novelThe Secret About the Past (217)
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
He felt just as if a chain was tied around his neck, making it difficult for him to even breathe.
Her face began to fade before him as he felt as if he had fallen into a black hole.
All of a sudden, his bubble burst.
He sprang up immediately and opened his eyes.
Jin Qingyan took a deep breath while scanning his surroundings. Fortunately, it was just a nightmare, thank God...
He could not help but feel puzzled to have dreamt of such a strange dream.
Jin Qingyan felt much better after taking a sip of water from the glass on the table.
—
It was the 8th of August, the first day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar.
It was the day that school reopened.
Jin Yiheng was dressed in a white buttoned shirt paired with a black vest and a pair of black trousers. He then headed to school with his schoolbag on his shoulders.
This time, Jin Yiheng and Long Wenlun would be attending their first day in primary school while Long Xiaoxi would be promoted to higher kindergarten.
However, Long Xiaoxi was reluctant to do so.
She insisted on attending first grade with her brothers.
That was impossible, however. How could she run before she even learns to walk? Mei Yangyang would never allow it. Instead, she wanted her daughter to follow the standard grading system and advance to primary school only after she had completed kindergarten. Besides, Long Xiaoxi was only three and a half years old, way too young to be attending primary school.
Yet, Long Xiaoxi was bent on having it her way.
She cried and threw a tantrum.
"Mommy, you're discriminating against me just because I'm young. I want to go to the same class as Brother."
"How are you supposed to attend first grade when you don't know anything at all?"
"Mommy, I'll learn. Hire a private tutor to give me tuition after school, I'll definitely catch up."
"You're too young, it won't be appropriate, " Mei Yangyang refuted vehemently.
Mei Yangyang refused to give in, no matter how many tantrums Long Xiaoxi threw.
Thus, Jin Yiheng and Long Wenlun proceeded to attend first grade while Long Xiaoxi attended kindergarten with Zhong Minhe.
Being three years older than Long Xiaoxi, Zhong Minhe would have already been a primary schooler if he had started receiving formal education earlier.
He was much taller than Long Xiaoxi as well as the other children in kindergarten.
Thus, he was teased and bullied by the children in class when the teacher led him to the rostrum to introduce himself.
"Look, this fool has no arms."
"Yeah, yeah, he's so strange."
"Did his arms fall off?"
"He looks hideous without arms."
"..."
Zhong Minhe hung his head low dejectedly. Before the teacher even spoke up, Long Xiaoxi glared daggers at the children and barked, "You're not allowed to say that about my friend!"
"That's enough, Minhe will be one of us from now on. You guys are to get along harmoniously with your new classmate, " said the teacher, who specially arranged for Zhong Minhe to sit beside Long Xiaoxi, knowing that the two were already friends.
When he came down from the rostrum, Long Xiaoxi pulled the chair out for him and said smiling, "You don't have to bother about them. Just play with me."
Zhong Minhe nodded and exclaimed, "Okay!"
For the rest of the morning, Long Xiaoxi noticed that Zhong Minhe was paying attention to the words written on the blackboard by the teacher while she was busy being distracted.
He seemed to be extremely attentive and studious, and thus, Long Xiaoxi too was motivated and influenced by him.
During dismissal time in the afternoon, Zhang Xiaopang chuckled and mocked, "Hey, armless hero."
"What's that?"
"It means you have no arms. Fool."
Long Xiaoxi glowered at him and hissed, "Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth."
"Long Xiaoxi, your brother has gone to attend primary school, there's no one here to help you now. You'd better watch your words, " Zhang Xiaopang warned smugly.
Long Xiaoxi rolled her eyes and retorted, "Zhang Xiaopang, you should be the one minding your words."
"Xiaoxi, I'd like to use the washroom."
"Let's go, I'll call Teacher." She carried her bag on her shoulders and left together with him.
Zhang Xiaopang noticed that they had left and hurriedly took chase.
