Page 48

"Really? That's way too outrageous. Why doesn't the government pass laws to deal with this kind of thing..."

The boys sitting nearby could not help exchanging looks as they watched the girls chatter away, indignantly condemning the mistress.

Lu Miaomiao, who was holding a piece of cake and eating it like a little kitten, suddenly sighed. Imitating the tone her grandparents used when gossiping on the heated brick bed at home, she shook her head and said, "She's really no easy person to deal with!"

A little girl of only seven, yet she was putting on the airs of an adult when she said something like that...

The chattering girls suddenly fell silent and turned to look at Lu Miaomiao in unison. Miao Miao, still eating and not yet understanding what was happening, was promptly hugged by all the older girls. "Miao Miao is just too adorable!"

"Huh?" Lu Miaomiao froze when she heard that. For some inexplicable reason, everyone had hugged her, ruffled her hair, and kissed her cheeks. Had she done something?

Even Lu Chi, who had been watching coldly from the side, could not help smiling. After the girls released Lu Miaomiao, he helped Miao Miao smooth her hair and said, "Children shouldn't interrupt when adults are talking."

"Hmm?" Lu Miaomiao blinked and thought for a while, then tipped her head back to look at her brother. "But none of you are adults!"

Lu Chi: "..."

"Pfft, hahahaha..." This time, it was not just the girls who burst out laughing.

Lu Chi looked helplessly at the boys and girls laughing so hard they were sprawled all over the place, then at Lu Miaomiao, who still had her eyes wide open and looked utterly confused. He, too, smiled and shook his head.

Everyone was right. His little sister really was adorable!

Just as he was about to pull out a tissue to wipe the cake crumbs from his sister's cheek, Lu Chi caught sight of someone coming down the stairs from the corner of his eye. "President Qiao."

Hearing Lu Chi, the boys and girls who had been lying on the sofa laughing without any regard for their image immediately sat up and greeted him together, "Hello, Uncle."

"Mm, hello, everyone." Qiao Aiguo, weighed down by his worries, forced a smile before saying to Lu Chi, "Student Lu Chi, don't be so formal. Just call me Uncle Qiao."

Before Lu Chi could respond, Xing Yuan, who was sitting nearby, asked directly, "Uncle Qiao, are you going out this late?"

"Uncle still has something to take care of." Qiao Aiguo smiled. "Stay here and keep playing. Have fun. It's fine if you stay a few more days."

The boys and girls watched Qiao Aiguo open the door and leave, exchanging puzzled looks.

After a long silence, the girls suddenly came to their senses and thudded up to the second floor. The boys also woke from their daze and ran upstairs after them.

Qiao Shiyu was still sitting upright on the sofa in the movie room. Beside her sat the life-sized SD Doll Qiao Dad had specially ordered for his daughter, equally proper and upright. When she saw everyone, the school belle smiled until her eyes curved. In a relaxed tone, she said, "I suddenly remembered that such a dark and windy night is perfect for inviting the Dish Fairy. How about we summon the Dish Fairy?"

In an instant, everyone remembered the terror of being dominated by the "female ghost." They refused in unison, "No!"

"Then forget it." Qiao Shiyu shrugged as if regretfully. "Let's find a horror movie to watch instead!"

"Um..." Several girls sat in a circle around Qiao Shiyu and carefully asked, "Shi Yu, are you okay?"

"What, do you want to tell ghost stories?" Qiao Shiyu smiled. "How could I possibly not be okay?"

However, the school belle's dry joke did not amuse anyone. Everyone still looked at Qiao Shiyu with worried expressions.

The school belle frowned impatiently. "Oh, I'm fine. I was the one who drove Old Qiao away. We wouldn't have been able to have fun with him here anyway."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true." Qiao Shiyu stood up and walked straight to the DVD player. "If no one objects, I'm putting on Ghost Baby, okay?"

Understanding that Qiao Shiyu did not want to continue the subject, the boys and girls could only exchange looks. In the end, they each found a place to sit and accompanied the school belle in watching the horror movie—

Lu Chi took his little sister to wash her face and rinse her mouth. Then he took a cushion from the living room for Miao Miao to rest on and draped his coat over her. "If you get sleepy, just go to sleep."

Lu Miaomiao nodded and said confidently, "I'm not sleepy. I can stay up all night."

Three seconds later, Lu Chi lowered his head and looked at little Miao Miao, who was already softly snoring. "..."

Everyone turned to look at Miao Miao, who had fallen asleep leaning against her brother's thigh, and could not help smiling. Yue Bin took a cushion from the sofa and handed it to Lu Chi, signaling for him to replace his own thigh with it.

Qiao Shiyu picked up the remote and lowered the volume. Lu Chi said with a smile, "Don't worry about her. Once my sister falls asleep, even thunder can't wake her."

That night, everyone curled up in the movie room and kept the school belle company as they watched horror movies all night.

But by around two in the morning, even the most energetic among them could not help collapsing.

Only Qiao Shiyu remained awake, hugging the SD Doll Qiao Dad had given her and staring intently at the big screen. From the star-filled night to the crowing of roosters, then until the sky grew bright, rays of sunlight streamed through the tightly drawn curtains.

Listening to the snoring rising and falling behind her and watching the television screen filled with static, the school belle suddenly buried her face in the doll, her shoulders trembling faintly.

Everyone was awakened by the rich aroma of eggs and milk. The starving boys and girls climbed up from the floor, barely willing to open their eyes as they followed the scent all the way to the first-floor hall.

In the bright morning light, the school belle stood in the kitchen with her long black hair tied into a ponytail and a pink apron around her waist. She skillfully tipped fried eggs from the pan onto plates. A large pot of milk was warming on the other burner, bubbles rising and bursting within it as the rich scent of milk wafted out, instantly filling the entire villa.

"Wow, Shi Yu, you're amazing!" The girls crowded into the kitchen, exclaiming loudly, "You got up so early, and you even made breakfast for us."