Seeing that Lu Xi just gave him a vague response, Xie Heng sulked and sat back in his seat.
Ms. Lu still thought of him as a child…
But no matter what she thought, Xie Heng simply didn’t like those two relatives.
There was one incident he remembered vividly.
It happened when he was still young, not even ten years old. The Xie family hosted a charity gala, and as the young heir, he was brought along by Xie Yizhao.
Such grand events were always packed with people. Half of the high society elites were present, including Lu Yuehua and Cen Yun.
Back then, Xie Heng was already quite rebellious. The day before, he had gotten into a fight at school and was scolded by Xie Yizhao, leaving him in a foul mood.
After arriving, he found a place to sit alone. Anyone who tried talking to him was met with a sulky face and cold indifference.
When Lu Yuehua and Cen Yun saw him, they reached out to pat his head, but Xie Heng dodged, turning his face away in refusal.
Cen Yun’s expression stiffened on the spot.
Some wealthy ladies nearby, who were unfamiliar to him, came over and tried to smooth things over with a laugh, saying he was just a child. After all, being Xie Yizhao’s son, it was only natural for him to have a bit of a temper.
At that moment, Cen Yun let out a cold, sarcastic chuckle and lowered her voice as she turned away, muttering, “Just like his mother—completely lacking manners. I wouldn’t stoop to his level.”
Lu Yuehua stood right beside her and didn’t refute those words.
Xie Heng was still young then. It took him a moment to process what she had said.
His face flushed red with anger, and he clenched his small fists tightly.
Unfortunately, by the time he reacted, she was already gone.
But that didn’t stop him from being furious—so much so that, even now, he still held onto the resentment.
Even if he was rude, they could have scolded him directly. Why drag his mother into it?
From that moment on, he developed a strong dislike for his so-called Granduncle and Grandaunt. Whenever he saw them afterward, he never gave them a pleasant face. Sometimes, when they visited the house, he wouldn’t even come downstairs, let alone greet them.
Over the years, they started showing up less and less.
Just then, Lu Xi’s voice broke his train of thought.
“By the way, next week is my parents’ death anniversary. I’m planning to visit their graves.”
Hearing this, Xie Yizhao nodded, unsurprised. “I know. I’ll have everything arranged.”
He was referring to the offerings and other things needed for the visit.
Lu Xi had been away all these years, so he had taken care of the rituals himself. He was very familiar with the process.
Xie Heng glanced at the date on his phone and realized it was coming up soon. He looked at Lu Xi and raised his hand, his expression obedient as he said, “I want to go too. Take me with you. I’ve gone every year.”
Lu Xi’s expression softened. Leaning back in her seat, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
She had just learned that all these years, Xie Yizhao had been taking Xie Heng to visit her parents’ graves.
For that, she felt a bit of relief.
At least Xie Yizhao hadn’t simply treated her as dead and put up a gravestone or something. That would have been downright eerie. Imagine coming back and having to dismantle her own tombstone…
Anyway, she thought that she might run into Lu Yuehua and Cen Yun the day of grave visit.
They weren’t fools. They might not have known at first, but over time, they were bound to figure out her identity.
Not that it mattered.
Lu Xi had never intended to hide it. There was just no need to explain herself to people who were irrelevant.
Xie Heng had mostly recovered, but when he was discharged, the doctor had advised at least another week of rest before returning to school.
He did the math—it worked out perfectly. This way, he wouldn’t have to request leave on the day of the memorial.
Then, the very next day, Xie Heng received an absolutely thrilling piece of news.
His make-up exam results were out, and he had jumped 57 ranks!
The news came early in the morning at 8 AM, posted in the class group chat by the class monitor, who even tagged him specifically. He only saw it after waking up, and he was so excited he nearly jumped out of bed.
Fifty-seven ranks!
That was seven more than fifty!
The class chat was buzzing with activity. Scrolling down, he saw dozens of messages, all congratulating him on his progress.
Luo Xuan even made a joke : [Looks like the study materials we gave Xie Heng really worked! We should send him more next time.]
The chat erupted in laughter.
Xie Heng twitched the corner of his mouth, holding back the urge to send a warning message to the bespectacled nerd.
Instead, he smirked and couldn’t help but grin smugly.
Today, this young master was in a good mood, so he wouldn’t hold a grudge.
Feeling generous, Xie Heng sent a 1,500-yuan red envelope in the group chat with a proud message : [Drink more milk tea, talk less.]
Truthfully, no one in the class was short on money for milk tea.
But this was a treat from the school tyrant himself!
Damn! Who would’ve thought that the once-feared school tyrant would one day send out red envelopes for milk tea?
The chat instantly exploded again.
[Wow! That’s 30 yuan per person—I can add so many toppings!]
[Thanks, Boss Xie!]
[I’ve decided to gift Xie Heng my treasured set of XX practice exams! I guarantee he’ll improve another 57 ranks in the finals!]
