so easy to deal with. She squatted down in front of Bei Xia's stool, took her hand, and said, "Your bedroom is here. I prepared it for you before I came to see you. Didn't you just eat? Don't worry about the money. I can earn it."
If all else fails, isn't there still the system store? One cent can be exchanged for so much money, so why worry she can't support a child? Zhou Li was full of confidence.
Suddenly a system prompt appeared in my mind.
System: "Using the system store is prohibited in this world."
Zhou Liqiang fell down.
She said it wouldn't be that easy! It turns out there's a trap waiting for her!
"What's wrong with you?" Bei Xia looked at Zhou Li, who suddenly buried his head in her hands after speaking. Zhou Li raised his head with tears in his eyes. "I'm just so touched that you are willing to live with me."
Bei Xia was still a child after all, and she didn't expect someone to care so much about her feelings. She lowered her head shyly, her expression gloomy: "As long as you are willing, there is nothing I don't want to do."
She is now homeless...
Zhou Li sighed lightly, as if she understood Bei Xia. She stood up and rubbed Bei Xia's head.
"It's getting late, go to bed early. I'll show you your bedroom."
Besha stood at the bedroom door, his heart pounding.
After her parents died, she met many hypocritical and polite people.
They all told Bexia to come to them if she had any difficulties, but when her uncle really called the contact to send her over, no one was willing to let her stay for a few days. In the end, she was still stuck at her uncle's house, like a burden.
Her aunt looked down on her, her uncle was helpless, and her brother laughed at her, saying she was a hermit crab who had taken what originally belonged to him...
Bexia glanced around the room. The bed was neatly made, the wallpaper was pink, and the bedroom was large. There was even a large desk and a large wardrobe. There was even a large stuffed bear on the bed.
Beixia is no longer at the age where she likes pink and plush toys, but she can still see Zhou Li's sincerity.
Her throat felt like it was clogged, like a balloon with a hole in it, deflated. Besha exhaled, and she whispered, "Thank you."
Zhou Li raised his hand and touched her head.
The 17-year-old girl was skinny and her height was at Zhou Li's eye level. She had a thin, pointed chin and two big eyes. She was at a lively age, but now she had become heavy.
Beixia habitually hunched her back, as if she would feel safe enough in her arms.
Zhou Li patted her back again and joked, "If you don't stand straight, you'll get a hunchback. Do you want to turn into a turtle?"
Beixia was stunned. Her mother had also said the same thing.
While she was doing her homework, she kept reminding her to sit up straight, not slouch, and to maintain a good daily routine...
At this moment, Zhou Li's figure seemed to overlap with her mother's. Bei Xia's eyes were about to become sore again. She turned her head and sniffed: "I know."
Zhou Li pretended not to see it.
She opened the closet, which was filled with clothes. She said embarrassedly, "We're meeting for the first time, so I don't know what you like. This room and the clothes are all arranged according to my preferences. You can tell me what you like in the future. If you don't like these clothes, we can buy new ones. There are also notebooks and pens in the desk drawer. See if you can use them. As for the others..." Zhou Li couldn't remember anything else. She smiled at Bei Xia and said, "Good night."
She walked out, leaving the space for Bei Xia. As she closed the door, Zhou Li smiled and said, "The bear on the bed is called Gina. You can tell it anything you have on your mind. It will keep your secrets."
How childish! Besha hasn't done anything like this since he was three years old.
But somehow she walked forward and dived into the soft bed, which was even softer than the sofa she had seen. She took the teddy bear and buried her face in its belly.
"Gina, do you think she will also find me troublesome?" Besha asked softly.
Zhou Li, the name slowly crossed Bei Xia's mind. Was she just like those hypocritical adults, just trying to satisfy her pitiful sense of justice and use her pitifulness to highlight their greatness?
When her patience runs out, she will abandon her kindness like her aunt did.
Gina Bear naturally wouldn't give her an answer. Besha was tired, so she curled up, pulled the quilt over her, hugged Gina Bear and fell asleep.
