The dining table suddenly fell quiet.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Ming Chengli.
Only Shi Changying was still focused on eating, her eyes fixed solely on the whole roasted lamb on the table.
Finally, Old Sir Xu broke the silence. "How do you know Principal Ning, Chengli?"
"Ah, just by chance, I helped Principal Ning with a small favor." Ming Chengli didn’t elaborate. "At the time, he asked if I needed to transfer Changying’s student file to Jianghuai High School. However, I have to respect Changying’s opinion. If I force her to study, she definitely won’t do well. A child has to be self-motivated."
"You sound like an educator," Xu Yunfan agreed, in a rare moment of not arguing. "Only when a child wants to study can they truly absorb anything."
"If she really can go to Jianghuai High School, that’s a good thing!" Old Sir Xu was somewhat excited. "This is the best high school in Jianghuai. Their admission rate to top-tier universities is over ninety-five percent every year! You did well on this, Chengli!"
His gaze held a bit more appreciation as he looked at Ming Chengli.
Ming Chengli picked up his chopsticks. "It’s all for Changying. Changying, Jianghuai High School—"
His voice broke off.
In just those few minutes, the entire roasted lamb had been picked clean by Shi Changying. The bones were piled up like a small mountain on her plate.
It was the first time the three members of the Xu family had seen Shi Changying eat, and their eyes widened in shock.
They wondered, "What kind of appetite is this? And what kind of speed?"
Shi Changying leaned back in her chair. "What are you all spacing out for? Serve the next dish."
Old Madam Xu raised her voice. "You’re not full?"
Shi Changying lifted her eyelids and didn’t speak, but she wore an expression that clearly said, "You dare question Us?"
"Changying... Changying’s appetite is a little large, but being able to eat is a blessing." Ming Chengli smoothed things over. "Eating a lot helps her grow!"
Everyone thought, "This is called... a little large?"
The silence continued until the servants brought out new dishes, but these too vanished into Shi Changying’s mouth at a bizarre speed.
Fearing she might give herself a heart attack from anger, Old Madam Xu found an excuse to go upstairs and rest.
After Shi Changying finished eating, her gaze swept across the table. "Is there no more?"
Seeing that Old Sir Xu and Xu Yunfan had reached the limit of their endurance, Ming Chengli stood up just in time and pulled Shi Changying along. "Dad, Yun Fan, Changying ate too much. I’ll take her out for a walk."
After the father and daughter left, the dining room returned to silence.
Old Sir Xu finally let out the breath he had been holding for a long time and couldn’t help but say, "She ate enough for ten people all by herself, and it actually wasn’t enough?"
Xu Yunfan couldn’t understand it either, so he chose to change the subject. "Dad, as far as I know, Principal Ning is strictly impartial. The only ones who can get an invitation from him are teenage geniuses. Chengli’s daughter..."
Old Sir Xu looked at him. "What are you trying to say?"
"Chengli said it was a small favor, but it definitely wasn’t," Xu Yunfan said with certainty. "Otherwise, there’s no way Principal Ning would compromise."
Old Sir Xu was puzzled. "Chengli is just an archaeologist. What kind of favor could he do for Principal Ning?"
Xu Yunfan shook his head.
"Is she gone?" Old Madam Xu came back down the stairs, her expression ugly. "I’ve lived for most of my life, and I’ve never seen a girl like that!"
Xu Yunfan chuckled. "Mom, if it weren’t for that misunderstanding back then, she would never have had the chance to come to Jianghuai in this lifetime. How would you have seen her then?"
Old Madam Xu snorted coldly. "So, you all really agreed to let her go to Jianghuai High School?"
"Of course," Old Sir Xu said. "Getting into Jianghuai High School means having one foot in the door of a top-tier university."
"No, I won’t allow it!" Old Madam Xu retorted angrily. "Shuyan and Shuyu are both at Jianghuai High School, and they tested to get in. This brat already wants to squeeze out her siblings’ living space. If she goes to Jianghuai High School, won’t she just walk all over them?"
"Mom, you can rest assured about that. Even if you gave her ten thousand times the courage, she wouldn’t dare act recklessly at Jianghuai High School," Xu Yunfan said, waving his hand. "That’s a place where even the Pei family has no say. It’s a sacred hall of learning."
Old Madam Xu finally said no more. After a long moment, she closed her eyes. "Then she better behave herself."
Meanwhile, at Sway International.
Principal An asked the vice principal, "Has the invitation for Master Xie Lin been sent out?"
"It was sent, but there has been no reply yet." The vice principal hesitated for a moment and gave a wry smile. "Ever since Master Xie Lin shot to fame four years ago, he broke into the international music scene in the blink of an eye. His concert tickets are priceless and practically impossible to buy. Successfully inviting him to our school for a guest lecture will be difficult."
Principal An sighed. "I know that, of course, but we still have to try. What if he agrees?"
"Speaking of which, since they share the surname Xie, I wonder if his ancestry can be traced back to the Linsu Xie family’s lineage," the vice principal gossiped.
"Hard to say," Principal An replied casually. "Back in the day, the Young Master of the Linsu Xie family, Xie Qingshi, was extremely skilled in the ancient zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. When it came to music, no one could surpass him."
"Indeed. To this day, his composition ’East Wind Disperses’ remains an unshakable monument in the world of the ancient zither." The vice principal sighed. "It’s just... the heavens have always been jealous of geniuses. He died far too early. Perhaps his health was ruined by Empress Taichu’s torments."
"Unofficial history shouldn’t be taken as truth." Principal An shook his head, then suddenly asked, "Do you know why I refused to accept the newly returned granddaughter of the Xu family?"
The vice principal was curious. "Why?"
"Her father is a historian. This profession inherently requires rigorous academic discipline, but what about her father?" Principal An placed a folder on the desk. "He claims that Empress Taichu was a wise ruler, and even said she was skilled at utilizing talent, bringing the rule of the Xuan Dynasty to its peak. It’s absolute nonsense."
The vice principal was startled. "Empress Taichu is the number one tyrant in history! If her younger sister, Empress Qingyun, hadn’t cleaned up her mess, the Xuan Dynasty would have been destroyed during her reign."
"Exactly," Principal An said. "The most important thing in life is to be truthful and grounded in facts. I wouldn’t dare take on a student from that kind of background."
"Rejecting her was the right call," the vice principal agreed. "If she caused any trouble later on, Sway International would become a laughingstock."
Late that night, the city lights outside the window grew dim, and a gentle evening breeze blew.
Jianghuai was a coastal city, and on September nights, the seaside grew even colder.
Yet, the man standing by the sea wore only a thin white dress shirt.
His face was incredibly young, his features as handsome and bright as the shining moonlight.
With his white clothes and dark hair, he exuded an inherently noble, elegant, and flawless grace.
His phone screen flashed, displaying an email from Sway International. The subject read: "Sincere Invitation for Master Xie Lin to Visit Our School."
He didn’t look at it. He merely gazed quietly into the distance where the water met the sky, the starlight reflecting in his eyes like another vast ocean.
As if recalling some past event, he closed his eyes, and a murmur scattered into the wind. "Your Majesty..."
Looking at this bustling city, he thought of her again, but she was already gone.
"Well, look here. What wind blew the Young Master of the Linsu Xie family to my Jianghuai?" Suddenly, a cynical laugh echoed behind him. "Though, should I call you Xie Lin or Xie Qingshi now? I’m really not used to your new name."
Xie Qingshi slowly turned his head, meeting Pei Xuan’s slightly cold, glinting eyes.