Once the teacher arrived, she entered the washroom to help Zhong Minhe remove his pants and put them on again before leaving.
Long Xiaoxi stood outside by the door to wait for him. However, he did not show up even after a long while.
"Brother Minhe!" Long Xiaoxi called out.
There was no response.
Long Xiaoxi hurriedly zoomed inside at the thought of Zhang Xiaopang also being in the bathroom.
She was greeted with the sight of Zhang Xiaopang removing Zhong Minhe's pants, which was why there was no response from him when she called his name.
Upon sight of her, Zhong Minhe stood rooted to the ground helplessly, blushing with utter embarrassment. Yet, there was nothing he could do to help himself.
"Zhang Xiaopang!"
Long Xiaoxi flew into an uncontrollable rage and rushed forward to help Zhong Minhe pull his pants up while Zhang Xiaopang took the chance to flee.
She hurriedly chased after him. Being a chubby child, Zhang Xiaopang was exceptionally slow when it came to running. Hence, Long Xiaoxi could catch up with him in no time.
Long Xiaoxi kicked his buttocks, causing him to fall onto the ground immediately. He slipped and fell hard due to the fact that the cemented floor was extremely slippery.
"Long Xiaoxi!" Zhang Xiaopang clenched his jaw in pain and stood up in a bid to hit Long Xiaoxi.
To his astonishment, Long Xiaoxi removed her sandals and hit him on his head with the sole of her sandal.
Raging like a bull, Zhang Xiaopang charged forward in an attempt to kick her.
However, he was immediately held back by the teacher.
"What's going on!?!"
Long Xiaoxi immediately burst into tears and explained the situation to the teacher while sobbing.
The teacher immediately reprimanded Zhang Xiaopang for his actions.
Zhang Xiaopang left in a huff after being scolded by the teacher.
When they returned home, Long Xiaoxi tried to console Zhong Minhe, "Brother Minhe, Zhang Xiaopang is a cad. He used to bully me in the past too, so don't get angry. Didn't you see? Teacher ticked him off too."
"I'm alright, thank you, Xiaoxi." His eyes were as dazzling as stars in the sky. Long Xiaoxi felt relieved to see that he was feeling fine.
—
Three days later, An Xiaoning managed to get her hands on the sketch of Shi Xiaoyu's bedroom.
After scrutinizing the detailed sketch in her room for a long while, she finally figured out the floor plan.
There were rooms in the Northeast direction of her bedroom, all of which had doors and windows. It was obviously not where the secret chamber would be.
There were guards on duty near the window facing the East.
Facing the West of the room was the corridor.
An Xiaoning thought to herself that if there was a secret chamber, it must be located underground.
Images of Shi Xiaoyu's bedroom, which she saw that night through her night vision goggles, began to pop up in her mind.
The bed, the closet, the needle drawers, the dressing table...
Those were merely her guesses.
She was not yet a hundred percent certain if there was a secret chamber in the bedroom, at this point.
However, if there really was one, what would a woman like Shi Xiaoyu need a secret chamber for?
It was very suspicious.
An Xiaoning felt a strong urge to verify it for herself.
Unfortunately, it would be more than difficult for her to enter the mansion again, especially since she had already alarmed them previously.
"What are you thinking about? Follow me out."
"Alright." An Xiaoning stood up and hurriedly followed closely behind him.
"Your Highness, where are we going?"
"My parents' place."
An Xiaoning's eyes lit up with joy."Do you mean Mr. President's office?"
"Duh."
An Xiaoning took a deep breath. She was just fretting over how she was supposed to sneak in again. Yet, the opportunity had fallen from the sky.
"Why are you so happy?"
An Xiaoning chuckled and answered, "Because I'm in a good mood."
"Stop smiling, you look like an idiot."
"..."
Halfway through their journey, Tuoba Gucheng's phone began to ring."Hello, hello, alright, got it, " he answered while walking.
He then stopped in his tracks. An Xiaoning looked at him and asked, "What's the matter, Your Highness?"
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