She didn't want to think about these things for the time being. No matter whether Zhou Li was hypocritical or not, at least now, she had given her a home.
Zhou Li closed the door and couldn't help but sigh to the system that this was truly the smoothest task she had ever done.
The heroine is very obedient, and she basically doesn't have to worry about anything at this age.
After stretching, Zhou Li went back to his room and went to sleep.
Bexia High School only has one day off, and classes have to go on Sunday.
When Beixia woke up from her deep sleep, it was already bright outside. There was an alarm clock on the bedside. Beixia was confused for a while when she woke up. She didn't know what year it was. As her memory slowly came back, she remembered that she had run away from her uncle's house and had nowhere to go. Finally, she was picked up by a strange and beautiful woman. The woman was called Zhou Li, and she said she was her distant cousin.
Besha heard the clicking of the clock hands, and she turned her eyes to find that it was already seven o'clock.
Besha frowned, she was going to be late!
Rolling up the quilt, Bexia busied herself looking for her school uniform.
Zhou Li was still asleep when she heard a noise like a battle outside the room. She frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
Friendly reminder from the system: "The heroine is going to be late for school."
Zhou Li: "Huh?" She opened her phone and saw it was only seven o'clock. She wailed. Isn't today the weekend? Why do high school students have to go to school on Sunday?
Her head was full of questions. When she opened the door, Bexia's face was panicked: "Where is my school uniform?"
Zhou Li rubbed his brows and said, "I've washed it. I've put it on the balcony. I'll get it for you. Put on the sweater first. Wear the one in the cupboard."
She turned around, a coat draped over her shoulders, raised her thin, slender arms, and yawned heavily.
Beixia stood in front of the closet in a daze. The clothes inside were nothing to her before, but now she couldn't even think about them.
After my parents died in a plane crash, although the airport compensated them with a large sum of money, they still had to pay for their parents' funeral expenses, the mortgage on the house, and various debts borrowed by my father. My uncle said that after dealing with all these things, the family had no money left, so he sold the house. In the end, they only had a few tens of thousands of dollars left, which was just enough for food and drink. He saved it for Beixia, but it was eventually taken away by my aunt.
Beisha lowered her eyes and picked up a sweater at random. The soft touch made her palm tremble.
After changing into a thick sweater and leggings, Zhou Li hurriedly took the school uniform. The school uniform, washed with detergent and softener, smelled fragrant. Beixia didn't know how long it had been since she had worn such a school uniform. She could only wash it with soap at her aunt's house, and the same was true when she went to school. Some people disliked Beixia for wearing the same clothes for a week and laughed at her for being a soap girl, even though she had washed it very clean and had a change of clothes inside.
Besha's nose felt sore again.
Zhou Li's head was still unclear. It was not even her usual time to get up. She rubbed her head and asked, "What time is class?"
"Seven-thirty."
Zhou Li looked at the time and realized it was already seven twenty.
She said helplessly, "Put on your coat. I'll go change and drive you to school."
Zhou Li simply washed his face with water, put on his clothes, took the car keys and went to send Bei Xia to school. Despite his haste, he was still late. The guard did not open the door. Zhou Li put on a forced smile and finally managed to send Bei Xia in. The two looked at each other across the school gate. Zhou Li waved, and Bei Xia pursed her lips and went in.
She was wearing her fragrant school uniform and new clothes, which were very different from before. Her woolen coat kept her warm even on a windy day. Besides...
Beixia lowered her head and saw Zhou Li's scarf hanging around her neck.
This dark red striped scarf was the one Zhou Li had worn yesterday. Before leaving, she hung it around Bei Xia's neck, wrapped it around her several times, then patted her shoulder and said, "Let's go!"
Today she seemed completely new and different.
After sending Bei Xia off, Zhou Li went home and dived into bed.
It’s the weekend! Isn’t it time to sleep and replenish your energy?
She was half asleep when a phone call suddenly came in. The person on the other end said hesitantly, "Hello, are you Beixia's parent? She had an accident at school."
