"..."
Honestly, in her life, she had encountered many teachers with different temperaments, but never one like Old Yan.
So lifelike...
Listen to those words, "Child~"
"Look at Old Zhong next to you, and then look at the young man beside him. I think you must also be happy to help others!"
As he spoke, he wiped his eyes convincingly, putting on a show.
Zhong Chenghua, "..."
I asked you to imitate, not to surpass!!!
Look at this natural talent; he wouldn't dare admit this was Yan Baitao.
Thinking about his former fiery temper and then looking at this "Old White Lotus" playing the victim now, no one would believe it if it were told.
Meanwhile, Qiu Xi's eyes widened in shock, "!!!"
She remembered how, when she was young, she had diligently practiced this art, trying to escape her mother's punishment and enjoy a childhood free from "joy."
But after years of practice, she hadn't seen any progress!
Yet why could Old Yan, at such an old age, do it so effortlessly...
And those crocodile tears...
Qiu Xi blinked her eyes many times, trying to wash away the scene she had just witnessed.
However, Yan Baitao was now in his element. Before the others could react to his words, he quickly echoed Old Zhong, "Then it's settled!"
"These are all minor matters for me. Unlike Old Zhong, who thinks of hiring students and such, our master-disciple relationship is solid! It cannot be measured by those mundane things!"
"Let's set the time for the day after tomorrow, 9 AM. I've seen your class schedule, and you're all free. Remember to come!"
"Then the two old men won't disturb you young people. You continue~"
As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled Zhong Chenghua and strode away quickly, disappearing around the corner.
Leaving Zhong Chenghua being pulled along, "..."
Speechless!
Was his hand like this?
What did he mean by "hiring"?
That was reasonable encouragement!
Unlike this Yan the Skinflint! He truly left no skin behind!
If he picked up his own discarded skin, it probably wouldn't fit anymore!
Behind them, Qiu Xi, "..."
Speechless and shocked!
Teacher, it's fine if you don't like mundane things, but she does!
A little is better than nothing; if they gave her something, she'd at least have some comfort!
Old Yan, Old Yan, you've truly mastered this "pure stream" act!
"Xi Xi, snap out of it~"
Nan Hua, though also shocked, accepted it quickly because he had been tricked by Old Zhong in the same way before.
At most, he could slack off during "work" and multitask; it wasn't impossible.
Qiu Xi had been thinking a lot until Nan Hua's waving hand interrupted her, bringing her back to reality.
Her first sentence was, "If only we had taken a detour..."
Nan Hua chuckled, "Xi Xi, you're truly adorable~"
"You don't mean to tell me you didn't know these two old men had this planned?"
Although Nan Hua's words sounded like teasing Qiu Xi, they were stated as a fact.
"..."
Although she didn't want to admit it, she had to. The facts were indeed as stated.
Otherwise, Old Yan wouldn't have mentioned the time so casually and specifically checked their class schedule to find such a slot.
The more she thought about it, the more helpless she felt... Stuck with such a lively teacher!
And yet, she was tricked into being happy about it and obediently agreed to help...
Was this just her ingrained DNA kicking in, making her obey her teacher?
"Alright, Xi Xi~"
"Relax, don't mind Old Yan for now!"
"Let's continue~"
As Nan Hua spoke, he continued to hold Qiu Xi's hand, leading her slowly forward.
Qiu Xi nodded blankly, "Mmm..."
In fact, at her core, she wasn't really worried about anything; she just felt that Old Yan's trick was too brilliant!
Old Yan was so old... yet so capable of learning!
Learning truly was... endless!
Thinking this, Qiu Xi shook her head, clearing her thoughts.
She was so young and planned to have a successful career!
She couldn't just let Old Yan sweep her away!
After being led for a couple of steps, Qiu Xi happily matched his pace.
"Ah Hua, do you think those two old men get tired living their lives like this?"
"They're probably enjoying it immensely."
"I suppose so..."
"Alright, let's stop talking about the old men and talk about us."
"Talk about us what?"
"Our hard-earned private time."
"..."
On the bluestone path, under the wisteria flowers, the boy led the girl by the hand, slowly walking away.
...
Dormitory 310.
"Dai Yao, are you ready yet?"
Today was the day Qiu Xi and Li Du had arranged for their first training session.
The weather in September, although better than other hot places, was still considered mild in Chongxi City.
However, once the sun came out, it could still strip your skin.
Therefore, both of them had scheduled their sessions for the morning.
Waking up early to study was invigorating!
"Almost ready!"
As soon as Qiu Xi called out, Song Dai Yao, with her small backpack, stood by the door and took Qiu Xi's arm, ready to head out.
"Let's go!"
"Let's go, we can grab breakfast on the way."
"Mmm!"
Because they woke up early, they arrived right on time, and Li Du had only just arrived as well.
"You're so early too, have you eaten breakfast?"
The campus was still sparsely populated at this hour. When Qiu Xi and her friend arrived, they didn't search much, their eyes scanning around until they spotted him.
Li Du was sitting on a stone bench, with some materials he brought placed beside him. Hearing their questions, he nodded, "Mmm, just finished."
Seeing that the person was ready to begin, Qiu Xi didn't delay.
She pulled Song Dai Yao forward and put down their bags.
"Dai Yao, you can look at it yourself for now. Li Du and I will practice first."
"Mmm, you guys do your thing, I'll figure it out myself."
As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them began their respective tasks.
Qiu Xi and Li Du still needed to familiarize themselves with their speeches, mark them, and find the right feeling before starting.
According to their current plan, the practice topics were all past "Century Cup" real questions, with a few points mentioned by the teacher interspersed.
And the theme written on Qiu Xi's paper today was: the balance of yin and yang.
Qiu Xi had already written the draft earlier and brought it today to hone her delivery.
This theme was indeed challenging. The balance of yin and yang.
First, one had to frame the topic, what yin and yang referred to, from what angle to start, and how to elaborate...
The most obvious interpretation was male and female, and the question setter indeed intended that, but some people always had different views.
However, these were not difficult problems for the two of them. Having encountered so many topics, deciphering the question setter's intentions was the first lesson they needed to learn.
So, neither of them had any major issues in this regard.
Perhaps sometimes they might deviate due to lack of experience, but as long as they could justify it, it wasn't impossible.
Looking at the finished draft, Qiu Xi tapped her pen repeatedly.
For her now, how to speak, how to modulate her emotions, and which method could better control the rhythm were the things she needed to consider.
Li Du on the other side was also preparing, but he was more traditional.
He read his draft up and down several times, ensuring there were no writing issues, then stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked back and forth a few times, his lips constantly moving. The speed gradually increased.
Only when he could recite it fluently did he sit down.
In this final step, he held the draft, his eyes closing occasionally. Finally, when he felt it was good, he would occasionally glance at Qiu Xi.
And these occasional glances were hard for Qiu Xi to ignore.
So, when Li Du looked over again, Qiu Xi looked up, "Li Du, are you ready?"
"Mmm."
He had memorized it, but he didn't know how it would sound when spoken.
"Okay, then let's start directly."
Seeing him nod, Qiu Xi put away the small notebook in front of her.
"Do you want to go first, or should I?"
Li Du replied without thinking, "How about I go first."
He was afraid that Qiu Xi would completely outshine him, making him unable to speak properly.
After all, it was their first practice, and he didn't want it to end so quickly.
Qiu Xi looked at Li Du and nodded with a smile, "Okay."