Beibei said she was going back to study hard and skip grades because she couldn’t let Shanyue outdo her.
Feiyi too had to return to the training grounds; the ’08 Olympics were the next year, and this might be Feiyi’s last competition.
Feiyi’s half-life of a sports career had been very smooth. He had participated in countless competitions and swept up medals of all sizes, but the Olympics next year was also a crucial critical point. Whether Feiyi’s sports career would end with a perfect period or just a comma depended on his performance next year.
To allow Feiyi to focus on training and competing, Li Manzi had already cut down on her appearances, planning to manage the company and temporarily stay at home to take care of the kids.
As for Feiling, after Yangyang and Liangliang turned three, she began to act in plays, willing to take on roles in both domestic and foreign scripts, as long as they were good.
Jing Yao explained to the children that it was all make-believe, it was just acting, only to be complained about by the kindergarten teacher the next day, saying Yangyang and Xinxin were playing house, and Yangyang kissed a little girl.
Feiling was so embarrassed. All the films she had shot in the past were hidden away; even if she took on new roles, she wouldn’t dare pick those kinds of plays anymore.
The very next morning, Xia Xiao, Shitou, and Shanyue were sent off to school by Gao Jiaxing. Watching Xia Xiao and Shitou accompany Shanyue into the school, Gao Jiaxing’s car slowly drove away.
Shitou and Shanyue’s return to school attracted a lot of attention. Professor Yang’s vehicle had been sent back by Gao Jiaxing a long time ago, with two barrels of oil in the trunk for Professor Yang.
When Shanyue came back, Dr. Xi nodded without showing either happiness or unhappiness on his face—Dr. Xi always kept such an expression.
Assistant Qian, however, was a bit over the top, hugging Shanyue and weeping. This was the first time Xia Xiao saw Assistant Qian show such a maternal side towards Shanyue.
Because Assistant Qian was pregnant, she could no longer stay in the laboratory for the sake of the fetus, so she stayed in the dormitory to rest.
Shanyue happily told Shitou, "Brother Shitou, I’m going to have a little brother or sister, just like Brother Shitou has a little brother or sister."
Shitou looked at the happy Shanyue, thinking to himself, idiot, just wait and see if you’ll still be this happy when the time comes.
Nevertheless, Assistant Qian did start paying a lot more attention to Shanyue, which everyone noticed, but Dr. Xi grew more and more indifferent towards Shanyue. He never had much time to begin with because research was his life, but now, because of Assistant Qian’s pregnancy, he was somewhat distracted by her.
One day, Shanyue poured a glass of water for Assistant Qian, who accidentally spilled it while picking it up, and Dr. Xi reprimanded Shanyue for it.
The more Assistant Qian tried to intervene, the worse it got, and Dr. Xi became increasingly annoyed at the sight of Shanyue. To Dr. Xi, Shanyue’s mother, leaving her daughter behind to remarry, was the same as betrayal. He even suspected that his ex-wife might have been unfaithful to him already.
Moreover, when he found out through Assistant Qian that Shanyue’s mother had quickly become pregnant after remarrying, it felt like a thorn in his side, making Shanyue an unwelcome sight.
Dr. Xi somehow got his ex-wife’s phone number and called her, hoping she would take her daughter away. Shanyie’s mother, now in a new family, and since it was a second marriage and her husband’s first, faced some dissatisfaction from her mother-in-law. Now that she had her own son, she certainly didn’t want to bring a burden that might cause family conflicts, so she did not agree.
Shitou then watched as Shanyue grew more and more silent, becoming increasingly reluctant to speak, and Shanyue was being scolded by Dr. Xi frequently, always doing something wrong.
Assistant Qian always appeared helpless, stuck in the middle, only deepening the rift between father and daughter.
Xia Xiao had to admit that Dr. Xi was indeed talented, and the research laboratory needed him, but Dr. Xi was just horrible. Even without Assistant Qian, that was his true nature; it was just that Assistant Qian’s presence now exacerbated the conflict.
But after her period of silence, Shanyue became even more diligent in her studies, spending even more time in the Genius Youth Class. She and Beibei became pen pals, writing letters and even adding each other as QQ friends, exchanging ideas frequently.
Shanyue was also striving to advance her studies. Naturally, Beibei didn’t want to fall behind Shanyue, so the two became both friends and competitors.
However, ultimately within the Genius Youth Class, Shanyue’s education was slightly richer than Beibei’s. Beibei often asked Shitou for study materials, not wanting to be left behind.
Shitou regularly sent study materials to Beibei and Xiao Shu. As an elder brother, Shitou was very responsible, often inquiring into the younger siblings’ studies and offering guidance.
With Shitou as an example, Xia Xiao’s grandchildren were all very disciplined in their studies. No matter how much they loved to play and make noise, they were focused when it came to their education.
They studied when it was time to study and played when it was time to play, holding great admiration for Brother Shitou.
However, during that year’s Spring Festival, Feiteng, Yu Jialin, Jianjian, and Kangkang were all celebrating at their hometown because of a snow disaster that kept them from returning.
Likewise, Weilin and Ge Liang couldn’t make it back to The Fangs to celebrate the New Year either.