Xiao Xiao Came to Help, and Zhou Yi's Plan Fell Apart

Lin Fan and Wang Dong looked again at the hundred or so saplings lined up neatly against the wall.

After hearing Du Weilun say they had to plant them all in one day, pressure settled over them.

The saplings were big, as thick as an arm, with branches and leaves still attached. Planting them would be a major undertaking.

They froze. They had thought this would be a good thing, only to find themselves out of luck. Still, it beat going to Zhou Yi's class.

Wang Dong turned to Lin Fan and asked,

"Lin Fan, can we plant a hundred saplings in one day?"

Lin Fan gave a simple answer.

"If we can't finish, we'll tell Teacher Du."

Wang Dong sighed.

"All right. We can only start planting and see if we finish."

With that, Lin Fan picked up a sapling and Wang Dong picked up the hoe. They divided the work between them.

One dug the holes while the other placed the saplings, planting them along the wall on the Academy's eastern side.

Wang Dong swung the hoe into the ground and soon dug a shallow hole, but it was only the size of a fist.

Lin Fan, beside her, could hardly keep from commenting. Wang Dong didn't even know how to dig a hole.

"Wang Dong, do you know how to dig? That hole isn't even as big as a palm. Hurry up."

Lin Fan crouched beside Wang Dong with a cheeky grin, holding a sapling.

"Then I'll put more muscle into it and speed up," Wang Dong said.

Her brows drew together slightly. Without another word, she gripped the hoe and dug faster and harder.

"How's this?"

Wang Dong quickly dug out a deep hole with powerful strokes.

Lin Fan nodded.

"That's it, that's it! Keep putting in all the strength you used to suckle milk, Wang Dong! Just now, you were acting like some big girl instead of a man."

Wang Dong's heart jolted. She pursed her lips, plainly angry, and attacked the ground with the hoe.

"Fine..."

She couldn't let him discover that she was a girl.

Suddenly, Lin Fan frowned. Wang Dong had dug several deep holes in quick succession, all too large and too close together. He shouted,

"Dig them bigger, Wang Dong! And stop putting them so close together! How am I supposed to fit the saplings in?"

Wang Dong's cheeks flushed. Gripping the hoe tightly with both hands, she strode up to Lin Fan and snapped,

"That's enough, Lin Fan. You've gone too far."

Wang Dong stood before him with a hoe in her hands and an intimidating look that suggested she wanted to hit him.

Lin Fan gave a dry laugh and tried to calm her down.

"Wang Dong, what are you... doing? Don't be angry. What I said was right... Put the hoe down first, okay?"

Wang Dong kept advancing, both hands on the hoe and fury in her voice.

"No! I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

Alarmed, Lin Fan backed away slowly with a strained laugh.

"Ah! Don't come any closer, Wang Dong! We can talk this out. There's no need to get rough."

Wang Dong raised the hoe, ready to swing it at Lin Fan, and roared,

"Damn your legs, Lin Fan! Take this old granny's Deadly One-Hit Kill!"

Seeing how bad things looked, Lin Fan spun around and fled, screaming,

"Help! Aaaah!"

Wang Dong watched him bolt and immediately gave chase.

"Where do you think you're going, Lin Fan? You're getting my one-hit kill!"

"Aaaaaah!"

Soon, screams rang out from the corner by the Academy's eastern wall, startling birds from the trees.

Lin Fan was nearly struck by the hoe Wang Dong threw. Afterward, her anger faded, and they returned to planting saplings together.

Time flew by, and the morning soon passed.

Lin Fan and Wang Dong had planted only around fifty saplings, resting whenever they grew tired.

The planting itself was easy, and they could take breaks whenever they liked.

At noon, they went out to eat near the Academy entrance. After a meal and a rest, they came back to plant more saplings.

Some time later.

Du Weilun walked over again. His brows furrowed when he saw how many saplings remained unplanted.

"Why are you planting so slowly? Go to your class and bring someone else over. Tell them Director Du sent you."

They couldn't keep going this slowly. The Dean would complain to him again, and he couldn't shoulder that responsibility.

"Of course, Teacher Du. We'll find someone right away," Lin Fan replied readily.

Then he grabbed Wang Dong's arm and hurried away.

Wang Dong let Lin Fan pull her along, but asked in confusion,

"Lin Fan, where are we going to find someone?"

Lin Fan turned to her.

"Remember the girl who introduced herself to us yesterday?"

A thought struck Wang Dong, and her eyes lit up.