Zhou Li suddenly woke up and struggled to sit up from the bed. She frowned and said, "I am! What happened to Bei Xia?"
After answering the phone, Zhou Li pinched his nose helplessly. He was praising Beixia for being obedient yesterday, but something happened today.
Looking at the sky outside, she saw snowflakes falling again. Zhou Li changed into thick clothes and opened the door. She couldn't help shivering.
This damn weather is so cold!
The car started several times. Just like in the morning, Zhou Li waited quietly. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and asked curiously, "How did Bei Xia know my phone number?"
She probably didn't have time to tell me yesterday?
The car was warm and could be started, so Zhou Li stepped on the accelerator and drove out.
When he arrived at the school, Zhou Li registered.
The security guard who opened the door in the morning looked at her several times. As a parent who came twice a day and was late in the morning, he must have looked familiar.
Zhou Li nodded at him, and the guard dialed the office phone.
"Teacher Xu, a parent came and said you were looking for her."
"Really? Okay, okay, I'll let her in."
After hanging up the phone, the security guard said, "You can come in. The office is in the building at the back."
"Thank you." Zhou Li nodded and stepped in.
When she arrived, it was just the end of get out of class time. Many people were lying on the railings in the corridor. When they saw someone coming in from the school gate, they stretched their necks to look at her. When Zhou Li entered the office building, every student she met would look at her, then lower their voices and gather together to discuss in a low voice.
Zhou Li looked at the sign hanging on the door, looking for the office of the high school teaching and research group, and turned a deaf ear to these strange looks.
"Hey? Who are you? Who are you looking for?" A teacher just came out and looked at Zhou Li enthusiastically.
Zhou Li said embarrassedly: "I am a student's parent, I'm looking for the high school office."
"They are on the third floor, you went to the wrong place," said the teacher.
"Thank you." Zhou Li nodded.
The teacher walked into the office and sighed, "Today's students' parents are so young." She was also good-looking. I wonder which senior student's parent she was. If this parent came to the parent-teacher meeting, the school would probably go crazy.
Zhou Li found it successfully. She saw Bei Xia sitting inside, facing the wall and reflecting on his mistakes. She sighed, stood at the wide-open office door and knocked, which immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the office.
"Excuse me, who is Teacher Xu? I am Bei Xia's parent."
A teacher stood up and said, "It's me."
Bei Xia, who had been facing the wall with his head down indifferently, suddenly froze.
She really came...
Xu Chuntian walked towards Zhou Li, and the two met halfway. Teacher Xu extended his hand and asked hesitantly, "Are you Bei Xia's parent?"
She was really too young, and after Beixia's parents died, didn't she live with her uncle? Xu Chuntian felt strange.
Zhou Li's lips curled slightly, and she nodded: "I am. How is Bei Xia?"
Teacher Xu glanced at Bei Xia, who was facing the wall, and said with a headache, "She's fine, but she beat up the classmate whose money she stole."
Zhou Li frowned: "Stealing money? Teacher Xu, you didn't tell me about this on the phone."
Xu Chuntian also had a headache. She asked Zhou Li to sit over and pour her some water.
"Another student's parent is coming soon. Please wait until she arrives and we can handle things together."
Zhou Li turned to look at Bei Xia, who was facing the wall, and said, "Come here."
With the parents present, Xu Chuntian didn't go too far. She frowned and watched, and Beixia lowered her head and turned around.
Zhou Li watched Bei Xia walk up to her and raised her hand. Everyone thought she was going to hit the child, so she closed her eyes cruelly. Unexpectedly, she just raised her hand to slap Bei Xia on the back.
"What did I say? Stop slumping your shoulders and stand up straight, little turtle."
She patted Bexia's back. Bexia was startled and raised his head, his face flushed.
Zhou Li burst out laughing. She patted Bei Xia on the shoulder and asked, "Didn't the teacher say you hit someone? Why is your face scratched?"
She didn't care about anything else and even smiled.
