"Mr. Smith, it's your turn." Nian Lanqi finished her last sentence, smiling faintly as she looked at Smith opposite her.
"......"
Smith stared with his eyes wide open, gazing quietly at Nian Lanqi.
Underestimated!
This year's batch of people seemed different from the previous ones.
These young ones were truly vexing.
His mind in turmoil, after a long silence, Smith shook his head.
"Young lady, you are very capable."
"It's just that temper, not a good one," Smith said the last two sentences through gritted teeth.
"Thank you for the compliment," Nian Lanqi smiled faintly.
She knew herself well.
As for now, her opponent was gone anyway.
"You..."
"You guys... are truly quite good!"
"Mr. Smith, you've seen a good show," Liu Qingxi said humbly to Smith, her eyes hiding a smile.
"Hmph!"
"You guys... did very well!" Smith looked at Nian Lanqi and the others, then said to Liu Qingxi.
"I hope to see you all again next year."
After saying this, Smith stood up directly and walked towards the rest area.
Liu Qingxi looked at Smith, who had already walked a few steps, then turned to her group and asked, "Shall we conclude our group's exchange session here?"
"Alright, we'll listen to Ms. Liu. Let's rest for a bit."
"Okay."
With that, everyone started to move.
...
"Lanqi, you did well just now."
Once everyone had left, Fang Lingling immediately praised Nian Lanqi.
"Mm, passable," Nian Lanqi replied with no particular expression, but she subtly glanced at Qiu Xi a few times.
What Smith had said earlier wasn't his final move; rather, the topic Qiu Xi had discussed with James beforehand seemed to be the real finale. She had listened to their conversation the entire time, and during it, she had secretly pondered what would have happened if she had been the one conversing with James.
To be honest, she wasn't confident.
It might even have gone very badly, perhaps requiring someone to help her out again, just like Qiu Xi had rescued the situation this morning. In contrast, what she had discussed with Smith had been under little pressure.
"???" Qiu Xi, sensing Nian Lanqi's gaze, looked up.
However, before she could speak, Nian Lanqi had already turned and walked away.
"..." A little puzzled.
Qiu Xi glanced again at Nian Lanqi's retreating back, then headed to another area with Wang Yanyan.
"Qiu Xi, it's really thanks to you!"
As they chatted, Wang Yanyan suddenly sighed.
"If I hadn't asked you last night, I might be crying there right now when I was facing Smith."
Wang Yanyan felt truly excited, touched, but most of all, grateful. Yesterday evening, she and Zhao Muchu had brought their books to ask for advice, and after asking so many questions, today they had truly... not let her down!
"Yanyan, I've already said it!" Qiu Xi gently patted Wang Yanyan's arm.
"It's your own effort. If you hadn't come last night, I wouldn't have specifically sought you out. So, you should be grateful to yourself." Qiu Xi spoke lightly and calmly. What she said was perfectly reasonable. Although she now considered them friends, in last night's situation, if Wang Yanyan and the others hadn't come, she wouldn't have gone to them. It was enough to look after herself at a crucial moment; she couldn't possibly extend goodwill proactively.
"Hehe~" Wang Yanyan chuckled softly, "Xiao Xi, in short, thank you!" Qiu Xi's words were well-founded, and she acknowledged them, but she also knew that over this period, if it weren't for Qiu Xi and the others, she probably wouldn't be here now. That's why she was so grateful.
"Mm, I accept that," Qiu Xi smiled and nodded lightly, "But please don't mention it again in the future."
"Okay!" Wang Yanyan nodded excitedly.
Afterward, they sat quietly, waiting for Group 1 and Group 2 to finish their respective group exchange sessions. Beside them, Nian Lanqi and Fang Lingling, one earnestly chattering, the other zoning out, made for a somewhat lively scene...
Group 3 rested for about ten minutes, and then the two groups on the other side began to stir. Qiu Xi's group was the quickest to reunite with Gu Rou and the other.
"Xiao Xi, Yanyan..."
As soon as Zhao Muchu saw Qiu Xi and Wang Yanyan from a distance, she immediately quickened her pace, and Gu Rou followed suit.
"Chuchu, Xiaorou, how did you fare?" Wang Yanyan saw Zhao Muchu approaching quickly and immediately stepped forward to inquire. Although their group had finished early, the distance wasn't short, so they could only chat idly while waiting.
"Let me tell you!"
"Gu Rou and that Sister Duan, their coordination was simply incredible!" Zhao Muchu excitedly grabbed Wang Yanyan's hand, her eyes not knowing where to focus, her mind still replaying the segment of Gu Rou and Duan Sixian coordinating. Apart from the initial exclamation, she was momentarily speechless with excitement.
The three of them: "..."
Was this girl too excited? Why was she rendered speechless?
"Chuchu, why don't you sit down first, and we can talk slowly?" Wang Yanyan reached out to support Zhao Muchu, who was beside her.
"...Okay." Zhao Muchu sat down and immediately started chatting with Wang Yanyan.
Qiu Xi: "..."
There's still someone beside them!
There was no other option, so Qiu Xi turned and chatted a few words with Gu Rou.
"Tell me about what Chuchu mentioned. How did you coordinate with Sister Duan?"
"Xiao Xi, I didn't expect you to be so gossipy."
"However, if you want to hear about it, I can tell you," Gu Rou chuckled softly.
Qiu Xi nodded, "Okay, you tell me."
"Mm... Actually, it wasn't as exaggerated as Chuchu said. When I was with Senior Duan, she took care of me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to win against the opponent." Their group adopted a challenge system. To ensure everyone participated, another senior initially led the defense of the challenge. However, unexpectedly, the opposing side had a similar arrangement. They would first send out people they deemed less capable to challenge, reserving the stronger ones for the end of the exchange. But they hadn't expected that the young person who remained until the end with Duan Sixian had been underestimated and was ultimately persuaded, ending the exchange.
Qiu Xi: "..."
The other side seemed to have something, but also seemed to have very little... However, in the end, they had underestimated these young people. Thus, in their unpreparedness, they were caught off guard, leaving the opponents with no countermeasures.
"Xiao Xi, how about your side? What happened? I watched from the side, and your exchange session seemed to end a bit too early." She and Senior Duan spoke last, so she noticed the dispersal of Qiu Xi's group later. She had even checked the time; there were still about ten minutes left, enough time for them to finish a topic.
"We... Our situation is rather amusing to talk about." Qiu Xi couldn't help but laugh as she recalled it.
"Our side hadn't even started when the other side began arguing amongst themselves. It was quite unexpected..." Qiu Xi briefly recounted the key points to Gu Rou.
"That's really interesting~"
After listening to Qiu Xi's account, Gu Rou didn't know what else to say and could only laugh it off. The same sentiment remained... they had underestimated this group of young people.
...
The four of them stayed together for a while longer, chatting a few more times.
"Alright, time is almost up. We should go gather over there," Qiu Xi glanced at the time and then at the designated gathering spot.
"Mm, let's go."
"Okay."
With that, the four of them stood up and headed towards the gathering spot.
...