Reading that, Xie Heng didn’t even get mad.
That actually sounded great.
If it were that easy, after a few more jumps, he’d finally reach the 200 ranks that Xu Jiaming had challenged him to.
If all it took was doing a few more sets of XX practice exams, he was totally up for it.
Amid the lively atmosphere in the group chat, Xie Heng briefly thought about his uncertain academic future—feeling a tiny bit of melancholy.
But that feeling disappeared in an instant, overwhelmed by his sheer joy.
Xie Heng got out of bed, stood in front of the mirror, and lifted his shirt to check his wound. No signs of inflammation, and it didn’t hurt at all. He smiled, feeling invigorated. After washing up, he brushed his teeth with the toothbrush in his mouth, wet his hands, and casually ran them through his hair, feeling refreshed.
As he tidied up, he frowned slightly.
Sure enough, his black hair had started growing out. When lifted, it was quite noticeable. It looked a bit odd.
Last time, Lu Xi had said she’d take him to get his hair done, but the very next day, he ended up in a fight and landed in the hospital.
Now that he’d performed so well, he had the perfect excuse to ask Ms. Lu to take him.
But the real question was…
How could he, without making it too obvious, let Ms. Lu and Mr. Xie know about his progress? He definitely couldn’t make it too blatant, like an idiot running up to them eagerly to report it. That wouldn’t be cool at all. It’d make it seem like he cared too much.
He had to be like his Dad—calm and collected, effortlessly impressive.
Not easy.
Xie Heng pondered in his room for a while but couldn’t come up with a good plan. He decided to ask Xu Jiaming and Song Siyang for help.
But they were in class. Checking the schedule—English class. Not to mention Top Student Xu, even Song Siyang wouldn’t dare to take out his phone.
Since he couldn’t wait for their replies, Xie Heng headed downstairs for lunch.
Lately, he had gotten used to sleeping in until late morning, combining breakfast and lunch. The butler no longer bothered to wake him up.
Now it was past 1 p.m., so he had to ask the kitchen to make him something.
Wandering downstairs, he didn’t see Lu Xi anywhere.
He figured she was at the studio, but then his gaze drifted to the greenhouse outside—and froze.
Why were there so many people?
When did they have guests?
Entering the kitchen, he was immediately recognized by the staff, who smiled knowingly. “Young Master is here for food, right? What would you like to eat?”
“Anything,” Xie Heng replied absentmindedly, his mind occupied with how to share his great news. Casually, he asked, “By the way, do we have guests?”
The staff member nodded. “Yes, Madam has visitors. Some of them are even parents of your classmates. They just arrived.”
“Oh.”
Xie Heng left the kitchen, and suddenly, his eyes lit up.
That’s right—since their kids also attended Mingli, they would definitely know about the recent midterm exams.
And what’s the number one topic at parent gatherings? Their kids’ academic performance.
If he just casually showed up around them, they’d definitely bring up his grades!
A smirk crept onto his lips.
Xie Heng, you genius. It’d be a crime if you didn’t become a detective one day.
Fate was clearly on his side. After lunch, he saw that the ladies from the greenhouse had moved inside—probably to avoid the sun.
Instead of showing off in the garden, it would be way more convenient indoors.
He waited patiently for over ten minutes before finally getting up, hands in his pockets, and strolled nonchalantly into the living room.
Among today’s guests were Zheng Suxin and a few other mothers he had met at the school anniversary event.
Coincidentally, Lu Xi had just finished a design draft and sent it to Zheng Suxin, who was quite pleased. They were discussing some final tweaks.
Lu Xi was used to these social gatherings and navigated them effortlessly.
The conversation flowed from recent gossip to the latest handbags and clothing trends, then to their recent auction purchases…
Right at the peak of their conversation, Xie Heng appeared.
For a brief moment, the room fell silent.
But soon, someone reacted and greeted him with a smile. “Oh, isn’t this Xiao Heng? Not in school today?”
Xie Heng nodded and politely called out, “Aunt.” Then, he casually wandered around the living room, appearing to search for something.
Lu Xi didn’t pay him any mind and simply responded with a smile, “He had surgery recently, still needs a few more days to recover.”
Zheng Suxin recalled, “Oh right, an appendectomy? How’s he doing?”
“He’s fine. Eating well, sleeping well, full of energy.” Lu Xi sipped her coffee with a faint smile.
Xie Heng : …
Ms. Lu, that was so uncalled for. She made him sound like a well-fed piglet.
Since he hadn’t left yet, he naturally became the center of attention. Everyone except Lu Xi looked him over and nodded approvingly.
Madam A : “Xiao Heng has grown so tall! Almost as tall as President Xie now.”
Madam B : “Not just tall—he’s so handsome too. He had such a presence during that fashion show.”
Madam C : “Exactly! My daughter says tons of girls at school like him. By the way, Xiao Heng, do you have a girlfriend?”
Xie Heng was internally falling apart.
Why was no one asking about his test scores?!