Xu Chuntian frowned. Such a young parent was indeed unreliable.
Beixia felt awkwardly relieved. She tilted her head and said in a muffled voice, "They beat me up, but I slapped her twice."
"Be good." Zhou Li patted Bei Xia's head. She leaned close to Bei Xia's ear and said, "I believe you."
Zhou Li deliberately lowered her voice, as if it was just a little secret between the two of them, "I believe you won't steal the money."
She smiled and patted Beixia's head again, then turned to her homeroom teacher Xu Chuntian and said, "Let Beixia go to the infirmary first. Her face is all bruised."
Whoever's child it was, who would care for him. The class owner, Xu Chuntian, said helplessly, "Okay." She said to Bei Xia, "Go to the infirmary first and I'll discuss the matter with your parents."
Zhou Li looked at the time and it was almost noon and time for school to end.
Neither of them had eaten in the morning, so they wanted to finish the job quickly. She asked, "When will the other parent arrive?"
Xu Chuntian was a little embarrassed: "In fact, she arrived a long time ago. She took her child to the hospital."
Zhou Li frowned: "Isn't this a matter between two children? Does she want to make a big deal out of it?"
If you go to the hospital, what else can you do if not to get your injuries assessed?
Xu Chuntian touched his nose and said, "Bexia's parents, let me first tell you what happened."
"Today, our class was collecting textbook fees. Lei suddenly realized her money was missing and insisted that Bei had stolen it. We then searched Bei's desk and clothes and indeed found extra money on her."
"Mr. Bei denied it, so the two of them started fighting."
Zhou Li frowned and demanded, "What do you mean? Without confirming anything and without asking for Bei Xia's permission, you're conducting a body search? Which law in our country says schools have such police powers?"
Xu Chuntian said helplessly, "I didn't give permission for the body search. It was carried out privately by classmates. When I arrived, the two of them had already started fighting, so I had to pull them apart."
Xu Chuntian pinched his nose and said, "Mr. Beixia, although the body search was wrong, we did find extra money on Beixia. This is an indisputable fact."
Zhou Li sneered, "Then how can you be sure that it wasn't her money, but was stolen?"
Xu Chuntian felt that Zhou Li was being rude and unreasonable. She frowned and said, "Ms. Beixia, we all know Beixia's situation. She can't possibly have that much money."
"So, you think Bei Xia stole the money?" Zhou Li's voice grew colder and colder. Her beautiful eyes glared at Xu Chuntian sharply, "Couldn't I have given it to him?"
Zhou Li showed off the watch on his wrist and said, "This watch is only worth a little over 10,000 yuan. What's wrong with me giving my child some pocket money? Is that not okay?"
Xu Chuntian was speechless.
Zhou Li put down her hand and said arrogantly, "Is that eight hundred yuan?" Seeing that Xu Chuntian didn't answer, she snorted coldly, "I don't think we need to wait for the other parent to arrive. Let's just call the police and let them decide who is right and who is wrong!"
Xu Chuntian was anxious: "Bexia's parents, please talk things over nicely. This is all for the sake of the child."
"For the child?" Zhou Li sneered. "You preconceived the idea that Bei Xia stole money, and then called the other party's parents to ask them to get the injury assessed. Okay, no more words, my child is also injured. So, I'll take Bei Xia to the hospital and see a doctor!"
Xu Chuntian hadn't expected that Zhou Li, despite looking so young, was so eloquent and even more difficult to deal with than the previous parent. She said in embarrassment, "How about this? I'll call the other party and we can sit down and talk it over. You don't have to call the police. Is this okay? Whoever's at fault is at fault! If it's not Beixia's fault, I'll ask them to apologize. If it's Beixia's..."
"It's Beixia's. The school should handle it however it should." Zhou Li said lightly.
Zhou Li: This mission seems quite worry-free
Zhou Li:! It’s too early to think about it!!!
Author: I didn't finish one chapter yesterday, so I finished it this morning and posted it early. Tomorrow's update time will still be the same.
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