Liu Min pressed her forehead with one hand, looking helpless. "An Xiaoxiao, where is your ladylike demeanor?"
"Mom Liu, you’ve been saying this since kindergarten. Aren’t you tired of it yet?" An Xiaoxiao grinned mischievously. Their banter showed a closeness that no one else could replace.
Liu Min chuckled. "If you aren’t tired of hearing it, why would I be tired of saying it?"
"You two are so close," Wang Annie said, her voice full of envy.
"We’re just a pair of rivals who can’t stay apart," An Xiaoxiao said with a helpless shrug.
"Cough, cough." Zhu Yanyi cleared her throat, trying to hide her smile. "So, who is Jia Baoyu and who is Lin Daiyu?"
Liu Min and An Xiaoxiao paused. An Xiaoxiao blurted out, "What is that?"
"You uncultured person," Gao Xia tapped An Xiaoxiao’s head. "Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu are characters from the classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber. This phrase comes from when Grandmother Jia heard them arguing. She said, 'If we weren’t destined to be rivals, we wouldn’t meet.' Usually, we use this for couples with romantic feelings. An Xiaoxiao, you used it wrong." Gao Xia clearly knew quite a bit.
"It’s not on the middle school entrance exam, so I didn’t learn it," An Xiaoxiao replied flatly, looking unconcerned.
Zhu Yanyi laughed loudly. "Xiaoxiao, you’re amazing. Do you only study to pass exams?"
"Studying is for passing exams. If it weren’t for tests, I wouldn’t study at all. My dream is to join the army, to be a real soldier. Not a delicate arts soldier," An Xiaoxiao said with longing. "My aunt is a soldier. She’s so cool. I want to be a soldier too." Her tone was proud, showing her true ambition.
"But the score requirement for female soldiers is very high. You need to study hard," Chen Fei joined in.
An Xiaoxiao sighed. "That’s exactly why I study hard." She looked at Zhu Yanyi with bright eyes. "Zhu Yanyi, you were first in the city for the middle school entrance exam. Your grades must be great. I’ll rely on you for future exams."
Zhu Yanyi glanced at her. "How will you rely on me?"
"You can highlight the key points for me during exams. That makes studying easier," An Xiaoxiao answered.
Zhu Yanyi looked at her. "That’s fine, but I have a question."
"What question?" An Xiaoxiao asked.
"If I highlight key points for your middle school exams, can you guarantee we’ll go to the same high school? Even if we do, and I help you get into military academy, my goal isn’t the military academy. What will you do in college? Who will highlight key points for you then?" Zhu Yanyi looked worried.
An Xiaoxiao froze. She had only thought about making studying easier, never about the future. Now she felt a bit anxious. "Then what should I do?"
"Study. Find the key points yourself," Zhu Yanyi smiled. "We can study together in the future. Learn all the key points together. If you master the knowledge, you can get good grades even without highlighted points."
"Um… let me think about it," An Xiaoxiao said, looking hesitant.