"You mean Xiao Xiao? Will she plant saplings with us?"

Lin Fan smiled.

"We won't know unless we ask."

They walked on toward the Freshman Teaching Building.

Elsewhere.

"Those damn Wang Dong and Lin Fan! They didn't come to class!"

Zhou Yi stared at their names on the Roster on her desk, seething.

"If those two still don't show up, I'll go find them. Then I can give them a proper lesson."

In all her years of expelling students, she had never been this angry. She wanted to expel them on the spot.

Lin Fan and Wang Dong soon reached the Teaching Building. Classes had let out, and students from other classes were outside.

They went to the back door of their classroom and spotted Xiao Xiao sitting at her desk in a daze. They waved to her and called,

"Xiao Xiao!"

"Xiao Xiao!"

At the familiar voices, Xiao Xiao realized someone was calling her.

Her eyes brightened. She turned and saw Lin Fan and Wang Dong at the back door.

She sprang from her seat and hurried over, delighted.

"Wang Dong! Lin Fan! Where have you been all morning? Zhou Yi's been ranting about you two missing class."

Lin Fan smiled at Xiao Xiao and explained,

"Teacher Du Weilun sent Wang Dong and me to plant saplings."

Xiao Xiao looked baffled.

"He sent you to plant saplings?"

"That's right," Lin Fan said. "And we need another person. Want to come plant them with us?"

Wang Dong looked at Xiao Xiao and joined in.

"Yeah, Xiao Xiao! Come plant saplings with us. It's easy, and it's better than staying with that lunatic Zhou Yi."

Xiao Xiao blinked at them, then agreed at once.

"Sure! I'll come plant saplings with you. I'm sick of listening to her anyway. But what if Zhou Yi notices I'm gone?"

Lin Fan smiled.

"It's fine. If Zhou Yi comes looking, we'll say Teacher Du Weilun sent us to plant saplings. She won't be able to do anything about it."

"Then let's hurry!" Xiao Xiao said with a smile.

Just as they were about to take Xiao Xiao back with them,

Huo Yuhao spotted Wang Dong and the others. He hurried out of the classroom and asked,

"Wang Dong, where have you all been?"

Wang Dong stopped and turned. She was a little surprised to see Huo Yuhao.

"Huo Yuhao? What brings you here? Teacher Du sent us to plant saplings."

Huo Yuhao asked in confusion,

"Teacher Du sent you to plant saplings? Aren't you coming back to class?"

Wang Dong smiled.

"No. He's got us working all day! We'll talk next time, Huo Yuhao."

She headed back with Lin Fan.

"All right," Huo Yuhao said, watching Wang Dong and the others disappear into the distance.

He hadn't expected Wang Dong to plant saplings. She had been willing to fight over the dorm rules before, yet now she was spending a whole day doing this. How strange.

Before long.

Lin Fan and Wang Dong brought Xiao Xiao back to the planting site.

They divided the work again. With Xiao Xiao joining them, their planting grew several times faster than before.

One person dug holes, another shoveled soil, and the third set the saplings in place. Everyone had a clear job.

The fifty-odd saplings left to plant dwindled before their eyes. They soon finished, and Du Weilun praised them along the way.

Meanwhile.

Zhou Yi arrived to teach and was startled to find several students missing. Anger flared as she addressed the class.

"Several people haven't come to class. Does anyone know where Wang Dong, Lin Fan, and Xiao Xiao went?"

Huo Yuhao raised his hand.

"Teacher Zhou Yi, I know!"

Seeing that it was Huo Yuhao, Zhou Yi gestured for him to stand.

"Tell me, Huo Yuhao! Where exactly did Wang Dong, Lin Fan, and Xiao Xiao go?"

Huo Yuhao rose from his seat and answered,

"They went to help Teacher Du plant saplings!"

Zhou Yi was astonished. Her eyes shifted, and her anger faded.

"When are they coming back to class?"

Director Du again. Damn you, Wang Dong and Lin Fan. You two really stepped in dog shit and got lucky.

Huo Yuhao answered honestly.

"They aren't coming back, Teacher Zhou Yi. They can't return until they've finished planting."

"They aren't coming back to class?"

Zhou Yi's mouth fell open. Then she remembered Director Du, quickly composed herself, and said coolly,

"All right. Let's continue Theory Class."

Wang Dong, Lin Fan, I can't deal with you today, but I certainly can tomorrow. Let's see what you come up with then.

With Xiao Xiao's help, Lin Fan and Wang Dong soon finished planting all hundred saplings.